Golf brand perception

[hypergolf]

Just wanted to see how you guys perceive each brands to what kind of charateristics.

For example these are my perceptions towards each brands:

Titleist: For better players. Less forgiving.
Callaway: More forgiving design for the general.
Taylormade: For good players but more forgiving than Titleist. Produces
woods that are prefered by many.
Honma: Mostly for Japanese or Korean players. Expensive and more for
status.
Ping: Best custom fitting options.
Nike: For general public with tons of budget for marketing to
promote their not so good products (No offense to Nike fans)
Adams: Great Hybrid maker.
Mizuno: Best forged irons. Great wedges too.
Cleveland: Trying to be with the big brands but not quite there yet.
Cobra: Easier version of Titleist.
Wilson: For general players who wants budget but good clubs.
Tour Edge (Bridgestone): Japanese prefer Tour Edge to Mizuno but I don't
know what the perception is in the US or other European
countries.
Nickent: Great hybrids.
MacGregor: For senior golfers or golfers who want more forgiving designs.
Srixon: I have no set biased perception towards this brand.

What are your perceptions towards each brand? And why do you prefer a certain brand?

[Sandpiper3]

Honmas are VERY VERY VERY sweet clubs. Id play them if i had the dough. Man they make a great club.

Srixon will be bigger soon. Bridgestone in two years max will be a big name in North America, ppl are starting to catch on to the quality of product they are producing.

If I could be on ANY tour staff it'd be MacGregor. They can make beauty forged irons, and they have the most tradition to them. Extremely exclusive tour staff and will custom make any clubs that the player prefer's. Only active players I know of right now are Jose Maria Olazabal and Spencer Levin.

[kwcsports]

Originally Posted by Sandpiper3

Honmas are VERY VERY VERY sweet clubs. Id play them if i had the dough. Man they make a great club.

Srixon will be bigger soon. Bridgestone in two years max will be a big name in North America, ppl are starting to catch on to the quality of product they are producing.

If I could be on ANY tour staff it'd be MacGregor. They can make beauty forged irons, and they have the most tradition to them. Extremely exclusive tour staff and will custom make any clubs that the player prefer's. Only active players I know of right now are Jose Maria Olazabal and Spencer Levin.

Aaron Baddeley also.

[Wildbore]

Isn't tour edge indepedent, and tour stage is part of bridgestone.

[hypergolf]

Originally Posted by Wildbore

Isn't tour edge indepedent, and tour stage is part of bridgestone.

Yup. That is what I meant. Thanks for the correction.

[ManchesterGolfer]

Titleist: For people who think because there off low singles they must use Titty's. Nice wedges and putters though but pricey.
Callaway: Lots of technology. Great forgiving clubs. Making strides into the players clubs market.
Taylormade: Good solid clubs. Cater's for all levels although went a little to gimiky with MWT, imo.
Honma: never heard of/seen these.
Ping: Cult following due to the eye2 range. Solid well performing but ugly.
Nike: Good players clubs but very cheap looking improvement clubs and thugly drivers.
Adams: Great Fairways.
Mizuno: Great irons. I like there drivers but most people think there sh*t.
Cleveland: Good rep on the wedges. Well priced very under rated brand for irons & woods. (over here anyway).
Cobra: Very good drivers for the Mid handicapper trying to get into the players market with trendy young tour staff.
Wilson: The old Staff range were great up there with the best but been going through a difficult patch recently. Reintroduced the Staff range now which will help, why they dropped such a good brand name in the 1st place is beyond me?
Tour Edge : Only heard of them due to shot talk. Tried the Exotics Driver and it was solid.
Nickent: Who? Until WBL got a rescue.
MacGregor: Great forged clubs. Rubbish drivers and begginers clubs.
Srixon: Making good clubs now but still a little too pricey. If they lowered there prices a bit then they would soon be selling to a wider range of players.

[LyleG]

Titleist - snobs
Taylor Made - wanna be's
Callaway - hacks
Nike - Tiger wanna be clowns
Ping - people who believe in fitting
adams - old guys
Cleveland - cheapskates
Scotty Camerons - a fool and his money
Cobra - distance whores

this is what I see as the general perception of each brand

[warbirdlover]

Titleist - snobs
Taylor Made - wanna be's
Callaway - hacks
Nike - Tiger wanna be clowns
Ping - people who believe in fitting
adams - old guys
Cleveland - cheapskates
Scotty Camerons - a fool and his money
Cobra - distance whores

this is what I see as the general perception of each brand

LyleG

Gotta love it!!

[BStone]

Some of my perceptions are based on having to try and sell that particular brand in the pro shops that I have run.

Titleist: Terrible customer service.
Callaway: Forgiving, makes almost as many clubs as TM.
Taylormade: My preference for my game, but they make too many different products that can confuse the average player.
Honma: Premium feel.
Ping: Toughest pricing policy.
Nike: On the verge of being a big time player in the industry.
Adams: Most improved product line.
Mizuno: Feel.
Cleveland: Almost bankrupt.
Cobra: Closed faced drivers (although the new Speed Pro is dead square).
Wilson: Wilson Staff is a classic brand.
Nickent: Nationwide Tour.
MacGregor: Another classic brand.
Srixon: Decent golf balls.

[hypergolf]

Originally Posted by LyleG

Titleist - snobs
Taylor Made - wanna be's
Callaway - hacks
Nike - Tiger wanna be clowns
Ping - people who believe in fitting
adams - old guys
Cleveland - cheapskates
Scotty Camerons - a fool and his money
Cobra - distance whores

this is what I see as the general perception of each brand

Sorry. Not familiar with the term hacks. Could you explain? Tks.

[Clugnut]

Originally Posted by tmag

Cleveland: Almost bankrupt.

Say it ain't so! I think I'm gonna cry.

[BStone]

Originally Posted by Clugnut

Say it ain't so! I think I'm gonna cry.

It is a possibility that they could be in some serious financial trouble if the XL does as poorly as the first Hi Bore did. They have lost a lot of market share in the wedge category which was their top money maker.

[Pa Jayhawk]

Originally Posted by hypergolf

Sorry. Not familiar with the term hacks. Could you explain? Tks.

In a name, Charles Barkley comes to mind as the poster boy.

Actually I like alot of your initial thoughts. Although I think Cleveland may already be there, where I initial just thought they had premier wedges, I now think they have joined the bunch with woods. They still have a little work IMO on their irons.

Although I agree Ping is good for the fitting side. I think the advanced fitting system they have created is great for lie, and for the clubmaker in being able to fit, it may have created limitations in being able to customize shafts and grips. It appears you may be able to get a closer matching clubhead, and easy to reproduce, but at the expense of being able the customize the other parts of the club. Personally I am not sure I care for the CS Lite shaft, putting cushin insert in it will not make it any more desirable. My only other option short of going to graphite is the True Temper DGS, or PING Z-Z65. If I were to use a Regular flex, I would have no other option but graphite.

[VtDivot]

Titleist: quality with no real lemons. Most expensive OEM, probably equivalent product available cheaper from TM
Callaway: Game Improvement base
Taylormade: Drivers
Honma: Whoma?
Ping: downhill since the eye2 and anser
Nike: Tiger plays them, people recognize the name from sneakers.
Adams: Cheap alternative for new golfers and seniors
Mizuno: nice players irons, expensive
Cleveland: wedges
Cobra: can't remember the last time I saw a cobra iron in play at my club.
Wilson: Walmart
Bridgestone: I bet the general population thinks Tires, but I know better. This is a brand to watch, they make an awesome product
Nickent: hybrids for high cappers/seniors
MacGregor: purdy forgings, Jack Nicklaus, 1970's
Srixon: Balls

[Rockford35]

Originally Posted by VtDivot

Titleist: quality with no real lemons. Most expensive OEM, probably equivalent product available cheaper from TM
Callaway: Game Improvement base
Taylormade: Drivers
Honma: Whoma?
Ping: downhill since the eye2 and anser
Nike: Tiger plays them, people recognize the name from sneakers.
Adams: Cheap alternative for new golfers and seniors
Mizuno: nice players irons, expensive
Cleveland: wedges
Cobra: can't remember the last time I saw a cobra iron in play at my club.
Wilson: Walmart
Bridgestone: I bet the general population thinks Tires, but I know better. This is a brand to watch, they make an awesome product
Nickent: hybrids for high cappers/seniors
MacGregor: purdy forgings, Jack Nicklaus, 1970's
Srixon: Balls

This is pretty much bang on. While all of the above are obviously just opinion and conjecture, this is pretty much where it's at.

I don't think any of the opinions expressed here are meant to rub anyone the wrong way. So I hope no one takes any of this to heart.


Especially good call on Honma, Cleveland and Bridgestone. Bang on.

R35