Philip Endicott "Skipper" Young (December 1, 1885 - June 17, 1955) was the founder of

Titleist Titleist (pronounced "title-ist") is an American brand name of golf equipment produced by the Acushnet Company, headquartered in Fairhaven, Massachusetts, United States. The Titleist brand, established in 1932 by Phillip E. Young, focuses on gol ...

Personal life

Young was born on December 1, 1885, in

Dorchester, Massachusetts Dorchester (colloquially referred to as Dot) is a Boston neighborhood comprising more than in the City of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Originally, Dorchester was a separate town, founded by Puritans who emigrated in 1630 from Dorchester ...

to Rev. George H. Young, a Unitarian minister, and his second wife, Elizabeth, the daughter of

Augustus Bradford Endicott Augustus Bradford Endicott (September 10, 1818 – November 21, 1910) was a Massachusetts state legislator and sheriff of Norfolk County. Biography Endicott, the son of Elijah Endicott and Cynthia (Childs) Endicott, was born September 10, 18 ...

. He had a sister, Eleanor Guild. The family moved to Dedham, Massachusetts when Young was a child. Young earned a degree in mechanical engineering from the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

with the class of 1909. With his wife, Edith ( Ames), he had a son, Richard, born in 1916, and a daughter, Edith, born in 1911. He also had two sisters, Eleanor Guild and Shelia Young. Edith grew up about a half a mile away from Young. They both attended the

Dedham Public Schools The Dedham Public School System (Dedham Public Schools) is a PK– 12 graded school district in Dedham, Massachusetts. It is the oldest public school system in the United States. History On January 2, 1643, the Town Meeting set aside land for ...

and were childhood sweethearts. The couple was married in 1910. He lived at 8 Fort St. in Fairhaven and spent his winters in Coral Gables, Florida. He was a member of the

Wamsutta Club The Wamsutta Club is a private social club in New Bedford, Massachusetts, founded in 1866. It was a club for the affluent members of New Bedford's community, which at the time was supported by the flagging whaling industry as well as the up-and-com ...

and New Bedford Country Club in Massachusetts, and the Riviera Club in Florida. He died on June 17, 1955. He was an avid sailor.

Career

Early in his career, Young worked for Goodyear. In 1910, Young started the Acushnet Company with the financial backing of Allen Weeks, a fraternity brother from MIT. When playing a round of golf with his dentist, Young missed a putt. Surprised, Young believed the miss was caused by the weight of the ball and asked his dentist friend to x-ray the ball. The x-rays confirmed his suspicions that the rubber core was off-center. Young took x-rays of more golf balls and found similar results. The off-center cores made the balls prone to erratic shots. Young then developed a way to create golf balls with perfect cores. Young founded Titleist in 1932 as a subsidiary of the Acushnet Company.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Young, Philip E. Businesspeople from Dedham, Massachusetts Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni People from Fairhaven, Massachusetts People from Coral Gables, Florida 1885 births 1955 deaths People from Dorchester, Massachusetts