Where are Callaway Irons made?

[ashortgame]

Can anyone tell me where Callaway irons are made? I am thinking about getting a set of Apex 19 irons but I am wondering if they are made in China. I really don't want to get something made in China so I would consider some other Callaway irons if the Apex are made in China.

[DMartini]

if you dont want Chinese Apex's you could always buy a set of Miura forged Apex MB's if your bank account can handle the beat down.

[i*windows]

they are manufactured in China, as are most OEM clubs. 95% of the worlds grips are made in china, with the exception of some leather ones. 95% of the works ferrules are Chinese made, and shafts are also made in china. So you have no option, unless you opt for clubs forged in Japan with hand made Japanese shafts and US leather grips. It's a global economy - for better or worse.

 

[Orlandogolfguru]

This, 100%. Sorry, but maybe even more than 95% of all golf products are made in China, along with every major OEM. Even some products that say made in USA mean "finished" in USA, but still made in China. Apex is a great club by the way. Good luck!

[dmeeksDC]

Don’t know the grips options, but if you aren’t locked in on U.S. brands it is not difficult to find golf clubs and shafts of very high quality completely manufactured and built in Japan.

[Lincoln_Arcadia]

A buddy of mine ended up machining his own clubs. They looked great even with the “tool marks”, but they felt and sounded about the same as a cheap set of clubs you can buy from a Golf Galaxy brand in a “set with the putter included”. I didn’t tell him that, of course.

They are, however, made in USA.

[J13]

Made in china and assembled in Mexico.

[jmck]

Yeah, what this guy said. ^^^^

Even a lot of what used to be Japanese brands have switched to Chinese forging houses. Endo/Epon is going to be Thailand if not Japan. They do the Srixon forgings which are probably going to be the easiest thing on this list to find in a retail setting. Bridgestones are still Endo forged last I checked. Kyoei does their own line, plus PRGR and Vega. AFAIK, Mizuno still forges their own heads in Japan but they're finished in China for sure, unless you go through their Yoro Craft program (highly recommended BTW). Miura as mentioned, but I believe even they have shifted some lines to China as they've (or TrueSpec as the case may be) expanded their distribution--if it says "Genuine" or "Gekin" on it they're Japanese for sure.....I think? Honmas used to be stamped "Made in JAPAN, Sakata" but the the Tour World line (their big push into wider distribution/name recognition) is China. On and on. Make sure you get Nippons for shafts and Pure grips while you're at it too.

PING used to be 100% made in the USA, but they've gradually shifted over to China over the last 10 or so years. Still assembled in the USA at least. There was a day when you could walk into any golf shop, pick out the latest from Hogan, MacGregor, or Wilson, fitted with TrueTemper shafts and Golf Pride grips, all USA made. Those days are long gone. It's a global village out there folks.

Anyway, if it's something you really want to make a stand on, cross everything from Callaway (and TM and most everyone else) off your list and try to find a shop that carries Srixon or Bridgestone.

[BirdieBob]

AND the counterfeit Callaway irons are also made in China!

[James the Hogan Fan]

Pure Grips claim to be US made. (Some) True Temper steel shafts are US made. Cell Parts, as far as I know, is making ferrules in Illinois. There are graphite shafts made in the US as well. Japan seems about the only non-china source for heads I agree, but it would not be impossible to source a set of non-china irons. Woods might be a different matter though.

[Shallowface]

For now.

[Carolina Golfer 2]

I believe Pure definitely is, I have a friend who has been to their factory in Mesa where he has seen them being made, on a regular basis. That's one of the reasons he uses them on all his clubs.

[jmck]

Good call on Cell Parts ferrules. I had forgotten all about them.

[i*windows]

not until capitalism fails. All of the US manufacturers could have built everything their, they have the R&D, people, factories everything, but they saw a way to make an extra $100 per set or more and went for it - or the backers and venture capitalists did. and that is it, money and nothing else. When companies stop thinking about shares, profit margins and maybe other issues things will come back to the US.

[ashortgame]

Sad that its come to this, and disturbing at the same time.

I have looked at Muira TC-201's, nice looking clubs but I cant get to demo them. I am quite partial to Srixon irons and could go for the Z 585's but having hit them a bit they are not quite there for me. I may hang on and wait for their next offering.

I emailed Callaway with pretty the same phrased question as I asked here and got this reply this afternoon:

"In response to your inquiry, the vast majority of Callaway golf clubs are assembled in Mexico and China using Callaway Golf operating procedures and specifications. Our U.S. Quality Assurance teams work hard to ensure that the assembly of all of our products is subject to the same high standards developed by our Research and Development team in our Carlsbad, CA Headquarters."

Hmm.

The clubs that really surprised me was PXR. I would gladly buy a set but of course the same thing. I sent them an email some months back asking where the were made and was told they were made overseas! I sent them another email and said overseas is a pretty big area, could they be a little more specific and then got a reply saying China. I was and am surprised about PXR because Bob Parsons is such a patriotic person and for the market he is selling to price is not really a consideration, so I really thought they would be made in the US. Not a criticism just my observation.

I really was impressed by the Apex 19 irons so I guess either concede, otherwise wait for the next Srixon issue.

Thanks to all that responded.

[Yarra]

I am afraid by the time everything comes back to the US and made in the US, prices will soar. Imagine Callaway, TM, TItleist and PING are priced at the level of PXG when they first came out?

 

Some will be happy for patriotic/nationalist reason, but how many more who will complain and find it expensive? And then, we will have some who compares the US-brand to the likes of Miuras and other Japanese brands because they are getting similar in pricing.

 

Don't we wish every manufacturers are like True Temper, where they can manufacture products in the US and still very competitive in terms of pricing?

[BlkNGld]

I think the components are made in China, but assembly is in Mexico.

I don't know how the laws apply specific to golf clubs, but that could mean that the official classification is it's a Mexican product.

It's not different from a non-US car company setting us shop in the US, bringing parts from all over the world, but it's classified as a US car.

[Bad9]

Any particular reason you don't want to buy Chinese made clubs(which others have pointed out is almost impossible)? Being made in China doesn't mean its low quality. The quality depends on what the buyer(in golf terms clubs brands) is willing to pay for in terms of quality control, specification variance(weight, loft, lie, etc) and finishing. Cheap brands likely pay less for these QA steps than non cheap brands regardless of location of manufacture.

[Howard_Jones]

If you wants to avoid China made Golf products, look at a Japanese brand, or EPON who is a Japanese / Thailand based company. Endo is the company behind the brand name EPON and over the years, ENDO has made many of the OEMs top models, even for Callaway like the X Tour Prototype. Its very strange that EPON is not more known than it is, they are on level with "what ever".

[ptjn1201]

Pure, Star, and Mint grips are all made in the USA. Mint isn't well known, but they make a nice wrap grip. True Temper's steel is made in Mississippi, I believe. Matrix makes their shafts here as well. Maybe there are some forged irons made here by small companies -- probably wedges. And there are still putters milled in the US -- especially those "garage" brands who churn out a few heads a week.

[trhode]

Very surprised that EPON is not as known. They are excellent heads. The CBs look and feel incredible. Blend nicely with the AF-505’s.

[Howard_Jones]

Yes and thats to bad, because many OEMs dont make their own components at all, they design them and does the marketing and distribution, but they dont actually make them, thats done by companies like ENDO who has their own brand EPON.

It seems like "the more advanced" the design is, the more they need ENDO to make it for them, so ENDO has all the knowledge and tooling needed to make what ever it might be, and thats why their own line up EPON is on level with "what ever"....i love the design of their CB heads, stylish classic lines with moderate offset, a decent camber on the sole, and without to much "circus", so if i was in the marked for new irons, they would absolutely be on my list.

Callaway might be one of ENDOs largest customers, the X-Tour model from 2005, the first ever forged "pocket cavity back" is a 2 piece construction forged by ENDO, and they also forged the X Prototypes and DIABLO FORGED (also known as LEGACY), so it seems like that the top models from Callaway is made by ENDO. ive been playing and still have both the X-Tour 2005 and the Diablo Forged, so i know ENDO makes top notch products, but i never played EPON myself, but had a few customers by for shaft changes who played them and was very happy with them.

So...why not try EPON? then you are sure you dont get "made in China".....http://epongolf.co.jp/en/product/1095_af-tour-cb

[SAM_PGA]

It was explained to me from various reps, that anything titanium comes from China due to the volatility of the manufacturing process. China was the only country that had the capacity to turn out the quanities demanded by the companies. Not to mention no unions, lower manufacturing costs, and until now low tariffs. The high tariffs are going to drive up retail numbers.

[puttingmatt]

As long as its a quality product, Who cares where it comes from. American companies pissed away all the tech and manufacturing expertise decades ago. The asian market is simply better, better casting and forging capabilities. The OEM's have known for some time, its just a global market.

[PhlashPhace]

The reps don't know what they're talking about. We make a ton of titanium products here, mostly for aerospace. Don't listen to them if they're claiming they don't make driver heads here because of the "volatility of the manufacturing process". They make them there because it helps their bottom line.

 

I would gladly play double the price to play clubs that are made here. I know I'm in the minority but you can't even find a decent pair of golf shoes that are made here anymore. I do support Fairway and Greene by only wearing their made in the USA golf shirts. They're great quality and worth the price.

[RainShadow]

Lamkin grips are made in Mexico

[Howard_Jones]

Yes, we live in a Globalized marked place for all goods, but this is so much more than that, its also about national pride, so dont forget that aspect, because we dont have to go far back in time before "Made in the USA" was a quality symbol, and a "Trade mark" by itself, known all over the world, the US was the globes larges tooling manufacturer, today you are down at 7% of the global industry market......

So, when a Golf player is willing to pay the extra for components who is "Made in the USA" like many does, the OEMs, should listen. Just look at True Tempers "Hand made series" from San Diego CA, weight matched old DYNAMIC from 1942 with "Tour Issue" labels....many is willing to pay the extra in this marked for goods "made at home", but also players oversees like Europe, so i really think its time for you, the playing public in the US, to speak out loud, and tell the OEMs, that you want them to make more models in the US.

We are not allowed to debate politics in here, but most Presidents i know of have been Golfers, and that include todays President, and with the effects of lock downs....Give the Golf Business some help to start up more of its production in the US. It should be a Win/Win for the sitting president who runs a trade war against China, so what could be better than taking home what once a large industry in the US? Its designed in the US anyway, so China is really nothing but a Sub-Contractor, we dont play Chinese Brands....

If someone knows "the man in charge" or how to send him a free tip from me, He should invite ENDO to build a plant for clubs heads in the US, to serve US OEMs....

[PhlashPhace]

Some are made in Mexico and some are made in China. They've got factories in both countries.

[puttingmatt]

The U S has in the past decades have welcomed foriegn investments , including transplants and manufacturing. Acquisitions and mergers have played a large part in the global markets also. But, all the wranglings over trade wars is a nice talking point, but the trade deficit is higher now than 4 years back. But, I agree whole hearted about the Made in America trademark as a symbol of qualty, just not sure who is making the sticker

[CROUSE99]

The Ping putter I just bought says head made in Vietnam, shaft made in USA. Assembled in USA.