GOUGE: We've chewed on this subject before, but the fact is weird-shaped drivers haven't gone away. Today's session at the Hot List Summit was Day One of our two-day discussion with some of the leading retailers in the country. The mission today was to get a sense of the marketplace, and the big question of the day was where the market will go when it comes to driver shapes. The simple answer? The consumer will buy what works, regardless of shape. Tom Morton of Haggin Oaks Golf Complex in Sacramento says the omnipresence of the launch monitor has made it easier for consumers to consider new shapes. "People are attracted to the visible differences," he said. "And with the launch monitor you get real numbers so that the shape doesn't matter anymore." Does it mean that the traditional pear shape is dead? It's simpler than that. What's dead is buying on faith. Weird will work only as long as you can prove it.
BOMB: That seemed to be the theme of the day. Leigh Bader of Joe & Leigh's Golf Shop at Pine Oaks GC in South Easton, Mass. (and 3balls.com), said, "Players will not be attracted to shape for the sake of shape. They are attracted to shape because they have a perception of improvement with that shape."
In other words, people are strolling into shops, looking the salesperson in the eye and saying, "Prove it to me."
Along with that, it's gotten harder to distinguish what is a geometry driver and what is not. Morton said, "Technology has to be visible, but not necessarily tarted up." And one of the more interesting exercises was when we took some 25 drivers and split them into rows of geometry drivers and, for lack of a better term, traditional drivers. On the "traditional" side were the TaylorMade Burner and Cobra L4V. A year ago it was simple--square was nearly the only story out there. But now there are several that neatly bridge the gap between conventional and downright creepy.
Finally, we asked the question on how much consumers would be willing to pay for a modest improvement. Specifically, would a consumer pay an extra $100 for a driver in exchange for a 2-yard gain in distance? The answer: about 40 percent would. True? We're not so sure. Let us know if you would open the wallet for just a couple of extra yards.
But while all the talk was useful and informative, our co-judge in this process, John Strege, heard from his wife that she and their daughter had to evacuate their home in California due to the fires that have spread there. And when I got back to my room and opened my e-mail, there was a note from another person in the golf industry informing me they had to bolt town, too. At last report, all were safe and hopefully it stays that way. But it also serves as a not-so-gentle reminder that while we take this Hot List process very seriously, at the end of the day folks, it's still just golf.
Rating
Comments
Archived Comments (2) Click to expand
Post A Comment