SirShanksAlot
Hi everyone and thanks for stopping by. It’s still snowy and cold in our part of the world but many of our readers have had a chance to hit some of the new equipment at local demo days. I thought I’d combine all of the demo day email we’ve got with a few things we’ve noticed in our shops to create a “initial impressions” list. A big thanks to all of our readers for their hard work and please feel free to keep sending in the email!
Nike Golf – The biggest news from Nike has been the SQ driver and we have been hearing the same thing over and over again here… people like how the driver performs but hate how it looks. We’ve heard a few favorable comments on the Slingshot OSS irons and most readers say they are a solid game improvement option. We’re getting mixed reviews on the Slingshot Tour irons… there are better “players” clubs out there. Mixed reviews again when it comes to the hybrids… seems the “works well, looks bad” comments best describe the Nike line so far.
Callaway Golf – The new X Fairway woods have been a real hit so far. Both readers and customers love these and they are worth a look. The X460 driver is nice too but I haven’t really heard too many comments on it. People are starting to warm up to the FT-3 driver and it could have a good year. The Big Bertha ‘06 irons have been getting some positive reviews from our readers and their new lower price is a nice bonus. I think people are really buying into Callaway’s new ads… they keep it simple and show consumers how the various lines fit into the big picture.
TaylorMade Golf – These guys have it figured out… they know how to market their products. The R7 was one of the most talked about clubs of 2005 and the new R7 425 has carried the torch into 2006. People really like the 425 and most want to hit the 460 before committing to a new driver. The R7 XD irons have been a hit but the recent O/S price drop might hurt XD sales for a while. Most demo day reports say that the new TaylorMade irons are very long… this is partly the result of technology and partly the result of strong lofts. Something to keep in mind. Not much news on the new fairway woods… still a bit early there.
Ping Golf – Kind of same old same old here. Ping has their loyal customer base that will stand by the company through thick and thin. Their new equipment is all pretty nice and readers seem to like it. We haven’t had a ton of response on most of it but we never really do. The G5 irons are probably the one Ping product that we get the most positive feedback on. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard or read the term “Ping Guy” (refers to someone that likes Ping) since starting the website… just an observation.
Thats all for today… we’ll continue with the demo day reports tomorrow. Keep sending in the email!