RIP Ben Hogan Golf

[null]

Looks like they are shutting their doors.

[Joey East Coast]

Link to anything?

[numberonecoog]

This is sad to me.I love my PTx irons. Such a well made club. I think they priced themselves out of a lot of peoples bags. A real shame. 

[Birdiehunter17]

I wonder if the loft stamps really hurt their sales. Trying to be different and then special order had to hurt. Nice irons though.

[Birdiehunter17]

On a somewhat related note, I saw this from Hopkins, the other special order clubs I think of.

 

https://hopkinsgolf.com/off-page/index.html

[GolfSpy Barbajo]

Confirmed -- pretty sad news.  Laid off 100% of its staff - no word on whether the company will shut down permanently, but it sure doesn't look good.

 

Some inside dope here...

 

 

https://www.mygolfspy.com/ben-hogan-lays-off-100-of-workforce/

[jaskanski]

Sad news for the employees and the brand, but in all honesty the Hogan name probably lost anything it had some time ago.

Sure, it made some great clubs back in the day and maybe it had it's fair share of fans right up to the present day - but it is (or was) a classic example of how not to run a golf business in the modern era. 

If it's any consolation, I'm glad it didn't go the same way as Lynx, Macgregor, Ram etc. and churn out junk.

[jayjay0808]

Very sad to hear... Again feel horrible for all the people that have lost their jobs. 

[Joey East Coast]

[Mr_Theoo]

Sad to hear, I really like my hogan irons

[Undershooter]

It's really too bad. They made good stuff. 

[Kenny B]

So... did Terry Koehler leave because he saw it coming, or did BHG go under because TK left??

[GolfSpy Barbajo]

As a fan of Hogan - both old and new - this is beyond disappointing.  It's a tough environment for any OEM who isn't one of the Fab 5 (Cally, TM, PING, Cobra, Titleist) to be heard. Once you get beyond the next tier -- Mizzy, PXG, Wilson, Bridgestone - it's almost impossible.  You become white noise in a market that requires buzz.

[GolfSpy Barbajo]

So... did Terry Koehler leave because he saw it coming, or did BHG go under because TK left??

 

It's my guess that TK leaving was, to be kind, mutual.

[JudgeSmails]

As a fan of Hogan - both old and new - this is beyond disappointing.  It's a tough environment for any OEM who isn't one of the Fab 5 (Cally, TM, PING, Cobra, Titleist) to be heard. Once you get beyond the next tier -- Mizzy, PXG, Wilson, Bridgestone - it's almost impossible.  You become white noise in a market that requires buzz.

 

I wonder if PXG cut into their business more than any of the others, being another 'premium' brand that created more buzz than they did (endorsements)

[GolfSpy Barbajo]

I wonder if PXG cut into their business more than any of the others, being another 'premium' brand that created more buzz than they did (endorsements)

 

They had a weird spot kind of in the middle - priced between PXG, Miura, Honma and other premium brands, and above Cally, TM, PING, Titleist, etc -- kind of a no man's land

[jaskanski]

The point is, PXG was a completely new brand that pitched itself against top names with a unique selling point. 

Hogan was an ageing dinosaur that offered nothing other than nostalgia. Even if millions of $$$ were pumped into the Hogan brand, it would have struggled to make a mark in todays sales.

[MattF]

Da fuq. 

[fozcycle]

They had a weird spot kind of in the middle - priced between PXG, Miura, Honma and other premium brands, and above Cally, TM, PING, Titleist, etc -- kind of a no man's land

 

...and they chose to not seel out Pros to play their clubs.....that, and being very secluded as far as access by the troops, was a negative in their business plan.

[Kenny B]

...and they chose to not seel out Pros to play their clubs.....that, and being very secluded as far as access by the troops, was a negative in their business plan.

I tried to seek them out in 2015.  Before my trip to Las Vegas in Sept 2015, I contacted BHG in August to see if they had a fitter/seller in Vegas.  They told me that they were "in the process".  When I was in Vegas in Sept I had a few hours so checked their website (nothing listed), so I called them.  I found out that yes, they had one in Nevada...  in Reno!!!  Thanks, that was helpful.  Not!

[Jmikecpa]

Very sad news since I have been playing their irons for most of the last two seasons and really like the product.  From my view the biggest issue is what Kenny touched on in that there is not really a fitting network.  I was able to work with the online tool to get what fit me, but then again I am maybe a bit more educated on my specs than the average consumer.  I had a few guys at my club that had hit my irons and would have bought them in a heartbeat if they could go through a fitting for them and try different shafts and set makeups.  I think that it is a hard sell to get someone to take a flyer on a direct order for a $2k set of clubs. 

[GolfSpy Barbajo]

So confirmed from CEO  Scott White - Hogan is NOT shutting down, but instead implementing what he's calling a "reorganization initiative to minimize expenses and streamline the organization."  

 

"All outstanding product orders, and any new ones, will be fulfilled. We continue to receive and process orders on BenHoganGolf.com, and through our many customers."

 

The re-org is "an effort to be more nimble and profitable in the highly competitive golf equipment industry."

 

More to come, and I have a call scheduled with Scott for tomorrow.

[null]

I wouldn't hold my breath about, Hogan being around much longer, even with the CEO stating they will

[jaskanski]

So confirmed from CEO  Scott White - Hogan is NOT shutting down, but instead implementing what he's calling a "reorganization initiative to minimize expenses and streamline the organization."  

 

"All outstanding product orders, and any new ones, will be fulfilled. We continue to receive and process orders on BenHoganGolf.com, and through our many customers."

 

The re-org is "an effort to be more nimble and profitable in the highly competitive golf equipment industry."

 

More to come, and I have a call scheduled with Scott for tomorrow.

 

Reading between the lines, the only way they can achieve this is by out-sourcing labour to Asia and making cheaper product lines (like Macgregor). I'd rather they fell on their sword with a bit more dignity. 

Not being cruel, but if they can't even make any revenue with selling polo shirts, I somehow doubt they'll make any money selling clubs either.

I guess the old curse of putting a major winners name on any product is usually the kiss of death.

[Rtracymog]

This is a bummer. They made really good clubs. I was never a huge fan of the V sole wedges, but the Hi long irons were amazing!

 

 

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[Kenny B]

So confirmed from CEO  Scott White - Hogan is NOT shutting down, but instead implementing what he's calling a "reorganization initiative to minimize expenses and streamline the organization."  

 

"All outstanding product orders, and any new ones, will be fulfilled. We continue to receive and process orders on BenHoganGolf.com, and through our many customers."

 

The re-org is "an effort to be more nimble and profitable in the highly competitive golf equipment industry."

 

More to come, and I have a call scheduled with Scott for tomorrow.

How do you call laying off 100% of staff a "reorganization initiative to minimize expenses and streamline the organization"??  There is no organization!!

[revkev]

This is a bummer. They made really good clubs. I was never a huge fan of the V sole wedges, but the Hi long irons were amazing!

 

 

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And I am a huge fan of the wedges. They work for my game better than anything I've ever used.

 

Oh well I guess it's back to old school pitching and chipping.

 

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[hckymeyer]

Kind of torn here, I hate to see another brand bite the dust and really feel for everyone that lost their jobs.  On the flip side I'd love to be able to stock up on TK wedges at closeout prices

 

I wonder if trying to grow too fast too soon had any play.  Almost a similar story to Scratch, start with wedges and do well, expand into irons and start to struggle.  Throw in hybrids and the rumored metal woods and they strayed too far from where they started to continue.

[hckymeyer]

How do you call laying off 100% of staff a "reorganization initiative to minimize expenses and streamline the organization"??  There is no organization!!

Well, if you don't have a staff I guess you've minimized that expense...

[Undershooter]

Just got an email from BHG. They are "reorganizing and restructuring"

 

 

Edit: ah this has been covered. Nevermind