Where Are Titleist Golf Balls Made?
If you’re an avid golfer, you know that Titleist is one of the leading golf ball production companies. The Titleist Pro v1 and the Pro v1x golf ball are what some consider the gold standard in golf ball quality.
So you may be wondering: Where are Titleist golf balls made?
Titleist golf ball construction mostly takes place in the New Bedford, Massachusetts area. The Titleist brand takes great pride in their USA made golf balls and they’ve been operating out of this general area for nine decades. However, some golfers have reported new Pro v1 balls that originate from Ball Plant #4, which is based in Thailand.
Even though many Titleist balls come from a Massachusetts production plant, golfers need to look at each Titleist box carefully to determine where that box of golf balls originates.
Some Background on the Golf Ball Market
In recent years, there have been three major movements in golf ball production.
The first is that Asian countries are getting in on the action, producing professional golf balls with impressive quality under new names. These golf ball brands have been making waves among golfers.
Since golf rounds are up right now in Japan, the demand for golf balls may be increasing throughout Asian markets. We know that the demand in the US is quite high, even amongst the casual golfer (who probably doesn’t want to pay top dollar for a Titleist ball), so Asian manufacturing facilities can capitalize on this uptick in demand.
The second shift is that some American golf brands have been setting up affiliates or manufacturing plants in Asian nations to take advantage of relatively cheap labor and materials. The factories are sometimes making the same products that golfers know and love, but quietly making them elsewhere. There may be some price benefits for American consumers, but profit margins play a role in this strategic move. For the avid golfer who prefers products made in the USA, these decisions are disappointing. We know a few golfers who only buy golf equipment made in the US.
Manufacturers now have to compete with a third movement as well — a growing market of fake products. From the urethane cover to the complicated dimple pattern, counterfeiters work night and day to create a product that looks almost identical to a premium ball, but may lack the actual technology that gives a golf ball the ball flight, soft feel and high or low spin that it’s supposed to have.
Being a golf ball manufacturer isn’t easy, especially when golfers want the right golf ball at the right price.
Are Titleist Balls Made in the USA?
Recent moves at the top of the company’s infrastructure may have confused some golfers as to where the company’s golf balls are made.
Here’s a quick breakdown:
Titleist is one of America’ leading golf ball manufacturers. Many of its golf balls are still manufactured in the USA (Ball Plants 2 and 3), but Ball Plant 4 is located in Thailand, so not all Titleist balls are of a US origin.
Why the shift?
Several years ago, the parent company of Titleist, Acushnet, was purchased by a South Korean firm, Fila Korea. Fila Korea now has a controlling interest in Acushnet.
In 2017, Acushnet went public on the New York Stock Exchange, with Fila Korea getting that controlling interest.
Fila Korea announced big plans to open up Titleist to both the South Korean and the Japanese markets. On the occasion of going public, Acushnet’s former CEO, Wally Uihlein outlined the potential of opening those markets.
If the average American golfer spent $1,200 per year on golfing equipment, he explained, the figure was double that in Japan, meaning the market to be tapped there was enormous for both Titleist and Acushnet.
Those developments made some consumers wonder whether or not Titleist golf balls would be manufactured outside of the US and re-imported into the US for US golfers.
At the heart of this question was an effort to determine whether American golf ball manufacturing jobs would be shipped out to boost Asian economies and Acushnet stock prices, while American golfers still assume that Titleist balls are made in the USA.
Were that to be the case, it would represent a flip of the traditional relationship American golfers have had with the company, which has been manufacturing at the Titleist ball plant in Massachusetts for over 85 years.
Golfers can rest assured that many Titleist golf balls are still manufactured in greater New Bedford, Massachusetts, but some of their favorite golf balls may originate in Thailand.
Titleist’s Complex Knowledge Processes Can’t Be Outsourced
Wally Uihlein, on taking Acushnet public, reassured golfers that “There will be no change in the way we operate in the marketplace.” That seems logical – when you’re winning, why change the formula, the processes or the people contributed to your success?
With nine decades of experience, it’s safe to say that Titleist golf balls are still one of the best balls you can use on the golf course.
As you can imagine, the creation of each ball takes a great deal of skill and technology — technology that the company continues to perfect to meet the needs of today’s golfers.
Titleist boasts that there are around 90 process and product quality checks involved in the making of every single Titleist Pro V1 golf ball – the company’s flagship golf ball. That’s attention to detail.
But it gets even crazier.
When it comes to the dual-core Pro V1x, Titleist performs nearly 120 process and quality checks…per ball!
Titleist now has over 1,100 associates with over 20,000 years of collective experience of making Titleist golf balls, the Titleist way.
When a Titleist user raised some concerns about the quality of balls that originate outside of the US, a Titleist staff member was quick to assure him that “…our exacting and stringent quality standards are upheld across all of our facilities. In addition, all of our ball plants are Titleist owned and operated facilities staffed by Titleist associates.”
Where are Titleist Golf Balls Made? Titleist Golf Ball Plant Locations
Ball Plant 2
256 Samuel Barnett Blvd North Dartmouth, MA 02747
Ball Plant 3
215 Duchaine Boulevard New Bedford, MA 02745
Ball Plant C – Custom Operations
700 Belleville Avenue New Bedford, MA 02745
Ball Plant 4
500/40 Moo 3 Tambon Tasit Amphur Pluakdaeng, Rayong 21140 Thailand
Titleist Golf Balls are Here to Stay
Titleist associates pull from many years of experience. In fact, there is an average tenure of 20 years for company workers, which is pretty impressive. New employees are carefully trained for their roles in quality assurance the Titleist way.
Titleist is a smart, successful company. They aren’t just going to shift their jobs overseas to save money. Plus, as a key player in American golf ball manufacturing, it seems safe to say that the company that values its staff and its traditions more than just its bottom line.
The truth is that for now – and for the foreseeable future – many of Titleist’s golf balls are still made in New Bedford, Massachusetts, as they have been for over 85+ years.
If you only want to play with American golf balls, look carefully at each box of balls to determine where they originated. Once you have balls from US plants #2 and #3, grab a golf club (or clubs) and head to your favorite course.
Why are Pro V1 golf balls so expensive? Read the post for a full explanation.
Read other golf ball posts.
Can I order golf balls straight from the manufacturer to sell here in New Zealand?
My name is Jacob and my company has just been registered here in NZ for the soul purpose of hoping to sell Titleist golf balls nation and worldwide. Please help me to distribute Titleist golf balls all over NZ.
Hey Jacob,
I would reach out to Titleist directly to inquire about distribution.
Titleist Worldwide Distribution Center
333 Bridge St. Fairhaven, MA 02719
Tel: 1-800-225-8500