Club Benefits
We've officially entered Masters week. Which also means that those of us in colder climates can start playing golf again.
To celebrate, I sat down with Ronnie Shaw, the CEO of Vessel Golf, to talk about what I think are the nicest golf bags on the market. There are so many details about Vessel bags that make them stand out, and a lot happens behind the scenes.
The Vessel bag experience
Vessel had an interesting path in the golf bag and golf lifestyle business. CEO Ronnie Shaw's father owns a golf bag factory that makes bags for some of the biggest golf companies. One of its biggest customers was Nike Golf, the brand famously associated with Tiger Woods.
But a decade ago, Nike decided to exit the golf equipment business, which accounted for about 50% of its business. This left Shaw with a choice: his custom golf bag company Vessel was about three years old, and he thought, "Huh, maybe we should do something with Vessel."
And do something he did. That was the first Player bag, and the company hasn't shown any signs of slowing down in popularity. "Now it's Player V, and we're launching Player VI," said Shaw.
Sure, Nike's leaving golf was a sad time for fans of the brand, but it gave rise to the golf bag that more tour players use by choice than any other, and Vessel's rise has had a substantial impact on the Tour. Players seem to love the company's bags.
"We’re grateful to see how many players on Tour continue to choose Vessel.
When they have the freedom to carry what they want, it means a lot to see our bags in play," said Shaw.
That really blew me away: these players who are sponsored by brands like Titleist, Callaway and TaylorMade are choosing to pass on those bags to get a custom Vessel because they like the bag — I asked again to make sure that no one using a Vessel on tour is paid by Vessel. "Yes," he reiterated. "I think we may have the biggest market share on tour."
If that's not an impressive way to storm the market after Nike's hasty retreat, I don't know what is.
What's next for Vessel?
Shaw mentioned the Player VI coming down the line, but there's more from Vessel, including something "revolutionary."
"We actually have a new bag that's coming out, it's a little bit revolutionary," Shaw explained. "I know if people can see it, because it's actually a departure from how people use it in golf right now."
Aparently the biggest change is to the top of the bag. Shaw and his R&D team "design the top differently."
Color me intrigued. So intrigued that I had to pry for more. Sadly, Shaw was pretty tight-lipped, only saying, "The next bag coming out at the end of the year actually has a little bit of a pivot, and you have to think about it a little bit differently. But I just know it's going to be a benefit for people who use a stand bag and carry a bag."
But fear not, traditionalists, as the bag will apparently function like a standard bag if that's more your speed. "The good thing about it is the traditionalist can still use it in the way that's been used for the last 35 or 40 years, but the new way can be done like a switch."
With golf bags like the Ogio Silencer and Ask Echo changing how clubs sit in a bag, I'm truly excited to see what Vessel has up its sleeve when its new bag launches at the beginning of September.
But for now, we can only speculate.
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