Customization and personalization are a development, not simply in golf, however just about in all places. The need to have it your means (no matter what it’s) is the explanation TaylorMade is launching MySymbol – a golf ball personalization program for its TP5 and TP5x golf balls.
Golf Ball Customization At the moment
Enjoyable reality: Roughly 15 p.c of the golf ball market falls within the class of souvenirs, novelties and company presents. That covers something from a logoed golf ball on the resort course you simply paid means an excessive amount of cash to play (taking a look at you, Andy and TPC Sawgrass) or the buckets of logoed balls that litter the excessive grass and tree strains after each massive event at your native course.
An excellent little bit of the remainder of the customized aspect of the ball enterprise is your customized participant quantity stuff. Too cool for 1-4? Should you’re prepared to pay a bit extra, most ball producers will print a customized participant quantity for you.
I see you, Mr. 47.
That’s advantageous, I suppose, however with its MySymbol Golf Ball program, TaylorMade hopes to take golf ball personalization to the subsequent degree.
About TaylorMade MySymbol
The way in which TaylorMade sees it, MySymbol is a chance to succeed in the golfer who’s involved in personalization in a means that’s maybe a bit extra fascinating than a two-digit quantity.
It additionally serves as outreach to the golfer who needs one thing completely different than inventory white or yellow however possibly isn’t fairly prepared to leap into the visible deep finish with a TP PIX or Tour Response Stripe.
Whereas TaylorMade is simply now making MySymbol official, this system quietly launched on the corporate web site a couple of weeks in the past and has been obtainable to inexperienced grass accounts for the higher a part of a yr.
OK, however what’s MySymbol?
TaylorMade’s MySymbol permits you to customise your TP5 or TP5x with one in all greater than 100 icons, symbols … no matter you wish to name them … throughout a number of classes like meals, nations, sports activities and extra.
Your symbols (that are kinda like emojis) might be positioned beneath the TaylorMade emblem or reverse the aspect stamp. You may also customise the TaylorMade emblem with one in all six colours.
Emblem colorization is maybe the least fascinating MySymbol possibility however it does give us cause to take a short departure to debate the USGA’s golf ball itemizing course of.
Because it occurs, the governing our bodies think about the emblem an integral a part of the golf ball. What which means is that not solely does the emblem must be there (you possibly can’t ditch the TaylorMade emblem within the customization course of) however TaylorMade needed to submit every of the emblem colours to the USGA for testing and in the end itemizing.
So far as the USGA is anxious, a TP5 with a blue TaylorMade emblem is completely different than an in any other case similar TP5 with a purple TaylorMade emblem.
Between TP5 and TP5x, that quantities to 10 new listings (black was already conforming) and there’s a charge related to every.
What’s fascinating about how the USGA does issues – and the factor that makes TaylorMade MySymbol potential – is that the spot on the ball sometimes occupied by a participant quantity is taken into account beauty.
Completely different characters don’t require separate listings so manufacturers are free to place just about no matter they need in that area.
Up to now, ball makers haven’t proven a lot originality however the beauty classification is the explanation most everybody provides customized participant numbers (00-99).
Key in all of that is that there’s no rule that claims that area have to be occupied by a quantity or letters. In actual fact, there’s no rule that claims the participant quantity needs to be two characters or much less and even alphanumeric for that matter.
You need 4 digits beneath the emblem? That’s cool.
4 letters? Additionally, cool.
Three letters and one quantity. Nonetheless cool.
Let’s get bizarre.
An avocado, a bit of sushi or a bloody hockey masks? Positive, why not?
It’s your ball. Do as you want.
Personally, I’m digging the chili pepper possibility as a result of my quick recreation is so spicy.
Transferring on …
The Present MySymbol Choices
TaylorMade’s image catalog is over 100 deep already and the corporate will proceed so as to add new symbols on occasion.
If iconography isn’t your factor, you possibly can put as much as 4 characters of textual content beneath the emblem and as much as three strains (restricted to eight characters) reverse the aspect stamp.
I’d say the sky is the restrict however, for now, you’re restricted to the pictures TaylorMade provides. It’s truthful to say the corporate want to provide a totally personalized possibility however there are some hurdles (principally the potential for trademark violations and customers importing low-res crap pictures) that should be cleared first.
Likewise, for now, TaylorMade isn’t able to complement its present PIX choices with a customized possibility. That’s a damned disgrace as I believe the MyGolfSpy emblem would look fairly candy in a PIX sample.
There’s a $5 per dozen upcharge ($54.99) for MySymbol and the minimal order is three dozen.
Doing its finest Amazon impersonation, TaylorMade provides a subscribe-and-save possibility. Should you select the subscription possibility, the $5 upcharge is waived and the minimal order is just two dozen (per cargo).
MySymbol on TOUR
MySymbol is already taking off on the PGA TOUR. Collin Morikawa has ditched his participant quantity for an image of his canine. Charlie Hull has been utilizing a customized MySymbol ball as nicely. It’s solely a matter of time earlier than extra TaylorMade staffers observe swimsuit.
As extra Tour gamers embrace customization, it’s logical to suppose on a regular basis golfers will do the identical.
In the end, TaylorMade hopes MySymbol will show that customized merchandise can attraction to critical golfers and nonetheless be enjoyable.
And so, yeah, the takeaway is you don’t must play a 2 or a 4. You’ll be able to play a goat or a taco or the final 4 digits of your Social Safety quantity.
You do you. That’s type of the purpose.
Availability
TaylorMade MySymbol Golf balls can be found now. To get began personalizing your TP5 or TP5x golf balls, go to TaylorMadeGolf.com.
