Constant release of New Product

[Imurg]

This is not a TM bash.....but I may use them or others as examples

My understanding of why new product seems to be launched every 5 minutes is to provide those who are new to the game or those upgrading from an older model with the latest tech.
Now, we all know that, in reality, there's little difference between the R11 and R11s but there probably is between the R9 and the R1.
My question, simply, is this...
Why bother with the R11s?..
The R11 was a huge departure from the R9, the R1 is a similar step from the R11 so why not just skip the S version.
Someone upgrading or new to the game is still getting modern tech after all.
Most manufacturers are doing the same and the shelf life of a driver is getting shorter.
It just doesn't seem to make much sense to upgrade product every 6 months when every year would serve the same purpose..after all MikeH reckons that you only really need to upgrade every 2-3 years. To me, a shelf life of a year will still provide chances to upgrade to the most modern tech..
And I know that we don't have to buy it and many don't, but the temptation remains constant.
As I said, not a bash specifically at TM

 

[Spark.]

Because numpties will always buy it.

 

[Pin-seeker]

The SLDR seems less advanced than the R11 to me.
Still can't see me "upgrading" my driver for a while.

 

[G1BB0]

its all about the £££/$$$ end of!

 

[TheDashingBlade]

Make the most of it. It means there is some great kit to be had at a good price because it has last month's paintwork.

 

[brendy]

Its not just golf though is it?
Samsung do the same in the mobile phone market
Adidas, Nike and Footjoy do the same in footwear
Car manufacturers like ford and vauxhall do mid term adjustments and upgrades (colour coded bumpers and creature comforts)
All these guys flood the market with the scattergun mentality, the more you fire the more chance you have of hitting something.

Tbh I really dont mind any of it as it gives me more choice should I be in the market. Usually you can discount 75% of the stuff according to your needs and work from there so its no big deal.

 

[Andy808]

its all about the £££/$$$ end of!

Says the man that got it all for nowt!

There are brand tarts that NEED the latest model, in the latest colour with the latest shaft. I won't improve their game just their bragging rights in the clubhouse afterwards. I only changed my driver as I broke my last one and, if I get the chance, change my irons to have a proper fitting on them.
If you hit them well keep hitting them.

 

[hovis]

Now, we all know that, in reality, there's little difference between the R11 and R11s but there probably is between the R9 and the R1.

i was in the ping room the other day hitting the r9 supertri against the r1 (similar shaft) and it was just as long and performed almost identical. the pro ''my friend'' said the very small difference was the shaft.

so what does that tell you?
i'm impressed that ping have kept the S56 range of irons for so long. the ping rep said ''if we cant make significant improvements on a product we dont launch a new one'' not sure about their 'g' range as i havent hit them. i also wonder.....isn't the i25's comin out soon? i've heard rumors that their not releasing them yet as the i20 range is going strong?????

 

[hovis]

Says the man that got it all for nowt!

i dont see the relevance? he doesn't get an opinion as he was lucky enough to win a great comp?

 

[User20205]

I think part of it is that there is a constant process of r&d. The r11 supercedes the r9, the r11s is already in the pipeline as tm know the r11 can be tweaked.

The argument is why release the r11 if the r11s is in the pipeline. Why not wait until the design has been optimised? This is where gibbos point is valid. The manufacturer believe they can make more combining sales of both models rather than one optimised model.

I think they lose credibility doing this, but it's a cycle they're stuck in. They need to release regularly to fund their marketing, they need their marketing to feed their launch cycle.

It works at the moment but if a product bombs they're stuffed

 

[evahakool]

Perhaps GM could do a article on trying old drivers vs new

 

[Andy808]

i dont see the relevance? he doesn't get an opinion as he was lucky enough to win a great comp?

Tongue in cheek comment that's all.

 

[DAVEYBOY]

To be honest I prefer using older models, I'm not a fan of having a bag full of the latest stuff as it draws attention to yourself. There was a bloke at the range a while back and he had the R1 (Release day) and every other club with bells and flashing lights on and didn't get much further than 150 yards with the driver in fact I don't think he got it above 5 ft. Unfortunately he probably believes these clubs will provide him with the miracle fix...

 

[DappaDonDave]

Because TM have clearly been to an apple inc seminar on version releases and found two year new product releases are best supplemented by yearly minor product upgrades. This means that those who want to appear cool spend twice in two years and those new or ready for an upgrade get the "latest" tech. Helping improve customer - supplier relations.

 

[Andy808]

To be honest I prefer using older models, I'm not a fan of having a bag full of the latest stuff as it draws attention to yourself. There was a bloke at the range a while back and he had the R1 (Release day) and every other club with bells and flashing lights on and didn't get much further than 150 yards with the driver in fact I don't think he got it above 5 ft. Unfortunately he probably believes these clubs will provide him with the miracle fix...

Unfortunately this is what all the manufacturers want us to believe and some do.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

It isn't just drivers though. TM seem to be rolling out refined models of their putter range every six months or so and Odyssey are another that seem to bang loads of new putters out. The Versa range is their newest but the style of putter hasn't really changed, just the colour styling

 

[duncan mackie]

Perhaps GM could do a article on trying old drivers vs new

I've got mpst of mine, and whlst I'd be happy playing with the last 3 I wouldn't want to go back further - and definitely not back to my ParBuster or even Ping Eye III!

Over recent years it's as much about getting a shaft that I like - none of my drivers has an interchangable shaft and whilst I'm happy reshafting irons I haven't messed about with the woods.

They all work - it's just that as an amateur I prefer to have the most help I can get (and no, that's not about distance!)

 

[evahakool]

I've got mpst of mine, and whlst I'd be happy playing with the last 3 I wouldn't want to go back further - and definitely not back to my ParBuster or even Ping Eye III!

Over recent years it's as much about getting a shaft that I like - none of my drivers has an interchangable shaft and whilst I'm happy reshafting irons I haven't messed about with the woods.


They all work - it's just that as an amateur I prefer to have the most help I can get (and no, that's not about distance!)

Yea that comment was just a bit of fun, by old I meant 3 to 4 year old drivers, understand why you want to get the best possible equipment to suit your game.

I find it strange that many of the members of my club will spend money on a new driver when in my opinion they could pay less for last years model with the same results. Not meaning to knock anybody for going for new drivers good luck to them just find it strange .

Could I just ask as looking at your h/c you play to a decent standard, if you played with any half decent 2 year old driver how much do you think it would affect your scores?

 

[Sweep]

You would be amazed at what things like new launches do for the bottom line. For example, I worked with a well known department store and they reported that every time they revamped the store the takings went up by a third. No better deals, no big sale event, nothing. Just move the stuff around, new carpets, new stands and sales go through the roof, for 2 or 3 months. Just changing the graphics on a R11 will have put the sales up on an already flagging product. You have to remember, in the year between the R11 and the R11S, TM's competition will have released new drivers, pushing the R11 down the table. New graphics, new name (slightly) and its back on top. Many big companies do it (reading this on an iPhone 4s?). It's called marketing. As golfers, we just have to work out when there is a real advance in performance and buy the product that provides it. That's not easy and that is partly why it's frustrating. That and the fact that we suspect we are continually being lied to.

 

[Foxholer]

Could I just ask as looking at your h/c you play to a decent standard, if you played with any half decent 2 year old driver how much do you think it would affect your scores?

I could certainly play a G15, provided the shaft was right for me. Not quite so keen on the G10 but that's more shape than performance. Deep faced Drivers suit me better - current one apart.

Drivers haven't really changed much in last 3-4 years from a performance point of view imo. It's forgiveness that has increased. Hit some classics recently R9 Limited and R7 Superquad performed very well! Even R510TP had good performance, just not as forgiving as others.