Brand perception

**hypergolf** · March 10, 2007

Just wanted to see how you guys perceive each brands to what kind of charateristics.

For example these are my perceptions towards each brands:

Titleist: For better players. Less forgiving.
Callaway: More forgiving design for the general.
Taylormade: For good players but more forgiving than Titleist. Produces
woods that are prefered by many.
Honma: Mostly for Japanese or Korean players. Expensive and more for
status.
Ping: Best custom fitting options.
Nike: For general public with tons of budget for marketing to
promote their not so good products (No offense to Nike fans)
Adams: Great Hybrid maker.
Mizuno: Best forged irons. Great wedges too.
Cleveland: Trying to be with the big brands but not quite there yet.
Cobra: Easier version of Titleist.
Wilson: For general players who wants budget but good clubs.
Tour Stage (Bridgestone): Japanese prefer Tour Stage to Mizuno but I don't
know what the perception is in the US or other European
countries.
Nickent: Great hybrids.
MacGregor: For senior golfers or golfers who want more forgiving designs.
Srixon: I have no set biased perception towards this brand.
Tour Edge: Same as above.

What are your perceptions towards each brand? And why do you prefer a certain brand?

**lane_3303** · March 10, 2007

Titleist: Low handicappers or pros, or for peolpe who want to be taken seriously by their friends!
Callaway: Forgiving Drivers, woods, and irons for the everyday player. Marketing Machine, They sold me :)
Taylormade: Great Woods If somewhat complicated for a high handicapper, Sub par irons imho
Ping:Great Forgiveng Irons, Putters somewhat over shadowed by Titleist, Odyssey.
Nike: Descent Woods, everything else is CRAP, Average Joe Just wants to be like Tiger
Adams: HYBRID and Senior clubs
Mizuno: Oooo Forged Irons and thats about it.
Cleveland: Wedges
Wilson: Beginners clubs only

This is just my opinion of what I think about when I here the brand name.

**Q.Q.Quillume** · March 10, 2007

When I hear "Wilson", I think "How the mighty have fallen."

Sam Snead and Arnold Palmer, among others, played Wilson Staff clubs and balls. Wilson made equipment for champions, now they make equipment for chumps.

**teal** · March 12, 2007

My problem isn't with the brand perception - as a new player I would say mine run the same as most here have posted but determining what by whome is the best for a guy like me who is well over 100 on a round.

**Cleveland Gunmetal** · March 13, 2007

Callaway - Marketing machine, top quality and most forgiving clubs. You can't go wrong but Do they really need this many woods amongst their current product line?
Titleist - Only above average/good players apply
Taylor Made - Overrated IMO, Good Drivers and fairway woods and the rest lacks
Cleveland - My fav overall. Underrated woods, Great irons and wedges. NC putters were a nice addition.
Mizuno - Great players irons and wedges. Get a different driver or fairway wood though.
Wilson - At least they've got Paddy Harrington. Actually... A nice bargain brand.
I dont' know enough about Srixon or Bridgestone to really say anything. I do like both of their golf balls though.
Ping - solid company but you either really like them or don't and I'm not a big fan
Adams - Nice hybrids and fairway woods. Need someone other than Tom Watson to lead the charge
Nickent - Players hybrids? I dunno...
Tour Edge - Great bargain clubs. Well... cept the exotics. Not sure what they were thinking there.

**Cleveland Gunmetal** · March 13, 2007

LOL...and I forgot about Nike. Guess that shows what I think of them. Tiger wannnabes

**winders** · March 14, 2007

I just don't get this hate for Nike products. They don't make bad products. In fact, they make quality products. And they innovate as much or more than any other company.

They make some very nice drivers for a variety of skill levels. Their fairway woods are very good. They make a variety of quality irons for all kinds of players. They make very good wedges and they have a pretty decent line of putters. They even have some of the best balls.

Tiger wannabe's?? Yeah, I would sure hate be to be like Tiger! Is anyone that has Callaway clubs a Phil wannabe? Get real....

As I said, I don't get the hate....

Scott

**Black_Black** · March 14, 2007

The first post is pretty spot on I would add Miura as a high end status brand. But they do make a top notch high quality product. Their blades(the model name is acutally BLADE) all aspects of them look insanely beautiful. I suppose you can call them the Ziyi Zhang of irons!

**milesdowsett** · March 14, 2007

When I hear "Wilson", I think "How the mighty have fallen."

Couldn't agree more Q.Q.Quillume!

Faldo won 4 majors with Wilson I believe, at least contractually anyway. Although that is a bit of a Paradox, cos I think he always played Mizuno blades with his Wilson contract, cos they were traditionally the best iron maker; certainly of the time, at least! Also, Vijay Singh was on Wilson's books; so too was Monty.

**Cleveland Gunmetal** · March 14, 2007

I just don't get this hate for Nike products. They don't make bad products. In fact, they make quality products. And they innovate as much or more than any other company.

No disrespect intended. You are right, they do make some nice products. I think their latest drivers are pretty darn good. I just have a hard time with Nike getting a big part of the golf industry now too. They are just the best/biggest sports marketing company ever (whoever designed that silly little swoosh is da man). I just can't give my golf money to Nike too, they don't need it. True Callaway and Taylor Made are big marketers as well but at least they have been in the golf industry. It seems one day Nike just decided they wanted a part of the action in golf, signed the best young player to a ridiculous contract (boy did that pay off though) and boom, the money started rolling in.

**Q.Q.Quillume** · March 14, 2007

Another brand that used to make great clubs and had a pretty big presence on the PGA Tour, but now makes clubs for chumps is PowerBilt. They made beautiful forged blades and beautiful persimmon woods. I don't know that they had any of the "big guns" in their stable, but I seem to remember Mr. X (Miller Barber) (11 PGA Tour wins), Bobby Nichols (11 PGA Tour wins including 1 major) and several other (almost) big names played PowerBilts on the tour.

**Puttin4Bird** · March 14, 2007

If you listen to people talk about Nike golf products it's very similar to how computer "techies" talk about Microsoft, people just seem to immediately get a bad perception of the top dogs out there. (Sports equip in general, not golf specifically)

For me brand perception isn't as big as model perception, let me explain:

If I see someone come to the course with a bag decked out in the latest equipment, all top of the line clubs, bag, ball etc I'm immediately going to think "poser" rich dude who can't play a lick.

Now if someone shows up at the course with some Titleist blades or something I'm going to think we've got a player on our hands here. That is probably by and large false perception on my part however.

I agree with what others have said about equipment companies though.

**milesdowsett** · March 14, 2007

I think the issue is is that Nike have only been making clubs for a relatively short time and don't have the legacy of say Callaway, Titleist, Taylor Made etc.

Even though I'm sure that the Nike products on offer are of the highest quality I must admit I'd hesitate buying them simply because they haven't been around for very long!

I remember buying my first metal wood back in 1990, an 8.5 degree Taylor Made Burner, with the dimples on the side of the head; head the size of a tea cup! I remember the first set of Irons I had, Wilson Aggressors. I'm 30 years old; Faldo was/is my all time golfing hero! I watched each one of his 6 Major wins in awe! if I was 10 years younger and had never known golf before Tiger I'm sure I'd be Nike all the way.

**Cleveland Gunmetal** · March 14, 2007

If you listen to people talk about Nike golf products it's very similar to how computer "techies" talk about Microsoft, people just seem to immediately get a bad perception of the top dogs out there. (Sports equip in general, not golf specifically)

Good post. I was actually thinking about Microsoft during my last post. Some companies are just good golf companies or whatever their specific field may be. Microsoft and Nike seem to have to get a piece of everything. Sony makes the Playstation so Microsoft has to come out with the Xbox, Apple makes the ipod so Microsoft has to come out with their own mp3 player to mimic Apple's. Maybe not great examples but you get the point. Now Microsoft and Nike seldom ever put out a bad product, that's the kicker so they end up getting loads of sales. In short, I think Nike is just a little too trendy, at least IMO.

**NM Golf** · March 14, 2007

I somewhat understand the dislike for Nike but I really believe it is unwarranted now. I think Nike did a poor job when they entered the golf scene. They just put out an iron and ran with it. And the first clubs they came out with were crap. They were horrible. But that was 8 or 9 years ago. The equipment now is, for the most part, pretty descent. I myself believed they made an inferior product until I tried my current irons. They are pretty dang solid. I think Nike has finally started to get it right. And the whole tiger wannabe thing is ridiculous. Tiger could switch to Callaway tomorrow and there is no way in hell I am going to play anything from Callaway.

**allin** · March 14, 2007

Wilson: Beginners clubs only

When I hear "Wilson", I think "How the mighty have fallen."

As to the rest of the postings. I agree with you generally but remember perceptions are based on recent past. I see Adams as a company on the way up. Their new forged iron is spectacular. I think Macgregor is trying to redefine itself and making better products, the VIP's were good clubs they just need to stop changing direction so often. Tour edge makes excellent woods and hybrids, both their regular line (great bang for the buck) and the exotics. Their regular irons could use some work, but I doubt you could find better for the price. They have upgraded the shafts in their products recently. I think somebody like sonartec, bridgestone or sirixon should by Hogan.

I have recently bought and am now breaking in a set of Wilson Staff Ci6's. This perception you have is the risk any large generall sporting goods company that markets to more than one type of player faces. Nike, Bridgestone, or a golf company with many different models of clubs aimed at different players Adams, Cleveland. You should really demo the Ci6's just to see. They were not really a bargain, about $5.00 a club cheaper than the Mizuno MX-25s I tested. I believe players from 6 to about 16 could play these clubs. They seem to be aimed at players of that level that try play shots not power players.

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