Golf Pride Unveils Plans for New Purpose-Built Facility at Pinehurst Resort to Accelerate Product Innovation and Drive Global Operations
SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. … Eaton announced today that its Golf Pride Grips Division plans to develop an exciting new purpose-built facility in Pinehurst, N.C. – America’s Home of Golf. The new facility will create a unique space to accelerate new product development and manage the global fulfillment of product around the world. In addition to its global management and professional teams, the site will include an R&D lab with rapid prototyping capabilities, as well as a new consumer grip fitting studio. Golf Pride plans to move to this new facility in early 2019.
As a proud business partner of North Carolina since 1969, Golf Pride’s new home will be located within the Pinehurst Resort, next to the Tom Fazio-designed, and highly-acclaimed, Pinehurst No. 8 course. Golf Pride looked at several sites, but chose Pinehurst Resort because it was a great location and a great brand partnership as well. The new facility, which will be located within the gates of No. 8, will give Golf Pride a great platform to test new product ideas with a steady stream of golfers visiting Pinehurst Resort from around the world.
Golf Pride has a rich 70-year history and has been the grip choice for generations of golfers. With this new facility, the brand believes it will enable it to be the grip of choice for decades of golfers to come. The new facility will put the grip fitting experience front and center to reinforce Golf Pride’s connection with golfers in product development. This exclusive grip fitting studio will replicate the services available to professional golfers on Tour. It will be an appointment-only experience that offers an “inside the ropes” personalized concierge-quality service that all avid golfers will want to enjoy. Golf Pride also plans to use the fitting studio to test new product concepts and expedite the process of translating consumer insight into new products that provide golfers the confidence to play their best golf.
In designing the new building, Golf Pride felt strongly that it needed to respect the heritage and tradition of the Pinehurst area, while also creating a space that features Golf Pride’s innovation efforts that have been instrumental in it becoming one of the top brands in golf. The exterior of the building
features more traditional design elements and materials specifically inspired by the local Pinehurst area, while the interior of the facility will open up to a modern work environment that fits a global brand and the needs of its talented employees. This new facility will leverage the latest in work space design to help Golf Pride employees do their best work and to encourage even better cross-functional collaboration. The site will feature a plethora of different work and meeting spaces to fit a variety of different activities.
“Golf Pride is committed to delivering a steady stream of exciting new grip technologies to the market,” said James Ledford, president of Golf Pride. “Externally, the market reaction to our new products has been great. Internally, our employees are incredibly excited about the new products as well. That said, we have also seen the need for a new purpose-built facility that helps us streamline and accelerate our innovation efforts even more. We want to make innovation easier and faster. We are thrilled about this opportunity to create an ideal site right next to Pinehurst No. 8. As golfers, we genuinely appreciate the Pinehurst Resort experience and we respect the work they have done recently to innovate their own world-class facilities. We have big expectations for our new home and we see it as a once in a generation move to set us up for future success.”
“Golf Pride is a brand with a rich place in the history of golf, one that has continuously demonstrated an appreciation for the game, so we are excited to align ourselves with them as they continue to grow,” said Tom Pashley, president of Pinehurst Resort. “We are confident that Golf Pride will bring new and exciting experiences to our members and resort guests as well, while helping us preserve the tradition and heritage for which Pinehurst Resort and the Village are known.”
The development process will start with Pinehurst Resort making a proposal to the Village of Pinehurst to rezone the land. If that proposal is approved, The Kuester Companies, who is signing a build-to-suit lease with Golf Pride, will submit a permit application with the goal of breaking ground as early as December 2017. Golf Pride plans to move into the new facility in early 2019.
Eaton’s Golf Pride Grips Division is the world’s largest manufacturer of golf grips, with manufacturing, sales and distribution facilities on six continents. The division’s Golf Pride brand is recognized globally as the number one choice in grips among TOUR and recreational players, competitive amateur golfers, club manufacturers and club repairmen. For more information, visit www.golfpride.com.
Eaton is a power management company with 2016 sales of $19.7 billion. Eaton provides energy-efficient solutions that help our customers effectively manage electrical, hydraulic and mechanical power more efficiently, safely and sustainably. Eaton has approximately 95,000 employees and sells products to customers in more than 175 countries. For more information, visit www.eaton.com.
