when it comes to balls, how much is enough?
WARNING: Golf geek post to follow, and a bit of male chauvanism.
Odyssey putters are a big name in golf equipment. Odyssey has been making putters for a long time and a few years back introduced the two-ball putter. The thing was huge compared to the putters that came before. Putters were, for the most part, elegant slim blades used on greens all across the golfing world. The two ball putter is bulky and not at all elegant. The thing is, it's also effective. It has two white golf-ball-sized circles on top that line up your putt, and while they aren't fool proof, they're a good visual aid lining up a putt and hitting it straight. I speak from experience (both on the "not fool proof" and "visual aid" fronts) because I own one. After its introduction, other companies that make putters didn't copy it exactly. Every manner of variation showed up in golf shops though, trying to capitalize on the same concept without inviting a lawsuit, some with better results than others.
Personally, I thought the best magazine ad for the putter would be a picture of Michelle Wie or Annika standing over something like a 20 footer with a caption under it that said...."When you don't have the balls to make the big putt, use ours." Yeah, pretty funny (or I thought so) but far too politically incorrect, and probably making the product less appealing to both genders, insulting one and emasculating the other. It also underscores why I'm not a marketing genius.
I like the two ball putter. I think I do well with it. Now, however, Odyssey has come out with the three ball putter (you can find it at that link at the top) and I'm thinking...isn't this just a bit of overkill? I mean, I know you people need something new to sell after a few years, but more isn't always better. Besides, the two ball model is clunky enough. This thing is even bigger. Especially now that you've brought this thing out, the price of the two ball model is going to plummet. Why would anyone spend twice the cash for something that just takes up more space?
Odyssey putters are a big name in golf equipment. Odyssey has been making putters for a long time and a few years back introduced the two-ball putter. The thing was huge compared to the putters that came before. Putters were, for the most part, elegant slim blades used on greens all across the golfing world. The two ball putter is bulky and not at all elegant. The thing is, it's also effective. It has two white golf-ball-sized circles on top that line up your putt, and while they aren't fool proof, they're a good visual aid lining up a putt and hitting it straight. I speak from experience (both on the "not fool proof" and "visual aid" fronts) because I own one. After its introduction, other companies that make putters didn't copy it exactly. Every manner of variation showed up in golf shops though, trying to capitalize on the same concept without inviting a lawsuit, some with better results than others.
Personally, I thought the best magazine ad for the putter would be a picture of Michelle Wie or Annika standing over something like a 20 footer with a caption under it that said...."When you don't have the balls to make the big putt, use ours." Yeah, pretty funny (or I thought so) but far too politically incorrect, and probably making the product less appealing to both genders, insulting one and emasculating the other. It also underscores why I'm not a marketing genius.
I like the two ball putter. I think I do well with it. Now, however, Odyssey has come out with the three ball putter (you can find it at that link at the top) and I'm thinking...isn't this just a bit of overkill? I mean, I know you people need something new to sell after a few years, but more isn't always better. Besides, the two ball model is clunky enough. This thing is even bigger. Especially now that you've brought this thing out, the price of the two ball model is going to plummet. Why would anyone spend twice the cash for something that just takes up more space?
John put this out here at 3:48 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home