What happened to Adams Golf?

Bombam · June 7, 2016

Just bought a XTD TI hybrid off eBay new for 15 bucks and it got me thinking...what happened to Adams Golf? Last I heard they were bought up by Taylormade for some of their technology. Always felt they had a solid club lineup in the past but recently I haven't liked what I've been seeing. The Blue driver? Cmon. Any comment/opinions?

widow-maker · June 7, 2016

Taylormade happened to Adams. Simple as that. Took and used some of their tech and faded them out.

pierso2 · June 7, 2016

They're swimming with the fishes...

ImBurningStarIV · June 7, 2016

I sure would have liked to see what the MB3's would have looked like.

Bomber_11 · June 7, 2016

Taylormade purchased them (there was once rumor that they had to purchase them to ease the legal penalties of stealing their "speed pocket" like design).

They essentially ran them into the ground after stripping away the desired technology that Adams had.

Perhaps an M series hybrid will feel much like an Adams used to :)

tdelam · June 7, 2016

Yep. TaylorMade. Since their 2011 TP line, it's been a rollercoaster. Adams golf is feeling the pinch. Sales at its TaylorMade-adidas Golf division, which has recently hurt the company’s margins, fell 24%.... 24% in 2015. Adams has been benched, HQ's in TX have closed for Adams. TMAG has been suffering in the past two years. In the fourth quarter, TaylorMade-Adidas Golf unit sales declined another 15%.

MtlJeff · June 7, 2016

I remember reading here that taylormade was 100% going to let them be their own entity and not mess with them. LOL

tbowles411 · June 7, 2016

I remember reading here that taylormade was 100% going to let them be their own entity and not mess with them. LOL

I don't believe anyone rational believed that! :)

kftgolfer · June 7, 2016

I remember reading here that taylormade was 100% going to let them be their own entity and not mess with them. LOL

Yeah, that is the same as a football coach getting a vote of confidence from the AD. When you hear it you know the end is near.

alittleoverpar · June 7, 2016

A sad story....Adams equipment was always top notch IMO.

blink3665 · June 7, 2016

What happened to Adams?

Taylormade happened to Adams.

They ran a company with a great lineup of woods, hybrids, and irons, straight into the ground. Purchased for the IP and left to rot. If you look at the lineup right before Taylormade purchased them, it was fantastic.

SEP1006 · June 7, 2016

A sad story....Adams equipment was always top notch IMO.

Totally agree, Adams had great hybrids and irons for sure. Never was a fan of their Drivers though.

CWilliams · June 7, 2016

I still have a set of a4 forged irons and hybrids I will play from time to time. Great set of clubs. But there is a reason they were sold off in the first place..marketing

setter02 · June 7, 2016

What happened to Adams?
Taylormade happened to Adams.

Stop blaming TM for buying Adams. If Adams was so great, why are they pretty well just looked at fondly like Hogan irons. Put your money where your mouths are or shut up. If anything, Adams happened to Adams, you can't compete with the big boys and release PILES of drivers. People often forget this, but they were pretty well matching TM 1 for 1 on releases at one point.

Yes they made some solid gear, but as usual, no one bought it and you could find it for half the price within 6 months, ummm like TM, yet people would then buy that 50% off TM gear and Adams still sat there... Blame bad stock shafts, limited upgrades and a price point that was far too high for the top end vs. the competition before you blame TM, they were a dead company crawling already...

J-Blade · June 7, 2016

For some reason they gained a reputation as a club for us geezers and we aren't the major part of the golf market.

It does seem like many of their models catered to slower swing speeds and GI. Very solid clubs, though.

tdelam · June 7, 2016

What happened to Adams?
Taylormade happened to Adams.

Stop blaming TM for buying Adams. If Adams was so great, why are they pretty well just looked at fondly like Hogan irons. Put your money where your mouths are or shut up. If anything, Adams happened to Adams, you can't compete with the big boys and release PILES of drivers. People often forget this, but they were pretty well matching TM 1 for 1 on releases at one point.

Yes they made some solid gear, but as usual, no one bought it and you could find it for half the price within 6 months, ummm like TM, yet people would then buy that 50% off TM gear and Adams still sat there... Blame bad stock shafts, limited upgrades and a price point that was far too high for the top end vs. the competition before you blame TM, they were a dead company crawling already...

Whoa. Settle down, lol.

I hate to break it to you but it really is TM's doing. When a merge happens like they did, they take resources and allocate them therefor putting the smaller company out eventually. When TM posts 25% quarterly losses, they WILL NEVER sink more money into a merged company, they'll move resources around instead. It's not because of poor shaft upgrades, lol

golfcaddy1969 · June 7, 2016

I hate to see what has happened to a solid company. I still have a tour issue set of CB3 irons that are still in my bag. nothing so far can knock them out in terms of looks,forgiveness and distance. now there are other newer models that I could use. callaway apex,Mizuno jpx forged etc. But the bottom line is why change. I still have my Super ls 3 hybrid that cannot be replaced for my swing. I know the company obviously made decisions that put them in the position they are in. i still remain loyal to certain product lines by them. Until they disappear from Ebay i will most likely have them in my bag.

cgasucks · June 7, 2016

Adams golf is going the way of Maxfli when TM bought them...they bought Maxfli for its ball patents...kept the brand alive for a few years and sold the name off to Dicks...

setter02 · June 7, 2016

What happened to Adams?
Taylormade happened to Adams.

Stop blaming TM for buying Adams. If Adams was so great, why are they pretty well just looked at fondly like Hogan irons. Put your money where your mouths are or shut up. If anything, Adams happened to Adams, you can't compete with the big boys and release PILES of drivers. People often forget this, but they were pretty well matching TM 1 for 1 on releases at one point.

Yes they made some solid gear, but as usual, no one bought it and you could find it for half the price within 6 months, ummm like TM, yet people would then buy that 50% off TM gear and Adams still sat there... Blame bad stock shafts, limited upgrades and a price point that was far too high for the top end vs. the competition before you blame TM, they were a dead company crawling already...

Whoa. Settle down, lol.

I hate to break it to you but it really is TM's doing. When a merge happens like they did, they take resources and allocate them therefor putting the smaller company out eventually. When TM posts 25% quarterly losses, they WILL NEVER sink more money into a merged company, they'll move resources around instead. It's not because of poor shaft upgrades, lol

Its just a constant that it was TM that sunk Adams when they were already taking on water and going down. TM was never going to do anything with Adams, they got what they want and everyone knew what was coming, it had nothing to do with quarterly loses.

If Adams was doing that well, wouldn't you think they might try and avoid selling out?

MtlJeff · June 7, 2016

I remember reading here that taylormade was 100% going to let them be their own entity and not mess with them. LOL
I don't believe anyone rational believed that! :)

Ha! Talk to the guys in those threads who boasted of their insider knowledge and didn't want to hear any of my speculation!

Sushiyoshi · June 7, 2016

I was cleaning out my garage two weeks ago. Found the original Tight Lies 3W with steel shaft and 5W with graphite shaft. I remember I used to kill with the 3W.

Gonna take out next time I am at the range and see if it holds up to currently technology.

Tyus Stones · June 7, 2016

Stop blaming TM for buying Adams. If Adams was so great, why are they pretty well just looked at fondly like Hogan irons. Put your money where your mouths are or shut up. If anything, Adams happened to Adams, you can't compete with the big boys and release PILES of drivers. People often forget this, but they were pretty well matching TM 1 for 1 on releases at one point.

Yes they made some solid gear, but as usual, no one bought it and you could find it for half the price within 6 months, ummm like TM, yet people would then buy that 50% off TM gear and Adams still sat there... Blame bad stock shafts, limited upgrades and a price point that was far too high for the top end vs. the competition before you blame TM, they were a dead company crawling already...

So much ignorance crammed into a single post.... lol. Let me break it down for you real quick:

1) You do realize that Ben Hogan Golf is still around and making top notch gear, right? If you haven't given their Ft. Worth or PTx irons out, then you have done yourself a disservice. You won't find a higher quality, better performing set of irons for the price. And certainly nothing better will be found that is manufactured here in the USA!!

2) Adams clubs are fantastic. I have gamed Adams hybrids for years (even through those models with the hideous slot on the crown! lol) and also put the irons in play every now and again, and could not be happier with their performance. If TMaG put 25% of the effort into promoting them to the public as they do their flagship lines, they would have absolutely no problem selling. The issue is the everyday golfer walking in to GS or GG would rarely even find Adams clubs on the shelves, and if they did the sales reps would have virtually nothing to say about them so they never even entered the consumer's mind as an option. Its hard to sell anything when it aren't readily available to the consumer.

3) There is a reason Adams clubs had the stigma of being the "old man's clubs" - the few players on tour who repped them were all older. Also, the golfers who knew about them putting out solid products are those who were old enough to make their own purchasing decisions in the late 90's and 2000's - i.e. age 35 and above currently. Even in the few commercials I ever saw Adams put out, the pros featured in them were all older and they almost exclusively promoted themselves as the "#1 hybrid on tour" (or "in golf", can't remember exactly tbh). Many golfers view hybrids as an old man's club, for those who cannot put their long irons into play consistently and need help getting some distance back in their game. I don't once remember a promotion featuring their woods or irons.

Elder statesmen reps on tour + marketing focused on a club "geared" towards older players + little to no brand awareness for millenials = "Old man's clubs" stigma

4) TMaG gave zero f#$%s about Adams after securing their patents. If anything, they probably are happy that Adams has died a slow death.

5) Although I am uncertain as to whether they provided high end shaft upgrade options, Adams ALWAYS put solid shafts into its products. From Aldila and Kuro Kage shafts in the woods and hybrids, to KBS Tour in their irons. I'm not sure what more you could ask for in stock offerings on clubs tbh.

TL/DR: It's sad to see a company with such good products go by the wayside. It's even more sad to see how misunderstood that company was by the masses, and how that factored heavily into its downfall. I strongly recommend that anyone who is looking for new hybrids picks up one of the Adams on clearance at many online retailers. You will not regret it! The Tight Lies and Red are excellent choices. If you aren't the straightest driver in the world and find yourself in the rough and sand more than you'd like, I don't think there is a better hybrid than the Tight Lies 2 to have in your bag. It handles even the worst lies like a dream!

Kejoba86 · June 7, 2016

I actually bought a set of Adams IDEA II irons this season and love them. I understand they came out a couple years ago, but they've played fantastic. Maybe I got the last of the best?

Arafel · June 7, 2016

I remember reading here that taylormade was 100% going to let them be their own entity and not mess with them. LOL
I don't believe anyone rational believed that! :)

Ha! Talk to the guys in those threads who boasted of their insider knowledge and didn't want to hear any of my speculation!

It's a Caesar Palache thing......

.

tbowles411 · June 7, 2016

I remember reading here that taylormade was 100% going to let them be their own entity and not mess with them. LOL
I don't believe anyone rational believed that! :)

Ha! Talk to the guys in those threads who boasted of their insider knowledge and didn't want to hear any of my speculation!

Yeah, I do remember that! LOL

farmer · June 7, 2016

Adams made very solid clubs, but never had the resources to market with the big boys. After the TMag buy, it was dead in the water.

MtlJeff · June 7, 2016

Stop blaming TM for buying Adams. If Adams was so great, why are they pretty well just looked at fondly like Hogan irons. Put your money where your mouths are or shut up. If anything, Adams happened to Adams, you can't compete with the big boys and release PILES of drivers. People often forget this, but they were pretty well matching TM 1 for 1 on releases at one point.

Yes they made some solid gear, but as usual, no one bought it and you could find it for half the price within 6 months, ummm like TM, yet people would then buy that 50% off TM gear and Adams still sat there... Blame bad stock shafts, limited upgrades and a price point that was far too high for the top end vs. the competition before you blame TM, they were a dead company crawling already...

So much ignorance crammed into a single post.... lol. Let me break it down for you real quick:

1) You do realize that Ben Hogan Golf is still around and making top notch gear, right? If you haven't given their Ft. Worth or PTx irons out, then you have done yourself a disservice. You won't find a higher quality, better performing set of irons for the price. And certainly nothing better will be found that is manufactured here in the USA!!

2) Adams clubs are fantastic. I have gamed Adams hybrids for years (even through those models with the hideous slot on the crown! lol) and also put the irons in play every now and again, and could not be happier with their performance. If TMaG put 25% of the effort into promoting them to the public as they do their flagship lines, they would have absolutely no problem selling. The issue is the everyday golfer walking in to GS or GG would rarely even find Adams clubs on the shelves, and if they did the sales reps would have virtually nothing to say about them so they never even entered the consumer's mind as an option. Its hard to sell anything when it aren't readily available to the consumer.

3) There is a reason Adams clubs had the stigma of being the "old man's clubs" - the few players on tour who repped them were all older. Also, the golfers who knew about them putting out solid products are those who were old enough to make their own purchasing decisions in the late 90's and 2000's - i.e. age 35 and above currently. Even in the few commercials I ever saw Adams put out, the pros featured in them were all older and they almost exclusively promoted themselves as the "#1 hybrid on tour" (or "in golf", can't remember exactly tbh). Many golfers view hybrids as an old man's club, for those who cannot put their long irons into play consistently and need help getting some distance back in their game. I don't once remember a promotion featuring their woods or irons.

Elder statesmen reps on tour + marketing focused on a club "geared" towards older players + little to no brand awareness for millenials = "Old man's clubs" stigma

4) TMaG gave zero f#$%s about Adams after securing their patents. If anything, they probably are happy that Adams has died a slow death.

5) Although I am uncertain as to whether they provided high end shaft upgrade options, Adams ALWAYS put solid shafts into its products. From Aldila and Kuro Kage shafts in the woods and hybrids, to KBS Tour in their irons. I'm not sure what more you could ask for in stock offerings on clubs tbh.

TL/DR: It's sad to see a company with such good products go by the wayside. It's even more sad to see how misunderstood that company was by the masses, and how that factored heavily into its downfall. I strongly recommend that anyone who is looking for new hybrids picks up one of the Adams on clearance at many online retailers. You will not regret it! The Tight Lies and Red are excellent choices. If you aren't the straightest driver in the world and find yourself in the rough and sand more than you'd like, I don't think there is a better hybrid than the Tight Lies 2 to have in your bag. It handles even the worst lies like a dream!

I actually do agree that Adams had some very good products

However your comments about being misunderstood by the masses and poorly represented on tour by the wrong demographic etc

These things ARE Adams fault. Golf equipment is a very branding based market. Image counts and marketing matters as lot

They branded themselves poorly, and didn't invest enough in distribution stocking their products on shelves

They didn't do a good enough job as a company to stay viable in this market. It's a tough world out there, sadly

Badgergolfer2 · June 7, 2016

Long story short, they were bought out by TMAG, TMAG took the good tech that Adams had and didnt nothing with the brand, so the brand is very much dead right now.

Hopefully one day, someone will buy Adams and resurrect the brand.

blink3665 · June 7, 2016

What happened to Adams?
Taylormade happened to Adams.

Stop blaming TM for buying Adams. If Adams was so great, why are they pretty well just looked at fondly like Hogan irons. Put your money where your mouths are or shut up. If anything, Adams happened to Adams, you can't compete with the big boys and release PILES of drivers. People often forget this, but they were pretty well matching TM 1 for 1 on releases at one point.

Yes they made some solid gear, but as usual, no one bought it and you could find it for half the price within 6 months, ummm like TM, yet people would then buy that 50% off TM gear and Adams still sat there... Blame bad stock shafts, limited upgrades and a price point that was far too high for the top end vs. the competition before you blame TM, they were a dead company crawling already...

Whoa. I dont know why I incurred your wrath this morning, but I certainly dont think it's deserved.

I think you're correct that Adams was not well marketed and wasnt keeping up with the big boys for market dollars, tour presence, or revenue.

I DID put my money where my mouth was. So I'm not going to shutup. I have owned at least 4 different sets of Adams irons and plenty of their hybrids and woods. I thought they put out a great product and I purchased alot of it. I still have quite a bit of it sitting in backup bags, and the hybrids are constantly in the rotation.

Adams was purchased by Taylormade in 2012. That year they released the CMB, a12pro, and CB3. All of those irons are still looked at as great irons. They also released the a12pro and XTD hybrids, as well as the XTD line of fairway woods. Another great lineup. I would argue that CTaper, KBA Tour, KBS Tour 90, Fubuki ax, Matrix Ozik Altus, and RIPd VS Proto are all very good stock shaft offerings.

Once TMAG purchased Adams it was an easy and quick way to grab their IP and put it into their products. Who knows if Adams was on it's way out, or how long they would have survived on their own. However, it's my opinion that TMAG called down the Grim Reaper on them much faster than the market would have, and that their product offerings went downhill significantly after the purchase.

setter02 · June 7, 2016

Stop blaming TM for buying Adams. If Adams was so great, why are they pretty well just looked at fondly like Hogan irons. Put your money where your mouths are or shut up. If anything, Adams happened to Adams, you can't compete with the big boys and release PILES of drivers. People often forget this, but they were pretty well matching TM 1 for 1 on releases at one point.

Yes they made some solid gear, but as usual, no one bought it and you could find it for half the price within 6 months, ummm like TM, yet people would then buy that 50% off TM gear and Adams still sat there... Blame bad stock shafts, limited upgrades and a price point that was far too high for the top end vs. the competition before you blame TM, they were a dead company crawling already...

So much ignorance crammed into a single post.... lol. Let me break it down for you real quick:

Sorry but you didn't break anything down, you gave a bad opinion.

1) You do realize that Ben Hogan Golf is still around and making top notch gear, right? If you haven't given their Ft. Worth or PTx irons out, then you have done yourself a disservice. You won't find a higher quality, better performing set of irons for the price. And certainly nothing better will be found that is manufactured here in the USA!!

Hogan irons all but disappeared as they were bought out by Cally. Now this is a new re-incarnate, some would say a new business all together vs. the older model that died.

2) Adams clubs are fantastic. I have gamed Adams hybrids for years (even through those models with the hideous slot on the crown! lol) and also put the irons in play every now and again, and could not be happier with their performance. If TMaG put 25% of the effort into promoting them to the public as they do their flagship lines, they would have absolutely no problem selling. The issue is the everyday golfer walking in to GS or GG would rarely even find Adams clubs on the shelves, and if they did the sales reps would have virtually nothing to say about them so they never even entered the consumer's mind as an option. Its hard to sell anything when it aren't readily available to the consumer.

Adams doesn't sell, period, end of story /thread. Why on earth would T< put marketing dollars into something to cannibalize its own market share, come on...

3) There is a reason Adams clubs had the stigma of being the "old man's clubs" - the few players on tour who repped them were all older. Also, the golfers who knew about them putting out solid products are those who were old enough to make their own purchasing decisions in the late 90's and 2000's - i.e. age 35 and above currently. Even in the few commercials I ever saw Adams put out, the pros featured in them were all older and they almost exclusively promoted themselves as the "#1 hybrid on tour" (or "in golf", can't remember exactly tbh). Many golfers view hybrids as an old man's club, for those who cannot put their long irons into play consistently and need help getting some distance back in their game. I don't once remember a promotion featuring their woods or irons.

You mean Chad Campbell wasn't a game changer? I also don't think that 'many golfers' view hybrids as 'old man clubs' when you're likely to see at least 50% of Pro's bagging one. You'd be hard pressed to go to a course any day of the week and not see at least 95% of bags have at least one in... So please, where is this 'many'?

Elder statesmen reps on tour + marketing focused on a club "geared" towards older players + little to no brand awareness for millenials = "Old man's clubs" stigma

4) TMaG gave zero f#$%s about Adams after securing their patents. If anything, they probably are happy that Adams has died a slow death.

Adams was already dying...

5) Although I am uncertain as to whether they provided high end shaft upgrade options, Adams ALWAYS put solid shafts into its products. From Aldila and Kuro Kage shafts in the woods and hybrids, to KBS Tour in their irons. I'm not sure what more you could ask for in stock offerings on clubs tbh.

Sorry, but this for the most part is untrue as they had wet noodles for shafts in their equipment. Mainly because that was their target market, softer swingers who needed help. You rarely if ever saw anything exotic, and the custom options list was sadder then Pings. Personally I don't like KBS shafts, so always did nothing for me anyway.

TL/DR: It's sad to see a company with such good products go by the wayside. It's even more sad to see how misunderstood that company was by the masses, and how that factored heavily into its downfall. I strongly recommend that anyone who is looking for new hybrids picks up one of the Adams on clearance at many online retailers. You will not regret it! The Tight Lies and Red are excellent choices. If you aren't the straightest driver in the world and find yourself in the rough and sand more than you'd like, I don't think there is a better hybrid than the Tight Lies 2 to have in your bag. It handles even the worst lies like a dream!

We all have our opinions, but I at least see the truth. Adams had to target the older demographic because they weren't going to steal anyone from anything else.