Which OEM "won" 2019?

Would have to go with Callaway. I did not get an opportunity to hit any clubs in their current line but their market share and growth certainly cannot be ignored.

On the smaller OEM side, my guys at Ben Hogan Golf made some very nice strides this year with the introduction of very good metal woods and putters and an impressive update to some already fantastic irons in the PTx Pro set. The DBM finish was a big win for them also.
 
Interesting. I have always enjoyed them when I hit them.
yeah, it was pretty eye opening watching THPers eliminate bias over a few hours on a range. Fun, really.

I'm rooting hard for TaylorMade, but I don't think they got it done this year. Obviously just my personal opinion.
 
From an overall sales perspective I would think Callaway won by a large amount.

I actually think a lot of the companies had a really good year in terms of the performance of their clubs. Tons of great options for consumers right now
 
If this is purely about a hype level or attention level, I can't think of too many negatives from most of the OEM's this year. The real winners were consumers with so much excellence to choose from especially with the ever growing presence of the DTC community.

IF someone had to be labeled a winner, gun to my head, Callaway for clubs, Bridgestone for Balls.
 
I’d have to go by category.

I like Callaway for irons due to the Apex line alone. Between the standard and pro versions, they could likely fit any golfer. Their woods are lacking by far for me. The flash face did nothing quantifiable in testing and their color schemes are terrible. I shouldn’t have to pay extra to have more neutral color options. I did test the new Callaway putters and came away impressed. But I didn’t spend enough time with them or put them into play on course to say if the graphite shaft would help to lower putts per round


I think woods are a toss up between TM and Cobra. But even Ping is right there too. It would be really tough. Callaway should take note of Cobra with their two stock color options. Yellow is a little out there, but the white is much more subtle. I’m not a fan of the way Ping irons feel/sound, but I like the 790 and Forged Tec offerings from TM and Cobra, respectively. TM still takes the lead in putters for me as I just went back to the Spider Tour from my PXG.

I think Srixon could keep up with any OEM in any category when it comes to performance. They just don’t have as much name recognition to actually “win” in sales. I’d still like to see them produce wedges separate from Cleveland. Make Cleveland their GI brand and Srixon their players brand. I’d also like to see offerings without the v-sole they use.

Titleist gets a nod for catching up to everyone else finally. But that’s hardly a win, maybe next year for them though if they keep it up. The future is now Titleist.
 
Depends on what win means. I think Mizuno has had a winning year with iron releases, and Ping, who doesn't get a lot of THP love, had a great year from wedges to irons to metal woods. I see Mizuno fitting carts everywhere now, and Ping clubs are in a lot of bags. I think Srixon is finding ways to win with golf balls. There are some new ball lines that are also jumping into win columns.

The titans (Callaway, Taylormade, and Titleist) have so much momentum that it is hard to define what win would mean in their context. They advertise everywhere. They sell a mass quantities of product. They are massively visible on pro tours. I think their job is to not lose.
 
2020 will be a step backwards for a number of companies. the few companies that will move forward based on what I have seen are Cobra, TM and maybe Mizuno in the woods department. The rest will stay level or go backwards a few steps.

Titleist nothing in 2020, The TS series is really good.
Callaway - The Maverik line is a high handicap, high MOI play and will be a backwards step from the epic
TM - the Sim line is going to be very good. Very very good.
Cobra - the Speedzone driver is really good. I was impressed.
Ping - The G410 is really good, not sure where they will go from here.
Wilson - the cortex... don't get me started. The D7 line? Oof. Wilson needs some help. The new blades are great but a small market play. The FG tour irons are great but are old.
 
i guess it's all personal, but in my own testing and comparing numbers side by side, this was not my experience. flash was better than epic for me. and cf19 was way better than cf16. again, that's just my experience looking at the numbers.
but is flash better than epic in the same way epic was better than GBB? That’s where my hang up is. I’m not saying it’s not better, I’m just of the opinion that it’s not as crazy different as everyone seems to make it out to be. I don’t see that different of results/numbers when hitting both. Where with the Epic over the GBB, I did.

also, most of my experience is with the Pro versions of the irons, which weren’t that different from either other IMO.

I’m not saying either of those options were worse or callaway had a bad year, but the biggest difference for 2019 is titleist for me
 
Callaway definitely kept their industry leading sales position and possibly widened the margin. I think the Apex irons are wonderful and the Epic Flash driver was great. I think Titleist really brought out modern products for the first time in several years and did a lot to change their brand image in the eyes of us geeks. I think Mizuno gained a ton of traction with the JPX line and may have put it ahead of their own vaunted MP lineup of irons. It's kind of funny to me, but I think Taylormade outside of the P790's is starting to become what Titleist was. When consumers look at their clubs I think they sometimes think "Those are only for really good players". It seems like a good thing, but Titleist saw it can work against you for sure.
 
but is flash better than epic in the same way epic was better than GBB? That’s where my hang up is. I’m not saying it’s not better, I’m just of the opinion that it’s not as crazy different as everyone seems to make it out to be. I don’t see that different of results/numbers when hitting both. Where with the Epic over the GBB, I did.

also, most of my experience is with the Pro versions of the irons, which weren’t that different from either other IMO.

I’m not saying either of those options were worse or callaway had a bad year, but the biggest difference for 2019 is titleist for me

i tested the gbb, but my swing was way different then than it is now, so not really a fair comparison. personally i hated the cf16 pro, and as much as i love the cf19 pro in other people's hands i can't find the middle of the face with it so can't comment on that comparison either haha
 
Or more importantly what winning is. Sales? Growth in sales?

for the purposes of the op question, i think it's possible to win without winning sales, if a comprehensive release cycle makes you more relevant than ever before. but i think it's also possible to win with winning sales, if you're already at the top but still release an amazing lineup.
 
I am not being a homer when I say Callaway.

If we go category by category

Driver / woods - Callaway with flash face tech in the Epic line

Hybrid - Big Bertha, Apex and Superhybrid cover everything anyone could want in a hybrid

Irons - Apex

Wedges - MD5s and PM Grinds

Putters - Stroke Lab tech

Golf Ball - I didn’t really play other balls this year but I don’t think it’s Callaway given they had to acknowledge a manufacturing issue. How about TM? A lot of people seem to rave about their ball
 
Callaway seems to have had a pretty dominant year me thinks...
 
yeah, it was pretty eye opening watching THPers eliminate bias over a few hours on a range. Fun, really.

I'm rooting hard for TaylorMade, but I don't think they got it done this year. Obviously just my personal opinion.
I guess I will have to pay more attention. New irons are on my wish list. I mean, I could just bend my 2° flat, but where is the fun there?
 
I'll take a stab here.

Putters - I think Odyssey takes it here. They took an idea that existed on the fringes of the market and made it mainstream. They continue to tweak and advance their insert tech. Whether or not you like the Stroke Lab putters you've got to appreciate a company that keeps trying new things.

Wedges - no opinion. Find your favorite shape and buy it. Special mention to the Ping coating that performs great in the wet.

Players Irons - plenty of great options this year. For me the Apex Pro deliver the most speed in the prettiest package (tested on Trackman 2 days ago). Realistically I could happily game Srixon, Mizuno, P-760, T100, or V6 so it's hard to say anyone has 'Won' this space.

Hybrids - Big Berthas are absolutely point-and-shoot. Combine that with Apex, Flash, and Super Hybo and Callaway takes it here. Plenty of shapes and profiles for every player and they all bring the speed. Price is getting a little out of hand though.

Woods - This one is tough. Flash face is effective new tech, the M5 Tour is gorgeous, the TS3 brings Titleist back into the game. Mizuno has some low-spin monsters, Srixon has speed. I think this ends up in the same place as wedges - pick your favorite 2 or 3 shapes and get a thorough fitting done. Too close to call.

Boutiques - Big year for Swag. In a space where every Tom, Dick, and Harry with a CNC machine fancies themselves a putter genius Swag continues to pump out simple & refined shapes, fun covers, and a genius "Special" system to keep collectors buying covers they don't even want.
 
sales would be interesting to see. i was wondering about perception among us nerds haha

and you have a point about titleist. they definitely had a strong year. when @MWard and i played together last week, one of the guys we were paired with had recently been fit with a combo set of t100 and cb irons. man did they look amazing!

They did look solid. I’d probably think titleist pretty much stays in third or fourth in iron sales and they’re sorta okay with that?
 
I guess I will have to pay more attention. New irons are on my wish list. I mean, I could just bend my 2° flat, but where is the fun there?
I would be very interested to see what your thoughts were (not indoors on sim) on P790 vs HMB vs King Forged Tec.
 
It is such a mixed bag really, and how I play my current setup.
Drivers Callaway
Fairways Srixon
Irons would be a tie between Callaway and Mizuno
Wedges would be Callaway and Titleist
Putters would be Toulon.

If I had to pick just one, it would be Callaway. They have something that fits everyone and overall great products.
 
I think Callaway won "MVP"
Mizuno won "Comeback Player of the Year"
 
I would be very interested to see what your thoughts were (not indoors on sim) on P790 vs HMB vs King Forged Tec.
That's the hard part. Winter is here. I get to stew on club thoughts and get to only use sims for the next 6 months, if I'm lucky.

I'm sure all of these clubs are great, but I have a hard time stomaching $1000+ for irons.
 
I think Callaway won "MVP"
Mizuno won "Comeback Player of the Year"

I don’t get the mizuno love some people are showing. I think the irons put forth by cobra check every box more so than mizuno irons do but then again, everyone’s preference is different. I’d say Callaway won for the year but cobra/titleist was creeping closer than expected.
 
1. Callaway
2. Cobra
3. Mizuno
Those 3 nailed a few items that everyone talked about.
 
For me, this was the first year no one OEM really "won":

Driver - Cobra
Hybrids - Ping
Irons - Callaway
Wedges - Callaway + TaylorMade
Putter - Taylormade and Bettinardi
Woods - can't find anything i can hit worth a darn
 
I don’t get the mizuno love some people are showing. I think the irons put forth by cobra check every box more so than mizuno irons do but then again, everyone’s preference is different. I’d say Callaway won for the year but cobra/titleist was creeping closer than expected.
I think the new wood line Mizuno released in 2019 makes them a more complete full bag option than in the past.
And I agree with you that that Cobra/Titleist are nipping at Callaway's heels.
 
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