Any questions you want to put to the new CEO of TaylorMade

[Hobbit]

If you weren't CEO of TM, but were still employed in the golf industry, what would you like to be doing?

Brian Willerton
Redcar

 

[Hacker Khan]

Cough cough g30 ls tec..

Good repost sir, 15 all.

For what it's worth I think most manufacturers are now trying to cover 'all bases'. Which they have to in a shrinking market.

Some like TM and Callaway are trying to do it in the same driver by having gravity cores, sliding weights etc so the club it can be either low spinning or more forgiving and higher spinning depending on how you configure it. And they charge you for the privilege. And some like Ping keep the amount of user configuration to a minimum and just sell different versions of the same driver depending on if you want a draw bias, low spin etc etc. And don't charge you so much.

In the end you pays your price and takes your chances. And hope you hit it in the sweet spot for any of this to make the slightest bit of difference.

Dobby the house elf
Platform and 3/4
Kings Cross
Londonshire

 

[Smiffy]

Smiffy has just got himself slotted up with some new RS1's.
Can they really improve his game?

 

[Fish]

Will there become a saturation point for TM where no further distance or forgiveness can be achieved (mainly woods) and it will all go down to "the look" of the club/s?

Robin Hopkins
Coventry

 

[Duckster]

Where do you stand on bifurcation in golf? Do you think that it will come to a "one rule for the professionals and another rule for amateurs"?

Also, with a growing campaign with certain people in the golfing fraternity to "reign in the golf ball", have you already taken steps in golf ball re-design to preempt this and would a situation of changing the golf ball be more beneficial to you in catching Titleist?

Adam Heyes
Chorley, Lancashire

 

[TamG123]

1.What do you see as the "next big thing" in golf equipment? Do you think there will ever be a point where we can't develop something further?

2. What were your views on the Ryder cup last year and what do you envisage happening at the next one?

Tom Gibson
Edinburgh

 

[Matty]

Golfers seem to be advised these days that custom fitting is an absolute necessity rather than simply a beneficial process for better golfers. It also seem that with frequent product release from many of the main manufacturers that a product line 6-12 months old can often be purchased at a sizeable discount compared to the original retail price.

How duo you see the golf industry bridging the gap between the increasing interest and availability of custom fitting compared to the large price premium that comes with getting fitted for the latest lines only?

Matt Robinson
Lancashire

 

[HomerJSimpson]

You have made huge advances in the putter market. Do you see that as the next big sales area for TM to develop and promote given technology in the iron and drivers has gone perhaps as far as it can for all manufacturers.

Martin Bedborough
Bracknell
Berkshire

 

[Mcleodc2000]

How have advancements in prototyping and manufacturing helped TM to improve their products? Do you utilise 3D printing throughout all of the design stages when developing a new product?

Calum McLeod
South Lanarkshire

 

[Hacker Khan]

What role do you think Youtube golf 'personalities' such as Mark Crossfield, Rick Shiels, Peter Finch and Meandmygolf have in expanding the game and encouraging new people to take up the game?

I have noticed that TM are very active in fitting You Tube personalities for clubs, and even the other day Peter Finch was given a new Ashworth wardrobe. So do you think we will ever get to the stage where the fact that individuals from popular Youtube golf channels are using TM equipment/wearing your clothes is as important as ensuring a tour pro is?

Nick Johnson
Nottingham
Nottinghamshire
Englandshire
UK

 

[garyinderry]

Any thoughts on reintroducing that classic TM brown reddish colour in a line of woods or putters? Cleveland did quite well with their classic range. You guys are not shy about starting new lines of clubs. What about classic TM?

 

[FairwayDodger]

With the extremely short life cycles of new clubs nowadays, with companies such as TM and Callaway making major releases across the range on an annual (or even more frequent) basis, have clubs now become no more than fashion items with new paint jobs being more significant than any genuine performance gains.

Karen Ferguson
Edinburgh

 

[golfsaint]

When you are testing & trying new ideas for future/New to the market clubs ,whom are you getting advice from?
Is it mainly from your staff players and pro's? Do you listen to the day to day golfer whom looks forward to the weekend come rain/wind/Sun?

Shaun
Hampshire

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

Have you ever considered that you are alienating your customers with the constant product releases that offer no performance benefit over the preceding model? I for one would not spend £250 on a driver that is going to be out of date in a couple of months time.

Gordon Ross
Christchurch

 

[GB72]

Adidas have been very successful in their use of social media to create awareness of their new products with well timed posts, celebreties receiving free kit to post about on release dates, suprise giveaways etc. TM on the other hand seem more reserved and, to a certain extent, less successful in their social media launches and social media presence. Is that because it is less important to you as a marketing tool or do you think that you can take a few lessons from the parent company.

Greg Begy
Grantham

Also, is there an official sponsorship deal between TM and England Cricket as they all seem to use TM gear or be asking for the latest driver release on Twitter.

 

[pbrown7582]

Also, is there an official sponsorship deal between TM and England Cricket as they all seem to use TM gear or be asking for the latest driver release on Twitter.

adidas sponsor England cricket so guess theres the link?

 

[Rooter]

adidas sponsor England cricket so guess theres the link?

Yup, my neighbour worked for TM and sorted all the cricket lads out, and is now in fact bessie mates with Ian Bell.

 

[IanG]

Which current equipment specification/regulation would you like to see the R&A/USGA relax somewhat and why would it benefit the game.

Ian Galbraith
North Berwick

 

[Hacker Khan]

As manufacturers have taken driver face technology just about to it's limit within the regulations set by the R&A and USGA, with a strong argument to say that any gains from now on will be marginal, do you think we are in danger of new driver releases becoming more a marketing exercise as opposed to an engineering one?

Could you tell us roughly what percentage of the budget for a new launch of irons/drivers is spent on R&D/engineering and how much goes on marketing?


Nick Johnson
NotNotNotNotNottingham

 

[Midnight]

1. What steps are you taking to ensure longevity(I think this is the correct word) in the golf industry/world?

2. What are your main goals for your time as CEO ?

3. Is it poss that company s like Ping and yourselves could collaborate and if this did happen , do you think we would have better tech in clubs , or are all the companies at about the same sort of level with the tech nowadays ?

4.Could I be the face of Taylormade

Guy Hall
Hampshire