Many of you know that I recently scored an update to my bag, getting my first new set of irons in 10 years. Something that occurred to me while I was looking around was the craziness of how many choices there are in today’s club market. Now, Wilson didn’t seem to have this issue as they basically have three lines: the D200 for those that need forgiveness, the V4 for those that want a bit more playability, and the F5 for those looking for a tour style club and a bit more workability. I left off the FG Tour 100’s due to the fact that these are really a specialty nostalgic club that not many folks even consider playing today, but even still, that’s four choices for four different styles of players. That seems about right to me, and then I look at manufacturers like Ping, Callaway and Mizuno.
Ping has managed to march out 5 irons that really blend into a big blur. The GMAX for those that need the ultimate in forgiveness, the G30 which is next in line, the G which offers a bit more playability, the I continues the progression and then the iBlade which is the tour style club in the bunch. The issue here is that there are so many options, the average golfer may become confused on what club will fit them best. For example, if you are a hacker looking for help with your irons, do you go with the GMAX or G30 or do you go a step further and see if the more compact G gives you more confidence? From there, heads start to spin and things get lost quickly.
It’s not much better over in the Mizuno camp. From the easy to hit JPX-EZ to the MP-4 ultra blade, there are a whopping 8 different iron sets to choose from in their camp. While some may see choice as a great option here, the bottom line is that flooding the market with club choices and crossover models is just confusing to the consumer. Taking the same guy as above, going into the store, does he choose the JPX-EZ, the JPX-900 Hot Metal or the JPX-900 Forged? Does he even look at the JPX-900 Tour or the MP-54? Then there’s the tempting beauty of those three MP models and some hybrids… Oh there’s just so much to see!
Finally, after hitting three different Ping models and 5 different Mizuno models, the poor guy steps up to the Callaway display. With 6 options to choose from, three of which fall directly into the game improvement section, the experience of choosing a new club becomes more like having a root canal or getting a home loan. Instead of being a fun time where he gets to hit a few different manufacturer’s clubs and enjoy himself, he finds out that he is more confused by the ‘feel’ and ‘fit’ of clubs than hey could possibly imagine. Buying his clubs just became a pain in the…
Everyone has been talking about the decline of the golfing market. With Nike pulling out of the industry, Taylor Made being put on the selling block and everyone else struggling to maintain their business, it baffles me why they would release so many models instead of just aiming at the big three. Make the best game improvement club, the best mid-range club and the best tour player club you can and call it good. It’s obvious who controls what markets at this point, but honestly, who is going to play the Ping iBlade during their weekend rounds that wouldn’t have been happy playing the I irons? A small handful maybe? Who’s going to play the Mizuno JPX-900 Tour that wouldn’t have played the MP-54’s? Who is going to play the Big Bertha OS that wouldn’t have played the Steelhead XRs?
There’s just too much information out there and the market is saturated with confusing terms and too many choices for the average golfer. Think back to a time where Ping Eye 2 irons came in one style, but could be fit to anyone. A time when most manufacturers made 2-3 lines and sold them through shops that knew them well. While choice is a great thing, sometimes too many choices create more problems than not enough choices. What do you think, do we have too many choices out there right now and would the club manufacturers be doing better if they had fewer lines to deal with?
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