PGA Tour pro reveals reasons behind not having a golf club contract
"Honestly, some of the contracts aren't worth the money we're playing for," Ryan Palmer tells Golf WRX.
Lucrative golf club contract deals might look great when it comes to the bank balance, but Ryan Palmer has told Golf WRX they're really "not worth the money we're playing for" out on the PGA Tour.
In an open, honest interview with Golf WRX, the three-time PGA Tour winner expressed his desire to continue playing golf without an equipment contract in 2019.
This is something all three major winners of 2019 - Patrick Reed, Brooks Koepka and Francesco Molinari - have decided to do, and even the likes of Tommy Fleetwood and Paul Casey fall into this bracket as things stand following their decisions to go alone after Nike Golf's departure from the hardware market several years ago.
The only area of the bag Palmer has changed for 2019 is his irons - something he had not done in NINE YEARS! The 42-year-old American recently switched from Titleist 710 AP2 irons to Srixon 785 irons - but out of choice as an uncontracted player.
Some of Palmer's words below are interesting, especially after we delved deeper into the numbers behind golf equipment and apparel contracts.
RELATED: HOW MUCH A TOUR PRO MAKES ON A GOLF CLUB CONTRACT WILL BLOW YOUR MIND!
"Well the problem today is, you’re having to sign the full bag," Palmer told Johnny Wunder on Golf WRX's 'Gear Dive' podcast.
"I mean, with TaylorMade, you’re having to sign the full staff, the ball. Titleist, full clubs, the ball. Callaway, I mean, Callaway will get you in a driver deal. TaylorMade doesn’t have anymore driver deals out there. Ping is obviously full staff, full clubs. So it’s just, guys, are not wanting to sign away every club in their bag. I mean, for me, I got an Odyssey putter, Vokey wedges, Srixon irons, TaylorMade woods.
"You know, honestly, some of the contracts aren’t worth what the money we’re playing for. That’s the way I’ve always looked at it, the last few years, and, I’d rather take the clubs I’m comfortable with and have confidence in than going out there with something I’m not used to just get a couple hundred thousand more dollars.
"I think these young guys today, come out here, and then they leave the Web, and then automatically, “Who can I sign with, where can I sign?”…They’re getting bad advice, from a lot of, from the people giving them advice, you know? There’s people out there trying to make a buck off them. They think, “Here sign this deal with this company, this club company, because somebody on the outside is getting an extra kickback.”
"Guys don’t realise, you sign a $400,000 contract with whoever…Go finish top 10 twice, and you’ve made it, you’ve made that money. So it’s almost, that’s my approach, and, you know, Mike Chisholm, my manager, close personal friend of mine first, but, we talk about it all the time. And, to me, and he knows, there’s more money to be won on the golf course then there is off the golf course when it comes to equipment.
