The giant sports maker, known more for its ties with the football (soccer) world than golf, is making a bold and serious play for the world golfing market following its acquisition of Cobra Golf from Fortune Brands earlier this year.
Puma has, however, won many fans, particularly with younger generations of women golfers who align themselves with Puma's chic, young and funky image.
Shrewd marketing has also played a major role in the brand's rapid ascent. Puma signed 24-year-old Ricky Fowler and, more recently, 15-year-old Alexis Thompson as brand evangelists. In the huge Japanese market, the company has signed Hiroyuki Fujita and Miho Koga, respective winners on the men's and ladies' Japan tours this year.
Puma's real mastery is evident in the combination of savvy designs with state-of-the-art technical know-how. They are also the "greenest" of all golf makers, using ecofriendly organic and sustainable materials, and reducing their carbon emissions, energy usage, water consumption, and waste output by about 25%.
