clevelaand Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 Okay, now that so many of us know that Epon is missing from the TSG proshop, what happened for them to be let go from this site? Epon has always been such a stand-out company here at TSG, has that changed? (Or should I not be asking?) Doc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gocchin Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 Hi Doc, You're not the only one who noticed so we should definitely let everyone know what is going on. Epon as a premium brand has always wanted their clubs sold through proper fitting methods and one to one dealings with customers. They have enforced a policy of no internet sales outside of Japan for their clubs. They asked us to help them set an example by complying first with their new policy so we being big supporters of Epon agreed to do so. While I do not agree with this move personally as I think it will reduce Epon's global reach and make it much harder for people to buy Epon, they do have their reasons and that is to grow their global retailer network and ensure that people are fit properly for their clubs. We will continue to support and work directly with Epon and still do believe it is a premium brand as you all know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eylee Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 so I should interpret that as TSG will no longer sell their components and I'll have to buy it through other retailers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clevelaand Posted October 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 Thanks G. for such a quick explanation and sorry to hear they have adopted that internet policy. I live in San Diego and there are no Epon retail outlets anywhere near this area, so how am I going to be able to purchase new Epon products? I really do like Epon and their quality. Doc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gocchin Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 Not a problem Doc, I will use this thread if you don't mind to answer any questions about the change for us and Epon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoon Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 Hi Doc,You're not the only one who noticed so we should definitely let everyone know what is going on. Epon as a premium brand has always wanted their clubs sold through proper fitting methods and one to one dealings with customers. They have enforced a policy of no internet sales outside of Japan for their clubs. They asked us to help them set an example by complying first with their new policy so we being big supporters of Epon agreed to do so. While I do not agree with this move personally as I think it will reduce Epon's global reach and make it much harder for people to buy Epon, they do have their reasons and that is to grow their global retailer network and ensure that people are fit properly for their clubs. We will continue to support and work directly with Epon and still do believe it is a premium brand as you all know. T, thanks for clearing that up. i agree with you 100% that Epon will lose big on TSG. Its good marketing exposure. i was in the same boat as Chris and Tsg as i am sure you know. will Tsg open a shop or retailer storefront? C has the capabilities and equipment to open a storefront imho. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idrive Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 Bad move for Epon. MANY OF US KNOW OUR SPECS Ordering with our specs through TSG has always been an excellent experience. At this point Epon has lost a good customer. I also realize that Me not buying their eq. isn't going to make much of a difference to them. Bad move Epon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+TourSpecGolfer Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 We are still on great terms with Epon guy's. If you know of a shop in your area that has a good clubmaker and is on the high end scene please let us know we can put them in touch with Epon to establish an account. They can also contact Epon USA directly at [email protected] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoon Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 We are still on great terms with Epon guy's. If you know of a shop in your area that has a good clubmaker and is on the high end scene please let us know we can put them in touch with Epon to establish an account.They can also contact Epon USA directly at [email protected] C, why dont you open a shop and storefront ? it would be an alternative for you since you have the equipment and the capabilties? you do not have to just have epon but the other brands you represent as well. you can use your site for marketing Epon and conduct telephone fitting in your shop the way Joe kwok does it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duffer19 Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 (edited) Bad move for Epon.MANY OF US KNOW OUR SPECS Ordering with our specs through TSG has always been an excellent experience. At this point Epon has lost a good customer. I also realize that Me not buying their eq. isn't going to make much of a difference to them. Bad move Epon I don't understand this fitting rationale. If you don't know your spec by now, you have no business being a club 'ho. I am fortunate enough to have access to a few Epon resellers/dealers but how do they intent to cover the whole of US and Europe in the short to medium term? Edited October 2, 2009 by Duffer19 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+TourSpecGolfer Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 C,why dont you open a shop and storefront ? it would be an alternative for you since you have the equipment and the capabilties? you do not have to just have epon but the other brands you represent as well. you can use your site for marketing Epon and conduct telephone fitting in your shop the way Joe kwok does it. Noooo Sir... Thats not our style. Where do you think all that equipment came from...a shop. Getting rid of it was the best thing we did. Wow Joe has a shop, way to go! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idrive Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 So does this mean "Goodsie" can sign up and be a retailer/fitter/builder?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marty Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 No sense waiting for the 10th of october to release the new Epon Pics,.. Might as well post em up now :) Just a thought Marty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
golf 37 Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 This is not good for us boys in the UK. We have few dealers but it is much easier to buy online, plus TSG are much cheaper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsikenjoy Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 what about bags? grips? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corky3 Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 Hopefully they will quickly see the error of their ways.... TSG has always been a good ambassador for Epon products and (to me) I find this quite baffelling..... Do people who do not know their specs actually order golf clubs over the Internet? And if they do and they are wrong.... how does this negatively reflect upon Epon??. Sounds more like some pricing controls that they want to introduce........ Wierd...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marty Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 I was in Japan a couple of months ago,. and went to an authorized retailer for a fitting of epon,.. it was quite elaborate, and thorough. I know that the particular shop that I went to,. would not sell a blade to a person, if he thought a different epon model would suit him better, or vise versa, and the shaft really needs to suit the customers swing to get the best results of their product. ( woods, and irons ) Knowing your specs is only have the equation when doing a good fitting. So I guess I can see their point to a certain extent. Also from T's original post,. they are still selling via the internet in Japan,.just not outside of Japan. Will this hurt their total bottom line,. in my opinion, I doubt it. And besides, it's their product,. I suppose they can market it however they choose. Anyways, having to go to Japan to get a set of epons, is just another great excuse to go there, it is a blast, and well worth the money Cheers, Marty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corky3 Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 I was in Japan a couple of months ago,. and went to an authorized retailer for a fitting of epon,.. it was quite elaborate, and thorough. I know that the particular shop that I went to,. would not sell a blade to a person, if he thought a different epon model would suit him better, or vise versa, and the shaft really needs to suit the customers swing to get the best results of their product. ( woods, and irons ) Knowing your specs is only have the equation when doing a good fitting. So I guess I can see their point to a certain extent. Also from T's original post,. they are still selling via the internet in Japan,.just not outside of Japan. Will this hurt their total bottom line,. in my opinion, I doubt it. And besides, it's their product,. I suppose they can market it however they choose. Anyways, having to go to Japan to get a set of epons, is just another great excuse to go there, it is a blast, and well worth the moneyCheers, Marty Knowing your specs would also mean(to me) knowing wether blades are suitable or not and as I said above, even if you bought unsuitable equipment, how would that harm a Co.? People just sell them on if it doesn't work for them. Most people's swings change over time, so their specs will alter, which is another reason why people change their equipment. They they will still sell over the Internet to domestic customers...... So that invalidates their reasoning (IMHO). It's about something else....... Not trying to start a conspiracy theory vut it doesn't add up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gocchin Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 Actually Epon will also eventually enforce the policy of no internet sales in Japan as well. It will just take longer to do so for them since there are many internet sellers of Epon in Japan. No conspiracy here. They want to build a network of retailers and protect those retailers ie buyer doesn't go to their own local retailer because TSG a company with low overhead can price lower just as golf 37 above said, and this makes local retailers hesitate to open an account if they cannot beat some online retailers price. As the manufacturer it is up to Epon to establish these rules, whether we like them or not (we don't and would of course love to continue selling Epon online). Also buying equipment that does not suit a player can hurt a company because an uneducated and unsympathetic consumer would immediately blame the company's gear ie these don't perform for me not because I didn't buy the right gear but because they are no good. Sad but true. While we here on this forum know clubs well and realize that not every club works for every player, some customers think just because people say a club is good it will work for them which is not always the case. So Epon has made their decision and we will abide by it even if we would rather not. (^_^) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gocchin Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 So does this mean "Goodsie" can sign up and be a retailer/fitter/builder?? Yes and he should since he's a great builder. (^_^) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duffer19 Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 (edited) I personally think this new policy is to protect dealer/reseller outside Japan so they can keep the price high as in Japan. Take UK as an example now that they can charge their Epon products 30% higher than the rest of the world and local consumers would not have a choice anymore. ps: Sorry T, did not see your post before I wrote this one. Edited October 2, 2009 by Duffer19 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gocchin Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 I personally think this new policy is to protect dealer/reseller outside Japan so they can keep the price high as in Japan. Take UK as an example now that they can charge their Epon products 30% higher than the rest of the world and local consumers would not have a choice anymore.ps: Sorry T, did not see your post before I wrote this one. No problem R, you're pretty much echoing what I said and going a step further by actually mentioning "price control". (^_^) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goodsie Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 (edited) The idea that "Club Fitting" by Specialists will enhance a Brand's image and sales is foolish. It has failed world wide with the exception of maybe Japan (i.e. Miura, whose "sales" are just petty cash to most OEM's). And, Miura North America just sells Clubs not Fitting...any clue's yet Epon? Epon is an outstanding Golf Club Engineering and Manufacturing Company but no one has ever said they were smart. In my Corporate life, I have witnessed many attempts to control a marketplace with Specialized Marketing, Controlled Territories, Price Controls, etc. They all failed miserably and the people that implemented those Marketing Policies were all terminated. Epon's good intentions to control their Brand will now be blurred even more thru the underground world of Auction Sites. So sad and when they had a "quality" Company like TourSpecGolf to market their Brand world wide and help maintain the integrity of the name. Epon owes TSG a lot of money for the excellent Marketing and Distribution that they provided AND TSG honored all of Epon's requests for launch dates, etc while all the others "leaked" Epon's offerings everywhere. To top it all off....Golf Equipment Sales are in the toilet and now this, Wow!! Good Luck Epon, I wish you well but sooner than later, you will be hiring a Marketing firm (for big $$$, Yen) to come in a help you find your way out of the Commerce Jungle you will find yourself in. Edited October 2, 2009 by Goodsie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gocchin Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 The idea that "Club Fitting" by Specialists will enhance a Brand's image and sales is foolish. It has failed world wide with the exception of maybe Japan (i.e. Miura, whose "sales" are just petty cash to most OEM's). And, Miura North America just sells Clubs not Fitting...any clue's yet Epon?Epon is an outstanding Golf Club Engineering and Manufacturing Company but no one has ever said they were smart. In my Corporate life, I have witnessed many attempts to control a marketplace with Specialized Marketing, Controlled Territories, Price Controls, etc. They all failed miserably and the people that implemented those Marketing Policies were all terminated. Epon's good intentions to control their Brand will now be blurred even more thru the underground world of Auction Sites. So sad and when they had a "quality" Company like TourSpecGolf to market their Brand world wide and help maintain the integrity of the name. Epon owes TSG a lot of money for the excellent Marketing and Distribution that they provided AND TSG honored all of Epon's requests for launch dates, etc while all the others "leaked" Epon's offerings everywhere. To top it all off....Golf Equipment Sales are in the toilet and now this, Wow!! Good Luck Epon, I wish you well but sooner than later, you will be hiring a Marketing firm (for big $$, Yen) to come in a help you find your way out of the Commerce Jungle you will find yourself in. Well said G, now please email Epon the same words. (^_^) We have long tried to convince them of the advantages of selling on TSG and the marketing we provide but they have made their decision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blader-X Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 Oh well. Epon will soon become "out of sight; out of mind". No other company has promoted Epon in a more respectful and classy way than TSG has. For Epon to go and do this is simply wrong and a huge slap in the face to TSG and mostly to Chris. This move is only designed to do one thing. Increase price for a line which is already out of the range of comfort for most golfers out there as it is. No doubt that Epon makes very quality equipment. However, most golfers (USA) aren't and don't pay these prices simply because they're not going to really see an improvement that justifies the cost. For myself who plays an Epon driver and 3-wood, I could easily find the same results in most any other line out there. So why do I play Epon? Its because the feel I receive from these clubs is unmatched. Also, Epon is one of the few that I've been able to special order specs. My driver is near 2 degrees open and a degree and half flat. Same for the three wood. This move is very disappointing to me. I'm one of those people that once you burn me, I don't usually come back. Up until this time I had been waiting for the new series of drivers to come out because I very much wanted to update with a new Epon. I guess that's now out of the picture. That's okay because there are many other brands from which to choose and to be quite honest any one of them really won't stop me from going out and shooting 75. I'm not on the tour, I don't play competatively anymore so really, scores don't matter much to me. Well what I mean is score to me is secondary. I've never played better than I do now but I'm what I call a "soul golfer". I play to play. Simply to see how well I can perform for myself. My equipment has never been better and I'm shooting scores which have never been better. My enjoyment during a round has never been higher. I attribute a lot of that to the equipment I play. Epon was a big part of that. If they chose to do this now, well they're choosing not to be a part of my bag. Oh well. In the last year I've golfed several times in Phoenix, all around the Los Angeles area even as far up as San Jose. I've yet to come across another player, playing Epon clubs. The line surely isn't growing and this move won't help to make it grow any further. Truly a sad day for TSG, but, then again. . . There will always be another brand on the horizon. Then again, if it all goes to crap, there are other sports out there. There's always something else. Goodbye Epon, and good luck to you. You just might need it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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