In the spring of 1979 a golf equipment salesman named Gary Adams took out a $24,000 loan on his home and founded the TaylorMade Golf Company. He rented a 6,000 square-foot building that at one time housed a television assembly plant. Counting him, there were three employees and a single, innovative product: a 12-degree driver cast of stainless steel. This new metalwood looked and sounded different from a wooden wood, and most important, it performed differently. The clubhead's perimeter-weighting offered greater forgiveness on mis-hits, while the lower center of gravity made it easier to launch the ball in the air. Adams, the son of a golf professional, was adamant that TaylorMade clubs maintain ties to what true golfers perceived an authentic golf club should look and feel like. They were committed to combining innovation with authenticity, to always be passionate about the game, and pledged to be competitive - to work hard to establish itself and grow. These four tenets would take them far.