Merit Golf Company
| Private | |
| ISIN | 🆔 |
| Industry | Sporting goods |
| Founded 📆 | 1987 |
| Founder 👔 | |
| Defunct | Early 2000s |
| Headquarters 🏙️ | , Kennesaw, Georgia , United States |
Area served 🗺️ | United States |
Key people | John Pascarella (co-founder, president), Stan Stabner (president), Larry Nelson (staff member) |
| Products 📟 | Golf clubs (irons, woods, wedges, putters) |
| Owner | KFC Ltd. (Japan) (1987–1993); Stan Stabner (majority owner, from 1993); investor group (from 1999) |
| Members | |
Number of employees | |
| 🌐 Website | [Lua error in Module:WikidataIB at line 665: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). ] |
| 📇 Address | |
| 📞 telephone | |
Merit Golf Company was an American golf equipment manufacturer active from the late 1980s through the early 2000s. The company operated from Kennesaw, Georgia, and sold golf clubs through off-course golf retailers and other golf specialty channels.[1]
History
According to The Golf Club Identification & Price Guide IV, Merit Golf Company began operating in 1987 from a 15,000-square-foot headquarters and warehouse in Kennesaw, Georgia, and was owned by KFC Ltd. of Japan.[1] John Pascarella, a former professional baseball player, was president and co-founder of the company and described his role as its "commander-in-chief".[1] In 1991, PGA Tour professional Larry Nelson joined Merit as a staff member.[1] Merit's 1992 sales were estimated at between $5 million and $6 million, primarily through off-course golf shops.[1]
In 1993, Stan Stabner replaced Pascarella as president of the company. Later that year, Stabner and Larry Nelson purchased the company for an undisclosed sum from its Japanese owner, KFC Ltd. Stabner became the majority owner and remained president of the company.[1]
Sales of Merit clubs declined in the mid-1990s, and the company entered a period of relative inactivity.[1] In 1999, Stabner brought in an investment bank and company shares were sold to a group of approximately 80 investors. A relaunch was planned for 2000, with an emphasis on higher-priced, professional-quality products rather than the lower-priced clubs the company had previously offered.[1]
Products and marketing
Merit marketed a range of golf clubs, including irons, woods, wedges, and putters. In spring 1989, the company ran national advertising in Golf Digest promoting a broad product line and positioning its offerings as combining "tradition" and "technology".[2][3]
In October 1989 and April 1990, Merit advertised its "Fusion" irons in Golf Digest, describing them as forged cavity-back irons and positioning the product against established forged-iron competitors.[4][5]
Timeline
- 1987 – Company begins operations in Kennesaw, Georgia; owned by KFC Ltd. of Japan.[1]
- 1989 – National print advertising appears in Golf Digest.[2][3][4]
- 1991 – Larry Nelson joins Merit as a staff member.[1]
- 1992 – Sales estimated at $5–6 million.[1]
- 1993 – Stan Stabner becomes president; later that year Stabner and Nelson purchase the company from KFC Ltd.[1]
- Mid-1990s – Sales decline; company becomes relatively inactive.[1]
- 1999 – Shares sold to a group of approximately 80 investors; relaunch planned for 2000.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 Maltby, Ralph (1999). The Golf Club Identification & Price Guide IV. GolfWorks / Ralph Maltby Enterprises, Inc. pp. 30–1–30–3. Search this book on
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "New problems. New solutions". Golf Digest (Advertisement). Condé Nast. April 1989. Retrieved January 8, 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "New problems. New solutions". Golf Digest (Advertisement). Condé Nast. May 1989. Retrieved January 8, 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Merit forges ahead of Hogan". Golf Digest (Advertisement). Condé Nast. October 1989. Retrieved January 8, 2026.
- ↑ "Merit forges ahead". Golf Digest (Advertisement). Condé Nast. April 1990. Retrieved January 8, 2026.
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