Unfiltered Friday: Are Staggered Release Cycles Confusing Customers?

One of the more popular conspiracy theories that has circulated golf’s consumer base in recent years is based around new golf equipment release cycles. This is especially true with new drivers, as the perception that brands intentionally release a new option every year purposely “misleads the consumer.”

This is not true, of course, as we have mentioned on our site many times in the past.

However, a new budding trend has drummed up old feelings of being mislead: staggered releases of full product families. Models of a new driver, for example, that feature different spec characteristics yet are marketed as part of a product family initially released months prior.

Some Recent Suspects

This past week, both Titleist and PING announced new additions to their TS and G-Series driver lines, respectively. The former included two new models — the TS 1 and TS 4 — equipped with specification tweaks that appeal to different swing speeds and spin profiles. The latter introduced a high-MOI, lower-spinning option with the G410 LST.

At the surface, this is no big deal. Having more options is better than having fewer, especially when you consider the challenge brands have to meet the needs of multiple player demographics and skill levels. However, there is still a risk of sending the wrong message.

Take Titleist for example. The TS driver family has been welcomed warmly by fans of the brand and is seeing strong adoption among amateurs and on TOUR. The TS 2 and TS 3 were released over 10 months ago, however; just long enough for Titleist’s faithful to upgrade their drivers before the new season.

While the naming convention of the drivers imply more was yet to come (“Where’s 1 and 4?”), consumers were forced to make a choice. Do you wait for other models that might be coming out at some point, or do you spend $500 on one of the models available now?

Players who have just gone through a fitting might have more to say. For a brand loyalist hoping to upgrade by doing the right thing of visiting their local club fitter, they would have been exposed to two driver options: the TS 2 and TS 3. The release of the TS 1 and TS 4 implies this was the plan all along (of course), but that consumer getting fit 10 months ago was none the wiser.

Would they have been fit more appropriately into one of the drivers released later?

Of course, the opposite is also true. Perhaps neither club was a perfect fit for the player at that time and they decided to hold off on a purchase. Maybe the player felt disappointed, subject to playing the same driver for yet another season. This player, then, would be pleasantly surprised by a later release that fits their profile better. Hope is not lost!

Unless, you know, that player decided to go with another brand.

Transparency is Best

My intent here is not to belittle one specific brand. Every brand, to some degree, does something similar to what I’ve described above. Wilson Golf just announced a “new” version of their C300 Forged series irons in a black gun metal finish, for example. While not my cup of tea, there are some of you who apparently like their golf clubs to look like garden tools. You do you, boo-boo.

My point here is to encourage companies to be more transparent with their product menus. I understand the practice of not showing your hand right away, but I’d argue giving us a peek — or at the very least a date — of what’s to come would be a huge customer satisfier.

PREVIEW: PING G series golf clubs

PING Golf unveiled their new G Series line of golf clubs on Monday, which includes a new driver, fairway woods, hybrids and irons. From the PING Golf website:

“It’s a credit to the imagination and the disciplined approach of our engineering, design and research teams that we’ve elevated performance across every category in new and exciting ways, innovation that will make the game easier for golfers of every ability level,” said John A. Solheim, PING Chairman & CEO. “Our design process is different, as we gather information from the world around us, study new materials, and test rigorously to make sure our products give golfers meaningful results. The process leads to breakthroughs like Dragonfly Technology and Vortec Technology, found in the G drivers. We’ve also created a specialized heat-treatment process and COR-Eye Technology to make the G irons longer, higher-launching and more forgiving, a combination that’s very difficult to achieve. And with the new Crossover product line, an entirely new category, there’s a lot to be excited about.”

Mr. Solheim seems awfully excited about their new clubs. Let's break down what he said a little bit.

PING G Series Driver

Fresh off the massively successful PING G30 driver, the new PING G Series boomstick looks eerily similar to its predecessor... just with more Turbulators.

The funky looking crown on the driver is supposedly designed to mimic that of a dragonfly's wings (hence the reference to Dragonfly Technology in Solheim's quote). This design, which basically extends the Turbulators aeordynamic tech across the entire crown, minimizes drag as you swing the club. Combined with the new Vortec stabilizing technology on the back of the club, the PING G series promises to be one of the most stable drivers on the market.

PICS: Callaway Golf Announces New Apex Irons and Hybrid

PRESS RELEASE --  Today Callaway Golf Company has officially announced new Apex Irons, new Apex Pro Irons, and Apex Hybrids. The new Apex clubs, which will be available to golfers by the end of the month, advance the Apex product line that is widely regarded as establishing a new performance standard in the iron category since it launched two years ago.

The new Apex Pro Irons are a forged performance set built specifically for skilled players. They incorporate Tour influenced shaping and design with a classic look, progressive flow weighting that optimizes Center of Gravity (CG) for playability and control, and soft feel that better players prefer.

And the Apex Hybrid is the first hybrid for the Apex and Apex Pro player. It has a longer, more iron-like blade length with a Neutral CG bias, controlled ball flight, and workability from precision shaping. The new hybrid also delivers high ball speeds from a forged face cup, and an Internal Standing Wave that helps move the CG for versatility on various shots.

The new Apex Irons (available lofts: 3-SW) and new Apex Pro Irons (available lofts: 3-AW) will be available at retail on October 30, and golfers can pre-order them starting October 16 on Callawaygolf.com. Both iron sets will have a retail price of $1,199.99 for steel shafts and $1,399.99 for graphite shafts. The new Apex and new Apex Pro sets will both have a wide selection of no upcharge shaft options, including popular shafts on Tour.

The Apex Hybrid (available lofts: 2H-5H) will be at retail and online on CallawayGolf.com on December 4, and golfers can pre-order them starting October 16, with a retail price of $219.99 each.

Callaway Golf is Early Leader in the Clubhouse for 2015

  The winter months are a hotbed for new golf product releases, thanks mainly to the annual PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Fla. Press releases from every company fly across my blogging desk like snowflakes, but there is one company that is far and away making the biggest impact so far this year.

Callaway Golf is your leader in the clubhouse, and everyone else is trying to catch up.

Callaway's climb to the top started when they announced their upgrade to the immensely popular Big Bertha series, as was reported on this site. The Big Bertha Alpha 815 and Big Bertha Alpha 815 Double Black Diamond drivers instantly caught the eye of golfers everywhere, followed closely by the hybrid and fairway wood series of the same name.

Even earlier, however, Callaway announced their new Chrome Soft golf ball last December. While not technically announced in 2015, news of a golf ball that felt as soft as the balata balls we all remember and loved (I know I did) but handled like a distance ball was hard to believe. Early reviews suggest this ball is the real deal, and we hope to bring similar results to this site in the near future.

As if all of that wasn't enough, Callaway announced their new XR golf club series just this week. Promising incredible distance gains across every club in the series (two-clubs longer?!) the XR Family is destined to become a force to be reckoned with across the sport.

At the end of the day, many amateur golfers struggle to see concrete differences between the clubs they own and new products on the shelves. Based on the information they've shared to date, it would seem that Callaway Golf has listened specifically to voice-of-customer feedback to give golfers everywhere a chance to improve their game. Every company makes promises; but Callaway goes a step further and tells you exactly how much your game will improve.

Stay tuned for reviews on these exciting new products soon!

Callaway Announces Big Bertha Alpha 815 Fairway Wood and Hybrid

Kicking off the new year with a bang, Callaway Golf announced their new Big Bertha Alpha 815 fairway woods and hybrids on Friday. Players will be able to adjust spin and trajectory on the fairway woods while the new hybrid series promises increased distance.

Big Bertha Alpha 815 Fairway Woods

The Big Bertha Alpha 815 Fairway Woods are designed for ball speed and forgiveness at every impact location, especially on misses low on the face, from a Forged Hyper Speed Face Cup. They also have adjustable weights (3g and 30g) that can be used to move the weight forward for a low spinning ball flight that’s great off the tee, or to move the weight back for higher launch and more forgiveness.

Big Bertha Alpha 815 Hybrids

The Big Bertha Alpha 815 Hybrids focus on a more controlled, penetrating trajectory for better players, along with ball speed all across the face and loft and lie adjustability. The compact head shape also has less offset for a look that’s preferred by better players.

Big Bertha Alpha 815 Fairway Woods are $299 each, and Big Bertha Alpha 815 Hybrids are $249 each. They will be available at golf retailers nationwide and on www.callawaygolf.com on January 16, 2015.