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Footjoy plant closing

Badger_Golfer

Badger_Golfer

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http://www.sportsonesource.com/news/spor/spor_article.asp?section=8&Prod=1&id=26730
FootJoy, a division of the Acushnet Co., is shutting down its plant in Brockton, MA, affecting 103 employees. A company spokesman Rob Kelley told The Enterprise of Brockton that the closure announced Thursday will occur in phases over the next six weeks.
The closing was due to reduced demand for the leather-soled golf shoes made at the plant, as well as the challenging economy. The plant produced Classics Tour and Classics Dry premier golf shoes and a small line of men’s dress shoes. Those shoes will be discontinued.

'The decision was a necessary one," Kelley told the local paper.

The company dates to 1857, when the Burt and Packard Shoe Co. was one of dozens of footwear manufacturers that earned Brockton the moniker ''The Shoe City.''
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Not cool...:bad: No doubt you can thank the beancounters at Fortune Brands for this one.
 
I love the classic shoes, its unfortunate that they have to shut down and discontinue the shoe lines.
 
This is also a great opportunity for people to pick them up at a discount soon. Places like Golflocker.com have had the article up for a few days and have mark downs going on.
 
I swear by the Footjoy Comfort series. Feels great from the moment I put it on. I think I might order an extra pair just in case.
 
That series should have no issues Shanks.
 
Good. You're right about the deals. I bought a black pair before Christmas for under $50.
 
How about the footjoy "greenjoys" ? that is what I have going on 3 years comfortable shoes just that the spikes I have in them now don't always stay in LOL.
 
I had to pick up a pair of GreenJoys last spring when I forgot to pack my shoes. They've been surprisingly comfortable. I haven't walked 18 in them, but they're great for a cart round.
 
HardcoreLooper said:
I had to pick up a pair of GreenJoys last spring when I forgot to pack my shoes. They've been surprisingly comfortable. I haven't walked 18 in them, but they're great for a cart round.
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My mom swears by them. Personally I don't like the looks, and I like my other pairs of shoes too much to try them.
 
Only the Classics will be effected because those are the only FJs that are still made in the USA.
All of the other shoes that FJ sells are made overseas.
Ive got a pair of Greenjoys too and they are very comfy.
 
im going to pick up 2 different pairs of dry premiers now probably
 
It's a shame to see the Classics go, even though there's no way I would walk 18 in them now. I had a pair of navy blue Classics when I was in high school. The pro at the club I worked at gave them to me -- he didn't like them. I thought they were awesome.

It's also a shame to see an American-made product leave the shelves. Is anyone still making shoes in the US?
 
HardcoreLooper said:
It's also a shame to see an American-made product leave the shelves. Is anyone still making shoes in the US?
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Thats my main problem with this. Its difficult to want to believe in the, "be American, buy American" theory when so many American companies have no problem putting Americans out of work all to save a little money.
I dont think there are any golf shoes that are made in the U.S. anymore. I know that my Greenjoys say, "MADE IN CHINA" on them.
I doubt that Callaway golf shoes are made in the U.S.
I did a quick search and didnt come up with any American-made golf shoes.
 
There are still some. We reviewed Par West and although extremely expensive, they are made in the US. But we as a country want to have our cake and eat it too. If the product is too expensive then we will not buy it. And yet we still want made in the USA. Companies need to make profits and I really completely understand the practices and have come to be okay with it.
 
JB said:
There are still some. We reviewed Par West and although extremely expensive, they are made in the US. But we as a country want to have our cake and eat it too. If the product is too expensive then we will not buy it. And yet we still want made in the USA. Companies need to make profits and I really completely understand the practices and have come to be okay with it.
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I agree. At the same time though, these companies move jobs overseas to cut cost, yet we never see the price of stuff goes down.
So, it is about profits and greed.
I completely understand it from a business standpoint, but I still dont like it.
 
Many times in these businesses, they have no choice. Rise in health care costs. Rise in wages, and so many other costs and now corporate and biz taxes going through the roof. They have to cut costs to make the same profit they would have made before.
 
Yet Im sure the CEOs and everyone on the board of directors still get their bonuses and perks.
 
JB said:
There are still some. We reviewed Par West and although extremely expensive, they are made in the US. But we as a country want to have our cake and eat it too. If the product is too expensive then we will not buy it. And yet we still want made in the USA. Companies need to make profits and I really completely understand the practices and have come to be okay with it.
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Those are some beautiful shoes. I hope to be able to afford custom made shoes that start at $850 some day. But for the average joe out there, that's just really out of reach.

I just sent a message to Bite shoes to see where their shoes are made, as they are my current favorite brand.

As to the outsourcing of manufacturing, unfortunately it has become a necessary evil. I can only hope that at some point the global standard of living rises to be comparable to that of the US. Of course, I wonder how the planet will be able to stand that much consumption.
 
I always find it a little ironic that we get so up in arms about things like cars, golf clubs, golf shoes, etc... being made overseas. Yet we never have an issue with our regular everday items such as regular clothes, TVs, and more.. Heck my TVs are from overseas. Keep in mind that atleast it is still a US company if that is what you are looking for.
 
JB said:
I always find it a little ironic that we get so up in arms about things like cars, golf clubs, golf shoes, etc... being made overseas. Yet we never have an issue with our regular everday items such as regular clothes, TVs, and more.. Heck my TVs are from overseas. Keep in mind that atleast it is still a US company if that is what you are looking for.
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Not all of us are like that. I try to buy American-made when possible. As far as clothes go, Ive got a couple Carhartt jackets that were made in the USA and I wear Red Wing boots that are also made in the USA.
If I knew of a blue jean company that made their stuff here and it was priced decent, Id buy from them but I dont know of all, so for now I will stick with my $15 Dickie's carpenter pants.
Believe me, Im sometimes feel kinda bad about my love for Japanese stuff. I tried to give Ping a shot because they are the most American of all the golf companies, but my Mizunos work so well for me and Im so comfortable for them that Id have a hard time giving them up. Oh well, at least Mizuno's clubs are ASSEMBLED in the USA (the heads for the woods, hybrids and cast irons are made in China and the forged irons are made in Japan though) and the putters are milled in the USA, so that counts for something.
Ive seriously considered making the switch to Ping just so that Id be supporting an American golf company that makes their stuff here in the states, but Id have a hard time giving up my Mizunos.
 
JB said:
I always find it a little ironic that we get so up in arms about things like cars, golf clubs, golf shoes, etc... being made overseas. Yet we never have an issue with our regular everday items such as regular clothes, TVs, and more.. Heck my TVs are from overseas. Keep in mind that atleast it is still a US company if that is what you are looking for.
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That's the necessary evil. At least they keep some jobs here in the US. But don't get me started on executive compensation issues. :angry:
 
They are? I thought that they were made overseas now.
 
Ive never seen a Titleist golfball box that didnt say, "MADE IN USA" on it and I know that the show, "Made In America" had an episode about the Titleist golfball plant, so Im pretty sure Pro V1s are made in the USA.
http://www.titleist.com/news/newsdetail.asp?id=605&category=equipment&bhcp=1
Every Titleist golf ball throughout the world is made in one of Titleist’s two ball plants in Massachusetts.
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However, I know that Titleist recently announced they were building a golfball plant in China, so it may not be that way for much longer...
 
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