Category: Bag Drop

If you’re reading this in the Sunbelt of the United States, or anywhere else in the world where the weather’s good enough to tee it up year-round, you can sit this one out. (You lucky so-and-so.) This week’s edition of The Bag Drop is all about how to get your clubs ready for a long winter’s nap.

That’s right, those of us in the North are coming to the realization that the golf season is either fading fast or already gone. But before your forced hibernation begins, be sure you show your clubs some love so they’re ready when Mother Nature is in the spring.

Continue reading “Winterizing Your Clubs”

A recent post in The Sand Trap forum got me thinking about wedges and rust. Over the last decade, the number of wedges on the market that are “raw” and “meant to rust” has grown steadily. Why would you want to spend money on something that will rust? Does the rust increase spin or feel? Read on and find out.

Continue reading “Is Rust a Must?”

It wasn’t long ago that Callaway Golf unveiled the long-awaited Big Bertha Fusion FT-3 driver. It’s been a solid hit at retail, but the season is drawing to an end. Several companies – including Cleveland, Cobra, Ping and Titleist – have already announced and/or shipped new products with next year in mind, and TaylorMade is expected to announce new products any day now.

Callaway gave some of its key accounts a sneak peek at what new products it will be bringing to market in the first part of next year at the recent PGA Fall Expo in Las Vegas. The Bag Drop has the scoop on those new sticks, some of which are already in the bags of tour players as prototypes.

Continue reading “Sneak Peak at Callaway’s 2006 New Products”

This week we’ll take a little Bag Drop field trip. Instead of talking about the equipment, we’ll look at the equipment business. Specifically, let’s take a look at the change in the leadership of the PGA of America.

Point of clarification: we’re talking about the PGA of America, not the PGA Tour. There’s a lot of confusion about the fact that these are two separate entities. The PGA was founded in 1916 as an association of the country’s club professionals – the pros who work at golf courses teaching lessons and managing the facilities. At the time, this designation also covered golfers who played for a living on what would become the PGA Tour. The Tour was run by the PGA of America until the late 1960s, when star players like Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus – and IMG – decided they didn’t want to share the spotlight and the cash with the lowly club pros anymore, and they acrimoniously split. Thus, the PGA Tour was born.

Continue reading “A New Leader For The PGA of America”

At the start of 2005, nearly every major driver manufacturer – with a couple notable exceptions – had a new driver made of titanium and carbon composite either in their lineup or on the way. What a difference a year makes. When the calendar flips to 2006 and golf’s heavy hitters congregate at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, only a few drivers utilizing composite materials will likely be on display. Is composite on its way out (for a second time)? Or are the companies that are sticking with composites on the right track?

Continue reading “The Composite Conundrum”

The Bag Drop was on location for the inaugural playing of The Newport Cup matches in North Carolina last weekend. A hearty congratulations to the Blue Team on their victory, and to the Red Team on its punctuality and fashion sense.

While I spent most of my time at Talamore, Pine Needles and Anderson Creek hitting shots into and out of the majestic pine trees, I did have time to make some observations about the equipment The Sand Trap crew takes into battle.

Continue reading “Equipment Check From The Newport Cup”

As expected, Michelle Wie celebrated her 16th birthday last week by turning pro and becoming part of Nike’s stable of staff professionals. This is the most celebrated signing of a teenager with no official playing status on any of the world’s tours since Ty Tryon inked a deal with Callaway Golf in 2001.

Wie’s potential – and solid results in LPGA and PGA Tour events – suggests she won’t be ending up on the mini-tours like Tryon. But what does the near future hold for Wie, and what is the ripple effect that is being felt throughout the equipment industry?

Continue reading “Wie’s Impact on Business Not Wee”

Turning another page on the calendar makes me think about how the golf season is quickly slipping away from those of us in northern climes. For PGA Tour types, this means the Silly Season is upon us. But for those of us who are about to lose our golfing privileges for the next five months or so, we’re entering the Shopping Season.

That’s put me in the mood to start making a list for Santa Claus, since old Saint Nick and his helpers always want to know what golf goodies I’d like to see under the tree. Here’s what’s on my list so far this year; what’s on yours?

Continue reading “Making A List”

In this week’s Bag Drop, we’ll cover a few of the odds and ends of the equipment world. We’ll start with some observations of putters put in play at The Presidents Cup, then make sure to hit a few industry transactions involving a couple of old pros and some young guns.

Continue reading “Presidents Cup Putter Positioning”