Are You Burned Out on TaylorMade Burner Drivers?
Posted August 26, 2008 by GolfSpy X
Don’t Fix What Ain’t Broke…Well
Hey…everyone understands that there is a reason for the phrase “Don’t fix what ain’t broke”. But after today’s release of yet another Burner driver from TaylorMade…which by the way comes only a few weeks after the Burner Plus driver was released…it has TaylorMade faithfuls asking themselves one question…WHY?!
Most gear heads by now are aware that TaylorMade has a different business model then most of the other big players in golf (Ping, Callaway, Titleist, etc). In many golfers minds the product cycle for TaylorMade has simply gotten out of hand though.
Plan Gone Wrong?
I am sure in the beginning the plan sounded great. I can almost close my eyes and picture the scene….big circular boardroom table…you know the ones that are so big they have the speaker in the middle….everyone in ties…cigar smoke filling the room…then…Todd Beach looks at Sean Toulon (both work for TaylorMade Golf) and says “How are we going to get a leg up on Callaway?” He replies back, “Hmmm, well we could put out a new club every month and drown’em out and then we can pay big bucks to almost everyone on all the Tours to play our clubs…if we do this then they will have no choice but to follow our lead and by that time it will be too late!” (fictitious conversation…of course).
ZZZZ….Yawn
Well for the short term it looks like their decision worked, whomever came up with the grand plan was most likely commended and given a promotion but more importantly how will this one decision effect the future of TaylorMade Golf? Well, from the comments we have received at MYGOLFSPY, at least in regards to the Burner line…they are beginning to….zzzzz….yawn! Actually more then yawn…they are starting to look other places for a driver, which is not a good sign for TM.
Most our readers agree that TaylorMade produces a quality product…but if your not going to do much more then put a new paint job or sink a useless weight in the back of a previous model then the least you could do is change the name…right?
Take A Glance: Maybe This Is The Reason
If you enjoyed this post, then you can choose from the following:
August 26th, 2008 at 1:24 pm
You took the words right out of my mouth. I am going to be going with the new Titleist this year.
August 26th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
I really wish I knew why they are doing this. It doesnt make any sense to me. I am betting in 5 years they are not going to even be in the Top 4.
August 27th, 2008 at 4:14 am
I guess I’m just not getting it …
Cleveland has had 3(?) different “hibores” in the last 3 years, Cobra has done similar changes, Callaway the same and now we have the 5th/6th(?) “bigger and badder” TaylorMade that has come out in the last 5 years .. and that doesn’t include the CGB’s or the Superduper quads…
My question is … is anybody getting anything out of these clubs..? ..besides a newer shape and a different color from last years and spending $299, $399 or $599 dollars - is anybody “really” seeing any big changes in yardage or game improvement.?
It’s basic science nowadays .. we all know the grip is the steering wheel and the shaft is the engine ..a new grip will probably give you another 3 to 10 yards, also the “right grip” will save you 10 or 20 yards - and the “right” shaft can easily give you another 10 or 20 yards depending on your swing plane and your speed … and the new clubs are doing what.?
I play 150/160 rounds a year, and I play courses up and down the east coast … but I don’t see many amateur guys like myself seeing the benefits of these $500 drivers — maybe that’s the reason why companies like Diamond Tour Golf and others are being so successful.?
-
August 27th, 2008 at 7:58 am
Well like we said I think the other companies felt the need to try and keep up and I feel it is going to backfire the most for TaylorMade. The others have changed their model as well but the guy thats leads the pack always gets most of the attention…and that is not good right now for TM.
I always tell people “if it does not improve on the driver you have right now then don’t spend a dollar on a new one…it just does not make sense”
Thanks for the comment
August 27th, 2008 at 4:40 am
Don’t forget the real original burner that came out in the late 80s. I used the Burner Plus all through high school and college golf. That was a great club but it looks like a hybrid now with that small head.
The good news for me is that I now just tune out the new product introductions and wait (used to be a year, now it is just a few months), for these models to be introduced on Ebay. That to me is when the club is really introduced.
August 27th, 2008 at 7:53 am
I think you hit the nail on the head…golfers are starting to tune out all their new releases…which in the long run hurts their brand tremendously.
August 30th, 2008 at 5:18 am
I am a retailer of golf equipment in the UK. The paying customer is confused and rightly annoyed at Taylormade and their constant and relentless release of new Burner Drivers purportedly giving greater distance and accuracy. Imagine then how we the retailer feel, continuous new models with prices of the “old” model going down mean constant hassle from our valued customers, try explaining to a customer why that driver “New Burner” he bought a few weeks ago has now been replaced and lost half its value, they think we are making a fortune at there expense!!!
I wish, the only people making money from the Burner driver is Taylor Made!!!
August 30th, 2008 at 6:27 pm
We’re hearing this complaint a lot from both retailers like yourself and the consumer. I truly think they are shooting themselves in the foot.
September 2nd, 2008 at 8:29 am
TaylorMade make good clubs, however the releases of new models every few months really hurt their business.
My current driver is a R5 Draw and playing great with it. Tried hitting the Tour Burner earlier, love the way it swing similar to my R5 with more forgiveness. This make me seriously considering switching, however, few weeks later the price reduced dramatically for new line-up coming out in the same year. This make me to put a hard brake of the purchase because there might be further reduction in another few months. Same thing happened to the Rossa Spider putter that I am putting a brake on purchasing because there were more than 30 models of putter have been released from TaylorMade in the last 3-4 years. All my playing partners all waited a few months to get the nearly new line for a big bargain.
This is just ridiculous in a business and golfers point of view. There is technically zero resale value of TM clubs…
September 2nd, 2008 at 3:19 pm
I had a interesting conversation with one of the Reps from Nickent the other day … he had mentioned how their business was off by 20% from last year.
With Nickent being so popular and getting rave reviews from everybody, I was really taken back by this at first … he explained, it’s because of so much product on the market right now.
— But with so much product, why aren’t these clubs being discounted anymore than they are.? … lets be reasonable, a $399 TaylorMade Tour Burner discounted $100 is not a big discount considering Dicks Sporting Goods or Golfsmith only pays $75 … shafts cost more than the clubs nowadays.
September 4th, 2008 at 6:55 am
If you think anyone is selling drivers for 300 bucks that they only paid 75 for (at least from any of the big manufacturers) you couldn’t be more wrong.
September 5th, 2008 at 3:47 am
.. Please be more clear and explain..
September 2nd, 2008 at 3:45 pm
I have heard the same…interesting how it effected to smaller guys in the short term…but mark my words it will hurt TM in the end. Nickent might not leapfrog them but TM will not be on top for much longer. I give them another 1- 1 1/2 years and then they will see a major slide.
September 6th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
.. Another, better, bigger, faster, taller Cleveland driver for 2009:
Cleveland Launcher Driver:
At only half a millimeter thick, the Cleveland Launcher Driver crown moves every bit of potential weight low and deep to improve the CG (center of gravity), optimizing launch conditions and maximizing distance. The sole’s horseshoe weight pad also improves launch conditions by localizing weight low and deep, improving both MOI (moment of inertia) and CG locations, while the largest Launcher face to date allows generous room for mis-hits.
Yikes.! … the XLS has been out for 9/10 months…?
-
September 8th, 2008 at 2:06 pm
Sorry didnt understand…this one was about TM not Cleveland.
September 8th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
I can’t agree more! I linked to this post from my blog, hope that is okey with you.
September 8th, 2008 at 2:05 pm
Not a problem at all.
September 8th, 2008 at 1:24 pm
To me its more of whats the big diff between the NEW BURNER TP and Tour Burner TP. Longer shaft? 460 head??? Why not just combine the two in one offering and save the hassle of retailers and customers. Create one Burner line.
The last thing that gets me is the release date of the reg and TP version of this NEW BURNER. Seriously a 5-month wait for the TP version. WHats the deal???
September 11th, 2008 at 3:34 pm
Has anyone compared the 2007 Burner with the Tour Burner? I know that the introduction of the dual crown came with the Tour Burner, but has anyone noticed an increase in performance? Is it worth the upgrade? It make me dizzy to see yet another Burner model being introduced.
September 16th, 2008 at 11:56 pm
I’ve got the Burner 200?? version. Non TP with a salthering of lead tape on the toe.
I’ve hit all the new models out of curiosity, they may look different but I haven’t switched yet. They don’t go any further, nor muych straighter. I always pull the shafts anyway so that doesn’t worry me. Bring on the D3Comp I say
October 8th, 2008 at 11:25 am
[...] Are You Burned Out on TaylorMade Burner Drivers? [...]
October 18th, 2008 at 4:10 pm
The main problem with TM is the green grass shops have difficulty stocking and keeping up with the technology. When a shop sells 12-18 drivers per year for several different brands- it is going to be difficult to stay with TM. Much easier for a small shop to stick with the brands that only bring out new clubs once a year- or better yet, once every 2 years
October 19th, 2008 at 7:59 am
It is causing a major problem for them.
October 18th, 2008 at 4:11 pm
The only thing saving TM is the tour presence - however, that has to be a marginal return on investment. I think TM will eventually be in Walmart etc
October 19th, 2008 at 8:00 am
I agree with you about the tour presence but Wal-Mart I don;t see. THey simply have too deep pockets. I think their numbers will slide soon but they will get it right soon.
November 2nd, 2008 at 11:51 pm
I’ve owned just about every TM driver to date. I currently have the Tour Burner for about 2 months. It’s all about the shaft. TM is getting out of hand. To many drivers back to back. Looking at getting another driver at the end of the year and it wont be a TM.