Accounting Customer service Hiring & human resources Legal Management Raising money Sales & marketing Selling a business Startup Technology Small & Global How We Got Started Biz Books Innovators Owner Tested Tech Edge Best Bosses Next Little Thing Startup Showdown Current Issue Archive

Rife putts along to its own game plan

The No. 1 putter on the Champions Tour has doubled its maket share with an unorthodox marketing plan.

EMAIL  |   PRINT  |   SHARE  |   RSS
 
google my aol my msn my yahoo! netvibes
Paste this link into your favorite RSS desktop reader
See all CNNMoney.com RSS FEEDS (close)

hybrid_mallet.04.jpg
Two Bar Hybrid Mallet, $199.80

(Fortune Small Business) -- The most popular putter at the Senior Open on July 31 will be Rife. Since FSB profiled Rife Putters ("Roll Player," March 2006), the Orlando company has moved from second place to become the No. 1 putter on the Champions Tour. It is relied upon by top players such as Fred Funk and Tom Kite, who in turn boost sales to weekend hackers.

More than a year ago Rife, which has never sponsored players, stopped paying industry-standard performance bonuses to pros scoring well with its clubs.

"We can't play that game well," says president Matt Molloy, 34. "We have to choose our own path and stick with it."

Rife focused on marketing, building stronger connections with retailers instead of relying on a late-night infomercial, which once drew 80% of sales. Now retail outlets such as Golfsmith and Golf Galaxy account for 60% of sales, up from 40% in 2006.

In the past year Rife has doubled its market share to 4.6%, putting it in fifth place, according to research firm Golf Datatech, and Rife projects $10 million in revenue for 2008, tripling the figure for 2005. To top of page

To write a note to the editor about this article, click here.

  • charles_ellis.04.jpg
    Detroit's churches are plowing millions into redeveloping local housing and businesses. More
  • bplaunch_2009.04.jpg
    These 50 metro areas have all the features entrepreneurs need to thrive. More
  • cozy_with_customer.ju.04.jpg
    Follow our road map to generate game-changing ideas for your business. More
  • winepod_1.04.jpg
    Winepod attracted a wait list of eager buyers and millions from investors. Then came the recession. More
  • wells_fargo__sf.04.jpg
    As other major banks withdrew, Wells Fargo stepped up its small business lending. More
  • lcorona_motorcycle.04.jpg
    Designer Chuck Comeau set up his manufacturing in Plainville -- 240 miles away from a major airport.  More
  • diego_son_printing.04.jpg
    As staffs shrink, business owners are taking on support duties they haven't had to handle in years. More



QHow does a florist sell more in this economy? We changed our business to designing weddings and events only, as the everyday flowers are not selling. We had to throw out too much product at the end of the week -- flowers are perishable! More
Get Answer
- The Flower Lady, Suwanee, Ga.
Sponsors
8 stars speak out on Steve Jobs Eight people who rarely speak publicly about Jobs explain what makes him one of the best business minds of our time. More
Look who's hiring now Hiring managers from companies of all sizes give us the lowdown on who they're hiring and why. More

© 2009 Cable News Network. A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved. Terms under which this service is provided to you. Privacy Policy
Copyright © 2009 BigCharts.com Inc. All rights reserved. Please see our Terms of Use.
MarketWatch, the MarketWatch logo, and BigCharts are registered trademarks of MarketWatch, Inc.
Intraday data provided by Interactive Data Real-Time Services and subject to the Terms of Use.
Intraday data is at least 20-minutes delayed. All times are ET.
Historical, current end-of-day data, and splits data provided by Interactive Data Pricing and Reference Data.
Fundamental data provided by Morningstar, Inc..
SEC Filings data provided by Edgar Online Inc..
Earnings data provided by FactSet CallStreet, LLC.