Taylor Made jumps into US junior market

While golf fans have their eyes on the under-30 gang of Tiger Woods, Ernie Els and Justin Leonard, equipment makers have set their sights even lower, ogling the pre-teen market.

Two newcomers -- First Tour Junior Golf and US Kids Golf -- recognized this potential market and jumped in. And Nancy Lopez Golf made a juniors set part of the line it is developing for Arnold Palmer Golf.

But the guys jumping into the juniors market big time are Taylor Made, and it's clear that one reason is that young golfers grow up to be older golfers who spend lots of money on equipment.

"Our research showed that about 66 percent of those people who buy Taylor Made products have children in the 5-13 age group our kids line is made for," Taylor Made marketing manager Mike Kelly said.

"It will never make or break Taylor Made," Kelly said. "But it will be a huge advantage for us down the road. It's all about developing brand loyalty."

Nearly 3 million youths actively play golf, according to the National Association of Junior Golfers, and with the impact of young players like Woods, Els and Leonard, that number is expected to rise.

According to Kelly, a growing number of those youngsters want to have clubs that look like those adults play.

"Six months ago I would have said they couldn't care less about what their clubs look like," Kelly said. "But our research found that in the age of designer shoes, they really want to play the same equipment that mom and dad play and that Ernie Els and Tom Lehman play."

Els and Lehman both have endorsement deals with Taylor Made.

The Burner Bubble for kids drivers, irons and putters will be available in retail stores in mid-May, Kelly said, and will come in three different lengths.

Full sets will retail for $250, with the individual driver selling for $70, single irons going for $50 each and the putter priced at $40.

First Tour Junior Golf sells its driver for $60 and individual irons for $38 each. US Kids Golf sells individual clubs at between $24.95 and $37.95.

"We want to be No. 1 in kids golf. We have a big head start on those other companies," Kelly said about the other major equipment makers who have yet to develop a line for young people.

"Other brands will be in there if they are smart."

Kelly said market research indicated that young golfers want to get the ball as high as possible and that they want to feel comfortable swinging the club.

"We increased the loft and the weight distribution to help get the ball in the air," Kelly said.

Taylor Made hopes to sell to more than 200,000 young people this year and do about $8 million to $10 million in business, Kelly said.

"It could explode," he said. "You never know in a new market."

Another attractive detail uncovered by Taylor Made's marketing research was the strong interest in golf as a family activity.

"When we go back to our research, one of the things the people we surveyed would love to do is to pass on the game on to their kids and grandkids," Kelly said. "People see it as family time, as a chance to spend 3-1/2 hours together."

Taylor Made is clearly banking on the hope that the Tiger Woods-generated boom in golf and programs like The First Tee, the World Golf Foundation-led initiative expand the base for golf, will help with the access and affordability issues.

"It's a little harder for kids to play now than it was 30 years ago," Kelly said, "but there are different ways -- more driving ranges, more junior clinics like those Tiger Woods does."

Perhaps the biggest impact Woods will have on the game is making golf "cool" in the minds of young people.

"Kids like to try on personalities," Kelly said.

"It's more than a product," he said about marketing to young people. "If you look at a sneaker ad, it has very little to do with shoes."

And to reach those kids who want to try on an Ernie Els or Tom Lehman personality, Taylor Made has a Web site specifically for kids: www.taylormadekids.com.

The company hopes cyberspace will help put a golf club in a kid's hand, that the club will be a Taylor Made, and the kid will become a customer for life.