Taylormade unveil?

[zmforgedplayer]

Anyone else get an email from Inside Taylormade about an unveil for a "remarkable new piece of equipment"? I just got it and it also has the daytona ghost and burner superlaunch rescues in it. Here's what the email said about the unveil:

 

[Xamilo]

Let me guess.......new driver which increases your distance by 20yds?

[Justin66]

Let me guess.......new driver which increases your distance by 20yds?

 

The new round of drivers: this one's going to have FCT and xFT (like the wedges), but no MWT. It'll also be available at ~430cc. In six months, the 460cc version will come out with xFT and MWT, but no FCT. Six months after that, the 460cc version (the SuperAwesome) with xFT, MWT and FCT will come out. Basically, they'll just follow a pattern similar to the r9 releases.

[cheymike]

The new round of drivers: this one's going to have FCT and xFT (like the wedges), but no MWT. It'll also be available at ~430cc. In six months, the 460cc version will come out with xFT and MWT, but no FCT. Six months after that, the 460cc version (the SuperAwesome) with xFT, MWT and FCT will come out. Basically, they'll just follow a pattern similar to the r9 releases.

ROFLMAO

[BalataMan]

I think it might be this bad boy:

 

 

If I receive any more details I will surely pass them along.

[apples]

hmm...those look exactly the same as the other burner irons besides being black and putting a 2.0 graphic on them.

[Matt Saternus]

I have heard on other forums that it's Burner 2.0

[Miboy62]

Looks greatin black.

[Justin66]

Looks greatin black.

 

 

True, but I'm more curious about the lofts- specifically, if the 3i is finally at 15* and the PW hovering around 37*. They're going to have to develop a few new wedges to fill those gaps!

[kloyd0306]

True, but I'm more curious about the lofts- specifically, if the 3i is finally at 15* and the PW hovering around 37*. They're going to have to develop a few new wedges to fill those gaps!

 

Great comment. Numbers on the sole mean absolutely nothing now. Even conservative Mizuno have resorted to 44 degree PWs for their JPX800 and MX1000 models. My #9 iron is 44. Problem is, as you point out, buyers will need TWO gap wedges - 48 AND 52. Plainly ridiculous!

 

The original Tommy Armour 845s had the loft engraved on the toe. How many companies would have the guts to do that now. Then there is Ryan Moore who has no numbers, just the loft punched on his irons and at 5 degree jumps.

 

Industry standards. Not a chance. They couldn't stand the scrutiny.

[kloyd0306]

Anyone else get an email from Inside Taylormade about an unveil for a "remarkable new piece of equipment"? I just got it and it also has the daytona ghost and burner superlaunch rescues in it. Here's what the email said about the unveil:

 

 

Who cares? No matter what it is, the canny consumer will simply wait for six months and buy it right around the time the next NEW offering is released. The pipeline is FULL and never ending new product will only succeed in plugging up the pipe!

 

The USGA has managed to put a damper on any innovation (which I mostly agree on, but the long putter and belly putter must be banned) so the only thing left now is better and more accurate fitting - and the big boys hate that concept. It's too much trouble. They're only interested in making more product to fill retail space. The "one size fits all" concept is dying.

[Matt Saternus]

As someone who has once, and does currently, work in golf retail, I can tell you that the "one size fits all" concept is not dying at all. For those of us who care enough about golf and our equipment to be on these forums you're right - we do not and will not buy OTR stuff because of the availability of custom fittings. For most golfers, custom fittings don't matter. It's not that a fitting wouldn't help them, they just don't care that much. They buy one set every ten years, or they buy a set every year just to keep up with the Joneses. The average golfer is not well educated about equipment and will continue buying into the marketing hype and the nonsense they read in golf maagzines. This is simply my opinion based on what I see every day in my store.

[Justin66]

As someone who has once, and does currently, work in golf retail, I can tell you that the "one size fits all" concept is not dying at all. For those of us who care enough about golf and our equipment to be on these forums you're right - we do not and will not buy OTR stuff because of the availability of custom fittings. For most golfers, custom fittings don't matter. It's not that a fitting wouldn't help them, they just don't care that much. They buy one set every ten years, or they buy a set every year just to keep up with the Joneses. The average golfer is not well educated about equipment and will continue buying into the marketing hype and the nonsense they read in golf maagzines. This is simply my opinion based on what I see every day in my store.

 

Amen. That's how the Taylormade's can make 46.25" drivers with 9* of loft, knowing full-well that 90% (or more) of the golf population couldn't hit it. Their robots can, but no one- not even Tiger Woods- swings like a robot. Yet, that's how they sell their distance claims. It's exactly why the Jones' keep buying- they get the "latest and greatest" but still lose balls OB right (or left for southpaws)... they just repeat the process every time a new model comes out.

 

It also amazes me that so many people don't stop to think "Why does Tiger use a 44.5" Nike driver, when the one I'm looking at OTR is 45.75"?" Or "what is that metallic-looking strip on the bottom of Phil's putter"? If they only knew the plethora of options, for them and only them, available...

[Justin66]

I can't remember where I read it, but there's a phrase I like about this stuff... would you buy a pair of shoes off the display stand, even if they weren't the right size for you? No- if the display is a 10 and you wear 12, of course you're going to ask for that pair in your size. Why would you not do that with your golf equipment?

[GolfSpy_X]

Matt - unfortunately you are absolutely correct. And this is one of the reasons I am still in the business...and that is in the hope to change that as much as I can.

 

As someone who has once, and does currently, work in golf retail, I can tell you that the "one size fits all" concept is not dying at all. For those of us who care enough about golf and our equipment to be on these forums you're right - we do not and will not buy OTR stuff because of the availability of custom fittings. For most golfers, custom fittings don't matter. It's not that a fitting wouldn't help them, they just don't care that much. They buy one set every ten years, or they buy a set every year just to keep up with the Joneses. The average golfer is not well educated about equipment and will continue buying into the marketing hype and the nonsense they read in golf maagzines. This is simply my opinion based on what I see every day in my store.

[Matt Saternus]

Matt - unfortunately you are absolutely correct. And this is one of the reasons I am still in the business...and that is in the hope to change that as much as I can.

 

 

 

I agree that it's sad. I do tons of free fittings every day, I offer lessons (when asked, or if I ask, "Can I offer a thought?"), and I advise people to work with a pro instead of buying clubs. Even with all of that, most people still just want to come in and buy whatever is new and go back to shooting 100+. And honestly, I don't know if it's really that sad. If it makes them happy, who am I to argue or judge? Obviously, I want to play good golf, so playing badly with badly fit equipment would make me sad, but I'm in the minority. Marketing and peer pressure/conformity are very powerful things.