I'm going there: Vokey Wedges...

[Rory4Pres]

17 hours ago, FatThinShank said:

I think we can agree it doesn’t make it 40$ more expensive, they charge that because they can and people will pay for it. The extra step of pulling some heads off the assembly line early before they get a certain finish is not a 25% increase in cost. Other companies offer raw finish and don’t charge extra. 

 

I completely agree.  This would be like titleist releasing a custom color TSI driver head for $687.50 versus $550 for the normal black.  That's quite a jump.

 

Honestly releasing the blue version the 2nd year is a great idea but I'd think it'd be a great idea at $159 or maybe $175.  

 

All I know is I've owned like 15 vokey wedges and none have ever been the premium raw or blue version.  

 

I'd be 100% cool with titleist dropping the black and chrome versions and just mass producing the blue and raw.  OR better yet, rotate 3 of the 5 options every other version (sm6, sm7, sm8, etc)...

[Pepperturbo]

17 hours ago, FatThinShank said:

I think we can agree it doesn’t make it 40$ more expensive, they charge that because they can and people will pay for it. The extra step of pulling some heads off the assembly line early before they get a certain finish is not a 25% increase in cost. Other companies offer raw finish and don’t charge extra. 

LOL Added payroll, material, and supply chain costs plus profits are beyond the imagination or desires of most people.  You have a good day.

[Old Tom Morris]

If they didn’t charge a premium for the RAW wedges, then too many people would have them and you guys wouldn’t want them anymore.  You’d be on to something else to spend money on.

 

Never saw a performance difference raw wedges and in 35 years of golf, never had the sun reflecting off the face into my eyes either.  The finished wedges are just fine.

[DaRiz]

when you are the market share leader you can do whatever the f*** you want

 

if he wanted, ol' bobby V could have us paying $290 for a wedge he personally "gave a pat on the back" to  

[Krt22]

16 minutes ago, Rory4Pres said:

 

I completely agree.  This would be like titleist releasing a custom color TSI driver head for $687.50 versus $550 for the normal black.  That's quite a jump.

 

Honestly releasing the blue version the 2nd year is a great idea but I'd think it'd be a great idea at $159 or maybe $175.  

 

All I know is I've owned like 15 vokey wedges and none have ever been the premium raw or blue version.  

 

I'd be 100% cool with titleist dropping the black and chrome versions and just mass producing the blue and raw.  OR better yet, rotate 3 of the 5 options every other version (sm6, sm7, sm8, etc)...

You are thinking too much about you and not about the market as a whole. Raw and odd colored wedges simply do not sell well in volume, producing them in volume would leave to tons of unused/unwanted inventory (look how mizuno had to blow out their blue wedges at one point). You are thinking too much about the individual process cost and not the all inclusive costs associated with manufacturing, assembly, stocking, logistics, etc. The smaller the batch, the higher the cost due to the economies of scale. 

[Rory4Pres]

12 minutes ago, Krt22 said:

You are thinking too much about you and not about the market as a whole. Raw and odd colored wedges simply do not sell well in volume, producing them in volume would leave to tons of unused/unwanted inventory (look how mizuno had to blow out their blue wedges at one point). You are thinking too much about the individual process cost and not the all inclusive costs associated with manufacturing, assembly, stocking, logistics, etc. The smaller the batch, the higher the cost due to the economies of scale. 

 

I'd bet the blue vokeys would outsell the black vokeys if they were the same price and available at the same stores, pro shops, and websites.  

 

I think you are right about the raw version though.

[Lobby]

Are we buying golf clubs or fashion accessories?

Maybe if there wasn't so much drooling about how clubs looked?

[FatThinShank]

47 minutes ago, Pepperturbo said:

LOL Added payroll, material, and supply chain costs plus profits are beyond the imagination or desires of most people.  You have a good day.

Then how do Callaway and Mizuno do it for the same price if it’s “beyond the imagination of most people”.  

[RogerinNewZealand]

Demand for used raw is high in NZ..just saw a very used raw 60 rtx2 go for $70nz,50us..i have black 50sm5 and black 54sm7.

May look at Sub70 new raw offerings..

[Pepperturbo]

7 minutes ago, FatThinShank said:

Then how do Callaway and Mizuno do it for the same price if it’s “beyond the imagination of most people”.  

In every business leadership skills regarding P&L vary.  Don't make an assumption that because both those company's sell products at similar prices, that means operating and production costs and their P&L's are managed the same, with the same purpose.  It's too complex to discuss here.

 

I will leave you with this... Profit margin can be defined as the percentage of revenue that a company retains as income after the deduction of expenses.  Callaway Golf net profit margin as of December 31, 2020 is -7.99%.  Even though Wall Street sees it as healthy due to Covid influence on golf, that's still a MINUS.  Meaning somewhere in the company, costs are in the Red.  Merging with TopGolf via stock swap was a positive move for Callaway. 

[AThompson_3]

On 2/23/2021 at 10:10 AM, Rory4Pres said:

 

I don't understand why anyone would pay an upcharge for the raw wedges when you can just buy the black wedges and easily remove the paint in a matter of hours letting it soak in vinagar (I think, I can't remember what I used).  It's silly.  Get a raw wedge in 1 easy step.

 

Could probably sandblast the other 2 options to get the same thing if wanted.  

 

I buy a ton of golf stuff so when I complain about something like this it's my way of saying, I don't support this pricing concept and therefore don't buy premium vokeys brand new.  It's just losing easy business for Titleist.

It’s not easy business for Titleist. That’s the point. You’re looking at it through the lenses of less manufacturing processes. It’s an extremely niche market. Even if raw wedges were available at the same prices the chrome, black, and nickel finishes, they would still get out sold by the other 3 finishes. When you have a niche market like raw wedges, it makes no sense to produce at the same volume as the rest of your product line. The people that care enough will pay, the ones that don’t care enough won’t and will still likely buy Vokey wedges in just a different finish. It’s a win-win for Titleist. 

[AThompson_3]

On 2/23/2021 at 11:06 AM, Rory4Pres said:

 

Terrible comparison, removing the black paint is easier than making a sandwich.  I think 99% of people would spend 3 minutes of their time to save $40+.  They simply don't know that's an option.

The issue isn’t that they don’t know it’s an option, the issue is they don’t care that it’s an option. 90+% of people buying a black wedge want the wedge to not show anywhere as long as possible. 

[AThompson_3]

On 2/23/2021 at 11:09 AM, Rory4Pres said:

Ahhhhh, interesting and evil.  Man, maybe I need to check out mizuno wedges next go round.  Have played exclusively vokeys for the past 8 years or so.

You’re proving my point exactly that Titleist has zero incentive to not upcharge for raw wedges. You’ve been playing vokeys for the past 8 years anyways. 

[AThompson_3]

 

On 2/23/2021 at 12:58 PM, lefthack said:

 

It's not like they are storing these in a box in the back yard. Yes, rust is bad. But the only way you will get rust is to expose them. 

 

Unless I'm missing something. My wedges aren't raw, either.

Oxygen and moisture in the air over time rusts steel. Over a year of sitting on a shelf, will produce rust. Anywhere on the east coast is humid as hell in the summer. People walking in and out of the store hundreds of times a day will produce plenty enough moisture in the store to produce some rusting over the course of a couple months. 

[AThompson_3]

On 2/23/2021 at 4:31 PM, FatThinShank said:

I think we can agree it doesn’t make it 40$ more expensive, they charge that because they can and people will pay for it. The extra step of pulling some heads off the assembly line early before they get a certain finish is not a 25% increase in cost. Other companies offer raw finish and don’t charge extra. 

Those other companies are offering it at no upcharge because vokey is the top dog in the wedge market. They are trying to lure in that niche customer specifically looking for a raw wedge but doesn’t want to pay the upcharge at vokey. Other OEMs know that if they charged what Vokey charged for raw, that Titleist would dominate that market even more than they already do. It’s a basic market penetration strategy. If Callaway, Mizuno, Cleveland, etc could charge what Titleist/Vokey does, they would. 

[AThompson_3]

10 hours ago, Old Tom Morris said:

 

never had the sun reflecting off the face into my eyes either.  The finished wedges are just fine.

It only takes one time being short sided in the bunker at high noon and having to open the face up, only for you to be blinded for you to change your opinion on that. 

[AThompson_3]

10 hours ago, Krt22 said:

You are thinking too much about you and not about the market as a whole. Raw and odd colored wedges simply do not sell well in volume, producing them in volume would leave to tons of unused/unwanted inventory (look how mizuno had to blow out their blue wedges at one point). You are thinking too much about the individual process cost and not the all inclusive costs associated with manufacturing, assembly, stocking, logistics, etc. The smaller the batch, the higher the cost due to the economies of scale. 

It’s amazing how many people lack a basic understanding of supply chain management and its importance in pricing strategies. 

[Pmookie]

A slight upcharge, $10, I can understand, but anything more is ridiculous. I’ve never owned a Vokey wedge... 

[Nixhex524]

This is why I won't buy them anymore.  Too many people are willing to pay the crazy prices of the Vokeys which gives them the approval to charge what they do.  I'm not playin that game!  LOL

 

 

[lefthack]

36 minutes ago, AThompson_3 said:

 

Oxygen and moisture in the air over time rusts steel. Over a year of sitting on a shelf, will produce rust. Anywhere on the east coast is humid as hell in the summer. People walking in and out of the store hundreds of times a day will produce plenty enough moisture in the store to produce some rusting over the course of a couple months. 

 

So this AND an upcharge? Sign me up, baby!!! That's awesome.

 

Next they will claim the rust "patina" and it will be $75.  🤣

[2Bad4u]

51 minutes ago, AThompson_3 said:

It only takes one time being short sided in the bunker at high noon and having to open the face up, only for you to be blinded for you to change your opinion on that. 

 

I keep on hearing about being blinded by the sun with chrome wedges but in my 35 years of golfing it's never happened to me.

[BallerNate]

On 2/23/2021 at 1:51 PM, MattM97 said:

 

You buy 3 wedges which most will do that is $120 plus tax. If you're in Canada like myself and may other WRX'ers that's $150 CAD plus taxes. That ain't a convenience fee that's a money grab, that's a really nice round of golf where I'm at. s*** I'll buy the Jet Black and soak them in Coke for a few hours to get my raw wedges. I'll use a bit of elbow grease to get what I want, paying that price is an inconvenience.  

Where in Canada are you getting raw SM8’s for $150? Where I’m at they’re selling for $269.99 + tax...

[tilasan1]

Whats interesting is the black sm8s have the sticker that says this vokey wedge design will rust.

[MattM97]

37 minutes ago, BallerNate said:

Where in Canada are you getting raw SM8’s for $150? Where I’m at they’re selling for $269.99 + tax...

 

I'm talking about Raw vs standard if buying 3 wedges. If you buy 3 raw wedges it's an extra 150 plus tax for us vs the standard models. That's a lot of extra cash for  raw option. 

 

That's what I meant, not that I'm getting them for 150. If I was you'd see me selling a lot of them. 

[BallerNate]

16 minutes ago, MattM97 said:

 

I'm talking about Raw vs standard if buying 3 wedges. If you buy 3 raw wedges it's an extra 150 plus tax for us vs the standard models. That's a lot of extra cash for  raw option. 

 

That's what I meant, not that I'm getting them for 150. If I was you'd see me selling a lot of them. 

Oh Ok gotcha, Lol! I misunderstood your post.

 

Yeah, if you were getting them that cheap I’d be begging you for your connection for sure! 🤣

[Krt22]

3 hours ago, AThompson_3 said:

Those other companies are offering it at no upcharge because vokey is the top dog in the wedge market. They are trying to lure in that niche customer specifically looking for a raw wedge but doesn’t want to pay the upcharge at vokey. Other OEMs know that if they charged what Vokey charged for raw, that Titleist would dominate that market even more than they already do. It’s a basic market penetration strategy. If Callaway, Mizuno, Cleveland, etc could charge what Titleist/Vokey does, they would. 

Bingo. Underdogs have to relinquish GM in order to gain market share, otherwise they have zero competitive advantage. It’s very much like how certain OEMs offer grips and shafts at no upcharge, while the incumbents will still happily bank the profits. 

[MattM97]

7 hours ago, BallerNate said:

Oh Ok gotcha, Lol! I misunderstood your post.

 

Yeah, if you were getting them that cheap I’d be begging you for your connection for sure! 🤣

 

I'm not that good enough to have a hook up. Now stuff that falls of a truck maybe different story 😂😂. 

 

But not a fan of their pricing and I'm due for a wedge fit when things open up again. 

[BallerNate]

How difficult is it to strip the finish and go raw on the satin finish for SM5, SM6, or SM7 if anyone has tried?

[bubbagump]

15 minutes ago, BallerNate said:

How difficult is it to strip the finish and go raw on the satin finish for SM5, SM6, or SM7 if anyone has tried?

 

Depending on the finish, easier to just buy another wedge lol.  Removing chrome or satin requires tools/acid/blasting that most don't have either the knowledge or skill to do it, or a long azz time scotching it.  Even then a DIY job could end up looking like trash compared to a professional, or the alternate finish wedge.    

 

Best and easiest if you're really into it, is finding a metal shop to blast them.  

[MattM97]

30 minutes ago, BallerNate said:

How difficult is it to strip the finish and go raw on the satin finish for SM5, SM6, or SM7 if anyone has tried?

 

Chrome forget about it too expensive and has to be professionally done. But black finish are easier and can be done just by soaking the heads Coke a few hours and scrubbing. I'll see guys online buy a set of black wedges and strip them raw. Especially lefties since raw isn't always an option for us we have to make raw ones.