TaylorMade announced that England’s Tommy Fleetwood is now a staff member in a funny Twitter video.
Historically, golf equipment companies announce the signing of new tour staff members in the first days of January, after the player’s previous endorsement deal runs out.
However, TaylorMade did not have to wait until after the calendar runs out on 2020 to announce that England’s Tommy Fleetwood, who is currently ranked No. 17 on the Official World Golf Ranking, is now with the Carlsbad, California-based company.
Why? Fleetwood was a free agent and has not had an equipment deal for a few seasons.
As of Monday night, TaylorMade had not released details about Fleetwood’s deal, but it should be interesting to see exactly which clubs he opts to use. While he experimented with several different woods, wedges and putters, he used a set of TaylorMade P-7TW irons throughout 2019 and into 2020 before switching into a set of customized TaylorMade P-7TF irons.
Fleetwood has also been carrying a TaylorMade GAPR Lo utility iron for over two years. That club is especially unique because unlike the version sold at retail, Fleetwood’s does not have an adjustable hosel.
Uther Supply is a fashionable golf towel brand that is taking courses by storm nationwide.
Uther Supply is a golf towel brand that is helping golfers differentiate their bags from opponents and friends.
Uther’s founder, Dan Erdman, dropped out of university at 21 years old to start the company with only a couple small grants from the Canadian government. His family was concerned about his decision, but as the company began to grow in popularity, their worries began to fade.
Uther is now a leading golf towel supplier.
Two years later after Uther’s founding, Dan Erdman was exclusively working on the business, Erdman was contacted by Dick’s Sporting Goods, Golf Galaxy and Golf Town to sell Uther towels in locations nationwide.
The towels come in an assortment of unique prints and colors. This high fashion towel is three times more absorbent than cotton and dries five times faster.
Uther Supply “Azaleas of Augusta Tour” towel. (Uther Supply)
Pronounced “other,” Uther is still the leading golf towel supplier for major retailers, even amid the pandemic. The towels have a waffle texture that helps wick away grime and dirt on the course while remaining fun and fashionable.
Uther has grown to have five full-time members this year and they have plans of new items to launch in the near future.
Uther represents the brand’s core belief to be unique. Uther leads, other’s follow.
On the eve of the 2020 Masters, Tiger Woods and Bryson DeChambeau have signed new golf ball endorsement deals with Bridgestone.
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Basketball and baseball writers often refer to players as assets that can be swapped and traded to help a team improve its chances for success. Bridgestone Golf certainly sees Tiger Woods and Bryson DeChambeau as significant assets, but by announcing that the 15-time major winner and the newly-crowned U.S. Open winner have signed long-term contract extensions, it’s clear they are not going to be on the golf ball market any time soon.
“Tiger’s involvement in the R&D process was critical to the development of our breakthrough REACTIV cover technology, and Bryson is just as enthusiastic about participating in R&D as any one of our engineers,” said Dan Murphy, the president and CEO of Bridgestone.
The financial details and precise duration of the new endorsement deals were not disclosed.
Woods and DeChambeau have appeared in several commercials together for Bridgestone, playing off DeChambeau’s scientific approach to golf and Tiger’s ability to be, well … funny on camera.
Tiger Woods won the 2018 Tour Championship, 2019 Masters and the 2019 Zozo Championship, his 82nd PGA Tour win, using a Bridgestone Tour B XS ball. While Woods officially became a Bridgestone staff player in 2016, the Covington, Ga.-based company manufactured the ball Tiger used to win the Memorial Tournament, U.S. Open, British Open and PGA Championships in 2000 even though it was sold under a different brand’s name.
Bryson DeChambeau was victorious in September at Winged Foot using a Bridgestone Tour B X.
Two of golf’s biggest stars join Kevin Durant, Patrick Mahomes and venture capital funds in financing the performance-tracking company.
What do Kevin Durant, Patrick Mahomes, Larry Fitzgerald, Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas have in common?
Along with several venture capital funds, Whoop has announced they are private investors in a $100-million round of Series E funding for the human-performance company now valued at $1.2 billion.
In addition to McIlroy and Thomas, several professional golfers, including Billy Horschel and Xander Schauffele, began wearing a Whoop band either on their wrist or around their biceps in 2019. Whoop measures the wearer’s heart rate hundreds of times per second, and when paired with a smartphone app it reveals how hard an athlete has worked by measuring strain. Whoop also tracks how long the wearer sleeps, how restorative that sleep is and how recovered the wearer is when he or she wakes up.
Rory McIlroy typically wears his Whoop 3.0 strap around his left biceps. (AP/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Series E funding is rare and typically occurs when a company wants to stay private for an extended period and delay going public for various reasons.
Appearing on Golfweek’s Forward Press podcast in April, as the COVID-19 pandemic forced the United States and many other parts of the world to shut down, Whoop founder and CEO Will Ahmed said data the strap collects may be able to determine that a user is sick before the individual becomes symptomatic.
Whoop 3.0 strap (Whoop)
Two months later Whoop gained notoriety when Nick Watney woke up Friday morning before the second round of the RBC Heritage and his Whoop revealed his respiratory rate overnight had spiked. Respiratory rate is the number of times you breathe, something Whoop tracks, and studies showed Whoop wearers who see a significant increase in respiratory rate often are asymptomatically carrying the coronavirus. After requesting that the PGA Tour test him before he played, it was confirmed Watney had COVID-19.
Nick Watney, wearing a blue Whoop 3.0 strap on his right wrist, in January 2020 (Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports)
In an all-stock deal, Callaway is merging with Topgolf in an attempt to grow its business and become more attractive to new golfers.
Callaway Golf is one of the biggest and most well-respected golf equipment makers in the world. Topgolf has established itself as a brand that successfully combines technology, entertainment and sports, attracting golfers and non-golfers alike to its 58 locations across America.
On Tuesday evening, it was announced that the two companies are merging.
“Together, Callaway and Topgolf create an unrivaled golf and entertainment business,” said Chip Brewer, president and CEO of Callaway, in a release. “This combination unites proven leaders with a shared passion for delivering exceptional golf experiences for all – from elite touring professionals to new and aspiring entrants to the game.”
Brewer will run the combined company after the completion of the merger. Dolf Berle, Topgolf’s current CEO, will continue to lead the Topgolf business through the transitional period, then step down and leave the company.
Topgolf will join Ogio, Travis Mathew and Jack Wolfskin under the Callaway brand.
Topgolf
Callaway made its first investment in Topgolf in 2006 and already owned 14 percent of the company. The transaction announced on Tuesday is an all-stock deal. Callaway will issue approximately 90 million shares of its common stock to non-Callaway shareholders of Topgolf based upon an implied equity value of Topgolf of $1.986 billion.
Many people’s first exposure to golf has been at a Topgolf venue, attracted by the nightclub-like atmosphere, food and drinks, high-tech games and non-competitive environment. During a conference call on Tuesday evening, Berle said all Topgolf venues in the United States had re-opened by early September. Recent operating sales are back to 80-85 percent of 2019 same-location sales. He added that 33 new venues are in the planning stages and sees approximately 200 possible locations for Topgolf venues in the United States.
Topgolf not only owns 58 locations in the United States, but it also owns Toptracer. This technology is used during television broadcasts to allow viewers to follow balls as they fly through the air. That technology is also being rolled out at driving ranges in the form of Toptracer Range, allowing golfers to see their shots’ ball flight as they practice on screens, smartphones or tablets.
Toptracer video screen at Pebble Beach Golf Links during the 2019 U.S. Open
Brewer said that Topgolf is ideally suited to operate within the challenges COVID-19 pandemic during the conference call. Hitting bays are spaced far apart, usually with physical barriers between groups.
Topgolf was especially attractive to Callaway because, according to Topgolf, there were 23 million visits to Topgolf venues in 2019. Fifty-one percent of the people who went to a Topgolf facility last year identified themselves as a non-golfer, but 75 percent of those people said that after visiting Topgolf, they were interested in playing golf on a course. If Callaway can develop a relationship with people as they are discovering the game and learning to love it, it has a better chance of turning those people into Callaway, Odyssey, Ogio and Travis Mathew loyalists.
The merger is expected to be finalized in early 2021.
Due to the continued COVID-19 pandemic, the PGA of America and trade show organizers have decided that a virtual show is safer.
In an announcement that should come as a surprise to almost no one, PGA Golf Exhibitions and the PGA of America announced on Wednesday that the 2021 PGA Merchandise Show will be an all-virtual event.
The three-day event held annually at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, typically attracts more than 40,000 PGA of America professionals, manufacturers, media members and golf industry insiders. With the COVID-19 pandemic continuing throughout the United States and the rest of the world, the safety of everyone involved took precedence.
“These are extraordinary times that have required all of us as an industry to rapidly evolve and innovate the way we do things,” said Peter Broome, the senior vice president of brand management and industry relations for Acushnet, the parent company of Titleist and FootJoy. “The decision by the PGA of America and PGA Golf Exhibitions to shift to a virtual show in 2021 is the right one, made in the best interest, health and safety of everyone involved.”
Suzy Whaley, the president of the PGA of America, said, “Working in partnership with the PGA Show team, we are pleased to continue the longstanding tradition of connecting PGA professionals and the global golf community with a new virtual PGA Merchandise Show experience and marketplace in 2021.”
Over the past several weeks, Golfweek has spoken with several major brands that indicated companies either planned to skip the 2021 PGA Merchandise Show entirely if it were held in person or send a handful of representatives to Orlando. The annual Demo Day at Orange County National Golf Club on the day before the trade show begins seemed implausible to every brand with which Golfweek spoke.
The three-day show is scheduled to begin on Jan. 26 and will now involve online appointments, seminars and presentations.
Instead of producing headcovers and hand-forged metal accessories, the Oregon company is working on masks for nurses and doctors.
Golf lovers who are can’t go to the course are taking to social media and sharing all sorts of trick shots, workouts and practice sessions. However, Seamus Golf, a small brand based in Beaverton, Oregon, that has grown a cult following thanks to its unique headcovers, hand-forged ball markers and accessories posted a very different message.
On Monday evening, the company announced on its website that it would close temporarily to help produce masks for doctors, nurses and first responders who are in need of supplies in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
“Prototyping began last week and ended with our first production run on Friday,” a message on the company’s homepage read. “We are using our materials and constructing them in a way that each of these individuals are requesting to use as a last resort. They have confirmed that what we are making is better than what they are resorting to use.”
The masks are not made from N95 material though the company said it is seeking it and could use customers’ help on that front. Still, with masks running critically low in many areas, the Seamus masks are better than what many healthcare workers are being forced to use.
Seamus used the past week to set up its office for “social distanced production.” The company believes it can continue to make products and keep its employees through a tough time such as this. The Seamus store has been temporarily closed to allow the full team to focus and assess the situation with masks. A second production run began Monday night.
Seamus also said it would give away the masks for free to frontline workers who contact the company at masks@seamusgolf.com.
Acushnet’s Titleist and FootJoy, as well as apparel maker J. Lindberg, have dropped the PGA Tour veteran.
PGA Tour veteran Scott Piercy, 41, lost two major sponsors on Thursday as a result of controversial posts he shared on Instagram. One was a homophobic meme of former Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg and the other referenced QAnon, an ultra-conservative conspiracy theory about a secret plot against President Donald Trump.
As first reported by golfdigest.com, Titleist and FootJoy, both owned by Acushnet, ended their sponsorship with Piercy on Tuesday. Apparel maker J. Lindberg also ended its relationship with the Las Vegas native.
Piercy’s name and image have been removed from both companies’ websites.
Thursday at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Piercy shot 1-under 71.
“We were made aware of Scott’s post and are disappointed in the lack of judgement used,” the PGA Tour said in a statement.
Scott Piercy’s Titleist irons at Bay Hill. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
In a statement, a J. Lindberg representative wrote, “When we choose our ambassadors, we choose individuals we know will represent us well on and off the golf course. The claims from Scott Piercy were unacceptable and far from our views and beliefs. We have since terminated our contract with Mr. Piercy. We, J. Lindberg, as a company do not stand by the statements made by Piercy and we want to make sure our customers, employees and other ambassadors know we support all communities and have no room for hate or discrimination in our company.”
Piercy, who turned pro in 2001 and has won four PGA Tour events, posted an apology on his Instagram story that stated, “Whenever I post my intent is NEVER to offend. I want to apologize if any of my recents story posts have been offensive. I will do better!”
Trying to attract a different type of player, Acushnet launches Union Green, a new brand aimed at people at casual golf lovers.
Titleist is one of the most iconic brands in golf and it’s sister brand in the Acushnet Company, FootJoy, is one of the most successful footwear and apparel brands in the sport. When golfers think about Titleist and FootJoy, things like tradition, history and high-quality products for serious golfers like Adam Scott and Justin Thomas come to mind. While it’s true that Titleist now offers a yellow Pro V1 and makes more game-improvement clubs than ever before, and FootJoy is making plenty of modern, sporty shoes to go alongside its classic-looking footwear, there has always been a level of aspiration to the brands.
That’s what makes Acushnet’s launch of Union Green, a new sub-brand, so interesting. Union Green is going in a totally different direction. The brand’s tone was established in the company’s first social media post, quietly published on Tuesday.
The idea of inclusion is everywhere on the company’s new website (uniongreen.com) and Instagram account, with hashtags like #UnitedByGolf and #JoinTheUnion everywhere.
No one in the images appears to be over 30 and if you study the image on the site’s homepage carefully, it’s hard to believe that this company has related to Titleist and FootJoy.
The main images on Union Green’s website sets the tone. (Union Green)
Awaiting on the tee of what looks like a windswept links, bathed in evening sunlight, a long-haired man wearing shorts has a hat on backwards while another is wearing tan shorts, white tube socks and brown shoes with red laces. They embody a statement found just below the image:
We’re not the golfers you see on tour. We’re different. The ones playing local, taking mulligans, over celebrating and always going for it. Club Championships, rule books, 18 holes every time – that’s not our game. We’re here for golf that fits our life. For fellowship. For the love of the fairway. We’re united by the game.
The two golf balls being sold on the site are the Teebird ($19.99/dozen) and Pinpoint ($27.99/dozen). Both are manufactured in Titleist’s Ball Plant 2 in Massachusetts. The Teebird is touted to be long and fast, while the Pinpoint is designed to give accuracy and control. Details are few at this point, but the target market for Union Green balls may not be concerned with details like compression and cover material.
Union Green Teebird and Pindrop golf balls (Union Green)
In addition to golf balls, Union Green is selling t-shirts, hats and mugs. More things will come in the future, but right now it is interesting to see how Acushnet is trying to tap into a growing number of people who enjoy golf as a vehicle for fun and friendship rather than competition. It is an attempt to grow the business with a new audience, while not diluting the Titleist and Footjoy brands or alienating loyalists who like that gear.
Parsons Xtreme Golf has added three more players to its PGA Tour staff, along with an LPGA rookie.
While the PGA Tour operates on a rolling calendar, endorsement contracts still tend to be based on a traditional calendar system, with deals ending on Dec. 31 and starting on Jan. 1.
Shortly after the clock struck 12 and 2020 began on Wednesday, PXG announced that it has added Chez Reavie, Jason Kokrak and Joel Dahmen to the company’s PGA Tour staff, as well as LPGA rookie Haley Moore.
The terms of each endorsement deal were not disclosed.
Reavie is coming off his best year as a professional. He won the 2019 Travelers Championship, earning him a spot in this week’s Sentry Tournament of Champions in Hawaii. According to PXG, he will be using the following clubs:
