Your Questions for... Mark King - CEO of TaylorMade

[MikeH]

Hi all

I think this opportunity might interest a few forumers!

Next week I am interviewing Mark King the CEO & President of TaylorMade and I want you to the put the questions to him

There's always a lot of discussion on the forum whenever TM launch new product so sure many of your will want to know how they decide when to launch product, how they measure performance claims, how TM go about naming products etc etc. Perhaps you're a big TM fan and want to ask Mark about what might be coming in the future. No topic is off limits!

Look forward to reading the questions (as ever please include your real name/home town for use if we publish in the magazine)

Thanks
Mike

 

[Alex1975]

Do you spend more money on R&D or Marketing?

 

[john0]

Are you aware of the HNSP?

 

[bobmac]

No topic is off limits!

Is he interested in buying the V-Easy ?

 

[Alex1975]

Is he interested in buying the V-Easy ?

Can you get them produced in white with red and black stripes?

 

[john0]

Is he interested in buying the V-Easy ?

If so tell him to look on ebay, you can pick up some cheap ones on there

 

[bobmac]

If so tell him to look on ebay, you can pick up some cheap ones on there

I did say THE V-Easy, not A V-Easy
Putz

 

[BTatHome]

How does the TM R&D department work? Do they brain storm new ideas and have separate teams for each development, or one big team for all the work? How many ideas get shelved compared to get to market? Do ideas come back after being shelved?
Brian Tracy, Basingstoke.

 

[Deleted member 1147]

Do you think that all the new technology is really a help or hindrance to the amateur golfer. Could it be argued that by making it harder to mishit shots due to bigger sweet spots, higher MOI, the ability to open/close the clubface etc etc has meant that people no longer have to be very good ball strikers to be reasonably good golfers, ie, are you just helping us hide our deficiencies rather than tackle them?

James Robinson
Derby

 

[USER1999]

Is there going to be a natural limit on how low the loft of a pitching wedge can be, or are we going to continue to see a drift until it's actually a 3 iron?

Chris Kissane
Watford.

 

[In_The_Rough]

Why are you stock shafts in your clubs rubbish?

 

[Deleted member 1147]

When developing new clubs is the main priority whether they'll be of benefit for the tour pro's or the amateur, or is it assumed that what is good for one is good for the other?

James Robinson
Derby

 

[Rooter]

With TM being very proud of their achievements of no 1 driver on tour and now no 1 rescue with Adams, has the company got aspirations to achieve the same with balls? as a consumer we don't see the same level of marketing when it comes to balls and obviously titliest seem to have a monopoly, is no1 ball on tour on the radar?

Scott Roots
Newbury, Berkshire.

 

[One Planer]

I have a couple

1. With TMAG's policy of frequent product releases, especailly in the Driver, Fairway and Hybrid sectors of your industry do you feel, as a company, you offer value for money to prospective users in light of the fact that inside of a year their 'cutting edge' product has been superseded?

2 a) With the limits placed on golf club design (Head size, C.O.R etc) are you tempted to look more into the ball market for further advancement?

b) Are there any limits on golf club/ball design (Head size, C.O.R, shaft length etc) you would like to see repealed? If so, which ones?

3. a)With recent Taylormade irons a lot of hype has been given to the Speed Pocket and its subsequent redesign in the sole of the club. Why is the Speed Pocket only used in irons 3-7? Why is the Speed Pocket not used throughout the set?

b) Why hasn't the Speed Pocket appeared on the new TP MB irons?

4. With TMAG aquiring Adams Golf in 2012 when Adams was the #1 used hybrid on tour. Has this helped or hindered Taylormades' aspirations into the hybrid market?

A very intrigued.... Gareth Phillips
Stoke-on-Trent

 

[sawtooth]

Any chance of a re-launch of the 2007 Burner Driver? A great performing club and in my opinion still the best looking TaylorMade driver to date.

 

[Deleted member 1147]

If white heads were so important why did you move away from them with the SLDR & Jetspeed?

 

[GB72]

Of all the people that GM have put forward to answer reader questions, this has to be up there with the best. If nothing else I will be very intrigued and interested in reading the final article so well done GM and, assuming that the CEO is candid in his replies, TM.

Points that interest me are.

1. Was it appreciated by those at TM that the shorter time between product launches was causing a not always favourable response amongst the golfing public? Was this something that was only seen amongst the more ardent golf supporters (ie those that post on a forum) or was it more general? Was it a UK based phenomenon or was it in other markets? Your sales and marketing data clearly showed that this was the way forward but on what basis? Did you receive complaints about the dwindling re-sale value of people with out of date TM models.
2. As a follow up to this, do you think that the fact that most other manufacturers are now following your release schedule is a vindication of your decision to release regular product updates.
3. In all honesty, was the original white driver released due to the purported benefits as to alignment or was the initial plan to produce a driver that was more visible on TV coverage, especially when being used by pros who did not carry the TM logo elsewhere.
4. Similar question with regards the adjustable driver. Bearing in mind the emphasis on fitting, is it wise to encourage amateur golfers to mess about with the settings of a club? Is the real benefit to pro shops that only need to carry one head for a multitude of options rather than to the end consumer but the marketing needs to show a consumer benefit to justify the higher cost of adjustable clubs.
5. TM have made some very bold decisions on the naming of their recent club and ball releases. These would appear to be aimed at the younger market so what led you down that path and to target the younger participants in a sport that, in the main, is played by people over 35.
6. There were stories about TM releasing clubs that did not comply with current restrictions that would be marketed at the social golfer who did not enter club competitions and such like. Is this project ongoing and do you still feel that there is a market for such products. Much has always been made of the pros and amateurs playing with the same basic equipment so do you think that to move away from this is to breach the ethos of golf.
7. Following the takeover of Adams, the club designs that have been released have followed the TM style of modern and striking. Did you not feel that the Adams brand was a chance to have some more traditional looking clubs on the market to appeal to a different demographic.
8. TM have made great advances in ball development but the Pro V remains the number one ball in golf. What to TM need to do to take over that mantle as you seem great at getting your clubs in the hands of pros but do not seem to have made the same inroads with the ball.
9. Over recent marketing campaigns I have noticed huge amounts of marketing for TM drivers, woods,, hybrids and irons but the marketing campaign for wedges seems to be far less obvious. Is this a market that you are not focusing on as much and was the idea of removable wedge faces, in all honesty, a bit of a flop.

 

[USER1999]

Do your engineers ever show a new club to you, and you think, Jeez, that's one ugly sucker?

 

[delc]

1) Why do you bring out several new models a year? Just devalues the previous model for usually no significant improvement in performance!

2) Are you still in favour of a 15" hole? I personally would like to see the hole made a bit bigger, say 5", but nothing as big as that!

 

[DAVEYBOY]

I think he is going to wish he never bothered when the guys from this forum finish with him... I laughed before I even opened the thread :rofl: