What's up with Ping?

**LongDrive04** · February 26, 2009

I received a coupon in the mail from Golf Galaxy for $20.00 off, and I went down there to pick up one of those Ping IWI CrazE Putters. Anyhow the guy at the store told me I couldnt use my coupon for a Ping Club. Apparently if a dealer sells a ping club for any less that the MSRP they will lose their ability to be a distributor or some nonsense.

Anyhow I ended up getting one of those new Odyssey 2 ball F7 Putters, so we will see how that works out for me.

p.s I didnt get the odyssey because I was upset about the Ping rule, I got it because I had a gift card and they were out of the IWI series of putters. I still like ping products.

**denver_nuggs_15** · February 26, 2009

It's just their thing. Apple basically does the same thing with most (if not all) of their products. Have you ever noticed that iPods are the same price everywhere? PING wants their products to be the same price everywhere.

**Jcp907** · February 26, 2009

I received a coupon in the mail from Golf Galaxy for $20.00 off, and I went down there to pick up one of those Ping IWI CrazE Putters. Anyhow the guy at the store told me I couldnt use my coupon for a Ping Club. Apparently if a dealer sells a ping club for any less that the MSRP they will lose their ability to be a distributor or some nonsense.

I don't know with certainty, but I suspect that Ping has established a Unilateral Sales Policy that states that a reseller will lose their ability to purchase at a discount if they sell it for less than a specified amount. The idea is that the Ping line takes time and knowledge to support and this policy was established in order to be certain that retailers earn a particular margin, so that it's worth their while to spend the time necessary training, then with the customer, and not fear that they will lose the sale to a discounter. In other words, if someone spends considerable time with a golfer, fitting him, that golfer can't take those specifications to the internet and purchase the fit clubs at a discount. The fitting takes time, and experience to do properly, and this policy assures that the fitter won't lose the sale to a discounter.

This is different from a MAP or minimum advertised price policy in that the MAP has nothing to do with actual sale price, just what it's advertised for.

**Pat007** · February 27, 2009

yup...Ping clubs are still full price 3 years after they came out. Kinda weird if you ask me..

**pshizz** · February 27, 2009

ping clubs are garbage in my opinion anyways. Doesn't bother me.

***iacas*** · February 27, 2009

Ping was in the news a few times for strict enforcement of their bizarre "minimum price" policy. It really can handcuff retailers a little bit...

I remember two stories.

In one, a war veteran got a discount offered by a club as standard discount for veterans.

In another, a pro or something donated a club or sold it very cheaply to a breast cancer organization or fundraiser (maybe at that same golf course).

In both cases, the clubs/pros lost their reseller privileges. Ping later "made good" on the veteran's discount thing by instituting some sort of corporate-level discount for veterans. But it reeked of "oh, crap, let's try to make ourselves look good now" after the fact.

Again, all IIRC...

**jcrob902** · February 27, 2009

I don't know about all the corporate stuff but I have noticed that ping is on sale NO WHERE AT ALL EVER, I nwvwe played a ping club until I bought a G10 driver, and um good club but it's gone already and I'm back on the new driver hunt again.

**Jcp907** · February 27, 2009

Ping was in the news a few times for strict enforcement of their bizarre "minimum price" policy. It really can handcuff retailers a little bit...

Erik,

The issue is probably with the law, not Ping. The policy must be enforced unilaterally, with zero tolerance, or it's not legal and the penalties are severe for being on the wrong side of the law. If what you recall occurred a year or more ago, there wasn't a lot on the books for case law, and Ping was probably very hesitent to make a different decision, so they erred on the side of caution. Over the past year, there is some case law favoring the manufacturers, however, the policy must be clear. As far as I know it's still zero tolerance, which means if a sale is made at a discounted price because an employee made a mistake, and Ping is made aware of it, then the retailer must lose their ability to buy at a discount. The idea of the poicy is probably twofold, and I don't know anyone at Ping, or their reasoning for implementing the policy, so these are assumptions. To retain value in the resale market, similar to what Harley Davidson has enjoyed over the years, and second to keep margins intact for resellers, so that the resellers are incented to offer the customer service that Ping intends without fear of that sale going to a discounter, after the initial consultation. From a consumer side of things, I tried 8 drivers, was fitted for and bought a Rapture V2 driver. I love it, and I am happy that I know that I received the best price I could have on it, even though it was a lot of money.

**SasQuatch<3** · February 27, 2009

It shouldnt matter that you had a coupon, the store basically gave you that extra 20 bucks!
Why does Ping do this? clubs from 05' are selling for practically the same price as the 09's

***iacas*** · February 27, 2009

The issue is probably with the law, not Ping. The policy must be enforced unilaterally, with zero tolerance, or it's not legal and the penalties are severe for being on the wrong side of the law.

The law had nothing to do with the cases I cited. There's no law that prevents someone from discounting if it's in their reseller agreement, and why Ping wouldn't have it in their reseller agreement is still Ping's fault, not the law's. Furthermore, even if Ping's policy is "absolute minimum, no discounts" I doubt the law _requires_ them to sever the relationship for a one-time offense.

Either way, the stories left a bad taste in my mouth. http://thesandtrap.com/podcasts/golf_talk_episode_039 http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories...ol_98427.shtml

"It's something we apply to all of our accounts consistently, and we don't have exceptions to it," Mr. Gates said. "We don't sell direct to the public; we sell to retailers, and we do have certain policies in place with them. Those policies are confidential between us and the account."

The idea of the poicy is probably twofold, and I don't know anyone at Ping, or their reasoning for implementing the policy, so these are assumptions.

Oh I understand the reasons for the policy. Virtually all club manufacturers have them to some degree or another. But only Ping seems to object to giving military discounts or charitable discounts.

But that all being said, it was years ago and things have likely changed, and I don't want to beat it to death either (hoping we haven't already).

**MiniMoe** · February 27, 2009

I got the same advertisement. If you look very carefully, that discount does not apply to many of the name brand products. Just a waist of time, if you ask me.

**golf_junkie27** · February 28, 2009

yup...Ping clubs are still full price 3 years after they came out. Kinda weird if you ask me..

The reason is because until very recently, they would release new irons every five years. Now, that cycle I believe is three years. They're not like Taylormade who releases drivers every few hours. As I type this, someone on the PGA Tour is probably testing a prototype, new R11 driver.

Seriously, though, if you found out what they do when they go through one of their fittings, the care they provide for all of their customers, it would be hard to blame them for their pricing practices when you combine with club cycles.

**Power_fade** · February 28, 2009

lol. sad part about that r11 comment is it could be true a few weeks from now.

ranchopedro · February 28, 2009

This thread contains a lot of bad info.

As a simple correction: for those that Serve Ping has a rebate system in place, in effect a discount. I will stop with this one.

And if I may add: I maybe correct in stating that Ping still is the only one forging irons in the USA?.

**Sherlockian** · February 28, 2009

And if I may add: I maybe correct in stating that Ping still is the only one forging irons in the USA?.

Really?? I had no clue that Ping had forged irons.

Seriously, in the past when they had truely innovative ideas, I think Ping was worth the money. Their early cavity back and oversized irons(Eye,Zing,ISI) are still some of the best GI clubs out there. Today, that is not the case. They have very little to differentiate themselves from the other manufacurers GI clubs. Like other manufacturers, they have a loyal following that will put out the money for old technology masked with graphics.

ranchopedro · February 28, 2009

Is your punitive response necessary?

Are you aware of what loco represents in the Spanish language? And is that truly how you would care to present yourself in life? I was not attempting to describe the exact manufacturing processes of a Ping club head. Forged was simply used to describe the creation of a steel club head, possibly a poor choice in the golf world of forging and casting.

Really?? I had no clue that Ping had forged irons.

**Sherlockian** · February 28, 2009

I did not realize that my response was punishing to you(punitive), so I apologize for punishing you for the errors in your response.

Loco is actually derived from the Latin Locus, meaning "place". In Spanish, the term is used as an adjective to mean out of place or absurd. In the Mexican dialect of Spanish, loco has been wrongly used as slang for crazy, demented, intoxicated, etc.

I was not presenting myself as Loco, but the notion of Ping actually forging is absurd and out of place.

In golf, as in metallurgy, the terms forging and casting mean very specific processes. Ping has always been known for their casting process, that is what put them on the "map", when most irons were forged. Ping made innovative products here in the USA that were more affordable(and forgiving) than the forged irons of other manufacturers.

Now Ping has outsourced their casting to China, use graphics to sell products, and are more expensive than most other brands.

Of course this is coming from someone who is considered "loco" for playing older, less technologically advanced clubs with steel shafts.

ranchopedro · February 28, 2009

Really? thank you for revealing yourself.

so I apologize for punishing you for the errors in your response.

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