[Jim_Kennedy]

OK, I can get past the mono-colored outfits and if I squint I can almost make it look like his hat isn't jammed down over his ears, but I just can't figure out who thought it was a good idea to have Rickie Fowler riding a dirt bike through a bunker and onto a putting green in his TV ad for Puma.

Are the people at Puma, and Fowler, that foolish?

[Ken Moum]

OK, I can get past the mono-colored outfits and if I squint I can almost make it look like his hat isn't jammed down over his ears, but I just can't figure out who thought it was a good idea to have Rickie Fowler riding a dirt bike through a bunker and onto a putting green in his TV ad for Puma.

Are the people at Puma, and Fowler, that foolish?

They are.

How about Nike's new 20xi ball commercial with the horse tearing up a course?

K

[Jim_Kennedy]

Haven't seen that one Ken, but at least Nike is on to something. If you're going to employ a horse's ass to create such a stupid ad you might as well use the entire horse.  

[Bruce Hospes]

At least the caddie raked the bunker after Ricky was finished!

[C. Squier]

Once again, we're taking ourselves a little too seriously. 

Bill Murray once blew up a golf course b/c of a gopher.  Everyone laughed.

[Jim_Kennedy]

Clint,

There are differences in the presentation. On the one hand you have a group of actors/comics in a movie based on the satirical 'blowing up' of the country club lifestyle and on the other you have one of golf's young-guns, potentially a role-model for his generation, tearing through a bunker and tapping in a putt on the green with the tire of his dirt bike.

It's not a good image.   

p.s. I've been married for 32 years, I never take myself too seriously. 

[Jim Franklin]

I missed that commercial. I can't wait to hear about the next nimrod that rides a bike though a bunker at a golf course near you. I am sure it is well done, but I bet it wasn't a golfer that came up with the commercial.

[Dan Herrmann]

Great - I saw some horse hoofprints on my #17 green on Friday afternoon.  Wonder if the horse was inspired the the commercial.

[Kalen Braley]

Here is the Nike commerical...two different versions!

I honestly didn't get it.  The only thing that went thru my head was "that horse is sure f^&*ing up that course!!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUKisCE2J20&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZTm4qM2kSM&feature=related

[Kalen Braley]

P.S.  Not sure if this was staged or not...

...but score one for the old guys!!   


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZwr4xLajfA&feature=related

[David Whitmer]

I saw both of them and didn't think anything of it. Doesn't Winged Foot East and one of the other Bethpage courses get more torn up when their other courses host Opens? Wait until you see how torn up the Congressional Gold Course is in a little over a month. Those courses come back. I seriously doubt those commercials will inspire anybody to ride their dirt bikes or their horses over their neighborhood golf course. If in fact we do hear about dirt bikes or horses on golf courses because someone saw one of those commercials I will stand corrected.

I do agree with Jim, though. Good of Nike to use the entire horse this time, instead of just the horse's ass. Well done, Jim.

[Jim_Kennedy]

David,
I can't quite equate the wear and tear of a tournament event with the vandalism that off-road vehicles do to a golf course. There isn't a season that goes by in which I don't see or hear of that type of vandalism. I really don't think a golf equipment company should be using such activity in a TV ad.

If they want Fowler to be seen as an irreverant they can do it in another way.

(p.s My teenage years began in the mid-'60s, irreverance is nothing new to me.)   
     

[David Whitmer]

Jim,

I hear what you're saying, and certainly golf course vandalism happens. Thankfully during my 7 years at a private club we only had one act of vandalism. Again, perhaps I am wrong, but I just don't see a golf commercial shown during golf telecasts leading to an increase in vandalism. I think the nutjobs that do that sort of thing don't need inspiration from a golf commercial. Plus, something tells me those miscreants aren't watching golf telecasts to get that inspiration anyway.

The commercials didn't bother me, other than I thought they were kind of stupid. Again, not to say vandalism doesn't happen. I just don't think the commercials are anything to fret over. If vandalism increases as a result I will be the first to admit I was wrong.

[Jim_Kennedy]

David,
I don't know if it will only be shown during golf telecasts, I saw the horse add today and it wasn't during an event.

We're not talking world communism here, so I'm not fretting too badly.     

 

[Don_Mahaffey]

I've dealt with a bit of vandalism over the years and the idiots that do that sort of thing aren't the type to be watching programs that feature golf ads.

[Jim_Kennedy]

Don,
I agree with that for the most part, but I've already seen the 'horse' ad during non-golf programming.

Just read on a blog that a PGA life member, Peter Boyce from Ontario, questioned the GCSAA about the ad. He received this reply from Jeff Bollig, Sr. Director, Marketing and Communications for the organization:

 "In general, GCSAA takes the position that any commercial depiction of intentional acts damaging golf courses is inapporpriate. This particular ad is consistent with our stance."

I don't know either of these two men, nor do I have first hand knowledge that the exchange actually took place. If it's true I can't see how anyone could dismiss the potential for harm that such an ad could have. The GCSAA doesn't.


p.s. By the way, its also on YouTube and the fraternity of dirt bikers all seem to be aware of his feat. Think that the idiots who do that sort of thing haven't found it?

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