Gary V. Adams to be inducted into the Southern California Golf Hall of Fame on March 15

Bloodline is proud to announce that Gary V. Adams, the founder of TaylorMade Golf and father of Bloodline co-founder, Brad Adams, will be inducted into the inaugural Southern California Golf Hall of Fame on March 15.

One of the golf industry's true visionaries, Gary was widely recognized as the "father of the metal wood."

Gary started in the golf business in 1958, working on the grounds crew at McHenry Country Club in McHenry, Illinois, before becoming an assistant golf professional at the club under his father, Vale, who was the golf professional there. Several years later, he started working as a golf salesman and observed that new golf balls worked well with irons, but not wood clubs, so he started tinkering to create a driver with a metal head.

In 1979, Gary took out a $24,000 loan on his house and leased a 6,000 square foot building in McHenry to start TaylorMade Golf Company. He originally had three employees and sold only his newly invented 12-degree driver which was nicknamed Pittsburgh Persimmon.

TaylorMade's quick success brought about a revolution in the golf industry centered on technology that has continued to evolve. Every serious golfer around the world has Gary Adams to thank for the metal woods they use in their bags today.

Gary’s visions of new technological innovations in the golf industry led him to develop several golf companies all designed to help the golfer improve their game. In addition to Taylor Made, he also started Founders Club and McHenry Metals, named for his hometown of McHenry, IL. 

In 1984, Gary was named "Man of the Year" by the National Golf Foundation. In 1995, The PGA of America honored him for his lifelong impact on the golf industry with the Ernie Sabayrac Award and he was also inducted into the Illinois PGA Hall of Fame.

Fast forward to 2023 and Gary is being inducted into the new Southern California Golf Hall of Fame created by the Southern California Golf Association (SCGA) and the Southern California PGA (SCPGA)

The new program was created to celebrate and honor golf luminaries who have helped transform and shape the Southern California golf landscape. It is supported by a SoCal Golf Hall of Fame website (socalgolfhof.com) which comprehensively profiles all inductees with biographies, photos, videos and personal accolades. The Class of 2023 will be featured on the site upon their induction on March 15.

Historically, the SCGA and SCPGA managed their own Hall of Fame programs. Working together, they have combined efforts to create a unified SoCal Golf Hall of Fame. This program will continue to shine a light on those who have influenced the game of golf in the region by recognizing and celebrating past inductees from each association and new members.  The SoCal Golf Hall of Fame will include the combined 88 golf notables from the SCGA and SCPGA’s respective previous programs.