Equipment
Acushnet launches Union Green golf ball brand
You might expect the announcement of a new golf ball brand to fly under the radar. With the launch of Union Green from Acushnet, the parent company to entrenched golf brands Titleist and FootJoy among others, however, there’s no danger of that. This golf ball launch is different and signals a shift in consumer interaction for one of the largest companies in golf.
What is Union Green?
“Golf has the power to unite us all. With Union Green all are welcome.”
That single statement is the ethos of Union Green—to bring people together on the golf course, to be inclusive, inviting, and at the end of the day, to have fun.
Union Green seeks to represent the new age of the golfers that look to golf as a way to hang out with friends, relax, and have some fun along the way. From a branding standpoint, it’s the 9-hole muni down the street rather than the high initiation private club that you can’t see past the gate: both are great in their own way, but one is more relatable to the majority of the golf population than the other.
The new company will be largely direct-to-consumer, but considering Acushnet’s deep penetration in both on and off-course retail. you can expect to see the full lineup of lifestyle softgoods and accessories beyond the two new golf balls in shops around the country and beyond. Does that mean exclusive private clubs? Probably not. But at your local public course looking to offer a more value-priced golf ball, absolutely!
So, about the golf balls…
In the cluttered space that is direct-to-consumer golf ball brands, from a product standpoint alone, Union Green separates itself in a way that no other current company can. Its golf balls are made in the United States under the same strict quality control standards that other balls under the Acushnet brands are made, including Titleist TourSoft.
Union Green Pindrop
A three-piece ball built to offer greenside performance without giving up distance or trajectory—simple as that.
The tech details are light, but that’s OK. The golfers these are targeted at aren’t worried about the newest urethane mixtures being used to build the cover or some compound infused into the core to make them faster. It’s all about performance and value, and with Pindrop you get a three-piece (non-urethane covered ball) for $27.99 per dozen.
Union Green Teebird
A two-piece ball built for distance and designed to fly straighter. Once again simple and to the point. Plus, for only $19.99 per dozen, the Teebird offers great value for the golfer who might lose a few during a round. Not everyone can shrug off smashing a $6 ball into a pond, but at only $1.67 apiece, it’s an easier pill to swallow.
What does this mean for Acushnet?
This is the million-dollar question. Union Green is not Titleist Light or a Pinnacle replacement, it’s a totally new upstart to fill the void for golfers serious about having fun while playing golf—those who don’t relate to the stuffy atmosphere that is often associated with the sport.
Lifestyle brands in and out of golf tend to go in two directions: high-end and luxurious or more value and consumer-accessibility focused. The well-branded UnionGreen.com website, with long-haired, backward cap-wearing “dudes” and casually dressed legging-wearing women golfing, tells you everything you need to know about what they represent and who they are hoping to connect to.
Union Green has hit the nail on the head. As a millennial golfer myself who spends a lot of time playing public golf with people from all age demographics, this is a growing segment of the golfing population. Golfers, regardless of age or gender, who care less about what shaft is in their driver and more about making sure fun is had on the course with friends.
As an equipment-obsessed, fully tuned-in golfer, this might not relate to you, but I’m sure you know or play golf with someone that fits right into Union Green’s target market. Acushnet is hoping the brand messaging lands, like a high, soft wedge into three green.
It will be interesting to see if it does.
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Equipment
Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (4/18/24): Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made
At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals that all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.
It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.
Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, there is a listing for a Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made.
From the seller: (@DLong72): “Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made. ?: $1150. ?? 100% milled collectors item from the limited releases commemorating when Ping putters won every major in 1988 (88 putters made). This was the model Seve Ballesteros used to win the 1988 Open Championship. Condition is brand new, never gamed, everything is in the original packaging as it came. Putter features the iconic sound slot.
Specs/ Additional Details
-100% Milled, Aluminum/Bronze Alloy (310g)
-Original Anser Design
-PING PP58 Grip
-Putter is built to standard specs.”
To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made
This is the most impressive current listing from the GolfWRX BST, and if you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum you can check them out here: GolfWRX BST Rules
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Equipment
Inside Collin Morikawa’s recent golf ball, driver, 3-wood, and “Proto” iron changes
As you probably know by now, Collin Morikawa switched putters after the first round of The Masters, and he ultimately went on to finish T3.
The putter was far from the only change he made last week, however, and his bag is continuing to change this week at the 2024 RBC Heritage.
On the range of The Masters, Morikawa worked closely with Adrian Reitveld, TaylorMade’s Senior Manager of Tour at TaylorMade, to find the perfect driver and 3-wood setups.
Morikawa started off 2024 by switching into TaylorMade’s Qi10 Max driver, but since went back to his faithful TaylorMade SIM – yes, the original SIM from 2020. Somehow, some way, it seems Morikawa always ends up back in that driver, which he used to win the 2020 PGA Championship, and the 2021 Open Championship.
At The Masters, however, Rietveld said the duo found the driver head that allowed “zero compromise” on Morikawa’s preferred fade flight and spin. To match his preferences, they landed on a TaylorMade Qi10 LS 9-degree head, and the lie angle is a touch flatter than his former SIM.
“It’s faster than his gamer, and I think what we found is it fits his desired shot shape, with zero compromise” Rietveld told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday at the RBC Heritage.
Then, to replace his former SIM rocket 3-wood, Morikawa decided to switch into the TaylorMade Qi10 core model 13.5-degree rocket head, with an adjustable hosel.
“He likes the spin characteristics of that head,” Rietveld said. “Now he’s interesting because with Collin, you can turn up at a tournament, and you look at his 3-wood, and he’s changed the setting. One day there’s more loft on it, one day there’s less loft on it. He’s that type of guy. He’s not scared to use the adjustability of the club.
“And I think he felt our titanium head didn’t spin as low as his original SIM. So we did some work with the other head, just because he liked the feel of it. It was a little high launching, so we fit him into something with less loft. It’s a naughty little piece of equipment.”
In addition to the driver and fairway wood changes, Morikawa also debuted his new “MySymbol” jersey No. 5 TP5x golf ball at The Masters. Morikawa’s choice of symbols is likely tied to his love of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team.
Not enough changes for you? There’s one more.
On Wednesday at the 2024 RBC Heritage, Morikawa was spotted with a new TaylorMade “Proto” 4-iron in the bag. If you recall, it’s the same model that Rory McIlroy debuted at the 2024 Valero Texas Open.
According to Morikawa, the new Proto 4-iron will replace his old P-770 hollow-bodied 4-iron.
“I used to hit my P-770 on a string, but sometimes the distance would be a little unpredictable,” Morikawa told GolfWRX.com. “This one launches a touch higher, and I feel I can predict the distance better. I know Rory replaced his P-760 with it. I’m liking it so far.”
See Morikawa’s full WITB from the 2024 RBC Heritage here.
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Equipment
Why Rory McIlroy will likely use the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper at the RBC Heritage
Although we spotted Rory McIlroy testing the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper last week during practice rounds at the Masters, he ultimately didn’t decide to use the club in competition.
It seems that will change this week at the 2024 RBC Heritage, played at the short-and-tight Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head.
When asked on Wednesday following his morning Pro-Am if he’d be using the new, nostalgic BRNR Copper this week, McIlroy said, “I think so.”
“I like it,” McIlroy told GolfWRX.com on Tuesday regarding the BRNR. “This would be a good week for it.”
View this post on Instagram
According to Adrian Rietveld, the Senior Manager of Tour at TaylorMade, the BRNR Mini Driver can help McIlroy position himself properly off the tee at the tight layout.
Here’s what Rietveld told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday:
“For someone like Rory, who’s that long at the top end of the bag, and then you put him on a course like Harbour Town, it’s tough off the tee. It’s tight into the greens, and you have to put yourself in position off the tee to have a shot into the green. It kind of reminds me of Valderrama in Spain, where you can be in the fairway and have no shot into the green.
“I’m caddying for Tommy [Fleetwood] this week, so I was walking the course last night and looking at a few things. There’s just such a small margin for error. You can be standing in the fairway at 300 yards and have a shot, but at 320 you don’t. So if you don’t hit a perfect shot, you could be stuck behind a tree. And then if you’re back at 280, it might be a really tough shot into the small greens.
“So for Rory [with the BRNR], it’s a nice course-specific golf club for him. He’s got both shots with it; he can move it right-to-left or left-to-right. And the main thing about this club has been the accuracy and the dispersion with it. I mean, it’s been amazing for Tommy.
“This was the first event Tommy used a BRNR last year, and I remember talking to him about it, and he said he couldn’t wait to play it at Augusta next year. And he just never took it out of the bag because he’s so comfortable with it, and hitting it off the deck.
“So you look at Rory, and you want to have the tools working to your advantage out here, and the driver could hand-cuff him a bit with all of the shots you’d have to manufacture.”
So, although McIlroy might not be making a permanent switch into the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper, he’s likely to switch into it this week.
His version is lofted at 13.5 degrees, and equipped with a Fujikura Ventus Black 7X shaft.
See more photos of Rory testing the BRNR Mini here
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Mike
Feb 15, 2020 at 6:01 pm
Many of these ‘non-golfers’ now use range balls, which cost like 10 cents each when you pocket one. But I did hear you’ll get a free craft beer coupon w/ each dozen.
Who on earth would order these balls when you can buy distance balls CHEAP at Walmart? And for ‘non-golfers’, DOES “DISTANCE” REALLY MATTER??? So, now, w/ this Union ‘distance’ ball, you’ll dribble your shot 18 yards off the tee instead of 15?
ShortHitter
Feb 13, 2020 at 7:42 am
They’ll make good margins on the direct to consumer segment by cutting out retailers. If they charge for shipping, you could be paying $30+ for a surlyn cover ball. Makes complete sense for folks that pay $15 for a phone order $7 sandwich with delivery and service fees.
mike
Feb 15, 2020 at 5:51 pm
I love your last sentence!
Will Johnston
Feb 12, 2020 at 11:25 am
The ball will be a huge success if they denounce toxic masculinity and only use gender neutral pronouns.
golfraven
Feb 10, 2020 at 5:00 pm
Some execs at Acushnet: so what are we doing about the Corona virus? Well, lets bring out a new ball brand and call it Union Green. Sounds Chinese to me and make us look like as we would care about next generation on this planet.
Funkaholic
Feb 10, 2020 at 4:12 pm
This is “woke” capitalism in action, a bunch of old white haired guys sitting around the boardroom asking each other “how do we reach millennials?” Naturally the answer is to Bart Simpson up a brand of cheap balls. Everything about this is stupid. When will executive realize, you can’t brand “cool”. Most of the young people I see on the golf course are as serious as anybody. You aren’t going to win over the stoned Frisbee golfers and nobody wants them on the course anyway.
jgpl001
Feb 8, 2020 at 3:55 pm
I have heard some nonsense in my time but this is total BS.
What are they talking about with this inclusive, eco rubbish???
And a few cheap, non descript golf balls – Give me a break
Anybody who buys these needs serious treatment and antipsychotic medication
Marty
Feb 8, 2020 at 12:19 pm
Completely incongruous. The logo doesn’t look like it belongs on a golf ball and the brand name sounds like some sort of house-brand one might find on sweatshirts and warmups at the GAP or some other big box store.
Also, how people approach the game of golf is not a “Lifestyle” or a “Lifestyle Choice”.
Chip2win
Feb 8, 2020 at 6:23 am
I’m going to make it my personal mission to avoid purchasing all Titleist/Footjoy products.
Brian
Feb 8, 2020 at 2:57 pm
Ditto. Why buy these when high-performing urethane balls are available for just a few $ more?
Rich Douglas
Feb 9, 2020 at 6:48 pm
Or for a few dollars less. (Snell)
Chip2win
Feb 8, 2020 at 5:14 am
I’m going to make it my personal mission to avoid ALL Titleist/Footjoy products in the future.
Daniel Whitehurst
Feb 8, 2020 at 4:35 am
So this is introduced for the basic player that isn’t interested in the balls makeup or materials at a lower cost than the $47 prov1 at $27. You can get a great ball like Wilson DUO at $20 or Callaway supersoft at $22. What the point of this. I thought it was a eco friendly ball with GREEN in the name. Or maybe a non conforming ball for distance.
JThunder
Feb 10, 2020 at 2:52 am
Yes – Duo, Supersoft and several others compete with Tour Soft, but all at lower price than Tour Soft or Onion Green.
Danny Boy
Feb 10, 2020 at 9:26 pm
Onion Green – Now that’s something I can get behind
Steve Sanders
Feb 10, 2020 at 3:21 pm
Yeah Vice and Snell already offer high quality golf balls for less than this and even the big name brands already have plenty of products made of higher-quality materials in the $20-25 price point. Who in their right mind is looking for a “message” in their golf balls? I’ve never bought a 15-pack of cheap pinnacles at a course and thought to myself “But does pinnacle speak to my personal opinions on inclusivity and casual enjoyment of golf?”
Rich Douglas
Feb 8, 2020 at 1:10 am
This is a press release, nothing more.
How could these balls be any different from the rocks they sell under the Pinnacle line?
How is it that these balls are some form of “lifestyle brand”? Seriously, what’s the lifestyle or the brand?
If I’m running Callaway, I’m talking to the legal department about suing for infringement…on the TopFlite line!
And if one of your selling points is that the ball is cheap to lose, well….
MadMex
Feb 8, 2020 at 12:55 am
Good lord !!!!! All they needed was the race angle,,,,
” para todos ustedes que no pueden pagar el precio de las Pro-V1 les ofrecemos esta basura !!!”
Translation: “For those of you who can’t afford the price of Pro-V1 balls, we offer you this garbage!”
Yes, I am Mexican and do speak and write fluent Spanish,,,,,,,,,,
El Burro Kuchar
Feb 10, 2020 at 2:56 am
¡El sindicato verde!
TequilaSunrise
Feb 10, 2020 at 4:05 pm
I thought you were Scottish!
hwt
Feb 7, 2020 at 11:08 pm
This is clearly an attempt to get into the vice/snell/tbc/sugarloaf sector. Too bad it looks like it was thought up by a heavy handed dumbo in the corporate office. Won’t be even testing these bc this is such a corporate facepalm moment.
Also interesting they say that the ball get the same quality testing as…….the truesoft? Why in the hell would you promote that when you have the #1 ball in golf?
JP
Feb 7, 2020 at 10:35 pm
Laughable
2putttom
Feb 7, 2020 at 8:50 pm
kewl, appealing to the millennial golfer.
Michaele11111
Feb 7, 2020 at 8:07 pm
Was that an advertorial?
No matter what dog patch you play at or how high your handicap is, I hope you are enough of a golfer that you wanted to vomit after reading that article.
Whoever sold the Acushnet CEO on this one better have their resume up to date.
Alexander Schilling
Feb 7, 2020 at 6:05 pm
This is dumb
SV
Feb 7, 2020 at 5:38 pm
Bring back the Acushnet Club Special!!
Shallowface
Feb 9, 2020 at 3:49 pm
Nah. That name isn’t inclusive enough. “Club” implies exclusivity.
Looking forward to the next decade when the children of these people turn on, tune in and drop out.
James
Feb 7, 2020 at 5:28 pm
History has proven repeatedly that collectivist words like “inclusive” are dead ends and lead to complacency and laziness. Careful, Titleis… I mean Acushnet. The Ball is DOA.
In other news, the Truvis already owns the cool-kid ball market.
Moosejaw McWilligher
Feb 7, 2020 at 5:18 pm
By definition, something new from Acushnet – or sub-brand thereof – cannot be called an “upstart” (or startup).
The “green” part of the name had me expecting something eco-friendly. That has been the near-exclusive connotation of “green” for decades now. Since that doesn’t seem to be the case, it feels like false advertising, which doesn’t endear Acushnet to me.
DL
Feb 8, 2020 at 9:21 am
Green means eco-friendly but it’s not so it’s false advertising hahhaha
Maybe Union Green has to do with uniting people through golf which is played on a golf course that has greens… hence Union Green lol
Rascal
Feb 8, 2020 at 11:42 am
The green obviously relates to marijuana, come on guys.
Moosejaw McWilligher
Feb 10, 2020 at 2:48 am
In that case, $27.99 for a box that size is a good deal!
scooter
Feb 8, 2020 at 11:44 am
Yeah, probably the only way this ball has a chance in h*** is if Acushnet were to promise most of the profits go to true green (environmental) causes … ain’t gonna happen … just a $$$ marketing scheme