Implications of Pros playing equipment not made by their sponsors

[birdieman]

Perusing the June edition of GM just in, on the Masters report there is a pic of Justin Rose wielding a Scotty Cameron Titleist putter at Augusta when his other clubs, bag, clothes and cap are Adidas/Taylormade. As a Taylormade sponsored guy does it not annoy Taylormade that he isn't wielding one of their Rossa putters for example? Why does sponsorship include woods, irons and hybrids but not putters? If Taylormade can't make a putter to suit one of their top pros what does that say about their woods and irons?
If he plays a titlesist putter why can't he play titleist or whatever other irons he likes as well and just wear the TM badge on his hat.
I also read that Rife putters were claiming Rose as 'one of their players' - clearly not the case recently.
As we tend to copy our heroes in what clubs we want to be seen playing (be honest, we do!) is the whole pro sponsorship thing a complete red herring designed as usual to part us from out hard-earned ££(says he currently on 2 weeks sick leave!!)?

 

[OldWindy]

I thought they could select which clubs were supplied by whoever (like a 10 club contract)? Same goes for logos on whatever they wear.

 

[Parmo]

Doesnt Tiger use a scotty? but if you read all of whats in the bag they have majority of sponser clubs and a couple of none.

 

[benny]

You are right tho - why can't they get it together with a putter like they can a Wood? Like Tiger Woods - no-ones ever been able to convince him to drop the Scotty Cameron, not even Nike with that incalcuable wealth can design a yip stick that will replace the old SC in his bag.

After his 3rd Augusta collapse maybe young Rose might stick with the Rife next time, that Scotty is wasted on him!

 

[TonyN]

Mymate was a callaway staff player up untill Feb and he wears Myjoys.

They wanted him to wear callaway shoes but he told them they didnt have any he liked and it would cause him to play bad in tournaments if he had the wrong footware on. Maybe a white lie but still, i think players are more valuable to the sponsor than the otherway round, they have to give them some slack.

If rose seriously couldn't use a taylormade putter and played so badly, what would it look like for Taylormade.

 

[SammmeBee]

Most have a 10/11/12/13 club contract if they are a 'staff' player - putter's are very personal choice and no pro would get contracted into use something he new he ust couldn't use - whereas irons/drivers you can pretty much chop and change no problem - look at Els TM then Titleist and now Callaway.....

TM also used to do a Hat/Driver/Shoes deal for the choppers on Tour - that got them the No 1 count on drivers and shoes..

Lies, Lies, Dame Lies and Statistics......

 

[forefortheday]

There's some interesting stuff in Feinsteins book about the majors on this, there was a couple of pro's who had signed to use X club from their sponsor and couldn't get on with them so went back to using their old equipment.

Can't remember the names of the pro's but you can imagine the delight their sponsors expressed after shelling out a fortune on advertising showing these pro's using their flashy new irons.

Said it before I'll say it again all this Tiger uses this Michelson uses that malarkey is just to get us to buy shiny new gear.

How many times do we go to buy new kit and go for the big names without really looking at more obscure manufacturers? I know I have done it!

 

[benny]

I buy the club that looks the best and thats my main criteria. If I like how my equipment looks i play better. Thats why despite the over whelming evidence against me, I love my blades and will always use them, I like my flashy yellow nike stuff and would rather use a hickory shafted spoon than stoop to a calloway BB set of irons.

 

[TonyN]

Because a hickory shafted spoon looks nicer than BB irons?

 

[benny]

To my eyes

 

[TonyN]

Come on, i know BB irons aint a pretty site but they aint that bad.

*mental picture of someone holding a hickory shafted spoon*

(he looks like the spoon)

 

[benny]

Exactly Tony! all the evidence of statistics proves that we should all be playing them to get our handicaps down....but I could never do it. I'm sure they play great it's like women.....is it the intelligent plain one or the dumb blonde? For this purpose its definetely the dumb blonde....although the plain one makes a better life partner....oh what am I on about....I should really think about part exing these blades and being sensible for once

 

[theeaglehunter]

A lot of the time now pros are said to endorse certain equipment which doesn't mean they play with it they just put their name to it as 'a good piece of kit'. As for sponsors allowing players to use other clubs, it is definitely the preference of the player, if they find something they like more they will use it. They might have to take a pay cut for this privelage though.

 

[rgs]

Most pros contract are generally for 10-12 clubs-putters and wedges may not be part of the deal. Ball deals are also different to club deals. Not all TM pros use TM balls.
Harrington is a Wilson Staff pro but uses a 2 ball putter from Odyssey and Pro V golf balls.

 

[mick]

i read an interview with darren clarke when he first signed with taylormade which said he was contracted to use 10 of their clubs,at that particular time all clubs in his bag were taylormade.i would think most pro's contracts would be along those lines.

 

[steve]

A club fitter i know was at the masters and he told me justin rose and three other pros were paid 100,000 dollars each to use scotty putters for that one event.

 

[madandra]

Re J. Rose using Scotty. I am sure Luke Donald (Mr. Mizuno) used an Odyssey Black No.7 putter instead of his Bat-em-hardly.

 

[USER1999]

Didn't VJ win his last major with a 'borrowed' driver, which upset Cleveland as he was supposed to be using theirs.

 

[EchtLoon]

Most pros contract are generally for 10-12 clubs-putters and wedges may not be part of the deal. Ball deals are also different to club deals. Not all TM pros use TM balls.
Harrington is a Wilson Staff pro but uses a 2 ball putter from Odyssey and Pro V golf balls.

Harrington also doesn't (or didn;t used to) actually play with Wilson clubs. The bag was Wilson, the head covers were Wilson, but underneath there lay Titleists.

 

[HTL]

Tony Jacklin is the worst! The amount he plugs the K1 and he don’t use it himself!