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https://72strokes.com Golf News and Equipment Review Blog Mon, 15 Jul 2013 18:41:05 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.7.1 Gasp! Counterfeit golf clubs seized in China https://72strokes.com/2011/11/gasp_counterfeit_golf_clubs_seized_in_china/ https://72strokes.com/2011/11/gasp_counterfeit_golf_clubs_seized_in_china/#comments Mon, 07 Nov 2011 14:23:04 +0000 https://72strokes.com/?p=4097

Can you tell which one is the fake? It's the one on the left.

Last week the Chinese government conducted multiple raids on counterfeit golf club operations in China. They seized over 25,000 products from markets in Beijing and Shanghai.

This is part of an ongoing effort to stem the flow of fake golf clubs coming from China. In September alone, the Anti-Counterfeiting Group conducted 4 raids that seized 80,000 fake clubs.

According to Michael Rider, Senior VP and General Counsel for Callaway Golf, “The number and location of these recent raids sends a strong message to counterfeiters that we are committed to shutting them down.”

“We are striking back at these illegal operations, hitting them where it hurts like our most recent action in shutting down some of the most popular locations in the world of counterfeit store fronts,” said Rawleigh Grove Vice President and General Counsel for PING. ”We’re confident this will be a deterrent to counterfeiters in the future as we keep pushing to keep golf real.

The problem is that while the numbers sound impressive (and they really are), this is just a drop in the bucket. When you shut down one market in China, 2 more will open up. Personally, I don’t really have a problem with Counterfeit clubs per se. If you want to buy some cheap knock-offs, then go ahead. Nobody buying a $50 set of Callaway’s in China actually thinks they’re real. The real problem is when the counterfeits get shipped over here to be sold as legitimate clubs. Some golfer then ends up going on eBay and unknowingly buys one and wonders why his new super-titanium carbon fiber driver is shorter than his 5-wood.

To that end, I’ve posted a list of websites allegedly selling fake golf clubs after the break. Also, for what it’s worth, the counterfeiters only bother going after the big name brands. A rep from Adams told me earlier this year that they’ve never actually seen a fake Adams club because they’re not yet a big enough brand to have caught the attention of the counterfeiters in China. Also, My Golf Spy has a nice guide on how to avoid buying fake clubs on eBay (they claim 24% are fakes).

Examiner.com

]]> https://72strokes.com/2011/11/gasp_counterfeit_golf_clubs_seized_in_china/feed/ 63 fake taylormade Can you tell which one is the fake? It's the one on the left. Share 2011 PGA Tour winning balls https://72strokes.com/2011/09/2011-pga-tour-winning-balls/ https://72strokes.com/2011/09/2011-pga-tour-winning-balls/#comments Wed, 28 Sep 2011 13:48:10 +0000 https://72strokes.com/?p=4008

Titleist had yet another big year on Tour, including wins at the US Open (McIlroy), Tour Championship (Haas). But while they may dwarf everybody else on tour, other brands picked up some big wins as well. In particular I hadn’t realized that Taylormade snagged 5 wins with the Penta this year. Can anybody make a dent in Titleist’s numbers for 2012?

1. Titleist Pro V1x – 21 wins

2. Titleist Pro v1 – 6 wins

3. Tayormade Penta – 5 wins

4. Nike One Tour D – 3 wins

5. Callaway Tour i(z) – 2 wins

6. Srixon Z-Star XV – 2 wins

7. Bridgestone B330s – 1 win

Golf Digest

]]> https://72strokes.com/2011/09/2011-pga-tour-winning-balls/feed/ 0 titleist pro v1x Share Callaway says “whoops”…. voluntarily withdraws the uPro MX from market https://72strokes.com/2011/08/callaway-says-whoops-voluntarily-withdraws-the-upro-mx-from-market/ https://72strokes.com/2011/08/callaway-says-whoops-voluntarily-withdraws-the-upro-mx-from-market/#comments Wed, 03 Aug 2011 13:00:16 +0000 https://72strokes.com/?p=3795

I was really excited when I first learned about the uPro MX back at the PGA show in January. It seemed like a great GPS device at an extremely competitive price. Unfortunately, as a quick check of any golf forum can show you, the uPro MX launch didn’t exactly go smoothly. The problems have been so bad that Callaway is pulling all existing stock from retailers and offering customers a refund.

Sometimes it’s hard to gauge the extent of a problem simply because the internet tends to make things like this seem larger and more widespread than they really are. But in this case, the problems must have been extremely severe in order to cause Callaway to pull the product from the market rather than continue to push out firmware updates. It suggests to me that the problems many customers have been experiencing may be due to faulty hardware, rather than just buggy software/firmware.

Originally I was supposed to be receiving an early unit to review, but then Callaway basically went silent on the uPro MX. It wasn’t long before I realized it was because they were too busy putting out fires.

I knew they were launching a new website alongside the new unit, but they missed the date. At first it seemed like they would have the new website up within a few days, but it ultimately took over a month before they had it up and running, leaving customers unable to download Promode courses (the ones with the aerial views) during that time.

Callaway offered a bundle of free Promode courses to early adopters as compensation, but more and more reports emerged of units freezing during during use and randomly rebooting. Some people were going through 2 or 3 replacement units. Ultimately it looks like Callaway decided the problems were too significant to fix out in the marketplace and decided to initiate this withdrawal/refund program in order to give themselves a chance to fix everything and relaunch once they know they have a 100% functional unit.

Tim Buckman, Callaway Golf’s Senior Director of Global Communications, told Golf Digest:

Our voluntary withdrawal [of uPro MX] ensures that once we have made the appropriate software update, we can return the product to market and deliver the high quality experience that customers expect from Callaway. Our commitment to delivering best in class products and services is the guiding principle behind this decision and we will continue to do whatever it takes to earn the trust of our customers. UPro MX and the callawayuxplore platform represent an important area of focus within Callaway and we are confident that our use of innovative technologies will advance the category.”

I have to give Callaway credit for at least doing their best to get out in front of this mess. Yes, they screwed up the release, but they’ve done as good a job with damage control as I think anybody could expect. When they do re-launch the uPro MX, I certainly look forward to taking a look at it.

CallawayRefund.com

]]> https://72strokes.com/2011/08/callaway-says-whoops-voluntarily-withdraws-the-upro-mx-from-market/feed/ 5 upromx Share Buy Callaway golf balls and get an… Android smartphone? https://72strokes.com/2011/08/buy-callaway-golf-balls-and-get-an-android-smartphone/ https://72strokes.com/2011/08/buy-callaway-golf-balls-and-get-an-android-smartphone/#comments Tue, 02 Aug 2011 13:00:20 +0000 https://72strokes.com/?p=3783

This just seems… odd. If you buy a box of Callaway golf balls through the end of the year, you can get an unidentified Android smartphone for free… with a 2 year activation and data plan of course.

I’ve got an Android phone and I love it. But this seems like a really, really weird marketing promo. First off, there are plenty of phones available for free with 2-year activation (yes, including android smartphones). Second, this is only going to cause somebody to make a purchase once (how many android smartphones and contracts does one person need?). Whereas a buy 2 get 1 type of offer will drive repeat purchases. And 3rd, what’s the connection between Callaway golf balls and Android smartphones?

Maybe next week they’ll launch a promotion where if you buy a wedge you get a new toaster oven.

]]> https://72strokes.com/2011/08/buy-callaway-golf-balls-and-get-an-android-smartphone/feed/ 0 callaway android phone promo Share Learn why Alvaro Quiros hits the ball so damn far https://72strokes.com/2011/04/learn-why-alvaro-quiros-hits-the-ball-so-damn-far/ https://72strokes.com/2011/04/learn-why-alvaro-quiros-hits-the-ball-so-damn-far/#comments Fri, 08 Apr 2011 14:00:52 +0000 https://72strokes.com/?p=2670

Along with the video of Phil that I posted the other day, Callaway has released videos featuring a number of their marquee players, including first round co-leader of the Masters, Alvaro Quiros.

Quiros talks about his passion for a variety of other sports and how he learned to hit the ball so far.

]]> https://72strokes.com/2011/04/learn-why-alvaro-quiros-hits-the-ball-so-damn-far/feed/ 0 alvaro quiros callaway Share Great video of Phil from Callaway https://72strokes.com/2011/04/great-video-of-phil-from-callaway/ https://72strokes.com/2011/04/great-video-of-phil-from-callaway/#comments Sun, 03 Apr 2011 15:00:12 +0000 https://72strokes.com/?p=2505

If you had asked me last week about Phil’s chances at the Masters, I would have told you that it was crazy that he was one of the favorites at 10-1. After yesterday’s 63? Well, it doesn’t seem completely unreasonable anymore.

]]> https://72strokes.com/2011/04/great-video-of-phil-from-callaway/feed/ 0 phil mickelson callaway video Share Review: Transitions SOLFX Lenses https://72strokes.com/2011/03/review-transitions-solfx-lenses/ https://72strokes.com/2011/03/review-transitions-solfx-lenses/#comments Mon, 21 Mar 2011 13:57:35 +0000 https://72strokes.com/?p=2394

In honor of this past week’s Transitions Championship, I thought I would post my review of the Transitions SOLFX lenses. If you’re not familiar with Transitions from all the commercials over the weekend, they’re a photochromic lens. This means that the lenses change tint based on the amount of UV light they’re exposed to. You can go from out in the sun to indoors or the shade without having to take off your sunglasses (or vice-versa).

The folks over at Transitions sent me a pair of Callaway’s Mag 101 sunglasses, which feature SOLFX lenses rebranded as Neox by Callaway. Neox’s color is a blend of green and amber called G22, which is optimized for enhancing clarity, depth perception, and comfort. It blocks 100% of UV light as well as HEV, or blue light, which allows for crisper vision when outdoors.

The lenses transition from a fairly light tint indoors to a fairly dark tint in direct sunlight. They work extremely well out on the golf course – particularly on partly cloudy days where the sun is constantly being blocked by clouds. You don’t notice the lenses changing tint, you just notice that the brightness level stays constant.

They do give everything a bit of a greenish-yellow tint, but they work exceptionally well at enhancing contrast on the greens and making the golf ball stand out against the sky. It’s almost startling how much they make the greens pop when you first put them on. When you take them off, everything looks a bit dull and hazy by comparison.

After sun exposure

The lenses can get light enough to be comfortably worn indoors and dark enough to be worn outdoors in direct sunlight. The picture at the begining of the post was taken under overcast sky and the picture directly above was taken after exposing the lenses to direct sunlight for approximately 30 seconds. As I said ealier, the brightness levels are really ideal out on the golf course.

However you should be careful when using Transitions lenses in the car. This is a problem area for photochromic lenses in general because they require UV light to trigger a tint change. Car windows block UV light and consequently prevent the glasses from darkening. It’s probably a smart idea to keep a second pair of non-photochromic lenses for use when driving.

In addition to Callaway, the SOLFX lenses are available from Oakley (their G40 Transitions lenses) and Definity Fairway. They can also be ordered as a prescription lens.

Interestingly, Transitions is owned by PPG. As I mentioned in my review of the Tifosi Scatto FC, PPG also supplies Tifosi with their lenses. Tifosi offers a photochromic lens (branded Fototec), but it’s apparently not the same as the Transitions SOLFX lens (although I’m not clear on the differences).

The Callaway MAG 101′s with the Neox Transitions SOLFX lenses have become my “go-to” golf sunglasses. The lenses are clearly a step above anything else I’ve ever tried out on the golf course and really makes the course “pop” in a way that I haven’t seen even with other golf-optimized lenses.

Transitions SOLFX

You can buy the Oakley Transitions sunglasses here. If you do, it helps keep the lights on around here. Thanks!

]]> https://72strokes.com/2011/03/review-transitions-solfx-lenses/feed/ 0 20110321_transitions_solfx_1061 20110321_transitions_solfx_1068 After sun exposure Share Golf’s Ad Wars https://72strokes.com/2011/02/golfs-ad-wars/ https://72strokes.com/2011/02/golfs-ad-wars/#comments Thu, 17 Feb 2011 14:00:59 +0000 https://72strokes.com/?p=2011

Taylormade’s recent R11 ad campaign took direct aim at the rest of the golf industry. Well, Callaway has fired back. In their new ad campaign, they claim that their new Razr Hawk driver (available on Friday, Feb 18th) is 6 yards longer than the R11.

Don’t think that Taylormade is taking this lying down though. According to Bob Maggiore, vice president of global marketing for TaylorMade-adidas Golf:

Comparing the R11′s superior combination of adjustability technologies against their forged composite construction isn’t a fair fight-for Callaway. It’s odd that a once-proud company is resorting to tactics like this. It feels desperate. The R11 is the most technologically advanced driver we’ve ever created, with three adjustability technologies to optimize launch conditions and maximize your distance, none of which Callaway utilized in their comparison.

Anybody else think it’s interesting that Taylormade didn’t specifically dispute Callaway’s claim that the Razr Hawk is 6 yards longer than the R11?

Not wanting to be left out in the cold, Cobra took a slightly different angle of attack with a new ad featuring Big Break participant, Blair O’Neal:

Your move Callaway/Taylormade…

]]> https://72strokes.com/2011/02/golfs-ad-wars/feed/ 3 callaway sheep ad callaway performance over paint blair oneal cobra ad Share