Not to be outdone by Nike, TaylorMade has also launched an advertising campaign for Father's Day. TaylorMade’s “Thanks dad. I am a golfer.” campaign takes a different approach and features many different professionals riffing about their triangular relationship with their dad and golf. It's similar to Nike's approach, but of a slightly different color. TaylorMade gives us personal accounts and insight from the mouths of professional golfers. Since our perceptions of pro golfers are based on tension-filled scenarios within the ropes or on television screens, it's refreshing to see that these golfers are no different than you or me.

Neither advertising campaign is better than the other, as they are both successful in surfacing the bonds that we feel with our parents. It's encouraging to see that corporations support their sponsored athletes and their personal lives. However, as consumers, we must all remember that these messages come from purveyors of golf equipment and it is up to the consumer to determine how money is spent.

There was plenty of media covering the Dakoda Dowd story as it loosely coincided with Mother’s Day. However, I don’t recall too many golf advertising campaigns attempting to capitalize on our relationships with our mothers. I’m interested to see if this becomes a worthy subject for advertising dollars, as women continue to build their presence in the golf industry.