Ernie Els. The real story.

[hypergolf]

Anyone knows the "real" story why Ernie left Titleist for Callaway?

[Q.Q.Quillume]

Obviously Ernie hasn't confided in me, but I would bet he's following the money.

[rockramon]

Can only have been for the cash...

[lane_3303]

I want to say cash as well...
But he probably at least doesn't mind callaway clubs
So why not???

[Matt 2108]

$ $ $

And the fact that Callaway makes high quality golf equipment.

[Clubswinger21]

$ $ $

the fact he'd been struggling with his driver for years and the fact that the ft-5 and ft-i are the two straightest drivers available. He is still using titleist irons so i doubt there was a conflict involved.

[Juzmi]

He is only using the Titleist irons because they havent worked with him yet for the Callaway irons. He also said a switch to Odyssey putters is a definite. So Im sure here in the next week or so Ernie will be playing his whole bag Callaway.

[Mulligan26]

I think the X-forged should work for him pretty well. He has 670 blades which are custom order only, so maybe he doesn't get enough workability from the X-forged which I highly doubt. Look for him to have X-forged irons here pretty soon.

[PalmIII]

It is really quite simple. Els had one year left on his deal with Titleist, and his agent understood that he could get more money from Callaway, just like Phil did.

It was time for negotiations, and Titleist was not going to offer Els more money, which Callaway would, and may have not been keen on offering Els the same money, so when Els' agent said he could get a better deal, Titleist showed him the door.

The people, like myself, who play Titleist irons and woods don't do it because Els or, at one time, Mickelson or Love plays them. We do it because, for the most part, we are above-average players. You don't see Mizuno worrying about signing names to deals, either. Their clubs are for guys who have 5 handicaps and below, basically.

Callaway, by comparison, sells their clubs to the masses, where they make their money, and they want the big named endorsement guys. Els is a desirable endorsement for them.

Titleist makes their lion's share on balls, so they really don't care who they have with their name on their bag.

[lane_3303]

Yeah I have to Agree
If you want Titleist, then you know it, you don't need Els to tell you so.
As for the 90%+ other golfers out there, Callaway is a great club and really its a smart choice.
Could you imagine if every 30+ handicapper played 695.MB's????
Wow, Talk about pace of play....

[Clubswinger21]

It is really quite simple. Els had one year left on his deal with Titleist, and his agent understood that he could get more money from Callaway, just like Phil did.

I find that funny, Titleist equipment is for 5 handicap or lower players.. basically? anyways, the fact that callaway clubs are the best on the market right now, has nothing to do with it right? anyways, i've hit the 704, and 690's they're ass easy to hit, i played the 975d, 983k, and 905t, which I love. You cant put a handicap on a brand. You think playing titleist clubs give you a reputation for being a better player than you've got some issues. I've seen 32 handicaps playing titleist playing titleist bags, Bridgestone clubs are designed for low handicaps and i find them just as easy to hit as any club i've play. Titleist is a brand which people feel they can gain recognition from playing just like tayloremade. I choose to play a brand that very few play for that reason.

[milesdowsett]

"Their (Tileist) clubs are for guys who have 5 handicaps and below, basically."

I find that an extraordinary statement!

If that was the case, Titleist would have gone out of business a long time ago!

[Lefty731PM]

I?

In what way are they the best? Best at creating cachet with smart marketing and advertising? Regarding Els etc. These guys can basically play with anything and their decisions are based on money. Of course there are stories of guys not performing well soon after switching to a better endorsement deal, but they are used by manufacturers as advertising tools. I mean.....look at all the people on these boards using Pro v1 balls. A lot of players use what the pros use regardless of what would suit them.

[milesdowsett]

I agree with you Lefty731PM. There's definitely a snob element within golfing equipment, and to be quite honest, it's all driven by the big golf marketing machine!

I think it's important to to find equipment that feels good in your hand and to the eye. I've said it before on these boards, but if people spent as much time contemplating and trying out the shafts they use in their clubs, rather than the manufacturer, they'd be more good players around. The shaft is the most important part of the club; it's the engine, not the head.

[Ogg]

miles,

I have said the same thing for years, the shaft is the most important thing. I learned that from a friend of my Dad's when I tried some of his clubs (he built his own) and the shafts brought so much feel.

Good point!

[lane_3303]

I find that funny, Titleist equipment is for 5 handicap or lower players.. basically?

I think maybe its a lot easier for you to say you can hit anything with a 7 handicap.

Just because a 30 handicapper plays titleist doesn't mean they should. But who knows, ball striking may be the only part of the game, that person is good at! What i do know is that ball striking and slicing are two of the biggest problems for amateurs in golf. Why make the game harder then it has to be. I know That I personnaly would have no business playing titleist irons, and I just hope that responsible 30 handicappers would know the same

[milesdowsett]

Hey Ogg,

Your dad's friend built his own clubs? Wow, that's a skill I'd like to have! Did he buy the head and shafts seperately? Is it difficult to do, do you know?

[Ogg]

Yes, he bought everything separately and put them all together. He used to do a lot of business via Golfsmith and he made a couple of sets for another guy we played with. He loved Rifle shafts too. I don't know if it is difficult or not. But check out the info on Golfsmith.com.

I played with another guy one time who was like a 1 or 2 handicap and he built his own clubs and he knew where all the kickpoints and technical specs were on his clubs. He used to hit these lower line drive drives too because he built a custom driver just for that purpose.