Pending TaylorMade Announcement

[MattyO1984]

Honest question to the class...

 

Will Rickie's decision to use the Taylormade ball and glove get you to try either as a result of his endorsement?

 

Nope but then my signature will give that away.

 

To be fair, I did try them when they initially came out but couldn't get used to the ball flight, it was simply too high for me and no use for playing on the windy courses that I usually play.

[bladehunter]

Honest question to the class...

 

Will Rickie's decision to use the Taylormade ball and glove get you to try either as a result of his endorsement?

 

No. Not because Rickie plays it.

 

I do plan to test the new ball because of the claimed 4 mph ball speed increase. That’s a big deal if true universally. But I’ll believe that when I see it myself.

[Tate]

Honest question to the class...

 

Will Rickie's decision to use the Taylormade ball and glove get you to try either as a result of his endorsement?

 

I will try the ball but based solely on what Rory told him how it plays in the wind.

[bladehunter]

Larger question that looms in my mind is. Why can’t they make a ball that tiger will play ?

[the bishop]

Larger question that looms in my mind is. Why can't they make a ball that tiger will play ?

How long is Tiger's deal w/Bridgestone set to run?

[chris975d]

Larger question that looms in my mind is. Why can't they make a ball that tiger will play ?

 

I actually think you'll see that when his contract with Bridgestone runs out. In talking with Bridgestone guys (they are here in GA with us), Tiger was asking a lot more than companies were wanting to pay for him when he originally signed with Bridgestone. He wasn't even anywhere near returning at that point, and was still uncertain if he even would. I remember talking to them early on and there being some worry that he might not even come back fully. If he plays this year anything like he did 2018 I don't think Bridgestone can afford him when his contract runs out. I'd look for a jump then.

[TK3309]

Larger question that looms in my mind is. Why can't they make a ball that tiger will play ?

 

Tiger signed with Bridgestone prior to signing with TaylorMade. I don't think it's been reported anywhere how long his deal with Bridgestone is but I'm sure TaylorMade is going to do everything they can go get Tiger into a TaylorMade model when his contract is done. Tiger with the ball might be the hardest change for him to make though. He's played pretty much the exact same ball for a very long time.

[iutodd]

Honest question to the class...

 

Will Rickie's decision to use the Taylormade ball and glove get you to try either as a result of his endorsement?

 

I’m too cheap to spend $45 a dozen either way but I do think this absolutely moves the needle. Rickie is very popular and what he does with his equipment matters. Hes never made a big deal about his ball - the Cobra/Puma stuff was his identity - but this is also a big deal because a “free agent” ball guy is picking something other than Titleist after using them for years.

[shakey]

Larger question that looms in my mind is. Why can't they make a ball that tiger will play ?

How long is Tiger's deal w/Bridgestone set to run?

I heard it was a 4 year deal. So this is year 3 I think.

[the bishop]

Larger question that looms in my mind is. Why can't they make a ball that tiger will play ?

How long is Tiger's deal w/Bridgestone set to run?

I heard it was a 4 year deal. So this is year 3 I think.

Thank you.

[JonnyKrasnodar]

Honest question to the class...

 

Will Rickie's decision to use the Taylormade ball and glove get you to try either as a result of his endorsement?

 

Personally no because I've yet to find anything that's much better than the Chrome soft I use.

 

The bigger question is will it get other Tour pros to try their ball? I think it will. And if one or two other "big" names make the switch then you'll probably see it filter down to the general public.

 

It's a long game and a big ask. How many play Bridgestone at your clubs? I've seen maybe one or two here and in the States and yet the biggest name in golf plays it.

 

Titleist is still in a strong position because people play it because they've always played it or word of mouth, pro shop stocks and markets it predominantly over others. Few of the average Joe's get fit for balls, wedges, putters. So there will need to be a lot of folk jumping to it or marketing noise for people to start using something different.

 

I'm going to try out their new balls again next month and see what's what see if I can get consistency in the results.

 

How long is Rickie's equipment deal at the moment? Curious if he'll eventually switch from Cobra in the long run.

[Frankensteins Monster]

Honest question to the class...

 

Will Rickie's decision to use the Taylormade ball and glove get you to try either as a result of his endorsement?

 

I will try the ball but based solely on what Rory told him how it plays in the wind.

 

Then ball is awesome.

[SoCalTitleist]

Hes taking advice from Rory? Rory hasn't done much lately.

[cvhookem63]

Mural inside the TM building

 

[GoGoErky]

so, all this over a ball and a glove deal? Am I missing something? I guess I never knew what ball he played before, to be honest.

 

To be fair, that email wasn't a press release meant to spark interest to all of us. It was some kind of internal email it seems.

 

The issue isn't who the email was addressed to. The issue is its content, which over promised and under delivered.

 

No matter how you slice it, the #11 player in the world switching ball companies is a big deal. It's a bigger deal when you consider he's a lifelong supporter of the most used brand in the game and is switching to a brand that's hungry for market share. And there's no way he's doing it for the money, so it's clearly a performance play. That should make everyone stop and think about it for a moment, at least.

It's also no secret here that the people who seem to think its a very big deal are guys with a lot of TM in their signatures, or judging by their other posts are big TM honks. Nothing against the ball. I played the TP5X for a while in its first iteration and its an outstanding ball. I've also no doubt he changed for performance reasons. But big deal? No.

 

I have zero TM in my bag and I think it’s a big deal. No one is going to take over titleist as #1 for awhile but being about 5% below Callaway in market share they are well in reach to take the #2 spot which is a big deal.

 

Rickie brings marketablilty and being able to use him to take craps at Callaway and titleist about the ball and performance goes a long way to helping grab that market share. For a company that’s trying to make a name as a ball company there’s no one currently not named tiger that they could have got to help this move and it opens the door for more players to do the same.

 

Take away the Rose sponsorship who doesn’t move s lot of gear and use that money to pay several guys to a ball/glove deal brings better roi

[chris975d]

Honest question to the class...

 

Will Rickie's decision to use the Taylormade ball and glove get you to try either as a result of his endorsement?

 

Personally no because I've yet to find anything that's much better than the Chrome soft I use.

 

The bigger question is will it get other Tour pros to try their ball? I think it will. And if one or two other "big" names make the switch then you'll probably see it filter down to the general public.

 

It's a long game and a big ask. How many play Bridgestone at your clubs? I've seen maybe one or two here and in the States and yet the biggest name in golf plays it.

 

Titleist is still in a strong position because people play it because they've always played it or word of mouth, pro shop stocks and markets it predominantly over others. Few of the average Joe's get fit for balls, wedges, putters. So there will need to be a lot of folk jumping to it or marketing noise for people to start using something different.

 

I'm going to try out their new balls again next month and see what's what see if I can get consistency in the results.

 

How long is Rickie's equipment deal at the moment? Curious if he'll eventually switch from Cobra in the long run.

 

I think he eventually will. It appears TM is going to market Fowler as being part of the TaylorMade team even more that Cobra markets him now. I wouldn't be surprised to see the average golfer at my level make more of a mental association with Fowler and TM than they do with Fowler and Cobra/Puma.

[MK7Golf21]

Honest question to the class...

 

Will Rickie's decision to use the Taylormade ball and glove get you to try either as a result of his endorsement?

 

Personally no because I've yet to find anything that's much better than the Chrome soft I use.

 

The bigger question is will it get other Tour pros to try their ball? I think it will. And if one or two other "big" names make the switch then you'll probably see it filter down to the general public.

 

It's a long game and a big ask. How many play Bridgestone at your clubs? I've seen maybe one or two here and in the States and yet the biggest name in golf plays it.

 

Titleist is still in a strong position because people play it because they've always played it or word of mouth, pro shop stocks and markets it predominantly over others. Few of the average Joe's get fit for balls, wedges, putters. So there will need to be a lot of folk jumping to it or marketing noise for people to start using something different.

 

I'm going to try out their new balls again next month and see what's what see if I can get consistency in the results.

 

How long is Rickie's equipment deal at the moment? Curious if he'll eventually switch from Cobra in the long run.

 

I think he eventually will. It appears TM is going to market Fowler as being part of the TaylorMade team even more that Cobra markets him now. I wouldn't be surprised to see the average golfer at my level make more of a mental association with Fowler and TM than they do with Fowler and Cobra/Puma.

 

Exactly, no doubt in my mind TM approached Rickie about the ball and setup a sweet deal for him to switch. That’s the only reason why he did, not because it’s better than prov1.

[KC4441]

Honest question to the class... Will Rickie's decision to use the Taylormade ball and glove get you to try either as a result of his endorsement?

Personally no because I've yet to find anything that's much better than the Chrome soft I use. The bigger question is will it get other Tour pros to try their ball? I think it will. And if one or two other "big" names make the switch then you'll probably see it filter down to the general public. It's a long game and a big ask. How many play Bridgestone at your clubs? I've seen maybe one or two here and in the States and yet the biggest name in golf plays it. Titleist is still in a strong position because people play it because they've always played it or word of mouth, pro shop stocks and markets it predominantly over others. Few of the average Joe's get fit for balls, wedges, putters. So there will need to be a lot of folk jumping to it or marketing noise for people to start using something different. I'm going to try out their new balls again next month and see what's what see if I can get consistency in the results. How long is Rickie's equipment deal at the moment? Curious if he'll eventually switch from Cobra in the long run.

I think he eventually will. It appears TM is going to market Fowler as being part of the TaylorMade team even more that Cobra markets him now. I wouldn't be surprised to see the average golfer at my level make more of a mental association with Fowler and TM than they do with Fowler and Cobra/Puma.

Exactly, no doubt in my mind TM approached Rickie about the ball and setup a sweet deal for him to switch. That’s the only reason why he did, not because it’s better than prov1.

 

That may be some of it, but golf balls themselves are very very personal for these guys.

[chris975d]

Honest question to the class...

 

Will Rickie's decision to use the Taylormade ball and glove get you to try either as a result of his endorsement?

 

Personally no because I've yet to find anything that's much better than the Chrome soft I use.

 

The bigger question is will it get other Tour pros to try their ball? I think it will. And if one or two other "big" names make the switch then you'll probably see it filter down to the general public.

 

It's a long game and a big ask. How many play Bridgestone at your clubs? I've seen maybe one or two here and in the States and yet the biggest name in golf plays it.

 

Titleist is still in a strong position because people play it because they've always played it or word of mouth, pro shop stocks and markets it predominantly over others. Few of the average Joe's get fit for balls, wedges, putters. So there will need to be a lot of folk jumping to it or marketing noise for people to start using something different.

 

I'm going to try out their new balls again next month and see what's what see if I can get consistency in the results.

 

How long is Rickie's equipment deal at the moment? Curious if he'll eventually switch from Cobra in the long run.

 

I think he eventually will. It appears TM is going to market Fowler as being part of the TaylorMade team even more that Cobra markets him now. I wouldn't be surprised to see the average golfer at my level make more of a mental association with Fowler and TM than they do with Fowler and Cobra/Puma.

 

Exactly, no doubt in my mind TM approached Rickie about the ball and setup a sweet deal for him to switch. That's the only reason why he did, not because it's better than prov1.

 

Well, I don't know about it not being better than the ProV1. I most definitely think it is, even back when I hated TaylorMade. I think there's a few balls better than the ProV1. But what I'm saying is that with the TaylorMade marketing machine behind this, it won't take too long before Rickie is known for TaylorMade much more than he is known for Cobra/Puma. I have a "hunch" that he's going to be in a LOT of marketing (commercials, print ads, etc) for TaylorMade...even to the point of exceeding the Cobra and Puma campaigns. Once he's known as TaylorMade Rickie, it might be more incentive for him to just come fully on board.

[Stanks]

Honest question to the class...

 

Will Rickie's decision to use the Taylormade ball and glove get you to try either as a result of his endorsement?

 

As much as I'd entertain you're go at "wisdom", the answer is always negative.

 

All the kiddies and younglings out there who idolize Ricky, DJ, Day, Rory, etc. etc. will say that it's the only reason they use their product. Most of us will just use what we think works (normally what our best round score was...case and point Nike RZN Platinum Tour for me).

 

Like I said earlier, this is a score for Taylormade. Rickie is one of the most recognizable faces in the game and this will bring people their way to use their s***.

[the bishop]

I have zero TM in my bag and I think it's a big deal. No one is going to take over titleist as #1 for awhile but being about 5% below Callaway in market share they are well in reach to take the #2 spot which is a big deal.

 

Rickie brings marketablilty and being able to use him to take craps at Callaway and titleist about the ball and performance goes a long way to helping grab that market share. For a company that's trying to make a name as a ball company there's no one currently not named tiger that they could have got to help this move and it opens the door for more players to do the same.

 

Take away the Rose sponsorship who doesn't move s lot of gear and use that money to pay several guys to a ball/glove deal brings better roi

Something in my post must have struck a nerve w/you! In the OWGR, with Rickie TM now has 6 of the top 12 playing their ball (still counting Rose since I haven't heard he switched and hey - he's not under contract and playing it) and without him 5 of the top 12. What's the big deal again? If they can't make something out of 5/12 then I don't see how 6/12 is a huge advancement. Especially when you consider the playing resume of the other 5. On a side note I notice famed Titleist staffer Jordan Spieth is down to 20th.

[MK7Golf21]

Honest question to the class...

 

Will Rickie's decision to use the Taylormade ball and glove get you to try either as a result of his endorsement?

 

Personally no because I've yet to find anything that's much better than the Chrome soft I use.

 

The bigger question is will it get other Tour pros to try their ball? I think it will. And if one or two other "big" names make the switch then you'll probably see it filter down to the general public.

 

It's a long game and a big ask. How many play Bridgestone at your clubs? I've seen maybe one or two here and in the States and yet the biggest name in golf plays it.

 

Titleist is still in a strong position because people play it because they've always played it or word of mouth, pro shop stocks and markets it predominantly over others. Few of the average Joe's get fit for balls, wedges, putters. So there will need to be a lot of folk jumping to it or marketing noise for people to start using something different.

 

I'm going to try out their new balls again next month and see what's what see if I can get consistency in the results.

 

How long is Rickie's equipment deal at the moment? Curious if he'll eventually switch from Cobra in the long run.

 

I think he eventually will. It appears TM is going to market Fowler as being part of the TaylorMade team even more that Cobra markets him now. I wouldn't be surprised to see the average golfer at my level make more of a mental association with Fowler and TM than they do with Fowler and Cobra/Puma.

 

Exactly, no doubt in my mind TM approached Rickie about the ball and setup a sweet deal for him to switch. That's the only reason why he did, not because it's better than prov1.

 

Well, I don't know about it not being better than the ProV1. I most definitely think it is, even back when I hated TaylorMade. I think there's a few balls better than the ProV1. But what I'm saying is that with the TaylorMade marketing machine behind this, it won't take too long before Rickie is known for TaylorMade much more than he is known for Cobra/Puma. I have a "hunch" that he's going to be in a LOT of marketing (commercials, print ads, etc) for TaylorMade...even to the point of exceeding the Cobra and Puma campaigns. Once he's known as TaylorMade Rickie, it might be more incentive for him to just come fully on board.

 

Oh they will market him big time. I’ve also tested the Tm ball and it couldn’t get me to switch from prov. Short game and durability was worse with the TM ball. When it got scuffed was pretty much unplayable

[bladehunter]

Larger question that looms in my mind is. Why can't they make a ball that tiger will play ?

 

I actually think you'll see that when his contract with Bridgestone runs out. In talking with Bridgestone guys (they are here in GA with us), Tiger was asking a lot more than companies were wanting to pay for him when he originally signed with Bridgestone. He wasn't even anywhere near returning at that point, and was still uncertain if he even would. I remember talking to them early on and there being some worry that he might not even come back fully. If he plays this year anything like he did 2018 I don't think Bridgestone can afford him when his contract runs out. I'd look for a jump then.

 

 

Maybe so. But I don’t think Taylormade can afford much more either unless the rumblings I’ve heard prove true. ( sale or merger /cash infusion from another source )

 

Would likely require a whole new ball just for tiger. Unless he revamps it all to suit the tp5.

[chris975d]

Larger question that looms in my mind is. Why can't they make a ball that tiger will play ?

 

I actually think you'll see that when his contract with Bridgestone runs out. In talking with Bridgestone guys (they are here in GA with us), Tiger was asking a lot more than companies were wanting to pay for him when he originally signed with Bridgestone. He wasn't even anywhere near returning at that point, and was still uncertain if he even would. I remember talking to them early on and there being some worry that he might not even come back fully. If he plays this year anything like he did 2018 I don't think Bridgestone can afford him when his contract runs out. I'd look for a jump then.

 

 

Maybe so. But I don't think Taylormade can afford much more either unless the rumblings I've heard prove true. ( sale or merger /cash infusion from another source )

 

Would likely require a whole new ball just for tiger. Unless he revamps it all to suit the tp5.

 

I wasn't necessarily referring to a jump to TaylorMade, as I don't think the TP5 suits him. Of course they could make one to mimic the Bridgestone. I just meant I don't think Bridgestone can or is willing to afford him at contract renewal time. He was a risky get for them when they did get him, but now is seemingly back to his days of commanding higher $$ for contracts. It can't be beneficial to Bridgestone to pay out that money or even more when they've lost so much marketshare SINCE signing him.

[WidespreadPanic]

The original TP5X did give me about an extra half club, so I see where Rickie is coming from. It sounds like the new version might have some added spin and if that’s true I’ll be all over this ball.

[GoGoErky]

I have zero TM in my bag and I think it's a big deal. No one is going to take over titleist as #1 for awhile but being about 5% below Callaway in market share they are well in reach to take the #2 spot which is a big deal.

 

Rickie brings marketablilty and being able to use him to take craps at Callaway and titleist about the ball and performance goes a long way to helping grab that market share. For a company that's trying to make a name as a ball company there's no one currently not named tiger that they could have got to help this move and it opens the door for more players to do the same.

 

Take away the Rose sponsorship who doesn't move s lot of gear and use that money to pay several guys to a ball/glove deal brings better roi

Something in my post must have struck a nerve w/you! In the OWGR, with Rickie TM now has 6 of the top 12 playing their ball (still counting Rose since I haven't heard he switched and hey - he's not under contract and playing it) and without him 5 of the top 12. What's the big deal again? If they can't make something out of 5/12 then I don't see how 6/12 is a huge advancement. Especially when you consider the playing resume of the other 5. On a side note I notice famed Titleist staffer Jordan Spieth is down to 20th.

 

To many of the avg golfers they assume when a person plays a certain brand their whole bag is that brand including ball. Outside of knowing titleist as the #1 ball the assumption would be that those 5 are playing titleist. DJ and Rory are probably the only 2 in that group people stateside care about what’s in their bag and tiger doesn’t play their ball.

 

What signing Rickie does is allows them to add to their marketing of the ball because he doesn’t use their clubs. Similar to how videos and commercials from titleist have players with all sorts of clubs in their bag but play their ball

 

The marketing campaign around Rickie and the signing will get those that like Rickie especially the kids, but Puma clothes because of Rickie to make the move to the ball because Rickie plays it.

 

It also gives them a big name that switched from the #1 ball in golf to our ball because it’s better. They won’t catch titleist because of it but they can go after Callaway and knock down their market share and stave off Bridgestone who has gained a little.

 

It also shows them as a ball company and like titleist the can add more players to ball only deals and play in that titleist game albeit currently at a different level

[DavePelz4]

The bolded text from the TM website, might offer some insights into what they are buying with RF.

 

RICKIE FOWLER

USA

 

Rickie Fowler is undeniably one of the most magnetic players in the game. Beyond leading a successful young career with 8 victories, including a PLAYERS Championship, Rickie boasts a social following of over 3M people and continues to be an inspiration for golf fans young and old. As an ambassador of TaylorMade’s TP5/TP5x golf ball and Tour Preferred glove, Rickie looks to take his game—and his career—into the next gear as he chases down more wins and his first major championship.

[DavePelz4]

I have zero TM in my bag and I think it's a big deal. No one is going to take over titleist as #1 for awhile but being about 5% below Callaway in market share they are well in reach to take the #2 spot which is a big deal.

 

Rickie brings marketablilty and being able to use him to take craps at Callaway and titleist about the ball and performance goes a long way to helping grab that market share. For a company that's trying to make a name as a ball company there's no one currently not named tiger that they could have got to help this move and it opens the door for more players to do the same.

 

Take away the Rose sponsorship who doesn't move s lot of gear and use that money to pay several guys to a ball/glove deal brings better roi

Something in my post must have struck a nerve w/you! In the OWGR, with Rickie TM now has 6 of the top 12 playing their ball (still counting Rose since I haven't heard he switched and hey - he's not under contract and playing it) and without him 5 of the top 12. What's the big deal again? If they can't make something out of 5/12 then I don't see how 6/12 is a huge advancement. Especially when you consider the playing resume of the other 5. On a side note I notice famed Titleist staffer Jordan Spieth is down to 20th.

 

To many of the avg golfers they assume when a person plays a certain brand their whole bag is that brand including ball. Outside of knowing titleist as the #1 ball the assumption would be that those 5 are playing titleist. DJ and Rory are probably the only 2 in that group people stateside care about what's in their bag and tiger doesn't play their ball.

 

What signing Rickie does is allows them to add to their marketing of the ball because he doesn't use their clubs. Similar to how videos and commercials from titleist have players with all sorts of clubs in their bag but play their ball

 

The marketing campaign around Rickie and the signing will get those that like Rickie especially the kids, but Puma clothes because of Rickie to make the move to the ball because Rickie plays it.

 

It also gives them a big name that switched from the #1 ball in golf to our ball because it's better. They won't catch titleist because of it but they can go after Callaway and knock down their market share and stave off Bridgestone who has gained a little.

 

It also shows them as a ball company and like titleist the can add more players to ball only deals and play in that titleist game albeit currently at a different level

 

So the biggest winner here might be Puma as they're getting free advertising everytime RF is featured as related to Taylormade? Maybe a genius move by Puma.

[SoCalTitleist]

I have zero TM in my bag and I think it's a big deal. No one is going to take over titleist as #1 for awhile but being about 5% below Callaway in market share they are well in reach to take the #2 spot which is a big deal.

 

Rickie brings marketablilty and being able to use him to take craps at Callaway and titleist about the ball and performance goes a long way to helping grab that market share. For a company that's trying to make a name as a ball company there's no one currently not named tiger that they could have got to help this move and it opens the door for more players to do the same.

 

Take away the Rose sponsorship who doesn't move s lot of gear and use that money to pay several guys to a ball/glove deal brings better roi

Something in my post must have struck a nerve w/you! In the OWGR, with Rickie TM now has 6 of the top 12 playing their ball (still counting Rose since I haven't heard he switched and hey - he's not under contract and playing it) and without him 5 of the top 12. What's the big deal again? If they can't make something out of 5/12 then I don't see how 6/12 is a huge advancement. Especially when you consider the playing resume of the other 5. On a side note I notice famed Titleist staffer Jordan Spieth is down to 20th.

 

To many of the avg golfers they assume when a person plays a certain brand their whole bag is that brand including ball. Outside of knowing titleist as the #1 ball the assumption would be that those 5 are playing titleist. DJ and Rory are probably the only 2 in that group people stateside care about what's in their bag and tiger doesn't play their ball.

 

What signing Rickie does is allows them to add to their marketing of the ball because he doesn't use their clubs. Similar to how videos and commercials from titleist have players with all sorts of clubs in their bag but play their ball

 

The marketing campaign around Rickie and the signing will get those that like Rickie especially the kids, but Puma clothes because of Rickie to make the move to the ball because Rickie plays it.

 

It also gives them a big name that switched from the #1 ball in golf to our ball because it's better. They won't catch titleist because of it but they can go after Callaway and knock down their market share and stave off Bridgestone who has gained a little.

 

It also shows them as a ball company and like titleist the can add more players to ball only deals and play in that titleist game albeit currently at a different level

 

So the biggest winner here might be Puma as they're getting free advertising everytime RF is featured as related to Taylormade? Maybe a genius move by Puma.

 

Thats the first thing i noticed from that hallway photo above.. All i noticed was Puma and Nike , not TM.

[DavePelz4]

Just checked and the industry doesn't appear to have lighted up.