... is Barsby pulling a Grohl and coming out from behind the kit?
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2015 Pros and Their Manufacturers
- Thread starter dwayne.hoffman
- Start date
... is Barsby pulling a Grohl and coming out from behind the kit?
Tim_the_Enchanter
Birdie Member
Exactly. For the first half of my disc golfing years, I had no idea of who these Ken or Barry guys were, and didn't throw Valkyries because I assumed they were discs intended for women. I knew vaguely that there were organized tournaments out there, but really didn't care about them.
All that I knew was what my local PIAS carried, and tried to figure out what I could expect the disc to do based on the antiquated flight chart that. I mostly threw Innova, because that was the majority of their inventory, but also mixed in some Discraft and had a Millennium or two along the way. I had no idea that Gateway even existed.
zj1002
* Ace Member *
In the back of my mind I've been thinking that Brad Williams might be trying to get on with Prodigy. The last few vids of him I watched he had lots of Prodigy and was even putting with them.opcorn: Someone in the know could probably shed some light on that.
Hes definitely on that train. Not sure when/if it will be official but hes been rocking all Prodigy for a reason for the last couple months.
2 year player contracts at prodigy are up 2015 ... I assume some changes will happen'
You definately have. From the Year I just spent in IL I do see quite a few people using vibram, and the people from Il that come up to WI to play you see it with them. Everywhere else I dont really see it much.
You're kinda contradicting yourself here. Dynamic discs got its foot in the door as an apparel, dying and stamping company getting its brand out their by getting tournament throwers to rep the gear. Just about everyone already knew what DD was before they ever made a disc, because players all over the place were wearing their branded apparel. Huk lab and Grip are two more examples of non manufacturer brands that were built on pro sponsorship. Shoot, Grip basically reinvented the whole bag market just by getting a few pros to carry them.
I don't really believe the whole "99% of the sport doesn't know or care who these people are so they don't matter" business. We may be the 1% (maybe, I'm not convinced that is true) but we spend a ton of money on discs. If we didn't there would be absolutely no reason for something like the innova factory store website to exist, as they already have the large scale distribution from Dicks and Academy to make us disc nerds supposedly obsolete to their bottom line. I'm not buying it.
Did someone cite 99%? Did I miss that?
I know I brought up that there's a significant segment of disc-buyers who don't know, or don't care. Might be more than half. Might be less. I have no idea. But it's one reason companies take different approaches to marketing and sponsorship.
I'll be if I asked the folks that come through our store which discs are thrown by which pros, or which pros are sponsored by which companies, the majority would have no clue. Many wouldn't be able to name a single pro player.
Heck, on those first two questions, once I'm 2 days past this thread I would only be able to name about 5. And I'm pretty deeply involved in disc golf.
I know I brought up that there's a significant segment of disc-buyers who don't know, or don't care. Might be more than half. Might be less. I have no idea. But it's one reason companies take different approaches to marketing and sponsorship.
I'll be if I asked the folks that come through our store which discs are thrown by which pros, or which pros are sponsored by which companies, the majority would have no clue. Many wouldn't be able to name a single pro player.
Heck, on those first two questions, once I'm 2 days past this thread I would only be able to name about 5. And I'm pretty deeply involved in disc golf.
Loomis
Par Member
Most of those players walking through your door are only going to walk through your door once. Maybe twice. Those are the casual players for whom tournaments, disc golf and even discs mean very little. This isn't the target audience with manufacturers.
BUT
If the player gets hooked. If they suddenly become very interested and want to get better. They are going to start looking for answers so they can take it to the next level. This leads to them watching better players and then "mimicking" their games, their disc choices and even their non-essential gear (shoes, birdie bags, bags). In these cases, your store will be visited by repeat customers who will be trying Cale's putter, then Climo's, then McBeth's, then just some random disc they found that has no stamp but it works for them and they want to know if you have another one.
High Profile players are a major influence on what discs get purchased. A casual player may not care who some of the Pros are, but Kraits weren't jumping off the shelf until McBeth stuck his name on it. If Mcbeth said, "it's all Lycans for me" you wouldnt be able to keep them in your store.
Manufacturers know that players are unsure of themselves and will try the next thing out there if it will improve their game. This is where the sales are. People who can't be stopped when it comes to being a better gamer.
BUT
If the player gets hooked. If they suddenly become very interested and want to get better. They are going to start looking for answers so they can take it to the next level. This leads to them watching better players and then "mimicking" their games, their disc choices and even their non-essential gear (shoes, birdie bags, bags). In these cases, your store will be visited by repeat customers who will be trying Cale's putter, then Climo's, then McBeth's, then just some random disc they found that has no stamp but it works for them and they want to know if you have another one.
High Profile players are a major influence on what discs get purchased. A casual player may not care who some of the Pros are, but Kraits weren't jumping off the shelf until McBeth stuck his name on it. If Mcbeth said, "it's all Lycans for me" you wouldnt be able to keep them in your store.
Manufacturers know that players are unsure of themselves and will try the next thing out there if it will improve their game. This is where the sales are. People who can't be stopped when it comes to being a better gamer.
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Actually, a lot of them are really into trying new discs, and come back over and over.
Some will certainly get into tournament play and improving. But there are a lot of casual players who play with their friends, love trying new stuff, and have no thoughts of going any further.
The biggest impact of sponsors and pros is indirect---because it might affect what stock we carry or, more to the point, we carry stock to suit the people who do pay attention. If Prodigy makes a splash, we stock it for the people who care about the pros, which means it's also in stock for the people who don't.
But I suspect if I asked the people I play tournaments with, half of them are like me---only a sketchy knowledge of which pros are connected to which brands. And I'll bet that some other divisions are a lot more in tune with that.
.....whether these casual players are a target of manufacturers, I have no idea. But the production of certain molds makes me think that they are at least part of the target audience, at least for Innova.
Our store is small, and caters to the non-tournament crowd. I don't think anyone's asked for a Krait.
Tournament players pick up so many discs at tournaments that, around here, they don't need a brick-&-mortar store. (When we vend our own tournaments, the sales mix is quite different than what we move weekly).
- Joined
- Feb 2, 2014
- Messages
- 8,168
It's funny, I live 20 mins from the Prodigy office, and AlI still don't see their discs on the course that much. The local stores stock it, but it seems to move more slowly than the Innova and Trillogy stuff. Though Discraft seems less popular here on the whole.
About a year ago I saw a lot of D1s and D4s on the course but a lot of those guys are back to throwing Destroyers and Katanas and whatever else now.
Prodigy should be owning this retail market but for whatever reason I don't don't think it's their main focus. Maybe it is, I don't know those guys to know their business's plan.
About a year ago I saw a lot of D1s and D4s on the course but a lot of those guys are back to throwing Destroyers and Katanas and whatever else now.
Prodigy should be owning this retail market but for whatever reason I don't don't think it's their main focus. Maybe it is, I don't know those guys to know their business's plan.
DangeRuss
Eagle Member
I have friends that have been playing for more than a decade, probably have thrown 75% of discs on the market at one time or another, and have no freakin clue who Paul McBeth or Will Shusterick are.
Mixed Bag Madness
Birdie Member
Gateway for a minute and Vibram for a brief minute. He has always had different Innova drivers etc. but now it's all Prodigy. That's what peaked my interest. He's an extremely talented player who has greatly improved his attitude. I feel he would be a great addition to Prodigy.
Cgkdisc
.:Hall of Fame Member:.
If Prodigy players own stock as originally reported when Prodigy was formed, I presume those getting out and those getting in may need to sell/buy the shares?
blackcatsmith
Double Eagle Member
Just watched the Smashboxx interview with Paige Pierce, and they mentioned that Prodigy's 2 year contracts are up this year. Any speculation(wild or other) on who stays, who goes and who signs for the first time?
onemilemore
* Ace Member *
I think what you're describing here is more regional distribution/saturation than pro influence. Discraft is big in Michigan because it's local. Same with legacy and SoCal and the midwest with DD. People gravitate toward local brands to show a sense of pride and ownership.
Do pros help spread the wealth of these brands? Yes. But I still believe the pro impact on sales is vastly overstated. Most buyers can find discs online now, and their choices are supplemented with flight charts and guides that can point them in the direction of their needs. I suspect those have more of an influence than any pro name on any disc.
If I go to the local disc golf course and ask Joe Chucker to name me three pro disc golfers, that's like asking my wife to name the New Orleans Saints' offensive line. It's not happening.
BgWvDave
Double Eagle Member
This whole post was hilarious. just wanted to correct the 1 mistake in it. Deity has the drummer in Barsby. You ever see animal from the Muppets? he is on xanax compared to Greg. The bass player is what they are in need of.
I do subscribe to the camp that "pro endorsements" do have a bigger impact than those who think it is minimal because most hackers don't know any pros.
Disc golf is still a grass roots sport in which a lot "tribal knowledge" is passed down at the local course. There is a food chain of knowledge, know how, technique, equipment recommendations that cascade down through a significant portion of the player base from elite to beginner.
A given course may have only a handful of "locally elite" (not globally elite) players who play in regional area tournaments and who very tuned in to equipment trends, etc. These guys not only buy a lot of discs but they are fixtures at local leagues and a lot of league players "try" discs that these "early adopters" use. League players than play casual rounds with other lesser players on the same course both in random hook ups and with friends. So there can be a significant "multiplier effect" in play as the new "Roc3" (or whatever) hits the market. Most local courses have a local vendor or places like Marshall ST get the sales. The point is that many more "sales" flowing out of a sponsored pro new product get into the market as a result of such sponsorship reaching the hands of many who have no idea who Paul McBeth or Will Shusterick are.
Disc golf is still a grass roots sport in which a lot "tribal knowledge" is passed down at the local course. There is a food chain of knowledge, know how, technique, equipment recommendations that cascade down through a significant portion of the player base from elite to beginner.
A given course may have only a handful of "locally elite" (not globally elite) players who play in regional area tournaments and who very tuned in to equipment trends, etc. These guys not only buy a lot of discs but they are fixtures at local leagues and a lot of league players "try" discs that these "early adopters" use. League players than play casual rounds with other lesser players on the same course both in random hook ups and with friends. So there can be a significant "multiplier effect" in play as the new "Roc3" (or whatever) hits the market. Most local courses have a local vendor or places like Marshall ST get the sales. The point is that many more "sales" flowing out of a sponsored pro new product get into the market as a result of such sponsorship reaching the hands of many who have no idea who Paul McBeth or Will Shusterick are.
