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Worst product releases of 2014?


markb

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The year is in our rear view mirror and looking back we are wont to remember the many good things that emerged over the last twelve months.   But let's also take a moment to recall some of the stinkeroos, shall we?    Here are a couple of my candidates, I'd like to see yours too.

 

Cobra BioCell Irons -

 

biocell.jpg

By all accounts, they performed well, but unquestionably these were the fugliest sticks released since those purple pastel Cleveland VAS irons got booted from Corey Pavin's bag in the 1990's.   Came, landed with a thud, gone for 2014.

 

 

Adidas Adizero Golf spikes

 

adizero.jpg

I don't know if these shoes came out for the first time in 2014 or 2013, but the first time I saw the damage they inflicted on greens was this year as my brother gouged his way across his first hole of the spring leaving little dented cylinders that did NOT spring back up after a few minutes.  We could still track where he had walked at the end of the day.  

 

Didn't any of the geniuses at Adidas think to TEST these shoes before they released them?   How bad does a golf product have to be in order to get BANNED by clubs across the country?  Adidas showed us how bad.

 

 

Sun Mountain MC3 -

 

sm mc3.jpg

How can you tell when a company has stopped trying?   When they release a new version of an existing product and the new version is markedly more cheaply made and has less features than the model it replaces... but they keep the same old price!  

 

The SM MC3 no longer sports the cloth and elastic accessory bag of the older Microcart.   Perhaps they dropped it because the old bag was shoddily made and caused complaints.   (All my seams ripped after about 3 months of use.)   Since I had to repair my old Microcart constantly until both aluminum upright struts simply snapped in half and I gave up, there was no way I was gonna go near the even-more-plasticky MC3.

 

 

Callaway Big Bertha Drivers -- All variants

 

bbs.jpg

Sure, these drivers have a few proponents and they sold a few in the spring.   Everyone has a right to their opinion.  All I'm saying is that I tried them and was heartbroken at how underwhelming they were.  Fast forward to today and the first gen BB's from the spring are selling used on ebay for under $100 in bunches.  I guess I was not alone in my opinions, they are getting dumped.  Then the V series came in mid summer and excited no one, and now we have the barely-changed 815's.  They haven't done well in comparison tests with other 2015 products and I doubt we'll see them in the 2015 MWD competition.

 

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that we will see ANOTHER couple new Callaway drivers for the PGA show in January.   What other choice do they have?   The Nike, Taylormade and Titleist drivers are being favorably received.  Maybe they will even drop the Big Bertha name again.

bag - SunMountain Synch with Ogio Synergy X4 cart
driver - :callaway-small: Optiforce 440, Paderson Kevlar Green stiff 46.5"
fwoods - :taylormade-small: Jetspeed, 3HL regular
irons - :taylormade-small:  Speedblades 3-8, 85g stiff steel, 2 up
wedges - :edilon-small: Scor 40, 45, 50, 54, 58
putter - :ping-small: Ketsch 35" slight arc, SuperStroke 2.0 mid-slim
ball - :titelist-small: ProV1x

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Mark

 

That's a bit harsh on the adidas shoes, they are very popular in the Uk indeed - I'm surprised if they aren't in the US. Bit narrow for my liking but incredibly light. Perhaps a bit pricey at MRRP.

 

Frankly the worst launch this season (think it launched in late 2013 really) has got to be the TM Jetspeed.

 

As well received as the SLDR was, the Jetspeed was instantly reduced and just never got traction at all. It wasn't a bad club, but it justwasnt a Burner.

 

I'd agree the big bertha launch wasn't great, but surely better than the effort Callaway made with Optiforce?

 

Or, and this is controversial, how about the Ping Ketsch? Create demand and then not fill orders - then discontinue......clearly there's a problem but Ping go quiet, aside from handing out cheques!

Rest in peace long sticks - I'll remember you

 

TM Burner Superfast 2.0 TP Regular

TM RBZ Stage 2 Fairway 14.5 stiff

Adams Blue Hybrid No. 3 stiff

Adams Super xtdHybrid 21.5 Stiff

 

Ping G30 4 and 5 Iron - Regular CFS Shaft

Ping i25 6 - PW Regular CFS Shaft

TM Y Groove Gap Wedge

Cleveland CG10 Sand Wedge

 

PingTR Piper Putter, adjustable shaft, SuperStroke Fatso

 

Titleist StaDry Cart Bag

 

Motocaddy S3 Pro Trolley

 

Foot Joy City, Adidas Boost Boa and Adidas Superstar shoes

 

Pro V1x in the summer, Titleist Velocity in the winter.

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Since its worst releases and not worst product I have to go Jetspeed and SLDR neither of which will be back this upcoming season under those names. Pretty sad.

 

In regards to golf balls it's anything not named PRO VI and Ix although I will give kudos to Bridgestone and Srixon(they are the number one leader in false marketing IMO) for sticking with the names of their pro line balls.

 

How can you penetrate the market if you keep changing the name of your offerings?

 

I buy Titleist and I know what I'm getting. Bridgestone is getting there, too and frankly I'm playing this past year's RX ball right now.

 

Does anyone know the name of Callaway's ball? How about TMag? I've lost track and there is seemingly no RZN to stick with Nike.

Taylor Made Stealth 2 10.5 Diamana S plus 60  Aldila  R flex   - 42.25 inches 

SMT 4 wood bassara R flex, four wood head, 3 wood shaft

Ping G410 7, 9 wood  Alta 65 R flex

Srixon ZX5 MK II  5-GW - UST recoil Dart 65 R flex

India 52,56 (60 pending)  UST recoil 75's R flex  

Evon roll ER 5 32 inches

It's our offseason so auditioning candidates - looking for that right mix of low spin long, more spin around the greens - TBD   

 

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Oh Rev, that rzn pun was the best Christmas present

Rest in peace long sticks - I'll remember you

 

TM Burner Superfast 2.0 TP Regular

TM RBZ Stage 2 Fairway 14.5 stiff

Adams Blue Hybrid No. 3 stiff

Adams Super xtdHybrid 21.5 Stiff

 

Ping G30 4 and 5 Iron - Regular CFS Shaft

Ping i25 6 - PW Regular CFS Shaft

TM Y Groove Gap Wedge

Cleveland CG10 Sand Wedge

 

PingTR Piper Putter, adjustable shaft, SuperStroke Fatso

 

Titleist StaDry Cart Bag

 

Motocaddy S3 Pro Trolley

 

Foot Joy City, Adidas Boost Boa and Adidas Superstar shoes

 

Pro V1x in the summer, Titleist Velocity in the winter.

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I have a pair of the Adidas shoes and I will say they are very comfortable but the spikes wear out extremely quick for me. I had to replace them 3 times this season.

Driver:   :callaway-small: Epic 10.5 set to 9.5 w/ Tour AD-DI 44.5

FW:   :cobra-small: F6 baffler set at 16º

Hybrid:  NONE
Irons:   :taylormade-small:  3i 2014 TP CB  4-PW 2011 TP MC w/ TT S400

Wedges:   :nike-small: 52º :nike-small: 56º  :edel-golf-1: 60 º w/ KBS C-Taper XS Soft-stepped

Putter:   :ping-small: Sigma G Tyne 34 inches Gold dot

 

 

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Oh Rev, that rzn pun was the best Christmas present

 

 

I am not speaking to quality - I played RZN for a bit this summer and they were fine - the thread is worst releases - I bag the SLDR and think it's a great club - I totally don't get entering the market with a new name and then scrapping it after one season.  To me it smells of poor planning.

 

Likewise with the Golf Balls - seems to me that Nike was making headway with its Nike One series and likewise Taylor Made was with the Penta - when I went to tour events I was starting to see lots of those pop up.  Why not give the model a chance to catch on?

Taylor Made Stealth 2 10.5 Diamana S plus 60  Aldila  R flex   - 42.25 inches 

SMT 4 wood bassara R flex, four wood head, 3 wood shaft

Ping G410 7, 9 wood  Alta 65 R flex

Srixon ZX5 MK II  5-GW - UST recoil Dart 65 R flex

India 52,56 (60 pending)  UST recoil 75's R flex  

Evon roll ER 5 32 inches

It's our offseason so auditioning candidates - looking for that right mix of low spin long, more spin around the greens - TBD   

 

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Rev I'm going to disagree with the SLDR and Tour Preferred launches from TMaG.  I think they actually did a pretty nice job trying to educate the customer with those.  How many times did we talk about Loft Up?  It may have been polarizing, but it sure got the word out and they sold the SLDR in bunches.  Plus it actually lived a full life cycle and didn't get immediately discounted.  For the balls I think they needed a new name.  We had Penta and then Lethal.  Tour Preferred is a much better name for a premium ball and I'm hoping they will stick with it for a while.

 

Two of my picks for worst launches have already been mentioned, but they are Jetspeed and all the Cally drivers.  Neither gained traction in retail, Jetspeed had the horrible puppet video's and then was gone.  Cally just followed the old model of discounting almost immediately and then trying to cover their @ss with a small rebate if you for some reason decided to trust them again and get the next newest driver while trading in your old one.

 

Honorable mention for me goes to the Cleveland Smartsquare putter and the Cally SR line of golf balls.

Driver: :taylormade-small: SLDR w/ Fujikura Ventus Black

3w: :taylormade-small:'16 M2 hl w/ Diamana D+ 82

5w: :cleveland-small: Launcher HB w/ HZRDUS Yellow

Hybrid: :cleveland-small: 22 deg. Launcher HB w/ HZRDUS Black

Irons: :cleveland-small: 5i - gap Launcher CBX w/ Nippon Modus 3 125

Wedges: :cleveland-small: 54 CBX & 58 Zipcore w/ Nippon Modus 3 125

Putter: :odyssey-small: Red 7s

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I'd agree on the naming convention TM employed, shouldn't have gone away from Burner or R series - people had kind of got to grips with that. Although the tech has carried forward so perhaps not a major failure - perhaps TM planned it as a trial so as not to ruin the R series by putting slider tech in untested.

 

I shall expect some more wordplay from now on Rev.....

 

As for spikes Theo, I've never worn down a spike on any shoe - my adipures are 18 months old and the spikes could pass for new. But some of my friends have worn out there spikes on footjoys and nukes after months - can't quite work it out myself.

 

It may be because I always seem to be playing on wet courses!

Rest in peace long sticks - I'll remember you

 

TM Burner Superfast 2.0 TP Regular

TM RBZ Stage 2 Fairway 14.5 stiff

Adams Blue Hybrid No. 3 stiff

Adams Super xtdHybrid 21.5 Stiff

 

Ping G30 4 and 5 Iron - Regular CFS Shaft

Ping i25 6 - PW Regular CFS Shaft

TM Y Groove Gap Wedge

Cleveland CG10 Sand Wedge

 

PingTR Piper Putter, adjustable shaft, SuperStroke Fatso

 

Titleist StaDry Cart Bag

 

Motocaddy S3 Pro Trolley

 

Foot Joy City, Adidas Boost Boa and Adidas Superstar shoes

 

Pro V1x in the summer, Titleist Velocity in the winter.

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I never mind being disagreed with hckymeyer.

 

Having written that I think you've in some ways illustrated part of my point - the constant name changes point to upfront issues - these things should have been thought out or more thoroughly vetted first.  The fact that names haven't stuck where as other tried and true ones were jettisoned is just that - a fact - I'm sure the good folks at Taylor Made and Nike would disagree and tell me all about their focus groups but I'm saying this is what it looks like to me and I suspect to many others.

 

Titleist, Ping, Mizuno - there's consistency there - you know what to expect and what the names mean -

 

I need a long series of commercial and lots of MGS reviews to figure the other stuff out.

 

It's so silly that I forgot all about the lethal.

Taylor Made Stealth 2 10.5 Diamana S plus 60  Aldila  R flex   - 42.25 inches 

SMT 4 wood bassara R flex, four wood head, 3 wood shaft

Ping G410 7, 9 wood  Alta 65 R flex

Srixon ZX5 MK II  5-GW - UST recoil Dart 65 R flex

India 52,56 (60 pending)  UST recoil 75's R flex  

Evon roll ER 5 32 inches

It's our offseason so auditioning candidates - looking for that right mix of low spin long, more spin around the greens - TBD   

 

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Mark

 

That's a bit harsh on the adidas shoes, they are very popular in the Uk indeed - I'm surprised if they aren't in the US. Bit narrow for my liking but incredibly light. Perhaps a bit pricey at MRRP.

 

Frankly the worst launch this season (think it launched in late 2013 really) has got to be the TM Jetspeed.

 

As well received as the SLDR was, the Jetspeed was instantly reduced and just never got traction at all. It wasn't a bad club, but it justwasnt a Burner.

 

I'd agree the big bertha launch wasn't great, but surely better than the effort Callaway made with Optiforce?

 

Or, and this is controversial, how about the Ping Ketsch? Create demand and then not fill orders - then discontinue......clearly there's a problem but Ping go quiet, aside from handing out cheques!

 

Westy, you make some very good points, but you are shading your selections with an eye towards marketing screw ups of the companies that launched the products, and I was actually going towards defects in the products themselves.  I can see how the wording of my question would have led you in that direction, however.   And if we're talking about marketing foul-ups, I can't quibble with your choices.   There is plently of room at this table for both!

 

I can't argue that the TMag screw-up with the Jetspeed was epic in its bad-ness.   They botched the product differentiation upon launch (which was late 2013), then they botched it with the Puppets, then they hamstrung it with the "loft up" campaign that they had to use in order to move SLDR's that would have otherwise been returned, but loft up was not needed for the Jetspeeds.  

 

But here's the thing -- the clubs themselves were actually pretty good.   I still bag two Jetspeed fwoods which were better handling than their SLDR big brothers.  This was just like the way Callaway botched the Optiforce launch by dumping it late season with no effort.   These were good solid clubs that their mama companies kicked out of the litter box like five-legged runts.   They deserved better and to some degree they are now getting love and sticking in bags on the used market.

 

I also can't argue that Ping has done everything in its power to kill the Ketsch, and they're still doing it.   A great putter that they seemed determined to bury with Clinton-esque mistakes that they later cover up and lie about.   But the club is still very good.

 

As for the Adizero, they ARE popular in the US.   That's the problem!   I can tell who is wearing them in the groups in front of me by the tracks they leave!   If we could just get some Adizero's on Bigfoot, we'd be able to trace that cryptid to his lair and bag him for the San Diego Zoo in two shakes.  Theo, your spikes are wearing out because they are perched atop the pedestals that dent the ground and cause all the damage.   All the pressure of your feet goes to those pedestals.   Start watching where you have walked and you'll be chagrined.   (To be fair to Adidas, the name Adizero encompasses a whole family of shoes and some members of the family are worse than others.)

 

Differentiation of Ball names -- I agree that no one knows which ball is best for them from any of the companies other than Titleist.  Bridgestone's naming convention is probably the worst, or maybe Callaway's.   But I didn't think to mention any of them because all those balls are actually pretty good when you play them.   I give Nike the most props for going from pretty bad to pretty good with the latest RZN's, their's was the biggest step up.

bag - SunMountain Synch with Ogio Synergy X4 cart
driver - :callaway-small: Optiforce 440, Paderson Kevlar Green stiff 46.5"
fwoods - :taylormade-small: Jetspeed, 3HL regular
irons - :taylormade-small:  Speedblades 3-8, 85g stiff steel, 2 up
wedges - :edilon-small: Scor 40, 45, 50, 54, 58
putter - :ping-small: Ketsch 35" slight arc, SuperStroke 2.0 mid-slim
ball - :titelist-small: ProV1x

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Markb - you are not kidding about the Adizero shoes. I have the version that came before the one you have in the picture. They are green wreckers when the greens are soft. I played a club tournament a few weeks ago, and I felt so bad about the impressions they made in the greens that I was literally walking all the way around the greens to get to my ball and trying to reach like 4 feet to get my ball out of the hole. They are very comfortable shoes and will keep you solidly connected to the ground. But you need to play on firm, links style greens or you're going to have the groups behind you wondering who's the jackass that keeps leaving deep spike marks in their putting line.

Driver: Callaway Epic Max LS 9.0*. (Oban Kiyoshi Purple 65)

FW: Cobra F9 3W (MC Diamana RF 60)
Hybrid:
Callaway Apex 19 2H (KBS - 85)

Hybrid: Callaway Apex 4H (MC - Kuro Kage 80 HY)
Irons: Callaway XR Steelhead 5I - AW (Project X 6.0 Steel)
Wedges: Callaway MD3 54* Standard; PM Grind 58* (Project X 5.5 Steel)
Putter: Odyssey Toulon - Atlanta (35")
Ball: Callaway Chrome Soft, Titleist Pro-V1, Whatever is in the Weeds
Resident of Southern California

 

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Good point on the adizeros - I had noticed friends were making impressions in the green. Something I don't see from my Adipures.

 

There's some awesome products that the companies have effectively ruined with duff marketing....

Rest in peace long sticks - I'll remember you

 

TM Burner Superfast 2.0 TP Regular

TM RBZ Stage 2 Fairway 14.5 stiff

Adams Blue Hybrid No. 3 stiff

Adams Super xtdHybrid 21.5 Stiff

 

Ping G30 4 and 5 Iron - Regular CFS Shaft

Ping i25 6 - PW Regular CFS Shaft

TM Y Groove Gap Wedge

Cleveland CG10 Sand Wedge

 

PingTR Piper Putter, adjustable shaft, SuperStroke Fatso

 

Titleist StaDry Cart Bag

 

Motocaddy S3 Pro Trolley

 

Foot Joy City, Adidas Boost Boa and Adidas Superstar shoes

 

Pro V1x in the summer, Titleist Velocity in the winter.

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1.2.3 JetSpeed comes first, second and third on this list. Clubs are pretty good, but they can't even move them at 50% off around here.

 

4. SkyCaddie. Linx. Touch. Aire. Watch. I lost track of their models a long time ago. Don't even know if they're available anywhere.

 

5. Cleveland RTX and 588. They're missing the target with everything. Making good clubs, some even great, but their releases are disasters. 

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Cleveland must be close to the edge now, between their recent iron releases and the smart square (we're so lazy we'll rebadge never compromise sub 30 putters and paint a square on the top).....

Rest in peace long sticks - I'll remember you

 

TM Burner Superfast 2.0 TP Regular

TM RBZ Stage 2 Fairway 14.5 stiff

Adams Blue Hybrid No. 3 stiff

Adams Super xtdHybrid 21.5 Stiff

 

Ping G30 4 and 5 Iron - Regular CFS Shaft

Ping i25 6 - PW Regular CFS Shaft

TM Y Groove Gap Wedge

Cleveland CG10 Sand Wedge

 

PingTR Piper Putter, adjustable shaft, SuperStroke Fatso

 

Titleist StaDry Cart Bag

 

Motocaddy S3 Pro Trolley

 

Foot Joy City, Adidas Boost Boa and Adidas Superstar shoes

 

Pro V1x in the summer, Titleist Velocity in the winter.

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4. SkyCaddie. Linx. Touch. Aire. Watch. I lost track of their models a long time ago. Don't even know if they're available anywhere.

 

 

The Touch is their latest offering and it's a cluster, to say the least. They dropped a lot of the features from the SGX and are now just making them available with updates, some not being available until "Spring 2015", whenever that is.

 

They released the product way too early for mine and now have a lot of pissed of (sorry, only words I can think of that explain the level of frustration I see) customers.

In the bag:
Driver: :titelist-small: TSR2 Project X HZRDUS Black 5.5
Fairway: :callaway-small: Apex UW 19° & 21° Project X HZRDUS Smoke RDX Black 5.5

Irons: :mizuno-small: JPX 923 HMP 5-PW UST Mamiya Recoil 95 F4
Wedges: :mizuno-small: T-22 Denim Copper 48°, 52° & 56° UST Mamiya Recoil 95 F4
Putter :Sub70: Sycamore 005 Wide Blade
Bag: 
:Ogio: Alpha Convoy 514
Balls: :callaway-small: Chrome Soft X

Cart: :CaddyTek: CaddyLite ONE Ver. 8


God Bless America🇺🇸, God save the King🇬🇧, God defend New Zealand🇳🇿 and thank Christ for Australia🇦🇺!

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Cleveland must be close to the edge now, between their recent iron releases and the smart square (we're so lazy we'll rebadge never compromise sub 30 putters and paint a square on the top).....

 

Yeah, they seem to be morphing into a short game/seniors/SGI company.  Too bad, because their most recent release of the 588 CB/MB irons are among the nicest feeling clubs I've ever hit.  Deals about on the 'Bay for them....

 

The putter? Not bad, bit it didn't make me want to crawl onto anyone's lap and hum show tunes...

 

What's in the bag:
 
Driver:  :titelist-small:TSR3; :wilson_staff_small: DynaPWR Carbon
FW Wood: :wilson_staff_small: DynaPWR 3-wood; :titleist-small: TSR 2+
Hybrids:  PXG Gen4 18-degree
Utility Irons: :srixon-small: ZX MkII 20* 
Irons:;  :Sub70:699/699 Pro V2 Combo; :wilson_staff_small: D9 Forged;  :macgregor-small:MT86 (coming soon!); :macgregor-small: VIP 1025 V-Foil MB/CB; 

Wedges:  :cleveland-small: RTX6 Zipcore
Putter: :cleveland-small: HB Soft Milled 10.5;  :scotty-small: Newport Special Select;  :edel-golf-1:  Willamette,  :bettinardi-small: BB8; :wilson-small: 8802; MATI Monto

Ball: :bridgestone-small: Tour B RXS; :srixon-small: Z-STAR Diamond; :wilson_staff_small: Triad

Stat Tracker/GPS Watch: :ShotScope:


 
Follow @golfspybarbajo

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I never mind being disagreed with hckymeyer.

 

Having written that I think you've in some ways illustrated part of my point - the constant name changes point to upfront issues - these things should have been thought out or more thoroughly vetted first.  The fact that names haven't stuck where as other tried and true ones were jettisoned is just that - a fact - I'm sure the good folks at Taylor Made and Nike would disagree and tell me all about their focus groups but I'm saying this is what it looks like to me and I suspect to many others.

 

Titleist, Ping, Mizuno - there's consistency there - you know what to expect and what the names mean -

 

I need a long series of commercial and lots of MGS reviews to figure the other stuff out.

 

It's so silly that I forgot all about the lethal.

I'll give you the balls being a cluster, I guess I'm just being optimistic that this year they picked a name to stick with.  I think they did a decent job launching the Tour Preferred name again by coming out with clubs and balls under the same umbrella name and building a little momentum.  If they change the name again in 2015 then I'll amend my answer :)

 

In regards to the SLDR launch I just don't see how it can be considered a failure or bad launch.  A launch is supposed to do two things, get people talking/interested in the product and sell product.  You couldn't spend more than 5 seconds on a golf site in the early part of 2014 without seeing a post or article on Loft Up or SLDR, to me that's solid PR buzz.  Then the thing actually performed and sold by the truck load.  Add in that they didn't have to discount it and it lived for a full product cycle and I think it's a resounding success.  Basically it was the complete opposite of the Jetspeed launch.

Driver: :taylormade-small: SLDR w/ Fujikura Ventus Black

3w: :taylormade-small:'16 M2 hl w/ Diamana D+ 82

5w: :cleveland-small: Launcher HB w/ HZRDUS Yellow

Hybrid: :cleveland-small: 22 deg. Launcher HB w/ HZRDUS Black

Irons: :cleveland-small: 5i - gap Launcher CBX w/ Nippon Modus 3 125

Wedges: :cleveland-small: 54 CBX & 58 Zipcore w/ Nippon Modus 3 125

Putter: :odyssey-small: Red 7s

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I find it quite amusing that some folks want to post replies to this topic as if the question was one of marketing, rather than product quality. I'd hazard a guess that many of us couldn't care less about marketing.

Take the Jetspeed line, for example. 1) the driver is the longest in the current marketplace for lots of players (I have observed three very competitive Senior pros with 100+ mph swing speeds play it in a significant local tournament in October; each swears they've never had a longer stick.) It's longer than the SLDR for me, which was longer than anything else I've played. 2) The 3 wood and the hybrids shoved my RBZ Stage II's out of the bag. Better contact, better feel, more accurate, longer.You're missing a bet if you don't try them, especially at the highly discounted prices for discontinued clubs. TaylorMade's marketing failure has created a great opportunity for players.

Jon Silverberg

 

BatCaddy electric pushcart with 36 hole capable lead-acid battery, holding a 2015 Titleist 14-way stand bag, customized with my club's logo (Nassau Players Club), containing:

TaylorMade 10.5 degree SIM Max Driver (set 2 clicks down), with 47.5" A Flex Fujikura Ventus Red 5 shaft 

Cobra F6 3-4W (set to 16 degrees), with 47.5" R flex Aldila ATX65 shaft

Cobra King F8 4-5 wood (set to 19 degrees), 3 and 4 hybrids, all R flex

TaylorMade Jetspeed 6 Hybrid, R flex

Cleveland Launcher HB 7-S irons, R flex (+1.5")

Cleveland RTX 3.0CB 60 degree wedge (+1")

Evnroll ER-3 putter, 35" (Gravity grip)

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I have the Bio Cell irons in my bag as they have been there since February. When my swing is in, they are great. When my swing is off, they are still great. I plan on keeping them in for awhile. I didn't think the stiff shafts would work for me, but as they are 85 gram shafts I can get them around just fine.

Driver: image.png.6ba1c8a254ad57aa05e527b74c2e04ba.png0311 XF 10.5* w/Project X Cypher 40 gram Senior shaft or 0811 XF 12* w/Evenflo Riptide CB Senior shaft

Fairways:  image.png.80321f01fc46450b6f428c7daf7b3471.png0211 5W & 7W w/ Evenflo Riptide CB  regular shaft and Tour Edge E521 9W w/Fubuki HD50 regular shaft

Hybrid: None in bag at the moment

IronsTitleist T300 5-PW w/Fubuki MV Senior graphite shafts w/Golf Pride Tour

Wedges: Edison forged 49*, 53* and 57* wedges with KB PGI Senior shafts(80 grm).

Putter: 33” Evnroll ER6R or  ER2 or Bellum Winmore Model 707,   or Nike Method Core Drone  w/Evnroll Gravity Grip

Bag: Vice cart bag(Black/Lime). 

Ball: Snell MTB Prime X, Maxfli Tour/S/X CG, Titleist Pro V1x or Titleist TruFeel

Using Shot Scope X5 and Pinned Rangefinder

 

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I find it quite amusing that some folks want to post replies to this topic as if the question was one of marketing, rather than product quality. I'd hazard a guess that many of us couldn't care less about marketing.

Take the Jetspeed line, for example. 1) the driver is the longest in the current marketplace for lots of players (I have observed three very competitive Senior pros with 100+ mph swing speeds play it in a significant local tournament in October; each swears they've never had a longer stick.) It's longer than the SLDR for me, which was longer than anything else I've played. 2) The 3 wood and the hybrids shoved my RBZ Stage II's out of the bag. Better contact, better feel, more accurate, longer.You're missing a bet if you don't try them, especially at the highly discounted prices for discontinued clubs. TaylorMade's marketing failure has created a great opportunity for players.

 

 

Welcome aboard and I hope you don't mind my first reply as a comment on your question.  It's because of the way Mark named the topic - "Worst product releases" reads like a marketing thing as opposed to Worst products released.  I read it as marketing.

 

Regardless you are spot on that it's a golfers dream when a good product is poorly marketed.  I certainly know several people who hit the Jetspeed better than the SLDR.  I'm not one of them but I know several who did.

 

I disagree with Mark about Bridgestone - they've had the same Pro line balls with the same names for several years - B330 or 330s are for guys with tour like swing speeds and the RX versions for slower swingers.  I think they have more than succesfully communicated that point and frankly I see lots of their product out on the course - it's neck and neck between them and Nike for number 2 down here.

 

I do agree on the Adizero - they should be outlawed - it had been so long since I had seen spike marks and now they're back.  It's just time to change the most ridiculous rule in golf instead of wasting time hurting recreational golfers by banning the long putter because Adam Scott is too good with it.

 

I get your point on SLDR Hckymeyer - it was a good launch - really a great launch - I remain confounded as to why it's going away though and the R15 - I'm I supposed to loft up there - is it the heir apparent to the SLDR or something else, the R1? The R11s?  What's it's story?

 

If this thread is about the quality of products I can't speak to it beyond having tried several different ball offerings and the fact the no one but me plays Wilson and they make good stuff.

Taylor Made Stealth 2 10.5 Diamana S plus 60  Aldila  R flex   - 42.25 inches 

SMT 4 wood bassara R flex, four wood head, 3 wood shaft

Ping G410 7, 9 wood  Alta 65 R flex

Srixon ZX5 MK II  5-GW - UST recoil Dart 65 R flex

India 52,56 (60 pending)  UST recoil 75's R flex  

Evon roll ER 5 32 inches

It's our offseason so auditioning candidates - looking for that right mix of low spin long, more spin around the greens - TBD   

 

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I find it quite amusing that some folks want to post replies to this topic as if the question was one of marketing, rather than product quality. I'd hazard a guess that many of us couldn't care less about marketing.

Take the Jetspeed line, for example. 1) the driver is the longest in the current marketplace for lots of players (I have observed three very competitive Senior pros with 100+ mph swing speeds play it in a significant local tournament in October; each swears they've never had a longer stick.) It's longer than the SLDR for me, which was longer than anything else I've played. 2) The 3 wood and the hybrids shoved my RBZ Stage II's out of the bag. Better contact, better feel, more accurate, longer.You're missing a bet if you don't try them, especially at the highly discounted prices for discontinued clubs. TaylorMade's marketing failure has created a great opportunity for players.

 

A very good point Slightdraw.   When I started the thread, I actually had in mind products with inherent defects in the product, not so much bad marketing campaigns, but my wording was poorly chosen and most guys understood it to be about marketing.   Note that I included the REALLY GOOD BioCell irons which only suffer from being ugly.   And the BB's got the very best marketing that Cally could throw at them -- but they underwhelmed.   No matter that my question confused.   Once we started talking about bad marketing killing good clubs, I'm also interested because it's just as good a conversation to have.

 

I didn't include the Jetspeed on my list for the above reason (also because it was launched in late 2013).   There's no question the JS got about the shortest shrift in the history of golf marketing.   They are all fine clubs, I liked the JS driver more than the SLDR myself.   I also agree on the fwoods, I have two of them and I dumped my RBZ's for them.  But I also knew the club was in trouble from day one.   It listed for $299 and I bought mine from a big B&M in December 2013, a week after launch, for $144.   Somebody saw the handwriting on the wall before Xmas last year.   It took me to February before I could hit it and then I could only scratch my head, asking, "Why does everyone seem to hate this club?"

 

Fast forward to today, and it turns out that the JS fwoods are actually starting to rise in price on ebay.   It's now hard to get a good JS 3 or 5 wood for under $50 and the BIN's are hovering around $65.   That's up from two months ago when I got my 3HL for $27.

 

As for the SLDR and R15 -   I don't think the names are that important to TMag.   They have a history of alternating names between their numbered system and the sexy tech products.   They probably wanted to avoid the R13 for bad luck reasons, so they went with SLDR that they then have to work to tell us not to call it the "Slider", which everyone does.   Then they had to work doubletime 6 months after release because the dang thing launched so low they had to teach us to LOFT UP.   Something you don't have to do with the Jetspeed, R15 or the Aerotech.   I guess they fixed that low launch bug, eh?

 

As for balls -- I'll admit to being a bit hard on Bridgestone because I don't buy them.  They make fine balls and if I find them, I'll often play a B330 rather than toss it in the range pile.   But they currently offer 9 different models to Titleist's 6.   So many products confuse me.   Other companies like Nike and Callaway have as many or more models and they also confuse the heck out of me.   Srixon I get, keep the Z's toss the Q's.   I really like the Wilson balls myself and I bought them all year till I ran out.   Since no one else hits them into ponds, I never find them and now I'm stuck with 10 dozen found ProV's I have to use up.   Oh well.

 

Bottom line, I think this discussion about product stinkeroos is useful and interesting because it reminds us that all the big companies screw up, their decisions are not made by infallible geniuses relying on bullet-proof research.

 

Often these things are the brain-children of one or two product managers who have an idea they think will work, so they run it up the flag-pole to see who salutes.   Sometimes no one salutes.   Sometimes a relatively banal idea like a non-tapered, fat putter grip EXPLODES in ways no one could predict.  Often in today's rapid release market, these product managers DON'T HAVE TIME to conduct proper focus groups to get the feedback they need to make informed decisions.   They have got to get the thing done and out there because the competition is breathing down their necks.   In that sort of atmosphere, mistakes are bound to happen.

bag - SunMountain Synch with Ogio Synergy X4 cart
driver - :callaway-small: Optiforce 440, Paderson Kevlar Green stiff 46.5"
fwoods - :taylormade-small: Jetspeed, 3HL regular
irons - :taylormade-small:  Speedblades 3-8, 85g stiff steel, 2 up
wedges - :edilon-small: Scor 40, 45, 50, 54, 58
putter - :ping-small: Ketsch 35" slight arc, SuperStroke 2.0 mid-slim
ball - :titelist-small: ProV1x

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I find it quite amusing that some folks want to post replies to this topic as if the question was one of marketing, rather than product quality. I'd hazard a guess that many of us couldn't care less about marketing.

Take the Jetspeed line, for example. 1) the driver is the longest in the current marketplace for lots of players (I have observed three very competitive Senior pros with 100+ mph swing speeds play it in a significant local tournament in October; each swears they've never had a longer stick.) It's longer than the SLDR for me, which was longer than anything else I've played. 2) The 3 wood and the hybrids shoved my RBZ Stage II's out of the bag. Better contact, better feel, more accurate, longer.You're missing a bet if you don't try them, especially at the highly discounted prices for discontinued clubs. TaylorMade's marketing failure has created a great opportunity for players.

 

But that's my point exactly. There are no truly bad products. Just bad marketing. A "bad" product today, one that doesn't sell at all, is just as good as the best selling products.

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But that's my point exactly. There are no truly bad products. Just bad marketing. A "bad" product today, one that doesn't sell at all, is just as good as the best selling products.

 

 

I agree with this also. I don't think any golf company today can make a product that doesn't perform. I mean, it might not for you but it will for joe golfer over there. I believe the hype sells the club. It just so happens Tmag's SLDR had a lot of hype and sold a lot of clubs because of it. 

DRIVER:   :taylormade-small: Stealth 2, 9* Upright setting, Mitsubishi Kai' Li red, 60g Stiff flex, New grip coming

Woods:   image.png.b032bfa6bceb3d86677e537bac666ed6.png Sim Max 3 Wood, 15*, Fujikura Ventus 6 Blue 65g, Stiff flex, New grip coming

HYBRIDS:   :mizuno-small:    JPX 850 hybrid 19*, UST Proforce V2 85g, Stiff, New grip coming                                  

IRONS:      image.png.e097bd129e11b5c3535389554504a9e8.png    MP-20 HMB 4 iron, Project X LZ 6.5 shaft, Stiff+, Ping Midsize grip

                              JPX 919 Tour 5i-pw, Project X LZ 6.5 shafts, Stiff+,  Ping Midsize grips

WEDGES:    New Level Golf   50*, 55*, 60* M-Type Wedges with True Temper Elevate Tour X-Stiff flex,                                               New Level Midsize grips

PUTTER:    :ping-small:   Heppler Ketsch 35", Ping PP62 Pistol Grip

BALL:           :titleist-small:     Pro V1 (2021 + 2023 Versions)                                                                              
                  
BAG:       image.png.21a67eec796936e08fafc83a822b0d7f.png  TM19 Select Plus Cart Bag 
 
Shoes:  Under Armour     HOVR Fade 2 SL Spikeless  Shoes

Tech: :918457628_PrecisionPro: NX7 Pro Slope golf laser Rangefinder

          Frogger Golf Towels, 4 more Yard blue/ yellow golf tees

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Tmag sold a lot of SLDRs because people could actually SEE technology that was different than any previous driver. It also didn't hurt that it won the MGS Most Wanted Driver award.

We don’t stop playing the game because we get old; we get old because we stop playing the game.”

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Nah, the major OEM's NEVER release equipment that is actually bad, or that has gimmicks that don't actually do anything.....can't happen, they're too smart.

 

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I think all we need is a little time for the kool-aid to pass through our systems and in hindsight maybe today's brilliant brainstorms will look like the clunkers of yesteryear.

 

My current candidate for clunker gimmick of the year is -- I hate to say it -- Ping's turbulators.

 

The G30 is a fine, stable performer -- but the turbulators have not boosted club head spead for me or for any normal non-Bubba of my acquaintance.

bag - SunMountain Synch with Ogio Synergy X4 cart
driver - :callaway-small: Optiforce 440, Paderson Kevlar Green stiff 46.5"
fwoods - :taylormade-small: Jetspeed, 3HL regular
irons - :taylormade-small:  Speedblades 3-8, 85g stiff steel, 2 up
wedges - :edilon-small: Scor 40, 45, 50, 54, 58
putter - :ping-small: Ketsch 35" slight arc, SuperStroke 2.0 mid-slim
ball - :titelist-small: ProV1x

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The square Sumo sold incredibly well. Even pros used it. 

 

But we're talking 2014. The weirdest club this year must be the Cleveland Smart Sole wedge. But it works. It's fun to play with.

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The Sumo seemed designed to help move the ball to the left, which I really didn't need.  Gave it to a friend with a terrible slice ;)

What's In the Bag

Driver - :callaway-small: GBB 

Hybrids  :cleveland-small: Halo XL Halo 18* & :cobra-small: T-Rail 20*

Irons  :cobra-small: T-Rail 2.0

Wedges :ping-small: 60* TS / SCOR 48* 53* 58*

Putter     :scotty-small:

Ball :callaway-logo-1:

Bag Datrek DG Lite  

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That's funny! I have a buddy who still plays one of these for the same reason. He still hits a beautiful banana ball...lol.

A friend of mine still uses one. He hits drivers a long way but his miss is usually a push slice, but with the Sumo he is much more accurate. Now if the sound wasn't horrible...

We don’t stop playing the game because we get old; we get old because we stop playing the game.”

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I would tend to say that much of what is being called "bad" here in terms of product quality is not. Look how far back Mark had to reach through the huge amount of clubs produced to find some clunkers. While I hated the Sumo squared it was not a "bad" club. It did what it was supposed to do, it hit the ball straighter.

 

It is about marketing and the ability to get product into people's hands. Having played with a couple of guys who bag bio cells and having hit them myself I'm struggling to understand why they might be termed ugly. To one person's eye perhaps but not to everyone and certainly not to Cobras target group.

Taylor Made Stealth 2 10.5 Diamana S plus 60  Aldila  R flex   - 42.25 inches 

SMT 4 wood bassara R flex, four wood head, 3 wood shaft

Ping G410 7, 9 wood  Alta 65 R flex

Srixon ZX5 MK II  5-GW - UST recoil Dart 65 R flex

India 52,56 (60 pending)  UST recoil 75's R flex  

Evon roll ER 5 32 inches

It's our offseason so auditioning candidates - looking for that right mix of low spin long, more spin around the greens - TBD   

 

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