Equipment
Checking in with Mitchell Golf after acquisition by Caster Concepts
Last July, we reported Mitchell Golf Equipment Company, industry leader in loft and lie machines and other golf club bending equipment, was seeking a buyer. Founder and CEO Ed Mitchell was hoping for absorption into a larger company to reduce overhead and capitalize on the efficiencies of being nested inside a larger manufacturer.
As of December 1, Caster Concepts, a manufacturer of heavy duty industrial casters, purchased all assets of Mitchell Golf, and the the company has relocated to Caster’s facility in Albion, Michigan.
Ed Mitchell explained at the time the announcement, “Certainly partnering with a caster company was not my first thought, [but] when I met Bill Dobbins President, Brian Burt Controller and Andrew Dobbins General Manager, and fully understood the expertise that was within their company, it was clear there was a great fit for my company.”
Now a couple of months into the new arrangement, we caught up with Mr. Mitchell by phone to see how things are going.
I asked how they got linked up with Caster Concepts in the first place.
“We were looking for someone that could provide the machining and metal fabrication in house that we didn’t have…to find that already in the golf industry was very difficult.”
“I happened on a firm just 20 miles west of Jackson, which is my hometown. The son of the owner of the firm [Andrew Dobbins] had spent about eight or 10 years as a PGA Professional and he was familiar with our machines. So they had a connection to the industry, and with their in-house manufacturing, it seemed like a great fit.”
Mitchell indicated Castor Concepts offers a full buffet of resources.
“This company does business all over the world. They have a very sound grounding in manufacturing. They have a laser cutter. They have polyurethane capabilities. The have powder coating. They have in-house painting. They have in-house welding as well as all types of machining…all the tools that are needed to produce the precision parts that go into our machines. We’re able to take ideas from skratchpad all the way to production.”
Mitchell also told us a few of the ways the the arrangement will help the company are
- Get delivery times back to within days.
- Add new design features the current line, as well as continue to improve on our machines.
- Reinstate the company’s training schools, as well as offer an internet-based training program.
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- Kris Kim what’s in the bag accurate as of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. More photos from the event here.
Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 (9 degrees @7)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 60 TX
3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 Tour (15 degrees @13.5)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana WB 73 TX
Irons: TaylorMade P770 (2, 4), TaylorMade P7MB (5-PW)
Shafts: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 80 TX (2), Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 Tour 120 X
Wedges: TaylorMade MG4 (50-09SB, 56-12SB, 60-11TW)
Shafts: Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 WV 125
Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
Check out more in-hand photos of Kris Kim’s equipment here.
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TaylorMade is continuing its UDI/DHY series with the successor to the Stealth UDI and DHY utility irons: PUDI and PDHY (which the company styles as P·UDI and P·DHY). TaylorMade is folding the designs in with its P Series of irons.
TaylorMade outlined the process of developing its new utilities this way. The company started with the data on utility iron usage. Not surprisingly, better players — i.e. those who generate more clubhead speed and strike the ball more precisely — were found to gravitate toward the UDI model. DHY usage, however, covered a wider swath than the company might have expected with six-to-18 handicappers found to be bagging the club.
TaylorMade also found that the majority of golfers playing UDI or DHY utilities were playing P Series irons at the top of their iron configurations.
Can you see where this is going?
Matt Bovee, Director of Product Creation, Iron and Wedge at TaylorMade: “As we look to the future, beyond the tech and the design language, we are excited about repositioning our utility irons into the P·Series family. P·UDI is an easy pair for players that currently play P·Series product and P·DHY is an extremely forgiving option for players of all skill levels. It is a natural fit to give these players the performance in this category that they are looking for.”
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TaylorMade PUDI
TaylorMade PUDI technology cutaway (via TaylorMade)
Crafted with tour player input, TaylorMade sought to develop a confidence-inspiring utility iron that blends with the rest of the P Series irons. Also of note: Interestingly, the PUDI has a more compact head than the P790.
In comparison to past UDI products, the PUDI has a more traditional iron shape, slimmer toplines, and less offset with a little of the backbar visible at address.
TaylorMade PDHY
TaylorMade PDHY tech cutaway (via TaylorMade).
Larger in profile than the PUDI, the PDHY seeks to position center of gravity (CG) lower in the club for ease of launch. The toe height is larger and the profile is larger at address — roughly five millimeters longer than PUDI — the sole of the club is wider for improved forgiveness.
Club Junkie’s take
Golfers who feel like they are missing something at the top of the bag could find the PUDI or PDHY a great option. The look of the PUDI should fit the most discerning eye with a more compact look, less offset, and a thinner topline. If you want a little more confidence looking down the P-DHY will be slightly larger while still being a good-looking utility iron.
For being small packages both models pack a pretty good punch with fast ball speeds, even off-center. The feel is soft and you get a solid feel of the ball compressing off the face when you strike it well. Your ears are greeted with a nice heavy thud as the ball and club come together. The PDHY will launch a little higher for players who need it while the PUDI offers a more penetrating ball flight. Both utility irons could be the cure for an open spot in the top end of the bag.
PUDI, PDHY, or Rescue?
TaylorMade offers the following notes to assist golfers in filling out their bags:
- PUDI has mid-CG right behind the center face to create a more penetrating mid-to-low ball flight
- PDHY has a lower center of gravity to produce an easier-to-launch mid-to-high ball flight.
- Both PUDI and PDHY are lower-flying than the company’s hybrid/Rescue clubs.
- PUDI is more forgiving than P790.
- PDHY is the most forgiving iron in the entire TaylorMade iron family
Pricing, specs, and availability
Price: $249.99
At retail: Now
Stock shafts: UST Mamiya’s Recoil DART (105 X, 90 S and 75 R – only in PDHY)
Stock grip: Golf Pride’s ZGrip (black/grey)
PUDI lofts: 2-17°, 3-20°, 4-22° in both left and right-handed
PDHY lofts: 2-18°, 3-20° and 4-22° in both left and right-handed
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Equipment
Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (5/3/24): Scotty Cameron Champions Choice 2.5+ putter
At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals that all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.
It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.
Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, there is a listing for a Scotty Cameron Champions Choice 2.5+ putter
From the seller: (@wwcl): “Has been gamed as pics show. 33.5 includes original h/c and grip. $575 includes shipping and PP fees.”
To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: Scotty Cameron Champions Choice 2.5+ putter
This is the most impressive current listing from the GolfWRX BST, and if you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum you can check them out here: GolfWRX BST Rules
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Steve
Mar 17, 2017 at 4:35 pm
No mention here about Ed Mitchell sneaking out if Dayton Ohio on the weekend still owing vendors thousands of dollars.
Scooter6
Feb 17, 2017 at 10:34 am
I have had the pleasure to meet Mr. Mitchell, his son Tom, and Dodger the cat. What a fine family! Really great people and I hope this is the future they hoped for.
Chuck
Feb 16, 2017 at 6:22 pm
This is great news, and a nice and a timely report. Ed Mitchell has lots of roots in that area (Albion-Jackson). Ed Mitchell WAS the old Mitchell Golf, and he has so incredibly much historic knowledge. Back before there were any tour vans to speak of, Mitchell Golf had a little van at the Masters. He’s got amazing stories, and I hope that someone can help publicize them at this point in Ed’s life. Somebody should do a long-form interview with him.
Bubba: since SuperStroke Grips, Carl’s Golfland, Miles of Golf, the Eaton (Golfpride) Corporation… oh, and three of the largest manufacturing companies in the world (General Motors, Ford Motor Company and Fiat-Chrysler Automotive) and the world’s leading autonomous vehicle research center all make their homes in Michigan, I think our productive class is doing fine, thank you very little.
Chuck
Feb 18, 2017 at 12:04 am
Please get a real name.