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Bob Parsons explains why PXG Gen2 irons cost $400, but are “probably worth $1000”
As part of the launch of its new 0311 Gen2 irons, Parsons Xtreme Golf (PXG) offered me time to interview the man himself, Bob Parsons, who’s the founder and CEO of PXG. Parsons founded GoDaddy.com in 1997, among other companies throughout his professional career, and depending on how much you trust Forbes’ Net Worth estimates, he’s worth $3 billion.
So why did he start a golf equipment company, and what makes PXG so different? In my interview with Parsons (who’s quite the character, as you’ll find out), we discuss those questions and much more.
I encourage you to watch the entire interview (obviously), but for your viewing convenience, here are the topics we covered and the timestamps from the 12-minute interview above. Enjoy!
- Scottsdale National Golf Club upgrades and new Gen2 irons (0:37)
- What made you start a golf company? (1:25)
- Spending $350,000 a year on golf clubs (2:24)
- Recruiting Mike Nicolette and breaking the mold of product releases (2:48)
- Were you nervous it took three years to upgrade the irons? (3:45)
- New COR2 technology and its benefits (4:33)
- Did you set out to disrupt the industry? (5:30)
- PXG’s growth in size and Tour presence (5:55)
- What’s your favorite country to play golf in? (6:41)
- What’s your relationship with the military? (6:55)
- What’s in your bag? (8:55)
- What’s your relationship with GolfWRX? (9:45)
- Why are these irons $50 more expensive? (10:09)
- When can we expect new metalwoods and Gen3 irons? (11:18)
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This week last year, I found myself praying to the weather goddesses and gods that Rochester would be spared their wrath over the next seven days. The 2023 Oak Hill PGA Championship (that was slated for August when the contract was signed) was on the horizon, and I wanted my region to show well. Things turned out fine, with all four seasons making an appearance, a PGA Professional (Blockie!) stealing hearts, and a proven champion in Koepka (although I was pulling for Viktor.)
This year, no concerns. Louisville will shine this week at Valhalla, but we’ve matters to consider before we look to four days of coverage this week. Nelly did not win on the LPGA this week, so who did? The PGA Tour held two events in the Carolinas, and Tour Champions celebrated a major event in Alabama. Four noteworthy events to run down, so let’s head to RunDownTown and take care of business.
LPGA @ Founders Cup: Rose blooms
There was a sense that Rose Zhang might have a role in the 2020s version of the LPGA. After winning everything there was in amateur golf, she came out and won her first tournament as a professional. That was last May and, let’s be honest, who among us thought it would take 12 months for Zhang to win again? Rhymes with hero, I know.
This week in New Jersey, eyes were on Nelly Korda, as she made a run at a sixth consecutive win on the LPGA circuit. Korda ran out of gas on Saturday, and that was just fine. Madelene Sagstrom and Zhang had turned the soiree at Upper Montclair into a battle of birdies. Gabriela Ruffels came third at nine-under par. No one else reached double digits under par but Sagstrom and Zhang. They didn’t just reach -10…they more than doubled it.
Sagstrom had the look of a winner with five holes left to play. She was three shots clear of Zhang, at 23-under par. The Swede played her closing quintet in plus-one, finishing at 22-deep, 13 shots ahead of Ruffels. That performance we’d anticipated from Zhang? It happened on Sunday. She closed with four birdies in five holes to snatch victory number two, by two shots. Spring is a lovely time for a Rose in bloom.
Take a look back at hole No. 1… @rosezhang is living life on the edge ? pic.twitter.com/o6z6SK7TRA
— LPGA (@LPGA) May 12, 2024
PGA Tour @ Wells Fargo: Rory the Fourth is crowned in Charlotte
Xander Schauffele is a likable lad. He has an Olympic gold medal on his shelf, and a few PGA Tour titles to his credit. Even X knows that even par won’t get much done in a final round unless conditions are brutal. They weren’t brutal at Quail Hollow on Sunday. X posted even par on day four. It kept him ahead of third-place finisher Byeong Hun An but gave him zero chance of challenging for the title.
Paired with Xander in round four was the King of Quail, Rory McIlroy. The Northern Irishman had previously won thrice at the North Carolina track, and he was champing at the bit to gain some momentum on the road to Louisville. While Xander scored increasingly worse along the week (64-67-70-71) McIlroy saved his best round for the final round. Thanks to five birdies and two eagles, McIlroy ran away with the event, winning his fourth Wells Fargo by five over Schauffele.
HOLE-OUT EAGLE FOR RORY!!!
He now leads by SIX! pic.twitter.com/UE49lwfwNC
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 12, 2024
PGA Tour @ Myrtle Beach Classic: a little CG won the inaugural week
It always seemed odd that the PGA Tour had zero stops along the Grand Strand each season. This week’s event seemed odd in that the golfers played the same course each day, and there were zero handicaps involved. Most events at Myrtle Beach involve hundreds of amateurs at dozens of courses, with all sorts of handicaps.
The Dunes Club is a Robert Trent Jones Sr. course, down toward Pawley’s Island. It claims what used to be considered an unreachable, par-five hole, the watery 13th. Nothing is unreachable any longer, including a 22-under par total for a six-shot win. Chris Gotterup, a former Rutgers and Oklahoma golfer, played sizzling golf all week and won by a sextet of shots. Gotterup opened with 66, then improved to 64 on Friday. His Saturday 65 sounded a beacon of “come get me,” and his closing 67 ensured that second place was the only thing up for grabs.
Chasing the podium’s second level were a bunch of young Americans. In the end, Alastair Docherty and Davis Thompson reached 16-deep, thanks to rounds of 64 and 68 on Sunday. They held off six golfers at 15-under par. The victory was Gotterup’s first on tour and should be enough to get him a Wikipedia page, among other plaudits.
Leader by SIX!
@ChrisGotterup | @MyrtleBeachC pic.twitter.com/TVdA6ZPYc4— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 12, 2024
PGA Tour Champions @ Regions Traditions: Vindication for Dougie
Doug Barron, if I recall correctly, was suspended by the Powers That Be, way back in 2009, for testosterone. He was naturally low in the hormone, so he took supplements. This did not sit well with certain admins, so he was put on the shelf for 18 months. Not cool.
In 2019, Barron came out on the Tour Champions. He won in August. The next year, despite the craziness of Covid, he won again. Barron hit a dry spell for a few years. He kept his card, but accrued no additional victories. In late April, Barron showed serious signs of life, with a t2 at Mitsubishi. This week in Birmingham, he jumped out to a lead, lost it, then gained it back on Saturday. With major championship glory on the line, Barron brought the train into the station with 68 on Sunday.
Stephen Alker, the man who could not lose just two years ago, gave serious chase with a closing 63. He moved up 11 slots, into solo 2nd on Sunday. He finished two shots back of the champion. Two shots ain’t much. Cough once and you drop a pair. Third place saw a three-way tie, including last year’s winner (Steve Stricker) and runner-up (Ernie Els.) Despite the intimidating presence of the game’s greats, however, Doug Barron had more than enough of everything this week, and he has a third Tour Champions title to show off.
At the @RegionsTrad, all champions receive a green bike.
Doug Barron decided to take a victory lap ? pic.twitter.com/bEzENMjZwv
— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) May 13, 2024
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Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from a piece our Andrew Tursky originally wrote for PGATour.com’s Equipment Report. Head over there for the full article.
The timing of Lowry’s putter changeup was curious: Was he just using a Spider putter because he was paired with McIlroy, who’s been using a Spider Tour X head throughout 2024? Was Lowry just being festive because it’s the Zurich Classic, and he wanted to match his teammate? Did McIlroy let Lowry try his putter, and he liked it so much he actually switched into it?
Well, as it turns out, McIlroy’s only influence was inspiring Lowry to make more putts.
When asked if McIlroy had an influence on the putter switch, Lowry had this to say: “No, it’s actually a different putter than what he uses. Maybe there was more pressure there because I needed to hole some more putts if we wanted to win,” he said with a laugh.
To Lowry’s point, McIlroy plays the Tour X model, whereas Lowry switched into the Tour Z model, which has a sleeker shape in comparison, and the two sole weights of the club are more towards the face.
Lowry’s Spider Tour Z has a white True Path Alignment channel on the crown of his putter, which is reminiscent of Lowry’s former 2-ball designs, thus helping to provide a comfort factor despite the departure from his norm. Instead of a double-bend hosel, which Lowry used in his 2-ball putters, his new Spider Tour Z is designed with a short slant neck.
“I’ve been struggling on the greens, and I just needed something with a fresh look,” Lowry told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship. “It has a different neck on it, as well, so it moves a bit differently, but it’s similar. It has a white line on the back of it [like my 2-ball], and it’s a mallet style. So it’s not too drastic of a change.
“I just picked it up on the putting green and I liked the look of it, so I was like, ‘Let’s give it a go.’”
Read the rest of the piece over at PGATour.com.
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Tommy Fleetwood has been attached to his Odyssey White Hot Pro #3 putter for years now. However, this week at the Wells Fargo Championship, we did spot him testing a new putter that is very different, yet somewhat similar, to his current gamer.
This new putter is a TaylorMade Spider Tour X head but with a brand new neck we haven’t seen on a Spider before. A flow neck is attached to the Spider head and gives the putter about a 1/2 shaft offset. This style neck will usually increase the toe hang of the putter and we can guess it gets the putter close to his White Hot Pro #3.
Another interesting design is that lack of TaylorMade’s True Path alignment on the top of the putter. Instead of the large white center stripe, Tommy’s Spider just has a very short white site line milled into it. As with his Odyssey, Tommy seems to be a fan of soft inserts and this Spider prototype looks to have the TPU Pure Roll insert with 45° grooves for immediate topspin and less hopping and skidding.
The sole is interesting as well in that the rear weights don’t look to be interchangeable and are recessed deep into the ports. This setup could be used to push the CG forward in the putter for a more blade-like feel during the stroke, like TaylorMade did with the Spider X Proto Scottie Scheffler tested out.
Tommy’s putter is finished off with an older Super Stroke Mid Slim 2.0 grip in blue and white. The Mid Slim was designed to fit in between the Ultra Slim 1.0 and the Slim 3.0 that was a popular grip on tour.
- Check out the rest of our photos from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
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Dave Portnoy places monstrous outright bet for the 2024 Masters
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BlackR1
Nov 2, 2018 at 5:30 pm
Message to Bob Parsons:
I’m as PRO Capitalism and Free Market Enterprise as they come, but you sir, can eat a BUFFET of d****….
Biddles
Apr 19, 2018 at 1:52 pm
The logo and clubs are ugly as sin.
To each his own, though.
Robin
Apr 18, 2018 at 12:24 pm
I joined the Marine Corp out of high school. Best choice I ever made .
If you never had the balls to be pushed, then you never know what Bob is really talking about.
Brian
Apr 11, 2018 at 6:09 pm
I LOVE my PXGs, but if you don’t like them or think they’re too expensive, don’t buy them. But let’s not judge people who do buy and enjoy them. Golf is my only hobby and I’m all-in on it.
Mike
Apr 2, 2018 at 12:21 pm
I have to say, I’m pretty shocked at these comments. He’s promoting his company and his products… what else would you expect him to say? He’s obviously a smart guy, so he wouldn’t increase the price unless it made sense. The fact that they are priced out of some people’s range leads to some of the criticism, I’m sure.
As far as the products go, I’m a low single digit hcp and I can say with 100% certainty that misses w/ the PXG irons produce significantly better results than anything else I’ve ever hit. Center shots in any iron are great, but that’s not what its all about. Its up to the consumer to put a value on that, but to say this is not a top-of-the line product is inaccurate.
Miles
Mar 30, 2018 at 9:58 pm
It’s a joke that PXG pushes all this military naming of their clubs and Bob is always talking about his service in the Marines yet PXG doesn’t offer any sort of military or veteran discount when many of the others like Ping, TaylorMade, etc. do offer one.
Steve Wozeniak
Mar 30, 2018 at 5:59 pm
If Tour players had to buy them, don’t think they would be in many bags…….they would play another brand that is just as good. Simple as that, he has not cornered the market on physics
Darryl
Mar 19, 2018 at 9:01 am
Who cares? If you can afford them and want them, buy them and enjoy them. Just don’t expect them to turn an 18 handicapper into a Walker Cup player.
I’d never tell anyone how to spend their hard earned coin, but I do reserve the right to point and laugh when they get taken in by snake oil salesmen.
Who am I to talk anyway, I’ve got 6 Scotty Camerons (until PXG, the ultimate in form over function) and I bought an ERC!
SImms
Mar 17, 2018 at 8:04 pm
If you can afford and WANT to play PXG clubs go for it, golf is not just shooting par it about having FUN and enjoying it….just as playing Walmart clubs for years and then one day getting that set of Pings can make golf a wonderful experience, even going from a TopFlite to a PROV 1 can bring 18 holes of bliss…..
rebfan73
Mar 17, 2018 at 6:55 pm
After watching this, Parsons reminds me of Chris Farley in “Tommy Boy”…..
Scott
Mar 17, 2018 at 4:49 pm
Drop da mic…
Stephen
Mar 17, 2018 at 9:58 am
I’ve tried the gen 1 irons and they are superb and came very close to buying a set. In the end I upgraded my whole bag for less than a set of PXG irons would have cost me. Then there’s the reality setting in when you hit your lovely new PXG iron into a hidden stone that takes a chunk out of it! That doesn’t stop me being a fan of what he’s doing.
You can spend £20k on an Audemars Piguet watch but a Casio will tell the time more accurately so it’s whatever you want to do with your money. I was more astonished by the price of the accessories – £500 for a stand bag, £200 for a sweater. That’s when you know Parsons wants PXG to be a luxury brand for those with enough money not to worry about the cost.
John B
Mar 17, 2018 at 9:35 am
Mr. Parson’s let me explain why I will never pay $3200 for a set of irons… because I can pay $1200 or less for the same quality and shoot the same scores as I would with your irons.
George
Mar 17, 2018 at 1:26 pm
Why exactly would he be obligated to explain anything to you. He can charge whatever he wants. It is your choice to buy or not.
Dave
Mar 17, 2018 at 9:33 am
Lot of hate towards a guy just doing his thing.I could write a list a mile long of products that are “overpriced”. I respect anyone who is a self made billionaire. Being a former Marine who served in Nam,I’m sure he’s hurt by the comments of a bunch of jealous dudes behind a keyboard. I don’t own any of his products and probably never will but I find it hilarious how so many can’t stand others success.
doug
Mar 17, 2018 at 5:20 pm
It’s not about envy, Dave, more to do with a certain amount of fatigue that many of us feel in the face of some of the more egregious marketing spin and BS.
As many have observed on the topic of sports gear generally…’It’s the Indian, not the arrow’.
While I have no doubt that Bob’s clubs are well machined and all that ( though I’m curious to know what it actually costs to build one of his irons)the reality is that- to use an analogy – a Hyundai Santa Fe will get you from A to B with pretty much the same features, comfort and safety as its BMW SUV equivalent…at half the price.
Parson’s clubs are for braggin’ rights. Or to use Ely Callaway’s own words when asked ( years ago) to justify the price of his drivers….” It’s like the cosmetics industry; I’m selling the dream”.
Brett Weir
Mar 17, 2018 at 9:16 am
As a former CDN soldier, I have an enormous amount of respect for The Marines and the US Military but this Parsons guy is so arrogant and narcissistic.
Brett Weir
Mar 17, 2018 at 9:00 am
PXG…for people who wants to buy a game and too lazy to learn it.
Bob Parson Jr.
Mar 16, 2018 at 10:21 pm
Hahahahaha, this dude is full of stinky Parson.
dat
Mar 16, 2018 at 10:17 pm
He could charge $10K a club and someone would buy them. Doesn’t mean they are any good. I wish he would stop saying they are the best clubs in the world, because they just aren’t. They are the most expensive for the mass market though, he could say that from the rooftops and be correct. Very few JDM brands come close.
Speedy
Mar 16, 2018 at 8:37 pm
They look like machine shop mistakes.
Mat
Mar 16, 2018 at 7:58 pm
Price-eXcessive Golf.
Everything Bob Parsons touches is of mediocre quality, vast amounts of marketing, and stripper glitter.
Bob Parson Jr.
Mar 16, 2018 at 10:22 pm
Post of the Evening!
Bob Pearson
Mar 16, 2018 at 6:45 pm
My wife looked over my shoulder when I was reading & watching the video. She asked me why my name was on the headline…then realized that it wasn’t her Bob on the PC. So she said that Bob Parsons must be nearly family and perhaps he should send a set of clubs over to the Algarve in Portugal, for his “family” to test. 🙂
Sean Foster-Nolan
Mar 16, 2018 at 6:32 pm
Great interview, I enjoyed it. I like Bob Parson’s passion and enthusiasm. As a former 0311 my hat is off to PXG. Great looking equipment, but a bit beyond my budget. 🙂
DaveyD
Mar 16, 2018 at 6:12 pm
I like the look of the clubs and the notion that if I got a set, I could finally hit my slice with class.
Zero Ott
Mar 17, 2018 at 2:35 am
How can that be? They have the sweet spot the size of Texas! :-p
Joe
Mar 16, 2018 at 6:01 pm
This whole thing is just marketing. Why are the clubs expensive? Because some people want to pay for expensive things. Why is Tiffany silver jewelry more expensive than the same silver jewelry without the Tiffany name? Because the name itself is a luxury. PGX are simply luxury products. The claim of spending $350k on clubs in a year, before he owned a club company, however, is just pure BS. That would mean that if he bought all $400 clubs ($400 per club, every club), he would buy 62.5 full sets of clubs in a year. There aren’t that many club sets to buy. He could buy damn near every club set made and probably refit all of them with four different sets of shafts, and still not spend that money, much less actually play with them. It’s just marketing BS. But it works, so he goes with it.
joro
Mar 17, 2018 at 9:37 am
Joe, you are right about 350K a year and if he really expects people to believe that, he must be total BS about his Golf Club. This guy is a lot of noise with no background other than being a loudmouth and BSer.
Robert Parsons
Mar 16, 2018 at 5:29 pm
I’m so jealous, I’ll hate on them! Yes, jealous of Ping irons with some screws stuck in them! Call me jealous, but I’m buying screws in bulk to one day perfect my plain ole irons!
Jim P
Mar 16, 2018 at 5:16 pm
they hate us cuz they aint us
Mitch
Mar 16, 2018 at 5:09 pm
i guess inclusion ain’t part of his vocabulary…
Steve Egender
Mar 16, 2018 at 5:16 pm
Go Bob Go, lets build some house around that beautiful property in North Scottsdale and maybe a grocery store and some restaurants. SEMPER FI! Your irons are the best!
Egor
Mar 16, 2018 at 4:18 pm
GoDaddy = mediocre hosting for way more than the competition
PXG = (probably) decent clubs for way more than the competition
Marketing baby.. The golf world is a lot smaller than the hosting/domain market so there are only so many people who will eat the bovine excrement before they figure out what it really is.
steve
Mar 16, 2018 at 6:25 pm
lol, a true IT/golf mastermind here.
Steve
Mar 16, 2018 at 3:45 pm
The elephant cortex has as many neurons as a human brain, suggesting convergent evolution.
Billable Hours
Mar 16, 2018 at 3:42 pm
The PXG hate always makes me laugh – grown men jealous of another man’s toys
preston
Mar 16, 2018 at 4:17 pm
You assume that it’s jealousy. I can assure that I’m not jealous of any man’s pxg “toy”.
Bob Parson Jr.
Mar 16, 2018 at 10:23 pm
Your comment says more about you Thant the alleged haters.
Ell
Mar 16, 2018 at 2:49 pm
Has PXG won more pro tournaments than Calloway, Taylor Made, Ping or Wilson? If not then why not if they’re supposed to be so damn good? How many majors have these clubs been in the winners’ bags?
steve
Mar 16, 2018 at 6:27 pm
“Calloway” has literally won ZERO pro tourneys.
JS
Mar 16, 2018 at 2:48 pm
If those irons were not so ugly, I’d think a second longer about taking them for a test ride … but would still say “no chance” when asked about buying them. IMHO, if you’re considering spending this much for irons, go buy a set of Miura’s. If you don’t have the game for the Miura’s, then go invest in lessons. PXG is nowhere in this equation.
Gmatt
Mar 16, 2018 at 2:17 pm
Bob, maybe you should have spent that (sic $350k) for new clubs on some lessons and that “scratch golfer inside of you” might have come out years ago….
This guy is so full of BS his eyes are brown
Bob Parson Jr.
Mar 16, 2018 at 10:24 pm
In the industry we call it a Full of Parson.
Ryan
Mar 16, 2018 at 1:48 pm
You know, I’ve heard him previously say that the year before he started PXG he was spending $250k on clubs, now it’s 350k. I guess when the Gen3’s get to market it’ll be a half million.
joro
Mar 16, 2018 at 1:26 pm
IF he did make the perfect club how many people are capable of using them the way they are meant to be used. It is nothing but an ego thing for hackers to show they have the money to afford them and show off to their friends who are still taking their money.
Donald Dubyak
Mar 16, 2018 at 1:15 pm
these Golf Club manufacturers whether it’s ping Titleist TaylorMade Callaway pxg or any of the other well known companies get fitted for your golf swing other than that I have some bad news you can’t buy Talent
SY
Mar 16, 2018 at 1:12 pm
Where’s that military discount Bob? Lets knock off a few $$$ for ID holders.
Jim
Mar 16, 2018 at 4:44 pm
HooYah that! Especially for a lot of my disabled vet students. Some could really benefit from the softness & super performance from off center hits
Jerry
Mar 16, 2018 at 4:46 pm
I’d like a rebate for buying the Gen 2 after buying Gen 1 — all of that research for Gen 1 went to Gen 2. I know – Fat Chance. Slim and none, and Slim left town.
Jim
Mar 16, 2018 at 5:34 pm
No joke. We have a waiting list for heads to arrive & for pretty much every client it is indeed a significant investment.
More ‘rich guys’ in 65K cars blab “400 a club – I’ll just tell my wife kisd my ass” never come back. The guy who already knows their a lot, tries one, comes back a week later & asks to demo it again and then asks how much are they really…and we explain the Trackman fitting, shaft prices, our in-house SST Puring and they say “I’m gonna ask my wife” – THAT’S the guy who comes back with 2000 cash to order the heads & book his fitting.
The fitting starts with his irons, then some hits with same shaft on various other brands before getting the PXG with what we feel (kinda know 4/5 times) that’ll work best and if it doesn’t put up better numbers, the feel and confidence it gives that person is what sells it… they never ‘under perform’ and the off center & mis hits are quantifiably better than anything else.
Sometimes the good hit numbers aren’t significantly better distance wise, and in virtually every single fitting I’ve ever done- 2000+ especially with drivers, someone always crushes one or two longer – even 10yds on occasion than the head/shaft combo they buy which they ultimately hit it better more consistently
vince guest
Mar 16, 2018 at 1:08 pm
You know what, how can you not like Bob, he’s a character, enthusiastic and PXG are creating some excellent clubs. I don’t play them but I have hit them, unfortunately they’re just priced outta my ballpark.
Tim Armington
Mar 16, 2018 at 7:54 pm
Totally agree with you! I find Bob very likeable. After watching the video i was “daydreaming” about owning a set!!! Guess my jpx tours will have to do. Great interview too. I have no doubt that he spent that much $ on equipment before starting PXG. You would have to if you were startin a company like PXG.
Paul
Mar 16, 2018 at 1:00 pm
Bob tells you why his snake oil is not only the best, but that its so good, it should be valued even higher.
Travis
Mar 16, 2018 at 12:49 pm
They cost $50 more because anyone who bought PXG before will inevitably shell it out again. PXG is spending a fortune in marketing and sponsorships that they need to make up the cost somehow.
PXG clubs may be fine and all but Parson’s is a joke. Probably should have spend $350,000 a year on lessons and not equipment. But maybe that would’ve been too hard of work for him.
Andrew Pavlov
Mar 16, 2018 at 12:43 pm
Can we get his taradiddle bagged? My garden can use the fertilizer.
Joe
Mar 16, 2018 at 12:54 pm
Seriously? I honestly thought I had heard of every word there is but you pulled that out?
Andrew Pavlov
Mar 16, 2018 at 2:33 pm
Well … I could have just said BS I guess… but I was trying to take a higher road..lol! P.S> Crossword puzzles are good for this sort of obscure word thing.
dc
Mar 16, 2018 at 12:33 pm
They cost that much because there are other really wealthy people willing to pay that much regardless of the performance.
doug
Mar 16, 2018 at 4:55 pm
A bloke in work boots, a hi-viz vest, carrying 20 YO blades in an old leather bag over his shoulder – who really knows how to golf his ball – will beat most of us regardless of how much we fork over for irons designed by Parsons, Elon Musk, Karl Lagerfield or whoever.
As some others have observed; you can’t buy talent. But as Parsons clearly recognises, there are enough folk out there willing to spend vast amounts of dineros chasing the by-product of talent.
I’ve heard it called ‘the Mercedes Benz Syndrome’. Don’t make ’em affordable or the potential market won’t respect the product.
After recently handing over my Mizuno and Titleist heads to be reshafted, gripped and weight adjusted for my golf-crazy 11YO, I bought a 2nd hand set of Ping i25s. Had ’em adjusted for my height and expectations…and have since dropped to a single figure GA with these comfy work-horses.
So thanks but no thanks Mr Parsons. You keep selling the sizzle, but let me play the game my way.
Carmen Sandiego
Mar 16, 2018 at 12:31 pm
Where in the world is your audio engineer?
HDTVMAN
Mar 16, 2018 at 12:30 pm
LOL. Those irons aren’t worth any more than Callaway Apex, Ping i200, TaylorMade P790, or Titleist AP2/3. I sell and fit irons, and once the customer has picked out the iron set he hits and likes best, we try different shafts, then do the fitting, which I can do in 5 minutes. Parsons’ says his shafts are better? The steel shafts everyone sells, from KBS to Project X, to True Temper are found on tour as well as in our store. Graphite shafts can get expensive, up to $500+, but those are not for the amateur. Unless you swing in excess of 115 mph, and the average amateur is 75 to 95, you will not get the benefits of these expensive shafts, and stock & basic upgrades are perfect. Parsons is a marketer, that’s it! Now, if you are looking to buy new irons, you will notice that the prices are up at least $100. This is called the Parsons’ Effect. Companies such as Callaway, TaylorMade, Ping, & Titleist feel that if people (a very tiny percentage) will pay a premium price from one company, they will pay more for their new products. Bottom line…PXG are HIGHLY Over-rated and Over-priced. It’s called MARKETING 101, and Bob Parsons is a very good teacher.
James T
Mar 16, 2018 at 12:02 pm
Bob’s a billionaire… it’s a hobby, he doesn’t need to turn a profit. Do any of the rest of us amateur golfers turn a profit? Or do we pay out and play for fun?
Andrew Pavlov
Mar 16, 2018 at 12:50 pm
Nonsense, this is not a hobby for BP and he became wealthy because he understands that he needs to turn a profit on all his business ventures. I would agree it may not be his primary business focus but he wants it to be run in the black just the same.
Richard
Mar 17, 2018 at 7:43 pm
Absolutely. Couldn’t agree more. You don’t become a billionaire by giving things away. Actually, generally speaking, the only way you become a billionaire is stepping on people’s heads in one form or another for most of your life so no way he’s going to run this company in the red. His ego wouldn’t allow it.
Jerry
Mar 16, 2018 at 11:58 am
Okay, it’s good to hear from Bob. Not any substance, but it’s good to hear an owner discuss his clubs and his take on the industry. He’s definitely “one of a kind.”
Andrew
Mar 16, 2018 at 11:56 am
Has PXG made a cent of actual profit yet?
Jerry
Mar 16, 2018 at 11:59 am
I hear that question a lot with PXG. Haven’t heard an answer.
ML
Mar 16, 2018 at 1:43 pm
Does it matter? They’re a private company and they keep operating and expanding.
DB
Mar 16, 2018 at 1:50 pm
We might be surprised. I know just one fitter who told me he was selling a full set of PXG every single week. I couldn’t believe it.
I would be in the market for the irons if the cost was reasonable, maybe $175. But I understand the high cost is part of the appeal for many golfers.
Bob Parson Jr.
Mar 16, 2018 at 10:26 pm
Yeah, they are appealing for the high handicappers, lol……