Breaking News - Acushnet Sold

Breaking news that Acushnet has been sold including brands Titleist and FootJoy for 1.2Billion dollars to FILA.

Didn't see them as buyers in a million years......

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fila_(company)

Apparently they are south Korean, knowing that it makes a little more sense. Not sure there are many domestic brands in what must be a massive growth region for golf.

Strange I always see FILA as a didgy trainer firm, that also made shell suits and were huge in the late 80's early 90' but see nothing of them since so this purchase has come out of the blue in my mind, but huge growth in that part of the world in the game so not surprised the new owners are from there

I'm sure they're the sort of brand that inhabits Sports Direct. Hopefully next time a chav runs through there in a velcro suit they'll come out all in Titleist and Footjoy rather than head to toe Lonsdale...

Just hope the quality of titliest and footjoy is maintained.

With backing by the Korean Government and Bank of Korea, fila is going all out to make cash in the far Eastern emerging markets.

If they have any sense, they'll leave everything as is, albeit expanding into their local markets.

sharrison01 wrote:I'm sure they're the sort of brand that inhabits Sports Direct.

Although they do advertise Titleist clubs on their website I've yet to see them instore.
http://www.sportsdirect.com/titleist-ap2-4-pw-steel-irons-871118

One good way of trashing those brands, is to move all FJ production into their own Fila factories, hope they don't as FJ are quality. If thats the future plans can see titty clubs and especially forgings being sub-standard, but surely they would want to improve things. Guess we'll just have to wait and see

Interesting development. I've been toying with getting new clubs, Titleist MB blades are favourite just now. Better get them quick before they become cheap alloy castings

It was always going to happen that this was bought by a company who then raped it's reputation for a shedload of cash whilst putting out low quality gear.

Not at all shocked by this.

Really LJ, is it necessary to use that phrase?

shedload?

I think you know that is not what I was referring to.

Fila was always known as a premier brand years ago, especially in tennis. Hadn't realised they'd been through the hedge fund, asset stripping mill and then flogged off to S.E.Asia.

Tragedy to see Acushnet go the same way . . . . but financial backing for Peter Uihlein's pro career can presumably be assured.

I take it Uihlein is going to finish college before turning pro?

I'm old enough to remember when Dunlop were the 'Acushnet'

LJ, you should have used the word pillaged...

I think that this sort of thing will become more common place as the West continues to drown itself in debt and too right that these SE Asian companies start benefitting from rather than subsidising the West. For years we have enjoyed cheap products that have made people load up their credit cards with things that they don't need and helped Western companies to make huge profits from cheap labour in Asia.

I read recently that China's current account surplus is around the $3 trillion mark. To put this in perspective, they could buy all of the properties in Manhatten, Google, Apple, Microsoft and all of the US defence companies and still have half left. Me thinks it is time that Asia starts to invest in welfare, infrastructure and businesses and stops poor working conditions that allow debt ridden idiots to buy jeans in Matalan for £4 on their credit cards...

so I assume you also consider the word Cuddle inherently evil when applied to the plant?

Don't be so bloody silly. It's a word.

harrison is spot on. China already buying up at least half of Africa with all its mineral wealth. Pleased to say I have a pecking order of how I spend every dollar, China at the very bottom of the list, but not many people, especially the more influential media get it.

LJ continue to use words that you like, im not an over sensitive guardianista and can ascertain what context they were meant in without feeling pangs of guilt because of the stigma surrounding it when used in another context.

If they continue to allow titleist and FJ the brands to maintain the current levels of quality then the move isnt a bad one, but knowing other big brands that have gone the same way can only foresee them being pulled to pieces for their parts and cheapening the brands to something no better than mass produced garbage.

Also have to say im with Kwini and SH on how it sits uneasy with me of how things are made in that part of the world compared to the amount of spare cash in their economy that could create better conditions for their workers. I don't use any titleist products now and no longer wear FJ's and having seen this move it will continue in that vein for me. RIP Titleist quality brand sadly gone the ways of many great golfing brands.

Played with a guy last friday who wore a Fila hat and did think to myself I've never seen any Fila brand on a golf course before. Who knew!

Bloody nora, Is that you being all wet, simpering and over sensitive again Mac? It's just a word.
If we were only permitted to use vocabularly as approved and vetted by Mac we'd all sound like Roy Cropper.
I imagine he sees the "Race To Dubai" as being as being an insensitive and improper way to word the culmination of the season, simply because it might "offend" someone somehere, somwhow, even though it's just a homonym. (that's not being homophobic just before you ram that down my throat too, oh dear there I go again, I just can't help myself can I?)
Being offended on someone else behalf is always more offensive than the word itself.
I imagine he's also campaigning for farmers to change the name of the oil rich yellow plant from the agricultural venacular too.

interesting however that Fila have an LPGA tour presence already. With one of their clothing sponsored players winning the Kraft Nabsico.