TaylorMade Answers Your Questions

JB

Follow @THPGolf on Social Media
Albatross 2024 Club
Staff member
Joined
Oct 8, 2008
Messages
281,794
Reaction score
423,287
Location
THP Experiences
Recently, we asked you to submit questions and we while we were at TaylorMade Golf HQ in Carlsbad, CA, we would have Brian Bazzel sit down and answer some of them.

While many were done during our live written chat (that can be found here), we wanted to share a few that we thought it would be fun for Brian to answer on video.

 
It’s good to see the passion still seems to be there after all the turmoil of the last few years. Here’s hoping things settle down and they can continue to make good gear. They seem to have launched some serious winners this year, hopefully that trend continues.

Thanks for this JB, it was very interesting.
 
  • Thread starter
  • Admin
  • #3
It’s good to see the passion still seems to be there after all the turmoil of the last few years. Here’s hoping things settle down and they can continue to make good gear. They seem to have launched some serious winners this year, hopefully that trend continues.

Thanks for this JB, it was very interesting.

Baz definitely has passion and was a blast to spend a few hours with. Always asking about THP, the content, the forum and was so open to answer these questions as well as anything thrown at him in the Behind the Scenes thread.
 
Baz definitely has passion and was a blast to spend a few hours with. Always asking about THP, the content, the forum and was so open to answer these questions as well as anything thrown at him in the Behind the Scenes thread.

I'm willing to take him up with the visiting the HQ part and seeing their passion.

As Dave said, that passion jumped through the screen. In terms of irons, wedges, and putters, TM killed it with recent releases. Hope that continues for them
 
Good stuff JB. The question about whether or not drivers are "maxing out" is an interesting one, especially since distance gains can be misleading when paired with improved accuracy.

Most players will perceive distance gains if they hit more fairways. Hitting more fairways usually equates to longer drives since you're on the fairway and your golf ball isn't getting hung up in the rough. Companies like TaylorMade realize this and are shifting their focus on accuracy while not losing sight of club launch characteristics. Distance alone is reaching a point of "maxing out", however it's the combination of accuracy and distance that will lead to more yardage than optimal launch conditions alone.
 
Distance alone is reaching a point of "maxing out"

honest question: is this your opinion, or is this statement based on fact and research? genuinely curious.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
honest question: is this your opinion, or is this statement based on fact and research? genuinely curious.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Honestly, a little of both.

I’ve spoken to a few OEMs who all agree that how much distance can be designed into a club is reaching the limit. Adding straight, accurate distance is the newer focus.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Honestly, a little of both.

I’ve spoken to a few OEMs who all agree that how much distance can be designed into a club is reaching the limit. Adding straight, accurate distance is the newer focus.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

that’s very interesting. we hear often that there is more to be done with weights and positioning of materials.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
that’s very interesting. we hear often that there is more to be done with weights and positioning of materials.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I’d guess there’s still some wiggle room, but truthfully you can only do so much, there’s not a (legal) material you can put in a driver that’s going to make someone with an 80 MPH swing hit the ball 400 yards, but making the face more forgiving, optimizing launch, and improving accuracy will all make the ball go farther. I think there’s probably tech that will come out that will improve those things, the question is how much?
 
Looks like a fun interview, no doubt they will continue to take TM in a great direction!

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
 
TaylorMade Answers Your Questions

that’s very interesting. we hear often that there is more to be done with weights and positioning of materials.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I would say there is stuff that can be done, including expanding hitting zone, lower spin while having forgiveness, etc.

One of her biggest enjoyments is seeing companies go to more exotic designs. Cupped Face, composite crowns, etc. they can do so much for the golfer when done right.

Then add in those that really bring the shaft game and we have a winner.

Always enjoy spending time with Tomo and Baz and going over new products and talking about golf equipment.
 
Some great answers to some great questions. Glad to see TM still has the passion to innovate. They're always one of the first companies I look for to find new and exciting tech and hopefully they're in a better position to be successful moving forward. Tour validation has certainly helped.
 
Really good video, he seemed very genuine in his answers.
 
TaylorMade Answers Your Questions

Enjoyed the video, and TM definitely seems to be trending up with the success of some of their latest releases. It seems like no longer operating under Adi has worked out a lot better for them than many would have thought!
 
Last edited:
Enjoyed the video, and TM definitely seems to be trending up with the success of some of their latest releases. It seems like no longer operating under Adi has worked out a lot better for tham than many would have thought!

They are working hard. Very different company now, but that could be in a good way. They are definitely moving in the right direction and Baz is always a great person to have speak to THPers. Glad he was able to do it both here and in long form on the chat in the Behind the Scenes thread.
 
Very cool! Thanks so much for answering my question, really enjoyed the answer and the passion behind TM. Always cool learning more about the golf industry!
 
I really do think that Adidas selling them is the best thing that could have happened. The focus seems to be back on the products and golf in general. Like you said JB they may have the same name but they are not the same company they were 5 years ago.
 
Very cool! Thanks so much for answering my question, really enjoyed the answer and the passion behind TM. Always cool learning more about the golf industry!

It was a good question and one he was excited to answer.
One of the cool parts is Baz had no idea what questions were coming and answered them all off the cuff. Just as he did in the live chat.
 
I love that he spoke on culture because that can do a ton for a company. But one thing he mentioned that sort of touches on the big debate we always seem to have is tour presence. He mentions having 7 of the top 10 players on staff. Interesting how so many different companies view tour presence differently
 
I love that he spoke on culture because that can do a ton for a company. But one thing he mentioned that sort of touches on the big debate we always seem to have is tour presence. He mentions having 7 of the top 10 players on staff. Interesting how so many different companies view tour presence differently

They have really shifted that thought. From most used to most dominant. I think something like 100 tour players had contracts and were not renewed.
 
If you ever get a chance to speak to them again can you ask why they tip their driver shafts an inch as the stock configuration.
 
We are with them 4-6 times a year. We had a thread for submitting questions and most likely will again. We also had a live chat in the behind the scenes thread, where more questions were asked and answered (about 10-20).

Keep on the lookout to have your questions answered.
 
Honestly, a little of both.

I’ve spoken to a few OEMs who all agree that how much distance can be designed into a club is reaching the limit. Adding straight, accurate distance is the newer focus.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It is true given the rules of COR, and governing the clubs...However, there is more that could be done...
 
Back
Top