McLaren Ready to Roll Out Newest Driver — and a Set of Irons

Not looking to avoid a bit of overstatement, McLaren officials say there is plenty of crossover from the automotive to golf, noting both focus on the endless pursuit of performance.

“McLaren has always turned technical excellence into extraordinary experiences. We’re bringing that same philosophy and applying it to our new venture, McLaren Golf. We’re creating equipment that is beautifully engineered, meticulously refined and unmistakably McLaren,” said Nick Collins, CEO, McLaren Automotive, in a statement.

While buyers of McLaren cars and clubs will be in search speech — track and ball — there are some crossovers in terms of the technical expertise required to produce world class products in both areas. Since Great Britain considers itself the home of golf, which is why The Open isn’t called the British Open, McLaren must be serious about this effort.

A look at its webpage tells you it is, but also the new chief executive, Neil Howie, is a longtime Callaway executive — more than 25 years — who came out of retirement to run McLaren’s newest division. Previously he was President and Managing Director of Callaway Golf Europe.

“McLaren Golf is a high-end, engineering-led venture which goes beyond the equipment. We’re building a brand grounded in McLaren’s high-performance DNA, and embedding it in a new sporting arena,” he said in a release. 

“We’ve hired some of the best minds in engineering and combined them with leading figures from the golf world to create an innovation-led company that pushes the limits of what golfers can expect from their equipment. We can’t wait to see our ambition come to life on the course this year.”

No word on what they’ll look like or who they’ll be geared toward or even what you’ll be able to buy. Will the company start with just a drive or will there be a full line, including irons, wedges, putters, clothing, and more.

McLaren’s not the first automaker to produce golf clubs having being beaten to the punch by Bentley, which sells a complete set, including the bag for $11,999. Bentley’s BD1 driver alone retails for $999 while a box of nine golf balls comes in at $89.99.

[Images: McLaren, Bentley]

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