Do Tour pros OWN their equipment/clothes?

Do Tour pros own equipment and apparel given to them, or is it technically marketing material of the company?

Can they wear their golf shirt to the grocery store? Can they set fire to their golf shoes if they want? Can they sell a putter they don't like on eBay?

Do they really OWN all their stuff?

I reckon you do own it but why would you want to wear a golf shirt to the shop when you wear one for a living.

Judging by the trunkload of clubs Pat Perez sells to pro clubs direct I'm guessing yes

i believe they own it but are too busy to give a crap about selling it. guys like pat perez might be offloading it if they're in a pinch or just frankly need the room in their house(s). I'd imagine that long on tour you'd get quite a lot of stuff stacking up. there's only so much you can give away to friends/family.

Once it is given to them (unless it is a secret prototype) it is theirs and theirs to do with as they please. I'm sure if you went to any pro's house you would find a room or garage full of old equipment (new and used). That is also why there is so much Tour Issue stuff out there. They give stuff to their buddies or whomever and before you know it, it is on eBay.

Clothing is something that is disposable. They go through clothing like the rest of us go through Kleenex. Some get custom made stuff (Phil for example) that is worth a lot of money, but a lot of it is replenished on a regular basis. Wear it a couple of times (or once) and either trash it or give it away. The companies that do monogramming for professional sports must make a killing if you think of it. Pants are likely one of the few things that guys keep since many are custom fit for them.

I know the next question.... Logo's are all put on at once. Say if you have a shirt contract with UA. UA will have all the different logo's that you need and get them all put on at the same time and then send out the shirts.

They get to keep it all, as others have said.

I think the only exception is PXG. If my memory serves me correctly, Rich Beem had a set on loan to him or he was paying for them in installments. Apparently the credit card didn't go through and they were starting to put pressure on him to pay. I don't think they actually got to the point of repossessing the irons from him. He eventually fired some low numbers with the irons at the PGA Championship and they let him keep the irons without paying.

A tangent to the thread, but WTF--a PGA Tour player paying for clubs in installments possibly b/c of a declined credit card? How much were the irons?

Jeez...

They definitely own the gear and as others say a lot of it is dished out to friends or family or put up for auction to raise funds for charity.

A tangent to the thread, but WTF--a PGA Tour player paying for clubs in installments possibly b/c of a declined credit card? How much were the irons?

 

Jeez...

With PXG if you have to ask how much they are, then you can't afford it.

FWIW, most guys have their own tailors as well.

I was joking with Kyle Reifers in the Titleist trailer about selling his multiple camerons on ebay a couple of years ago.

I had heard from a club pro that several of the manufacturers require that if you no longer wish to use a club that it has to go back to the factory and cannot be resold. I think it might have been Ping or Titleist - they tend to have stricter requirements than some of the other manufacturers.

I doubt they ask for the shirts back lol. They wouldn't have much value in a used shirt.

Clubs I'm sure they can keep too, but they might not want to keep everything just for space reasons. Callaway has a section in their tour build room that just has Phil's reject clubs or 1-offs he used a couple of times

I'm sure Phil could have kept them but who wants 500 clubs lying around

They definitely own the gear and as others say a lot of it is dished out to friends or family or put up for auction to raise funds for charity.

 

A tangent to the thread, but WTF--a PGA Tour player paying for clubs in installments possibly b/c of a declined credit card? How much were the irons?

 

Jeez...

 

With PXG if you have to ask how much they are, then you can't afford it.

You're right; I can't afford $2000-ish irons. But Rich Beem can, so wondered if their tour issue stuff is priced at five figures or more, in which case I could see a CC decline or payment plan being needed by someone like him.

From the Tour guys that I know, they are free to do what they want with basically everything that they get. There are some proto/confidential things that have to go back if they leave the test site with them, but most things are theirs. I know I've gotten a few things from buddies that they have as extra. I've even been given clothes that they been given specifically in my size.

These guys with apparel contracts more than likely get regular large box shipments of all types of swag. What they dont want or wear, they give away. These pros probably have a direct contact at XYZ Co. and they can call and ask for whatever is available to them. It's one of the perks.

Me? I would love to have 500+ clubs "laying around."

I have gotten numerous shirts from a former player while he was playing. David Toms back in the day would give my business partner loads of Tommy Hilfiger pants.

As for returning clubs not being used, I believe Ping does or did have that rule but it was not strictly enforced. The guy that would give me the shirts was a staff member of Ping and he told me he had a set of Ping anser irons at home that he needed to send back to Ping. He had them sitting in the closet for over a year.

In Australia they own it. I know of a guy who caddied for an Aussie Japan Tour player, and this tour player was very fussy with shoes, usually only wearing a pair a few times before giving them to his caddy. Who luckily was the same shoe size.

They definitely own the gear and as others say a lot of it is dished out to friends or family or put up for auction to raise funds for charity.

 

A tangent to the thread, but WTF--a PGA Tour player paying for clubs in installments possibly b/c of a declined credit card? How much were the irons?

 

Jeez...

 

With PXG if you have to ask how much they are, then you can't afford it.

Hit the new irons for the first time this weekend, very nice, $2,800 for 4-GW, decided against it :taunt: and bought a $500 driver instead...LOL

They definitely own the gear and as others say a lot of it is dished out to friends or family or put up for auction to raise funds for charity.

 

A tangent to the thread, but WTF--a PGA Tour player paying for clubs in installments possibly b/c of a declined credit card? How much were the irons?

 

Jeez...

 

With PXG if you have to ask how much they are, then you can't afford it.

 

You're right; I can't afford $2000-ish irons. But Rich Beem can, so wondered if their tour issue stuff is priced at five figures or more, in which case I could see a CC decline or payment plan being needed by someone like him.

He's remortgaged several times because he's blown most of his cash and assets are all he has that's why the CC was declined it was maxed out. Same as Duval in terms of now broadcasting and occasional tee up to try and keep the bailiffs away.

They get to keep it like people have said here. With the bigger companies, they can do whatever they please and nobody will care. With the smaller companies, if they give you a club and you have it for a week and then sell it on eBay and they find out...you will probably not be given a Tour issue club again. They tend to really frown upon that. But if it's a putter that they put on a bag on the practice green, it's free game for anybody to use. The idea is that if a small company gets 1 player using their club, that may catch the attention of other players. And if the player wins with that club, that is the best advertising they can possibly receive (i.e. Zach Johnson winning with the Masters with the SeeMore putter).

RH

probably proves there is nothing special about tour gear....or the OEMs would have strict rules about getting the back...they have plenty of lawyers.

I'm not certain where you are getting your info on Duval but I am fairly certain he is doing just fine. He lives well within his means and isn't someone who lives a "high speed" lifestyle. He didn't when he was playing even. Last I had heard his net worth was somewhere north of $85mm when he walked away from playing. If you have real facts then back them up, Beem's story is fairly well known and articles have been written. I would be careful throwing peoples names around unless you KNOW 100% FACT he is in financial hardship.

As for the players owning stuff, yes, they own the stuff given to them as it is part of their compensation when the contract is written. Unless the company explicitly says they must return it. Most of those times they don't let the club out of their site and they have them test them right there if it is a one off prototype.

I know with scotty the players "own" the putters as I know a story that a friend of mine was at the studio with scotty getting fit and one of the putters he liked the most was one of 7 of the exact same putters they made for Adam Scott. He had to call Adam and ask if it was ok if he used it. they called him and he said sure with the promise that it would be returned to the studio

probably proves there is nothing special about tour gear....or the OEMs would have strict rules about getting the back...they have plenty of lawyers.

All Tour issue is is that they 'hand pick' the product so it has the proper specifications. Every company has tolerances, so if a driver head spec is 200 grams, it's likely to weigh anywhere from 197 to 203 grams. Stamped lofts are often erroneous and the Tour Issue resolves that.

The only other part is if they are getting a prototype model which is usually going to be made anyway.

the real beauty of Tour Issue equipment occurred back in the 80's and 90's when the tolerances for equipment was horrendous and many players played clubs in name only where they would get an endorsement deal, but demand that their equipment was designed a certain way and the OEM would just stamp their name on it and not make it available to the public.

These days the tolerances are far, far better and most of the equipment out there is available to the public anyway.

RH

probably proves there is nothing special about tour gear....or the OEMs would have strict rules about getting the back...they have plenty of lawyers.

It depends how you define special i guess. When we were at Callaway they did talk about creating truly custom clubs for Phil. I actually held the original Phrankenwood and there's really nothing like it. It's actually a pretty odd looking club. They also talked about a wedge they created for him (i think the inspiration for the PM grind) where they literally cut a piece off another wedge and welded it to the toe of another one. If i recall it was something like that

So they can do things that us regular idiots could never get

But even then, they aren't made of special metals or anything. They aren't "better"

I'm not certain where you are getting your info on Duval but I am fairly certain he is doing just fine. He lives well within his means and isn't someone who lives a "high speed" lifestyle. He didn't when he was playing even. Last I had heard his net worth was somewhere north of $85mm when he walked away from playing. If you have real facts then back them up, Beem's story is fairly well known and articles have been written. I would be careful throwing peoples names around unless you KNOW 100% FACT he is in financial hardship.

 

As for the players owning stuff, yes, they own the stuff given to them as it is part of their compensation when the contract is written. Unless the company explicitly says they must return it. Most of those times they don't let the club out of their site and they have them test them right there if it is a one off prototype.

 

I know with scotty the players "own" the putters as I know a story that a friend of mine was at the studio with scotty getting fit and one of the putters he liked the most was one of 7 of the exact same putters they made for Adam Scott. He had to call Adam and ask if it was ok if he used it. they called him and he said sure with the promise that it would be returned to the studio

Beat me to it. Lumping Duval in that category is just a out and out lie. Wow.

They definitely own the gear and as others say a lot of it is dished out to friends or family or put up for auction to raise funds for charity.

 

A tangent to the thread, but WTF--a PGA Tour player paying for clubs in installments possibly b/c of a declined credit card? How much were the irons?

 

Jeez...

 

With PXG if you have to ask how much they are, then you can't afford it.

 

You're right; I can't afford $2000-ish irons. But Rich Beem can, so wondered if their tour issue stuff is priced at five figures or more, in which case I could see a CC decline or payment plan being needed by someone like him.

 

He's remortgaged several times because he's blown most of his cash and assets are all he has that's why the CC was declined it was maxed out. Same as Duval in terms of now broadcasting and occasional tee up to try and keep the bailiffs away.

Let's have the facts/sources on Duval or stop with the smart alecky comments. Irresponsible.

Beem is doing okay and a good guy. https://thegolfnewsnet.com/golfnewsnetteam/2015/10/20/rich-beem-gave-hong-kong-open-exemption-ian-poulter-euro-tour-membership-13709/

Couple of classy guys you really don't need to be taking shots at.

I had heard from a club pro that several of the manufacturers require that if you no longer wish to use a club that it has to go back to the factory and cannot be resold. I think it might have been Ping or Titleist - they tend to have stricter requirements than some of the other manufacturers.

Titleist has us club guys do that. The tour guys do whatever they want. My boss is on staff with Titleist and when he gets a new iron set, his old ones go back.

EDIT: That's just hard goods, apparel and shoes that stuff is ours. If someone really want to wear my used shoes, which have hundreds of hours of wear in one season. I'll give them the damn things.

From the Tour guys that I know, they are free to do what they want with basically everything that they get. There are some proto/confidential things that have to go back if they leave the test site with them, but most things are theirs. I know I've gotten a few things from buddies that they have as extra. I've even been given clothes that they been given specifically in my size.

I read last year a pro (name escapes me) was taken to a range to try out a prototype for Taylormade (I think it was). He liked the club so much that he wouldn't let it go at all at the end of the session. They promised him one of the first lot when they were finished and he said no way, I want this one. In the end, they drew up a NDA and he agreed that it would not leave his garage, let alone go into his bag until a certain date (announcement date)