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Bridgestone Golf’s new CEO, Dan Murphy, on the future of the company, ball fitting, and Tiger Woods

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6 years ago

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Dan Murphy, Bridgestone Golf’s new CEO and President, told us the opportunity to “work on the next chapter of this great brand is a great honor.”

And from our brief phone call on day one of Mr. Murphy sitting in the CEO chair, it sounds like he really means it. As a veteran of the company, he was a part of Bridgestone’s growth in the late 2000s, early 2010s, and he’s keen to focus on what worked well during that time: namely the company’s emphasis on ball fitting.

Murphy is hardly stuck in the past, however, as you’ll see from our conversation.

BA: Now, you were with Bridgestone from 2005 through 2014. Can you talk a bit about how the company is positioned as you return and what’s ahead?

DM: The great thing about our company, is we have the fundamentals in place. We have the tools. We make the best product in the world: Bridgestone’s attention to manufacturing excellence, quality, and consistency is unwavering…I think you can go all the way back to the 90s and the Precept product to see that. We’re great manufacturers.

Second is people…we have great people here…and then, the third factor is that we’re part of Bridgestone Tire and Rubber. They want to see us succeed…we have the saying power…both from a R&D resource perspective–we have something like 900 polymer science engineers on staff, who can help us design golf balls as well as tires–but we also have the financial resources to really sustain and make a difference in this business.

As we go forward, you’ll probably see some of the things that made us successful in the first place, perhaps become a little bit more relevant again…such as ball fitting, such as targeting better players…better players make a lot of sense for us because they appreciate the science, and they appreciate the engineering and the product quality. And just from a business perspective, better players are thought leaders. They are the ones that recreational players look to. We still prescribe to the Pyramid of Influence in that respect.

BA: With respect to your position in the ball market, the emphasis on golf ball fitting is both a point of differentiation and competitive advantage. I’m interested in how that’s sometimes been at the fore of marketing and sometimes hasn’t. Can you speak to that?

DM: The market leader does what they do and they do it very well. They have a Tour presence that’s hard to argue with; they have an advertising presence that’s hard to argue with, but there is an opportunity for a brand like us from a customization/fitting perspective to tell the story that we don’t all play extra stiff shafts…we don’t all wear size medium shirts or size 12 shoes. There’s specialization in every area of our lives. Why not address your golf ball the same way? We have different swings, different swing speeds, different needs…choosing your ball based on that rather than, perhaps, an overly simplified process of “play what the pros play.”

BA: Regarding the Tour staff, then, can you talk about your presence on Tour. You have Snedeker and Kuchar, and certainly Bryson playing the ball, and that would seem to fit hand-in-glove…and obviously Tiger.

DM: The Tour is very, very important to the positioning of our brand. Obviously, like other brands, it’s the testing ground to prove ourselves and fine-tune our product…the Tour is both an R&D tool as well as a promotional tool.

But we have to begin our conversation about the Tour with Tiger. We’re so pleased and so proud to have him. And for me to come back to this job with an asset like Tiger as part of the team is amazing. I mean, does anybody move the needle better than Tiger does?…But I believe we have a great Tour team in addition to Tiger.

I do see us mixing him [Tiger] up with the Tour team…His interactions with Bryson or a Freddie or a Matt could create a lot of consumer interest…I think you’ll see more of that. I think you’ll see us use those Tour players, including Tiger, to tell a customization and ball fitting story.

BA: Right. Obviously, Tiger’s incredibly analytical and data-driven in his own right…similar to Bryson’s orientation, and then he has such an affinity with Couples and Kuchar…and he’s been playing a lot of practice rounds with Bryson, so there must be an affinity there as well. So the opportunity there to mix it up from a marketing and messaging standpoint has got to be exciting.

DM: Especially for the enthusiasts that you have as your audience. I think lifting the veil and maybe seeing a little bit of what happens behind the scenes, say, in the locker room between a Freddie and a Tiger, that’s kind of interesting, and I think you’ll see that play out.

BA: Can you talk a bit about the ball and your share of the market? You’d risen in to the No. 2 spot, but to my knowledge you’d slipped.

DM: Well, our goal 100 percent is to get back into the No. 2 spot. We want to get back into that position of chasing down Titleist. We look forward to doing that. We think the Tour team combined with ball fitting combined with delivering better products than anyone else…if we do that in a creative, engaging way, we think we can do it.

There’s a subtlety and a nuance to talking to the golfer. I spent a little bit of time away from golf, and I have an appreciate for golf…it’s a unique niche industry. It’s not the same as a lot of other industries. It requires a certain insider’s voice and insider’s knowledge to talk to golers in a way that makes and that moves them to action.

BA: Right. The marketing and the messaging is delicate…and there’s a high degree of skepticism out there…but then you see certain things gather momentum and they become phenomenons. It’s an odd, maybe sometimes incongruent space, and it’s hard to think of other parallel industries. I’m always interested by the consumer in the golf space.

DM: Yeah. Well, there’s no doubt it’s a business of momentum, and you have to find ways to build momentum and create a brand…obviously the Tour is a great way to do that. But then…sometimes the Tour is, well, the Tour. It’s difficult to predict and control…but I do think within the control of a marketer is shaping the message in a way that really compels folks…to engage the brand, to find enough interest in the brand…to spend time researching the brand. Ball fitting or us is a great engagement tool we think we can utilize again to create that momentum.

Do you know where ball fitting came from, actually?…I’m a marketer from way back. In the 80s, Coke and Pepsi were going at each other and there was the Pepsi challenge. And I looked at that, where they offered people the opportunity to taste Pepsi versus Coke…so back in ‘08 or ‘09…we compared Titleist products to Bridgestone products based on performance…so, the cola wars were about taste. The golf ball wars were about performance. But then, the advantages consumers saw in being fit for a ball gave us the opportunity to talk about that in advertising.

BA: Interesting origin of that effort! Any final words here on day one of job? I’m sure it’s an overwhelming position to be in…

DM: I’m trying to consume massive amounts of information to get up to speed. It’s the old analogy of drinking water from the fire hose…but we have a lot of data, and we have a great team here. They understand our industry and they understand the company…I’m excited about it. Some things I’ve said already probably show which way we’re going to go…It’s not the same industry it was three years ago [when Murphy left Bridgestone], but we’ll move forward tailoring our approach to needs…of the market. But I’m super excited and very, very confident, and ready to rock and roll.

BA: Well, you certainly have some great resources and interesting ingredients, so we look forward to seeing the dish, if you, will that you cook up. I can only imagine the size and scope of the undertaking, so I wish you the best of luck with that, sir.

DM: We’d love to keep in touch as we go. We have tremendous respect for your organization and what you guys do. You play an important part in the industry, so this opportunity for me has been a great honor.

BA: We appreciate kind words!

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1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. timmy

    Jun 26, 2018 at 1:06 am

    Golf balls are ‘expendables’ and that’s why it’s such a good product… duffers consistently come over the top and slice the ball into oblivion. Pull out another ball and try your luck again… along with Tiger, Bryson, Freddie, etc. ….. each of who get their cut of the sale.

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Photos from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship

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5 hours ago

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May 7, 2024

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GolfWRX is live this week at the Wells Fargo Championship as a field of the world’s best golfers descend upon Charlotte, North Carolina, hoping to tame the beast that is Quail Hollow Club in this Signature Event — only Scottie Scheffler, who is home awaiting the birth of his first child, is absent.

From the grounds at Quail Hollow, we have our usual assortment of general galleries and WITBs — including a look at left-hander Akshay Bhatia’s setup. Among the pullout albums, we have a look inside Cobra’s impressive new tour truck for you to check out. Also featured is a special look at Quail Hollow king, Rory McIlroy.

Be sure to check back throughout the week as we add more galleries.

General Albums

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

See what GolfWRXers are saying about our Wells Fargo Championship photos in the forums.

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SuperStroke acquires Lamkin Grips

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1 day ago

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May 6, 2024

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SuperStroke announced today its purchase of 100-year-old grip maker Lamkin Grips, citing the company’s “heritage of innovation and quality.”

“It is with pride and great gratitude that we announce Lamkin, a golf club grip brand with a 100-year history of breakthrough design and trusted products, is now a part of the SuperStroke brand,” says SuperStroke CEO Dean Dingman. “We have always had the utmost respect for how the Lamkin family has put the needs and benefits of the golfer first in their grip designs. If there is a grip company that is most aligned with SuperStroke’s commitment to uncompromised research, design, and development to put the most useful performance tools in the hands of golfers, Lamkin has been that brand. It is an honor to bring Lamkin’s wealth of product innovation into the SuperStroke family.”

Elver B. Lamkin founded the company in 1925 and produced golf’s first leather grips. The company had been family-owned and operated since that point, producing a wide array of styles, such as the iconic Crossline.

According to a press release, “The acquisition of Lamkin grows and diversifies SuperStroke’s proven and popular array of grip offerings with technology grounded in providing golfers optimal feel and performance through cutting-edge design and use of materials, surface texture and shape.”

CEO Bob Lamkin will stay on as a board member and will continue to be involved with the company.

“SuperStroke has become one of the most proven, well-operated, and pioneering brands in golf grips and we could not be more confident that the Lamkin legacy, brand, and technology is in the best of hands to continue to innovate and lead under the guidance of Dean Dingman and his remarkably capable team,” Lamkin said.

Related: Check out our 2014 conversation with Bob Lamkin, here: Bob Lamkin on the wrap grip reborn, 90 years of history

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Tour Rundown: Pendrith, Otaegui, Longbella, and Dunlap soar

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1 day ago

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May 6, 2024

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Take it from a fellow who coaches high school golf in metro Toronto: there’s plenty of great golf played in the land of the maple leaf. All the greats have designed courses over the USA border: Colt, Whitman, Ross, Coore, Mackenzie, Doak, as well as the greatest of the land, Stanley Thompson. I’m partial to him, because he wore my middle name with grandeur. Enough about the architecture, because this week’s Tour Rundown begins with a newly-minted, Canadian champion on the PGA Tour. Something else that the great white north is known for, is weather. It impacted play on three of the world’s tours, forcing final-round cancellations on two of them.

It was an odd week in the golf world. The LPGA and the Korn Ferry were on a break, and only 13/15 of the rounds slated, were played. In the end, we have four champions to recognize, so let’s not delay any longer with minutiae about the game that we love. Let’s run it all down with this week’s Tour Rundown.

PGA Tour: TP takes TS at Byron’s place

The 1980s was a decade when a Canadian emergence was anticipated on the PGA Tour. It failed to materialize, but a path was carved for the next generation. Mike Weir captured the Masters in 2003, but no other countrymen joined him in his quest for PGA Tour conquest. 2024 may herald the long-awaited arrival of a Canadian squad of tour winners. Over the past few years, we’ve seen Nick Taylor break the fifty-plus year dearth of homebred champions at the Canadian Open, and players like Adam Hadwin, Corey Conners, Adam Svennson, and Mackenzie Hughes have etched their names into the PGA Tour’s annals of winners.

This week, Taylor Pendrith joined his mates with a one-shot win at TPC Craig Ranch, the home of the Byron Nelson Classic. Pendrith took a lead into the final round and, while the USA’s Jake Knapp faltered, held on for the slimmest of victories. Sweden’s Alex Noren posted six-under 65 on Sunday to move into third position, at 21-under par. Ben Kohles, a Texan, looked to break through for his first win in his home state. He took the lead from Pendrith at the 71st hole, on the strength of a second-consecutive birdie.

With victory in site, Kohles found a way to make bogey at the last, without submerging in the fronting water. His second shot was greenside, but he could not move his third to the putting surface. His fourth was five feet from par and a playoff, but his fifth failed to drop. Meanwhile, Pendrith was on the froghair in two, and calmly took two putts from 40 feet, for birdie. When Kohles missed for par, Pendrith had, at last, a PGA Tour title.

DP World Tour: China Open in Otaegui’s hands after canceled day four

It wasn’t the fourth round that was canceled in Shenzhen, but the third. Rains came on Saturday to Hidden Grace Golf Club, ensuring that momentum would cease. Sunday would instead be akin to a motorsports restart, with no sense of who might claim victory. Sebastian Soderberg, the hottest golfer on the Asian Swing, held the lead, but he would slip to a 72 on Sunday, and tie for third with Paul Waring and Joel Girrbach. Italy’s Guido Migliozzi completed play in 67 strokes on day three, moving one shot past the triumvirate, to 17-under par.

It was Spain’s Adrian Otaegui who persevered the best and played the purest. Otaegui was clean on the day, with seven birdies for 65. Even when Migliozzi ceased the lead at the 10th, Otaegui remained calm. With everything on the line, Migliozzi made bogey at the par-five 17th, as his principal competitor finished in birdie. To the Italian’s credit, he bounced back with birdie at the last, to claim solo second. The victory was Otaegui’s fifth on the DP World Tour, and first since October of 2022.

PGA Tour Americas: Quito’s rains gift title to Longbella

Across the world, superintendents and their staffs will do anything to prepare a course for play. Even after fierce, nightime rains, the Quito TG Club greeted the first four groups on Sunday. The rains worsened after 7 am, however, and the tour was forced to abort the final round of play. With scores reverting to Saturday’s numbers, Thomas Longbella’s one-shot advantage over Gunn Yang turned into a Tour Americas victory.

64 held the opening-day lead, and Longbella was not far off, with 66. Yang jumped to the top on day two, following a67 with 66. He posted 68 on day three, and anticipated a fierce, final-round duel for the title. As for Longbella, he fought off a ninth-hole bogey on Saturday with six birdies and a 17th-hole eagle. That rare bird proved to be the winning stroke, allowing Longbella to edge past Yang, and secure ultimate victory.

PGA Tour Champions: Dunlap survives Saturday stumble for win

Scott Dunlap did not finish Saturday as well as he might have liked. After beginning play near Houston with 65, Dunlap made two bogeys in his final found holes on day two, to finish at nine-under par. Hot on his heels was Joe Durant, owner of a March 2024 win on PGA Tour Champions. Just behind Durant was Stuart Appleby, perhaps vibing from his Sunday 59 at Greenbrier on this day in 2010. Neither would have a chance to track Dunlap down.

The rains that have forced emergency responders into action, to save hundreds of lives in the metro Houston area, ended hopes for a third day of play at The Woodlands. Dunlap had won once previously on Tour Champions, in 2014 in Washington state. Ten years later, Dunlap was the fortunate recipient of a canceled final round, and his two days of play were enough to earn him TC victory number two.

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