Mike Taylor is one of the most respected clubmakers and craftsmen in the game of golf.
Fairway and Friends PawdscastShow Notes
What happens when the hands behind some of golf’s greatest equipment finally get to tell their story?On this episode of Fairways & Friends, Courtney Connell sits down with master clubmaker Mike Taylor of Artisan Golf for a conversation about craftsmanship, mentorship, relationships and legacy.Mike’s remarkable journey runs through some of the most important chapters in modern golf equipment—from the Ben Hogan Golf Equipment Company and the influence of legendary clubmaker Gene Sheeley, to Nike Golf’s famed Oven in Fort Worth, where Mike helped create equipment for Tiger Woods and many of the game’s greatest players.But this conversation is about much more than golf clubs.Mike shares what Gene Sheeley taught him about the craft, what it was like building equipment for players with extraordinary feel, the emotions surrounding Nike’s decision to leave the golf-equipment business, and how that ending eventually helped lead to a new beginning with Artisan Golf.We also explore the fascinating people who have crossed Mike’s path—from Tour champions to legendary athletes and entertainers—and the young golfer named Scottie Scheffler who was walking through the shop long before the rest of the world knew his name.And then we go somewhere deeper.What does a craftsman feel while watching a player win a major championship with a club his own hands helped create?Who will carry this increasingly rare craft into the next generation?And when Mike Taylor’s days at the grinding wheel eventually come to an end, what does he hope his fingerprints will have touched beyond golf clubs?From Ben Hogan and Gene Sheeley to Tiger Woods and the next generation, this is the story of knowledge passed from one set of hands to another.There are no shortcuts to craftsmanship.Mike Taylor — The Ultimate Artisan.Welcome to Fairways & Friends.More Than Golf. It’s Connection.
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