Triton Wins But... Oh The Cost

If there is one thing about having my blog it really gives me the chance to speak my mind and express my point of view on issues. I mean  I can do it on Facebook or Twitter as well but, how do you really convey your point in 160 characters? It's possible sure but being concise concise can be difficult. Then again, no matter what things can definitely get lost in translation.

This article is really an unplanned follow-up to my last article (The New Trend) which was basically about companies crowdsourcing to come up with ideas for the next great thing. Personally, I think it's a great idea for the golf industry and in particular club manufacturers to take part in. Namely because not everybody swings like Jason Day, Lisa Vlooswyk, Rory McIlroy or 2016 World Long Drive Champion Joe Miller. In fact the average club player is lucky to break a clubhead speed of  90 mph. But therein lies the rub. The reality is that the golf companies cannot make everyone happy because it's just not in our human nature to agree with everybody. Variety is the spice of life right?

Photo Credit: Golf Channel

Personally speaking I love what The Golf Channel and Wilson Golf did with their reality show Driver vs Driver. The premise was great and the concept was fun and ultimately the winner ended up being the product that I didn't care for... strictly from an aesthetics point of view. The Triton driver designed by Eric Sillies emerged the winner. Remember my statement above about not making everyone happy? A perfect segue. Initially, I liked the Triton but then I saw the alignment aid and thought that it was too busy. Furthermore, I really preferred the looks of the Pivot but really hated the name. Anyways, shortly after the winner was announced out came word on the pricing of said driver. Holy... perfect segue number 2. The Wilson Staff Triton will be retailing at $449.99 USD. Honestly, when I think of drivers that price I never think about Wilson Staff. I think of Titleist, Callaway, PING, and TaylorMade. Could the pricing of the Triton kill sales before it even has a chance? Especially in Canada?

Photo Credit: wilson.com

It's very possible that this could be the case. From where I stand Wilson does not have a huge following up here and with that lack of a following also comes lack of market share. But now there is another problem with the pricing. Now you have to factor in the exchange rate. That same $449.99 USD translates into $607 CAD based on today's exchange rate. Now you factor in the taxes so now you have a driver that will be sold at retail stores for approximately $599.99. Now add the 13% Harmonized Sales Tax and suddenly Triton will sell for $685.91 CAD. Not just in Canada but but worldwide. Will people look at Triton with that price tag and give it a shot instead of a new Titleist or Callaway with the same price tag? The reality and fear is that golf is likely the most vane sport on the planet. Wilson... I sincerely hope that every golfer on your staff plays it because you are going to need as much positive publicity as possible to move this driver off of the shelves. Especially with the strong history of your tour players not playing your drivers. But I sincerely hope that the masses give Triton a shot because I have said for a few years now that Wilson and Cobra Golf have been the biggest movers and shakers in the industry from a club design standpoint. Furthermore, I have also stated that if Wilson's clubs had a Chevron or T stamped on them they would be the number 1 selling brand. Both companies have massive upsides and I have always had a soft spot for Wilson. Glowing unbiased reviews could play a role in the success of Triton as well which is something that I could do if the product deemed such positive reviews.

If the producers and Wilson made a mistake with the show it was that they didn't really have any club golfers or non-professional athletes swinging the clubs. Unless of course this was done behind the scenes. Club golfers make up most of the sales in the golf industry and those sales are partially what pays the endorsement dollars for the Padraig's and Streelman's of the world. Most of these golfers don't have swings like Eric Gagne, Derek Lowe, Kevin Millar, and Tim Brown. What were some of the drives... 320 carry?

Photo Credit: greekmythology.com

Honestly, the 2017 PGA Show will not come soon enough because my curiosity about this driver is killing me. Will the Triton be plenty good enough to sway people away from the"Big Boys" or will it end up submerged like the mythological Greek God? Only time and people's wallets will tell.

Until The Next Tee!