Cobra Golf will introduce its King Cobra II irons September
9-11, and will back them with a "moderate" fourth-quarter print
and promotion campaign, according to Chuck Stogel of BRANDWEEK.
This will be a prelude to a $40M "full-throttle" marketing push
across all brand lines in '97. Cobra will start shipping clubs
September 25 and support them with a six-figure print campaign
beginning October 1. An in-shop promo will also assist the King
II launch, offering consumers the chance to take an "IQ
Challenge" which allows golfers to test their clubs against the
new irons. Mail-in forms gets the first 100,000 replies a sleeve
of King Cobra balls (BRANDWEEK, 8/19 issue).
GOLF NEWS & NOTES: Lynx Chair Ed White on the celebrity
status of its new ownership group, including Roger Staubach and
Fred Couples: "What we tried to do with the board was to get a
combination of people who could bring together legitimate
knowledge of Wall Street, expertise of the golf industry, and
knowledge of the world of entertainment." .....The "hottest
rumor" in Boston is that the LPGA will not return to Blue Hill
Country Club for the Ping Welch's Championship next year. Rights
to the tournament are owned by IMG, and there appears to be a
"parting of the ways" between IMG and Blue Hill (BOSTON GLOBE,
8/18). There have been reports Ping has been "thinking" of
sponsoring another tournament in the East. A Ping official in
Boston said they have 30 days after the tournament to announce
their plans, "and you will have our answer then" (GOLF WORLD,
8/16).
