Brian Minbiole has been a Callaway representative for almost 30 years and has been attending Carl’s Golfland Demo Days just as long.
He said he enjoys the cross section of golfers who play the game and come out of the winter woodwork to discuss and try new equipment. Demo Days takes place every Saturday through the end of March at both Carl’s locations in Bloomfield Hills and Plymouth.
“I always feel the first sign of golf season in Michigan is coming out to Demo Days at Carl’s. The consumers come out of hibernation with enthusiasm – and the opportunity to put equipment in people’s hands to test is what’s made Callaway successful,” Minbiole said. “The performance of the product is fantastic and the best way to know that is to see the ball fly.”
Minbiole said rarely a Demo Day goes by without getting a question about the Callaway stable of professional players using Callaway equipment. Not surprisingly they ask a lot about Phil Mickelson.
“Most consumers think the pros are so good they can hit any (equipment) – it’s the Indian, it’s not the arrow,” he said. “But if you knew how much time the Tour player spends on picking out his brand then picking out equipment within that brand you realize they take great pride in their arrows.”
Minbiole admitted with some pride that the launch last year of the Jailbreak technology in the Epic driver pretty much catapulted Callaway to the No. 1 driver for the first time in 15 years.
“It’s a relatively simple message but the engineering that went into it is very complex,” he said. “I get a really neat balance of the consumer who has a simple question and just wants to hit the ball better … to the automotive engineers, that we have a lot of in Michigan, who want to see the cutaway of my golf club and want me to explain the physics and engineering behind it. When I do, then they say, ‘I see where you’re going with that. That’s not marketing (hype).’
“That wide spectrum of consumers is a lot of fun. I like the diversity and often like the challenges they throw at me.”
