Probubly the best equipment story.....Ever?!

[Alex1975]

So... It came out last night that Taylor Made are going to challenge the USGAs 460cc box and break free releasing a range of non conforming clubs.

The full story makes for very interesting reading and the implications are HUGE for the equipment industry and golf as a whole, if you are interested enough to read it do remember "Before you form your opinion (assuming you haven’t done so already), I’d like you to take a moment to consider a few things.

If you’re reading this, you are not the average golfer. The average golfer, at least in terms of the raw numbers, doesn’t spend his time in golf forums reading rumors like this one.

If you play by the letter of the USGA’s rulebook, always keep score, and compete in tournaments, you are not the average golfer either."


Full low down: http://www.mygolfspy.com/taylormade-non-conforming-illegal-clubs/

 

[palindromicbob]

Old news Dunlop have been doing it for years

No problem with it myself. Like the bike analogy you can choose to compete and take the game seriously with conforming gear or go out and have fun with non-conforming gear. Might lead to a few more bag checks prior to club comps though.

How many on here wanted to buy a rebel wedge for the craic after seeing the thread on here about them a while ago?

 

[StrangelyBrown]

What's the point?

 

[Blue in Munich]

What's the point?

They obviously don't have sufficient technology to keep up their fortnightly releases staying within the rules is probably the point.

 

[CMAC]

What's the point?

Marketing and Brand awareness I would guess............seems to be working

 

[JustOne]

I'm not sure I get it.

Picking up the ball and throwing it out onto the fairway isn't in the rules.

Playing with an illegal club seems equally as daft.

If two of you are playing to your own set of rules and you are having a good time then I guess that's fair enough. You could leather wedge it on every hole if you're both happy with that, and do gimmies within 4ft.... it's whatever floats your boat. Why even use clubs? just fire the thing down there with a grenade launcher if that's YOUR WAY of playing the game

 

[shewy]

I get it personally, I play with guys sometimes who just want a friendly knock,they don't have the time or the desire to play in comps,sometimes they find it frustrating as they have not put in the practice most of us do,if equipment for these guys make it more enjoyable then fine by me.I think they are taping into a large part of the market.

 

[lyden]

Im not sure its been completely thought through from a marketing perspective. The people that buy new golf clubs are the avid golfers and the type of people that kick balls out of the rough buy second hand from us. The only way it would work is if they were significantly cheaper which wouldnt support the r & d costs.

It would also be interesting to know how many Range finders with slope are sold vs conforming range finders.

 

[mcbroon]

The people that buy new golf clubs are the avid golfers and the type of people that kick balls out of the rough buy second hand from us.

Nonsense. Plenty of avid golfers buy second hand. The decision to buy new or second hand isn't just about how casual your approach to the game is.

Sometimes it's about finances and sometimes it's because some people still believe that the price of your clubs doesn't make any difference to how seriously you take the game, or your ability to play it.

 

[Hacker Khan]

I don't see a problem if it makes the game more enjoyable and fun for beginners and people who mostly play it for fun. It is a great article, the quote that sums it up best for me was

'The existence of non-conforming clubs should be fundamentally disconnected from any supposition that it will lead to widespread cheating. Golf is a game of integrity. The capabilities of the equipment won’t change that.

The position that non-conforming clubs for recreational golfers are bad for the game comes from a place of fear…and fear is the enemy of progress and innovation.'

 

[Hacker Khan]

Nonsense. Plenty of avid golfers buy second hand. The decision to buy new or second hand isn't just about how casual your approach to the game is.

Sometimes it's about finances and sometimes it's because some people still believe that the price of your clubs doesn't make any difference to how seriously you take the game, or your ability to play it.

Excellent post there sir. I can't wait to see the snobbery and elitism which at times can blight the game of golf showing itself in this thread. Strap yourself in......

 

[Region3]

Anyone else see the similarity to mobile phone based GPS apps?

No-one uses those in competition do they

 

[Mattyboy]

What winds me up is the corporate bull attached:

“Our job is to make sure we get golfers excited to go out and play more golf…and we can do that with better performance, and if honestly the ruling bodies don’t like it then it goes wherever it goes. We’re going to put the hammer down, and we’ve got great ideas” – Sean Toulon, Executive Vice President, TaylorMade-adidas Golf


No Sean - your job is to flog more gear at the highest price possible to maximise profit and the best way to that is to use new technology, which isn't an option under the current rules of golf!

Also:

Is there a better name for a non-conforming club than Noodle? How about cheat, rule breaker, con artist?

It once again tells me that TM are an enormous corporate out to make money whichever way it can. It might never happen of course,but I have my suspicions!

Sorry - should have started with an :rant:

 

[lyden]

Nonsense. Plenty of avid golfers buy second hand. The decision to buy new or second hand isn't just about how casual your approach to the game is.

Sometimes it's about finances and sometimes it's because some people still believe that the price of your clubs doesn't make any difference to how seriously you take the game, or your ability to play it.

You've gone completely of topic and frankly from a business stand point your talking absolute rubbish. Are Scotty Cameron aiming their putters at the crazy golf market?

The sole point of my post was this and only this......if they produce non conforming equipment it MUST be priced according to the golfers that will use it. If you sell a £300 non coforming driver you'll quickly go bankrupt selling a handful with probaby a better used market than off the shelf.

Nobody has done it before because the margins are as low as the intended market.

 

[Papas1982]

What winds me up is the corporate bull attached:

“Our job is to make sure we get golfers excited to go out and play more golf…and we can do that with better performance, and if honestly the ruling bodies don’t like it then it goes wherever it goes. We’re going to put the hammer down, and we’ve got great ideas” – Sean Toulon, Executive Vice President, TaylorMade-adidas Golf


No Sean - your job is to flog more gear at the highest price possible to maximise profit and the best way to that is to use new technology, which isn't an option under the current rules of golf!

Also:

Is there a better name for a non-conforming club than Noodle? How about cheat, rule breaker, con artist?

It once again tells me that TM are an enormous corporate out to make money whichever way it can. It might never happen of course,but I have my suspicions!

Sorry - should have started with an :rant:

Do you honestly believe that all the other manufacturers make golf gear for the love of the game and make no profit? I personally think tM are brilliant as long as you're not foolish enough to buy the latest gear. You can still get modern stuff for much beter prices than the competitors if you got back one release range.

 

[JustOne]

If they design a club that just happens to look more like a cricket bat - is it still golf?

Is it still the same game if you change the variables? Why don't we just carve out a giant hole in the green to make it easier to putt? That should make it a lot more fun!!!.

 

[Mattyboy]

Do you honestly believe that all the other manufacturers make golf gear for the love of the game and make no profit? I personally think tM are brilliant as long as you're not foolish enough to buy the latest gear. You can still get modern stuff for much beter prices than the competitors if you got back one release range.

Of course they don't (most copy others innovations!), and they must be a good commercial product to be a leading brand. But to me its like saying - 'The best technological improvement that we have come up in recent years is painting our woods white. We have hit the ceiling regards improvements that stick within the rules and are therefore looking outside them'.

Things like high COR could make a return - which actually made no difference IMO. Also, resale value of such kit will be minimal I guess.

So fellow forumers, in your opinion, what form will the changes make (higher cc is a given but why stop there?)?

 

[Pin-seeker]

I'd like to have a go with one out of curiousty,but I wouldn't buy one.

 

[talksalot81]

Talk about a chap who can ramble on...

 

[Imurg]

Let them produce what they want.
There are "illegal" clubs out there and they've always been there.
If these clubs are to be aimed at the very casual golfer then it's not a problem...until Joe Casual decides he actually likes the game and is starting to get reasonable at it.
If he ever decides to join a club he'll have to bench his 550cc behemoth and use one that conforms to the rules - one that he may not be able use or afford......
It strikes me that TM are trying to get themselves elected as the "Government" of Golf - ie what TM says goes.
They tried it on with the anchoring issue a while back and didn't win that one
It's giving me more reason to not use TM products, to not line their pockets further, regardless of how good they may or may not be