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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Equipment
Jason Day on his recent switch into Srixon ZX5 and ZX7 MK II irons
Over the past year, equipment free agent Jason Day has played a number of different iron sets looking for his right match.
In May 2023, he was using a TaylorMade P770 4-iron to go along with a set of P7MC irons (5-PW).
In August 2023, he had switched to a set of TaylorMade P7TW irons (5-PW) to go with his P770 4-iron.
Then, in February 2024, he was into a full set of P760 irons (4-PW).
Now, Day has switched it all the way up, and he’s currently using a new set of Srixon ZX5 MK II long irons (3 and 4), and Srixon ZX7 MK II mid-to-short irons (5-PW).
On Tuesday at the 2024 RBC Heritage, Day told GolfWRX.com that he made the switch before the 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open, because he was looking to reduce spin.
“For me, they spin a little bit less,” Day said. “They’re very good out of fairway bunkers, too. I haven’t played too much in the rough yet, so I still need to get an understanding of how the come out of the rough, but for me, it was all about spin control.”
“I had tested the previous model to these [Srixon ZX7’s], but I only had one club. And I was getting some inconsistent spinny with my previous irons, so I just decided to at least give them another shot. My biggest thing was to take spin off, because I was spinning it like crazy.”
The Srixon ZX7 MK II irons are known for producing low spin numbers, and pairing them with Day’s typical ultra-stiff True Temper X7 shafts make them certified spin killers.
If it’s spin he wanted to reduce, then Day may have found his match with the new Srixon irons.
See what else Day has in the bag at the 2024 RBC Heritage here
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Whats in the Bag
Jason Day WITB 2024 (April)
- Jason Day what’s in the bag accurate as of the RBC Heritage.
Driver: Ping G430 LST (9 degrees @10)
Shaft: TPT Driver 15 Lo
3-wood: TaylorMade SIM Max (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Kuro Kage 80 X
7-wood: TaylorMade Stealth (21 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Kuro Kage 80 X
Irons: Srixon ZX5 Mk II (3, 4), Srixon ZX7 Mk II (5-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X Seven
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (52-08F, 56-10S, 60-04T), Cleveland RTX 6 ZipCore Tour Rack (56-10 MID, 52-10 MID)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X Seven
Putter: TaylorMade Itsy Bitsy Spider Limited
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
Ball: Bridgestone Tour B X (with Mindset)
Check out more in-hand photos of Jason Day’s WITB here.
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Whats in the Bag
Ludvig Åberg WITB 2024 (April)
- Ludvig Åberg what’s in the bag accurate as of the RBC Heritage.
Driver: Titleist TSR2 (9 degrees, D4 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X
3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 8 X
5-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (18 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 8 X
7-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (21 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 9 X
Irons: Titleist 718 TMB (2), Titleist T200 (2), Titleist T100 (4-PW)
Shafts: KBS Tour Hybrid 105 X (2), KBS Tour 130 X
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (50-08F, 54-10S, 60-08M, 60-04T), WedgeWorks Proto (60-10V)
Shafts: KBS Tour 130 X
Putter: Odyssey White Hot Versa #1
Grips: Golf Pride MCC
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Check out more in-hand photos of Ludvig Aberg’s clubs in the forums.
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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.