We just received word today that DMI Golf, or better known as Datrek Golf is in the process of changing their name to ForeFront Golf.
It's an interesting move in our perspective, one we really can't seem to understand. Datrek has spent years developing themselves as an entry-mid price point bag company, at one point gathering a very significant market share in the Cart Bag category.
We started to see trouble a few years ago when the merged with Miller Golf, the bag tag and gadget company that only those entrenched in the industry has ever heard of. The problem was that there were very few synergy's in the merger and we've been told that the merger has been a real drain on the cash situation of the company. This has been evidenced by out of stock items, critical mistakes when taking new products to market (exampled by getting the dates incorrect on the U of Texas National Championship Bag), and a general lack of communication to the accounts.
Somewhere along the way Datrek seemed to forget what they were good at, creating solid $99 to $139 golf cart bags. They have even introduced the Razor Golf Cart Bag at $200, a serious deviation from their typical price point.
Now they seem to be abandoning that image altogether and starting fresh with ForeFront Golf.
If it was us, we'd somehow maintain the Datrek brand and merge our operation with another, higher price point bag company like Burton. Combine sales forces, warehouses, take advantage of the inside support teams and put greater pressure on their Asia factories for improved pricing.
But what do we know, we just sell the stuff...
