Harry leaving MGS

[GolfSpy_APH]

Harry is sadly leaving MGS for a senior position with Wilson. A cool opportunity for him and wish him the best. Harry describes and tells about his new position in the first couple minutes of the video. 

Hopefully this means we see some cool new great products from them and he is able to help them gain some traction. 

[TR1PTIK]

Bummed to hear he's leaving MGS, but I do think it is a good move for him. Sounds like Wilson will be trying to make some moves over the next few years which I also like. I've never seen a Wilson club in anyone's bag unless it came from a box set so it will be interesting to see what they can do to change that. I agree with what Harry says about their irons being underrated and the biggest "hole" being the metalwoods category. I honestly wish I could find the staff model irons and wedges in stores, but a lot of retailers simply won't carry them knowing they wouldn't move very many sets which is quite sad. So yeah, a bit bummed but overall I'm very interested about the future for both Harry and Wilson Golf.

[GolfSpy BOS]

Good luck to Harry on the next adventure!  Looking forward to seeing what he can do to revive one of the big names in golf! 

[RickyBobby_PR]

While it’s great that Harry is getting this great opportunity I don’t think it’s going to help Wilson change peoples perspective.

Outside of irons their woods and hybrids have been mediocre. Even as good as their irons are they lack shelf space in retailers and they have a perception that’s associated with the box sets in Walmart 

[Golf2Much]

Best of luck!  It's sounds like a great opportunity.  

[BNewton51]

Good Luck Harry!  Seems to be a legit good opportunity. 

The challenge, though, is pretty steep to reset the value of Wilson in the general consumers eyes.  Especially when your Woods segment is so lacking.  But maybe that's the focal point.  Never-the-less, most consumers are just stubbornly locked in desiring the Taylormades, Callaways, Pings, and Titleists product offerings.   

[David Leighton Reid]

Congratulations to Harry on his new career with Wilson.  

[EasyPutter]

2 hours ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

Harry is sadly leaving MGS for a senior position with Wilson. A cool opportunity for him and wish him the best. Harry describes and tells about his new position in the first couple minutes of the video. 

Hopefully this means we see some cool new great products from them and he is able to help them gain some traction. 

If Wilson is smart and wants to re-energize their golf brand, they need to package the whole thing as a new adventure and Harry Nodwell would be an ideal icon, yes Icon I tell you, coming hot off the MyGolfSpy staff as sharpened awareness equipment Guru and tester extraordinaire... launching a Wilson Brand golf podcast that takes the Wilson brand forward as a returning force to be reckoned with in the world of golf, as a bid to reclaim the pinnacle of focus (not to be confused with the Pinnacle brand) of what it means to be in-the-know and be wearing-the-best, using-the-best, etc...  

What Wilson needs is a lightning bolt jolt to their image and the awareness of golfers.  Old does not mean past and done in golf, ever heard of St. Andrews, Carnoustie, Palmer, Jones, or links play?  Old is valued and a testament to the company is it is still around and still in golf.

Harry is of course welcome to any and all of these ideas as they are offered without restriction.

[null]

1 hour ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

While it’s great that Harry is getting this great opportunity I don’t think it’s going to help Wilson change peoples perspective.

Outside of irons their woods and hybrids have been mediocre. Even as good as their irons are they lack shelf space in retailers and they have a perception that’s associated with the box sets in Walmart 

The wilson name resonates with the 60+ crowd and the bargain shopper.  I don't see how anything changes.

They tried to get more mainstream with their Golf Channel show with the driver design and that was a disaster and did nothing to change their brand perception.

Sure they make great irons, but they aren't even in my Top 10 of irons I would try in a fitting

 

[GolfSpy_APH]

Have to give Wilson credit in at least they seem to be making real efforts to reignite their brand. Whether it be Driver Vs Driver or this hiring I think they have great drive to improve and make an impact. At the very worst it will get their name out there with the MGS crowd.

[RickyBobby_PR]

5 minutes ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

Have to give Wilson credit in at least they seem to be making real efforts to reignite their brand. Whether it be Driver Vs Driver or this hiring I think they have great drive to improve and make an impact. At the very worst it will get their name out there with the MGS crowd.

Their name is out there with the mgs crowd and most golf forums. The problem is the general public and Joe weekend golfer. Here on the states you can’t find Wilson in most stores. They have box sets that are in places like Walmart and those sets are cheap. As you know because of mgs article those box sets have kept the golf division afloat.

They have to 1) change their perception of the brand. There is nothing Harry can do to help that. 2) they need to create a product that can hang with the big names in driver, fairway and hybrids, probably even wedges again doubt Harry being there can help that. 3) ties into the first point they need increase their presence in retail and with the average weekend golfer. 

[MattF]

Abandon ship?

[GolfSpy_APH]

8 minutes ago, MattF said:

Abandon ship?

Nope, I think it is more just a progression of his career. As he said it is too good of an opportunity to pass up and I would agree. He has done a ton for MGS and has been a leader for them as well as just a great person to interact with over the years. I think this gives him a cool role with a company that really wants to do something special. He talks a bit about their history too. Their irons have been severely underrated and although the woods leave something to be desired, that doesn't mean they can't make a flip and progress kinda like what Cobra did just a few short years ago when they introduced the biocell or fly Z series and such which really started to turn the corner for them. 

[RickyBobby_PR]

12 minutes ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

Nope, I think it is more just a progression of his career. As he said it is too good of an opportunity to pass up and I would agree. He has done a ton for MGS and has been a leader for them as well as just a great person to interact with over the years. I think this gives him a cool role with a company that really wants to do something special. He talks a bit about their history too. Their irons have been severely underrated and although the woods leave something to be desired, that doesn't mean they can't make a flip and progress kinda like what Cobra did just a few short years ago when they introduced the biocell or fly Z series and such which really started to turn the corner for them. 

Interesting that you mention cobra because that’s another brand that has a sentiment of being cheap. While I agree they have made progress over the years with driver don’t think their market share has grown at all over the years.

Again while mgs members and other forums will have insight and a different opinion and experience with the brand but like Wilson the general public doesn’t. I can’t tell you the last cobra driver I’ve seen in a bag on the course was. 

[EasyPutter]

9 minutes ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

Interesting that you mention cobra because that’s another brand that has a sentiment of being cheap. While I agree they have made progress over the years with driver don’t think their market share has grown at all over the years.

Again while mgs members and other forums will have insight and a different opinion and experience with the brand but like Wilson the general public doesn’t. I can’t tell you the last cobra driver I’ve seen in a bag on the course was. 

My regular playing partner plays Cobras, single length, was fitted for them last year and loves his clubs.  I think what will be telling is the response of the market segment they are targeting.  He's an older customer and considered what was available at cost and value looking at that set as his last one he would invest in, same with his Sun Mountain C-130 bag and Clicgear 4.0 pushcart.

[russtopherb]

I'm not gonna wade into the morass that Wilson marketing and brand perception is, I've done that enough over the years. And I say that as someone who now has his 6th set of W/S irons in the bag. I'm just gonna wish Harry good luck. He's gonna need it.

[RickyBobby_PR]

7 minutes ago, EasyPutter said:

My regular playing partner plays Cobras, single length, was fitted for them last year and loves his clubs.  I think what will be telling is the response of the market segment they are targeting.  He's an older customer and considered what was available at cost and value looking at that set as his last one he would invest in, same with his Sun Mountain C-130 bag and Clicgear 4.0 pushcart.

There’s no doubt there are people playing them and I’ve worked multi vendor demo days along with having attended a cobra only one. The multi demo day generated foot traffic for cobra and they did ok in sales and at cobra only events it was four hours of a few people coming to pound free balls.

It’s been awhile since I’ve seen sales numbers but at the time Wilson and cobra had roughly 4% of the market share in woods, slightly less in irons. They were around the same spot with Mizuno in those categories and behind pxg in iron sales.
 

I think they both make quality products but unfortunately they lack tour presence, in the case of Wilson retail presence and for both they have the stigma of cheap that despite their efforts they haven’t been able to shake and doubt they will.

You don’t see any non contracted player with their woods in the bag and I don’t recall any irons either. Even when they release a new driver their biggest names don’t always have them in the bag.

Im not trying to knock either brand but this is the reality and since the op states a hope it would bring positive results for the Wilson I posted a disagreement that he would be able to have that type of influence on the general public. Op then mentioned cobra and they unfortunately are in the same boat. I’ve had the pleasure of spending two days with Tom O and Mike Yagley from cobra and they are very smart guys and have been around for awhile. Tom was with TM before that and helped them get to the top, so it’s not that they have bad designs or people that don’t know what they are doing, the brands just don’t have the appeal to the masses that allow growth 

[Kenny B]

Best of luck Harry!  It sounds like a great opportunity.  Hope you enjoy your next adventure and can make a difference at Wilson.  

[fozcycle]

Congrats Harry! MGS’s loss is Wilson’s gain. I will miss your insights and reviews.

[Golf2Much]

I'm sure Harry appreciates all the brand recognition and marketing advice he's been getting.  Yes, he has a challenge.  However, sometimes the greatest challenges yield the sweetest successes!

Given we are approaching the holiday season, I hope Harry's takes away from all best wishes at least two lessons from the movie "It's a Wonderful Life":  one life touches many others and "No Man is a failure who  has friends."   Just remember, teacher says every time a bell rings, someone is making a birdie!