So far, we’ve examined six of the top original equipment manufacturers in golf today: The Big Three of Acushnet, Callaway and TaylorMade-Adidas, and the Next Three of Cleveland, Nike and Ping. This week, The Bag Drop takes a look at a couple groups of golf companies that find themselves looking up at those six brands.
Your Guide To The OEMs, Part 3
The golf equipment business is a crowded, cutthroat place. To help you make sense of it, I’m giving you my interpretation of how the top companies in the biz relate to one another.
Callaway Golf is enjoying a resurgent 2005 after a couple off-years. The company started the year by launching the Big Bertha 454 Titanium driver, which has been a success in the marketplace. With the golf season in full swing across the U.S., Callaway has released a new titanium-composite driver, the Big Bertha Fusion FT-3. Will the company’s new driver succeed where the composite-based C4 and ERC Fusion drivers faltered? The early word is a resounding “Yes.”
TaylorMade Golf has surged to the top of the driver marketplace over the last few years. The company which first popularized the modern metalwood fell off the pace a bit in the late ’90s, but rebounded strongly with its 300 and 500 series titanium drivers. TaylorMade successfully followed those products with the r7 Quad driver, which stands as one of the most-played – and most-imitated – drivers on tour and at retail.
One of my favorite days of the year is the Sunday of the British Open. The TV comes on early and I settle in to watch the whole thing. I wish I could have invited you all over to my heavily fortified compound to watch with me, but there are space constraints and noise ordinance issues. Instead, as a public service, I kept a running diary of the final round’s events for you, as seen from my couch. Let’s get started.