Sales, Product Development, Promotions, Package Development, Shipping and All Other Departments Come Together To Launch The First Adjustable Plastic Cleat; Black Widow Tour Now Available At Dick’s Sporting Goods, Golf Galaxy, Edwin Watts, Golfsmith
Brentwood, Tenn., June 5, 2009 … The innovative new Black Widow® Tour™, golf’s first adjustable plastic cleat, is descending upon golfers worldwide, as Softspikes®, the #1 Cleat on Tour and the world’s best selling cleat brand at the combined retail, specialty, green grass and off-course channels, today announced that the cleat is now available at leading retail shops, including Dick’s Sporting Goods, Golf Galaxy, Edwin Watts, Golfsmith, PGA Super Stores and more.
Black Widow Tour, which debuted for the golf industry at the 2009 PGA Show in Orlando, arrives at retail stores after several months of hard work and dedication from over 300 employees operating at the Company’s Brentwood, Tenn.; Burnham, Maine; Florence, Wis.; and Tamworth, England facilities.
“From product development to marketing and sales, our entire team at PrideSports has worked feverishly over the past year to launch this new cleat innovation,” said Joe Zeller, President, PrideSports. “With facilities in four states and on two continents, it has been exciting to see our entire team come together to develop a revolutionary new Softspikes cleat that we believe will redefine the golf cleat market, offering a proprietary adjustable cleat technology that enables golfers, from Tour players to amateurs, the ability to customize their level of traction and comfort.”
The Black Widow Tour introduction is backed by an aggressive Softspikes marketing program that includes a new Golf Channel ad campaign, a print magazine promotion and Internet initiative that includes a new Facebook page, and the launch of an interactive website, www.blackwidowtour.com.
“We are very excited to support Black Widow Tour with an expansive marketing program, including a unique website that promotes the unmatched features and benefits of the cleat,” said John Hohman, Vice President of Marketing, PrideSports. “As the #1 selling cleat brand in the world, and as the cleat of choice for more than 70% of the field at PGA TOUR events for the past 13 years, I believe players of all levels will be very pleased with our new offering in the Softspikes family of cleats.”
As Softspikes celebrates 17 years of innovation, the launch of Black Widow Tour also coincides with the 15th Anniversary of the first metal spike ban, when Softspikes first changed the game forever, saving golf greens and billions of dollars in golf course and clubhouse maintenance. Further, it was 10-years ago that the original Softspikes® Black Widow® debuted and redefined the plastic golf cleat category forever. In returning to its Black Widow roots, the Black Widow Tour cleats follow in the Softspikes heritage of providing extreme traction and comfort, combined with ultimate green-friendliness, by taking the Company’s proprietary technologies to the next level in offering golf’s first adjustable cleat.
Defining the innovation behind Black Widow Tour is self-adjusting traction technology and new “support rings” that enable golfers to customize the level of comfort in their cleats. The Black Widow Tour cleats feature 4 flexible legs that work in unison with 4 cushioning towers to absorb impact and stabilize weight. This combination of flexible legs and cushioning towers enables Black Widow Tour cleats to self-adjust to every condition, terrain and golfer. “Support rings” attached to each individual Black Widow Tour cleat can be positioned in two distinct settings:
Tour-Comfort Setting: Provides maximum flex, ultimate comfort and extreme traction.
Tour-Firm Setting: Provides extreme traction through a firmer, spike-like feel, by providing more resistance at initial impact.
“Adjustability has become a big part of golf equipment today, as players strive to custom match their equipment to their golf swing,” said Hohman. “We have taken this same approach with Black Widow Tour and utilized our proprietary technology to enable golfers to customize their level of comfort, which positively impacts each individual player’s swing, balance and weight distribution.”
Black Widow Tour cleats are sold in individual kits and bulk quantities. Suggested Retail Price for individual kits is $16.99 per pack. For more information, visit www.blackwidowtour.com.
About PrideSports
PrideSports was formed in January 2003 following Pride Manufacturing Company’s purchase of Softspikes, Inc., and its sister company Trisport, Ltd. of England. This acquisition essentially formed the world’s premier golf accessories company, as Pride and Softspikes are the world’s leading golf tee and golf cleat lines, respectively. Today, PrideSports is the world leader in the design and manufacture of cleats, spikes and receptacles for the entire golf footwear industry.
Contact:
Glenn Mastro (gmastro@mastrocomm.com)
Stefanie Schiavello (stefanie@mastrocomm.com)
Mastro Communications, Inc. @ 732-469-5700
