MyGolfSpy - TaylorMade LOFT UP+ Experience

[Paul S]

Con someone ask them how they view the smaller OEMs like Wilson Staff?

[hckymeyer]

Con someone ask them how they view the smaller OEMs like Wilson Staff?

I'm imagining it's a lot like this...

 

[Hula Rock]

Will they be getting a Golf Ball fitting as well ???

[GolfSpy WD]

Con someone ask them how they view the smaller OEMs like Wilson Staff?

 

Happy to, but in what regard? Do they react when Wilson does something? Is there a specific club from WIlson you like and think TM should imitate?

[Paul S]

I am curious about their impression of smaller OEMs in general. Are they ambivalent? Or do they seek world domination? Either way, do any particular smaller companies push them to innovate, or are they more self-driven. I mentioned Wilson Staff because I have some brand loyalty, but I'm really referring to any smaller manufacturers and boutique brands.

[whiskey golf]

I thought of a somewhat interesting question, you should ask them what they think of the criticism they receive about releasing products constantly and why their product cycles keep getting shorter and shorter. I know it's marketing but I'm curious as to what they will say.

 

 

Also, this isn't meant to be serious, but ask them if they will need any future mechanical engineers in about 4-5 years. (my intended major for college)

[MattF]

I thought of a somewhat interesting question, you should ask them what they think of the criticism they receive about releasing products constantly and why their product cycles keep getting shorter and shorter. I know it's marketing but I'm curious as to what they will say.

 

 

Also, this isn't meant to be serious, but ask them if they will need any future mechanical engineers in about 4-5 years. (my intended major for college)

 

 

Great question and I would love to know the answer to that one as well. Surely the tech is not that quick in coming, so I think it's the old case of something new and shiney.

[revkev]

Will they be getting a Golf Ball fitting as well ???

Having had the full driver treatment the answer is yes. They do an interview about your game, suit you up and have you hit drives with a generic driver - everyone uses the same driver from touring pro to super senior. They have a program that turns you into an avatar - it's too cool.

 

With that data they not only have a club recommendation but ball, shoe including where the arch support should be, glove and what you should have for lunch two days prior to your next round. Okay so the lunch thing is a bit of hyperbole.

 

I would like to know about Adams as well. What are they doing with it? It is still putting out good stuff but will that continue?

[GolfSpy WD]

Here is the full unformatted list of questions so far

 

Mr_Theoo

 

I'm interested in asking how they fit their pros. Is it more on if it feels good to them then they tweak the specs to get the right distance ect. Or are they all about getting as close to perfect numbers on LM

-- Hcky: I'm really interested in how often the pros get fit too

 

(in response to why can't we order what the pros play)

I wonder if that's what this new Tour Preferred line is as opposed to just calling it TP. Maybe they're getting away from the tour issue stuff because they are seeing that 1. We want what the pros play and 2. This new technology actually benefits us all

 

 

dru

 

The chance to do this is something that T and gang are incredible for even offering up, and I personally am thrilled to get a chance to talk to that staff about the speed pocket, and the concepts behind the SLDR which are almost opposite Of the message we are getting from the industry on the whole.

 

Even the name, Loft UP+, is a very different message, and while Taylormade has a long history of being able to sell their message, this one is such a departure from the message we have heard for the last several years that I for one an looking forward to getting the scoop from the horses mouth as it were.

 

 

hckymeyer

 

How do you decide what the stock shaft in a club is going to be?

Where does the design of a club start?  It is tweaking an existing design vs starting fresh?  It is objective based (i.e. we want a lower spinning head, or a higher launching head) or do you pick something visually appealing and tweak the internals to get the desired result.  I guess  it comes down to designing inside out, or outside in?

Are we maxed out on adjustability in drivers? 

We've recently gotten adjustable metal woods, counter weighted putters and slotted irons, In which clubs will the next big innovation come in?

What is the most common request from tour pro's in regards to their equipment?

 

Not sure if this one's kosher but... Where will Adams golf be in 5 years?

 

When you will you stick with a product line long enough to establish a naming convention?  i.e. Ping has the I, G & K series, Titleist uses Pro V1, AP, D, H & F, Mizuno has JPX and MP.  It seems like Taylormade is all over the map when it comes to naming clubs.

 

 

MBP

 

Has technology hit a wall that the marketing focus on fitting is being promoted with the TP line?

•  

 

WalkerJames

 

I'm sure I know the answer but I would like to know why they don't offer Blades in LH... Not that I would even be able to hit them!

 

My other question would be if their LH staffer Like Mike Wier or Bryan Harman wanted a set if MB s would they make them or try to fit them in to MC s or something.

 

 

WD

 

Other things that have come to mind are how they feel the sldr will compare to the big Bertha alpha and are they holding back some adjustability? \

 

Or how have they felt their drivers have improved incrementally since the r7 or r9?

 

Why don't they offer what the pros actually play as a custom order option? Tour van stuff is stupidly difficult to get for most people.

-- Zinger: Most of that traditionally had to do with CG location, and face angle. If too much of that gets into the market place, the average hack has no business playing it.   They'd hit drives that would simply fall out of the sky and go nowhere.  People with then correlate that with the head or brand as being a poor performer.

 

Do you see yourself adding more aesthetic custom options? (like colors -- cobra/callaway)

 

 

Barbajo

 

Questions to ask -- from a marketing perspective, what efforts/strategies  do they use to maintain their market share, grow their market share (take customers from other brands) and grow the overall pie- meaning creating a new generation of golfers...

 

Also, what are their thoughts on customer "loyalty?"   Do they feel most of their customers are strict Taylormade guys" or do they view customers as perpetual free agents who need to be wooed every time they consider buying clubs?

 

Also from a marketing perspective, they obviously look at the "other guys" as their main competition, but do they view "not golfing" as competition as well?  Do they worry that the new golfer pipeline may not be full and that the overall market of recreational golfers is dwindling?  Is it a fair assessment. or even a valid one,  to say that the golfing population is aging and more new golfers are needed?  

 

Was there market research that led them to believe that white drivers/FW's/Hybrids would be something the public would jump on?  Conversely, was their market research to show that it was time to change back?

 

 

Zinger

 

One question I would want to know relates to "Loft Up"  The SLDR isnt new this year.  It came out last summer.  But suddenly, now it's the year of the loft, and you need to loft up.  Why wasn't this made clear during the launch?  My guess is, they discovered low and forward was specific to a pretty low subset of players that made consistent center contact on the face.  To address low and forward and the decrease in MOI, you have to loft up to make up for the bad strikes on the face.

 

 

Blade

 

Well I understand the loft up thing. One, most guys don't play enough without getting fit. But this is more about low forward cg. That reduces spin from the added gear effect meaning you can use more loft than with other drivers without the spin getting too high. I do know it works. But it is at the sacrifice of MOI. So I would be very curious about the performance on off center strikes. On a center strike, high or low MOI doesn't matter. On less than perfect strikes though, will the lower MOI on SLDR compared to other drivers be noticeable, or is it not enough difference to be an issue?

 

 

Paul S

 

I am curious about their impression of smaller OEMs in general. Are they ambivalent? Or do they seek world domination? Either way, do any particular smaller companies push them to innovate, or are they more self-driven. I mentioned Wilson Staff because I have some brand loyalty, but I'm really referring to any smaller manufacturers and boutique brands.

 

 

Whiskey golf

 

Ask them what they think of the criticism they receive about releasing products constantly and why their product cycles keep getting shorter and shorter.\

 

 

RevKev

 

Adams as well. What are they doing with it? It is still putting out good stuff but will that continue?

[Paul S]

Great stuff WD.

 

I hope everybody remains as objective as possible throughout the experience. It's going to be tough to do!

[HighFade]

My addition:

 

How much does a tour pro using TmaG equipment really improve sales?

 

What line is more profitable? Irons, woods, drivers, putters, balls? Least?

[TWShoot67]

Congrats to the guys who got chosen for a incredible MGS/TM trip. Hope you all can enjoy yourself a bit and as Spy said take sometime before the trip of some of those questions you always wanted to ask don't get forgotten once your there. Most of all have fun, not many get this opportunity so have a blast! Looks like MGS has been added to the list of Golf Forums who are now receiving these great golf trips not just Golfwrx and Hackers Paradise anymore.... I wonder when the Callaway trip will happen as they won't let TM get one up on them!!

 

Again have fun guys, you know how vacations go their over before you know it!

[GolfSpy WD]

For fun I compiled Dustin Johnson's stats over the past 5 seasons. This is all the while TM was claiming each subsequent driver was longer than the last

 

	Driving Rankk	Driving Distancece	Driving Accuracy Ranknk	Driving Accuracy Percentage %
2013	2	305.8	53.36	171
2012	4	310.2	56.3	158
2011	3	314.2	57.17	147
2010	3	308.5	56.35	172
2009	3	308.3	55.4	169

 

 

Then I went through the technology TM has released since 2009:

 

http://taylormadegolf.com/customer-service/product-specs.html

 

Slotted Fairway/Hybrid - Released with the original RBZ in 2011. Updated shape with the SLDR in late 2013.

Slotted Irons - Released with the Rbladez in early 2012. Updated shape with the Speed Blades and TP irons in late 2013.

Progressive Set Irons - Started with Burner Irons in 2009.

 

Inverted Cone Technology (expands sweet spot): Promoted since at least R7 (2008)

ASP Face Plate - Released with R11 in 2011. Updated with R11s (2012) and R1 (2013). Removed from SLDR (2013).

Adjustable Hosel - Released with R9 in 2009. Updated incrementally. R1 released single loft drive with wide adjustment. SLDR went back to +/- 1.5* of loft.

MWT - Released with R9 in 2009. Updated incrementally.

Slide - Released with SLDR in late 2013. Replaces MWT

 

430 drivers - R9, R11, SLDR has 430 version

460 drivers - all the others. SLDR and R9 available in 460.

White drivers - R11, Superfast, R11s, RBZ, R1. Back to black for R1, SLDR, Jetspeed.

 

ATV Sole Wedges - Released in 2012

 

Light weight driver - Promoted heavily in 2010-2011 with Superfast series. 

Low, forward CG - Promoted with RBZ and SLDR.

 

 

I'm sure I missed some stuff, but I have to get back to work...

[The Dansome]

Oh hey Mr. Theoo

 

[Mr_Theoo]

Oh hey Mr. Theoo

 

Oh it's on like Donkey Kong MBP!

[Walkerjames]

That's awesome! Danno!

[SeeRed]

Holy $hit !!!!  How did I miss this ????  Congrats Fellas !.  Looking at the the Guest list, Does TMaG know what there getting themselves into?  hahahahaha  We want lots and lots of video......

Ditto. Have fun!

[Tony Covey MGS]

For fun I compiled Dustin Johnson's stats over the past 5 seasons. This is all the while TM was claiming each subsequent driver was longer than the last

 

  Driving Rankk Driving Distancece Driving Accuracy Ranknk Driving Accuracy Percentage % 2013 2 305.8 53.36 171 2012 4 310.2 56.3 158 2011 3 314.2 57.17 147 2010 3 308.5 56.35 172 2009 3 308.3 55.4 169

 

 

This doesn't actually tell us much, unfortunately. It's easy to look at the numbers and assume that new drivers actually cost Dustin Johnson distance. 

 

Here's what we don't know:

Did Justin Johnson switch to a shorter driver (effectively trading distance for accuracy)? There does appear to be a correlation between distance gain and accuracy lost.

How often did he hit 3 wood on holes where driving distance is calculated (my understanding is that stats are derived from only 2 holes per course, and don't differentiate between the actual clubs used).

How did the rest of TaylorMade's staff fair for the same period?

It will also be interesting to see how the entire staff's numbers look with a full year of SLDR to pull from.

[GolfSpy WD]

This doesn't actually tell us much, unfortunately. It's easy to look at the numbers and assume that new drivers actually cost Dustin Johnson distance. 

 

Here's what we don't know:

Did Justin Johnson switch to a shorter driver (effectively trading distance for accuracy)? There does appear to be a correlation between distance gain and accuracy lost.

How often did he hit 3 wood on holes where driving distance is calculated (my understanding is that stats are derived from only 2 holes per course, and don't differentiate between the actual clubs used).

How did the rest of TaylorMade's staff fair for the same period?

It will also be interesting to see how the entire staff's numbers look with a full year of SLDR to pull from.

 

I agree, though I didn't know about 3 woods counting as a driving stat. I looked that stuff up to help counter the marketing speech. TM is really good at this, but I'm always of the opinion it's important to understand current and past technology to put new technology into perspective.

 

That said, I'm not interested in being the douche who is trying to make TM look bad by throwing these numbers in their face (or asking questions that make them only look good). I kinda realized after I posted that it might look like that. I'm interested in the tech from a very nerdy point of view. As in, why make change X and who does it benefit the most? How do they evaluate the success of a product on tour? And so on.

[The Dansome]

Did Justin Johnson switch to a shorter driver (effectively trading distance for accuracy)?

 

I'm curious about this Justin kid too. What tour is he playing on atm?