Equipment
Report: Fila to spin off Titleist, Footjoy?
The Acushnet Company, which owns Titleist and Footjoy, is in talks with U.S.-based advisory firm Solebury Capital about a possible initial public offering (IPO), according to a report from Reuters.
Acushnet was acquired by Fila Korea and its South Korean partners including Mirae Asset Private Equity in 2011 for $1.23 billion. It was previously owned by Fortune Brands.
Since 2011, Acushnet’s earnings have increased from $120 million to an estimated $185 million in 2014.
The Korea Economic Daily reported that Acushnet was expected to complete listing by 2016, most likely in New York.
Under the terms of the 2011 acquisition, Fila’s stake in Acushnet will increase from 12 percent to 33 percent with the IPO, which will also clear any liabilities incurred in the original purchase.
Cameron Young’s WITB from his win at the 2025 Wyndham Championship. Cameron is a Titleist staff player but his bag is definitely filled with some unique clubs. Here are the clubs he used to secure his first PGA Tour win!
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 80 TX
Hybrid: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus HB Black VeloCore+ 10 X
Irons: Titleist T200 (4), Titleist T100 (5), Titleist 631.CY Prototype (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7 (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F, 52-12F, 56-14F @57), WedgeWorks (60-K* @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7
Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom 9.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Prototype
- Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Titleist GT3 (10 degrees, C2 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Project X Denali Blue 60 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 7 X
7-wood: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 8 X
Irons: Titleist T150 (4, 5), Titleist T100 (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper AMT Tour White X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F, 56-08M @57, 60-04T @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron Studio Style Fastback 1.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Yellow
We’re proud to once again partner with 2nd Swing Golf to bring you GolfWRX Members Choice 2025! 2nd Swing has more than 150,000 new and pre-swung golf clubs available in six store locations and online. Check them out here.
What is the best driver in 2025? At GolfWRX, we take great pride in our online community and the cumulative knowledge and experience of our members. When it comes to the best driver of 2025, we want to know what our forum faithful think.
Since our founding in 2005, the bedrock of GolfWRX.com has been the community of passionate and knowledgeable golfers in our forums, and we put endless trust in the opinions of our GolfWRX members — the most knowledgeable community of golfers on the internet. No other group of golfers in the world tests golf clubs as frequently or as extensively, nor is armed with such in-depth information about the latest technology.
Below are the results of GolfWRX member voting for the 2025 best driver, along with the vote percentage for each club.
Best driver of 2025: The top 5
5. Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond: 6.02%
Callaway’s pitch: “For golfers looking for a fast, forgiving, yet workable driver, the Elyte Triple Diamond features a tour-inspired shape and is the preferred model by most Callaway tour players.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond here.
4. Ping G440 Max: 6.86%
Ping’s pitch: “The most forgiving G440 model, MAX has a hotter face to generate speed and distance, and a lighter overall system weight with a longer shaft (46″) for faster clubhead speed, higher launch and longer carries. The Free Hosel and Carbonfly Wrap crown save weight to create our lowest CG ever and increase forgiveness while contributing to a more muted, pleasing sound.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 Max here.
3. Ping G440 LST: 9.53%
Ping’s pitch: “LST is an especially good fit for faster swings, offering less spin and more control with a penetrating trajectory. A hotter face, lighter overall system weight and longer shaft (46″) deliver more speed and distance while maintaining tight dispersion.”
@phizzy30: “Not a fan of Ping drivers in general, but 440 LST takes the cake. It’s super forgiving across the face for a low spin head, looks and sounds good and the ability to make it play neutral or slightly fade biased through the hosel settings is very appealing.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 LST here.
2. Titleist GT3: 16.55%
Titleist’s pitch: “The GT3 Driver offers Titleist’s boldest combination of power and personalization through adjustable performance. Dial in the CG Track to your frequent contact location to make your biggest drives even bigger while taking total control over flight and shaping.”
@mrmikeac: “I’ve been Anti-Titleist for years and years and years (outside of Vokey, of course). With that being said, HOLY BEGEEZUS the GT3 driver is an absolute NUCLEAR MONSTER! This thing blew my G430 10K Max out of the water in every single category. Forgiveness is the biggest thing that stands out of me, the 3 model has always been one of the less forgiving models in the past but this GT3 can take bad shot after bad shot and still end up in the fairway, I think a ton of that has to do with the adjustability, it’s actually effective. Feel and sound is perfect, that solid crack is so addicting to hear and when you hit it out the screws this thing can absolutely bomb it. Titleist, I’m sorry for doubting you. You have converted me.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT3 here.
1. Titleist GT2: 22.91%
Titleist’s pitch: “Delivering impressive distance from any impact point, the Titleist GT2 Driver extracts maximum performance through a forgiving design. Get the stability and added confidence of a high-MOI driver without sacrificing speed.”
@DTorres: “The Titleist GT2 has proven to be the best driver of the year. Packaged in a classic profile, GT2 perfectly balances performance and forgiveness while consistently being a high performer across all categories.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT2 here.
Other drivers receiving >2% of the vote
| Driver | Vote percentage (%) |
|---|---|
| Cobra DS Adapt Max K | 4.85% |
| Ping G430 Max 10K | 3.85% |
| Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond | 3.68% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 | 3.51% |
| Callaway Elyte | 3.18% |
| Cobra DS Adapt X | 2.34% |
| Cobra DS Adapt LS | 2.17% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 LS | 2.17% |
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Peter Malnati WITB 2025 (August)
Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here. Driver: Titleist...
Cameron Young’s winning WITB: 2025 Wyndham Championship
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting) Buy here. Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX 3-wood: Titleist...
Camilo Villegas WITB 2025 (July)
Camilo Villegas WITB accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. Villegas was undecided on a 3-wood when we shot his bag. ...
WITB Time Machine: Brandt Snedeker’s winning WITB, 2018 Wyndham Championship
Brandt Snedeker fired a final-round 65 at the 2018 Wyndham Championship to outlast Webb Simpson and C.T. Pan. His 5-under...
Mike Rafone
Jan 10, 2015 at 6:21 pm
Titleist, in parts, is worth WAAAAY more than the sum as a public company. Watch the hard money investors rev up the price tag by talking IPO when the truth is by selling the ball, putter, club and shoe business separately will ultimately bring the institutional investors their sought-after ROI. Bang!
annsguy
Jan 8, 2015 at 2:49 pm
When the dust settles it will be Bridgestone, Ping and Wilson. These companies are focused or re-focused on the golfers who actually drive the cash register. All in for the long haul.
Turd Ferguson
Jan 8, 2015 at 6:32 pm
Nike, already got the channels so why not?
Matthew Carter
Jan 8, 2015 at 12:09 am
Mizuno baby!
WarrenPeace
Jan 7, 2015 at 3:16 pm
Bad move-Its like the Hogan irons or Powerbuilt woods of old. They just got made cheaper and are now considered cheap crap where before they were real players clubs. The same will now happen to Titleist and it’s sad- I hope they don’t mess up the ball along with the clubs?? I do love my AP2 irons and 913 woods. I can’t say the same for the 915’s at this time…..I still hit my 913’s longer and they sound better. Trackman is great but the only true numbers are the ones on the course in play.
Ct
Jan 7, 2015 at 8:42 pm
Titleist, this is what you do… Make the pro v1 and x 332 dimples so they side spin a little less that’s were the money is for you. Drop everything else! Drivers, woods, hybrids, irons and bags suck. Vokey and Cameron spin off and do their own thing, they’re good enough to survive on they’re own. The fj’s horrible, out of date and ugly as usual!
Wayz2go
Jan 7, 2015 at 3:02 pm
Agree with these posts. I tested the 915 Driver on Trackman and its performance was so minimal over my 913 driver….. why spend $400.00? Looking forward to testing the Nike drivers.
Golfraven
Jan 7, 2015 at 2:54 pm
IPO is a bad idea.
JEFF
Jan 7, 2015 at 1:10 pm
I have a few pair of fila golf shorts. They arena expensive and the best shorts I have ever purchased… 22.00 at Kohls… and who cares!
Duffer Pauly
Jan 7, 2015 at 12:00 pm
Who cares? Just keep hacking away with Top Flites!
Tin Whistle
Jan 7, 2015 at 11:27 am
I read the release as the ‘hard money’ investors will exit (no surprise there) and Fila intended to up its stake…
T-MAC
Jan 7, 2015 at 11:24 am
Be interesting to see what this may do (if anything) to the Scotty Cameron brand.
NYer
Jan 7, 2015 at 8:55 pm
It’ll make everyone who buys one an exceptional putter! Just like they do now.
^sarcasm^
Prime21
Jan 7, 2015 at 10:59 am
Bradford hit the nail squarely on the head. By industry standards (1 year), Titleist has a long product cycle (2 years). With that additional year of research one would expect some type of game changing technology, which we haven’t seen from Titleist in quite some time. The original SureFit tech in the 910 driver as well as the tech in the original AP iron series has remained static. Throw in a speed chamber & you have the 915. Talk about more forgiveness and change the color of the badge and you have the 912 series. While I believe that their equipment looks good and performs well, I don’t see the same gains in technological advancement compared to the likes of T/M, Callaway, or Nike. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that Titleist has borrowed the other companies ideas more than it has created it’s own.
In the end, a spinoff could spell big trouble for a brand that has relied heavily upon golf ball sales and brand loyalty to keep them afloat. I can’t quote percentages, but I would guess that their hardgood market share has consistently dropped over the last 4-5 years.
In the end, if they don’t get things fixed, they could be stuck making FootJoy Classics, while the rest of the industry is already selling athletic footwear for golf.
Golfraven
Jan 7, 2015 at 2:47 pm
Would still love to buy a pair of Classics though. Have the Icons and bought 2 pairs of spikekess golf shoes from FJ in the last two years. IMO Titleist and FJ still go with time. Better timeless design in clubs and cloths then the hip stuff you get from Nike, Adidas, Puma, Oakley and Co.
Residente
Jan 7, 2015 at 6:55 am
And the last man standing is Ping!
Joseph Dreitler
Jan 7, 2015 at 12:26 pm
You took the words right out of my mouth. The only 2 major companies left standing that haven’t been peddled are Ping (assume still family controlled) and Nike (not family controlled but not in debt so that it has to cheapen the product, R&D, customer service and quality control.
Lancebp
Jan 7, 2015 at 3:37 pm
Ping is indeed 100% family owned. I have a friend who’s worked there 40+ years and is one of the higher-level executives, but he’s not a Solheim and will never have one share.
Terry Headley
Jan 7, 2015 at 8:32 pm
What about Mizuno? They are still family owned and a manufacturing company not a Marketing company.
Joseph Dreitler
Jan 6, 2015 at 9:54 pm
Fila acquires Acushnet and intends to spin off Titleist? I’ve only been a lawyer for 36 years, but Fortune Brands could have done that to escape the greed of Pershing Capital. Can someone give me a single example of a company that spun off assets to avoid the clutches of a speculator demanding immediate returns. In all instances the results are the same. The buyer has borrowed money to buy it, they need to pay off the money they borrowed so they cut R&D, marketing, fire employees, move everything to China, use cheaper ingredients/components. The market share goes down but the savings pump up earnings – for awhile. It’s a simple formula used by all buyers of companies spun off in this way. Would love to be wrong, but keep your eye on the quality and new products from Titleist over next 3 years.
bradford
Jan 7, 2015 at 7:39 am
Titleist “aficionados” will never admit the quality has dropped, although R&D from acushnet has already stopped. Choose three successful technologies from other companies and cramming them into your new product just shows a lack of initiative.
I hate to see the ball go though.
A
Jan 7, 2015 at 8:55 am
I’m not financial wiz but I am a Titleist aficionado and I’d REALLY hate to see it slip. Maybe it already has? I do not like the new 915 woods at all.
Jimmy O
Jan 6, 2015 at 5:59 pm
This will be interesting to follow. At least Taylor Made and Cobra have the corporate umbrella of Adidas and Puma, respectively.
c masty
Jan 6, 2015 at 4:01 pm
The public market will hate this stock. The only way they will be able to grow is through acquisition (debt). Their earnings and margins for the forseeable future will be flat to declining on a product line basis and R&D budgets will be scrutinized to the point of non-existence. I guess if they want to be a big boy, they can try the Brunswick model and rinse/repeat that whole scenario. I would rather see them privately owned or owned by a PE firm before on the public market. I love Titleist but I don’t see this as good for the brand. Hope I’m wrong.
David
Jan 6, 2015 at 5:07 pm
Like the idea of a PE firm too. I’d hate to see the quality products that come out of Titleist be turned into mass merchandise just to generate more sales.
Cwolf
Jan 6, 2015 at 6:58 pm
Could not agree with you more. They will not be able to organically grow at a rate to please Wall Street. This is a horrible idea for Fila and the Titleist brand. I hope that Fila has started this rumor to solicit a buyer rather that really spin Titlesit off….a spin off is just a horrible, awful, terrible idea.
cmasty
Jan 6, 2015 at 9:10 pm
Maybe its an Asian move? Being fila/korean, they are probably better positioned than most golf companies to take advantage of the Asian market (I think this is the only growing golf market, globally).
Tom Bowles
Jan 6, 2015 at 3:30 pm
Increase the value even more, then sell it off.
1883atlantics
Jan 6, 2015 at 3:15 pm
slippery slope. it leads to the shareholders’ profit being the primary motivating factor and as such could very well dilute the conservative reputation Titleist and FJ currently hold. The demand for more and more profit could lead to increased product release cycles, in light of the success that TMAG and Callaway had/have.
golfing badger
Jan 6, 2015 at 2:18 pm
juggernaut…a legit move
Milton
Jan 6, 2015 at 2:01 pm
crazy