News

Abeles takes over as TaylorMade President, Sharpe leaves

Published

11 years ago

Mar 26, 2015

David Abeles was appointed as president and CEO of TaylorMade Golf, effective immediately, replacing Ben Sharpe who left the company citing personal reasons, according to a TaylorMade release.

Sharpe was named president and CEO of TaylorMade in April 2014, after longtime TaylorMade CEO Mark King left the company to become president of Adidas North America.

[quote_box_center]”David has a proven track record of success and leadership excellence,” said Herbert Hainer, CEO of the adidas Group. “I am convinced that David will lead our golf business into the next era of growth. At the same time, I would like to thank Ben for his passion and many contributions to our company over the last nine years and I wish him all the best for his professional and private future.”[/quote_box_center]

Abeles is a former TaylorMade executive, and was most recently the CEO of Competitor Group, Inc., a position he held starting in March 2014.

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Andrew Tursky

He played on the Hawaii Pacific University Men's Golf team and earned a Masters degree in Communications. He also played college golf at Rutgers University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.

17 Comments

tlmck

Apr 1, 2015 at 10:54 pm

It could be that a lot of people bought 3 year old clubs off the clearance rack as I did instead of the “supposedly new” stuff at full price.

Reply Report comment
marcus

Mar 29, 2015 at 9:57 am

It’s an unfortunate fact that golf companies (not just tmag) need to make money – and the only way to do so is roll out new product at a frenzied pace. But golf equipment is like toilet paper. You can only add so much softness and ply-strength. After that you’re just re-polishing the turd.

Reply Report comment
KK

Mar 27, 2015 at 9:21 pm

TM is selling 4 irons relabeled as 6 irons and passing it off as engineering. What a sham. They deserve another 28% decline in sales this year.

Reply Report comment
- Eej
  
  Mar 28, 2015 at 5:26 am
  
  You’re an eejit.
  
  Try hitting old 4 irons as high as these new ones. You won’t get anywhere close.
  
  Reply Report comment
Paul

Mar 27, 2015 at 4:30 pm

Why would you buy a “new” Taylormade club with the “latest” technology when you knew it would be old in a couple months. Ping releases clubs every other year and presumably does a couple years of R&D in between. TM….some thing new every 3 months.

Reply Report comment
4pillars

Mar 27, 2015 at 3:00 pm

Guy never stood a chance. Like whatshisname taking over from Alex Ferguson.

Reply Report comment
- hillhairyhouse
  
  Mar 28, 2015 at 5:40 pm
  
  David Moyes.
  
  Reply Report comment
THE SWEET THONG

Mar 27, 2015 at 2:17 pm

He probably ran out of dumb names for the clubs!

Reply Report comment
tim

Mar 27, 2015 at 12:31 pm

They really need to start putting some R&D into their putter line. The latest release (Ghost Black) looks cheap and tired. And I have been a huge fan of their putters over the years…Spider, The Rossa AGSI line, DLL. But you go into any golf store now and Odyssey is dominating. TM has a rack of putters no bigger than Cleveland.

Reply Report comment
- Bill
  
  Mar 27, 2015 at 4:27 pm
  
  They don’t care about selling putters. They want to sell drivers! Like Titlest and golf balls, TM needs to stay the number one driver on tour. After that comes iron sales. They took a huge sales hit last year so I’m guessing that was the “personal reasons” that he stepped down!
  
  Reply Report comment
Truth

Mar 26, 2015 at 9:58 pm

so does that mean more of the same clubs every year or that they are actually gonna do some R&D

Reply Report comment
Mark

Mar 26, 2015 at 2:04 pm

The best part is King who started the whole trend -is still rewarded with the job at Adidas

Reply Report comment
- Wisconsin Terrapin
  
  Mar 27, 2015 at 4:17 pm
  
  Musical chairs – it leaves the person of that division the fall guy. Sorry, Ben, it only crumbled under its own weight after Mark got bumped. Inevitable. The question is will David get enough latitude to really change direction, or will Mark still be basking in the glow of his success that it will take another bad year to find the root.
  
  Reply Report comment
Mike J

Mar 26, 2015 at 12:27 pm

I have a feeling you are 100% correct

Reply Report comment
Vinnie

Mar 26, 2015 at 12:19 pm

Im sure this headline had something to do with it “TaylorMade sales decline 28 percent in 2014”

Reply Report comment
- Tim
  
  Mar 26, 2015 at 4:19 pm
  
  According to their breakdown 20% of that “28% decline” was a buyback of older product to ease the inventory in the market.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Greg
    
    Mar 27, 2015 at 5:56 pm
    
    will be interesting to see their ‘factory outlet stores when they open … 1 in Myrtle Beach I am told
    
    Reply Report comment

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News

GolfWRX’s Father’s Day Gift Guide (2026)

Published

2 days ago

Jun 9, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

A reminder from your friends at GolfWRX: Father’s Day is June 21. And as we do every year, we’re rounding up the best gifts for dad.

As we say every year, there’s no better golf-related Father’s Day gift than a round of golf with pops. Be it a country club or your favorite muni, take the time to get together to play 18 if you can.

Let’s get to the gifts.

Ghost Golf Qualifier Diamond Polo

We like the new polos that Ghost is offering, as the fabric and fit are so good. These new Qualifier Collection polos breathe well, are lightweight, stretch with your swing, and of course look great. You can wear them on the course, in the office, or just out at a casual event and they will fit right in.

Buy here.

STR8-Strip Grip Tape Remover

If your dad is an equipment aficionado and tinkers with his clubs, this tool works wonders. Removing grip tape has never been easier, just put a little head on the tape and the STR8-Strip peals it right off the shaft without any damage.

Buy here.

Why Golf: Putting Thing

When it comes to practice, it is good to have a purpose. This “Putting Thing” sure does it. We know from personal experience how challenging it can be and how rewarding it is on the practice green. This also provides some competition for your kiddo to see who will unload the dishwasher or do the next chore around the house.

Buy here.

OluKai Lae‘ahi Men’s Breathable Slip-On Shoes

Riding to and from the course in style and comfort is always a good thing. If you’re in a hurry, it’s a nice feature to slide into your shoes and get to the tee time. For the post-game shoe, at your locker or while putting your clubs away in the car. Nice to slide into a shoe that looks good anywhere. Pair that with meeting the family for dinner, no need to change!

Buy here.

Therabody Theragun Relief

A little wellness goes a long way. Keeping loose is a good way to go when it comes to the weekend game or treatment during the week. If there is a little ache or pain, the Theragun is there to help out. Help loosen up the back for a pre-game warm-up or cool-down.

Buy here.

World Cup golf apparel

Something for the soccer dads. Embrace the World Cup fever this summer on the course with custom gear to support the nation of your choice.

Buy here.

FootJoy Pro SL spikeless golf shoes

Give the old man a break and save his feet with the Footjoy Pro SL Men’s Spikeless Golf Shoes for some added comfort on the course.

Buy here.

Bushnell Wingman 2 GPS speaker

Combine all the hits as well as some game improvement with the Wingman 2 Golf GPS Speaker by getting audible distance readings from 38,000+ courses worldwide through the Wingman 2 remote or speaker.

Buy here.

Personalized Titleist Pro V1 golf balls

The No. 1 ball in golf is a safe bet, and the Pro V1 fits the largest chunk of the bell curve if you don’t know what ball pops plays. Add personalization for a, well, personal touch!

Buy here.

GolfWRX may earn a commission for purchases made through links on this page, at no extra cost to you.

Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 OccuNet Classic

Published

2 days ago

Jun 9, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

With the PGA Tour across the border in Canada this week, GolfWRX Tour Photographer Greg Moore stayed stateside and headed to the OccuNet Classic presented by Amarillo National Bank in Amarillo, Texas.

It’s always interesting to see what the guys are playing on the KFT, and this week certainly hasn’t disappointed so far, with some incredible wedge stamping on display.

Check out links to all our albums below.

General Albums

2026 OccuNet Classic (KFT) – Monday #1

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

Luke Potter’s custom Cameron putter – 2026 OccuNet Classic (KFT)

News

From the GolfWRX Classifieds: Scotty Cameron GOLO 6 with BGT Stability Tour2 2022 M Edition

Published

2 days ago

Jun 9, 2026

Will Schube

At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals who all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.

It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.

Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, @HuskerFlyer is sharing a Scotty Cameron GOLO with a BGT Stability Tour2 2022 M Edition shaft. While the putter is certainly enviable, the Augusta-inspired shaft is equally noteworthy.

From the listing:

Scotty Cameron Golo 6 with BGT Stability Tour2 2022 M Edition Scotty Headcover 34″ $375

To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link. If you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum, you can learn more here: GolfWRX BST Rules.