The Titleist success story began in 1930 when Phil Young, a dedicated amateur golfer and owner of a precision molded rubber company, missed a well-stroked putt in a match with his friend, who was head of the x-ray department at a local hospital. Convinced that the ball itself was at fault, Young and his opponent x-rayed the ball in question and found that its core was, in fact, off-centre.
With his discovery, Phil Young persuaded Fred Bommer, a fellow MIT graduate, rubber specialist and avid golfer, to head up the Acushnet Golf Division. They set out to develop the highest quality and best performing golf ball in the world.
It took Young and Bommer three painstaking years to perfect the first Titleist golf ball, but when it was ready in 1935, it could truthfully be introduced to club professionals and golfers as the best ball ever made. Young implemented a process check that is still in practice today: every Titleist golf ball is x-rayed.
