Golf Monthly Magazine

15 May 2014

After discussions about slow play and dress codes, there’s no topic that gets the members of the Golf Monthly forum tapping away at the keyboard more furiously than news of new golf gear being released. The appetite for talking about the looks – and possible magical effect – shiny new sticks might have on one’s game certainly gets the debate going. In recent years there’s been an extra dimension to the conversation, with golfers questioning the increasing frequency with which products are launched and the accompanying performance claims. These days two years is the longest a product will stay in the line, with many only having a year (or less) on the shelf before being replaced by something promising impressive game-improving credentials. It’s a gripe we at Golf Monthly recognise, and have acknowledged in previous articles. Our view is that shorter product cycles are here to stay, and the best way to look at the situation is that there will always be innovative new products to buy, and that if you haven’t upgraded your kit for a number of years, the latest clubs will almost certainly offer improved performance. However, that’s just our view, so when I recently had the opportunity to interview Mark King, the CEO of TaylorMade (pictured, left) – the brand that many point the finger at for releasing new products on a frequent basis – the chance to quiz him on the subject was too good to miss. To ensure the topics we covered in the interview reflected what golfers really wanted to know, we put a call to action out on the GM forum and our social media channels. It’s fair to say we were inundated with questions for King. If you turn to page 58 you can read those that I put to him and the answers he gave, which I know will be of interest. I won’t spoil the feature by giving away his views here, except to say that big golf companies do listen to the opinions of golfers, so do use your voice to air your views in the future.