They say the secret to a better golf swing starts with the proper set of clubs. For EdelGolf, a leading provider of clubheads and fitting services, this belief is the foundation of its brand. Its mission is to create practical solutions that improve a player’s game using basic physics applications to stand out in the industry.
EdelGolf is the brainchild of founder David Edel, a former golf teacher who saw the potential in using weights to enhance performance. Edel’s groundbreaking idea transformed EdelGolf into a game-changer in the industry. Their unique putter fitting and clubhead weight customization capabilities quickly set them apart, making EdelGolf the go-to brand for golfers serious about improving their game.
Edel’s innovative approach comes from the everyday challenges he observed as a teacher. While posture and technique are undoubtedly important for an optimal swing, Edel recognized that clubs played an equally crucial role, if not more so.
While natural talent is invaluable for a solid swing, players opt for muscle and strength training to drive their shots further and straighter down the fairway. The idea comes from Newton’s Second Law of Motion: the harder you whack an object, the faster it accelerates and the further it goes.
However, there’s a catch. Making the green in two swings or less is more than just swinging harder. The weight of the club makes a world of difference. Lighter clubs require less horsepower to generate the same clubhead speed as a heavier club. On the contrary, using too light of a club can curve the trajectory too sharply to one side. For teachers like Edel, educating players on choosing the right clubhead weight is essential to fine-tune their swing and achieve optimal ball flight.
EdelGolf engineers its products to enable players of all levels to apply more force to the ball without added training. Its innovative and customizable weight technology allows players to choose the weights and positioning of the weight on the club for a fitting as unique as their swing. This precise focus on club design engineering pushed the boundaries of equipment technology and the fitting processes in the industry. Naturally, EdelGolf catapulted into success.
Golfers on and off the PGA Tour quickly embraced the EdelGolf brand. The company entered its growth stage with increased sales and wholesale orders worldwide. As sales soared, EdelGolf struggled to keep up with the pace. Just like its customers, EdelGolf needed help fine-tuning its game. The influx of data put too much weight on its growth curve. Soon, it found itself running several strokes behind in the market. If it didn’t act fast, it would be game over.
A well-executed swing and the right club can mean the difference between sailing down the fairway or getting trapped in the rough. EdelGolf found itself in a similar situation, navigating the growth upswing while scrambling to choose the right tools for the game.
The company’s unique approach to clubhead design and fittings quickly gained global traction. EdelGolf soared to success with a wave of media buzz and endorsements. Its customer base included 20% direct-to-consumer (DTC) and 80% wholesale and retail, with its wholesale customer base expanding rapidly. Clubs flew off the shelves and its custom fitting program waitlisted customers.
Orders poured in from its online platforms, manual phone orders, and retail partners. Without a structured system, some orders did not have proper identification numbers. Its system occasionally assigned orders with duplicate numbers, resulting in multiple unrelated orders combining into a single invoice. Soon, EdelGolf’s operations became a tangled web of chaos.
Keeping track of orders, managing inventory, and generating seamless fulfillment became an uphill battle. Maintaining smooth operations was easy in the early stages. However, as the company experienced sharp inclines in sales, EdelGolf needed a system to streamline data and maintain its reputation for exceptional customer service.
The sheer volume of data flooding into EdelGolf’s systems compounded operational challenges. David Edel, the visionary founder, built the company on the principle of observing customer needs and challenges. This driving force translated into their innovative club designs. With siloed data fragmented across channels, extracting valuable insights became an obstacle course of its own.
EdelGolf’s wholesale customer base was growing exponentially through word of mouth and press. Its DTC channels struggled to keep up with the pace. Edel knew part of the problem was that the company lacked a clear understanding of the customer. Without a way to visualize the data deluge coming in, it was difficult to understand how the company could adjust its website and products to better cater to the customer experience.
Edel knew from experience that there were plenty of innovative opportunities that could come from observing customer behavior. The company needed a way to extract, consolidate, and centralize its data. A single source of truth would empower the company to truly understand its customer base on a deeper and global scale. It would give the company a 360-degree view to analyze buyer behavior and identify untapped market opportunities.
EdelGolf’s innovative approach disrupted the golf club market, but it faced challenges that hindered its ability to scale. Like its customers, it tried to improve its game by exerting more strength, yet still missed the mark. It quickly became apparent that EdelGolf needed a strategic solution to improve its game and drive the business forward. That’s when it contacted Data-Sleek for a free consultation.
EdelGolf’s challenges stemmed from a fragmented data landscape with information scattered across multiple systems and channels. Rather than try to improve its process on its own, the company partnered with Data-Sleek to implement modern data architecture.
The experts at Data-Sleek audited and analyzed EdelGolf’s chaotic processes. Streamlining data began with seamless data pipelines that stream information from EdelGolf’s various channels into a centralized platform. Consolidating data eliminated silos that previously hindered EdelGolf’s operations. It also gave them a holistic view of customer data, sales patterns, and inventory management.
With data streaming in from multiple sources, data integrity was crucial. Data-Sleek’s team meticulously built a robust data dictionary. Implementing a dictionary cleansed and standardized processes to eliminate inconsistencies and ensure data quality.
Organized and formatted data addressed EdelGolf’s order challenges. Each order was assigned a unique identifier, making it easier to track and fulfill. It kept data segmented by customers and prevented multiple orders from combining into a single invoice. Already, the company was making significant progress.
Edel recognized early on the importance of observing customer needs and challenges. The company’s fragmented data hindered this vision and clouded its ability to make effective decisions. Data-Sleek addressed this issue with centralized data dashboards that provided invaluable business insights into customer behaviors, purchasing patterns, and market opportunities.
Data-Sleek’s partnership with EdelGolf extended beyond the initial implementation phase. The two companies established an ongoing relationship to monitor and refine the data management systems. Data-Sleek provided continued support to ensure EdelGolf’s data infrastructure remained agile and responsive.
EdelGolf understood the power of retooling systems to increase their long-term success. After all, they found success by implementing a weight system that sent golf balls further down the fairway. Its partnership with Data-Sleek exceeded its expectations and provided a competitive edge in the dynamic golf equipment industry. The company aimed only to stabilize and streamline its operations with the freedom to scale. What happened after it built a data management system was really surprising.
Implementing Data-Sleek’s streamlined data infrastructure marked a pivotal point in EdelGolf’s development. The company was propelled towards success in an unprecedented way that captured the attention of industry titans. Its unified and efficient system allowed EdelGolf to aggressively market its products without the operational challenges that previously hindered growth.
As media buzz continued to build and sales poured in, EdelGolf’s new data management system empowered the company to manage and fulfill orders seamlessly. The results exceeded expectations—EdelGolf’s operational efficiency soared by an estimated 71%. Costs associated with returns, wrong orders, and customer service requests plummeted.
EdelGolf’s new streamlined data infrastructure enabled It to optimize inventory management and shipping processes, reducing costs associated with inefficiencies and lost opportunities. The company’s newfound agility and responsiveness positioned it as an unstoppable force in the golf equipment industry. The same company that built products based on Newton’s Second Law of Motion now operates under the first law: a company in motion stays in motion.
EdelGolf’s continued growth and innovative approach caught the attention of Doug Coors, owner of the renowned Coors Brewing Company and avid golfer. Recommended by PGA Tour professional Craig Kanada, Coors experienced firsthand EdelGolf’s cutting-edge fitting process and was immediately captivated by the brand’s vision and expertise.
“David [Edel] is one of the best minds in golf,” Coors states. “In my opinion, he’s second to none in putting.”
Coors recognized the immense potential of the company’s data-driven business model. Impressed by the product and the operational excellence achieved through Data-Sleek’s solutions, Coors strategically acquired EdelGolf in 2020.
With the backing of Coors’ resources and industry clout, EdelGolf embarked on an ambitious expansion, opening a state-of-the-art headquarters and assembly facility in Denver, Colorado, in 2022. This new chapter solidified the company’s position as a golf industry trailblazer and laid the foundation for continued innovation and growth.
Today, EdelGolf is a testament to the power of data-driven decision-making and operational excellence. By harnessing the capabilities of Data-Sleek’s solutions, the company transcended its operational challenges and unlocked a future full of opportunities. For Data-Sleek, EdelGolf, and Coors, that’s a hole-in-one.
Learn more about EdelGolf.
Data-Sleek® is a consulting agency and a leading provider of comprehensive data management solutions. We specialize in data transformation, data migration, data integration, data architecture, data warehousing, and database consulting. Our commitment to client satisfaction empowers organizations of all sizes to unlock the full potential of their data assets. Data-Sleek is a trusted partner of Fortune 500 companies, dedicated to innovating and revolutionizing the way you do business.
