Archive for the ‘golf’ Category

Justin Timberlake has proved he can act as well as sing. Now Callaway Golf Co. is about to discover whether he has a flair for advertising too.

Mr. Timberlake, named in December as Callaway’s creative director, helped craft a new marketing campaign for the golf-equipment maker that tees off this weekend. Timed to coincide with the Farmers Insurance Open, a PGA Tour tournament that begins this week, Callaway is hoping the campaign will get it out of the rough it has been in since the 2008 recession.

The marketing effort features golf pros such as Phil Mickelson and Annika Sorenstam using Callaway products to perform jaw-dropping golf feats on the Las Vegas Strip. One TV ad shows golfer Alvaro Quiros on a floating platform on the strip, hitting a golf ball 310 yards over the Bellagio fountain.

In another, several golfers including Ms. Sorenstam hit balls from rooftop to rooftop along the strip. Helicopters fill in for golf carts.

“We wanted to make a statement that was more rock ‘n’ roll,” said Mr. Timberlake, who has been a paid endorser for Callaway for several years but isn’t in any of the new ads. Mr. Timberlake worked with Factory Design Labs, a Denver ad agency that began creating the new pitch in April 2011.

A surge of young players has lately been getting attention on the PGA Tour, such as last year’s U.S. Open winner, Rory McIlroy, who was 22 years old at the time. Callaway—whose average customer is about 55 years old—is hoping the ads will help it take advantage of that “youth movement” and attract younger consumers.

“Being hip and contemporary has to be part of the marketing plan” in order to attract new and younger golfers to the brand, says Jeff Colton, Callaway’s senior vice president of global brand and product.

Callaway, based in Carlsbad, Calif., reported losses in both 2009 and 2010 as well as for the first nine months of last year. It reports fourth-quarter results on Wednesday, with losses expected to continue. It is losing market share to competitors such as Adidas AG’s TaylorMade, according to Wall Street analysts.

After suffering during the recent recession, golf-equipment sales have begun to come back in the past year. Sales of clubs and other hard equipment—balls, clubs, bags, gloves and footwear increased 1.2% to $2.4 billion over the past 12 months at golf-course and specialty stores, according to Golf Datatech LLC, a market-research firm. But Callaway has yet to benefit. Its net sales fell slightly in the first nine months of 2011.

Tony Thornley, who was named Callaway’s interm chief executive last June—after the previous CEO stepped down—has blamed past marketing efforts for some of the company’s woes.

Dan Wewer, an analyst with Raymond James, in a note to investors, said: “Callaway strayed too far from its golfing roots with a marketing message that focused on styling and too little on the benefits of its equipment for the golfers.” Mr. Wewer was referring to a marketing campaign that talked about a strategic alliance with Lamborghini, which involved the two working together to develop composite materials that were used in both the cars and a golf club.

Nor has the company kept up with rivals in terms of advertising. Callaway spent $30 million on U.S. ads during the first nine months of 2011, according to WPP PLC’s Kantar Media. During the same period, Titleist and TaylorMade shelled out $41.1 million and $38.4 million, respectively. Titleist is owned by a consortium led by Fila Korea.

Callaway has promised investors that it would spend $25 million more on advertising and marketing this year.

Even as Callaway tries to attract younger golfers, it must be careful not to alienate its core older customers. Mr. Colton says he doesn’t think that will be a problem. “Even aging golfers want to act younger,” he adds.

Mr. Timberlake hopes the new marketing will give the sport a “nice injection of kickassery.”

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Brands just can’t get enough of musicians when it comes to hiring creative talent. Polaroid boasts Lady Gaga as its creative director, car maker Lotus has appointed rapper and DJ Swizz Beatz vp of creative design and global marketing – the artist also holds the same position over at Reebok – and last year, Puma recruited Professor Green as its Puma Social Ambassador, says Maria Stadtmuller.

Now, to help drive marketing and brand direction at Callaway Golf, none other than Justin Timberlake has been given an ‘advanced, creative position’ where he will deliver ‘high-level concepts within Callaway’s marketing activities and offer wide-ranging consultation on the visual representation of the brand’.

“Justin is an extremely gifted artist and an avid golfer with a deep passion for Callaway products, and his creative energy will serve us well as we connect with the next generation of golfers,” says Jeff Colton, svp of global brand and product, Callaway. “The opportunity to bring someone with his multifaceted talents into our creative matrix is very rare, and his input has already made an impact.”

And Timberlake himself?

““It’s always great when professional projects surround subjects that I am passionate about, and the sport of golf and my work with Callaway definitely fit that criteria,” he says. “I’m looking forward to bringing a fresh perspective to this category – focusing on the social aspects, fun and lifestyle associated with Callaway and playing golf.”

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Scogin Mayo for Golf Mag

Justin Timberlake joined his first club when he was 12, embracing its prim customs and tidy dress codes. But enough about his time as a Mouseketeer.

He’s a grown man now, not a child-performer; a 30-year-old pop and movie star and avid golfer who has traded his mouse ears for a logoed cap and a collared shirt. “There aren’t many places I can go where I don’t feel like I’m being watched,” Timberlake says. “But the golf course is one of them. It’s my refuge. It’s where I get a chance to be alone in the world.”

His 6-handicap and celebrity status make him something of a modern-day Bing Crosby: a serious stick with mega drawing power. His name appears on a PGA Tour event (the Justin Timberlake Shriners Open) and atop private lockers (he’s a member at Liberty National in New Jersey and Lakeside Golf Club in Los Angeles). It’s even on the deed of a Memphis-area course, which he purchased, with his stepdad, in 2007.

Bankrupt when he bought it, Big Creek Golf Course came with a personal connection: It was the course on which he had learned to play. With Timberlake’s backing, it has been reborn as Mirimichi (a Native American word for “place of happy retreat”), an eco-friendly layout that has racked up honors for environmental stewardship as quickly as its owner collects Grammy Awards.

During a recent swing through his hometown, Timberlake dropped by Mirimichi for a casual round and a wide-ranging conversation about the game he loves.

“I could talk golf all day,” he said.

Join the club.

My first advice to anyone who is thinking about buying a golf course is: Don’t do it.

But if you’re going to do it, don’t do it because you think you’re going to make money. Do it for the love. Do it because you want to give people a memorable experience. Mirimichi is close to my heart for obvious reasons. This is where I grew up playing. When it fell into financial trouble, I saw an opportunity to create something special and give back to the community at the same time. The idea of this course going under and becoming a housing development, I just couldn’t live with that.

Ever since Tiger started slumping it seems like attendance on Tour has shot down. People came out to see Tiger because they wanted to see greatness, and he delivered it reliably. It was the same effect Michael Jordan had on basketball. Guys like them don’t come along every day, but it seems like golf is waiting for that player to arrive. At the same time, with each generation, a little more rock and roll gets infused into golf, and that’s a good thing, especially when you look at guys like Rickie Fowler and Dustin Johnson, who are bringing a different vibe to the course. Golf with a bit of swagger. That’s a draw for the younger generation and a reminder that from a spectator standpoint, the more fun we can make it, the better.

My favorite post-round drink is usually a beer. And if it’s going to be a beer, it’s probably going to be a Stella. Depending on my mood, it might also be a cocktail. In that case, a gin and tonic. With a lemon, not a lime.

Golfers always think they have great ideas about course design. I know I did when we bought Mirimichi. But I had my first four or five ideas shot down right away. I wanted an island green par 3. And they were like, “Uh, sorry. You can’t. We’re in a flood zone. Do you know what it would take to get that area drained in a flood zone?” There’s so much more to it than you think. If you have a hole that doglegs left, you have to change the slope on the right side of the fairway. As an average golfer out there, you don’t think about those kinds of things.

When I started taking up golf seriously, in my early 20s, I remember being out on the course and seeing the sprinkler heads pop and I thought, “Where is that water coming from and where is it going? Is it from a natural source? Is it being reused? Is there a way to do that?” All those questions occurred to me. So when this opportunity [Mirimichi] came up, I asked, “Is there a way to make golf truly environmentally friendly?” The more we delved into it, the more it seemed like the answer was yes. It was just going to take time, commitment and a lot of help.

Butch Harmon is so popular it’s hard to get a lesson with him. But he was the guy who taught me how to hit a draw. Mostly what we focused on was keeping my hands farther away from my head and making my swing more compact. When I first saw him, he told me I was the only amateur who’d ever come to him who was as flexible as Tiger Woods or Adam Scott. It must come from being onstage. Anyway, Butch worked on toning that down: teaching me the art of the shorter swing.

Here’s how to behave in a pro-am: Relax. Lighten up. Have fun. And don’t take yourself too seriously. Joking around is always a good way to go, especially if you’re in my group.

I listen to all kinds of music, but almost never on the course. I played one time with an iPod and earphones with a cord running down my back. I was playing everything, old and new. The Beatles. Kings of Leon. You name it. But I find I can’t play well with buds in my ears. I start swinging to the beat and not my natural rhythm and then suddenly I’m all over the place.

I think the reason people came down so hard on Tiger is that the image of him that emerged was the opposite of what had been portrayed. There was a disconnect. If I had any advice for him, it would boil down to acceptance. Accept the fact that you are now the underdog, and embrace that role. Getting into that mindset might remind of him of his early years, when he was in fact the underdog, when he was fighting for a place at the top of the heap. The other kind of struggle—the fight to protect your image or your privacy, that’s not a fight you can win. I know. It’s a battle I used to fight myself. Until you get to a level of acceptance with the press and your public image, you’re always going to be fighting, and that’s exhausting.

Definitely the two coolest guys I’ve played with were Fred Couples and Arnold Palmer, so they’d be in my dream foursome. And I’d have to have my step-dad [Paul Harless] in there to round it out.

When people go to an event, there are so many orders they are supposed to follow. It’s shhh! Don’t walk there! Be quiet! I understand that there are rules and traditions and that they need to be respected. But I also wish that there were more ways to make events entertaining, especially during the pro-ams. I’ve even considered approaching the PGA Tour about adding music to the pro-am at my event so it’s even more loose. That’s something they’re doing well in Arizona [at the Waste Management Open] with that 16th hole where all the fans are going crazy. That kind of thing is great for the game.

A round at Augusta National is about the entire experience, so you want to make sure you take it all in. Show up early. Eat the breakfast, go hit some balls on the range, and have fun with whatever member takes you. Oh, and soft hands around the greens. They are absolutely lightning.

Michael Jordan was always my idol, so playing Bethpage with him before the [2009] U.S. Open was really cool. It wasn’t competitive between us. We were rooting each other on. Michael and I both really wanted to break 90. I know Michael had a bet with Tiger on that. Tiger said he couldn’t do it. I was happy for Michael when he won that bet.

Not to say anything bad about Muirfield [in Scotland], but when I went out there, I thought I’d stepped back into the 1800s. It’s not that there weren’t a lot of Justin Timberlake fans out there. There weren’t a lot of fans of anything out there. It just seemed like a lot of ornery old men. Everyone looked like Hobson from the original Arthur movie. I like to dress nicely, but that sort of look isn’t exactly my style. At Mirimichi, we have a very loose dress code. I’ve played in a collarless shirt. You can wear shorts of any type. I don’t even think we have a rule against denim. We don’t want to discourage people from coming out to the golf course because they feel like they’re going to have to wear perfectly pressed slacks.

When I think of golf, my first thoughts always go back to my stepdad. He was the one who introduced me to the game. We still play together a lot today, and we usually end up riding in the same cart and challenging the other cart to a match. But if I’m playing against him, it’s no holds barred. There’s no let up. We’re both grown men. I can accept losing and I know that he can take an ass-whupping. He takes enough of them from my mother at home.

This article first appeared in the February 2012 issue of Golf Magazine. The February issue is on newsstands and the tablet version is available for free for magazine subscribers on iPad, Kindle Fire, Nook Tablet, Nook Color and Samsung Galaxy Tab

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Timberlake to Help Drive Marketing and Brand Direction for Callaway and its 2012 Product Line

CARLSBAD, Calif., December 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Callaway Golf Company (NYSE: ELY) today announced the establishment of an advanced, creative position for multiple Emmy and Grammy Award-winning actor, musician and avid golfer Justin Timberlake. A Callaway Staff Professional since 2008, Timberlake will lend his versatile talents as a Creative Director for the Callaway portfolio of Brands. Timberlake will engage in the development and execution of high-level concepts within Callaway’s marketing activities and offer wide-ranging consultation on the visual representation of the Brand. The multi-year agreement was announced by Jeff Colton, Sr. Vice President of Global Brand and Product, Callaway Golf.

“We have worked with Justin for more than three years now and have been thoroughly impressed with the level of quality he brings to everything he is involved with,” said Colton. “Justin is an extremely gifted artist and an avid golfer with a deep passion for Callaway products, and his creative energy will serve us well as we connect with the next generation of golfers. The opportunity to bring someone with his multifaceted talents into our creative matrix is very rare, and his input has already made an impact.”

Timberlake’s initial work as a Creative Director for Callaway will support the Company’s 2012 RAZR line of premium golf equipment, including the recently introduced RAZR Fit™ Driver. Callaway’s 2012 product line will be launched in the first quarter of next year via the Company’s upcoming “Epic Demo” campaign being shot this week in Las Vegas across several iconic city landmarks, including the Bellagio Fountain. Timberlake’s contributions to Callaway’s Epic Demo campaign, which features Callaway staff professionals Phil Mickelson and Alvaro Quiros, includes collaboration with the creative teams and Director Joseph Kahn.

“It’s always great when professional projects surround subjects that I am passionate about, and the sport of golf and my work with Callaway definitely fit that criteria,” said Timberlake. “I’m looking forward to bringing a fresh perspective to this category — focusing on the social aspects, fun and lifestyle associated with Callaway and playing golf.”

In 2008, Timberlake became the first non-tour player to join Callaway’s team of Staff Professionals that includes Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, Alvaro Quiros and icons such as Arnold Palmer. Earlier this year, he participated in a Father’s Day-inspired social media contest that awarded equipment via Callaway’s Facebook page.

A passionate golfer, Timberlake’s rising status in the sport also includes annual hosting duties at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open PGA Tour event in Las Vegas, NV. and participation in the major Pro Am tournaments. Along with his parents, Timberlake owns and operates Mirimichi, a world-class championship golf course and learning facility located near his hometown of Memphis, Tenn.

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Las Vegas, Nevada, September 28, 2011 Justin Timberlake heads up the Shriners Open in Las Vegas.

JT making golf look sexy check out 60 + High Quality pictures from the proam game in the gallery.

Events > Shriners for children open > 2011 JT shriners Open: Celebrity Pro-Am-9/28/11

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Thanks to Amy Judd & Lynn for the gorgeous pics! If you are attending JT shriners open and would like to share your pics/videos with WOJ, feel free to email Jess & tweet us @Wojcom. The hashtag is #JTShrinersgolf11

Kids Golf Clinic (Amy Judd)

Kids Golf Clinic (Lynn)

Shriners for children open > 2011 JT Shriners Open-Golf Clinic *Taken by Amy Judd* 9/25/11

Shriners for children open > 2011 JT Shriners Open-Golf Clinic *Taken By Lynn* 9/25/11

Credit: Amy Judd & Lynn for the pics.

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Justin Timberlake’s Mirimichi

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25 Finalists Win a Callaway Diablo Octane Driver; Public Vote To Determine Grand Prize Winner Who Will Meet Timberlake

                           
CARLSBAD, Calif., June 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Callaway Golf Company (NYSE: ELY) and Justin Timberlake announced today the 25 finalists in the “Tee Off with Diablo Octane and Justin Timberlake” contest.  The Father’s Day-inspired contest, which kicked off on Callaway’s Facebook page on May 25, has drawn thousands of inspirational entries.  Beginning today, the public can visit Facebook.com/Callaway to vote for their favorite submission and determine the contest’s grand prize winner, who will meet Timberlake and enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime golf experience.  Voting concludes on June 30.

Timberlake, a Callaway Golf staff player since 2008, will hit golf balls with the contest’s grand prize winner and a guest, who will also be treated to a round on Mirimichi’s Championship Course, Timberlake’s world class golf course in Millington, Tenn.  In addition, the lucky pair will enjoy a custom fitting experience for a full set of premium Callaway clubs.  

All 25 finalists, whose entries are now posted on Callaway’s Facebook site, will automatically receive a Diablo Octane Driver, Timberlake’s driver of choice and the first club made with Forged Composite™, an ultra lightweight material that Callaway co-developed with Automobili Lamborghini.  

“The 25 finalists have been picked.  Now it’s time to vote,” encouraged Justin Timberlake in a video posted on the Callaway Facebook page today.  ”Log on and do it.”

The “Tee Off with Diablo Octane and Justin Timberlake” contest celebrates the strong relationships that develop on the golf course.  Timberlake was first introduced to the game by his dad, Paul Harless, on the Mirimichi course that they now own together.  Over the years, playing together and enjoying time on the golf course has strengthened the bond between them.  Callaway’s contest asked fans to share an emotional and entertaining story that described how the game of golf brought them closer to someone in their life.  

Vote HERE —-> Vote!

For more on the contest, please visit www.Facebook.com/Callaway.  For specific information regarding the Diablo Octane Driver, please visit www.callawaygolf.com/power.

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Justin Timberlake does not moonwalk, or dance at all, after making a birdie putt on the golf course.

“Kind of tough in golf spikes,” he said.

Golf’s random indignities do not bring out his inner, tormented actor, either.

“There are slings and arrows,” he said, “but it’s just part of the game.”

However, he does occasionally burst into song.

“Sure, why not, a golf course can be a spiritual place,” he said. “Though I don’t know any golf songs.”

Playing golf in Brooklyn just before Memorial Day weekend, Timberlake, 30, after nearly two decades of celebrity, found it easy to think of metaphors for life and golf.
“It really is a game of misses,” he said, standing alongside the plebeian Dyker Beach Golf Course. “If you can miss really well, you’re a great golfer. So it teaches you acceptance. That, when you think about it, is acceptance.”

It was his career as an entertainer that drew Timberlake to golf, a sport he plays with passion and expertise. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he is a six handicap, which means he regularly scores in the 70s.

“About eight years ago, I was on tour, and you get cabin fever because you’re always indoors,” he said, leaning on his putter. “Every day becomes the same, like the movie ‘Groundhog Day.’ So one day my stage manager said, ‘We’re going to play golf, want to come?’

“And it might sound silly, but I went out there and had a couple of beers, and all I was thinking about is getting a little ball into a little hole. It was just the best mental release from performing on stage. It took my mind somewhere else. I haven’t stopped chasing that little ball since.”

Timberlake was first taught how to play golf by his stepfather, Paul Harless, when he was in grammar school.

“I showed him a golf grip and how to swing, and it was love at first sight,” said Harless, who accompanied Timberlake to New York, where days earlier he had hosted “Saturday Night Live” for the fourth time.

But Timberlake said his early golf playing was short-lived.

With a furtive grin, he said, “I cared a lot more about girls, basketball and music.”

If his concert tours brought him back to golf, his recent transition to a movie career has sometimes interfered with his appointed 18-hole rounds.

“I don’t have those Jack Nicholson, Samuel L. Jackson type of movie contracts where it’s written in that I get to play golf during the shooting,” he said. “I don’t have that kind of leeway yet. But I get out there. I don’t let golf get too far away.”

Indeed, Timberlake’s presence in golf has become pronounced. He hosts a PGA Tour event in Las Vegas in the fall and bought the golf course where he first learned to play outside Memphis. He hopes that course, renamed Mirimichi after a $16 million renovation, will host a major golf championship in the next dozen years.

He dresses like a golfer, although with a little more panache than most. In conversation, it is obvious Timberlake knows golf history, casually quoting Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. He is a stickler for the rules, likes to play quickly and tells good golf stories, which is easier for someone who eagled Augusta National’s famed 13th hole the first time he played it a few years ago.

His golf swing is smooth and athletic, which might be the work of his personal coach, Butch Harmon, former tutor to Tiger Woods and current teacher to Phil Mickelson. His stepfather, however, thinks the fluidity and efficiency of Timberlake’s game has more to do with his better-known career endeavors.

“Entertaining and golf have two important things in common — rhythm and harmony,” Harless said. “If you can dance well, when you get on the golf course, you’re going to have a nice harmonious, rhythmic golf swing.”

Timberlake did not disagree.

“Tempo is everything in music,” he said. “I see a correlation to golf. The tempo and pace of a round are important. Having good balance, too.”

He does not, however, see similarities between the pressure to entertain 20,000 fans and making a 3-foot putt.

“I don’t put that much pressure on myself on the golf course,” he said. “So, I don’t feel that. Being an entertainer can be very, very intense. I felt that. To me, golf is getting out in nature with my buddies, or getting to play with my father.”

Timberlake has partnered with Callaway Golf to sponsor a Father’s Day-inspired contest in which the grand prize is a day for two hosted by Timberlake at his Mirimichi golf course. Entrants can sign up for the contest at facebook.com/Callaway.

“We’ll all hang out, and it’ll be a great day for a father-son team that loves to play golf,” Timberlake said.

In the meantime, while Timberlake has a new movie coming out June 24, “Bad Teacher,” with his former girlfriend Cameron Diaz, and another in theaters next month, “Friends With Benefits,” with Mila Kunis, he is looking forward to a spring and summer schedule free of major commitments.

“I’m excited about trying to get my handicap down,” he said. “Well, that’s the plan. It’s still golf. We’ll see.”

On this day in the Brooklyn sun, Timberlake was hitting some laser-straight drives and flashing a crafty short game. But there was only so much time for golf. The routinely busy Timberlake still had a couple of radio interviews to conduct and a public-service announcement to film at New York’s CityParks Junior Golf Center.

A bevy of celebrated golf courses was less than 20 miles from where he stood — including Liberty National in Jersey City, where he is a member — but Timberlake said he would not be playing any of them during his New York visit.

“Got to work, man,” he said. “Then I’ll play. But don’t worry about me. I’m fine. Trust me, I’ll play.”

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Justin Timberlake was in Brooklyn this week and took some time to explain how he prepares to play a round. Here’s a hint: it involves a trip to the 19th hole and a few arm curls.

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Callaway Golf staff professional Justin Timberlake swings his Diablo Octane driver at CityParks Junior Golf Center in Brooklyn, NY to help kick-off Callaway’s new Father’s Day inspired Facebook contest on Wednesday, May 25, 2011.

Credit: AP Photo

Justin Timberlake on Tiger Woods: ‘I can’t imagine the pressure he’s under’

Justin Timberlake, who says he has a six handicap in golf although he’s been busy acting in the new movies Bad Teacher and Friends with Benefits, says about Tiger Woods: “As far as the mental aspect, I can’t imagine the pressure he’s under.”

On Woods, Timberlake says he’s “one of the greatest golfers of all time. I’m sure he’s getting advice from all angles. You can hit plateaus in golf. … I’ve hit those plateaus in my profession, where you have to find something else to conquer.”

Timberlake, who hosts a pro golf event, has played St. Andrew’s and Augusta National, and says he’s gotten his handicap down to as low as two in recent years. He’s now hyping a Callaway essay contest via Facebook in which the winner gets the play the Tennessee golf course he owns with his stepfather. “I fell in love with the game seven years ago. It’s quiet and slow, the antithesis of what I do as an entertainer — it’s not loud and seat-of-the-pants.”

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