The Tour Gig Process & Facts

1. Credential Application to the PGA Tour

In order to gain access to the PGA Tour you must follow a very strict set of guidelines just to obtain the application from the PGA Tour office. First off, you cannot access the tour events or players without proper credentials! In order to obtain your “Tour Badge” your product must be in play by an exempt player during competition. The product must also show up in what’s called the “Darrell Survey” which is the official survey validation that the product has been in play during competition. The Darrell Survey is conducted by an outside firm and is not associated to the PGA Tour other that to perform the weekly counts. Additionally, this product must show up in the Darrell Survey count over several events. This target seems to vary; it might be one player, one club for 3-4 weeks or multiple players, multiple clubs over several weeks. The target seems to float from manufacturer to manufacturer. Solus made four applications attempts before receiving the go ahead. Also, it may be necessary for the player to write a letter to the PGA Tour office requesting credentials on your behalf so you can be on site to service their needs. Once you have been approved and made application you will receive your credentials. Here is a photo of mine. It doesn’t stop here! You have to pay to play the application fee for the company is $1000.00 per year and $265.00 per badge. If the badge is lost of stolen there is a $250.00 replacement cost. This credential will gain you access to all PGA Tour sanctioned events only. This same process holds true for the European Tour and all International Tours alike. Any sanctioned USGA or PGA of America events i.e. (US Opens, PGA Championship etc) requires a separate credential that has to be applied for and paid through that particular organization. The LPGA is completely separate also. There is one advantage though, once you have your PGA Tour credential you now have access to the Nationwide and Champions Tour as well. So in essence you get three for one! These credentials give you only limited access to the site which for the reps is the practice tee, locker room, clubhouse and media room on “Practice Days Only”. These are the only days we have to work with the players and make any adjustments in equipment. Thus the reason we are only on site at the events Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday after that we are on the road to the next event! Everything else you are off limits to unless invited by a tour player to be in a particular location. The grounds are policed on a regular basis and monitored by tour officials. So, if you think that you have a product be it whatever and you can go get a badge and gain access to the players you are sadly mistaken this process is painstakingly difficult at best. That is why when a little company like Solus is on the PGA Tour and has been here for several years’ show we have completed our due diligent and have creditable technology and product that is in play and has earned the right to be out here. We are part of an elite group of companies that have paid the price and proven our technology as being “Tour Proven” and worthy to be on the PGA Tour! This is huge, but the costs are large to play this game. I will expand on this topic through this series.

2. Darrell Survey What and Why

The Darrell Survey Company is contracted by the PGA Tour to perform weekly equipment counts and tabulate by category each product by player. These counts are performed on all tours in the USA as well as world wide. The count verifies the product that is in use by each player. The weekly reports can be accessed by every company on the tour that has product in “play”. This too comes with a price depending on what and how many reports you require each week for each tour. When I say that this survey covers everything, I mean everything a player has on or around or is in the bag, from head to toe and all parts in between. Cleats to hats, bracelets, tees, clubs, grips, shafts etc. You get the jest. These counts or surveys are taken prior to the first round technically speaking on Thursday as they tee off. Logistics will not allow this since there are so many products in the lineup and the time it requires to complete. The single most critical use for these surveys are to verify that a player that which is on contract with a particular manufacturer to play, wear or display a particular product is in fact complying to the terms of the contract. These big companies pay out tremendous amounts of money for contracts depending on the player’s status on the money list or based upon performance. In any event this survey verifies that the product which is being contracted to play is in fact in the count. This is how in most cases the player gets paid. So the next time you hear that a driver or putter is number one on the PGA Tour it was verified by the Darrell Survey. Please keep in mind one thing if the company is big enough and have deep pockets it is very easy to “buy” the count from week to week or for that matter indefinitely. This is just one of the games that the big boys play. I could go on and on about how these games work and how they are played. It is not always how good the club or product is and in fact it is 90% of the time who has the most money. The money is staggering! You as the end buyer of equipment want to have the #1 product on the PGA Tour, but keep in mind there is a reason you paying so much for these clubs or products; somebody has to pay to play! Guess what? That’s you! That is all I am going to say about this. I have really good working relationships with a lot of the big companies and players alike. I do not want to step out of bounds here. But let me just say one thing we would have to sell a hell of a lot of wedges to pay to play at this level, if we had enough money to distribute we could be the number one wedge on the PGA Tour! Unfortunately we cannot afford to play this kind of game; we have a quality club that’s performance speaks for itself at this level of play. Enough said! Can’t do it! I will expand a little more in this area as we go through this series. I will address the “clubs in play” aspect.

3. Big Company vs. Small Company

I often get asked the question “do you actually think you can compete with the big companies such as Titleist?” My answer to this question is “oh hell yes!” There’s enough love to go around! There are certainly enough opportunities out here on the “big show” to capitalize on. Conversely do I think Solus can become the number 1 wedge on the PGA Tour? In my minds eye, yes, realistically, no. The reason being you are dealing with not just one big company, but several all of which have deep, deep pockets and they are not shy of spending it! I will expand more in the “player contract” section later, but money is the single one factor that controls all that goes on out here with equipment. If you don’t believe me pay close attention to the logo bags during the tournaments, why do you think you see so many of the same brands, money! The sole reason for being here is to validate our technology and conduct player testing while getting in front and offering our technology to the players we think we can help. I am a stats watcher/tracker, if I see a player that is struggling within the short game that is who I will approach the next week. Believe me they will welcome help especially if they are really struggling. The player not only has the pressure of the playing status to stay out, but now must perform to keep it! Naturally we can’t be everything to every player so our technology isn’t for everyone just as is true with any other brand. This is the reason sometimes you will see a player really struggle after changing brands or contracts, the equipment may not fit their game. Sometime the player completely disappears for the season until he or she makes a change in the off season. I had no expectations of being able to come out here and own the wedge world, it is a pipe dream. The money creates and develops brand loyalty; yes, you have to pay to play so to speak.
Now with that said all is not lost! We will get clubs in play especially this year with the new FC-10. Our R&D out here on tour has proved to be our biggest asset. We listen and then deliver the product the players are looking for. Believe me when I say the player likes the fact we listen to their feedback and develop the products using this feedback, and then I go back to the players with the finished product. They love being part of the development and the fact that someone is really listening to them. The bigger the company the less they listen to these guys. Whether the product t is good or not they are paid to play the equipment, period.

Yearly, monthly, weekly, daily and hourly I am asked to aged old question of “how many clubs to you have in play?” or “who’s playing your club?” you don’t know how old this gets. Does this really matter? Realistically on the PGA Tour we have about 10 to 15% of the players that we can actually get into the bag with. The Champions Tour where there aren’t all the contracts and money we have around 10-15 clubs in play, the same holds true with the Nationwide, brand loyalty exists everywhere. It doesn’t take long for you to figure this one out, look during any round and see what logo is on the bag, that bag 99% of the time will have that entire brand in play with the remote exception of the putter. The higher up the money list the fewer off brands will show up in the bag. It is the nature of the beast! The big brands pay a lot of money to have bragging rights to be number one in a particular category on tour. We don’t have the money to play this game and never will. We do have our technology though! You see this game can become a bidding war between companies. If you start a “pay for play” program and involves players that are under contract brace yourself the stakes will be raise on you in a jiffy to the point you and your company must back off and go back to your corner. These games go on all the time, but the consumer never really realizes the nuts and bolts of this game.

I have had fans in the stands call me over to see how many wedges I have sold to the pros thus far. Not to be funny but this is a joke! First of all the players are not paying for anything nor am I selling anything, you can take that to the bank! These players ask, they get, no questions asked; it is a right of passage for making it to the PGA Tour! Put that to rest. On an average over the past, say four years I have distributed an average of close to 600 wedges per year across all of the tours. Naturally, there is a cost associated with this. Not only do we have the head costs but we get grips from Golf Pride and shafts from True Temper which have been distributed for play on tour and tour only. So we all share in this expense! Hey you have to pay to play!

So in review we are out here because we have a superior club that has been validated on the PGA Tour and is in play. There are a lot of golf manufacturers that cannot brag about this, we can. We have committed to spending the monies to support being out here and develop products that are tour tested. We are on the front row so to speak and have paid and earn out stripes to be here! The next time you go into a retailer and they steer you to one of the bigger companies to buy your wedges keep in mind the only real reason is they have something or some players name to drop on you to tell you the reason why you should buy a particular product. Well I don’t know about you but if my game were at that level of play I would be there, wouldn’t you? Just because a particular player is playing this product, keep in mind the chances he is being paid to play it! This makes a big difference! The consumer is brain washed into this as is the players. Hell there are players out here that can’t play it if it doesn’t have a particular brand stamped on it! I had a player tell me at the Transitions Championship that our new FC-10 would be perfect if it had Callaway stamped on it! Go figure.

Believe me when I say this, if little Solus had 60 wedges in play each week on the PGA Tour the same thing would hold true, we would find ourselves in the same position as we are today, we cannot say who is playing it. The majority of the contracts out here have a built in clause that doesn’t allow the player contracted to endorse another brand period. Oh, yes we could brag on the win but believe me the first time I used a players name in one of my tour reports or blogs I would be called to the mat the very next week. In most cases, I would do nothing more than damage a friendship or relationship with the player that I have developed over the years. It’s not worth it in the long run. So the next time you think of this now you know why! I could write for days on my experiences over the years with various player and companies arguing or pressuring a player to take our club out. If that fails they make every effort to “knock” us off! When in reality they have logos on all four corners and the general public will never really know, but the pressure will remain on the player as long as he is being paid! Remember one thing, we are out here and that speaks volumes!

4. Tour Van/ Tech support/Tour Truck

I would assume by now you have noticed the photos of traveling “circus” as I refer to it in past tour reports or blogs. Depending on the size of the company and the player staff count under contract the trailer is designed to support those player’s needs. As you may have noticed the bigger the company the bigger the campaign! These “vans” or “trailers” are fully equipped with all of the necessary equipment to build, adjust and alter golf clubs as well as carry stock items that are distributed to the player staff each week i.e. (bags, shoes, balls, gloves, apparel and head stock) along with all of the components such as grips and shafts. These companies spare no expense when it comes to outfitting these trailers. Millions of dollars are spent on and for these support vehicles. It looks like a NASCAR event instead of a golf tournament. Naturally the expense goes far beyond the van; you now have to have a tractor to pull the van from location to location which requires a team of drivers/technicians if they are to be at as many events as possible. The typical tour van schedule is 30-40 events especially if their staff player count is up there. The bigger the company and player staff in many cases necessitates the need for tractor/van combinations for both the east and west coasts. Logistics and DOT requirements deem it necessary for two vans. The end of last year we seen several companies consolidate tour operations due to the down turn in the economy i. e.(Cleveland/Srixon and Titleist/Cobra) for example. The tour support does not end there, each company has several reps to service the players the number of reps is determined on the staff size. You would swear at times there was a rep for each player! This footprint is pretty much holds true with the big four Titleist/Cobra, Callaway, Cleveland/Srixon and Nike. These companies all have the “big” vans while Ping, Bridgestone, True Temper, Adams and Mizuno have the smaller gooseneck type vans that can be pulled by pick up trucks. Although these vans are smaller they are equipped with the same club building tools without all of the fluff such as player lounges and offices.

This brings us to the smaller companies such as Solus. There are only three vans at present that are out here to give companies our size the opportunity to contract for services but in a smaller more affordable footprint. These three vans are what we call “independent contractors” in which the smaller companies pay for services depending on their size and service needs. Some companies such as shafts just need limited tech services but need product transported and stored to each tour stop. These guys let the small companies tailor their needs to fit their respective budgets. Typical costs to contract for services and signage will run $3000.00 to $40,000.00.

We are on a van that has been on the tour the longest and has one of the best technican available on tour, ProTour Services which is operated by Don Parker. Don is a seasoned vet as well as a very close friend personally. We contract with ProTour Services to store, inventory and provide tech services to 30-35 events each season. The Solus Tour schedule pretty much parallels Don’s schedule. If you are going to be out here you have to have a place to work and his mobile shop provides just that. In addition we can purchase logo positions on the outside of the van which we all do. This van just like my tour support truck is seen millions of times across the country in addition giving the players the ID of particular brands which they may be seeking at an event for service. Our van not only services our needs but that of several other companies such as Wilson Staff, Aldila, UST, Graphite Design, Golf Pride, Winn, Maui Jim, Soft spikes, Oban, Skycaddie, Rife and Fourteen. We are all very close friends and work as a team helping each other. We have to be, it is very tight quarters for so many of us! It is amazing how this team pulls together and accomplishes what needs to be done in such little space. I have had several requests to take more photos of our van for all to see which I will do at Bay Hill.

In addition to contracting with ProTour for tech services we also have our “Tour Truck” that I drive from location to location. I carry excess head stock, shafts and grips from location to location. I have been asked over and over why don’t you fly from one event to another. Well the answer is just this “I am not going to fly and you can’t make me!” no just kidding! Honestly in this day and age there really is no advantage to flying and having all of the stress associated with it. The time that it takes to fly from where I live or connecting hub I would have better luck going to the moon! Plus the cost of this type travel is not conducive to our budget. Last year I flew to Hilton Head Island from Wichita, KS by the time I had went through all of the rigamarow and through all of the processes i.e.(Check in, security check points and rental car check in/out) and time it took I was within 1hr 40mins of being able to drive there and back. Now keep in mind I am coming from the moon and the time I am referencing is the travel time only to and from the location, thus I chose to stay on the ground. Think about it, I have control of my personal belongings (PB’s) equipment and my time. Naturally, I can’t make every event on the schedule but we don’t have to!

Thank god our company affords this method of travel and there is a cost saving over the long haul. This truck serves as a support vehicle for the other tours as well. You see we have a rep on the Champions Tour which his needs have to be attended to so I build all of his tour stock on the ProTour van week to week and ship. When I am home I have everything I need to support him and every other player that might call and make a request for equipment. You see I run the “Tour Operations” for Solus and we support any tour player that has credentials or committed to play the mini-tours and has proof of such. Between Don and me we build every club that is requested most of which are all customs. In addition to supporting the PGA Tour I also support the Nationwide and LPGA tours while Mike Nickell supports the Champions Tour we cover them all! This way we get the biggest bang for the buck! We are one of the few that only have two reps and cover so much territory. Typically I work 30-35 events between the PGA and Nationwide and LPGA and Mike covers 23-25 on the Champions. Being on the ground does have its downsides though. Covering this many events on the ground takes me away from home an average of 35-40 weeks per season, some runs are 5-6 weeks long due to logistics and the schedule. Hey sometimes you have to do what you have to do! Not bitching by any means just presenting the facts! It is what it is that is why I enjoy working this “circus”, we are a very close knit group and we do share a lot of fun times while helping each other in time of need. One big family on the road, thus the “circus” is town; I’m all good as long as I don’t have to run the Ferris wheel this week! HIHIHI…..

5. Cost Associated with supporting the PGA Tour

At this point I am not sure this segment serves any purpose that I haven’t already addressed previously above. But maybe I can shed a little light with some rough estimates that will show what the total costs would be to support the PGA Tour for one season.

Rep (2 total) support for all four of the major tours- $80,000

Tour Van and advertising cost (logo position on trailer) including decals-$25,000-$30,000 for a company the size of Solus.

Tour Truck/Insurance-$16,000

Travel expense for 32 events-$50,000

Head stock/staff bags-$9,000

Like I said the above numbers are reflective of the estimated costs associated with providing player support on the PGA Tour. These estimates are based on a tour schedule of 32 events PGA Tour and 28 events on the Champions Tour. We will also cover the Nationwide and LPGA as well.

Total estimate costs-$185,000

There are certainly other costs to consider when budgeting for this type of marketing campaign. You have to pay to play!! At least this gives you an idea of how it all comes together!