What are Golf Pride’s biggest business challenges in 2016?
Overall our retail business has had a strong year, particularly in North America among the large retailers. Our biggest challenge is continuing to increase awareness about the performance benefits of new grips with 2/3 of golfers that currently don’t frequently re-grip.
Many of those players are playing with a grip that is slick and as a result, they increase grip pressure. Having a lighter grip pressure fosters a fluid stroke that allows you to perform at your best and we continue to focus on elevating the importance of re-gripping to maximize performance.
How would Golf Pride like to utilize mobile technology in a retail environment? (e.g. beacons, wearables, QR codes)
From consumer research, we know consumers continue to look for additional product information while in-store. For instance, our website is responsive and optimized for a mobile experience. One really exciting feature on the website is our grip fitting tool that assists consumers in finding the right grip based on their preferences.
Ultimately, we are trying to provide a great experience for consumers that enhances the shopping experience and provides an overall better brand experience.
Will Golf Pride offer more personalization opportunity for golfers and golf club makers?
Golf Pride offers the broadest assortment of performance grips on the market that has been validated by Tour players globally. As you may know, 80% of Tour players use our grips and we offer those same grips for consumers to purchase.
As consumers look to purchase a new grip finding the right custom grip is incredibly important, as it’s the golfers only connection to the club. Golf Pride has continued to expand our performance grip offering to provide golfers and club makers better custom options that allow a golfer to have a better feel.
You may be surprised to know that 45% of golfers that re-grip choose a size other than non-standard. This year alone, we expanded our newest grip to win a Major, the MCC Plus4, in a new mid-size offering. In addition, we have expanded our fastest growing grip, the CP2, in an undersize offering.
We work closely with club-makers and club-fitters to ensure that grips that are offered in a custom fitting are an integral part of the overall fitting process. Golfers should consider several factors when selecting a grip including the type of environment that one plays in if it is a humid or dry climate, the size of their hands, and other key performance attributes that ensure that a club feels great in their hands and provides them the confidence they need while on the course.
Will Golf Pride adopt in-store mobile service? (mPOS; tablet-based POS system)
We are exploring opportunities that provide golfers the best shopping experience and ultimately the best brand experience. As we explore mobile service solutions it has to provide the golfer with a better in-store experience as that is the most critical factor for us as we explore new technology.
How does Golf Pride use the power of crowds for product development (and not just the feedbacks of tour players)?
Every product that we develop is done through the power of crowds to ensure we are developing a product that is going to meet or exceed a wide range of players’ expectations. For instance, when we recently developed our TOUR SNSR oversized performance putter grip series, we heard from consumers that the two biggest attributes that they are looking for in an oversized putter grip is a product that would provide better feel and feedback so that they could have better distance control and ultimately gain greater confidence on the green.
As a result, we developed the TOUR SNSR Putter Series with a proprietary rubber compound that provides exceptional feedback, while also making the grip 40% softer than any other putter grip in our offering – promoting lighter grip pressure and great feel on the greens.
Another great example of using consumer feedback is we listened to consumers state that they wanted a softer grip without compromising performance. As a result, we developed our CP2 product, which is the softest grip in our lineup. The product has done incredibly well for us.
These are two recent examples of consumer-driven innovation at Golf Pride. Currently, we are meeting with consumers over the next two weeks to gain additional insights about a technology that we are incredibly excited to bring to market in 2017.
How will/does Golf Pride continue to utilize the brand experience to convert sales?
At Golf Pride, we have always been about providing the best, most innovative performance grips that allow a golfer to enjoy the game more. We feel fortunate that 80% of Tour players trust their games every week to our brand and that we are the #1 golf grip chosen among amateurs as well.
This serves as a key inspiration to us and guides our brand experience and directs everything we do. We are in a unique position and we don’t take it for granted. Every day, each Golf Pride employee challenges themselves to continuously innovate to enhance the Golf Pride brand experience.
For us, it starts with that ultimate purpose of providing golfers the best performance products that gives golfers the confidence they need to perform at their best and it translates into the overall brand experience of wanting it to be the best experience a golfer has with a brand.