Customization and personalization are a trend, not just in golf, but pretty much everywhere. The desire to have it your way (regardless of what it is) is the reason TaylorMade is launching MySymbol – a golf ball personalization program for its TP5 and TP5x golf balls.
Golf Ball Customization Today
Fun fact: Roughly 15 percent of the golf ball market falls in the category of souvenirs, novelties and corporate gifts. That covers anything from a logoed golf ball at the resort course you just paid way too much money to play (looking at you, Andy and TPC Sawgrass) or the buckets of logoed balls that litter the high grass and tree lines after every large tournament at your local course.
A good bit of the rest of the custom side of the ball business is your custom player number stuff. Too cool for 1-4? If you’re willing to pay a bit more, most ball manufacturers will print a custom player number for you.
I see you, Mr. 47.
That’s fine, I guess, but with its MySymbol Golf Ball program, TaylorMade hopes to take golf ball personalization to the next level.
About TaylorMade MySymbol
The way TaylorMade sees it, MySymbol is an opportunity to reach the golfer who is interested in personalization in a way that’s perhaps a bit more interesting than a two-digit number.
It also serves as outreach to the golfer who wants something different than stock white or yellow but maybe isn’t quite ready to jump into the visual deep end with a TP PIX or Tour Response Stripe.
While TaylorMade is just now making MySymbol official, the program quietly launched on the company website a few weeks ago and has been available to green grass accounts for the better part of a year.
OK, but what is MySymbol?
TaylorMade’s MySymbol allows you to customize your TP5 or TP5x with one of more than 100 icons, symbols … whatever you want to call them … across multiple categories like food, countries, sports and more.
Your symbols (which are kinda like emojis) can be placed underneath the TaylorMade logo or opposite the side stamp. You can also customize the TaylorMade logo with one of six colors.
Logo colorization is perhaps the least interesting MySymbol option but it does give us reason to take a brief departure to discuss the USGA’s golf ball listing process.
As it happens, the governing bodies consider the logo an integral part of the golf ball. What that means is that not only does the logo have to be there (you can’t ditch the TaylorMade logo in the customization process) but TaylorMade had to submit each of the logo colors to the USGA for testing and ultimately listing.
As far as the USGA is concerned, a TP5 with a blue TaylorMade logo is different than an otherwise identical TP5 with a red TaylorMade logo.
Between TP5 and TP5x, that amounts to 10 new listings (black was already conforming) and there’s a fee associated with each.
What’s interesting about how the USGA does things – and the thing that makes TaylorMade MySymbol possible – is that the spot on the ball typically occupied by a player number is considered cosmetic.
Different characters don’t require separate listings so brands are free to put pretty much whatever they want in that space.
To date, ball makers haven’t shown much originality but the cosmetic classification is the reason most everyone offers custom player numbers (00-99).
Key in all of this is that there’s no rule that says that space must be occupied by a number or letters. In fact, there’s no rule that says the player number has to be two characters or less or even alphanumeric for that matter.
You want four digits under the logo? That’s cool.
Four letters? Also, cool.
Three letters and one number. Still cool.
Let’s get weird.
An avocado, a piece of sushi or a bloody hockey mask? Sure, why not?
It’s your ball. Do as you like.
Personally, I’m digging the chili pepper option because my short game is so spicy.
Moving on …
The Current MySymbol Options
TaylorMade’s symbol catalog is over 100 deep already and the company will continue to add new symbols from time to time.
If iconography isn’t your thing, you can put up to four characters of text under the logo and up to three lines (limited to eight characters) opposite the side stamp.
I’d say the sky is the limit but, for now, you are limited to the images TaylorMade offers. It’s fair to say the company would like to offer a fully customized option but there are some hurdles (mostly the potential for trademark violations and users uploading low-res crap images) that need to be cleared first.
Likewise, for now, TaylorMade isn’t ready to supplement its current PIX offerings with a custom option. That’s a damned shame as I think the MyGolfSpy logo would look pretty sweet in a PIX pattern.
There is a $5 per dozen upcharge ($54.99) for MySymbol and the minimum order is three dozen.
Doing its best Amazon impersonation, TaylorMade offers a subscribe-and-save option. If you choose the subscription option, the $5 upcharge is waived and the minimum order is only two dozen (per shipment).
MySymbol on TOUR
MySymbol is already taking off on the PGA TOUR. Collin Morikawa has ditched his player number for a picture of his dog. Charlie Hull has been using a custom MySymbol ball as well. It’s only a matter of time before more TaylorMade staffers follow suit.
As more Tour players embrace customization, it’s logical to think everyday golfers will do the same.
Ultimately, TaylorMade hopes MySymbol will prove that personalized products can appeal to serious golfers and still be fun.
And so, yeah, the takeaway is you don’t have to play a 2 or a 4. You can play a goat or a taco or the last four digits of your Social Security number.
You do you. That’s kind of the point.
Availability
TaylorMade MySymbol Golf balls are available now. To get started personalizing your TP5 or TP5x golf balls, visit TaylorMadeGolf.com.
Kyle
1 year ago
Golf doesn’t have to be boring