The Scorecard

What Is The Scorecard?

The Scorecard is the monthly editorial issue from golf's brand desk. Each month we take the numbers from the DORMIED Index — 175 brands tracked across 10 global markets, updated weekly — and write up what they mean. Not just who moved, but why it matters and what it tells us about where the game is heading.

It is built as eight sections: the Lede, which sets the scene; Top of the Board, which covers who is holding position at the summit; The Move, which spotlights the biggest single swing of the month; The Field, which works through the middle of the Index; On the Drop, which looks at who fell and what drove it; The Long Game, which takes a longer view of a brand or trend that is worth watching; Global Dispatch, which files from outside the US market; and a Closing Note signed by Adam and Travis.

The Scorecard does not chase every headline. It covers what the data is actually showing — which is sometimes a different story from what was loudest in the feed that month. A brand can dominate the trade press in a given week and still be losing ground on the Index. A brand can say nothing for 30 days and show up in the top five movers. That gap between narrative and data is what the Scorecard is built to close.

How We Build It

Every call we make in the Scorecard is grounded in what the DORMIED Index is actually showing. We track search trends across 10 markets, 175 brands, and every major equipment, apparel, footwear, and lifestyle category in the game. When a brand moves 40 positions in a month, we ask why. When a name shows up climbing in three separate markets simultaneously, we write it up. When a launch lands and the data does not move, that is also worth noting.

The Index is updated weekly. The Scorecard is published monthly, once we have enough runway to say something with confidence rather than reacting to noise. We are looking for signal — a brand that is building a durable position, a story that the numbers started telling before the trade press picked it up, or a drop that suggests something structural rather than just a bad week in a slow news cycle.

We publish once a month. Subscribers get it first, usually by a couple of days, then it goes live on the site. Back issues are archived below, most recent first. If you want it early, the signup is in the footer.

What to Watch Each Month

If you are new to the Scorecard, start with the Lede, which frames the whole issue. Then The Move, which is usually the most interesting single data point of the month — the brand that moved furthest, fastest, with the clearest story behind it. The Long Game is where we do our most considered editorial work. If you only read one section beyond the Lede, read that one.

The Global Dispatch is worth your attention if you follow markets outside the US. The DORMIED Index tracks search volume across the UK, Australia, Germany, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Sweden, the UAE, and South Africa, in addition to the United States. What is happening to a brand in Tokyo can be a completely different story from what is happening to that same brand in Florida. The Dispatch is where we surface those divergences.

Top of the Board covers the brands holding the top positions and what has changed in their rankings from the prior month. On the Drop is the counterpart — the brands that slipped, and whether the drop looks like noise or the start of something longer. Both sections run short by design. The data speaks for itself; we just provide the frame.

The DORMIED Index that powers all of this is updated weekly. You can see the current standings in full at the Index page. The Brands directory gives you the trend chart and recent coverage for every brand we track. The Scorecard connects the data to the story behind it.