The Ultimate Artisan

Mike Taylor

EPISODE 013

Runtime: 1:08:02
Published: Tuesday, September 22, 2026
Topics: Mike Taylor • Artisan Golf • Clubmaking • Golf Equipment • Ben Hogan • Gene Sheeley • Nike Golf • Tiger Woods • Scottie Scheffler • Craftsmanship • Mentorship • Legacy

What happens when the hands behind some of golf’s greatest equipment finally get to tell their story?

On this episode of Fairways & Friends, Courtney Connell sits down with master clubmaker Mike Taylor of Artisan Golf for a conversation about craftsmanship, mentorship, relationships and legacy.

Mike’s remarkable journey runs through some of the most important chapters in modern golf equipment—from the Ben Hogan Golf Equipment Company and the influence of legendary clubmaker Gene Sheeley, to Nike Golf’s famed Oven in Fort Worth, where Mike helped create equipment for Tiger Woods and many of the game’s greatest players.

But this conversation is about much more than golf clubs.

Mike shares what Gene Sheeley taught him about the craft, what it was like building equipment for players with extraordinary feel, the emotions surrounding Nike’s decision to leave the golf-equipment business, and how that ending eventually helped lead to a new beginning with Artisan Golf.

We also explore the fascinating people who have crossed Mike’s path—from Tour champions to legendary athletes and entertainers—and the young golfer named Scottie Scheffler who was walking through the shop long before the rest of the world knew his name.

And then we go somewhere deeper.

What does a craftsman feel while watching a player win a major championship with a club his own hands helped create?

Who will carry this increasingly rare craft into the next generation?

And when Mike Taylor’s days at the grinding wheel eventually come to an end, what does he hope his fingerprints will have touched beyond golf clubs?

From Ben Hogan and Gene Sheeley to Tiger Woods and the next generation, this is the story of knowledge passed from one set of hands to another.

There are no shortcuts to craftsmanship.

Mike Taylor — The Ultimate Artisan.

Meet the Guests

Guest:

Mike Taylor is a master clubmaker whose career spans some of the most influential eras and names in modern golf equipment.

His journey began at the Ben Hogan Golf Equipment Company, where he learned from legendary clubmaker Gene Sheeley and developed an appreciation for the precision, patience and knowledge required to create equipment by hand.

Mike later became an integral part of Nike Golf’s Oven in Fort Worth, working directly with elite players and helping create equipment for Tiger Woods and many of the game’s greatest competitors. When Nike exited the golf-equipment business, Mike’s journey took another turn—eventually leading to the creation of Artisan Golf, where traditional craftsmanship and individualized clubmaking remain at the heart of the work.

Through decades spent at the grinding wheel, Mike has become not only a steward of a disappearing craft, but also a mentor responsible for passing that knowledge to the next generation.

His story is one of craftsmanship, relationships and a simple philosophy that has guided a lifetime of work:

There are no shortcuts.