A "White Out" of a different kind hit Manhattan today as local golfers and some of the world's best in the game hit golf balls down the middle of 54th Street with a new white colored driver. The number two player in the world, Martin Kaymer, and global golf star Sergio Garcia joined hundreds of New Yorkers in "White Out" conditions to be among the first to hit the new TaylorMade's R11 and Burner white-colored drivers and woods. Each took target practice inside a large 45-foot tall by 120-foot long custom-made driving range outside of the Golfsmith store on 54th and Lexington. For every target successfully hit by a golfer, each company made sizeable donations to a local wounded veterans program using golf in rehabilitation efforts.
The fully-enclosed driving range featured snow flurries falling from the massive structure, covered in white netting, lush grass and a custom tee box. Golfsmith and TaylorMade constructed the driving range to allow New Yorkers to shake off the winter doldrums and be among the first to hit the hottest drivers and woods on the PGA Tour. The white colored clubs are something of a phenomenon in golf because most clubs are black. They have become some of the hottest selling clubs for Golfsmith since launched.
"The products we've brought to the industry are unique, exciting and most importantly, Tour-validated, and we're confident the energy they've created in golf will be further captured through an event of this magnitude," said TaylorMade Golf CEO Mark King.
"TaylorMade has engineered a club with some unconventional customized features and the white aesthetics of the drivers is generating some of the biggest buzz the industry has seen in a long time," said Marty Hanaka, CEO of Golfsmith, the nation's largest golf specialty retailer. "Out of the gates this is the hottest selling driver that we've seen in the last 10 years."
Garcia, Kaymer and hundreds of New Yorkers braved the near freezing temperatures to fire drives at targets on the far end of the 45-foot tall by 40-yard long driving range using TaylorMade's revolutionary new all-white R11 and Burner SuperFast 2.0 drivers. Together, they raised $40,000 in equipment for Operation Game On!, an organization that uses golf as part of wounded warriors' rehabilitation efforts.
"Our mission is to use golf as a rehabilitation program for returning physically and mentally combat injured troops," said Operation Game On! Founder and President Tony Perez. "We are here to let wounded veterans know they don't need to raise a white flag when it comes to being active. Instead, they can swing a white driver and enjoy a very active lifestyle through playing golf."
Following the event, consumers joined Garcia and Kaymer inside Golfsmith where they had a chance to outdrive the athletes for a chance to win prizes. Those who attended had a chance to win a new club and received a hat.
The new TaylorMade white drivers have completely turned the golf world on its ear. Since debuting on the PGA Tour in early January, the R11 and Burner SuperFast 2.0 have been put in play more than 200 times combined on Tours worldwide. The instant Tour validation and media accolades have retailers in strong position for one of the biggest retail product launches the golf industry has ever seen.
Owning 31 percent dollar share of the metalwood market, according to Golf DataTech's December 2010 report, TaylorMade is the world's leading metalwood brand and continues to be the most-played and winningest driver brand in golf. The TaylorMade R11 utilizes the company's "Three Dimensions of Distance" and 3D tuning technologies that allows players to independently tune loft, face angle and flight path in order to maximize distance off the tee. The clubhead's new aerodynamic shape promotes faster clubhead speed for more distance, while allowing up to 100 yards of side-to-side trajectory change. Its distinctive white coloring and black clubface reduces glare and helps players with alignment, a trait which it shares with the TaylorMade Burner SuperFast 2.0.
The TaylorMade Burner SuperFast 2.0 is TaylorMade's lightest driver at only 279 grams. Its large cone face and new clubhead shape provide the largest sweetspot on a TaylorMade driver, and its light weight combined with longer shaft combine for added distance off the tee -- as much as five yards more than the previous generation of Burner.
