Callaway Moves To The Top In Wood Sales

[1badbadger]

This morning on Morning Drive, CNBC reported that Callaway has replaced TaylorMade as the market leader in driver and fairway wood sales in both on-course and off-course sales.

[GolfLug]

Wow now THAT is news! I wonder how far behind were they pre-GBB EPIC (assuming it is the star of their rise).

[1badbadger]

1 hour ago, GolfLug said:

Wow now THAT is news! I wonder how far behind were they pre-GBB EPIC (assuming it is the star of their rise).

Yes, they specifically mentioned the GBB Epic as the reason for the sales growth for both driver and fairway woods.  For 2017 they said the Epic has a 7.9% market share for drivers and 3.9% for fairway woods.  Don't know if that is just for the Epic or all models combined.

[lastings]

I wonder if Taylor Made is now regretting naming this years Line the M1 and M2, same as last year?   

From what I understand, Driver sales are driven by people with too much money that buy a new Driver every year thinking that the newest "technological advancement" is going to drastically improve their game.   (no offense if anyone here buys a new driver every year)

I would imagine that those same people will assume there is no big advancement if you don't change the name.  

 

[Typhoon92]

I bet we see a lot of Epic and Epic sz in the used bins...like Lastings said, sales fueled by people with too much money.  And when they figure out not to believe the forum ass kissers who won't utter a bad word in fear of not being a tester anymore, maybe they'll realize it's no better than a Cobra or Taylormade from last year.

I know they prey on forgiveness...toe and heel shots go just as far as center hits.  But is that what u want?  I know if I toe one I'm yelling for it to get down...stay short of the trees.

 

That being said, my TM M2 and M1 for $299 and a Ping G30 swap are every bit as good as an epic.

[1badbadger]

16 hours ago, lastings said:

I wonder if Taylor Made is now regretting naming this years Line the M1 and M2, same as last year?   

From what I understand, Driver sales are driven by people with too much money that buy a new Driver every year thinking that the newest "technological advancement" is going to drastically improve their game.   (no offense if anyone here buys a new driver every year)

I would imagine that those same people will assume there is no big advancement if you don't change the name.  

 

I've actually been involved in the club naming process for a different OEM, and it's amazing all the things that are taken into consideration.  Like any product, the name can have a big influence on how successful (or unsuccessful) an item is.

[Loose Cannon]

Good marketing sells automobiles, beer, and elects politicians.  We haven't purchased a "new" vehicle in decades.  Always let someone else take the depreciation "hit" and we buy with 10,000 +/- miles.  My golf bag has evolved to almost all Callaway... except for the driver.  NONE is current model or series.  Let those with the big bucks... and big ego... spend $500 on a driver.  Our 'geezer game' where we may lose 75 cents or win $1.25 has a difficult time justifying such.  And, if I showed up with a $500 driver in the bag would probably get laughed out of the group.

[kpaulhus]

17 hours ago, lastings said:

I wonder if Taylor Made is now regretting naming this years Line the M1 and M2, same as last year?   

From what I understand, Driver sales are driven by people with too much money that buy a new Driver every year thinking that the newest "technological advancement" is going to drastically improve their game.   (no offense if anyone here buys a new driver every year)

I would imagine that those same people will assume there is no big advancement if you don't change the name.  

 

Titleist has done fine with just changing a number every year the last 7 or 8 years. This year's M1 and M2 look different than last years, so I dont think that hurts them. Also, with how DJ and other TM staff players are playing right now, their probably doing OK.

16 hours ago, Typhoon92 said:

I bet we see a lot of Epic and Epic sz in the used bins...like Lastings said, sales fueled by people with too much money.  And when they figure out not to believe the forum ass kissers who won't utter a bad word in fear of not being a tester anymore, maybe they'll realize it's no better than a Cobra or Taylormade from last year.

I know they prey on forgiveness...toe and heel shots go just as far as center hits.  But is that what u want?  I know if I toe one I'm yelling for it to get down...stay short of the trees.

 

That being said, my TM M2 and M1 for $299 and a Ping G30 swap are every bit as good as an epic.

I picked up 5mph ball speed from my fitting from Titleist 915 to Callaway Epic. The Epic does spin less, and I hit the ball further and I was already a lot longer than my fellow golfers. Im sure you know distance is a huge advantage. 

 

14 minutes ago, Loose Cannon said:

Good marketing sells automobiles, beer, and elects politicians.  We haven't purchased a "new" vehicle in decades.  Always let someone else take the depreciation "hit" and we buy with 10,000 +/- miles.  My golf bag has evolved to almost all Callaway... except for the driver.  NONE is current model or series.  Let those with the big bucks... and big ego... spend $500 on a driver.  Our 'geezer game' where we may lose 75 cents or win $1.25 has a difficult time justifying such.  And, if I showed up with a $500 driver in the bag would probably get laughed out of the group.

You know what they say about opinions. I'm all for saving some money but in the end sometimes things are just worth what they are advertised as. There is a reason Corvettes & Fine Scotch hold their value. They consistently deliver. I wont get into politicians. There are facts and data that supports the Epic's abilities and they are trying to change the way a driver reacts on impact. If I play a good round on the weekend I can make upwards of $100 in my group, so every legal advantage I can get I'm going to take. 5 good rounds buys a new driver. This is why I have been fit for everything in my bag. Dropping $500 on a putter or driver to shave 2-3 strokes a round makes a huge difference. 

Anyone who feels that their group would laugh at them for new clubs should reconsider the people they are playing with. 

Edited March 30, 2017 by kpaulhus

[Loose Cannon]

2 minutes ago, kpaulhus said:

Titleist has done fine with just changing a number every year the last 7 or 8 years. This year's M1 and M2 look different than last years, so I dont think that hurts them. Also, with how DJ and other TM staff players are playing right now, their probably doing OK.

I picked up 5mph ball speed from my fitting from Titleist 915 to Callaway Epic. The Epic does spin less, and I hit the ball further and I was already a lot longer than my fellow golfers. Im sure you know distance is a huge advantage. 

 

You know what they say about opinions. I'm all for saving some money but in the end sometimes things are just worth what they are advertised as. There is a reason Corvettes & Fine Scotch hold their value. They consistently deliver. I wont get into politicians. There are facts and data that supports the Epic's abilities and they are trying to change the way a driver reacts on impact. If I play a good round on the weekend I can make upwards of $100 in my group, so every legal advantage I can get I'm going to take. 5 good rounds buys a new driver. This is why I have been fit for everything in my bag. Dropping $500 on a putter or driver to shave 2-3 strokes a round makes a huge difference. 

Anyone who feels that their group would laugh at them for new clubs should reconsider the people they are playing with. 

And, each of us play the GREAT Game for our own reasons.  I did go through that time when it was all for the competition.  Now, at age 70+, Golf is social... entertainment... telling jokes we've heard for the third time... talking about grandkids... and satisfying the wife's urge to get me out of the house!!!!  If I dropped $500 on a driver, that not only would cut deeply into the Social Security benefits but would be grounds for dissolving of a 50+ year marriage!!!!  I understand your comments about vehicles.  Were I to win Powerball, I'd not hesitate to drop $100,000 on a Shelby F-150 tomorrow. 

[lastings]

Just now, kpaulhus said:

Titleist has done fine with just changing a number every year the last 7 or 8 years. This year's M1 and M2 look different than last years, so I don't think that hurts them. Also, with how DJ and other TM staff players are playing right now, their probably doing OK.

This is true, but Titleist operates under a different marketing strategy than Taylor Made.   Titleist, is trying to present them selves as consistent year-over-year high end quality.   Something that is more than just a flash in the pan.   Taylor Made and Callaway, on the other hand, are constantly trying to flash the next to tech advance to attract the impulsive shoppers.   Titlist is is depending on their reputation to drive sales (it certainly works for their golf balls).  and they don't want some "gimmick" to tarnish their reputation.     Titleist's reputation could not withstand a major hit (like the rocketballs, rbz stage 2, SLDR kerfuffle TaylorMade had).   That stuff hardly matter to Taylor Made and Callaway though.   They are not trying to simply improve on a great product.   They are happy to completely scrap the previous product and replace it with something completely new year-after-year.  

[kpaulhus]

6 minutes ago, lastings said:

This is true, but Titleist operates under a different marketing strategy than Taylor Made.   Titleist, is trying to present them selves as consistent year-over-year high end quality.   Something that is more than just a flash in the pan.   Taylor Made and Callaway, on the other hand, are constantly trying to flash the next to tech advance to attract the impulsive shoppers.   Titlist is is depending on their reputation to drive sales (it certainly works for their golf balls).  and they don't want some "gimmick" to tarnish their reputation.     Titleist's reputation could not withstand a major hit (like the rocketballs, rbz stage 2, SLDR kerfuffle TaylorMade had).   That stuff hardly matter to Taylor Made and Callaway though.   They are not trying to simply improve on a great product.   They are happy to completely scrap the previous product and replace it with something completely new year-after-year.  

I agree with you on this. I think Titleist goes after the more traditionalist golfer. I've been 100% Titleist for the last 8 years but after being fitted for an Edel putter, seeing the numbers on Ping's hybrid, and the Epic data Ive made some changes. Not saying the 917 isnt a great driver, but I didnt like it as much as the Epic. 

[WUTiger]

2 hours ago, kpaulhus said:

I picked up 5mph ball speed from my fitting from Titleist 915 to Callaway Epic. The Epic does spin less, and I hit the ball further ...

The Callaway guys showed up at a local shop a couple of weeks ago with the Epic items. I tried the Epic set a 10.5* using the R-flex Speeder 665.TS shaft from my XR16 Pro. (The guys had fit me for the XR last summer.)

I picked up about 6 yards in distance with the standard Epic head - not nearly enough for me to swap out drivers.

Edited March 30, 2017 by WUTiger

[Let it Fly]

Going for my first-ever driver fitting tomorrow night...been playing the original R11 (off the rack) for 7 years and it's time for an upgrade.  Looking forward to trying the Epic among others, as well.

New clubs have been on my mind for a while, so I made sure to plan my budget accordingly once I decided I would actually pull the trigger.  A big part of the process, and this is strictly personal preference, was to make sure I could afford the more expensive models in the event that they actually did perform the best and/or I flat out fell in love with them (PXG not included haha).  If I go that route...great, I'm still on-budget.  If I go with an older/cheaper model...also great and have money left over.

I guess my stance on the new/expensive vs. old/discount is if an extra $200ish will break the bank, I probably shouldn't be in the store anyway. 

[cooke119]

I'm in the camp of not paying big bucks for a new driver, Epic or otherwise, however I did want to upgrade my older Cleveland driver. When Golfsmith went out of business I found a Ping G driver in the used rack without a mark on it, got it for $225 and hit the hell out of it. Pays to look around, as someone up above said, next year you'll find all sorts of deals on today's Epic drivers.

[Typhoon92]

Nice to pick up distance!  Titleist does cater more to traditional and yes, distance is nice when u can control it.

The Epic I hit...it was fine but I was already fit so the Epic fitting was getting me nothing...which is fine...just good to know the fitting was correct.

I think some of these forum " testers" got some sort of fitting and can now blow it past their older driver that might not have been fit for them.

I had the demo day fitting for my G30 and it was good...until 2 years later when I got a real fitting.  If my fitter did Ping I might have just changed out the shaft but I went the whole route.

[Buckeyebowman]

On 3/29/2017 at 6:38 PM, lastings said:

I wonder if Taylor Made is now regretting naming this years Line the M1 and M2, same as last year?   

From what I understand, Driver sales are driven by people with too much money that buy a new Driver every year thinking that the newest "technological advancement" is going to drastically improve their game.   (no offense if anyone here buys a new driver every year)

I would imagine that those same people will assume there is no big advancement if you don't change the name.  

 

True that! I hit the GBB Epic at the local golf store. It's very nice! Very solid feeling, Produced a beautiful ball flight and distance for me. But, if they think I'm going to spend 5 Hundy on one club, they'd better think again! I can wait!

[Inthetrap]

On 3/30/2017 at 0:05 PM, lastings said:

This is true, but Titleist operates under a different marketing strategy than Taylor Made.   Titleist, is trying to present them selves as consistent year-over-year high end quality.   Something that is more than just a flash in the pan.   Taylor Made and Callaway, on the other hand, are constantly trying to flash the next to tech advance to attract the impulsive shoppers.   Titlist is is depending on their reputation to drive sales (it certainly works for their golf balls).  and they don't want some "gimmick" to tarnish their reputation.     Titleist's reputation could not withstand a major hit (like the rocketballs, rbz stage 2, SLDR kerfuffle TaylorMade had).   That stuff hardly matter to Taylor Made and Callaway though.   They are not trying to simply improve on a great product.   They are happy to completely scrap the previous product and replace it with something completely new year-after-year.  

Couldn't agree more, except I do really love my Callaway X2 Hot driver, hybrids and fairway wood. I have no reason to move on to the next few models.  So in that regard, Callaway's marketing strategy does not work on me.  But, I am brand-loyal as well.

[StefanUrkel]

On 3/29/2017 at 9:04 AM, GolfLug said:

Wow now THAT is news! I wonder how far behind were they pre-GBB EPIC (assuming it is the star of their rise).

George Zimmerman?