Triton Wins But... Oh The Cost

If there is one thing about having my blog it really gives me the chance to speak my mind and express my point of view on issues. I mean  I can do it on Facebook or Twitter as well but, how do you really convey your point in 160 characters? It's possible sure but being concise concise can be difficult. Then again, no matter what things can definitely get lost in translation.

This article is really an unplanned follow-up to my last article (The New Trend) which was basically about companies crowdsourcing to come up with ideas for the next great thing. Personally, I think it's a great idea for the golf industry and in particular club manufacturers to take part in. Namely because not everybody swings like Jason Day, Lisa Vlooswyk, Rory McIlroy or 2016 World Long Drive Champion Joe Miller. In fact the average club player is lucky to break a clubhead speed of  90 mph. But therein lies the rub. The reality is that the golf companies cannot make everyone happy because it's just not in our human nature to agree with everybody. Variety is the spice of life right?

Photo Credit: Golf Channel

Personally speaking I love what The Golf Channel and Wilson Golf did with their reality show Driver vs Driver. The premise was great and the concept was fun and ultimately the winner ended up being the product that I didn't care for... strictly from an aesthetics point of view. The Triton driver designed by Eric Sillies emerged the winner. Remember my statement above about not making everyone happy? A perfect segue. Initially, I liked the Triton but then I saw the alignment aid and thought that it was too busy. Furthermore, I really preferred the looks of the Pivot but really hated the name. Anyways, shortly after the winner was announced out came word on the pricing of said driver. Holy... perfect segue number 2. The Wilson Staff Triton will be retailing at $449.99 USD. Honestly, when I think of drivers that price I never think about Wilson Staff. I think of Titleist, Callaway, PING, and TaylorMade. Could the pricing of the Triton kill sales before it even has a chance? Especially in Canada?

Photo Credit: wilson.com

It's very possible that this could be the case. From where I stand Wilson does not have a huge following up here and with that lack of a following also comes lack of market share. But now there is another problem with the pricing. Now you have to factor in the exchange rate. That same $449.99 USD translates into $607 CAD based on today's exchange rate. Now you factor in the taxes so now you have a driver that will be sold at retail stores for approximately $599.99. Now add the 13% Harmonized Sales Tax and suddenly Triton will sell for $685.91 CAD. Not just in Canada but but worldwide. Will people look at Triton with that price tag and give it a shot instead of a new Titleist or Callaway with the same price tag? The reality and fear is that golf is likely the most vane sport on the planet. Wilson... I sincerely hope that every golfer on your staff plays it because you are going to need as much positive publicity as possible to move this driver off of the shelves. Especially with the strong history of your tour players not playing your drivers. But I sincerely hope that the masses give Triton a shot because I have said for a few years now that Wilson and Cobra Golf have been the biggest movers and shakers in the industry from a club design standpoint. Furthermore, I have also stated that if Wilson's clubs had a Chevron or T stamped on them they would be the number 1 selling brand. Both companies have massive upsides and I have always had a soft spot for Wilson. Glowing unbiased reviews could play a role in the success of Triton as well which is something that I could do if the product deemed such positive reviews.

If the producers and Wilson made a mistake with the show it was that they didn't really have any club golfers or non-professional athletes swinging the clubs. Unless of course this was done behind the scenes. Club golfers make up most of the sales in the golf industry and those sales are partially what pays the endorsement dollars for the Padraig's and Streelman's of the world. Most of these golfers don't have swings like Eric Gagne, Derek Lowe, Kevin Millar, and Tim Brown. What were some of the drives... 320 carry?

Photo Credit: greekmythology.com

Honestly, the 2017 PGA Show will not come soon enough because my curiosity about this driver is killing me. Will the Triton be plenty good enough to sway people away from the"Big Boys" or will it end up submerged like the mythological Greek God? Only time and people's wallets will tell.

Until The Next Tee!

The New Trend

It's been a revolutionary time in the world as of late. No matter who you are and who you voted for in the American Presidential election the winds of change are a blowing. Golf is no different. With the changing of the seasons from the emerald green that is summer to the wintry white of winter we see new developments and trends within the golf industry.

Remember way back to when TaylorMade and  Adams Golf first came out with their first ever adjustable drivers? To this day I preferred the 430Q over the R7. Yes, I didn't know much about golf at the time as I was an infant back then as far as golf knowledge and play went. Then the golf world was amazed with the use of carbon fiber in the crowns of drivers,,, if my concussion-plagued memory serves me well I believe it was the Callaway Golf ERC Fusion that launched that trend. Of course, how can we forget (even though we should) the age of the square driver? The "green bell pepper on a stick" and with that comes to mind companies like Nickent and Nike (yes Callaway was in there too). Wilson Staff had their time back then as well with the Spine. Then TaylorMade astonished the world with a white-headed atrocity that I legitimately hated when it came out. I came around eventually and just as I got over the white heads out came Cobra Golf and their colourful range of products to suit the like of young stars like Rickie Fowler and Lexi Thompson. In fact, one of the reasons why I love going down to the PGA Show is to see the new trends that the industry is leaning towards or experimenting with. Trends... it's some thing that the golf industry needs and quite honestly it needs to experiment with. With the much talked about decline in the industry which I'm not particularly convinced of the companies need to think a little outside of the box.

Photo Credit: Wilson/Amer Sports

As I am writing this entry it's nearly 8 pm EST and Golf Channel is about 2 hours away from the finale of Driver vs Driver. As most of us around golf are aware of it's a reality show where Wilson Staff has given the opportunity to people from a variety of walks of life to design their newest driver. Hundreds of applicants applied and in a way I regret not giving it a shot because I have had ideas flowing through my head about what would make a great driver. Oh well. Of course as I write this I have no clue what the winning product will be between the finalists which are designs called Triton and Pivot respectively. Initially, I wort of liked the Triton but after browsing the http://www.wilson.com/en-us/golf website I decided that there was a lot more that I liked about the Pivot. Nicer aesthetics, more traditional head and a deeper face. Whereas the Triton in my opinion is too darn busy. Either way, both of the finalists from sound bites that I've head sound much better than their previous offerings like the FG Tour M3 (I mentioned my strong dislike of the acoustics of the M3 to Rick Hulock) and even last years FG Tour F5 which sort of left me feeling "ho hum" last year. I've long been a fan of the brand (miss my Pi5 irons to this day) and I have always hated the fact that their staff players have not played their drivers... although I think Padraig Harrington played the Pd5. But I love the fact that Wilson went outside of the box to create a product and consequently a show in this manner. It's been exciting... like the moment before Brian Urlacher would punish an opposing quarterback into the ground. Huge kudos Wilson!!

Photo Credit: Golf Channel

Wilson however is not the only golf manufacturer to travel down this less traveled road. Even though I have never made a swing with a Bombtech Golf  they were one company that was very active on social media when it came to the development of their Grenade driver and range of woods and wedges. Owner Tyler Sullivan had ideas and asked people if they liked a certain option or asked specifically what people wanted. I was very active in this phase of their products development. Another company, OnCore Golf recently was very active in this facet of product development. They sent out a survey to their database looking for input on the design of their next product. A tour ball. They wanted input of preferences regarding feel to cost. Of course, I filled out the survey being the responsible golf writer that I am. I really applaud OnCore Golf as they are trying to make a tour ball "for the people... by the people".

Crowdsourcing. Could this be the new trend to give golfers what they want? Could this be the "fix" for the industry in a time of an apparent downturn in sales? Time will tell.

Until The Next Tee!

November 18th

As I sit here in the house watching flakes fall.. it's hard to fathom that this was only a couple of days ago. One last kick at the can... until January? Ended up carding 4 birdies while using clubs I have never used on the course. Tour Edge Exotics EX9 Tour driver and XCG 6 irons.

Always a nice feeling to walk away with. Knowing that you played and executed some great shots after a long layoff.

Until The Next Tee!

KenRick Golf

Got out and employed the belt from KenRick Golf. I have all of my thoughts gathered on their product and I am ready to write the review. In the meantime.

Until The Next Tee!

November 17th - No More Monkey Business

An entry from yesterday... boy I really need to get these videos out on the same date. A post-session video where I talk about reps and not screwing around with the swing any more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6t9lvX95v0

Contemplation

This is the first installment of what I am going to dub a "VLog" or "Video Log". What everybody (including my family) doesn't realize is that I was going to pack it all in and leave golf and the golf industry. Sometimes though we get subtle reminders from unexpected places.

Photo Credit: bleekerofficial.com

There is a band out there called "Bleeker" and they are all great guys. If you haven't heard of them yet... you will. A song of theirs came on and it all came back. So it all came back. Taylor, Cole, Mike and Chris thank-you. You made me realize what I still had deep down in side. The song has a different meaning I'm sure but it meant something at the time.

I'm hungry to continue this journey.

Until The Next Tee!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cGaXqGXJ3M

Cradlz - Review Introduction

Recently, I reached out to Cradlz by Stinger with hopes of getting to review their product. Well the good folks from Cradlz responded and gave me a chance to review their Cradlz Smart Phone Holder. This is an introduction to the upcoming review that I made a week ago.  Also in this video is a second product that I am reviewing a belt from KenRick Golf. More to come later.

Until The Next Tee!

Nordic Fire

So it's Monday and we got through another weekend unscathed and it's now time to put on our thinking hats. It's time to exercise our brains and get warmed up for the week. So with this said, let's play a little game of "Who Am I?".

"I'm Swedish and I am 34 years old. Even though I went to school at Oklahoma State University - Stillwater I play golf on the PGA European Tour. I have a driving average of 289.12 yards and my astrological sign is Sagittarius. Who am I?"

Photo Credit: europeantour.com

If you guessed Alex Noren then you are indeed correct. The Oklahoma State University alum is as hot as any golfer to come out of Sweden since Annika Sorenstam. I  just find it so amazing that  a Scandinavian country has a population of 9.5 million can produce so many world class golfers. Although, the number of golfers coming out from Sweden hasn't quite matched the number of hockey players. But the list is quite impressive when you look at the names. I already mentioned Annika, but then there is also names like Jonas Blixt, Jesper Parnevik, Anna Nordqvist, Fredrik Jacobson, Carl Petterson, Carin Koch, and some guy named Henrik Stenson. Now that I think about it Sweden has developed more Tour or World Class players than my beloved Canada.

Sun City, South Africa hosted the Nedbank Challenge hosted by Gary Player and with his win this week Noren claimed his fourth victory of the season this year. That win is also record-setting as no other Swede has won 4x on The European Tour in the same year ever. Noren joins a pretty exclusive club of golfers that won 4x in a single PGA European Schedule. Some other names on the list includes Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Miguel Angel Jiminez, Colin Montgomerie and Seve Ballesteros. All of whom are either World Golf Hall of Fame bound or are already inductees. What is it that makes Noren's game so good to see him work his way into 9th place on the Official World Golf Rankings?

If one was to look at his driving distance stats one would be inclined to think that his 289 yard average is middle of the pack. Remember two things when looking at that number. The first is that they use one upwind hole and one downwind hole to ascertain driving distance. Secondly, it may not always be a driver. His fairways hit is 57.59% his highest since 2012. His G.I.R is 72.39% and when you combine that with his average Putts Per GIR at 1.75 you have to know that his stroke average of 70.03 is made up on and around the greens. By the way, his stroke average is the best that it's been since 2011. Noren doesn't overpower golf courses necessarily but it goes to show that if you can hit GIR's, scramble well when a GIR is missed and limit the damage on the greens you can score well.

Photo Credit: sports.yahoo.com

I think that the ceiling in really high for a guy like Noren to win more on the European Tour and even though he is not a household name in North America yet he will be. His eight victories since turning professional in 2009 is just a beginning. With wins this year in South Africa, the British Masters, the Omega European Masters, and the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open why would he not make more history by winning the Race to Dubai?

Until The Next Tee!

Lions and Tigers and... Mongoose Oh My

In a recent blog post I talked about how golf being a worldwide game can have it's fair share of problems politically. But, as many problems as there can be there is also great reason to celebrate the game and it's play around the world.

Photo Credit: tripadvisor.com

As a viewer in North America you don't really get to see and hear the things that you do in comparison to what there is overseas. When comparing the PGA Tour to the European Tour it's like comparing monochromatic pictures to "Technicolor". Where the PGA Tour has some exciting vista changes from the opening of the season in Hawai'i and then the move to California and the "West Coast Swing" and from there "The Florida Swing" while some of the geography changes in a way it's still sort of vanilla. The European Tour on the other hand makes stops in seemingly exotic locales on 4 of this planets 7 continents. With that we see changes in climates and more importantly to the world view different cultures.

If there is one thing that I absolutely love it's waking up, turning on The Golf Channel and watching the action from across the world. I am a nature guy by... nature and I love seeing the kangaroos on the golf course. Or hearing the call of the loudest bird on the planet (the Kookaburra). The sounds and scenes of the country's that the European Tour visits is like going to a massive buffet feast. I like hearing the wildlife in Malaysia on the golf telecasts. How can you not watch in amazement the scene from today in Sun City, South Africa where a pack of Mongoose casually played through the green without touching a ball. I guess the ruling would have been replace it nearest to the spot? I mean golf on the PGA Tour has some pretty cool things too like the American Alligator of the southern states, the pods of Humpback Whale that we see in Hawai'i and Pebble Beach (Monterrey). Or maybe a Scorpion in the Arizona desert. Other than that, the only wildlife we see or hear are the drunkards that continue to shout "mashed potatoes" after a tee shot. I would comment on #16 at the Waste Management Open but that would make me a hypocrite because I would love to be immersed with beer in hand in that setting. Or better yet... playing in front of them.

Photo Credit: golfchannel.com

I realize that most Australians would disagree with me on the kangaroos and kookaburra's and that most Floridians or Alabamans would disagree with me on alligator's because they live with them every day. But I love these types of things as they are as unique to me as squirrels are to the Japanese. I was floored to watch a group of Japanese tourists be so captivated with squirrels one day in a park. This was until I found out that they don't have squirrels there. Sometimes you take such small things for granted I guess and therein lies the beauty of the game. It gives golfers and viewers alike to take in the sights, sounds and cultures that otherwise we may not see.

Until The Next Tee!

Review - Introduction to KenRick Golf

In this video, I take a preliminary look at the high-quality, well thought out belt from KenRick Golf. Special thanks go out to Holly G and Irlianna from Golf Marketing Services for the opportunity. Also, in use on the approach shot is the Avant golf ball from OnCore Golf.

Golf... The Real Fountain of Youth

If there is one thing that I love about golf it's the fact that it's a game that you can take up at any age and play it until your final dying breaths. Personally, I know of two 90 year-old men that are both very spry who still play the game very well... besting their age. My coach who himself is 70 can still hit a golf ball very well and far for his age. I've seen him blast the ball past younger 20-something golfers. Golf is at an age where age doesn't have to be a factor... even on Tour.

Photo Credit: Family Guy

In the last couple of weeks we have seen some great golf turned in by guys over the age of 40. I wrote an article a little bit ago right on the heels of the win in Portugal by Padraig Harrington. Padraig (45) won for the first time on the European Tour in 8 years that week but it didn't stop there. That same week Anders Hansen (46) who only plays part-time finished third. Think about it... a 46 year-old part-time golfer finishing third in a tournament chock full of "millenials". Many of whom are towards the younger end of that spectrum. It's exciting when you really think about it... after all remember when a few years ago World Golf Hall of Fame inductee Tom Watson contended a few years ago in the Open Championship? The excitement that was in the air... of course much of that was sentimentality hoping that the "youngster" could pull it off. He didn't as we all know but here was right there. Then this week happened. "Only in Vegas Baby" a place where dreams of big payoffs can come true. Played at TPC Summerlin the Shriner's Open was won by another elder statesmen. Australian Rod Pampling found himself collecting his first victory in over a decade. Pampling (47) a Srixon staffer using a mixed bag of clubs consisting of TaylorMade Golf, PING, Titleist (Scotty Cameron putter), Cleveland and Srixon started his week by firing a 60 and ending with a 65 en route to a -20 total two strokes clear of runner-up Brooks Koepka. Pampling's dramatic putt on 18 was fun to watch as he started to "walk it in" from about 4 feet.

Photo Credit: PGA Tour

In a way, these types of occurrences on Tour sort of reminds me of the scene in the movie "Cocoon" where all of the geriatric folks jump into the pool and party. If you haven't seen the film from 1985 (by Ron Howard) it's about a group of elderly people rejuvenated by aliens (extra-terrestials). Well I think that the movie really is a symbolic metaphor for what is occurring in golf. Where guys like Pampling, Harrington and Hansen to name a few are the elderly people (guys you really aren't) the aliens in this case is played by the respective equipment manufacturers. Fitting resources never used before aided by Doppler, R&D that could easily be used (or might have already been) by the aerospace industry (Callaway Golf and Boeing XR-16) and space-aged materials are all largely instrumental in the new found "youth". Not to mention that golf fitness and nutrition are a thing... for some. Thanks to these gentlemen and the golf industry it gives old guys like me... hope. 

Photo Credit: 20th Century Fox

Until The Next Tee!