LPGA and Titleist

[altemus13]

Not sure if anybody has brought this up before but it dawned on me that Titleist doesn't sponsor any LPGA golfers like it does so prevalently on the PGA tour. Sure they have many ladies that play Titleist balls, but I am talking about equipment. Taylor Made, PXG and Callaway/Odyssey are very noticeable in the equipment sponsorship game but rarely if at all do you see Titleist equipment and hat/shirt sponsorship. Even FootJoy logos are rare out on tour. Just seems weird to me.

[Argonne69]

I've played with numerous women, and I can't recall ever seeing Titleist clubs in their bags. Maybe the company accepts that they have little market share, and the sponsorships wouldn't help turn the tide.

[BottleCap]

Isn't Charlie Hull on the staff?

[Argonne69]

Isn't Charlie Hull on the staff?

 

I'd have to say a qualified "no". Titleist has "brand ambassadors", e.g. Jordon Spieth, Justin Thomas, who are considered their sponsored pros. They play their clubs, wear their gear, and/or have a Titleist staff bag. There are 21 on the PGA Tour, but only one brand ambassador on the LPGA, Dana Finkelstein.

 

21 players on the LPGA play Titleist balls, and are listed on the Titleist website as "Golf Ball Player". I wouldn't consider that much of a sponsorship. Of these, I believe only 5 players wear a Titleist hat/visor.

[8602081]

It might be in US.. LPGA doesn't generate much attention...

 

I watch Korean Golf Channels before I go to bed (They have at least 3 channels that are dedicated to GOLF 24/7) They show just at much ladies golf or more versus Men's golf.. I see Titleist (Golf balls) commercials with women all the time along with HONMA (which we don't see here (US) much). I have seen some women with Titleist hats in KLPGA. Not so much of Titleist clubs, then again I don't think I've seen any Titleist ads other than balls in US also..

[hankmoody]

PXG appears to be dominating the LPGA currently.

[Argonne69]

PXG appears to be dominating the LPGA currently.

 

"Dominating" is a bit of a stretch. Yes, they have a handful of players, but I think TaylorMade, Ping, Callaway have them outnumbered two to one easily.

[Thrillhouse]

Ladies equipment isn't a big market for them. First of all the ladies market is way smaller than the mens, and titleist markets to better players, which is a sliver of both the mens and ladies markets but because the ladies market is smaller that sliver is smaller. The biggest market for ladies clubs seems to be in the SGI category, which ping, Callaway, and taylormade do very well but isn't part of what titleist does.

 

The other thing about the ladies market is it only caters to lower swing speed ladies, which again, is the largest part of that market. The better female players tend to play with the same heads that men do, and just get the shafts fit out of the options that work for their swing speed, so r flex or s flex shafts at the weight that works for them. If you look at female college players you'll see tons of ap2s and the like, so they absolutely use titleist clubs at the higher level of the game, but again, because that market is so small titleist doesn't market to them.

 

But that's just equipment. Titleist does market to women in their balls, which you see on the commercials, so again, when there is a market they do target it.

[Rohlio]

Isn't Charlie Hull on the staff?

There are 21 on the PGA Tour, but only one brand ambassador on the LPGA, Dana Finkelstein.

 

21 players on the LPGA play Titleist balls, and are listed on the Titleist website as "Golf Ball Player". I wouldn't consider that much of a sponsorship. Of these, I believe only 5 players wear a Titleist hat/visor.

 

Unless Dana changed in the past two weeks she is bag, club and hat sponsored by Ping. She plays a Titleist ball only.

 

As to the OP. Titleist has nothing to gain in this segment. They don't make clubs for women specifically like the other manufactured mentions and likely simply feel their money is better spent marketing to the segment that they cater to.

[BLLDWG23]

I believe I saw where Jessica Korda plays Titleist Irons could be wrong though. Don't think she is sponsored by them though. I agree with an above poster the Titleist brand just doesn't fit with the majority of the women's market which is game improvement equipment. The closest thing they would have is the AP1 and to call that a game improvement iron would be a stretch.

If you look as a whole though not many of the women have true "club manufacturing" sponsors like on the men's tour regardless of brand, you just don't see a whole lot of Callaway, TM, etc. plastered on every bag and hat like the men. Exceptions are like Lexi, Kerr, Brooke, Ko. Unless you knew or looked hard most of the time you don't now what brand the women are playing.

[Argonne69]

Jessica was playing a Callaway driver, and PXG irons at the KPMG. 'Not sure about the hybrids, but they were definitely not Titleist.

 

She was a TaylorMade staffers up until this year, but that deal appears to have gone by the wayside.

 

 

[sheppy335]

Bronte Law had titleist Bag, hat and clubs when i watched yesterday.

[Argonne69]

Bronte Law had titleist Bag, hat and clubs when i watched yesterday.

 

Winner, winner, chicken dinner.

 

[Llortamaisey]

The players who move the needle on the LPGA, and woman's professional golf, don't fit the Titleist brand.

[Browns71213]

I don't know much about Titleist's sponsorship of the LPGA, but I think I've come to understand how they lay claim to the #1 Ball on tour. I started following a woman on Twitter whose job, it appears, is to pick up cases of balls at the airport and drive them to LPGA stops and stuff them in the women's lockers before the event starts.

[Thrillhouse]

I don't know much about Titleist's sponsorship of the LPGA, but I think I've come to understand how they lay claim to the #1 Ball on tour. I started following a woman on Twitter whose job, it appears, is to pick up cases of balls at the airport and drive them to LPGA stops and stuff them in the women's lockers before the event starts.

 

Every OEM does that.

[Hot Rod 71]

I'm pretty sure Danielle Kang had Titleist 716 CBs in the bag at Kingsmill.

 

Charley Hull was a Titleist gal at one time.

 

 

[Argonne69]

I'm pretty sure Danielle Kang had Titleist 716 CBs in the bag at Kingsmill.

 

 

I believe she still had them last week at the KPMG. She was playing a TM driver and fairway woods, though.

 

[PZero]

I started following a woman on Twitter whose job, it appears, is to pick up cases of balls at the airport and drive them to LPGA stops and stuff them in the women's lockers before the event starts.

 

Planning a heist?

[BLLDWG23]

Jessica was playing a Callaway driver, and PXG irons at the KPMG. 'Not sure about the hybrids, but they were definitely not Titleist.

 

She was a TaylorMade staffers up until this year, but that deal appears to have gone by the wayside.

 

 

 

Yeah I don't know where I saw that. I new that Nelly was playing a PXG driver. I knew her deal with TM had fizzled I guess but she was still repping Adidas.

[Argonne69]

Aditi Ashok appears to be sponsored by Titleist, with a staff bag and hat.

[Argonne69]

Olafia Kristinsdottir has a Titleist staff bag and some fairway woods, but is playing a TM driver.

 

Katherine Perry has a Titleist staff bag.

[Rubenc87]

Aditi Ashok appears to be sponsored by Titleist, with a staff bag and hat.

That is the person that I was going to list.

[Rubenc87]

BTW I thought I saw her wearing Footjoy shoes and Footjoy golf glove as well.

[Browns71213]

I don't know much about Titleist's sponsorship of the LPGA, but I think I've come to understand how they lay claim to the #1 Ball on tour. I started following a woman on Twitter whose job, it appears, is to pick up cases of balls at the airport and drive them to LPGA stops and stuff them in the women's lockers before the event starts.

 

Every OEM does that.

I started following a woman on Twitter whose job, it appears, is to pick up cases of balls at the airport and drive them to LPGA stops and stuff them in the women's lockers before the event starts.

 

Planning a heist?

 

First off, I know nothing about the golf industry. Secondly, I knew pros got a lot of swag, but had no idea balls are flown to airports at tour stops and its someones actual job description to pick them up, drive them to the course and stuff lockers. If every ball maker does this, as you say, their lockers must be pretty damn full. And it speaks to the value players put in titleist if when given a choice of free balls from each OEM players choose it most often to play.

[wobgon]

I don't know much about Titleist's sponsorship of the LPGA, but I think I've come to understand how they lay claim to the #1 Ball on tour. I started following a woman on Twitter whose job, it appears, is to pick up cases of balls at the airport and drive them to LPGA stops and stuff them in the women's lockers before the event starts.

 

Every OEM does that.

I started following a woman on Twitter whose job, it appears, is to pick up cases of balls at the airport and drive them to LPGA stops and stuff them in the women's lockers before the event starts.

 

Planning a heist?

 

First off, I know nothing about the golf industry. Secondly, I knew pros got a lot of swag, but had no idea balls are flown to airports at tour stops and its someones actual job description to pick them up, drive them to the course and stuff lockers. If every ball maker does this, as you say, their lockers must be pretty damn full. And it speaks to the value players put in titleist if when given a choice of free balls from each OEM players choose it most often to play.

There you go.

[Thrillhouse]

I don't know much about Titleist's sponsorship of the LPGA, but I think I've come to understand how they lay claim to the #1 Ball on tour. I started following a woman on Twitter whose job, it appears, is to pick up cases of balls at the airport and drive them to LPGA stops and stuff them in the women's lockers before the event starts.

 

Every OEM does that.

I started following a woman on Twitter whose job, it appears, is to pick up cases of balls at the airport and drive them to LPGA stops and stuff them in the women's lockers before the event starts.

 

Planning a heist?

 

First off, I know nothing about the golf industry. Secondly, I knew pros got a lot of swag, but had no idea balls are flown to airports at tour stops and its someones actual job description to pick them up, drive them to the course and stuff lockers. If every ball maker does this, as you say, their lockers must be pretty damn full. And it speaks to the value players put in titleist if when given a choice of free balls from each OEM players choose it most often to play.

 

Yup, their lockers are really full of free swag. And less so than the men's tour where the lockers are really full of swag! Those guys are getting everything for free, down to their socks.

 

And yes, it really does speak for titleist that so many players, who can get any ball they want for free, choose to play their ball.

[ausgolfgirl]

The majority of us simply do not get the support from Titleist in the same way the men do. As a result, we go with the brands who will support us and vice versa. The landscape has changed alot in the last 5 years or so and many girls simply get free equipment or apparel (if theyre lucky) as opposed to any sort of financial assistance from the OEM's for the vast majority. Of course, there are plenty in the top 100 OWGR who still get good financial assistance from certain OEM's or those with big social media followings. The majority of sponsorship though comes from big corporations from japan/korea i.e banks/finance sector etc

[EKELLY]

I'm not even sure if Ariya J has a deal or not. Mixed bag with Titleist irons/wedges.......With the Asian girls dominating, it's easy to see why Srixon and Bridgestone are major players.......

[Hot Rod 71]

Yup, their lockers are really full of free swag. And less so than the men's tour where the lockers are really full of swag! Those guys are getting everything for free, down to their socks.

 

And yes, it really does speak for titleist that so many players, who can get any ball they want for free, choose to play their ball.

 

Plenty of players are paid to play Titleist balls that are not on staff.

 

Just like TM pays $75,000 a year to non-staff players just for putting their driver in play.