Cleveland Golf Blog

Never before has our Annual Sales Meeting been accessible to the public… UNTIL NOW!

This year we will be getting you beyond the historically closed doors through crafty use of Facebook and Twitter. If you tune into our updates starting THIS FRIDAY afternoon (PST) you will get an exclusive look at the LATEST IN CLEVELAND TECHNOLOGY. Not even our Sales Reps will be seeing it before you.

I cannot provide much more detail, or hints of what’s to come, other than:

Product #1: Bread and butter made better.

Product #2: AC/DC wrote a song that could be very appropriately applied to this golf club.

So join myself and the Cleveland family this Friday as we witness the unveiling of some of our best products to date. Don’t miss out!

Keegan Bradley is your new PGA Champion, ladies and gentlemen!  In his first career major, Bradley took home the Wanamaker Trophy, providing two straight hours of edge-of-seat drama along the way.

“It seems like a dream. I am afraid I am going to wake up here in the next five minutes and it’s not going to be real.” said Bradley in the Press Room after accepting the Wanamaker Trophy.

Keegan’s hard work over the years has paid off.  Just two years ago Keegan was on the Hooters Tour just “trying to survive”, living in a one bedroom apartment.  Last year he made a name for himself on the Nationwide Tour, finish 14th on the money list and earning status on the PGA Tour.  His first career PGA Tour win came earlier this year at the HP Byron Nelson Classic, also in a playoff and has recorded four other Top 10s.

With this win, the Bradley name is added to the uber-short list of Francis Ouimet and Ben Curtis. Those are the three golfers since 1913 to win a major in their first attempt. Keegan Bradley locked up his 2nd win of the year on Sunday in absolutely ridiculous fashion coming down the stretch. At one point, with three holes to play, Bradley was 5 shots back of the lead and the metaphorical fat lady had all but taken the stage for her big solo. A triple bogey on the Par 3, 15th hole left Bradley seemingly out of the Championship, leaving viewers thinking he had a nice week but it wasn’t meant to be. However, back-to-back birdies (including one jaw dropping putt on 17) and a steady par on 18 were enough to force a playoff.

Once the playoff began, Keegan wasted no time extending the momentum he had going from the previous three holes. He started off with a birdie, hitting his approach shot on 16 to four feet with one of the more beautiful 8 Iron shots you will see in a major championship. He followed that up with two “run of the mill” pars on 17 and 18 before hoisting his nephew into the air and being surrounded by family members.

So, congratulations Keegan Bradley! You have just joined an elite club! Not only is Keegan now a major champion, he has just vaulted to the top of the Rookie of the Year conversation, as well as making an exceptionally strong case for Player of the Year honors.  With this win, Keegan moves to 4th in FedEx Cup points (fellow Cleveland Golf Staffer, David Toms moved to 8th in the FedEx Cup race with an impressive 4th place finish in Atlanta this week as well!) and 29th in the OGWR!  Do you think Keegan is a legitimate Player of the Year contender?

Here are the tools Keegan used to win the PGA Championship:

DRIVER: Cleveland Launcher UltraLite TL 310 (10.5°) with a Miyazaki Kusala 61 shaft
FAIRWAY WOOD: Cleveland Launcher FL (14°) with a Miyazaki Kusala 83 shaft
HYBRIDS: Cleveland Launcher DST (18°) with a Project X XHB6 shaft; Mashie TM3 (20.5°) with a Miyazaki C Kua 105 shaft
IRONS: Cleveland CG7 Tour (4-PW) with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue shafts
WEDGES: Cleveland CG14 (52°, 58°) with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue shafts
BALL: Srixon Z-Star

Two-year-old technology?  Gel Back Insert?  No Zip Grooves?  (Buzzer sounds) Wrong!  The CG14 is back ladies and gentlemen, even though it feels like it was never really gone.  The CG14 was released in 2009 to great avail, both on the worldwide Tours and by amateurs everywhere.  We have taken the wedge that golfers fell in love with some two whole years ago and added a new spin (pun heavily intended).  Check out what is new and “newer” on the CG14, just in time for Fathers Day I might add.

What we have added:

-Tour Zip Grooves for optimum face performance.

-Black Pearl Finish to reduce glare.

-Your general confidence when approaching and playing around the green.

What we have taken away:

-$$$.  The CG14 with Tour Zip Grooves is now only $89.

-Any excuses.

Buy Now

Readers,

More exciting news today as Never Compromise has officially unveiled the new Dinero line of putters.  The Dinero is the second line of putters from the “new look” Never Compromise, following the Gambler line that came out in February.  The Dinero comes in four classic head shapes as three blades and  a mallet style putter round out the new line. As with the Gambler, each model has its own name.  With the Dinero line, the models are the Exec, Mogul, Tycoon, and the Baron.

This is the latest release of a collaboration between Master Craftsman Adam Sheldon and Masters Champion Ben Crenshaw.

“We are all very excited about the new Dinero line.  It is another evolution of the new vision we have set for ourselves as a premium putter brand.  The 303 Stainless Steel, along with the combination of soft material and forged grain structure provide a truly amazing feel at impact.” –Master Craftsman, Adam Sheldon.

Following the new motto: “Putters Are Personal”, each model of the Dinero line will be fully customizable at mycustomputter.com.

SPOILER ALERT: This is not a weight loss supplement, you will not lose weight by using this product.  This product is not designed to help you achieve your New Years Resolution (unless your Resolution was to add yardage off the tee by buying a new driver), and this product will not help you impress the opposite gender… Unless the opposite gender digs the long ball.

Last year Cleveland Golf hit you with the Launcher Ultralight Driver, which, at the time, was the lightest driver on the market.  This year we have stepped up our game, introducing four new drivers, all of which bring weight into focus.  Now, be warned (I probably should have put this in the SPOILER ALERT section) this is not a white golf club.  “But Cleveland Golf, how can I play it if it doesn’t have white paint on it?”  Our response: Simple, the same way you have been playing drivers for years, by looking for the best technology.

Weight has long been ignored in the golf industry as an important factor when designing a golf club.  Cleveland is bringing it to the forefront, designing a range of drivers that best fit a wide range of golfers.  Think about weight like this: Does it make sense for your 14 year old son to be playing the same weight driver as a tour player like Jeff Overton?  Probably not.

Take a look at this video for a little bit of knowledge on weight in the driver category.

Readers, I am very excited to announce new product today. This is a busy time for us here at HQ as we are about to launch new products in every category, something we normally do not do. Our R&D team has been laboring away, and in all honesty, it shows. I know this is a biased opinion, but the entire product line looks better than ever. Let’s start with drivers:

This year is even more exciting because we are currently introducing four drivers into the market, something we have never done before. The Right Weight Series is offered in four options: XL270, XL270 Draw, SL290, and TL310. Each driver is offered with a Miyazaki C.Kua shaft, a premium lightweight shaft. With all the options of weight, it is hard not to find a driver to launch. I was able to catch up with Todd Harman, Cleveland Golf President to talk about the Right Weight Series.

“We are very excited about all of our products coming out in 2011. Developing top tier golf clubs has always been something we pride ourselves on, and this year we have the strongest product line in company history. One category that excites us in particular is our Right Weight series of woods which offers four drivers in three different weight options. All of us here at Cleveland Golf firmly believe that weight is the future of the driver category, and the Right Weight Series introduction positions Cleveland Golf as the leader in Ultra light technologies .” –Todd Harman, President

We took that same light weight concept and applied to our new Launcher FL Fairway Wood. The FL is offered in three different 3Wood options (13*, 15*, and 17*), a 19* 5Wood and a 22* 7Wood. As with the drivers, the FL will come standard with a Miyazaki C. Kua 43 shaft.

Taking a break from the conventional, Cleveland Golf presents the Mashie Hybrid. The Mashie has both technology and nostalgia, ladies and gentlemen. It boasts a Retro Raw finish; which, for golfers who have been playing since the early 90’s, will definitely please the eye. Along with the nostalgic aspect of this club, it is also a leader in technology. The Gliderail Sole Design will help you swing through rough more freely than before, and once again, the Miyazaki C. Kua 59 Series brings weight back into play.

This year we are introducing two products under the same name: CG16. Over the years, we at Cleveland have become known as the leader in wedge technology, now we are taking it up a notch. We have developed an iron using the vast amount of knowledge we have from years of creating top notch wedges. So, I present to you the CG16 Wedge, and the CG16 Iron.

The CG16 Wedge will come will our Tour Zip Grooves, the largest grooves allowed by the USGA. We have also used Laser Milling Technology (Four microscopic grooves between each “regular” groove) to enhance your spin and control even further. Keeping with the classic Cleveland look at address this wedge offers a cavity with an undercut, making it a very forgiving wedge. The CG16 is offered in both Black Pearl and Satin Chrome.

Now the CG16 Iron has much of the same technology as the wedge. It is a cavity back iron also has an undercut, and face also has Laser Milling Technology. What makes these irons stand out is the length, each steel shafted iron come .5” longer than a standard iron on the market today. This extra length helps generate club head speed and ultimately hit the ball further.

Readers, I leave you with this… This line is truly the best we have ever had from top to bottom.  You cannot miss on finding a driver that fits you, and having irons with leading technology?  It is a slam dunk.

Readers, more exciting news for you today. Cleveland Golf/Srixon will be unveiling new product live at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando next week! Now, as you readers may recall, I am still relatively early in my tenure here at CG, having only started full time in August. So this will be my first PGA Show, and I couldn’t be more excited about it! I will be providing live, firsthand knowledge from the show this year, through multiple outlets. You can follow me for up to the minute info on twitter (@ClevelandGolf), you can catch our updates on facebook, or you can just get the recap at the end of all three days through this blog.

The show specifics are:
Wednesday, January 26th: Demo Day
Thursday, January 27th: Day One of Floor Show
Friday, January 28th: Day Two of Floor Show

I am encouraging each of you to ask as many questions as possible, as I will be walking around talking to product managers, brand managers, executives, and even some tour players! I will be your eyes and ears from the PGA Show, so tell me what you want to see and hear!

So, for those of you who didn’t follow us on team red I wrote a blog about a year ago on how the lunch bet is the favored currency in R&D.  Feel free to read the old blog post at the end:

Anyway, Friday turned out to be lunch bet day.  The first one was over whether or not one of the guys could still dunk a basketball. Most of us were convinced that turning 30 cost him his vertical.  Eating lunch before the event, the discussion turned to running feats of strength and Tom (the new guy) said he could easily run a mile in 6 minutes 40 seconds. When he started to get cocky and say he could do it right now in his work clothes that is when he got taken up on the lunch bet.

Friday ended with a quick stroll around the block for Tom, a little bit of vomit half way, and a free lunch. Here is Tom coming down the home stretch…. Enjoy.

I will blog again, unless this one really does get me canceled…

Tom’s Run from Cleveland Golf – Srixon on Vimeo.

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Readers,

Last week I asked you to submit ideas for a blog post for me to research and write about, I am happy to post the first one today.  I was able to sit down with John, one of our Senior Engineers, and talk to him about the design process, taking a club from concept to market.  Here is what John had to say:

How many designs get thrown away before you come to the final one?

That is sort of a tough question, it depends on what you call a design.  In terms of our computer simulations we probably go through thousands of iterations before we come to one that we make a part of.  So you could say we throw away thousands of those designs.  When it comes to physical parts we might go through 10 to 15 iterations that will turn into the club that we want.  So thousands or teens.

How far down the line are you looking?  2012, 2013… further?

A little bit of both.  There are ideas that are abstract enough that if they could be made to work, wont show up until 2015 or later at best.  Most of our ideas are 2012 or 2013 stuff.  We have firm grasp on the next two or three years.  But we have ideas that could be five or even ten years out.

How far do you have to get on a certain product before you are “All in” so to speak?  Where it is just too late to throw it away.

I don’t know that it is ever to late to throw something away.  We are only going to launch something if it is a great product.  We could throw a club away and go back to the drawing board at any point.  If it’s not right, it’s not right and it is definitely not going to market.

How many people are consulted for every product?

Well there is a team for each product that is three to five people in R&D, that persons boss, that persons bosses boss, that persons bosses bosses boss haha.  About 10-15 people usually inside the building.  We will also consult the regional sales managers, some tour players, just try and get a few points of view on every product.  Now, how important their voice is will vary from person to person, but at least 30-40 total people see it before it’s a “Go”.

What is the average time line for a product, from the first meeting to market?

If we are going to make a new club we need at least a year.  We need a one year development window from concrete ideas to market.  Other, more complicated products might be multiyear projects.  The original HiBore driver was a two to three year project, the same with laser milling.

If you have any other ideas for a blog I can post on, please let me know!

Tom completed his presentation for his new clubs, so this will be our last blog for the series.  The presentation went well, so we gave Tom the components for his ideal set for him to build.  Here’s Tom with his overall thoughts on the project and his new set.

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