Callaway N Sync with Future

It’s safe to assume that most people within the golf industry know what brand of clubs Tiger Woods or Mike Weir play.

The use of PGA Tour players – or LPGA, Nationwide or Champions Tour players, for that matter – is a common practice that is the focus of advertising campaigns for golf club manufacturers, not to mention apparel companies and other businesses that concentrate on the game.

Callaway Golf is one of those golf companies that use star power to its advantage, but it isn’t always tour players who are the centrepieces of that brand’s parade of stars.

Over the years, Callaway has had the likes of Alice Cooper and Celine Dion use their products, either officially or unofficially, and it continued that tradition recently when it signed six-time Grammy winner Justin Timberlake to endorse and play its equipment.

The signing of such a spokesperson not only grabs the attention of the industry, but also the consumers that Callaway is trying to convince to play its brand. In this case, Timberlake’s endorsement appeals to the next generation, which means that Callaway is not only seeking instant gratification, but also planning its future.

That’s the way it looks from the outside looking in. Last year, Callaway joined forces with the Golf Association of Ontario in introducing a Golf In Schools program designed to get kids involved in the game at a young age.

While Timberlake’s endorsement will grab the attention from golfers of all ages, the signing of the former N Sync lead singer will have particular appeal to those under 30. Getting its brand into the heads of those in their formative years should pay dividends moving forward.

While some may view this move as a bit of fluff, Timberlake follows in the tradition of Bing Crosby and Bob Hope as stars who actually play the game.

He has lent his name to the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, a PGA Tour event played a couple of weeks ago in Las Vegas, and will open his own eco-friendly golf course in Memphis next summer.

A few weeks ago, I chatted with Timberlake, 27, about how he got into the game relatively late in life, but has since become a single digit handicapper.

“My dad tried to get me into the game when I was younger, but I was pretty much a diehard basketball player in school,” he said. “That required a lot of time and dedication in my mind. I remember that my dad tried to get me into golf when I was 10 or 1. I played it a little bit, but I wasn’t as serious about it.

“I didn’t really fall in love with the game until I was about 21 or 22. I was on tour, just kind of got cabin fever from playing indoor arenas three or four days in a row. My crew, my stage manager, took me out,” he said.

“I sort of remembered everything that my dad taught me when I was 10 or 11. It kind of came back to me. I started hitting balls at the range. I went around and hit balls with them when they played a round. I immediately fell in love with the game.”

Like other golfers, Timberlake finds the game an escape from a busy lifestyle.

“I grew up in Tennessee. I love doing anything outdoors, so there’s that, but also, I have a million things always going on. When I’m on the golf course, it seems to be the only place where I can shut it all off, just go out there and hit a little ball at a hole 450 yards away,” he said.

“You know, I get lost in the beauty of the courses I play. I get lost in the game. That’s when it really hits you that it really is the greatest game ever played,” said Timberlake.

Timberlake will carry a Callaway bag and use company golf balls and clubs.

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