Recap: LIVE Q&A with Adams Golf from Wed April 23, 2014

[Johnny T]

What were some of the deciding factors/driving forces behind reintroducing the Tight Lies fairways?


What design features make the Tight Lies so easy to launch? It doesn't appear too different from any other fairway (minus the flat center portion of the sole), yet it launches so much easier.

[LeftyBam]

Thank you Adams for taking the time to jump into golfwrx to talk to some of us.

My questions is with innovations in technology where do you see you product lines going in the near future? Primarily you irons and wedges.

[Micrys2]

[quote name='HipCheck' timestamp='1397767912' post='9114093']
[attachment=2180163:golfwrx2.jpeg]

Join GolfWRX for a live chat with Adams Golf R&D and Marketing teams straight from Adams HQ in North Texas. Adams Golf is excited for the opportunity to have a no holds barred discussion regarding all things Adams Golf & owning the second shot. Ask them anything; nothing is off limits!

[b]Who Will Be Here:[/b][list]
[*]SR Director R&D: Justin Honea
[*]Engineering Manager, Hybrids & Irons: Justin Girard
[*]Design Engineer, Metalwoods: Alex Berger
[*]SVP Marketing: Scott Blevins
[*]Director Global Product Marketing: Michael Fox
[*]SR Director Marketing: Jeff Wood
[/list]
[b]Live Q&A Link:[/b]
This thread will be the live link.

[b]Giveaway:[/b]
15 GolfWRX members who have their questions answered will win brand new hybrids from Adams Pro series. Winners have the chance to choose from the Pro, Pro DHY or Pro Mini (stock shafts).

Can't make the chat? Go ahead and ask your questions below now!
[/quote]

Just wondering who the target audience is for your various hybrids. Seems as though they differ. For instance, I love your DHY and pro hybrids but can't getaway straight answer regarding whether they are designed to be serviceable from the rough or just a a tee and fairway iron replacement.

Thanks and appreciate Adams products very much.

[pre0024]

Thanks to Adams and Wrx for doing this.

We're all WITB nerds around here. So, to the panel what hybrids are in your bag?

[RookieBlue7]

My question is as follows:

Is Adams as a brand going away from more traditional forged designs, and moving toward a more GI focus? I'm intrigued by the new XTD's, but the more traditional forgings are some of my favorite's ever. Huge Adams devotee and would love to see traditional forgings continued.

[Hou_Hater]

I'm noticing the slot in these XTD irons - similar to the Taylormade Speedblades. Why would a player choose Adams' XTDs over the Speedblades when the technology looks and performs strikingly similar to one another?

[Teekman]

Thanks Adams Golf for talking to us golf club junkies from GolfWRX and I want to say you guys make the best hybrids on the market.

I only have two questions:

1. Will you guys be releasing the irons Ernie Els is currently gaming?

2. Are you developing any clubs in the harder to hit category ... blades?

[wldchld22]

How much thought goes into picking the stock shafts?

The drivers have always been great and the irons with their graphite are very very nice.

[SwingBlues]

I firmly believe Adams started these "low spin" driver head trend with the evolution of their driver heads culmulating in the 9064....Fast 12 LS and then Super LS heads. Now these "low spin" heads are all the rage.

[i][color=#ff0000]Tease us [/color][/i]with the next driver trend from Adams....?

[chadly643]

How do Adams hybrid clubs compare with all the new driving irons that are gaining in popularity?

[BogeysorBust]

Forged/cast--cast/forged; does it really make a difference for us 'average' golfers?

[gocanucksfan123]

Kudos to Adams for listening to us hacks ask some questions!

Why is Taylormade's marketing scheme so much more aggressive than Adams'?

Thanks again!

[Geo]

[quote name='AdamsGolf' timestamp='1397839925' post='9119645']
Adams Golf engineers and club designers had some fun reading mean opinions & comments about our new XTD Irons. We get a chance to respond Wednesday, April 23 at 12:00pm CST/ 1:00pm EST.

[media=]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=j7lrJGdG6DQ[/media]
[/quote]

Well played!

I'm with you guys. I'd be afraid to talk smack on the new XTD irons. Even if I did take thorough precautions against the XTD irons from hearing me.

[media=]http://youtu.be/HwBmPiOmEGQ[/media]

[Stinger82]

Huge adams fan here... What are the chances we see an updated version of the legendary 9015d? Still my favorite driver of all time! I've had seven of them now and there is still nothing that can touch the distance I get with it! Also will you guys be releasing any new blades in the near future? Thanks!

[Stinger82]

[quote name='SwingBlues' timestamp='1397883626' post='9123509']
I firmly believe Adams started these "low spin" driver head trend with the evolution of their driver heads culmulating in the 9064....Fast 12 LS and then Super LS heads. Now these "low spin" heads are all the rage.

[i][color=#ff0000]Tease us [/color][/i]with the next driver trend from Adams....?
[/quote]

It definitely started with the legendary 9015d

[ladahl]

Having played lots of AG for a long while (minus the wedges/putter/fairway), I do have a few favorite heads:
iron: CMB
Driver: 9064LS
Hybrid: 9031 (anyone)

They continue to come out with GREAT hybrids.

The new iron line, XTD and XTD Forged do NOT belong in the the same family. They are not from the same gene pool at all.

From a design perspective, is there really ANYthing similar about the two? Seems marketing maybe lumped two separate lines into one? That's my question: ultimately, which dept. decides which lines make t to retail? Do the departments work together (in the end) and come to an agreement on names, colors, etc?

[homeport99]

My question is about shaft flex. I'm interested in the Pro hybrids but have never played any Adams clubs before. Should I go about it the same way I would determine flex for any other club in my bag - or is there an optimal way to determine the proper Pro hybrid flex for my game?

[Stoffer]

How much do aesthetics play a role in the club design? I assume it starts with the technology you want to incorporate first and then feel, sound, and lastly looks.

Will we ever see composite clubs with a metal only face or wrap?

Thanks for the opportunity to ask questions.

[scjr]

Can you expand on the "pressure piston" you've mechanically inserted into your new XTD irons and is there any chance that it could loosen over time?

Thanks Adams!

[Rhyno80]

Hello Team Adams!
You simply dominate the hybrid market, and I'm curious what your thoughts are with TM coming out with the mini sldr, do you see this design style staying in the marketplace and is adams working on a prototype like this? Especially since TM and adams have joined forces. Thanks!

[Loodle]

I would ask how much of a problem is there with counterfeit Adams clubs showing up for sale, and if counterfeiting increases with a increase in popularity. There seems to have been a believe that Adams clubs were rarely knocked off, wonder if that holds true.

[bellken]

Is the pursuit of hotter faces on golf clubs hurting the average golfer? The distance dispersion from not so good shots to great shots can be as much as a 2 club difference.

[slinger45]

With Adams being one of the trend setters with Velocity Slot technology are you guys working on any new technological innovations down the line that might have the same impact as slot technology?

Thanks

[JC671]

How does the slot in your XTD Forged irons vary from TM's slot if at all, and what performance characteristics could we expect with slotted irons versus non-slotted irons?

[bradkv]

I think it's funny how many people are asking what influence Taylor Made has had on your new product. I'm wondering how much influence ADAMS has had on the new Taylor Made product? It's pretty obvious with the speed slots, but in what other ways have you guys influenced Taylor Made?

[hawleywood]

I currently bag a combo set of CMB and MB2(satin) and I couldn't be happier. Is the development team responsible for these irons still intact since your acquisition by TM/Adidas? The current line of irons seems focused toward the game improvement category; will you be abandoning the player category going forward? I fear that Adams is destined to become nothing more than rebranded Taylor Made side project that focuses on Hybrids. Please tell me I'm wrong!

[CKalma]

I'll start by saying my hybrid is my least favorite club in my bag and I have hit several hybrids none of which have interested me to put one in the bag.

1. Does Adams plan to keep the slot through the head, or will we see a slot-less hybrid in the future?

2. Will there be future offerings with the PRO and PRO MINI hybrid with adjustability?

[jsams222]

Do the Adams engineers start from scratch when designing a new iron series, or do you possibly pull designs from very successful past iron series like Ping Eye 2 series?

[bpark1210]

How has the merger from TMag affected the R&D of Adams Golf? I felt the clubs in the latter years of Adams were top notch and pushing the envelopes of golf engineering but Adams fell off the map after the TM buyout. With the recent intro of the XTD line for 2014 I feel Adams Golf is getting back on track to where it once was. Can we expect a new direction free of TMag influence moving forward?

I picked up an XTD Ti 3W this year and noticed the adapter is a TM sleeve is this going to be the trend moving forward of integrating technologies between the two brands?

[bpark1210]

One more follow up question to the engineers, what is your background and how does someone get into engineering golf clubs. I've recently decided to get back into school and am contemplating a degree in mechanical or industrial engineering.