Wilson Triton drivers ruled nonconforming by USGA

[mvmac]

The Triton driver was the winner of the Golf Channel Wilson Driver vs Driver competition. Seems like it might just be an issue with the soleplate.

http://www.golfweek.com/2016/12/12/wilson-triton-drivers-usga-ruled-nonconforming/

Quote

“The Wilson Staff Triton DVD with the 9-degree loft is listed on the conforming list,” USGA spokeswoman Janeen Driscoll told Golfweek on Dec. 12. “All other submissions of the Triton clubs were determined to be nonconforming to the Rules of Golf.”

Officials at Wilson Golf were not available to comment immediately.

The USGA would not specify the reason the club was ruled nonconforming. A retail source said a Wilson employee indicated there was a problem with the Triton’s soleplate.

The Triton was the winning product in the Golf Channel reality series “Driver vs. Driver.” The series finale aired Nov. 22, with winning designer Eric Sillies of Cincinnati collecting the $500,000 first prize.

On Dec. 5, the USGA placed one 9-degree Triton driver on its list of conforming clubs, apparently for use by one of its PGA Tour players. In a TV ad for the Triton, Wilson endorser Kevin Streelman says, “It’s in my bag, and it should be in yours.” Streelman could not use the club in competition until it was placed on the USGA’s list of conforming equipment.

The USGA’s approval of that one driver did not extend to the thousands of Triton drivers currently available at retail for $450. Those clubs remain nonconforming, meaning they cannot be played in rounds used for handicap purposes or in tournaments governed by USGA rules.

Wilson hoped that the Triton would make a big splash during the holiday selling season and promoted the club with demo days that have run at dozens of shops and golf courses across the country. Retailers contacted by Golfweek in the days following the Triton’s retail launch were unaware the driver was not on USGA’s list of conforming clubs. Had retailers and consumers been aware that the Triton is nonconforming, it effectively would have killed sales.

Tim Clarke, president of Wilson Golf, said in a Nov. 26 interview with Golfweek that his company met with the USGA on Nov. 21 to discuss the Triton, but that a decision was weeks away. He said the tight timelines of “Driver vs. Driver” prevented the company from delivering Triton samples to the USGA in time to get a ruling prior to the holiday selling season. So Wilson gambled and went forward with the retail launch.

“When you’re doing something that has not been done, you’re taking calculated risks,” Clarke said. “Make no mistake, our intention was to have a ruling before the driver (hit retail).”

 

UPDATED: From Wilson

 

[Hardspoon]

Ouch. Seems like the desire to make a compelling reality show (by concealing the winner) came back to bite them big-time. 

[mvmac]

Added Wilson's response to the OP

[Valleygolfer]

Hmm that 12 gram weight might be a big deal to some down the road. Not that many people pay attention to the conforming list so it may not significantly slow sales but some will be upset if they find out later. It didn't appear that they are pulling the club from stores. Sounds like a nightmare for customer support.

[Divotmaker77]

Very hard to understand how this could happen.  Would think Wilson would make sure everything conformed and even have it approved before manufacturing.  They even had an "expert" on the show who knew everything about the USGA rules.

Wilson is going to take a lot of crap for this but I bet there are others at fault as well.

All that said, their biggest issue is the price point. I have gone into a few golf shops and both told me sales were not good so far.  Customers are not excited about paying $400+ on this driver when they can get an M1 or M2 for less or spend just a bit more for the new 917 and other proven brands.

[mvmac]

3 hours ago, Divotmaker77 said:

Wilson is going to take a lot of crap for this but I bet there are others at fault as well.

Yeah it sucks for them but making sure it got approved seems very basic. They probably increased their marketing budget this year to promote the show/driver and in the end it might end of hurting the brand.

3 hours ago, Divotmaker77 said:

Customers are not excited about paying $400+ on this driver when they can get an M1 or M2 for less or spend just a bit more for the new 917 and other proven brands.

That's basically Wilson Golf's hurdle in a nutshell. 

[Valleygolfer]

3 hours ago, Divotmaker77 said:

All that said, their biggest issue is the price point. I have gone into a few golf shops and both told me sales were not good so far.  Customers are not excited about paying $400+ on this driver when they can get an M1 or M2 for less or spend just a bit more for the new 917 and other proven brands.

I am guessing that they were hoping that this show was going to put them on the front page of driver producers.

[Hardspoon]

4 hours ago, Divotmaker77 said:

Very hard to understand how this could happen.  Would think Wilson would make sure everything conformed and even have it approved before manufacturing.

The clubs submitted to the USGA are public, so if they submitted before the show aired, everyone would know who was going to win.

I would love to see the technical details of the rejection. I wonder why it was non-conforming?

[Valleygolfer]

21 minutes ago, Hardspoon said:

The clubs submitted to the USGA are public, so if they submitted before the show aired, everyone would know who was going to win.

I would love to see the technical details of the rejection. I wonder why it was non-conforming?

I heard they had too much Zolex in it.

[Hardspoon]

A bit more detail:

http://www.mygolfspy.com/wilson-triton-non-conforming/

The "plain in shape" thing seems nit-picky. The weight thing was dumb on their part (not to test all combos). I do wonder if they could just have made it a 10 oz. weight...but I'm guessing they didn't want to drag this out any longer than necessary.

I do wonder how retailers will handle this. I saw some Tritons out this weekend at DSG, and there wasn't anything saying they were not yet approved, although maybe they just tell you at checkout.

[iacas]

12 minutes ago, Hardspoon said:

I do wonder how retailers will handle this. I saw some Tritons out this weekend at DSG, and there wasn't anything saying they were not yet approved, although maybe they just tell you at checkout.

http://www.wilson.com/en-us/triton-press-release

Quote

 

Therefore, we will proactively remove the optional 12-gram weight from all Triton accessory kits. This action combined with the new modified sole plates will be submitted to the USGA for review this week. We are confident that these modifications will satisfy the USGA’s concerns, and that the driver, across lofts, will be placed on the December 19th conforming list.

Upon receiving a conforming ruling, we will expedite exchanging the current Triton sole plates for the new modified plates. The new conforming Triton sole plates will be identified by a “DVD” logo placed on the bottom of the club.

For players who have already purchased the Triton Driver, please visit http://www.wilson.com/Triton and register to be notified as soon as the Triton sole plate exchange program begins.

Beginning January 1st, shipments of the Triton DVD Driver (featuring the new modified sole plates) will be available through Wilson Golf Authorized Dealers and on www.wilson.com.