TaylorMade-adidas Golf CEO Ben Sharpe spent his first 100 days in office reevaluating the entire business. He is now about to find out if he used his time wisely. The company has begun releasing its first round of new products under Sharpe’s watch, but he has his work cut out for him as Q3 sales in the unit fell by more than 1/3 from the same period last year and parent adidas blamed golf as a “significant negative headwind” for growth in its latest quarterly earnings release on Nov. 6. In his first media interview since taking over as CEO, Sharpe discusses just how he plans to get the golf gear maker out of the rough.
Q: What is the first noticeable change people will see with you as CEO?
Sharpe: The first thing we need to do at TaylorMade, and as an industry, is start talking positively again. I think we’ve got a responsibility as leaders of the industry and as people who care passionately about our sport to talk up our game, and about the opportunities and about how exciting things are going to be going forward. I don’t think anyone wants to be surrounded by negativity, and that can be a turnoff to new entrants to the sport, or people who are casual golfers.
Q: What are you doing to put your imprimatur on the unit?
Sharpe: One thing we’re going to change is we’re going to be more considerate in how we sell our products and bring them to life, and everything has a purpose. We’re still going to be aggressive, bold, and competitive, but in a considered way so everything we do has a purpose and we don’t get into a situation where we have the glut of inventory we have at the moment.
Q: What can you do to entice golfers to buy new gear when they can get more mileage from old equipment or quality used clubs on eBay?
Sharpe: The most important part of our job is to obsolete last year’s products with this year’s. We’ve just launched the RSi irons -- they’ve gone incredibly well in terms of reaction to the technology. ... As we launch our metal woods for 2015, we’re really excited not just with the technology, but also the aesthetics and the way we bring it to life: putting the golf first and actively engaging them on what excites them.
Q: Any change to your PGA Tour strategy?
Sharpe: The PGA Tour is a big influencer for the core golfer, so we’re going to continue being very present on the Tour (but) we’ve got to learn a little bit of a lesson and not get too quirky. We’re still going to use the Tour as a vehicle to tell the message about our products and our company, but do that in a way putting the core golfer in the message.
Q: Will TaylorMade keep backing Hack Golf and other initiatives to grow the game now that Mark King has left for adidas?
Sharpe: We’re going to continue to support Hack Golf. There are thousands of people out there who are interested in trying to find new ways of enjoying the sport or engaging in it, but we can’t do it on our own and it doesn’t look like our competitors want to partner with us on that so we have to look to independent bodies to help with it. ... We are partnering with the PGA in a number of their initiatives such as First Tee and Junior Golf. There are a large number of golfers who just want to play for enjoyment -- they want the game to be fun, inviting, and friendly. I think that’s where we can start with the Adams brand. Adams can stand for something beyond products, but how we can help activate those casual, social golfers who remember the one or two good shots they played and not the one or two bad ones.
Q: What would you like to be known for as CEO of TaylorMade?
Sharpe: The leader of a great team. I believe we have the greatest team in golf, I’m a team player. I’m a sportsman by background -- who’s used to winning -- and I expect to be used to winning in this role as well.
