Want To Know How The “Darrell Survey” Works?

Darrell Survey – (The Truth Explained!)

The Darrell Survey Company is contracted by the PGA Tour to perform weekly equipment counts and tabulate by category each product by player. These counts are performed on all tours in the USA as well as world wide. The count verifies the product that is in use by each player. The weekly reports can be accessed by every company on the tour that has product in “play”. This too comes with a price depending on what and how many reports you require each week for each tour.

When I say that this survey covers everything, I mean everything a player has on or around or is in the bag, from head to toe and all parts in between. Cleats to hats, bracelets, tees, clubs, grips, shafts etc. You get the jest. These counts or surveys are taken prior to the first round technically speaking on Thursday as they tee off. Logistics will not allow this since there are so many products in the lineup and the time it requires to complete. The single most critical use for these surveys are to verify that a player that which is on contract with a particular manufacturer to play, wear or display a particular product is in fact complying to the terms of the contract.

These big companies pay out tremendous amounts of money for contracts depending on the player’s status on the money list or based upon performance. In any event this survey verifies that the product which is being contracted to play is in fact in the count. This is how in most cases the player gets paid. So the next time you hear that a driver or putter is number one on the PGA Tour it was verified by the Darrell Survey.

Got Money?  Buy Your Way to Number #1!

Please keep in mind one thing if the company is big enough and have deep pockets it is very easy to “buy” the count from week to week or for that matter indefinitely. This is just one of the games that the big boys play. I could go on and on about how these games work and how they are played. It is not always how good the club or product is and in fact it is 90% of the time who has the most money. The money is staggering!

You as the end buyer of equipment want to have the #1 product on the PGA Tour, but keep in mind there is a reason your paying so much for these clubs or products; somebody has to pay to play! Guess what? That’s you!

That is all I am going to say about this. I have really good working relationships with a lot of the big companies and players alike. I do not want to step out of bounds here. But let me just say one thing we would have to sell a hell of a lot of wedges to pay to play at this level, if we had enough money to distribute we could be the number one wedge on the PGA Tour! Unfortunately we cannot afford to play this kind of game; we have a quality club that’s performance speaks for itself at this level of play. Enough said! Can’t do it! I will expand a little more in this area as we go through this series. I will address the “clubs in play” aspect.

Mark Thomas
Solus Golf – Tour Rep
Solus Golf Tour Blog