Nike dropping golf equipment (merged)

[Matt_Matasy]

When do the Origin putters go on sale???

 

Hopefully soon...

 

Not a huge Nike fan but those putters were actually pretty solid! Not for $350

[ebk]

Does this mean Bridgestone can make and sell the OneTour D? My stash is running out...

[bobbyking88]

Hmmmm...where does Rors go? PXG? Back to Titleist?

I hope he does go back to Titleist he'll probably start winning again. Also wonder if Tiger woods will go back to his old T Stamps And most likely break jacks record lol J/K

[Brooks_Cupcake]

Does this mean Bridgestone can make and sell the OneTour D? My stash is running out...

 

Why not hit a rock instead? Same feeling....

[CDLgolf]

Not sure why this is such a big deal, golf club companies come and go. Remember Tommy Armour, Powerbilt, Lynx. Palmer and Nicklaus even had club companies that failed. It's all about making money, and if they don't they shut them down.

 

Its a huge deal because out of all those companies none compare to NIKE. To see a company as big as Nike just back out literally at peak of the season is crazy. For all the contracts they signed with new players and all of the advertising they putt out lately its mind blowing to think they just called it quits

 

 

Yes but Nike has always been an apparel and footwear company. Golf clubs were such a small part of their company and if it was loosing money it has to go.

Didn't Phil Knight just announce his retirement. The new CEO is shaking things up.

[Conrad1953]

If their sales were in the tank, I wonder if they would have sold better with more "traditional" club designs. Nothing is classier than the current offering of Callaway irons, and Titleist woods and wedges. The current Nike irons and wedges are hideous, and the VOLT color scheme was an eyesore.

 

Blame it on Tiger. His demise was theirs in the end, lol.....they sold a lot of

drivers back in 2007-8 when Tiger still ruled.

[inditube]

I honestly think that the demise of Nike is one they chose. They could continue to invest in a dog and eventually that dog would need to die. They continued to innovate with things like the Covert technology, the vapor/mm blade weight distribution but the market didn't take to their marketing. This along with the decline of golf as the game is not getting introduced to new players. I am a loyal Nike Golf equipment player and thought they made quality equipment. The other manufacturers make quality equipment too. It's just a sign of the times when multiple brands are looking to sell (Titleist, Taylormade, Callaway) and also the amount of equipment and various distribution methods to get equipment cheap (i.e. the internet/ebay) the margins aren't where they expected to be. The consumer has gone elsewhere to make golf purchases. If someone was smart they would recognize that they need to create a 2 tier brand strategy where they can get the entry level casual player who can be introduced to the game/brand at a reasonable cost. The second tier would be the same brand, more scientific (launch monitor fittings, proper fits) for a slight premium. Equipment for golf is over-saturated with all the spin marketing stating that they are 15 yds longer. If there was a brand associated with fun and good times that emotional appeal might be enough to sell to a different customer set.

[Cincygolf17]

Rory to PXG or back to Titleist.

 

Tiger to Titleist

 

Brooks to PXG

 

Just my opinion.

[inditube]

Margins on shoes/apparel > Margins on Golf Clubs

[golfdad907]

Good, let the endorsement deals start flying.....didn't Tiger have a piece of Nike Golf ala MJ?

Great deals on mediocre (my opinion) equipment will be out there....get your TW irons and maybe some day they'll be collectables.

[MtlJeff]

The biggest mistake Nike made with regard to equipment, was manufacturing and trying to make a profit on equipment

[Bonhomme Richard]

Not for nothing, but PXG is going to quickly run out of cash too. I don't know anyone dropping $5k on a set of irons that you can't try anywhere. Picking up more pro contracts will only hasten their fall.

[KPH808]

Their new stuff is horrible. Best line were the VR Pros, woods, irons, wedges.

 

IBTL

[jakew128]

Better stock up on Mojos.....

[scratchswinger]

Better stock up on Mojos.....

 

Hahahaha +1

[CWilliams]

The Fly Drivers are now $149 and the previous model Vapor Driver is $199....that's kind of weird.

[MtlJeff]

I honestly think that the demise of Nike is one they chose. They could continue to invest in a dog and eventually that dog would need to die. They continued to innovate with things like the Covert technology, the vapor/mm blade weight distribution but the market didn't take to their marketing. This along with the decline of golf as the game is not getting introduced to new players. I am a loyal Nike Golf equipment player and thought they made quality equipment. The other manufacturers make quality equipment too. It's just a sign of the times when multiple brands are looking to sell (Titleist, Taylormade, Callaway) and also the amount of equipment and various distribution methods to get equipment cheap (i.e. the internet/ebay) the margins aren't where they expected to be. The consumer has gone elsewhere to make golf purchases. If someone was smart they would recognize that they need to create a 2 tier brand strategy where they can get the entry level casual player who can be introduced to the game/brand at a reasonable cost. The second tier would be the same brand, more scientific (launch monitor fittings, proper fits) for a slight premium. Equipment for golf is over-saturated with all the spin marketing stating that they are 15 yds longer. If there was a brand associated with fun and good times that emotional appeal might be enough to sell to a different customer set.

 

TaylorMade killed the club market with quick turns and rapid discounting, and now they are for sale too

 

The future of the club business is longer product cycles, fewer SKU's and higher prices. There's too much of a black market for clubs that wasting money on R&D for multiple club releases isn't worth it, you can't make it back

 

A smart OEM would have 2 drivers, 2 iron sets, a set of wedges and some putters, refresh it every two years and charge a premium and never discount.

 

Profit margins are more important then volume, that's the mistake the industry made

[putts4bogey]

I wonder if this will have any impact on the size of the large endorsement deals among all the club brands in the future...

[inditube]

Interesting to see the Nike Endorsers and who they turn to if there is no obligation to play their equipment. Also to see if the bag deals are still intact for those who played the clubs. I bet they will still have the bags.

[golfdad907]

Holy hell. There's going to be an incredible bidding war for Tiger and Rory.

 

You're assuming Tiger will be back, and no one will pay him like Nike did, he's pretty much a non-factor anymore.

[Sixcat]

What OEM will STP claim DJ and JDay were testing on the range now?

[scratchswinger]

Holy hell. There's going to be an incredible bidding war for Tiger and Rory.

 

You're assuming Tiger will be back, and no one will pay him like Nike did, he's pretty much a non-factor anymore.

 

Lol he's the only factor.... Next tournament he plays will have higher ratings than last years Masters.

[putts4bogey]

Interesting to see the Nike Endorsers and who they turn to if there is no obligation to play their equipment. Also to see if the bag deals are still intact for those who played the clubs. I bet they will still have the bags.

 

The news release states they will be getting out of clubs, balls and bags.

[mainvillian]

Not sure if anyone has mentioned it yet, explains Charles Schwartzel switching to PGX recently.

[4puttJohnny]

They basically ran out of ridiculous colors to slap on their clubs so it was time to call it quits.

[drewtaylor21]

I think this is a bad sign for those of us hoping to see Tiger come back to competitive golf.....

 

If TW is coming back soon, Nike could expect a resurgence in club sales and might hang on to ride that out.

 

I hope I'm wrong, but perhaps Nike got word from the man himself that things are not looking good and had to throw in the towel......

 

:(

[Walkerdb7]

I wonder if Nike's revised player contracts will ban people from signing with TaylorMade as long as it's under the Adidas Umbrella... I can't imagine Nike would want Rory or Tiger promoting TM and potentially generating revenue for it's parent company Adidas.

 

I also wonder if they will license or sell any golf related patents. . . Odyssey Method anyone?

 

On a side note, it will be great when Adidas is rid of TM and it'll be back to separate equipment manufactures and clothing companies. I was happy to see Bauer free of Nike and Reebok out of hockey. I'm a huge Nike fan, but always looked at them as an apparel and shoe company. Not a manufacturer of sports equipment.

[Thug Hunter]

does this mean my nike putter is a collector's item

 

Or it could mean it'll be worth $7.99 on eBay like any other outdated Nike putter.

[mgodfrey]

I wonder if this will have any impact on the size of the large endorsement deals among all the club brands in the future...

 

It will for sure, one less player in the market means less $ for the players on equipment deals.

[moonshine]

Holy hell. There's going to be an incredible bidding war for Tiger and Rory.

 

You're assuming Tiger will be back, and no one will pay him like Nike did, he's pretty much a non-factor anymore.

 

Lol he's the only factor.... Next tournament he plays will have higher ratings than last years Masters.

But he will never carry a Jumpman or LeBron type sales factor into retirement. He has not been on Nike golf site for a year and Ross Fisher got more tv time than Rory at PGA.