Leslie Hepsworth, chief executive of Srixon Europe, promised SGB Golf last year that £1 million would be spent on integrating the two brands in Europe alone. Subsequently, the European trade couldn't miss Cleveland and Srixon's first public outing at Golf Europe in Munich last October, and now the brands have made a more permanent statement by opening their first joint Centre of Excellence in the world, in Maidenhead, Berkshire. If Munich was the first date, Maidenhead is moving in together.
Maidenhead Golf Centre, just off the M4 and 20 minutes from Heathrow, is located strategically, even if it does not offer the glamour of Orlando or the atmosphere of Oktoberfest. But this project this isn't about glamour, it's about golfers maximising their performance the Cleveland/Srixon way.
Before opening officially on March 2, SGB Golf was the first media outlet to be allowed in to the fully equipped custom-fitting facility. Being handed the new HiBORE Monster XLS driver, just shipped in and freshly unleashed from its clubhead cover for the very first time, was a very satisfying experience, particularly when some Srixon Z-Stars are waiting to be teed up.
The custom-fitting suite at the Centre of Excellence is fully stocked with Cleveland and Srixon clubs and balls, and with the state-of-the-art Trackman ball flight monitor installed, golfers can book a custom-fitting session for £25, try out the full range of equipment and balls and come away with a comprehensive analysis of their performance, and a recommendation of what products suit them best. The session fee is returned through any equipment purchases.
With wedges central to Cleveland's range and marketing strategy, a Huxley artificial green has been installed on the range, and an outdoor short game area will be completed by the summer, so golfers can give the extensive line of Cleveland wedges and Srixon balls a thorough audition.
"We don't believe there are any flaws to our concept," claims Ben Davis, Cleveland's UK and North Europe marketing manager. "We have a full-size range; the Trackman will trace each ball from the moment it is struck to the moment it lands; golfers can try all our products to every specification; they can try every golf ball we do, and they can even experiment with backspin onto the Huxley all-weather green."
Crucially for the club pro, all club golfers must register at the centre with their pro's account number, and the specifications of a golfer's club needs are sent to their pro, who then makes any resultant sales.
"The idea is to provide the consumers with a first-class custom-fit experience," adds Davis, "while at the same time we are getting behind the pros, by encouraging them to send their golfers here to get fitted with the right product, with the consumers still buying their equipment through the professionals."
While this is the first Cleveland-Srixon Centre of Excellence in the world, Davis hopes it will not be the last. "The long term goal is to offer golfers custom-fitting wherever they are in the UK," he says, "It would great to have one centre in the South, one in the Midlands/North and one in Scotland."
The Cleveland/Srixon Centre of Excellence works. It provides golfers with comprehensive custom-fitting, from driver to wedge, to ball, and it offers a tangible illustration of how these two brands complement each other.
