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Ryan Moore Playing Ping Irons This Week

jefffann said:
I wouldn't consider Nickent mainstream.I know that a lot of good golfers knew about them.But duffers like me no.And the results bear me out I think.Despite making great equipment where are they now?
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Mainstream companies go out of business. It happens, be it because of expansion too fast or for many other reasons. Have you never seen a mainstream company close?
 
Scratch is an internet sensation. They were made famous b/c of the relationship developed with golfwrx. Wrx'ers swear by scratch and for many reasons. They were initially put on the map there and the cult grew. Enter ryan moore. He's definitely a household name and his amateur career/collegiate career is phenomenal. He has ownership in the company, wears the hat and has the bag, they have a tour van......they are not niche anymore! Imo, scratch sold themselves down the river when they signed ryan moore, and he's not playing their irons......tells me all I need to know.
 
sure they do.
But I'm saying that a lot of people weren't aware of Nickent.Not like Titleist,Callaway,PING,Taylormade and Cleveland and Wilson.Heck the only Nickents I ever saw were in Small's bag.
 
There are levels of mainstream success and mainstream acceptance. Would I compare Scratch Golf to that of the big 10 companies out there? No. Of course with how long they have been around, that would not be fair in any shape or form. But to me that means little as far as being mainstream.
 
TC said:
Scratch is an internet sensation. They were made famous b/c of the relationship developed with golfwrx. Wrx'ers swear by scratch and for many reasons. They were initially put on the map there and the cult grew. Enter ryan moore. He's definitely a household name and his amateur career/collegiate career is phenomenal. He has ownership in the company, wears the hat and has the bag, they have a tour van......they are not niche anymore! Imo, scratch sold themselves down the river when they signed ryan moore, and he's not playing their irons......tells me all I need to know.
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Bingo! And lets not forget having a deal in place with the #1 ladies golfer in the world as well.
 
 
WRX'ers swear by a lot of things including x stiff shafts and boutique putters
 
Yeah golfwrx mods and members blow up Scratch and have their own coolaid. I also never heard of them before seeing them on wrx. It could be world's best wedge or $300+ for custom I don't like... but I won't ever use one. Talk bad about Scratch or Ryan Moore on wrx and mods ban or give you a vacation since they give them $$$ and wedges. The problem they had a year or so ago with custom putters and maker leaving due to pay problems left a bad taste in my mouth. I didn't have one on order but I knew several that did and that was a nightmare. Now comes the current problems with not being able to get inventory from China quickly. Scratch or mods can't delete all the negative comments and how unhappy customers are with them and the little or no updates on leadtimes.

I guess they are getting big... too quick and getting a little over their head. Getting their name and product out there is a great thing but be able to make your customer happy. Most people I know want what they buy yesterday. I understand custom putters taking 3 to 4 months but certainly not wedges. I don't understand allowing online ordering when you don't know when you are getting heads either. Ari is happy to announce Kerr winning with their wedges... but soon as someone has a problem and creates a thread he goes silent. Not how I would run a business.
 
Eh. I can't make myself get excited over this, I guess. Scratch may manufacture the best wedges in the world. They may become as widely known to average duffers as Vokey or Cleveland wedges. But my perception of them right now says that they're a pretty small player on a big stage. Same thing for Ryan Moore, whatever talent he has and whatever showing he's made on tour this year notwithstanding. Maybe both of them will become major players someday. I've played golf with a whole lot of people this year in the Washington, D.C. area and have yet to see a Scratch club, and I always check out other people's bags just to see what they're playing. I have spotted a Nickent Evolver in somebody's bag, but it was just the one club. It was the electric green color on it that caught my eye. Again, these are my perceptions.

I do agree that it's a great story that Moore, who has something of an ownership stake in the company, is playing Ping irons this week. I'd love to hear or read an interview with him that asks him why he's doing so. Maybe he has some heartburn with Scratch people over something. And his actions may or may not be causing those people the same heartburn. So he and/or Scratch may be in water of varying degrees of warmth over it. Or not. Maybe he's a bonehead and just wanted to try the Pings in a tournament, and didn't stop to think what that might mean to Scratch, contract or not. So maybe we have a juicy ongoing story, complete with contractual fisticuffs to look forward to, or it will turn out to be much ado about nothing.
 
Maybe the word niche is throwing everyone off. Does the word boutique fit them more JB & TC? For me the word niche means not mainstream and that is what I think of Scratch. IMO you have to kind of be looking for them in order to find them. You are not going to on a whim go to (Insert big box golf store here) and pull a set of Scratch irons off the shelf and play the same day. You do have a point that being in the Hot List gives them some publicity and so their name is out there. Boutique maybe is the better word to use for them.
 
Where there is smoke there is fire.
Spent some time yesterday speaking with some tour reps and they had some very interesting things to say. We are putting together an article for the home page on this and will have that done in a couple of weeks.

I want to address something here that I have been holding back on for a while now. Scratch Golf started out as a message board phenomenon. They were having wedges made for them that are high quality and many loved them. They created a cult like following because of their forum participation and their openness about their business. Due to their relationship with some forums, in my opinion, is exactly how they have built their brand. It is how they have become who they are.

Now they are on the largest tour in the world, and it is time for some changes. It is time to hire a PR firm. In the last year (during their growth), some things have changed.
We have them starting to pay players (allegedly)
We have them not delivering goods on time or at all (allegedly)
We have a complete lack of communication about this issue (allegedly)
We have the whole putter fiasco involving bringing someone on board and them leaving (allegedly due to money)

For all of this, the brand loyalists have become brand apologists and they really should not have to. A brand should be able to stand on its own based on quality, and certainly Scratch does that. They truly are the Apple computer of the golf industry. With fans and anti-fans doing more and more to antagonize.

Yesterday I was forwarded a link to a thread on this somewhere else. It has a quote from the company that is like a bad PR statement and then someone else from the company acting ridiculous. All the while with the support of the forum that works with them. I have no problem with forum sponsorships, clearly, but I also think it should be handled properly. Again, not knocking the brand or the forum, because I think they both do things remarkably well given the situation.

But its time Ari. Its time Scratch. Its time to hire a PR firm to assist in this and not have the pissing contests between fans and haters. Its time to have a release written by a professional that can properly convey the message after it is dissected hundreds of times for all involved. The mincing and dicing of words, the splitting hairs, should all be gone. Let the professionals do the work and leave the club building and growing tour presence to that of the people behind the brand.

But the constant battle of being a forum member, sponsor, apologist, and braggart all at the same time has made many just say enough is enough. In the last 48 hours I have received over 60 emails on this subject. All of which address one of those same "growing pains" issues that were addressed earlier. Being featured in Golf Digest Hot List means you are mainstream. Be proud of that and grow the brand with professionals that can help in these matters and leave the apologist/braggart stuff for someone else.

Again, all my opinion, but where there is smoke, there is fire.
 
Great post JB! I think you make some great points and agree with your thoughts on the matter.
 
Excellent post for sure. I, like most, am interested to see where this ends up in a few days/weeks/months time.
 
I can only assume you are talking about the thread on (don't know if I can say the name of the other site) that has grown to a ridiculous level. I completely agree with you JB. They need to start thinking like a major player instead of a boutique wedge company. They have had some major growing pains this year and that is one of the reasons I have not ordered the 60* wedge from them yet. I do have to admit that I like the fact that the owner of the company answers my PM's at the other site. Hopefully they get past the growing pains and continue to grow.
 
See, with the advent of the internet and with most golfers going there for their research and shopping I just can't put scratch in a category of niche or boutique. The days of finding all your golfing needs and equipment in a store only are over. And JB's right, once you are on golf digests hot list, you are not under the radar any more.

I don't love scratch and I don't hate them, I just know about the history of the company and where their popularity came from.

Chunkylover77 said:
Maybe the word niche is throwing everyone off. Does the word boutique fit them more JB & TC? For me the word niche means not mainstream and that is what I think of Scratch. IMO you have to kind of be looking for them in order to find them. You are not going to on a whim go to (Insert big box golf store here) and pull a set of Scratch irons off the shelf and play the same day. You do have a point that being in the Hot List gives them some publicity and so their name is out there. Boutique maybe is the better word to use for them.
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Chunkylover77 said:
I can only assume you are talking about the thread on (don't know if I can say the name of the other site) that has grown to a ridiculous level. I completely agree with you JB. They need to start thinking like a major player instead of a boutique wedge company. They have had some major growing pains this year and that is one of the reasons I have not ordered the 60* wedge from them yet. I do have to admit that I like the fact that the owner of the company answers my PM's at the other site. Hopefully they get past the growing pains and continue to grow.
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I dont think there is anything wrong with that. I mean we have the same thing here with numerous brands both apparel and equipment. Some big and some small. When your brand loyalists have to be your brand apologists over and over, eventually they will move on. Its great to feel important, and exchanging messages with a company head does that. No question about it.

But the constant battle of being a forum member, sponsor, apologist, and braggart all at the same time just makes for more drama. And while press can be good press when you are small growing company, there is no reason for it when you have bigger issues to deal with. And CLEARLY they have some pretty big issues to deal with.
 
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