If I found myself with a lot of free cash to spend on a new car, the McLaren would be at the top of my list. I’m not sure I’d say the same about golf equipment.
Over the years, there have been countless examples of startups trying to position themselves as ultra-premium. Few have made a measurable impact on the industry; none have intervened by maintaining prices and some no longer exist.
Will McLaren (yes, THAT McLaren) be any different?
Rumors of McLaren’s entry into the golf equipment space have been swirling for over a year. For a while, it was the kind of whisper you hear at an industry event and immediately write under “I’ll believe it when I see it.” But the whispers have gotten louder and the details more specific.
On April 29, the McLaren Golf officially becomes a thing.
What we know
The latest intelligence suggests that a pair of well-known PGA Tour pros have signed with the brand. One continues to make headlines (for better or worse) while the other is perhaps a more natural fit on paper for a performance-driven car brand, though it hasn’t been lighting up the leaderboards lately.
On the design side, word is that some guys who have made some real noise in the wedge category are part of the team. And make of it what you will, but JP Harrington of JP Wedges (and formerly of Titleist) recently shared McLaren’s Instagram post with the caption, “Next Chapter.” This is not confirmation. But this is nothing either.
We’ve also heard that at least one former TaylorMade employee is part of the crew tasked with bringing the McLaren Golf to life. For a startup—even one with a nine-figure brand behind it—that kind of pedigree matters. You need people who have actually shipped the product to scale, not just people who have designed pretty prototypes.
Car brands and golf: A meh story
Here’s the thing: car brands trying to do something in golf isn’t exactly new. And the record (pun very much intended) is pointless.
More than a decade ago, Mercedes-AMG had a booth at the PGA Show. Metalwoods were… interesting. The irons looked great. I don’t remember seeing them anywhere else.
In 2014, Williams Racing launched a line of clubs. Do you remember them? I didn’t think so.
COBRA collaborated with Ferrari on a driver. It was also one and done.
In recent years, TaylorMade has collaborated with Red Bull Racing on several limited-edition cosmetic pieces. Nice stuff, sure, but the operative word there is “cosmetic.” It is a living partnership, not a technological one.
With this, McLaren looks to be on its own – not a collaboration, not a licensing deal, not a co-branded special edition. A complete golf equipment company. This is a fundamentally different (and significantly more ambitious) proposition.
What we don’t know
There’s still a lot we don’t know. Chief among the unknowns: lineup alignment. Are we talking about irons and wedges? Metal wood? Putters? Full bag?
For what it’s worth, the driver category is extremely difficult for challenger brands to break into and, as far as I’m concerned, none have been particularly successful. Building a driver that can compete with the R&D budgets of Callaway, TaylorMade, Titleist and PING is a different animal than forging a set of irons. It’s not impossible, but history says it’s unlikely—at least out of the gate.
Press release
McLaren’s official announcement leans heavily on the sort of language you’d expect: “high-performance DNA”, “demanding standards”, “pushing the limits”. Quotes from McLaren Automotive CEO Nick Collins and McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown read like they were drafted by the same PR team. Lots of “excellence” and “extraordinary experience” and “standard setting engineering standards”.
McLaren Golf CEO Neil Howie offered a little more substance, noting that the company has “hired some of the best minds in engineering and combined them with leading figures from the world of golf to create an innovation-led company.” This is unclear, but at least it acknowledges that engineering chops alone does not make golf equipment. You also need golf people.
The full launch is scheduled for April 29.
The elephant in the bag
With no products to speak of yet, no prizes to share. But let’s be honest – nothing about it is that cheap. In a world where a significant portion of gamers already believe that equipment prices have crossed the line into absurd territory, expect McLaren to use the brand’s horsepower to justify the absurd free-for-all prices.
This is just speculation, but I like my chances of being right.
The question is not whether McLaren can build beautiful golf equipment. With the right people (and it looks like they might have OTHER USEFUL by the right people), they probably can. The question is whether there is a sustainable market for it. The story goes that the ultra-premium golf space is where ambition goes to die.
The McLaren brand has undeniable numbers and it looks like they are building a real team. That’s more than most startups bring to the table. But the branding package doesn’t lower your handicap, and a supercar logo on the rear hatch doesn’t make it perform like an industry leader.
I’d love to be wrong, but I wouldn’t bet a McLaren on it.
More information as it becomes available.
