« Hotel Villa Padierna Marbella | Main | Super Party for Ryder Cup Week »

Golf Ball Wars

Carlsbad's Callaway Golf Co. (10.5 percent market share) challenges mighty Titleist (53 percent) in the game of making little white balls.

Interesting article by Jennifer Davies discussing the past, present and future of the Golf Ball business. The race between Titleist, Calloway and Nike etc is hotting up. With the overall golf market static in terms of growth, the lure of a consistent, high-profit business with annual sales of close to $1 billion a year has been too much for these companies to ignore.

The golf ball business has long been dominated by Titleist, which had 53 percent of the market last year. But that hasn't stopped companies like Carlsbad's Callaway Golf Co., Nike and others from trying to build a better golf ball and topple the industry giant.

Callaway, which until recently had only a small golf ball business, has seen its annual sales increase by 150 percent since 2003. Still, the Carlsbad golf company is a weak No. 2 to Titleist, with only 10.5 percent of the golf ball market in 2005. Nike, the next closest competitor, has 9.1 percent of the business.

It's little wonder there's competition, as some consider the ball to be the foundation of golf. Unlike the various clubs, which are used in particular situations, it is used in every stage of the game.

“The most important piece of equipment is the golf ball,� said pro golfer Phil Mickelson, one of Callaway's top spokesmen.

Read the full article here - Photo by NADIA BOROWSKI SCOTT

Filed under Golf News

Related Posts

Golf News Archives

© 2005 - 2008 MarbellaGolfBreaks.com All Rights Reserved