Not that long ago TaylorMade Golf owned the metalwood industry on an almost-unprecedented level. The company controlled the market to the point that nearly one of every two metalwoods sold was theirs. That is a bit of an exaggeration, but not by as much as you might think. The number is certainly closer to half than it is to a quarter of all sales.
At one point, no matter what TaylorMade Golf released, it was a shoe-in to jump to the top of the sales charts. Clever marketing, top-notch products and the ability to use the slogan “#1 Used on Tour” helped propel their clubs into bags everywhere. The golf equipment industry, at least if we are talking about clubs, is easily one of the most competitive and fickle that exists. Performance on the level of TaylorMade’s was nothing short of spectacular.
Of course, few things last forever and today we see a profoundly different landscape.
Gone is the single-company dominance and in its place is a tighter, more competitive marketplace that seems to be increasingly focused on advancing technology and connecting with consumers on an individual level. We’ve seen the complete rebirth of some companies; others that have changed their design philosophies; the decline of some; and sadly, the virtual dismantling of at least one.
A number of factors have contributed to shaping this new era.
*PING, a company that could reasonably be accused of being slow to change (at least on the outside), managed to break free and deliver a completely different looking G30 line that quickly became a #1 seller in 2015.
*Against all odds, Callaway, with a new CEO in Chip Brewer, recaptured what originally made them an icon of the industry – player-centric lines, a flood of a visible technology, high-end components, and marketing that transcended anything seen in the industry to that point.
*Even Titleist, easily the major company most resistant to radical change, delivered their most technologically advanced and inclusive line of clubs to date.
*And then of course, the industry’s Goliath, TaylorMade, simultaneously managed to lose their way with products and marketing, something that few saw coming – at least on the scale it occurred.
As golfers look across the landscape of the metalwoods industry, the halfway point of 2015 is upon us and it’s never been so diverse and compelling. For some companies it’s a time of great hope and for others a time of uncertainty. For consumers, it’s a time to reap the benefits of a truly competitive market.
So here is your chance to play CEO/arm chair quarterback. You are given the keys to the kingdom and asked to bring TaylorMade back to the “glory days” in 12 months. What do you do? Join us in this THP Forum Thread and share your thoughts here.
No thanks. Wasted too much money on TM tech that did not work for the typical golfer despite TM’s marketing barking.
Taylormade definitely lost its way and spent far too much cash on inventory and speeding up their release cycles – almost like a “lets see what sticks” approach.
Taylormade should do what Callaway did a few years back – step out of the limelight, regroup/readjust and produce better products. Everyone else has caught up or has surpassed Taylormade in terms of tech advancements – time to go back to the drawing board…
White has lost it’s “charm”.
Time to deliver some technology that’s truly game changing to recapture market share.
Hell, they are still relying on “DJ hits it farther than everyone else”. What DJ does means very little to the consumer these days.
I would hire Dave Cordero back !
TM R1 might be the least forgiving driver I’ve ever played. Unfortunatly it cost me $300 so I’m stuck playing it for another year or so.
I have never purposefully played TM clubs. No reason why, except that I had other clubs that either sufficed or I thought were better.
I guess I never bought into the hype around this OEM.
Club fitting and access to hitting bays with launch monitors at every big box retailer and small local shops has evened the playing field. We are no longer convinced by what is advertised (or what we are told is in a Pro’s bag) but rather by how it performs. “Proof is in the Pudding!” Sorry TM!
I used to love their equipment. 12 of my clubs are old TM equipment. 2013 started as the end of my love affair; pre-ordered new RBZ Driver, 3-wood, hybrids and ATV wedges, and they became backordered until late May. When they arrived Memorial Day Weekend, ads on TV featured “brand new” equipment for Father’s Day weekend. Since then, every new driver that has come out I have tested on the golf swing simulator against my 2011 R11. NONE of them produced any specs that was worth a $300-400 investment. Way too much product turnover, and very little benefit for those of us who only swing 90MPH.
For me Taylormade just was going with outlandish claims for their product and they quickly became the company to hate especially with the Rbz line, 17 yards longer yeah right. It also doesn’t help no matter what the driver from the R11 forward the faces felt like complete rocks and they didn’t perform well at all. I think if they would regroup and what I would do would be make products that don’t look like R2D2, that feel and look great (I think they are as good as anything out their performance wise) they need to cut their driver shafts down for the average player and market their forgiving model much more than their tour model. I really liked the RSi lineup this year, but putters need a refreshed look maybe some new designed, they have been riding that spider for way too long.
When an OEM releases new equipment at such a frequent pace, and in each case touts how much more forgiving the club(s) is and how much distance will be gained, I start to lose faith in what the brand is really trying to sell me. In Taylormade’s case, and I used to play their metal woods, (had an R7 driver which I loved and two R9 fairway woods) I feel like less product offerings with fewer gimmicks would get my attention. It’s like the boy who cried wolf – if you keep shouting every 6 months that THIS new club is so much better than the LAST new club… who’s gonna listen
An onslaught of new improved models that felt like a very cynical display of planned obsolescence. I’ve played TM for years and always liked the product, but it felt like the marketing went into hyper-drive a few years ago, to the point where it almost felt like a parody of itself. It was like,”Let’s see how often we can get golfers to change their minds about equipment in a given amount of time.”