Red Rooster Golf Glove Review

[Double Mocha Man]

2 minutes ago, Darkfrog said:

Yup, subscriptions are great for certain things. I have a bunch of subscriptions for consumables, like 50lb bags of rice, 50lb bags of various grains for milling/baking, 5 lb bags house blend coffee, toothpaste/toothbrush heads, allergy medicine, floss, toilet paper, paper towels, etc.

During the early days of the pandemic did the toilet paper keep rolling in?

[Darkfrog]

4 minutes ago, Double Mocha Man said:

During the early days of the pandemic did the toilet paper keep rolling in?

No, but luckily we have a bidet, so it wasn't really a problem. Also our local grocery stores didn't permit hoarding, so we never had a supply issue.

[iacas]

1 hour ago, Shorty said:

That sort of thing is a really good idea because you're getting a replacement for something you know needs to be replaced but you may not get around to otherwise. It's safety related so it makes sense. Golf gloves not so much. 

So you ignore the rest of my message about consumables.

Cool.

[GolfLug]

58 minutes ago, Darkfrog said:

 

 

Yup, subscriptions are great for certain things. I have a bunch of subscriptions for consumables, like 50lb bags of rice, 50lb bags of various grains for milling/baking, 5 lb bags house blend coffee, toothpaste/toothbrush heads, allergy medicine, floss, toilet paper, paper towels, etc.

I just don't see how this works out for a golf glove. If I ever decide to wear a glove again, I can just buy 3-4 of them, delivered to my porch, and then when one wears out, open a new one (I assume gloves don't go bad that quickly), and when I get down to the last glove, order a few more.

Subscriptions are good for everything as long as you have the consistent need. From, what I understand, it is less leveraged supply chain which technically benefits the consumer.

[Shorty]

58 minutes ago, iacas said:

So you ignore the rest of my message about consumables.

Cool.

How can you POSSIBLY interpret my comment as some kind of negative interpretation of your post? Or that somehow I was conveniently ignoring what you said about consumables? I am saying that a subscription service for certain things like filters is a great idea. I personally think a subscription service for something like golf gloves is a business model that is doomed to fail. That sentiment is unrelated to what I was saying about you, which is that you're doing something sensible. Sheeesh. 😳

Edited April 28, 2021 by Shorty

[mchepp]

6 minutes ago, Shorty said:

 I personally think a subscription service for something like golf gloves is a business model that is doomed to fail.

Can you share why you feel this way?

[colin007]

For me, there's the Titleist Players glove and then there's everything else.

[Vinsk]

10 minutes ago, mchepp said:

Can you share why you feel this way?

I will. How often I need a golf glove is not very consistent. Maybe I left in the heat, it got wet, I tore it, lost it, etc. When I need a glove it’s hardly an inconvenience to get one. Also, and maybe they’re reliable, but with delivering, shipping there just adds another possible delay. ‘We’re sorry for the delay in shipping…’ Just seems unnecessary for…a golf glove.

[Shorty]

23 minutes ago, mchepp said:

Can you share why you feel this way?

Because the business model is based on the desire to create a business rather than the observation of a clear gap in the market and a clear opportunity to address a need that is not being met and has limited alternatives.

It's a solution in search of a problem.

Have you ever had a conversation with golfers where this idea came up? Perhaps you have. My experience is that when people need a glove they buy one. And possibly have a few in their bag that they rotate. They replace them when they need to.

A subscription model is a fantastic idea for things that really need to be replaced, but the consumer often lacks motivation/memory/a trigger to make the purchase. This is especially true with things related to safety, and health, like air and water filters. Like routine maintenance and service contracts on machinery - or lifts (elevators) and things like that.

I have found some gloves that I think are fantastic on ebay and I can't recommend them highly enough. And they are ridiculously cheap. If anyone is interested I'll share details and why I use them.

These days you can buy great gloves very cheaply online or pay whatever you like for an FJ or Mizuno glove at the pro shop. We have good options that currently exist.

One of the key precepts of marketing and business is to identify an unmet need and address it.

There are many thousands of posts and topics on this site and every other golf forum. I have never seen a topic where people say "My worn out glove is affecting my scores. I wish a new one would just arrive every week/month/fortnight/ whatever."  And if it arrived  a day late that's just not good enough.

Some people will subscribe, but not enough to make it anything other than a small sideline where you're selling a cheap item sourced in India/Bangladesh/Vietnam/Pakistan/China or wherever.

They'd do better selling them online and offering a subscription as an option. Not the primary route.

 

Edited April 28, 2021 by Shorty

[Dave325]

2 minutes ago, Vinsk said:

I will. How often I need a golf glove is not very consistent. Maybe I left in the heat, it got wet, I tore it, lost it, etc. When I need a glove it’s hardly an inconvenience to get one. Also, and maybe they’re reliable, but with delivering, shipping there just adds another possible delay. ‘We’re sorry for the delay in shipping…’ Just seems unnecessary for…a golf glove.

Agreed! Some golf gloves seem to last longer than others. So if a company offers a subscription, are they already saying that their golf glove will last no longer than the new one arriving at my door? Hmmm. I like the long lasting ones. 

[mchepp]

Thank you @Shorty and @Vinsk for the replies. I have nothing to do with the company and I have never spoken to them. I just have an interest in different or potentially disruptive business models. For starters I think a company like this could save money simply because of the direct to consumer model versus buying in a pro shop. Most shops add anywhere from 30-50% of margin (that's my estimate). That can be eliminated. Snell for example shows that a high performance ball can be made affordable when 3 conditions are met:

1. The consumer buys in bulk
2. No money for marketing
3. Selling direct to consumers

For example I have purchased gloves from this company Cartur and found them to be as good as any high performance golf glove I have found on the market. $15 for what would easily cost me $25 in a shop. So I agree that there are other great gloves on the market at affordable prices.

My thought was that a subscription might be a way around the buying in bulk part of the equation. Potentially by having a "guaranteed" income stream of the subscription they can avoid making me buy 4-5 at a time. I might misplace the 5 or as said leave it out in the sun, whatever. I could save money and have a regular cadence of gloves in the same way that I am controlling now by buying 5 at a time.

I am sure they will have a non-subscription model, but I doubt they survive fighting that battle.

[iacas]

1 hour ago, Shorty said:

How can you POSSIBLY interpret my comment as some kind of negative interpretation of your post?

Read back through.

You keep making proclamations about subscription models. Amazon has a subscription model for many consumables that aren’t safety related. It works just fine for many things. Coffee. Meals. Even clothes. Beauty boxes. Etc.

[Shorty]

47 minutes ago, iacas said:

Read back through.

You keep making proclamations about subscription models. Amazon has a subscription model for many consumables that aren’t safety related. It works just fine for many things. Coffee. Meals. Even clothes. Beauty boxes. Etc.

Sure.... 

Things that people know they'll need a certain amount of and variations where you're essentially buying in bulk. I totally get that. Especially when the offering is cheaper.

I roast about 2 kilos of coffee every fortnight and buy 8 months worth of green beans at a time - about 30kg. I can handle that.

I can easily reorder . 3 minutes online. - I don't want a kilo coming in every week for a multitude of reasons.

My point is that going to the supermarket and lugging stuff around isn't really comparable to buying a few golf gloves online and then buying a few more (perhaps a different type) when you know you're running low.

If I can buy 6 gloves on ebay or Amazon that will last me x number of weeks or months I'm probably going to remind myself to get some more when I break out my last one.

My argument is not that subscription models by definition are a bad business idea. For the right product they are a great idea. 

My argument is that people who wear golf gloves are very well served as it is.

BUUUUTTTTTTT....................Here's an idea that I think MIGHT work.

If you (and I mean YOU, the Sandtrap,  not "you" in general) partnered with someone ( maybe even RedRooster) who imported golf gloves and in exchange for an agreed rate for advertising and promotion you could offer members, say, 10 gloves for $80 or whatever (maybe with your logo) that person would have  a great chance of making money, and it would be good for the site. I think you'd sell a lot of them. Or tees with The Sandtrap written on them with the logo - that would be cool and a win win win. They can handle the shipping and logistics. Just sayin'. 

Edited April 29, 2021 by Shorty

[Zippo]

Thanks, @DaveP043I enjoy reading about new products and appreciate you taking the time and energy top post about this one. Of course, I'm just looking at a picture on a computer and don't have the actual glove in my hand (or on my hand as the case may be) but comparing it to a glove I wear now it look to me like the seam where the thumb joins the hand kind of stands out. It doesn't seem (so to speak!) like a smooth transition. Like there may be a lip where the two pieces join. Here's what I'm talking about:

 

 

Not sure it would be an issue but it stands out to me.

I might try the glove as a one off but, for me, a subscription model doesn't work very well. I've tried a subscription on several other items and it just hasn't worked out for me although I can see where it might be the hot ticket for someone else.

In any event, thanks again for the post, review and the images. Much appreciated.

[DaveP043]

8 hours ago, Zippo said:

it look to me like the seam where the thumb joins the hand kind of stands out. It doesn't seem (so to speak!) like a smooth transition

I agree, there's definitely a difference in the way the pieces are sewn together.  I'm no expert in sewing leather, but it seems to me that having two rows of stitching may be better than a single row, but I can't be sure of that.  I'm similarly uncertain where the more high-stress seams are in a glove.  I do know that I didn't notice anything when playing.  I'll try to remember to take another look at it the next time I use it.  

[DaveP043]

On 4/29/2021 at 7:42 AM, DaveP043 said:

I agree, there's definitely a difference in the way the pieces are sewn together.  I'm no expert in sewing leather, but it seems to me that having two rows of stitching may be better than a single row, but I can't be sure of that.  I'm similarly uncertain where the more high-stress seams are in a glove.  I do know that I didn't notice anything when playing.  I'll try to remember to take another look at it the next time I use it.  

OK, reporting back on a couple of things.  First, I have a couple of new Titleist gloves, and those seams around the thumb are similar to what @Zippo showed, what I might call a "butt seam", after the welding term.  The Red Rooster uses a "overlap" seam, as does a Snell glove I have.  I honestly don't know if one is better than the other.

At this stage I have 5 rounds with the RR glove, and its still in good shape.  Nothing better than normal, but definitely not substandard either.

The kickstarter campaign is in progress, and the prices for gloves at this stage don't seem unusually low, around $20 per, less if you get more.  That includes a contribution of the same number of gloves to a couple of First Tee programs.  They indicated in an email that there would be a subscription option, which responds a little to some concerns voiced in this thread, but no details are available yet.  

That's it.  This is a pretty good quality glove, at a reasonable (but not low) price.  

[Vinsk]

FootJoy weather soft is $11. They do just fine. $20? Hardly a deal.

[mchepp]

37 minutes ago, Vinsk said:

FootJoy weather soft is $11. They do just fine. $20? Hardly a deal.

Yes, the pricing model is not great for a direct to consumer model. This may have something to do with giving an equal amount of gloves to charity. At $20 you are really buying one for $10 and giving one to a new golfer for $10. Again, this is admirable, but requires you to want to help out junior golf in Canada.

I am on the fence about contributing. I like to help out new businesses who do kickstarters and are related to golf when I can. But I prefer to give my time (coaching or giving tips) to charities such as the First Tee rather than a golf glove.