Nike have announced that they will not continue to create and sell golf clubs and balls in future, bringing into doubt a range of players’ contracts.
Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Michelle Wie, and most recently Tony Finau are all signed to the ‘swish’ and will have to find new equipment to compete with.
McIlroy’s contract is set to run until 2023, while Finau came on board in January 2016.
Sad for @nikegolf employees that worked so hard and made genuinely great golf equipment. Your support will always be appreciated #TeamNike
— Rory McIlroy (@McIlroyRory) August 4, 2016
Nike will continue to produce golfing apparel and shoes, but the long-standing equipment will fall away after failing to compete against industry giants Callaway and TaylorMade.
GolfChannel.com had a chat with Woods’ agent, Mark Steinberg, about the decision.
‘Clearly (Woods) and I need to be thinking about a change on the hard goods side,’ Steinberg said. ‘He and I have discussed at length the plan for that, and feel comfortable with what we’re going to do going forward. But clearly, there’s likely to be a change.’
Nike’s move comes within months of the adidas group announcing their sale of TaylorMade, and Acushnet is in the process of making an Initial Public Offering on the Titleist and Footjoy brands.
Dark days for the equipment industry.
