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Reminder: Nov 1st is Deadline to Win “DeLaCruz Putter”
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A Little Background
First and foremost, we want to begin this article with a little background. TaylorMade used to be a company that gave their clubs a shelf-life of around 2 years, similar to most manufacturers. Sometimes it might be a year-and-a-half, but for the most part, it was two years between major club releases. This gave golf retailers around the nation the opportunity to keep prices normal on all TaylorMade products, and then, before the launch of a new product, could lower prices, or even do deals on pre-owned (trade-in) clubs.
Fast Forward To The Present
Fast forward a bit to now. As you probably know if you frequent this site, TaylorMade is now releasing clubs at a feverish pace. What used to be a 2 year life-cycle has very quickly been replaced by clubs that are changed out and updated every 5 months. We had a poll up for awhile here that asked how you all felt about how frequently they were launching new products and not surprisingly, 81% of you believed it is far too often. The product life cycle of TaylorMade clubs doesn’t just affect you and your opinion of the company, it also affects golf retailers.
TaylormadeGolfPreOwned.com Launched
Just how bad it effects the retailers was up for debate recently, but TaylorMade’s news today could prove to be extremely damaging. This is because TaylorMade has just launched a new website, TaylormadeGolfPreOwned.com. So what, you might be asking? Here’s the so what: When TaylorMade inevitably releases a new product 5 months after the launch of a previous product, golf retailers that have stocked up on these clubs, are loaded down with extra stock they purchased at a higher price, and are instantly forced to lower the price on the previous model to make room for the newest model. With the launch of this website, however, people can now buy older modeled TaylorMade products directly from TaylorMade, cutting out the golf retailers.
Speak Up…And Be Heard!
TaylorMade is not the only golf company to jump on the “pre-owned website” bandwagon as Callaway has joined the fray too. They are still out of our crosshairs though, as their products maintain a healthy product life and allow their retailers to not absolutely lose their shirts over deals.
What are your thoughts on this? 81% of you already were upset enough with TaylorMade and their frequent product launches to discourage you from patronizing them, so tell us how you feel about there new site?
Raymond Hunt
7 years ago
Looking for a decent set of Taylormade M2 Irons and possibly Hybrids.