TaylorMade is Hinting Toward a ‘New Apparel Division,’ And It Could Have to do with Nike-Tiger Rumors

TaylorMade is hinting on its Careers website that it will launch a “new apparel division,” and with recent rumors that involved Tiger Woods, Nike’s Golf division, and other golfers, perhaps something new could be on the horizon.

TaylorMade is working to hire several positions related to a “new apparel division,” which it explicitly states on several of its job listings for a Director of eCommerce, Social Media Program Manager, and a Marketing Director.

🚨Who knows which OEM was being referenced as getting into the golf apparel business – but recent TaylorMade job postings indicate they’re building out their team for apparel – including a dedicated marketing director. I know they’ve launched a few apparel items already but these… pic.twitter.com/oKHLfFCJGm

— TWLEGION (@TWlegion) December 5, 2023

The OEM currently offers a few apparel options, but nothing that is immersive enough to have a golfer on a major tour sporting its brand for their clothing needs. Instead, TaylorMade golfers have been wearing Nike or Adidas for the past few years. Dustin Johnson, who has been with TaylorMade for years, recently parted ways with Adidas.

DJ is wearing EXTRACURRICULAR brand apparel that is inscribed with 4Aces, his LIV Golf team, and FootJoy shoes. Meanwhile, Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, Tommy Fleetwood, and several other TaylorMade players have Nike contracts that have spanned for several years.

However, with rumors that Tiger and Nike are set to part ways after 27 years together, the strategic timing of TaylorMade’s apparel division launch, along with the fact that several of its most premiere names are Nike athletes, seems to indicate that there is a real chance Nike could either eliminate its Golf division, or simply lose several names that it has sponsored for years.

Tiger Woods and Nike Could Part Ways After 27 Years

Losing Woods and McIlroy would be a gigantic deal for Nike, as those two names alone could potentially be looked at as significant contributors to the brand's success in the golf sector for the past few decades. Woods especially, who has had his own line of clothing and footwear through the brand.

I reached out to Nike to see if there were any Woods-branded apparel items in their 2024 catalog, and have not received an immediate response to the inquiry. However, others are stating that Woods has no offerings in the early look at the catalog for next season.

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What could this mean for Nike and the golf apparel sector in general? Several things.

Initially, Nike leaving the golf industry altogether would be a massive blow to many people. As the brand stopped manufacturing things like clubs and balls a few years ago, their apparel line is somewhat of a mainstay in many amateur's closets, especially as the brand offers both premium and affordable options.

However, it would be a good thing for many of the other up-and-coming clothing brands, as well as an advantage to the already-established premium apparel companies like Travis Mathew, FootJoy, and others.

While I find it extremely hard to believe Nike would abolish its apparel lineup for golf, perhaps there is a major and drastic change coming. 

The company does not break down its financial results in terms of specific sports or sectors, it reports them as whole figures broken down by "Footwear," "Apparel," and "Equipment." So we cannot tell if the golf apparel is not financially feasible for the company at the current time, but I would have a very hard time believing Nike is losing money on golf.

It has been rumored that the PNC will be Tiger Woods' last tournament sporting Nike apparel, so we'll keep an eye on whether or not that rumor, which was first talked about on the No Laying Up podcast, is true.

For now, we will continue to dig on these developments and see if perhaps Nike is making any changes to its strategy for golf.

Cover Image via Golf Digest