For many tour pros, a club deal may well be the biggest sponsorship deal they get. But that is not the only reason they seek equipment deals.
A golfer who is sponsored by a manufacturer knows that they will get preferential treatment over someone who also uses their equipment but who is not a ‘staff player’.
Those who the manufacturer is paying to advertise and market their clubs, are the golfers it wants to do the best. So these golfers are first in the queue when it comes to equipment tweaks and the like.
Tour pro Michael Kim has explained that: “Unless you’re a top 10 player, the equipment deal will most likely be your biggest sponsor. When most of your income isn’t guaranteed, it’s a comforting feeling to have some guaranteed cash heading into the year.
“Plus, if you like their clubs, it’s a win win. A player playing with no deal has no guarantee that mixing club companies will equate to better scores so it’s a no brainer for some. Also, the attention to detail when a player is on staff can be different. When a player is a free agent, they naturally get put behind their staffed guys.”
However the landscape relating to equipment deals has changed. Manufacturers are increasingly wanting players to use their clubs throughout the set, including, if relevant, their make of ball.
Players can still find deals which will allow them to mix and match different equipment brands, but this will likely reduce their total sponsorship take.
But one company, whose reputation for making quality irons exceeded their reputation for making drivers, was not prepared to sponsor players unless the player also put their driver in the bag. For this reason, as someone from the company confided in me, this particular manufacturer was struggling to find top players who were interested in taking up sponsorship offers.
Some players are anyway happy to remain free agents, seeing an acceptable trade off between sponsorship and prize money. As Maverick McNealy, who is one of those free agents, explains: “I think the landscape has changed when they started playing for $20m purses – that changes the financial calculus.”
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