NEXGEN Golf: The House Brand That’s Not a House Brand

In terms of Japanese manufacturers, NEXGEN Gulf isn’t what you suppose it’s.

However from a barely completely different perspective, NEXGEN Golf is strictly what you suppose it’s.

Confused?

Effectively, with regards to figuring out your Japanese manufacturers, “confused” is pretty much as good a place to begin as any. Right here’s why. The Japanese golf gear market is strictly just like the North American market whereas, at the exact same time, nothing in any respect just like the North American market.

Extra confused?

Japan is well-known for having brand-specific shops. In order for you Mizuno, you go to the Mizuno retailer. In order for you Honma, you go to the Honma retailer. North American manufacturers in Japan do the identical factor. However the largest golf retailer in Japan occurs to even be the biggest golf retailer on the earth. They usually have every part. Every little thing.

They’ve their very own home model. Two, actually.

They usually’d prefer to wet their beak here in North America.

Golf Associate, LTD and NEXGEN Golf

Golf PartnerLTD is, in keeping with the Guinness Ebook of World Information, the planet’s largest golf retailer when it comes to shops and secondhand golf equipment bought. The corporate was established in 1999 and employs greater than 1,400 in 500 shops all through Japan. Golf Associate owns an almost 60-percent market share in Japan with 70 p.c of its gross sales coming from used gear. It has over half 1,000,000 used golf golf equipment in inventory in a customer-searchable database.

As we talked about, Golf Associate additionally has two home manufacturers. We’ve already informed you about ProtoConcept. It’s a store brand that should shatter everything you think you know about store brands.

On this yr’s Finest Participant’s Irons testing, ProtoConcept’s C03TC solid irons finished a strong fifth overall. At $2,400 for a six-piece, Endo-forged set and $300 for a single, Endo-forged wedgeit positive as heck isn’t priced the place you’d anticipate a retailer model to be priced.

And that, form of, is the place NEXGEN is available in.

“It’s not an affordable home model,” says Masashi Kamoda, NEXGEN Golf’s U.S. consultant. “In the event that they needed that, they’d have gone to China and purchased some open fashions. As an alternative, these had been designed in-house by Golf Associate’s personal design group.”

NEXGEN Golf Beginnings

As talked about, Golf Associate, LTD opened for enterprise in Japan in 1999. The corporate began advertising and marketing golf equipment of its personal design in 2000, and golf balls of its personal design in 2004. NEXGEN Gulf joined the act as a stand-alone model in 2006.

As of 2009, Golf Associate, LTD has been a completely owned subsidiary of Japan’s Xebio Firm, a sporting items and leisure conglomerate with practically $1.7 billion in annual gross sales. In its most up-to-date fiscal yr, Xebio posted practically $59 million in working earnings.

And since Golf Associate, LTD and its sister retailer, Victoria Golf, promote extra golf golf equipment than everybody else in Japan put collectively, it has a hefty database of what golfers purchase. Kamoda says NEXGEN leverages that info with regards to designing its golf equipment.

“They’ve all that knowledge of their palms,” he says. “What do prospects favor? What does the shopper like?”

And that’s necessary in Japan. For those who suppose we’re overwhelmed with decisions in North America, it’s nothing in comparison with what the Japanese golfer can select from. Not solely are all the main and lots of the not-so-major North American manufacturers out there in Japan however in addition they have a mountain of JDM (Japanese Home Market) manufacturers out there. They embrace Bridgestone (whose golf equipment are massive sellers in Japan), OnOff, Yonex, Yamaha, PRGR and others, together with NEXGEN and ProtoConcept.

Kamoda says the everyday Japanese golfer tends to be extra of an gear geek than the everyday North American golfer.

“Each are addicted golfers however Within the U.S. the main focus is extra on enjoying golf. In Japan, the main focus is extra on the gear and the expertise.”

Nonetheless Not Your Typical Home Model

Conventional home manufacturers in North America don’t actually transfer the needle. They’re most frequently former family names which have gone bust. DICK’S, for instance, provides Tommy Armour and High-Flite. When Golfsmith was in enterprise, it had MacGregor and Lynx as its home manufacturers.

NEXGEN Gulf is definitely what Golfsmith had in thoughts when it purchased Lynx out of chapter in 1998. Golfsmith’s play was to have its head designer, Tom Wishon, design a full line of high-end golf equipment that it will promote solely. Golfsmith signed Payne Stewart and Ben Crenshaw to endorsement offers to play the brand new Lynx golf equipment on the PGA TOUR. Administration ultimately pulled the plug on the deal. As Wishon informed MyGolfSpy, administration turned involved that OEMs wouldn’t admire considered one of their largest prospects abruptly turning into a competitor.

Since 70 p.c of Golf Associate’s enterprise is available in used golf equipment, OEMs in Japan don’t have that very same concern.

NEXGEN and ProtoConcept work collectively in very a lot the identical manner as Cleveland, Srixon and XXIO do. ProtoConcept performs the Srixon-XXIO function, because it’s designed for higher gamers and is, comparatively talking, massive cash. NEXGEN fills the identical function as Cleveland in that it’s primarily a game-improvement model and is priced extra within the higher reaches of what we’d think about “regular” golf equipment.

NEXGEN’s main outlet in North America is Fairway Jockeythough NEXGEN does have its personal US-specific website (transport comes from Japan). You’ll be able to construct the membership you need with Fairway Jockey’s lineup of shafts and grips. For instance, a single NEXGEN Endo-forged, custom-built wedge with a KBS Hello-Rev shaft in black and a Golf Value Tour Velvet 360 grip will run you $152.99.  A NEXGEN NS 210 driver with a real-deal HRZDUS Smoke Black, Inexperienced or Crimson shaft goes for $637.99.

Will NEXGEN Golf Matter In North America?

That, in fact, is the 100-million-yen query. Whereas we don’t have the identical mountain of apparatus choices as golfers in Japan, we aren’t ravenous, both. However psychologists say that once we’re confronted with so many decisions, two issues occur. Neither of them is sweet.

First, we regularly select not to decide on. Paralysis by evaluation units in because the choices really feel overwhelming. Second, analysis reveals as soon as we really do determine, we are typically much less glad. We will’t shake that nagging feeling that we may have performed higher and any minor shortcoming in what we did select grows in its irritation issue.

Not being completely glad together with your order at Starbucks is one factor however these nagging emotions after dropping a grand on a set of irons is one other factor fully. It’s one of many explanation why the Huge 5 are the Huge 5. They’re secure decisions. It’s once we attain past Callaway, TaylorMade, Titleist, PING or COBRA, purchaser’s regret rears its ugly head.

On the flip facet, dependable info makes sifting by all these decisions simpler. And it could even lead you to a selection you hadn’t beforehand thought of. That’s the problem all challenger manufacturers face and it’s doubly necessary for Japanese manufacturers similar to NEXGEN. It’s why NEXGEN desires you to know that whereas its golf equipment and balls are designed in-house, Bridgestone manufactures the balls, its wedges are Endo-forged and its woods and irons are made in the identical factories as Srixon and Cleveland.

And say what you’ll concerning the Scorching Listing however NEXGEN is proud that its NS210 irons earned silver this yr.

“We didn’t say something about our title once we submitted them,” says Kamoda. “We didn’t promote or something, in order that they will need to have appreciated the efficiency.”