Phil signs with Callaway

[Rockford35]

Good points.

I'm not sure how sold i am on the "tournament ball" tho. That just wreaks of havoc. Personally, i don't like Titleist balls.

Now how many of you are up in arms at that statement? Probably plenty.

But if they went with just the Callaway HX red 3 peice, now that's a different story.

R35

 

[Bravo]

This is a marketing dream for the Callaway crowd and a bit of a nightmare for Titliest, but at the end of the day, is the equipment that much inferior or superior on either side of the fence. I would debate that it is more fuelled by agents and money (iow GREED) than by a genuine desire for Lefty to seek better equipment.

If Callaway paid me major $$$s to use their stuff, I'd piss all over Titliest too. But who would care. But if you lure the World #3 to change camp, then everyone sits up and listens. But let's get real, are we really saying that the 983K is an inferior driver, the ProV1 an inferior ball etc? And Titliest irons cannot do the job? I don't think so. There is so little in the technology these days. You can fudge it anyway you like to make one come out on top. I would say it has more to do with $ than anything else.

Phil ditched Yonex for Titliest and now he's moving onto Callaway. Tiger ditched Titliest for Nike. Is that going to make them win more money on the tour or win more Majors? No, because that happens on the greens with the putter and what's in their hearts and between their ears. Titliest will go out now and poach Vijay from Cleveland. Cleveland will get Padraig from Wilson. Wilson will get Ernie etc. Who benefits? The players, the manufacturers, of course. The punters? Yeah, right. They will be screwed into believing there is a problem with their set because their idol has given that perception. Titliest have had a great run over the decades with equipment. They have had most of the big names using their equipment at some point or other. But let's face it. Money talks.

Does Lefty need 10 extra yards on his drive? Or does he need more control from 150 yards in, from one of the best wedge players in the world. I doubt it. But if Ely Callaway is pulling his chain, then of course he does. He is going to sit down with the designers at Callaway and create a new set of Lefty irons. That really worked for Tiger, didn't it?

It's a similar analogy to the reams of new models of drivers that have come out over the past few years by the same manufacturer. The 975D. 975J, 975J VS, 983K, 983E etc. Every 6 months a new one comes along that is the "Best, Longest, Straightest, Most Forgiving, Most workable" driver. Do we really need them? No! Do we buy them? Yes. Do they make a huge difference? Rarely. Do the pros really need to change? No. Will it make a big difference to their game? Perhaps, but there is the risk that it will make them play worse, not better. Does it make a difference to Callaways and Fortune Brands share price. Definitely. And does Lefty get a massive sign on fee? But of course.

Do we care? Of course, we can't get enough of the stuff. We're a sad bunch of people, yes we are.

This post is spot on.

Innovation rarely occurs in Quantum Leaps.

99% of innovation is in tiny increments.

The club Ho's are suckers for every little 1-2% that comes along.

Between the major manufacturers - there not much difference. I could care less what any touring pro plays with..

 

[IrishGolfer]

Science experiment...

I'd love to see a tournament played with an unbranded ball and shaft. So IOW you are given a ball, not a Titliest, or a Callaway or whatever. eg a Masters Ball. And your clubs have to be fitted with a stock shaft (alebit it in a variety of flexes).

I reckon you would still see the best player win each week, it would be just more of a level playing field. Players will winge to begin with but eventually they would accept it. They would just adapt their game. The main block to my master plan would be the manufacturers and sponsors. But I guess there are ways around that.

I think as technology continues to improve, at some point someone is going to have to cap it. Otherwise it becomes a game with 9,000 yd + courses, where the big hitters take over. Just pick up any golf mag and flick through it. It is a maze of absolute rubbish. What is the best club these days? Is it that much better? How do you prove it?

I work in Marketing and I know what goes on. Golfers are being sold an image, a brand, a perception and a bunch of aesthetics. IOW Smoke and Mirrors. And its a ripe captive audience, lots of time and money.

Get the loft, shaft flex, type of grip and overall shape right and it doesn't really make that much difference to your game, only to your wallet. I agree that it can make a big difference to your confidence, but hey, if you've got game, then you've got game.

Bravo was right in saying that most pros play with Tour Van specials. They are not what we play. So come on lets get real here.

God, I feel like an old man here, ranting. I just get fed up with all the crap golf entwines itself in.