Catch Up: Callaway’s global boss Chip Brewer

India has never been an easy market. It’s a difficult shot by all means. Dealing with regulations to understanding its complex nature. Just how does Callaway’s global boss expect golf to take flight. What would be the next milestones in the company’s journey? Here’s a chat with Chip Brewer.

1. How would you sum up your visit to India?
   My India visit was both fun and enlightening.. I am proud of the team in India and excited that they have established Callaway Golf as a leading brand and the only successful subsidiary in the marketplace. I’m excited about the potential of this market and our brand’s commitment here.
2. What makes India a great market?
   Currently the golf market in India is in its nascent stage, however, it is the fastest growing market in the world and shows vast potential. There are many positive indicators that golf has a great future in the country: young, emerging talent, golf course development in the residential real estate environment, growth of junior golf, exposure for the sport in the 2016Olympics, the growing cultural acceptance of the sport, and the country’s young population. These factors and others will lead to the rise of this golf in this market.
3. What trends might 2016 hold?
   2016 will be another fascinating year in golf, I’m sure. From a broader industry perspective, the sport is healthier than it has been in some time. There is considerable interest in the young talent on the global professional tours, equipment innovations are energizing golfers so participation is healthy, and there is increased accessibility to technology and custom fitting tools that make the game even more enjoyable. We are hopeful this energy and momentum continues.

The sport is also making strides to excite younger players to take up the game. There is great support for junior golf worldwide, and golf is even being embraced in various participation formats, such as the “target golf” experience at Top Golf in the US and the UK.

5. Where do you see the game going with respect to its rise in Asia?
   The broaderAsian golfmarket is complex. The sport has experienced some challenges in the larger, more developed Asian markets in recent years as a result of economic or cultural situations, yet other markets in the region have been growing at a healthy rate.

The talent pool of playing professionals has substantially increased in the last few years, and we anticipate this trend will continue in the future, bringing further excitement to the market.

The senior leadership team at Callaway remains cautiously optimistic about the growing popularity of golf in these regions.

6. In terms of Callaway Golf what should we expect from the company in the new year in terms of product?
   Product innovation is the cornerstone of our business so we continue to invest heavily in products that deliver superior performance and make the sport more enjoyable.

The Great Big Bertha line of woods is helping golfers achieve more distance through a combination of speed, fitting and forgiveness. With its SoftFast Core, the Chrome Soft golf ball has broken a performance paradigm in the golf ball category, offering a ball that is both soft and fast. And our new Apex Irons take perfection farther, applying our face cup technology to a premium forged iron. And that’s just scratching the surface! We have an exciting new line of products in the pipeline for 2016.

7. Personally for you, how has the relationship been with the game of golf?
   I consider myself to be very fortunate. Golf is my passion, and also my profession. I’m committed to the game and have been since childhood. I love the game, and I an am energized by the great people I’ve met around the globe who are part of this industry.
8. Where do you see life’s lessons in the sport?
   There are a lot of life’s lessons in the sport. Clearly the first step is management planning and strategy on a daily basis. How do I ensure that my current stroke ensures me better positioned for the next one.

Besides this working hard, being disciplined, having patience are some of the other life’s lessons from the sport. Its amazing how much this sport has to offer from a learning perspective

10. What can be done to grow the game of golf?
    We remain bullish on golf and are excited about the health of the sport today. But of course there are opportunities for the game to grow.

There are a lot of initiatives underway that are intended to help participation. Some are excellent, such as Get Golf Ready. It is too soon to judge the outcome of many of them, but there seems to be consensus that this is something that the entire industry wants to address.

Some of these opportunities include making the game more accessible through catalysts like TopGolf, which exposes the game to a different demographic in a way that they enjoy.

Junior golf is certainly a critical factor in the future of the game so developing and supporting those programs remains important for the industry overall.

And I think as the global economy returns to better health, the sport will benefit.

11. How is your own golf game progressing – who is your go-to coach for fixing your game?
    My game is always a work in progress but is fortunately trending quite well right now. Thanks to my equipment I play to a 2 handicap and enjoy playing with my young sons who can hit the ball miles past me but I can still occasionally teach a lesson or two about scoring.
12. Your favourite players and golf course
    Tough question! All the Callaway brand ambassadors we have on the team are dear to me and are important to our business. I’ve been fortunate enough to play some golf with Phil Mickelson and Lydia Ko, both of which are highly competitive but still remember to smile and have fun while on the golf course.

My favourite course is Pine Valley.