The History of Maruman Golf

Maruman Golf is a company that offers something for everybody, from more entry level budget minded clubs like their Verity Red line to most premium Majesty line which made Forbes Magazine’s “Most Expensive List” as the most expensive golf clubs in the world.  Some of you may be surprised to know that Maruman has been making golf clubs for nearly 40 years and have always been one of the most cutting edge manufacturers in Japan. In fact they were the first company to use Nano Technology in golf equipment and were the company that introduced the first metal wood in Japan.  This expertise has lead to over 100 PGA Tour wins for Maruman clubs worldwide including 3 major championships.

Tourspecgolf is slowly learning about Maruman and expanding their relationship with the company and brand. I thought I’d share some of their history and processes with you in today’s post so we can all better know what the Maruman is about.

Maruman actually began as a company in 1950 but they were know then as Nippon Gold Metal Industry Co. Limited. At the time their business had nothing to do with golf clubs, they were a watch and clock maker! In 1952 they changed their name to Maruman Co. Limited and expanded their watch making techniques. During these early years, Maruman was know for pioneering Japan’s first electric gold plating process which they used for watches and high end watch wristbands. They also created Japan’s first gas lighter.  Maruman moved on to also making lighters and in 1961 won the first prize in the New York International Lighter Fair. By 1965 they had developed the worlds first electronic gas lighter.

In 1971 Maruman created a new division, a stand alone company called Maruman Golf Co. Limited. By 1973 they had built the Maruman Golf Matsudo Plant in Japan for manufucturing of all their golf clubs. By 1974 Maruman began creating golf clubs using the metal mold manufacturing technology learned from their experienced lighter productions. This was their first step away from persimmon made clubs and they announced the first metal wood series “Dangan” in Japan. Other key moments in Maruman’s growth was the introduction of Power Titanium, the very first Hi COR driver in 1994 followed by their 25th Anniversary model dubbed Majesty which went on to be their most prestigious line of clubs.In 2001 Maruman introduced the first Fullerene Titanium driver. Fullerene is a material used widely in many of Maruman’s top performing clubs and even in Maruman’s top carbon shafts. Fullerene is a nano particle that creates considerable intensity in titanium but a lot of flexibility.

Moving ahead, Maruman has stressed technology and design as well as unique materials which they believe produces golf clubs which you can feel the difference from other manufacturers. The golf world and technology is always changing and Maruman’s philosophy us that must continue to evolve with new materials and designs to meet the performance demands of consumers. Beyond technology and performance, Maruman, in their Majesty line, they stress supreme grade materials, the cutting edge precision manufacturing process, and highly skilled craftsmanship by their team of master craftsmen led by the famed Kenzo Sugiyama.

The most popular lines in Japan now from Maruman are the mid range Conductor and Shuttle lines and the ultra high end Majesty line. The Conductor line is aimed at athletic performance, making clubs for better golfers with feel and distance in mind while the Shuttle is the mid range line aimed at the average golfer. The Majesty line as you can guess from the pictures above are for prestige and exclusivity. Majesty clubs are made from the highest grades of Titanium in Japan all mirror grinded and polished by hand in multiple stages by Maruman’s top craftsmen then Ion Plated with pure Gold. Yes bling bling but with feel and performance!

While the Conductor line and Shuttle lines are priced more inline with mainstream Japanese brands. The Majesty line is pretty much for those with deep pockets paying for premium performance and premium prestige.  The Majesty line is not cheap due to the high grade materials and intense labor required to produce each club which are all forged and made in Japan.  Sadly because of this, the Majesty line is subject to counterfeits especially coming out of China (of course no where near the quality nor true gold plated).

We’ll be testing some of the Conductor and Shuttle line clubs in the next few months (I’ve been gaming a Conductor LX460 driver for nearly 2 months now), however we’ll leave the purchasing decisions for the Majesty line up to customers who already know they want it.  Out of curiousity I am going to ask for some Majesty demos anyway. (^_^)