The email that landed in my inbox on Monday morning caught me somewhat off guard. It came from the fine folks at TaylorMade and it was about discounts on the still-quite-new Rocketballz Stage 2 woods and hybrids.

The deal — which is now being offered at all sorts of internet and brick and mortar retailers — is simple: Save $50 on a driver, $30 on a fairway wood and $20 on a hybrid.

Even though TaylorMade has short product cycles — many people will say too short — this discounting leaves me with a bunch of questions. After all, there is a decent part of the country where the golf season has yet to start or is barely getting warmed up.

So why the financial incentive?

Are the sticks not moving? Were the initial prices too high? Was the hot 3-wood a 1-year wonder that ended with the original RBZ? Have people quit buying the distance claims? Is the Callaway X Hot line the (for lack of a better term) the hot club? Will the RBZ Stage 3 do to be released next week (that’s a joke, btw)? Or is TaylorMade simply doing this out of the goodness of their hearts?

I haven’t hit any of these clubs — I’ve tried hard to not hit anything new until there is golf to be played in Minnesota — so I don’t have an opinion on the clubs.

I just simply find the move curious.