TaylorMade Golf Pulls Out of 2019 PGA Merchandise Show

TaylorMade Golf announced today it will not attend the 2019 PGA Merchandise Show, instead focusing on support for PGA professionals and other growth initiatives that CEO David Abeles believes will "create an even greater value for the game of golf." 

 

The last time a buzz-generating, anchor exhibitor pulled out of the Show (Nike Golf), it wasn’t long before they shut down their equipment business. 

TaylorMade skipped the PGA Merchandise Show in the past (from 2008 to 2010), and other big OEM's have as well - for example, Ping pulled out in 2003 and returned in in 2008.  So it's extremely premature to say this is a death knell for TaylorMade. 

 

 

Not attending the PGA Show might just be a cost-cutting move.  It might even be a new marketing campaign or direction that will launch at a later time.  Abeles did also say today that, "more details would be announced in the coming months." 

 

But with competition for top spot in the industry more competitive than ever, and some companies even fighting for mere survival, there will be plenty of speculation and rumors surrounding TaylorMade's decision leading up to the PGA Show, and what it could mean in the bigger picture. 

 

Keep in mind that KPS Capital Partners purchased TaylorMade just over a year ago, and this private equity firm is known as "the friendly barbarian" in the industry - delivering a little CPR to struggling companies and then asset-stripping them in pursuit of short-term profit. 

Stay tuned.