NEWS FLASH - Titleist/FootJoy To Be Sold Or Spun Off!

[GolfSpy_X]

BREAKING NEWS!

 

Cobra was first with the sale of Puma now possibly Titleist and Scotty will be sold off separately as well.

 

From what we have heard from an incredible source the two names that almost go hand and hand could soon be apart and on their own. Titleist has had many rumors in the past years about either being sold off or becoming its own company one separate from Fortune Brands. And now we are hearing that they are looking to sell both of them off as separate pieces.

 

The names we are hearing are incredibly Nike and Adidas.

 

Titleist & Scotty SPLITTNG UP? (UPDATE 11-13-2010)

 

Looks like the rumor we heard back in March of this year is becoming closer to a reality.

 

Fortune Brands spokesman are hinting of the rumor which is all but fact now that they are trying to unload their golf brands (Titleist & Scotty) and get out of the ailing golf industry.

 

Callaway, Nike, etc. will all most likely be contacted with a pitch about the possible acquisition.

 

MORE INFO: http://online.wsj.co...=googlenews_wsj

 

Titleist & Scotty SPLITTNG UP? (UPDATE 12-1-2010)

 

Just heard Scotty was spotted at the Nike Oven (Your Thoughts?)

 

BREAKING NEWS: Fortune Brands To Sell or Spin off Acushnet (UPDATE 12-7-2010)

 

Fortune Brands just announced that they DO plan on splitting the company into as many as 3 pieces. By either selling or spinning off the brands under the Acushnet name.

 

MORE INFO: CLICK HERE

[jamo]

YESSSS!!! That would literally be awesome. They would be much more mainstream.

[GolfSpy Dave]

This is what Nic said in the other thread an I assumed he was joking. Either Nike or Adidas/TM could use the Cameron line.

If Nike buys cameron, then the titleist branding would be Nike branding. TW's putter would be a Nike putter.

This one makes my head hurt...

[Moecat]

Scotty Cameron with a SWOOSH? Can you say "depreciation?"

 

Even better: if he's with TM, and they make him issue a new putter as often as they issue new woods?!

 

Neither scenario is necessarily probable, but you can't say "impossible" ....

[GolfSpy_X]

Well the sale is more then probable right now.

 

Scotty Cameron with a SWOOSH? Can you say "depreciation?"

 

Even better: if he's with TM, and they make him issue a new putter as often as they issue new woods?!

 

Neither scenario is necessarily probable, but you can't say "impossible" ....

[GolfSpy Dave]

Scotty Cameron with a SWOOSH? Can you say "depreciation?"

 

Even better: if he's with TM, and they make him issue a new putter as often as they issue new woods?!

 

Neither scenario is necessarily probable, but you can't say "impossible" ....

Nike seems more likely. Kia Mia @ TM gives them a guru.

Can Scotty just buy himself and become an independent entity? or is the $$$ involved corporate level cash and well beyond his scope?

[GolfSpy Dave]

YESSSS!!! That would literally be awesome. They would be much more mainstream.

Not sure I follow you here. Titleist seems mainstream to me. Are you thinking that Camerons will be cheaper if Nike owns the company?

[jamo]

Nike seems more likely. Kia Mia @ TM gives them a guru.

Can Scotty just buy himself and become an independent entity? or is the $$$ involved corporate level cash and well beyond his scope?

 

Yeah, Nike doesn't have a real putter guy. I hope they don't get rid of the Method though, it's a solid putter.

 

Scotty probably doesn't make enough money to be it's own company.

[GolfSpy_X]

Scotty makes good money but Fortune Brands is trying to get rid of both of them from what we have learned and heard over the past few months. But the source that gave me this info is almost always 100%. But you never know what will happen in the end.

 

Yeah, Nike doesn't have a real putter guy. I hope they don't get rid of the Method though, it's a solid putter.

 

Scotty probably doesn't make enough money to be it's own company.

[NGage]

Wow....FB selling off both or either of them is....well....wow...just wow.

[slanger]

I don't believe this....Scotty would never go to a brand like Taylormade or Nike, they are way to commercial and in my opinion would cheapen the product which he would not approve of. If anything, he would survive more than comfortably on his own, but i doubt Titleist will get rid of SC.

[GolfSpy_X]

Slanger remember that Fortune Brands owns both so they might not have much of a choice. It is not 100% but if this was not from an incredibly reliable source I would not have posted it.

 

I don't believe this....Scotty would never go to a brand like Taylormade or Nike, they are way to commercial and in my opinion would cheapen the product which he would not approve of. If anything, he would survive more than comfortably on his own, but i doubt Titleist will get rid of SC.

[JLasvegas]

I wouldnt be surprised if there was a clause that allows Scotty to seperate from Titty if they get sold off, he would then be his own Boutique company and probably fare better.

People didnt buy Scotty Cameron putters because of the affiliation with Titleist.

[GolfSpy_X]

Correct they did not buy putters because of his affiliation with Titleist but he would have never been able to sell as many without their financial backing.

 

But you might be right he might be better on his own now. So might Titleist but the company is worth in the Billions so it would be very difficult for them to do this on their own. They have had those thoughts in the past which even included employee ownership but for whatever reason it never went through.

 

I wouldnt be surprised if there was a clause that allows Scotty to seperate from Titty if they get sold off, he would then be his own Boutique company and probably fare better.

People didnt buy Scotty Cameron putters because of the affiliation with Titleist.

[JLasvegas]

Correct they did not buy putters because of his affiliation with Titleist but he would have never been able to sell as many without their financial backing.

Very True, he owes alot to them, we all know that the "Reason" putters were not flying off the shelf lol.

[C.J.]

If this does happen, how do you guys think it will affect the value of Scotty putters on the market? ie ebay, forum classifieds

[GolfSpy_X]

Almost impossible to tell at this point CJ. If it does happen you will have to see how it all falls out first.

 

If this does happen, how do you guys think it will affect the value of Scotty putters on the market? ie ebay, forum classifieds

[mudfish]

I can see this going both ways... Scotty goes on his own and continues to make an excellent product, or he gets bought by Nike or TM, and within a year or 2 Scotty putters are able to be bought everywhere you can but an Odyssey or TM or any other putter, and quality decreases...

[JLasvegas]

If this does happen, how do you guys think it will affect the value of Scotty putters on the market? ie ebay, forum classifieds

I think it increases the value, because he will no longer be producing for them, so all of the early gun blue's and oil cans will be worth even more to the collectors.

[GolfSpy Dave]

I think it increases the value, because he will no longer be producing for them, so all of the early gun blue's and oil cans will be worth even more to the collectors.

I agree. This will jack up the older Titleist models a bunch. The end of a loved production era does that. And this is Cameron, who is heavily collected as is. If you are thinking about an older model on the bay that you have always wanted, it may be time to think about picking it up. Snag the Detour

 

Blues and Oil cans are exactly where to start. already nice because only an oil can can be refinished in the studio shop in oil can.

 

I am still shaking my head as I think about this.

[intothegrain]

Cobra was first with the sale of Puma now possibly Titleist and Scotty will be sold off separately as well.

 

From what we have heard from an incredible source the two names that almost go hand and hand could soon be apart and on their own. Titleist has had many rumors in the past years about either being sold off or becoming its own company one separate from Fortune Brands. And now we are hearing that they are looking to sell both of them off as separate pieces.

 

The names we are hearing are incredibly Nike and Adidas.

 

Bob Bettinardi and Bobby Grace have gone back on their own this year, and Clay Long even if not well known has been on his own for years. Scotty Cameron certainly has built a good enough reputation to do the same if a contract with Titleist expired or was cancelled. Why would he sign on with another brand when being on his own would afford him total creative freedom and better control of pricing and manufacturing? Scotty doesn't need a Nike or TMAG to help promote and market his stuff, everybody knows him in the golf world, and going on his own would afford him much greater profit margins!

[GolfSpy Dave]

Bob Bettinardi and Bobby Grace have gone back on their own this year, and Clay Long even if not well known has been on his own for years. Scotty Cameron certainly has built a good enough reputation to do the same if a contract with Titleist expired or was cancelled. Why would he sign on with another brand when being on his own would afford him total creative freedom and better control of pricing and manufacturing? Scotty doesn't need a Nike or TMAG to help promote and market his stuff, everybody knows him in the golf world, and going on his own would afford him much greater profit margins!

This made me think of Vokey. Where does he go? Can a small company, say Scratch or someone, pick him up now? Or is he packaged with Titleist. His name and rep could carry his own boutique too. Probably not able to meet demand on his own though.

 

His name is probably owned and branded by FB too...

[GolfSpy_X]

True he could absolutely go on his own...but Fortune Brands owns Scotty so it will depend on how they do the deal if it happens.

 

Bob Bettinardi and Bobby Grace have gone back on their own this year, and Clay Long even if not well known has been on his own for years. Scotty Cameron certainly has built a good enough reputation to do the same if a contract with Titleist expired or was cancelled. Why would he sign on with another brand when being on his own would afford him total creative freedom and better control of pricing and manufacturing? Scotty doesn't need a Nike or TMAG to help promote and market his stuff, everybody knows him in the golf world, and going on his own would afford him much greater profit margins!

[Matt Saternus]

Man, I'm gone for a couple hours and I missed a lot. I'm not doubting the source at all, if you say he's reliable that's good enough for me, but it seems funny that they would sell off Titleist when they said in the Cobra sale announcement that they were going to focus on Titleist and Footjoy.

 

As far as Scotty, that's a really interesting bag of marbles. It seems like predictions of what he's going to do probably depend on your read of the man. He could go boutique and make high quality stuff, sell it at a very high price, control the process. He could go with Nike/TM, get a huge payday, and keep doing what he does now: sell lots of OTRs AND sell the high dollar custom putters.

[GolfSpy Dave]

Man, I'm gone for a couple hours and I missed a lot. I'm not doubting the source at all, if you say he's reliable that's good enough for me, but it seems funny that they would sell off Titleist when they said in the Cobra sale announcement that they were going to focus on Titleist and Footjoy.

 

As far as Scotty, that's a really interesting bag of marbles. It seems like predictions of what he's going to do probably depend on your read of the man. He could go boutique and make high quality stuff, sell it at a very high price, control the process. He could go with Nike/TM, get a huge payday, and keep doing what he does now: sell lots of OTRs AND sell the high dollar custom putters.

Without knowing his books, I assume that while his work crafting things himself is on the tour side, the OTR pays the bills. Maybe a new owner would ask him to produce a lower cost OTR line. Probably not, but market share is market share.

[JLasvegas]

This made me think of Vokey. Where does he go? Can a small company, say Scratch or someone, pick him up now? Or is he packaged with Titleist. His name and rep could carry his own boutique too. Probably not able to meet demand on his own though.

 

His name is probably owned and branded by FB too...

Bob would probably retire, he isnt in the best of health, and Ive heard he was retiring anyhow and was going to have his staff continue with the production

[GolfSpy Dave]

Bob would probably retire, he isnt in the best of health, and Ive heard he was retiring anyhow and was going to have his staff continue with the production

That would seem like the best time to retire. His name would carry sales and many consumers would not realize that he had retired.

[GolfSpy_X]

Well I trust they do want to focus more on Titleist the R&D costs and other costs involved with Cobra can now all go to Titleist...just because their is a sale does not mean they cannot focus on Titleist...I assume the new owner if something happens would not change to much wih regards to management with Titleist.

 

Man, I'm gone for a couple hours and I missed a lot. I'm not doubting the source at all, if you say he's reliable that's good enough for me, but it seems funny that they would sell off Titleist when they said in the Cobra sale announcement that they were going to focus on Titleist and Footjoy.

 

As far as Scotty, that's a really interesting bag of marbles. It seems like predictions of what he's going to do probably depend on your read of the man. He could go boutique and make high quality stuff, sell it at a very high price, control the process. He could go with Nike/TM, get a huge payday, and keep doing what he does now: sell lots of OTRs AND sell the high dollar custom putters.

[mcbush25]

I find it interesting that Fortune Brands is looking to offload so much here all of a sudden. Obviously, the economy is affecting them in some manner or I wouldn't think they would be looking to break up Cameron and Titleist. I'd be interested to see how this pans out when it is all said and done.

[Matt Saternus]

Well I trust they do want to focus more on Titleist the R&D costs and other costs involved with Cobra can now all go to Titleist...just because their is a sale does not mean they cannot focus on Titleist...I assume the new owner if something happens would not change to much wih regards to management with Titleist.

 

 

 

That's a good point, I hadn't thought of it that way.