Founded by entrepreneur and golf enthusiast Gary Adams in 1979, TaylorMade's constant innovation has earned the company a reputation as a brand at the forefront of golfing technology. Adams? passion for golf led him to create the innovative TaylorMade Metalwood, a club that is widely credited with changing the face of golf forever.

The advent of faster travelling, two-piece golf balls onto the mass market in the 1960's meant that golfers could now achieve greater distance than ever before. This gave Adams an idea which was set to revolutionise the game of golf. After experimenting with various different materials, Adams discovered that golf balls balls would travel even further when struck with a club made of metal as opposed to the traditional persimmon and laminated wood. It was this revelation that led Adams to design the first premium Metalwood driver.

Throughout the long and proud history of golf, there had been relatively few changes and innovations in relation to the equipment used to play the sport. All of this changed with the introduction of the TaylorMade Metalwood.

The new clubs made their debut at the Professional Golfers Association (PGA) merchandise show in 1979. Initially, the public was sceptical, such a radical innovation in the golfing world was unprecedented and Adams knew that golfers would need some convincing. With this in mind, he set about persuading professionals to use the clubs, in order to give them some much needed credibility. By the end of the year, 47 professionals had signed up to use the clubs and TaylorMade was well on its way to establishing itself as a market leading brand. Adams realised the importance of gaining endorsement from top golfers and by 1983, an average of 60 clubs were in use each week on the PGA's national tour.

As a new generation of professional golfers was emerging, they required advanced equipment in order to improve their game. However, the fact that golf had seen little technical innovation for several centuries before the Metalwood was no coincidence. Golf is a notoriously difficult game to master and therefore very few innovations have succeeded in making a tangible impact on the game. Many have tried, and failed, to emulate the success of TaylorMade and the Metalwood.

In the mid 1990s, TaylorMade produced another innovation with the introduction of the new bubble burner driver. With its innovative shaft, this new club enabled golfers to swing faster without any extra effort. The club proved to be a big hit with pros and amateurs alike, as its prototype became the first Metalwood to win at the Masters Tournament in Augusta.

TaylorMade was bought by Adidas in 1997. Adding the expertise of one of the global sporting giant has further helped to sustain TaylorMade's position as one of the most innovative and well established brands in the world of golf.

Discount golf e-tailer golf online stock a full range of TaylorMade products including quad and R7 woods, satin wedges and TaylorMade golf bags