AFAM: Hello Rémy and thank you for agreeing to answer our questions. You are a Manufacturing Engineer at TaylorMade Golf company. Could you please tell us a bit more about what exactly being a Manufacturing Engineer for a sports company means?
Rémy: Hi everyone and Sal’s to all Gadzarts,
First, TaylorMade Golf designs, produces and markets a complete line of golf clubs, golf bags and accessories for men, women, and children. We are one of the largest golf equipment companies in the world with sales of over $1.8Billion in 2024. We also partnered with Tiger Woods to launch an apparel company in 2023, called SUN DAY RED.
In a nutshell, one of my roles is to be the link between the design of new golf clubs in Carlsbad, California, where we have our headquarters and our factories located in Asia. I would follow all the prototypes from early ideas to production, such as developing new processes, qualifying new suppliers, defining quality plans...
Golf clubs are very technical, and we work with advanced materials like titanium, carbon composites, tungsten, forged steel, aluminum… For example, our latest driver head (club to hit from the tee to achieve the longest distance) is manufactured with 8 different materials. We have very specific limits set by the institutions defining golf rules and we are also dealing with physics rules every day. Main goal of conception is to have the best weight distribution on each club for the ultimate performance and at the same time making sure that they are durable enough.
To give some numbers, a driver could be swung at ~125mph (~200km/h) by the best players generating a ball speed of ~185mph (~300km/h) and a force around 9000N during a very short collision (0.4 milliseconds) with the golf ball.
At TaylorMade, we do not release new products until they are measurably better than the previous ones. Plus, we are working with industrial design teams to add what we call “cosmetics” to our clubs and making them as sexy as possible.
AFAM: your first international experience was in China. Please share with us more about this experience and how come you decided to leave France and go to China?
Rémy: I decided to go to China during an exchange semester while I was at Arts et Métiers METZ. Great opportunity to travel over there and always wanted to discover a bit more what is called “the factory of the world”.
This was in 2011, and the destination was Chongqing University. The experience blew my mind, and the culture shock was real. I loved it so much that I decided to find internships in China. It was hard with all the paperwork needed but definitely worth it. The first internship was in Hangzhou, close to Shanghai as a quality inspector for a third party quality company. Great opportunity to inspect more than 70 factories in only 4 months all around the Zhejiang province from Decathlon’s bikes to kid toys to beauty products. The second one was for a big French engineering group called Fives in Shanghai, working on industrial heat exchangers. I would really encourage students to go out of their comfort zone as much as possible. You’ll see the world differently plus you can gain a lot of new skills and valuable experience.
I got hired by TaylorMade Golf in 2013, after sending resumes relentlessly to all golf and sporting companies in the world. I started working directly at one of their suppliers in Guangzhou, Southeast China, managing production and developing new processes. I have spent 2.5 years over there and then moved to Carlsbad California in 2016.
My experience in Asia is still extremely valuable to this day as I travel over there 3-4 times/ year to visit suppliers.
AFAM: does working for a sports ( golf) company is simply a coincidence or a part of an elaborate career plan?
Rémy: Definitely an elaborate career plan. I have always been passionate about this sport and playing at a high level in my youth. When I was 11-12, I remember sneaking out of my room in France at night to watch Tiger Woods at the Masters on TV, the most prestigious golf tournament played at Augusta, Georgia.
I decided to do a preparatory class PT and then Arts et Métiers to get a solid engineering background. But the end goal was to work for major golf OEM and try to leave my mark in the industry.
During those 12 years in the industry, we launched iconic products (Stealth, Qi10 Drivers, R7 Mini Driver…) and new technologies (“Speed Pocket”, “Carbon Face”…) that helped capturing more than 90 wins on TOUR including Major tournaments. Very proud and emotional moment, when Tiger Woods played one of my projects to grab a legendary win in 2019, the Masters at Augusta.
It is really hard to define goals or a career plan, but this introspection is necessary if you want to have a minimum of control.
Like on a golf course, you need a game plan and only you can define it.
AFAM: How did being a Gadzarts help you in your professional life?
Rémy: You learn fantastic core values when you are a Gadzart. This makes it easier when you travel around the world. I have recruited 2 Gadzarts while I was in China because I knew they would fit immediately.
I believe that we have special adaptation skills. Arts et Métiers technical courses are also well appreciated. My last semester specialized in composites was fantastic and I still thank Professor Emmanuel Richaud for his passion and expertise.
AFAM: You have been living in Southern California, near San Diego since 2016. How do you like your life in California? What are you enjoying doing in your free time?
Rémy: Definitely a different experience than China. Working at the headquarters gives me more freedom and influence on short and long term decisions for our product lines. Carlsbad is also the Mecca of golf. All major golf brands are located in a 2 mile radius.
Life in California is slower paced than in Asia in my opinion. I know it sounds cliché but I picked up surfing and I am totally hooked now. So, I split my free time between enjoying outdoors with my family, playing golf at Torrey Pines and surfing the San Diego breaks.
AFAM: Could you tell us more about your future plans?
Rémy:
Working in the golf industry and at TaylorMade Golf is more exciting than ever. We have launched new technologies and materials in the last couple of years that really pushed the boundaries of what we can achieve and unlocked new design territories. Performance is our number 1 criteria, and we will continue exploring these .
Furthermore, we are seeing more golfers playing around the world. This sport is becoming more and more popular, even in France.
I left France in 2011 and it has been a great journey so far. I miss France and Europe for sure. Our continent is beautiful, our lifestyle unparalleled and our industries really strong and competitive. We tend to appreciate this even more when we live abroad.
I am not excluding a return in the coming years, and we will see if this is the best move for my family.
Working visas and green cards are hard to obtain in the US so I will probably wait until I am an American citizen before making a move.
Also, if you are golfer or just want to know more, do not hesitate to contact me on Linkedin.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/remyarnaud89/
https://www.taylormadegolf.com/
AFAM: Thank you, Rémy!
Picture(s) - courtesy of Rémy
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