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Yes! Change of Ownership

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Petroguy

Petroguy

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Yes! Website

I don't think this has been discussed, and as a avid Yes! fan (I think we are a dying breed), I was kind of surprised to see that they are in a "potential change of ownership" according to their website. I thought the whole Furyk win and the story behind it would have sparked sales some.

Anyone know anything about it?
 
I think I read something a little while back that they were having financial troubles and were looking to sell. It saddens me because I think that whoever picks them up will probably trim the line way down as it cannot be all that cost effective to have such an expansive line.

Maybe Bridgestone is picking them up.... a boy can dream.

With my tin foil hat firmly in place I wonder what titleist is going to be doing if SC is really headed to Nike.

john
 
There are a couple of things to note.

1. A few of their tour people (not players) have inquired about positions elsewhere.
2. I think this goes to show how few pieces of equipment Jim Furyk actually moves.
 
I realize other players move alot of equipment, but it rhymed so I spewed it out there. AK, DJ, Camilo, and such move tons of equipment im sure.
JB said:
I dont agree with that statement at all!
Click to expand...
 
I think any professional golfer that has sustained success moves equipment. How much is tied to his/her popularity some but I think it is human nature to try to emulate those you look up to. The case with Yes! sounds like it goes deeper than endorsements, or the lack thereof, IMO.

There are some pros that sign equipment deals that I really question, including some recently, but obviously companies see some benefit to the 2nd tier stars and their ability to sell equipment/clothing/gadgets/food/training aids. That could be a whole new thread that I bet could stay pretty busy.
 
Lets put it this way...
How many rife putters have been flying off the shelves since poults had his little hot streak?

z.e.r.o
_______

I think marketing has a bit to do with it too though, I mean, Ive yet to see a Yes! commercial, or a Rife one that wasnt an infomercial
 
Thainer21 said:
Lets put it this way...
How many rife putters have been flying off the shelves since poults had his little hot streak?

z.e.r.o
_______

I think marketing has a bit to do with it too though, I mean, Ive yet to see a Yes! commercial, or a Rife one that wasnt an infomercial
Click to expand...

Good point.

I wonder if it is possible that a win can actually DAMAGE a company or the publics perception of it. For example, did the fact that Jim found his Yes! putter in a forgotten used bin with a clearance tag and a ridiculously low price help or hurt overall? I never though of it that way but if a company is trying to move $300 flat sticks and a pro wins with a dated model that can be found on eBay for peanuts...I wouldn't think that would move the former much.
 
Petroguy said:
I think any professional golfer that has sustained success moves equipment. How much is tied to his/her popularity some but I think it is human nature to try to emulate those you look up to. The case with Yes! sounds like it goes deeper than endorsements, or the lack thereof, IMO.

There are some pros that sign equipment deals that I really question, including some recently, but obviously companies see some benefit to the 2nd tier stars and their ability to sell equipment/clothing/gadgets/food/training aids. That could be a whole new thread that I bet could stay pretty busy.
Click to expand...

Its not always about a single guy moving equipment though. its about count numbers. Do you know how much Titleist has paid to be the #1 ball used on tour? Or how much Taylormade pays to be the #1 driver used? Those counts are as big or bigger than any singular player.

Thainer21 said:
Lets put it this way...
How many rife putters have been flying off the shelves since poults had his little hot streak?

z.e.r.o
_______

I think marketing has a bit to do with it too though, I mean, Ive yet to see a Yes! commercial, or a Rife one that wasnt an infomercial
Click to expand...

Curious if you have any supporting evidence of that? The Golf Datatech numbers dont come out that fast, but I think you might be incorrect in that one. I would also venture to say where the tournament was played plays a large role in that.

Not all companies use tv commercials for their products. They are expensive to produce and even more expensive to air.

Petroguy said:
Good point.

I wonder if it is possible that a win can actually DAMAGE a company or the publics perception of it. For example, did the fact that Jim found his Yes! putter in a forgotten used bin with a clearance tag and a ridiculously low price help or hurt overall? I never though of it that way but if a company is trying to move $300 flat sticks and a pro wins with a dated model that can be found on eBay for peanuts...I wouldn't think that would move the former much.
Click to expand...

Even at the reduced price, that is more PR than Yes! has received in a long time. In my opinion their PR is just not that good. We work with them and they produce quality products. But the same can be said for Sonartec, Nickent, and many others. Marketing plays a role and in a crowded field such as putters, $300 + flat sticks (new models) are hard to swallow for a brand not named Scotty Cameron or known to the masses.
 
JB said:
Curious if you have any supporting evidence of that? The Golf Datatech numbers dont come out that fast, but I think you might be incorrect in that one. I would also venture to say where the tournament was played plays a large role in that.

Not all companies use tv commercials for their products. They are expensive to produce and even more expensive to air.
Click to expand...

I definitely dont have anything to back that up. It was more of an expectation really. I agree on the geographical element for sure. I would be intrigued though if the win did move a significant amount of equipment.

The whole thing about infomercials though, is that theyre avoidable. One comes on, you change the channel. But a commercial comes on, I would think people are less motivated to change the channel for a 2 minute commercial than a 30 minute infomercial.
 
I guess we saw the hype from the win/hot streak with the white driver, which i forgot about. But I would think the driver is noticed more than the putter.
 
Thainer21 said:
I definitely dont have anything to back that up. It was more of an expectation really. I agree on the geographical element for sure. I would be intrigued though if the win did move a significant amount of equipment.

The whole thing about infomercials though, is that theyre avoidable. One comes on, you change the channel. But a commercial comes on, I would think people are less motivated to change the channel for a 2 minute commercial than a 30 minute infomercial.
Click to expand...

While that may be the case, the cost is astronomical in comparison. A simple TV ad during a broadcast would cost a TON more than an informercial running at off peak times (as they always do). Many companies do not have that budget at all.

Do you believe that TV commercials are the reason Odyssey is popular? Do you believe that they are the reason Scotty Cameron is popular? Heck, I am not sure I have ever seen a Scotty Cameron commercial.
 
JB said:
While that may be the case, the cost is astronomical in comparison. A simple TV ad during a broadcast would cost a TON more than an informercial running at off peak times (as they always do). Many companies do not have that budget at all.

Do you believe that TV commercials are the reason Odyssey is popular? Do you believe that they are the reason Scotty Cameron is popular? Heck, I am not sure I have ever seen a Scotty Cameron commercial.
Click to expand...

Not at all. I would think that Odyssey pays large amounts of money, as does Scotty, for guys on tour. I wouldnt think Rife did, nor Yes!. But I obviously dont know that or sure
 
JB said:
There are a couple of things to note.

1. A few of their tour people (not players) have inquired about positions elsewhere.
2. I think this goes to show how few pieces of equipment Jim Furyk actually moves.
Click to expand...

Yes' woes started well before Furyk put the Sophia in play. Any movement he caused was too little too late, I'm sure.
 
BenJ said:
Yes' woes started well before Furyk put the Sophia in play. Any movement he caused was too little too late, I'm sure.
Click to expand...

I think it's the indian, not the arrow.....
 
JB said:
Even at the reduced price, that is more PR than Yes! has received in a long time. In my opinion their PR is just not that good. We work with them and they produce quality products. But the same can be said for Sonartec, Nickent, and many others. Marketing plays a role and in a crowded field such as putters, $300 + flat sticks (new models) are hard to swallow for a brand not named Scotty Cameron or known to the masses.
Click to expand...

This is the nail on the head. I've said it many places, many times. Yes! felt they belonged in the upper echelon of putter prices simply because they wanted to be. They didn't understand that they sold a cosmetically challenged putter. Anyone who tried a Yes! loved it. I still have a Valerie. I owned a Nicky that I'm actually trying to buy back. I love most of their ideas. They just needed to put themselves at a lower price point to gain momentum.

Not to go off topic, but I think SeeMore has a similar problem. They somewhat make up for it with the best customer service on earth. At least SeeMore has stuck to price points in the "bargain" rage with their Si and Original lines. I question their price point for the SB series, but I think they know what they need to do to get into big box stores while also staying popular in the higher end market.

My wet dream is SeeMore buying Yes!. An m1 with a C-Groove face would be amazing.
 
So not to get too far off topic, how does one decide premium price point? I always thought it was based on materials and work done. Yes falls into that category with many of their putters. SeeMore does too. But SeeMore has far more price points and is doing quite well right now. Yes seemed as though it was just recycling the same putters over and over again. I mean how many of the same exact style have we seen released as new with a different name?

But their problem has never been the equipment. It has always been the operations in my opinion.
 
Not very scientific, but I would consider the MSRP formula to be something like A (actual production cost- materials, labor, distribution, etc.) + B (retail markup to make a profit) + C (what the manufacturer says it's worth) = MSRP.

While the 'A' and 'B' variables are actual numbers that can be put on paper and documented, the 'C' variable is a tougher one to determine. Obviously a well-known, well-respected (or sometimes not) name like Scotty Cameron can command a higher 'C' value. If somebody like me came around and made putters, no matter how well they worked, my 'C' value would be considerably lower, and to command the same value as SC would be almost suicide for my business.

Hope that made sense.
 
JB said:
So not to get too far off topic, how does one decide premium price point? I always thought it was based on materials and work done. Yes falls into that category with many of their putters. SeeMore does too. But SeeMore has far more price points and is doing quite well right now. Yes seemed as though it was just recycling the same putters over and over again. I mean how many of the same exact style have we seen released as new with a different name?

But their problem has never been the equipment. It has always been the operations in my opinion.
Click to expand...

I don't agree that their problem has never been the equipment. You addressed it in your first paragraph. 75% of their line was an Anser clone.

Marketing and PR were a big problem. They proved that even with a pretty solid product, it's hard to become popular. SeeMore is probably not a good comparison for Yes!. Rife is a similar company and has done a better job. They keep their lines small and each model is specific to its target. They also know how to design a good looking putter, which is something Yes! struggled with outside of the Dawn. Rife also benefited from catching on with a lot of senior tour golfers. Yes! was starting to gain traction in Europe, but I don't know if sales followed.
 
BenJ said:
I don't agree that their problem has never been the equipment. You addressed it in your first paragraph. 75% of their line was an Anser clone.
Click to expand...

Im not sure that is different from half the other companies. Take a look at tons of other putter companies and you will see the same thing. Its the most popular shape and one that moves. In a crowded market like the putter market, something has to differentiate all these "clone" putters. Some companies use tour presence, some companies use marketing, and some companies use price line. Yes! had none of those things going for them.
 
Bankruptcy has been filed.
 
Yeah just saw that on Twitter from I think Kelly Tilghman. I tried their putters head to head with a Rife and a Nike Method and thought they were good, but not outstanding. Still sad to hear a company go down. Options are a wonderful thing.
 
No wonder they hard a hard time finding a buyer, did you see how many creditors they have? There's something north of 200 unsecured creditors which is crazy talk
 
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