President and CEO Mark King says “The best is yet to come” for tri-branded golf equipment, apparel and footwear company
CARLSBAD, Calif. (February 2, 2012) – On the heels of a record-breaking sales year that was fueled by the introduction of white metalwoods, TaylorMade Golf Company President and CEO Mark King predicted more momentum in the golf marketplace and an even bigger sales year for the company’s three brands: TaylorMade, adidas Golf and Ashworth.
Eager to surpass benchmarks achieved in 2011, TaylorMade Golf Company was at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando last week to officially launch its 2012 offerings – which included the much anticipated R11S and RocketBallz equipment lines – to the golf world. In addition, show attendees were abuzz about the new adidas Golf line of footwear including the all new crossflex, a spikeless, performance golf shoe. Ashworth Golf also made news by introducing its new 2012 PGA Tour roster, anchored by golf icon Fred Couples, Johnson Wagner, Justin Leonard and more.
“This was one of the most electrifying PGA Shows that I can remember and my immediate takeaway was that the best is yet to come for not only our brands, but the entire industry,” said Mark King. “The weather was perfect, the foot traffic and buzz on our showroom floor was incredible. It just feels like this could be the rebound year for golf.”
TaylorMade Golf Company is already on track to sell over one million white metalwoods by end of first quarter, a significant milestone that wasn’t reached until well into the second quarter last year. The company’s 30,000 square foot booth in the Orlando Convention Center, which included 10 hitting bays, a large putting green, a live concert from George Thorogood and special appearances from Paula Creamer, Jim Flick, Mike Malaska and Hank Haney ignited the early momentum giving a substantial boost to sales. Click here to see highlights from the show.
“We had a record year last year with TaylorMade’s brands and we’re excited to see what they were going to bring in 2012,” said Al Morris, President Worldwide Golf Shops. “We think RocketBallz is going to be an absolute game-changer.”
According to Golf Datatech, a U.S.-based organization that charts golf industry sales, TaylorMade’s metalwood market share for the month of December 2011 exceeded 42%,* fueled by the fully adjustable, white R11, the top-selling model in the U.S. and most played driver model in the PGA Tour.
This year on Tour, TaylorMade has been the No. 1 played driver, fairway and hybrid in four out of the five PGA Tour events thanks to the availability of the R11S and RocketBallz products.
“Tour players are going crazy about the performance of the R11S and RocketBallz metalwoods,” said Keith Sbarbaro, TaylorMade vice president of tour operations. “In all of my years out here, I haven’t seen products that perform this good with the amount of buzz from the Tour players. At the Humana Challenge, we ran out of heads on the van because everyone wants one. I thought last year was crazy with white and R11, but this feels like the buzz is 10 times greater.”
All of the new TaylorMade products including its new line of R11S and RocketBallz metalwoods and irons are available at retail Friday, February 3.
*Golf Datatech – TaylorMade On / Off Course dollar share for December was 42.36%. The R11 was the #1 selling driver in 2011 based off of unit share and dollar share in the combined On and Off Course channels.
About Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc. dba TaylorMade-adidas Golf Company
TaylorMade Golf has led the golf industry’s technological revolution since the company was founded in 1979. TaylorMade metalwoods, irons and putters have been used to win hundreds of professional golf tournaments around the world. In 1998, TaylorMade became a wholly owned subsidiary of the adidas Group. adidas Golf creates high-performance, technology-infused golf apparel and footwear worn by hundreds of professional golfers around the world. Ashworth, which became a brand of the TaylorMade-adidas Golf Company in 2008, creates relaxed, lifestyle-oriented golf apparel synonymous with authenticity and quality. Learn more about TaylorMade-adidas Golf and its brands at (866) 530-TMAG (8624) or www.taylormadegolf.com, www.adidasgolf.com, www.ashworthgolf.com, and www.tmag.com.
About the adidas Group
About the adidas Group The adidas Group is one of the global leaders within the sporting goods industry offering a broad range of products across the three core brands adidas, Reebok and TaylorMade-adidas Golf. Headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Germany, the Group has more than 39,000 employees and generated sales of EUR 10.381 billion in 2009.
Contact:
TaylorMade Golf
Public Relations Department
Christa McNamara
Tel: (760) 918.6466
christa.mcnamara@tmag.com
