Last year more-and more golf ball manufacturers started to focus on feeling beyond distance to help our approach shots (chips and pitches). They (e.g. Callaway Golf, Wilson Staff) lowered compression and reformulated the covers (made them softer).
To this highly competitive market tries to enter since 2012 the two German entrepreneur Ingo Duellmann and Rainer Stoeckl with their Vice Golf premium golf balls. I met them 2 weeks ago at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando where they presented Vice Golf to the US market.
Unlike their competitors they are available only on their website (although I found some of their golf balls on Golfballs.com as well). This how they can offer their golf balls lot cheaper. Today most of the leading golf ball manufacturers have web-shop where we can buy their golf balls (e.g. Callaway Golf, Nike Golf, Srixon, Wilson Staff).
Vice Golf's approach to golf balls is also different from their competitors. They think about golf balls from lifestyle point of view that can be easily detected on their package design.
Today they offer 4 different golf balls, including for Tour players as well. They compare their golf balls to Titleist Pro V1 (vs Vice Golf Pro version: compression of 95), Titleist NXT Tour (vs Vice Golf Tour model) and Titleist DT Solo (vs Vice Golf Drive model: compression of 90). The minimum quantity we have to order is 60. Their idea is to sell golf balls in big volume to customers. This raises questions like:
- Is Vice Golf a budget golf ball (they position Vice Golf as premium golf ball)? If not, then prove it!
- Why there is no sampling option? Let's say 2-3 golf balls to test (of course not free). This could help golfers to give a try to Vice Golf.
- As a golf ball with low brand awareness, golf ball custom fitting service could help to decide. This also true for well established golf ball brands.
- Although their golf can be personalized, but the service should be also more personalized.
In the last 3 years they achieved that Vice Golf became the official golf ball of the German Golf Association (DGL).
To gain more credibility they should provide more social proof and authority (e.g. well-known PGA Tour player could promote them, e.g. Martin Kaymer) on the website beside listing those golf magazines where they appeared in the past. A potential further step can be a close cooperation with PGA professionals, golf instructors in prominent golf clubs in leading golf countries.
I missed reviews about Vice Golf in the leading online golf media. Only Todaysgolfer.co.uk wrote about Vice Tour golf ball and Vice PRO golf ball. Such reviews could help to generate trust and awareness to their brand and golf balls.
In addition to this I would seek cooperation also with Topgolf in the UK (UK: Essex – Chigwell; Herts – Watford; Surrey – Addlestone) and in the US. Topgolf became extremely popular in recent years. Did you know that Callaway Golf is one of Topgolf's investors?
Finally, I think Vice Golf is a good value for money golf ball.