The JoongAng Daily in South Korea is reporting that Bubba Watson will switch his golf ball to Volvik in 2017. The company that is known for their bright colors and has a large following in the Asian market as well as on the LPGA tour.
Currently signed with Titleist, that deal concludes in a couple of weeks at the end of this year. If this happens, he would join the others in the Volvik stable of Craig Stadler, John Huston, Se Ri Pak, Tim Petrovic and a number of others. The initial South Korean report says Watson will receive $1.2 million to play the product each year as well as stock options and a signing bonus. Watson is not new to making unique choices in regards to his sponsoring partners in exchange for bigger company options. The two time Masters winner has done this in the past with both footwear and apparel.
As of right now, this is nothing more than rumor, as Watson’s agent is calling the story “unsubstantiated”, but with him currently under contract with another company, that is fairly common. Stay tuned to the THP Tour Spot for future updates as they become available.
But will he play a pink ball, that’s what I want to know…
I’m with Ken, I’m curious if he switches to a pink a ball. I’m not surprised by this move at all, equity and money, that’s what the Bubba’s all about.
Volvik actually makes a really good ball. In a world where everyone is the same, why not mix it up?
If I were Bubba, I’d go with pink to align to my personal brand. If I were Volvik, I’d want him to as well. Every time he hits that ball, TV announcers will say “and there’s Bubba’s pink ball.” It’s great for Volvik because he hits the ball so far that his ball will often be past those white ones, which will have a subconscious influence on the buyer.
If I were Bubba, I’d try to get them to make a high end version of the Vivid but with that same matte color scheme. If Costco can make a Prov1, surely Volvik can makes something as good as well. They already have a 4 piece. The Vivid is a 3 piece, but maybe that’s good enough? More pieces don’t necessarily mean a better ball. Volvik may already have something in their stable that is what Bubba is looking for.
Volvik makes excellent golf balls. The S3 is my favorite and the Vibe is better than the Chrome Soft, IMHO. I’d imagine he’ll play one of their 4 piece balls such as the S4, which is urethane. Probably start seeing that in Pink…
Actually tried out one of these balls when I found one on the course and I could find them instantly, love the color and performed well