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What behind the scenes stuff do you want to know most?

SuperStroke
I'm most interested in the clubs that never came to market and why. Chip Brewer mentioned on another site that they had fully produced a line and then learned that it wouldn't work so that scrapped it, that type of discovery would be fun to hear more about.
 
I'm interested in golf companies QC processes. How tight are their tolerances, and how often do they have to reject products for being out of tolerance? Would an amateur be able to tell if something doesn't meet spec?
 
More about the business aspect behind golf. Seeing the sales meeting pics of Callaway makes me curious how the marketing/sales campaigns are brought about
 
Some great asks in here already. I'm interested in the entire product cycle. As a PM in a different industry, it's always neat to learn how products are made from inception to delivery. Some things I'm specifically curious about:

The prototyping process and how many iterations they go through to get to a finished product.

Innovation. How they define it and nurture it internally. With clubs getting so advanced, I can imagine that creating something truly innovative is a challenge. Certainly not something easy to repeat over and over.
 
What is the thought process behind the naming of clubs? Is is product driven, marketing driven, combination of both?
 
Lots of good questions in here already and I'd like to know the answers to them. Also, how is an equipment line even conceived? Does the design team sit down and say, "we need to make the ball go higher, how do we do it." Or, "we need more forgiveness." What information are they using to even ask those questions in the first place? For instance, is there data from users of one club and they see too many people slicing it and try to figure out how to fix that? Does marketing have a say in what's developed? I think it would be fascinating to be a fly on the wall during those stages, before implementation.
 
The marketing intrigues me, I really like the one on one videos with the company employee and experts, really gives us an inside look into their though process on things.
 
i'd like to know the amount of cash OEMs pay their sponsored players, and the value of free goods (clubs, clothes, etc) they provide.

i'd like to know OEMs' per-club cost.

i'd like to know OEMs' advertising and marketing cost.

i'd like to know OEMs' r&d cost.

i'd like to know who picks out clothes, shoes and accessories for sponsored golfers, and how they decide what to wear on which day.

i'd like to know how custom pros' clothes and gloves really are.

i'd like to know a bottom-tier, mid-tier and top-tier pro's all-in expenses (travel, caddies, accountants, financial managers, agents, assistants, etc).

i'm obviously fascinated with the dollars and cents of it all.
 
I think it would be interesting to know/see the entire process from concept to manufacturing of shafts (steel and graphite).
 
The R@D that goes into modern drivers and woods, testing various composites and creating prototypes. Then the production of them.
 
More about the marketing process, and how they play into club design...colorways, names, tour staff involvement, etc.
 
In a time where mom and pop retailers are struggling and some big box retailers are buy less golf product to chase categories like yoga what do the club companies invasion the retail landscape to look like in three to five years.
Will there be boutique fitters,will smaller dealers survive or will the internet take over their space in the retail food chain.
 
With the COR and ball speed limits in place, how much farther do the manufacturers think they can push technology to increase driver distance?
 
How do their product testers get picked and what qualifications do they poses?

How do I become a prototype tester? :)
 
jlukes said:
I'd like to learn more about the relationship between club companies and shaft companies. How are 'stock' shafts chosen?
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This is what ive been wondering for a while. Also how do they choose what materials go into making the items?
 
How many different metals have they tried while making forged irons? How many different metals have they used when making irons period? and which was the worst performing?
 
I would love to know how many past ideas are finally getting the go ahead and or how much technology is left out due to restrictions on current manufacturing processes.
 
Are the OEMs happy with everything they release?

How often does a product or an idea fall flat and get scrapped? Or is it released anyway?
 
jlukes said:
Several companies like Nike and Srixon have come right out and said it's the exact same equipment.
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Rory beat RF 5&4 with a retail driver. That's a fun fact.
 
Who thinks of the names they give to clubs....Big Bertha, Razr Hawk ,,,,etc.
 
I'd like to hear more about how companies go about signing their Tour pros. Strategies in their signing, what they look for, when is it time to drop a pro, which tours, and etc.
 
This might not be behind the scenes, but curious where the money comes from to pay people to play golf and how come it is so much higher today than a few decades ago.
 
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