TaylorMade wants you to celebrate a heritage … that dates back to … (check notes) … 2019.
What TaylorMade doesn’t want to do is get too specific about what it actually means.
So there you go.
The TP5 Collector’s Edition features a dozen gold-accented golf balls enough to line a White House ballroom and promises “iconic designs” without getting too (or any) specific about what makes them iconic.
What are you buying (type)
If you’re looking to spend money with minimal idea of what you’re actually getting, this is the limited edition collection for you.
The TP5 Collector’s Edition is the mystery golf box. Twelve golf balls that represent the pinnacle of TaylorMade’s legacy of visual technology—which, again, spans the last six or seven years (I have a 15-year-old daughter, so I just wrung my hands after typing that last sentence).
A growing catalog of designs
To be fair, TaylorMade has a lot of good options to choose from.
As of 2019, they’ve printed more than a few things on golf balls. What started as a challenge – “it took everything we had just to figure out how to put 12 logos on a ball” – has become a huge part of the ball business with visual technology now accounting for a significant portion of TP5’s sales.
Pickles, pizza, donuts, tacos—if you can think of it, TaylorMade probably printed it on a golf ball and it probably sold out soon after.
I suspect there is a market for this, even with the lack of clarity about what we are buying.
An obvious connection
There’s an obvious comparison here that TaylorMade won’t make. Callaway’s Supersoft Advent Calendar has been a hit this holiday season.
The TP5 Collector’s Edition follows the same format, and while I’m tempted to say that the company may have found some inspiration in Callaway’s offering, the reality is that generally these types of things are planned well in advance. Honestly, once you decide you’re going to hide what’s in the box behind the punched cutouts, you’ll invariably end up with something reminiscent of an advent calendar.
A new gold standard (in packaging)
Credit where it’s due: TaylorMade didn’t skimp on the presentation.
The packaging is well executed: solid gold base color, vintage black script, uniform black border. It’s the kind of box you’ll probably want to keep long after the original contents have been lost.
Inside messages speak of the “iconic nature of the collection” while maintaining that carefully cultivated mystique. Packaging rules being what they are, you also get the French version.
(Thanks, Canada.)
Still, it’s clear that a lot of work has gone into something that will likely sit unopened on the shelf because people won’t want to mess with the presentation (or possibly ruin the collectible value).
Gambling
I’m not sure if what TaylorMade created is brilliant marketing, elaborate trolling, or both.
Beyond the packaging, are you getting a celebration of iconic designs or a mix of PIX’s over-the-top bags?
At the very least, there’s a fair amount of guts to ask players to pay an extra fee on limited edition while they’re in a rush for what’s in the collection.
Either way, the TP Collector’s Edition represents a fascinating moment in golf marketing. It’s a premium product built on the assumption that TaylorMade’s reputation is strong enough to sell mystery boxes to players who typically look for specs, data, and/or at least adequate descriptions before buying anything.
Whether that works for you depends on how much you trust TaylorMade’s definition of “icon” and whether the reveal fits the package that promises everything … while revealing nothing.
TP5 Collector’s Edition is available now.
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