What is it like working at TaylorMade HQ?

Image: TaylorMade

It’s a safe bet that many of you will find the idea of working in golf quite appealing, or maybe you're even involved in the industry already.

Being able to practice what you love in your day job as well as your free time is a joy and a privilege, and we’re lucky enough to know this from first-hand experience.

But outside of taking on a role in your local golf club, teaching and going pro, many people might not be aware of the huge number of different career opportunities that exist in golf for both men and women.

Whether you’re just finishing school or you’ve been in the working world for 20 years, we want to inspire you and tell you a bit more about these roles.

So, we decided to catch up with Stephanie Johns and Kendall Prince, who both work for TaylorMade over in California.

Of course, TaylorMade also have a UK base in Basingstoke, but we thought that these girls had interesting jobs worth hearing about.

Kendall is an Associate Brand Manager mainly focusing on marketing for golf balls and women’s products, while Stephanie is a Business Solutions Manager DTC (selling personalised products such direct to consumers at home).

They told us all about the ins and outs of working for one of the biggest gear manufacturers in golf.

What’s the best part of your job?

Kendall: Working in an industry that I'm passionate about, have a good knowledge of and a background in. The people I work with are brilliant too.

Stephanie: My end goal was always to work for TaylorMade. I graduated from college in Portland, Oregon ten years ago and I got my first job with Adidas Golf in the hope of somehow transferring to TaylorMade.

I worked in finance for a while too which was so serious, so it’s nice to be in a sport which is more fun and designed for people to enjoy. The people I work with are so cool as well.

I get to do what I love in work and out of work, I don't think there's much better than that.

Do you get to travel?

Kendall: My role is mainly office based but we do some travel around the states. The biggest trip of the year is to Florida for two days when we gather all the players and shoot video and photo content that lasts us all year basically. That's one of the highlights.

Stephanie: I’ll go and visit our headquarters around the world, mainly so I can catch up with the teams there in person. I was actually meant to be in Korea and Japan when this COVID-19 situation began.

Does TaylorMade feel like a male-dominated brand?

Kendall: I think it is in some ways, but the women who work here are so knowledgeable and good at what they do that they can make a real difference and still be influential, even if we are in the minority.

Stephanie: I first worked for TaylorMade nine years ago but then left and came back about a year ago when I moved down to California. Now there are so many more women taking on bigger roles in the company than there were back then.

Golf has always been male dominated but it is definitely getting away from that ‘old boys club’ image.

Do you think many women view TaylorMade as more of a brand for men?

Kendall: We definitely want to reach out to more women as we don't think that many associate TaylorMade as being a brand that can help women with clubs or teaching, so we want them to know we are there. That’s a big focus for us.

Stephanie: Even in the office we try to be as encouraging as possible to the women who come to work for us and haven’t played golf before. We make it as unintimidating as possible for them to try it. I think we are really good at that because we want more people to play.

Do you think golf is becoming more popular with women?

Kendall: We are seeing an increase in growth in women taking it up, particularly young women. I think maybe only 24 percent of people who play are women but junior girls are the fastest growing demographic joining the game. People are becoming more aware of the opportunities that exist for young players I think.

Stephanie: It seems to be getting more popular, and throughout lockdown it’s been one of the only things we can do here in California. I've had more friends call me up and ask if I want to play, for help getting clubs or because they want to try it for the first time in as long as I can remember. I think if people get a grounding now they will carry on playing once things return to normal too

You both played golf at college, what kind of careers have your team mates gone on to do?

Kendall: Some of the girls I grew up with in Arizona are still playing or attempting to go pro or hanging around that sort of Symetra area where they haven't quite made it yet but are still trying. Or some are teaching and have explored other options.

Stephanie: Yeah, as I graduated 10 years ago from Oregon a lot of the girls I played with did go pro for five to seven years and gave it a go but now they are having to look at other options like teaching.

Did you ever want to play on tour?

Kendall: I started college in Arizona with plans to go pro, but I just got burnt out and I realised how tough it was going to be. I also got offered a job with Nike just before I left college and that was hard to turn down. It was always my plan when I was at high school and at the start of college, but it is tough.

At Arizona I studied Business Marketing. My classes focused on presentations and business communications classes in order to prepare us for jobs outside of college. My dream started to change to be to work for a large sports company and playing golf was key to helping me get this job at TaylorMade HQ.

Stephanie: Yes I was the same as Kendall. I just got burnt out by it and I actually had to take a break from golf after college. But I've come back to playing it now and I actually enjoy it more than ever now that I play just for enjoyment and in my free time.

For more information about TaylorMade visit: www.taylormadegolf.eu. 

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