What exactly IS “Golf, 3M Style”? Well, for starters it’s 7,400 yards of 3M Science – the seamless integration of cutting-edge material science and technology into the fabric of the 3M Open itself. From advanced materials found in the development and manufacturing of today’s revolutionary golf equipment, to 3M print films used on each hole to bring our brand to life on-course, and to innovative solutions optimizing the spectator experience, 3M Science permeates every aspect of the 3M Open, ensuring a truly unparalleled and unforgettable tournament.
But even more than that, Golf, 3M Style and our #GolfThatMatters ethos, are defined by our commitment to our community, as we pledge substantial charitable contributions derived from partner support, ticket sales, and even food and beverage purchases. With over $7 million donated thus far, the 3M Open continues to not only enrich the lives of golf enthusiasts but the communities we proudly serve.
This is Golf, 3M Style—where excellence, innovation, and community converge to redefine the very essence of the sport and the world around us.
Six 3M Technologies that will be featured at The Lab at the 2024 3M Open
Abrasives (Ab)
IN GOLF…
3M Abrasives are used by club manufacturers to finish off golf iron heads to a consistent, smooth finish. In some instances, advanced robotics, paired with 3M Abrasives, such as 3M™ Tirzact™, 3M™ Cubitron™ II, and Scotch-Brite™, help finish and polish golf equipment in the most efficient and consistent ways possible.
IN OUR WORLD…
The same 3M Abrasives finishing new and innovative golf clubs are used in consumer electronics, automotive, health care, and even space travel. That’s right, 3M Abrasives are used by rocket makers to ensure the stainless steel and aluminum-alloy rockets are finished to pristine and consistent standards. 3M’s oldest technology, 3M Abrasives, are also in your kitchen in the form of Scotch-Brite™ scrub sponges and scouring pads.
Adhesives (Ad)
IN GOLF…
Whether they’re being swung by a PGA TOUR pro or an amateur, golf clubs undergo serious moments of stress on the course. 3M Adhesives help bond clubs together, from the grip to the shaft to the club head. A prime example of 3M Adhesives driving innovation in the game is the use of ScotchWeld™ Structural Adhesives to bond new Carbon Fiber faceplates to the body of the driver head. With club speeds greater than 120 mph, it is critical that the face plate remains in place to help deliver distance and accuracy. ScotchWeld™ ensures the plate remains securely in place.
If you find yourself at the 3M Open, be on the lookout for our VHB Hangout chairs and ScotchWeld™ swings. These fan favorites show off the bonding power of 3M Adhesives.
IN OUR WORLD…
3M Adhesives are helping to bond the world together. Found in most consumer electronics, cars, airplanes, consumer products, and buildings, 3M bonding solutions can bond dissimilar materials together. Some of 3M’s most famous products are made possible because of adhesives: Command™ Hooks, Post-it® Notes, Nexcare™ Bandages, Scotch™ Tape, and Scotch-Brite™ Lint Rollers. And did you know the innovative folding phones being introduced in today’s consumer electronics market are made possible in part due to 3M structural adhesives and tapes? 3M Adhesives also help with light-weighting and sound damping. Reducing the need for heavier rivets, 3M Adhesives are helping cars and planes travel farther on one charge or fuel-up. 3M holds the world record for lifting a 10-ton truck with a 6 square inch area of 3M Adhesive.
Films (Fi)
IN GOLF…
When you’re watching exciting PGA TOUR coverage on your smartphone or large-screen television, there’s a good chance 3M Films are helping to create a more vibrant viewing experience while using less energy. While optical films are helping to create a better picture off the course, on the course they’re bringing the 3M brand to life on walls, hole signs, and the sides of tents.
IN OUR WORLD…
3M Films – some in 100s of layers thinner than a human hair – are protecting windows from breaking AND improving the battery life on your phone. 3M Multi-layer Optical Films are found in the latest VR headsets (reducing headset depth by 50%), in stunning and legible (even in sunlight) car interior screens, in privacy films, in Scotch Tapes, and are changing the appearance of cars. When paired with 3M Abrasives, 3M Films are helping to guide you home in the middle of a storm in the form of road signs. Films help with sustainability in your home, too, by reflecting the sun’s heat while letting the sunshine through. Even today, 3M Films are being applied to busses and semi-trailers to keep humans and produce cool.
3M Films have been found to help grow better yields of produce, too, even in more northern latitudes. 3M Film solutions such as anti-reflective films, infrared blocking films, and retroreflective films are solving unique challenges for large growers in their greenhouses by better managing and manipulating the sun’s light and heat. The same 3M Film improving yields at greenhouses can also be turned into electricity for the greenhouses’ grow lights.
Nonwovens (Nw)
IN GOLF…
You’ll never look at spaghetti the same again. That’s because 3M Nonwovens, mimicking a plate of spaghetti can clean a golf iron with the help of Scotch-Brite Scouring Pads and Sponges. This same “mess” of material is helping golfers who are squeezing in one last round in the late fall stay warm through insulation. 3M Nonwovens are found at practice facilities, too, in the form of practice mats. Even the sponge-like, comfortable floor of The Lab at the 2024 3M Open is made up of 3M Nonwovens.
IN OUR WORLD…
3M Nonwovens are around you in more ways than you expect. From Bluetooth-enabled Filtrete™ Filters keeping your air clean in your home, to the face masks that helped keep our first responders protected during the COVID outbreak. At 3M, they’ve even figured out how to make nonwovens from plant material and recycled plastic bottles. Scotch-Brite™ Greener Clean™ Non-Scratch Scrub Sponge is made from Agavé plants and their 100% Recycled 3M™ Thinsulate™ Insulation is made from discarded plastic soda bottles. Similarly, 3M™ Thinsulate™ is enabling lighter and quieter e-vehicles.
3M Nonwovens are helping our planet in new ways, too, such as in large carbon capture plants. A large-scale carbon capture plant in Texas using 18-miles worth of 3M Nonwovens will be able to remove 1 gigaton of carbon dioxide from our air.
Performance Materials (Pm)
IN GOLF…
This technology platform is a collection of unique materials developed and manufactured internally by 3M that provides differentiated performance to products made by 3M. It includes a combination of ceramics, nanomaterials, advanced silicone materials, specialty monomers and polymers, specialty additives, and coatings to create unique materials and composites. In golf, golf ball-shaped 3M Glass Bubbles have been used by golf manufacturers to reduce the weight of certain golf irons while maintaining strength.
IN OUR WORLD…
Imagine lighter-weight vehicles that can travel farther on less fuel. More efficient ways to drill for oil and insulate deep sea pipelines. Paint that helps keep homes cooler on hot, sunny days. In all these ways and more, 3M Glass Bubbles are helping a wide range of industrial sectors solve their design challenges and reach new levels of performance and productivity. 3M Glass Bubbles are also helping NASA launch its new Space Launch System into space by keeping its liquid hydrogen storage tanks at the proper, extremely low temperature.
When added to airplane and automotive parts, these glass bubbles can save fuel through light-weighting.
Advanced Robotics (Ro)
IN GOLF…
Golf manufacturers are leaning on robotics in their manufacturing for a few reasons, including consistent output and the impact of a shrinking workforce. When paired with 3M Abrasives, the very clubs you’re playing your rounds with may have been finished with artificially intelligent robots outfitted with 3M abrasives.
IN OUR WORLD…
Non-golf manufacturers have the same needs as golf manufacturers: increased productivity and the need to mitigate the challenges of a shrinking workforce. Advanced robotics are used across industries, including automotive, industrial, consumer electronics, and more. 3M RoboTape™ System for 3M™ Tape allows the design and assembly processes to take advantage of the benefits of 3M Tape, while reducing manual labor, re-work, work-in-process inventory, and increasing digitization and production throughput. Smart phones, e-vehicles, and appliances all benefit from this type of automation, and advances in artificial intelligence are helping robots to improve their output and consistency.