Cleveland Golf and Srixon left 2010 with an increased market share in wedges thanks to the CG16, and with the number-one spot in two-piece golf balls still intact, thanks to the continued popularity of the AD333. This year, the drive for Cleveland is being spearheaded by a campaign to ensure golfers are playing drivers that are suitably weighted for their swing.
“Ultralite drivers will be available at retail in the first half of February,” says Ben Davis, European marketing manager for Cleveland Golf and Srixon, who starts 2011 buoyed by a dominant presence by the sister brands at the autumn trade shows in Munich and Harrogate. “The response from retailers to the drivers has been absolutely fantastic. We have made massive strides this year in terms of performance and we are going to be a serious player in the driver category in 2011.”
Cleveland’s new Launcher Ultralite Series consists of three weights of clubhead, combined with new and exclusive C. Kua shafts from Miyazaki. The brand’s ‘Right Weight’ fitting system is designed to match golfers to the perfect weight of driver, with the intended result being the optimum combination of clubhead speed, feel and workability.
Keeping it simple
“One of our key targets this year is to get golfers trialling the Ultralite driver,” explains Davis, “so we will be placing a lot of trial models with retailers. We know the drivers will perform – we just need to get them into golfers’ hands.
“One of the great factors for the consumer with Ultralite is that the custom-fitting is very simple. There are a lot of drivers out there that are confusing golfers, with different lie angles and inter-changing hosels or weights, but this concept is very different. It will be easy for a golfer to be fitted and to understand.
“Each of our retail demo packs will only need a dozen drivers in order for a professional to fit 99% of golfers. We will have about 200 retailers in the UK with the demo packs from March 1, and we will be pushing consumers to trial the drivers at these locations.”
SGB Golf understands that while Cleveland and Srixon’s new Tour signing for 2011, world number five Graeme McDowell, is not contracted to play the Launcher Ultralite driver, the US Open champion is very keen to get the club in play and he is testing it. What we do know for sure is that McDowell will be playing Srixon’s first ever four-piece ball in competition, the Z-Star XV, and also Cleveland wedges.
“We don’t expect the golf market to improve as a whole in 2011,” adds Davis, “but I do expect it to be a massive year for Cleveland and Srixon. We now have the best product range we have ever had, and we have the hottest property in world golf playing our brand new, premium golf ball.”
