Seed Golf: A Brand Story

[JB]

The ball market is unique in that it is the ultimate consumable in the game of golf. Each year while the large brands continue to innovate, there are a myriad of direct to consumer products that hit the space and many times are a logo ball with some flashy marketing. That isn’t Seed Golf. To understand this company that is like new to many readers, it is important to start at the top and that is with the founder, Dean Klatt. Where did the brand come from, and probably just as important, where did he come from?

Continue reading...

 

[jdtox]

Really good article, reminds me of another brand that used to be popular around here of how these came to be but this story is way cooler. Having all that testing ability nearby and creating something new vs buying blanks if you will is important to avid golfers at least it is to this one.

Will a subscription service work? Only if you have determined this is the ball you want to play for the year. I don’t think it’s for me personally since I’m always trying new things but it definitely could work for some.

 

[Hawk]

So, that background story was much more interesting than I expected. I just assumed Seed was like all the companies that popped up mid 2010’s. Super cool to see some actual R&D being done. I think I’ll give these a try. I absolutely hate paying full price for golf balls.

 

[V14_Heels]

That's a pretty cool article, definitely incredibly reasonable on the subscription cost front. Unless I missed it, I did not find one single picture of the alignment aid that is on the side of the ball though, which is such a marketing miss. I'm confused on why there are no pictures showing that, big part of why I chose a ball personally.

Love that subscription cost is the same for 1 month vs. 3 months. 2 months is probably about right for me to go through a dozen balls though and these are cheap compared to the top dogs.

 

[jdtox]

So, that background story was much more interesting than I expected. I just assumed Seed was like all the companies that popped up mid 2010’s. Super cool to see some actual R&D being done. I think I’ll give these a try. I absolutely hate paying full price for golf balls.

Would you do the subscription? Otherwise I think $35 for an unknown product essentially is a bit much

 

[JB]

So, that background story was much more interesting than I expected. I just assumed Seed was like all the companies that popped up mid 2010’s. Super cool to see some actual R&D being done. I think I’ll give these a try. I absolutely hate paying full price for golf balls.

Interesting side note. So did I. When I learned otherwise, I really pursued learning more about it. I got a chance to speak with Dean early on before this story took shape and one of my first questions was "is this an open source ball with a logo" and he kind of chuckled and said no, and explained what was happening directly behind him in the office with testing.

 

[Hawk]

Would you do the subscription? Otherwise I think $35 for an unknown product essentially is a bit much

Probably not, unless I found an option that I settled on and felt like I had a handle on how often I’d need a reboot.

That being said, signing up for the subscription and then altering/canceling it wouldn’t be that big of a deal if it meant saving some money.

Interesting side note. So did I. When I learned otherwise, I really pursued learning more about it. I got a chance to speak with Dean early on before this story took shape and one of my first questions was "is this an open source ball with a logo" and he kind of chuckled and said no, and explained what was happening directly behind him in the office with testing.

It’s easy to get jaded on those types of balls. I thought his “let’s have a drink and make a golf ball company” story was pretty funny.

 

[ddec]

Their back story is pretty neat. I’m not sure the subscription model is for me, but the ball does sound interesting.

 

[JB]

It’s easy to get jaded on those types of balls. I thought his “let’s have a drink and make a golf ball company” story was pretty funny.

I dont often share this type of stuff, but this is in fact a true story that took place a while back. I was contacted by someone that said they were starting a ball company. They asked to meet and I happened to be in their home state on some other travel. We met for lunch, and they proceeded to tell me how their regular jobs were all about importing and sourcing goods and they were going to do the same for golf balls. These balls were labeled "77". I asked some simple questions about cover materials, spin rates, and then asked about compression and it was as if I asked them the quadratic formula mixed with duponts secret recipe. Complete blank stares about how compression relates to speed and spin, etc. They knew absolutely nothing about golf balls. They wanted to be "insta-famous", not a business. They wanted to be cool with fun slogans and marketing. They were making nothing, knew nothing about the product, just that it was a good ball and they could get them landed for cheap. The three friends that did this came up with the idea after running out of balls at the turn and spend $55 in a country club pro shop. I explained that the golfer (our audience) is more discerning now than ever and that is why so many of these companies fail. We parted ways after he left me with the lunch bill, which I laughed over and they did come to market.

I got calls once a year about why are they not selling and how they were trying to live on 20% margins and have a garage full of golf balls. I offered some advice, but that was it. I won't comment on the brand, but it is the same story I have heard a dozen times. Many times you read the DTC websites and you can tell its the exact same story. See the brand new ones like Piper, Sugar, etc. The tech is simply regurgitated from the manufacturer, because often times its just wrong and the product is what it is.

Its not different in clubs either, but thats a different story altogether haha. The main issue I have is it does sour the message of a new company like this one coming with a product where they do test.

 

[russtopher]

Nice to see that they have R&D behind their product and they're not just buying bulk from someone and putting their logo on it. I can't see myself going with a subscription model but I'm sure it'll work for some others who need a higher quantity/frequency of balls.

On another note... after seeing the graphics in the article and visiting their site, I can't say that their aesthetic makes me think of anything close to higher end. Purely personal preference. But if I came across their site and info in the wild, I'd probably pass it right by.

 

[Sox_Fan]

Outstanding read! I have heard of the brand via social media but have never seen or obviously tried the balls. I certainly have interest in trying them now after reading the article.

 

[WICHITAREJECT]

Great story to see how the process came to be. Not sure about the $35 price being that much of a savings. Z Stars were at $25/dozen during the Buy 2 get 1 free, (with Academy Sports discount)

 

[JB]

I think its tough to compare any "extreme sale" price to that of a regular price.
The most popular tour balls from the major brands are all about $50 a dozen. $35 is quite a bit cheaper. Averaging that out at 10 dozen a year which is fairly standard its $150 savings.

That doesn't mean it's a better ball, nearly free or anything else. But I do think comparatively cost wise it's pretty darn good at the stand alone price point.

 

[Hawk]

I dont often share this type of stuff, but this is in fact a true story that took place a while back. I was contacted by someone that said they were starting a ball company. They asked to meet and I happened to be in their home state on some other travel. We met for lunch, and they proceeded to tell me how their regular jobs were all about importing and sourcing goods and they were going to do the same for golf balls. These balls were labeled "77". I asked some simple questions about cover materials, spin rates, and then asked about compression and it was as if I asked them the quadratic formula mixed with duponts secret recipe. Complete blank stares about how compression relates to speed and spin, etc. They knew absolutely nothing about golf balls. They wanted to be "insta-famous", not a business. They wanted to be cool with fun slogans and marketing. They were making nothing, knew nothing about the product, just that it was a good ball and they could get them landed for cheap. The three friends that did this came up with the idea after running out of balls at the turn and spend $55 in a country club pro shop. I explained that the golfer (our audience) is more discerning now than ever and that is why so many of these companies fail. We parted ways after he left me with the lunch bill, which I laughed over and they did come to market.

I got calls once a year about why are they not selling and how they were trying to live on 20% margins and have a garage full of golf balls. I offered some advice, but that was it. I won't comment on the brand, but it is the same story I have heard a dozen times. Many times you read the DTC websites and you can tell its the exact same story. See the brand new ones like Piper, Sugar, etc. The tech is simply regurgitated from the manufacturer, because often times its just wrong and the product is what it is.

Its not different in clubs either, but thats a different story altogether haha. The main issue I have is it does sour the message of a new company like this one coming with a product where they do test.

Amazon effect. Blech.

 

[Scooby45]

Enjoy this one as I do with all the brand stories.

Really good to see they do their own developing and testing. That makes me more interested.

Its also interesting to see the lack of excitement for the subscription model. Maybe my current experience of being about out of golf balls is coloring my judgement but sure would be nice if a dozen showed each month, knowing I can pause if the stockpile gets too big.

It was also interesting to see how being part of a tech incubator basically, really paid off to help them launch. I’ve always wondered about how impactful those types of programs can be. Nice to see if paying off in the golf space.

 

[golfinnut]

This ends up being around $9 for shipping for me. Not sure if I want to pull the trigger or not

 

[Jman]

That’s a truly DEEP dive. I really enjoyed that, the true nuts and bolts of a brand entering a segment that is not the easiest to establish stability in.

The subscription model I personally think will hinder them stateside, but, there’s only one way for them to know for sure.

Also still hope to see them refine the logo a bit, but I still plan on giving them a go.

 

[Hawk]

That’s a truly DEEP dive. I really enjoyed that, the true nuts and bolts of a brand entering a segment that is not the easiest to establish stability in.

The subscription model I personally think will hinder them stateside, but, there’s only one way for them to know for sure.

Also still hope to see them refine the logo a bit, but I still plan on giving them a go.

Agree that the logo isn’t my favorite. However, I think the “Jack” alignment aid is pretty sweet. Years ago I wouldn’t have liked it, but that type of thing has really been normalized.

 

[Jman]

Agree that the logo isn’t my favorite. However, I think the “Jack” alignment aid is pretty sweet. Years ago I wouldn’t have liked it, but that type of thing has really been normalized.

You know, that’s a great conversation point as I too remember when companies first started making the alignment setups on golf balls more…visible…and there was some real push back out there.

 

[Hawk]

You know, that’s a great conversation point as I too remember when companies first started making the alignment setups on golf balls more…visible…and there was some real push back out there.

I may have made fun of soccer ball golf balls. Now I’m pretty sure I love them.

 

[Jman]

I may have made fun of soccer ball golf balls. Now I’m pretty sure I love them.

Hahahaha! I’ll never admit that I love them. Never.

 

[jdtox]

This ends up being around $9 for shipping for me. Not sure if I want to pull the trigger or not

They don't even offer free shipping? Thats a huge miss.

 

[golfinnut]

They don't even offer free shipping? Thats a huge miss.

Nope ... have to spend $100 for free shipping

 

[Scooby45]

Am I right in that the Jack alignment aid is only available on the country mile model?

 

[JB]

They don't even offer free shipping? Thats a huge miss.

$100 spend gets free shipping. I think that is becoming the norm as we move forward with the rising cost of shipping.
To the subscription thing, I believe it will become much more normal in the future. I have said my share on it, that I believe it is not as successful here as elsewhere because golfers don't think they are as bad as they are. We lose more balls than we think in other words. Then run to the pro shop to reload, otherwise there isnt a ton of reasoning why pro shop golf ball purchases would be as high as the are.