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Curious what you guys think about winners equipment every week?


TWShoot67

  

18 members have voted

  1. 1. What do you think is better for the OEM's each week?

    • Is it better being the OEM that wins weekly?
    • Or is it better for the OEM to lead the Tour Counts weekly?


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I've been posting these Winners Bags for most weeks ,along with My Golf Spy X and I'm curious what others feel about the winners bag and what they play along with the PGA leaders with the TOUR COUNTS weakly? My question are as follows: Do you feel like people really care who's leading the Tour Counts week in and week out? Do you think it helps with sales? Or do you think it's better to be the OEM that happens to have the winner that week getting the publicity for that particular OEM? Which do you feel benefits the OEM better? :D

The Bag:

Right handed

Cobra King FLYZ+ 10.5* w/ Aldila Rogue 125 R 44.5"

Tour Issued TM M2 10.5 w/ Mitsubishi Tensi CK Pro Blue 60S

Tour Issued TM M2 15* w/ GD Tour AD 7S 43"

TM R7 17.5 HFS w/ Tour AD 7S Stiff 42"

Cobra S3 Pro's 4-pw w/ Aldila RIP Tours SLT 115 Reg. 5i 38.5"

Titleist Vokey Proto's

52*,54*,58* all TTDG S-400

TM TP5 X

Scotty Cameron SSS Tiffany 009 350 34.5" or Bettinardi BB1 DASS Proto

GHIN # 5144472

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IMO, I think winning the count is more important than winning the tournament. 2 reasons for this:

 

1) "Winningest driver on tour" vs. "Most played driver on tour" or "#1 driver on tour" is pretty much a wash for most people. Both are very nice tag lines to have in your ad.

 

2) I think more people watch a tournament as compared to the number of people who read to find out what was in the winner's bag. If I'm an OEM, I'd rather have the people watching TV see my staff bag 50 times during the telecast than have them see my bag only when they show the winner.

Follow me on Twitter: @MattSaternus

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I think it didn't matter. In some cases I got better equipment than pros because mine are custom fitted to my needs. In some cases pros are using prototypes that are not available to the public, which would be perfect for them, but unlikely for me.

 

Case in point, I'm quite proud of my bag, there's nothing to compare at all. Then again that's just me.

Now in my bag:

TM SLDR 10.5 Deg with Matrix Ozik 6Q3 S flex

TM VSteel 15 deg 3 wood

Cleveland Launcher Hybrid 18 deg Diamana Red Board Stiff

Titleist ZB Forged Iron 3-PW DG S200 Steel Shaft

Cleveland CG15 46, 52, 56, 60 Wedges

Scotty Cameron California Del Mar

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Depends on the company. A smaller OEM like Adams who wins the hybrid count would benefit greatly from the exposure of one of their staffers in the winners circle. Tom Watson's near win at Turnberry is a great example.

 

Titleist who wins the ball count week in and week out and is not afraid to put the logos of other club companies in their commercials (Mahan with Ping, Harrington with Wilson) might not feel as strongly about weekly winners. Their marketing rallies around the tag line of "#1 Ball in Golf".

What's in the bag.

Driver - Adams Speedline Fast 10

3 Wood - Adams Insight XTD A3 Boxer

Hybrid 2 - Adams Pro Gold

Hybrid 3 - Adams a7

Irons 4-PW - Adams a7

GW - Adams Idea Pro

SW and LW - Maxfli C3

Putter - YES Golf Marilyn mallett

Ball - TBD - Holding auditions

Eyewear - Sundog Focus

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IMO, I think winning the count is more important than winning the tournament. 2 reasons for this:

 

1) "Winningest driver on tour" vs. "Most played driver on tour" or "#1 driver on tour" is pretty much a wash for most people. Both are very nice tag lines to have in your ad.

 

2) I think more people watch a tournament as compared to the number of people who read to find out what was in the winner's bag. If I'm an OEM, I'd rather have the people watching TV see my staff bag 50 times during the telecast than have them see my bag only when they show the winner.

 

 

If we're talking strictly from a business standpoint, I couldn't have said it better than this. I think MizzouLefty has a pretty strong point, as well. But from a personal standpoint, I'm in complete agreeance with TheHacker.

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Let's use Padrig Harrington example some years ago. He won Two Mayors in a row. That is a lot to say and its a lot of publicity since he plays a "smaller" brand like Wilson/Staff.

I can assure you no one out of the real golf geeks (us writing in forums, watching every tournament) knows what brand equipment he's playing, and surely NO ONE went out to the store to find what the W/S line had to offer for the average Joe (I am sure not many people remember Camilo Villegas used to play for Cobra, and I'm even sure at least half haven't realised the actual No 1 Player in the world plays PING (even though this is a mayor OEM).

 

This means winning doesn't really give you much publicity though. But as MSaternus said, watching the same staff bag 50 times in a tournament day does make you remember the specific bag, and having the commentator say something like "this guy, this other, and that one just changed their drivers and are now playing the new TM R4586767 Plus, does ring a bell in people." If so many players are using it, surely its the best out there!

 

Think on Tiger Woods in his best time, playing the Nike One Ball. Even though he won more than anybody else, the Pro-V1 was still the "No 1 ball on tour). Doesn't logic say that if the best player in the world uses one ball, then his ball is surely better than the other company's? And its Tiger Woods! not any Padrig Harrington the one using it, but still, "too many players play Titleist because Titleist is the best ball I can buy so I'm going to go and buy myself 30 dozen to improve my scores and become a scratch golfer".

 

So, I agree winning is the least important thing for an OEM company. Showing their product massively is.

 

Another important feature is targeting specific markets.

For example, half the golfers in Colombia own some type of equipment, or at least a hat made from Cobra, because golf in Colombia means directly Camilo Villegas. It didn't matter if he won or not, the local TV broadcast would have shown him at least 50% more than any other golfer. Cobra exposure was there, and he could have finished last in every tournament he played, still people would want to buy Cobra gear in his country.

 

So again, winning doesn't mean anything for an OEM I think....

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Xamilo makes some excellent points, and reading them made me want to add this to my earlier statement:

 

People will A) disregard the winningest/most played equipment if it doesn't fit what they already believe or :( they will gloat on the fact of playing the winningest/most played equipment if it reinforces what they already believe.

 

Short version: neither matters if your marketing isn't effective. If Nike was the winningest AND most played, it wouldn't matter (at least not immediately) because people would still say, "Oh, yeah, Nike stuff is crap, I want TM/Titleist/etc." Golfers, by and large, want to conform...another reason why most played > winningest.

Follow me on Twitter: @MattSaternus

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Well being the equipment junkie that I am I find it interesting reading. I think most of the people on here are curious also. I think on the average Joe golfer will play what ever his favorite player plays. I know when Nike was sprouting those Victory red Irons a couple of years back I saw a lot of sets in bags because that is "what Tiger plays" even though 90% of those carring those irons could not hit them . Last year I saw quite a few of those used sets on the market but not cheap. Most of the retiree golfers that I see down here are pretty well informed and play Adams or Orlimar because they like them not because thei favorite player plays them. As far as what I play it does not influence me any. Most of the tourist golers I see down here play the latest thing whether it is TM or Callaway etc and I see them at the big box stores with their credit card out purchasing the latest thing

Driver ---- Callaway Big Bertha Alpha  Speeder 565 R flex- 5W TM V-Steel Fubuki 60r--- 7W TM V-Steel UST Pro Force Gold 65R----- 9 W TM V Steel TM MAS stiff---- Irons 2015 TM TP CB Steel Fiber 95 R--- GW Callaway Mack Daddy 2 52* shaft unknown junk pile refugee. SW Callaway PM Grind 56*  Modified sole grind--- KBS Tour Wedge-- LW Vokey 58* SM5 L grind--- Putter Ping B90I Broom Stick 

 

 

 G

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For me it doesn't matter much what the winner each week plays. I'm not too interested in any one specific players bag. All it really means is that those clubs work well for that guy.

 

I am interested in the clubs that the most players have in their bag. I'm sure my reasoning could be flawed, and I understand that the most played club could also equal the company with the most money to pay players to play their club, but I figure if half the tour is playing a certain club then it must be good and I'll want to try it.

 

OEM with the most tour counts > OEM weekly winner for me.

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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but I figure if half the tour is playing a certain club then it must be good and I'll want to try it.

 

That's exactly the point used for marketing. If I can pay half the people to play my driver, my driver will have more exposure and people will come and say "yeah, if everybody plays it, then its a better club".

 

Just like the TItleist ball. Most are sponsored to play it, so most will come out and think everyone plays it because its better. Things are now different since Westwood is No 1 and Plays Pro-V1X, but think about this: Kaymer plays TM Penta, McDowell plays Callaway,Tiger plays Nike, Phil plays Callaway, Casey. That means from the TOP-5 players in the world, only ONE uses a Titleist ball. Does a 20% ball usage really means they make the BEST golf ball ever? Or just they pay more people to use it? Think about it.

 

 

Now, let's talk about Mizuno. I'm sure no one can say they make a crappy product and very very few would say Taylormade Irons are anyway close to Mizuno irons. Yet, only Luke Donald plays Mizuno form the "big guys" in tour, while A LOT play Taylormade. Conclusion: People will still buy Taylormade Irons.

 

Again exposure is the marketing king, winning isn't....

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I'm more interested in the pieces of equipment that doesn't have a big endorsement attached to it.

 

For example, shafts. I don't think there's many pros who get paid more $$$ to use a certain shaft over another. That's why KBS piqued my interest...if the pros were starting to play it, then it's because they really liked it since there probably is not any endorsement attached to it. Sure, Dynamic Gold will win the steel shaft race, but I also understand that many pros are just averse to change (and also, many pros the DG just fits them better).

 

So yeah, if the winner is using a piece of equipment that isn't part of his endorsement deal, that will pique my interest a bit more than Taylor Made winning the driver count and Titleist winning the irons count.

 

 

 

 

3JACK

Author of Pro Golf Synopsis. The Moneyball approach to golf strategy and analysis.Driver: Wishon 919THI, 10° loft, UST Mamiya VTS Red 7x, 44-3/8” long, 2,825 kg/cm^2 MOIGONZO WOOD: confidential2-Hybrid: Mizuno Fli-HiCLK, 17° loft, 40-7/8" KBS Tour Hybrid shaft (stiff)3-Hybrid: Mizuno Fli-HiCLK, 20° loft, 40" KBS Tour Hybrid shaft (stiff)4-6 iron: Wishon 575MMC (CB)7-PW: Wishon 575MMC (MB)SW: Edel Golf driver grind, 52° loft, 16° bounce, Nippon WV 125 shaft.LW: Edel Golf Digger Grind, 60° loft, 27° bounce, Nippon WV 125 ShaftPutter: Edel Golf Columbia Custom Made, 35" long, 72° lie angle, 3° loft. Ball: Titleist Pro V1xGrips: PURE Grips P2 Wrap (red)Shoes: FootJoy Dry-Joy (black, size 14)3Jack's Golf Blog - http://3jack.blogspot.com

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I did not pay attention to what is in the bag other that the loft of the clubs the pros are using. I seriously doubt many pros play stock OEM equipment. I could care less who is playing what driver/irons/wedge/ball. I went and got fitted and picked the irons and driver based on the performance for me. Balls are different monster based on time of year (location) and skill level. This is coming from someone who had not played golf in over 10 years and got the itch to golf again last summer.

 

Jay

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Regarding drivers, for either the number is based unfortunately on who pays the most. Higher number in count will increase probability of wins. I like to look to as someone like Rocco Mediate who isn't branded to a mfg and plays many brands and wonder if players weren't making a living on based on what brand they put on their cap/bag and were payed on how they finished, what would they play. How many players came up on on company's clubs but changed based solely on what they were paid rather than how they played.

 

I got a kick out of D.A. Points was wearing an R11 hat when he won at Pebble and the only R11 club he was hitting was a HYBRID!

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I don't give much attention to the pro bags.

 

I learned a long time ago that pros don't play off the rack clubs unless those particular clubs happen to suit them. More often than not, a pro plays off the rack because he cannot afford to do more than a rough fitting or is in too much of a struggle paying his bills so he can keep playing. He picks the best he can afford and makes it better, if he can, but for himself.

 

Copying any of the pros will not do me much good unless the pro is that close to my performance and that is not going to be the case. I'm better off trying to understand my own game and looking for the things that will help me.

 

 

Shambles

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