Going for the Green

The Makings of a Catalog
Early on, as the company grew its retail chain in the Southeast, Edwin Watts looked to spread his brand across the country. So in 1975, the company spent $3,000 to test mail order with an ad in The Wall Street Journal for a set of Titleist clubs. Planning for about 150 orders, Watts got 600 and all the validation Edwin needed. “We had no place to store the clubs when they arrived,” the company founder recalled recently. “So we had to work outside all night processing the orders. Lucky for us it didn’t rain!” He immediately began planning for the launch of the company’s first catalog, which mailed in 1976 to 3,000 prospects. (Edwin Watts was unavailable for direct comment in this story.)