MacGregor’s Future

2010-05-05

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By Steve Pike
 
After speaking with Golfsmith International Vice President of Development and International Business David Lowe, I feel much better about the future of the MacGregor Golf brand. More often than not, a brand that’s gobbled up a golf retail company to use as an “in-house’’ brand is never heard from again, but Lowe promises that won’t be the case with MacGregor.
 
Golfsmith purchased MacGregor Golf, a 113-year-old brand, from an ownership group led by golf legend Greg Norman nearly one year ago. During that time the Golfsmith brain trust, including golf industry veterans Lowe and Jeff Sheets as club designer, have put together a plan they believe stays true to MacGregor’s heritage while positioning it as a legitimate contender among the Callaways, Titleist, Pings and TaylorMades of the golf equipment world.
 
“We want to honor what MacGregor’s history has been,’’ Lowe said. “Anything else, we felt, just wouldn’t be true to the brand.’’
 
Lowe and company have done that with the introduction of its classic muscle-cavity VIP forged irons along with the M85i irons that feature MacGregor’s classic wing back design. Did I say “classic?’’ All one has to do is look at these clubs and know they’re MacGregor – the same company once owned by Jack Nicklaus and the same company that for decades had legendary Hall of Fame club maker Don White at the grinding wheel.
 
Oh yes, they feel as good as they look – something else you would expect from MacGregor.
 
Perhaps the best news is that under the Golfsmith umbrella, MacGregor Golf is just getting started. That is, Golfsmith still has two more classic MacGregor designs waiting in the wings – the Diamondback muscle (used by Norman for years) and the straight muscle forged iron.
 
“Those four shapes have great history,’’ Lowe said. “We’re always going to go back to those shapes but contemporize them.’’
 
Sounds like a good plan. My only request is to keep 'em classic.