By Kyle Meleski

Meteoric. There’s probably no better word to describe the rise of Tiger Woods within the game of golf and upon the world stage that began a little more than a decade ago— in the summer of 1996. Coincidentally, that was the same year that Nike signed Tiger. They sensed he was someone who could forever change the game and simultaneously become the most recognizable athlete on the planet. He, of course, has done both. One would think that such an ascension couldn’t be duplicated. But just two years later in 1998, Nike formed Nike Golf, and soon showed its golf instincts went beyond the epic Tiger signing. Nike Golf is now among the top four golf equipment manufacturers in the world. It’s an extraordinary feat, considering some of its competitors have seemingly been around forever. And it’s quite evident that Nike Golf is not about to settle for fourth place.

The relationship between Tiger and Nike Golf showcases how Nike operates. It finds the best athletes in the world and builds innovative and superlative products around them. Then, the company shares the athletes’ inspiring stories to build the brand and drive consumer demand. As the athlete reaches iconic status, so does Nike. That philosophy resonated with IMI, North America’s leader in the sales and marketing of luxury real estate. So in 2006, IMI and Nike Golf formed a strategic partnership. Like Nike, IMI sponsors a cadre of Tour Professionals. IMI also represents resort communities in destinations like Nantucket, Anguilla and North Lake Tahoe, which attract the same clientele as the Nike Golf brand.

So IMI’s Resort Living recently sat down with Cindy Davis—U.S. General Manager of Nike Golf—to talk about this alliance and some of the forces behind Nike Golf’s success. Ironically enough, Davis is a graduate of Furman University in Greenville, SC (home of IMI’s corporate headquarters) where she was an NCAA First Team All-American golfer.
 

Resort Living: How does having Tiger Woods as a spokesperson impact your business?
Davis: Well, it goes without saying that Tiger has had an enormous impact on the game of golf and has motivated us to raise our standards and our own level of performance. In the beginning—before we even started making golf clubs or balls—the chance to work with an athlete of Tiger’s caliber and to keep going back to the drawing board with him until we got the product just right, was absolutely invaluable. Not to mention that he was taking that product and winning with it. In our world, there is no more powerful testimonial than that and it gave us instant credibility and opportunities to grow our business.