Putter price bubble?

I was wondering what people though of the current prices of putters. I can’t believe how expensive some of these putters can be.

Cameron tour going for 2000 to 15000 dollars. Bettinardi are expensive too. His hive sells out quickly.

How long can we sustain these prices? 20 years from now will Cameron’s be 30000 for a tour putter.

They are both still making a ton of putters. Just wondering if a recession and or/ supply demand will kick in and bring the prices down.

It’s just a market driven by what people will pay. I don’t see it slowing down anytime soon.

I think it is the other way around. If you are going to reference to supply and demand, I think the demand for higher price putters is larger than expected and so the market size has increased. In the past scotty cameron was the only option, but now with other club makers coming into the market the demand has increased rather than decrease. This is similar to the popularity PXG has seen when people initially thought the concept was ridiculous.

The thing is that these are collectors items and don’t lose a lot of value. Think of it as a fine painting. People are willing to drop at much on something like that however will rarely play them.

People willing to pay more than they should for something to make themselves look better than they are will never go away. That said some of those putters are gorgeous but I'm struggling to spend more than $150 on a new one.

Only reason I will spend on the Scotty 009 is because it’s the only way I can get that style head, as they aren’t sold OTR. They are also beautiful sticks!

'Odyssey'!

I don’t think it’s a bubble, I doubt you’ll see the bottom drop out of the Cameron market anytime soon. But, using what I’ve seen in the pool cue market, there is the potential for a definite overall drop off f the demand doesn’t stay high. If that happens, the Cameron 009s will lose a little value but overall the market will still exist for them. It’s some of the other makers that have ridden this wave that don’t have the strong collectors market and history that will see the big hit. A $2000 putter form a known but lesser known than Cameron type maker may not have many buyers in the future.

It was seen in the pool cue market with the decline of popularity over the last 20 years. I love pool and appreciate fine cues but there are people out there trying to get the $4-5k they spent on a popular but not top tier maker struggling to sell their cues and sometimes having to settle for a fraction of the price. But someone who bought a Szamboti , Southwest, or a Tascarella are likely doing just fine.

So my read is if you want to splash out for a super fancy putter, a Cameron isn’t a bad buy. If you want a really nice custom putter I think there are some killer builders providing a lot of value. I’ll never regret the $500-600 I spent on my Byron as it’s a ton of putter for the money. But I wouldn’t be so confirdent spending $1500-2500 on a custom putter from a newer or lesser known maker IF value retention was a concern. I think that’s is where you’ll see the market fail if it does.

I paid 450$ usd for a custom lajosi and it was hard to swallow that price. Byt the putter us fit to me with a custom design. Now, evwrytime i try a new putter, it is not even close.

Will i ever buy a 009 cameron? Absolutely not. What i am concern, is whi are these people who buy a tyson lamb (really beautiful product by the way)? I mean, i never saw one, it is never available on his website, and seems to go for a lot more money thab lajosi or byron. The concern is what justify the price? Can any lamb owner join this conversation?

Spent $250 for a Ping Sigma G. That is about my limit. If money was no object and had money come out my Word not allowed, sure I would game a SC or Betti.

There will always be the large naive group of golfers who think they can buy a Cameron putter and shave 5 Strokes off their game.

I remember baseball card mania in the 90s and everybody insisting that card prices would only go up...same with a lot of other bubbles. Prices will go higher as long as there is still demand. Until there isn't, or there is too much supply.

The Scottsdale Ansers used to go for HUGE money. Now, not so much. I used to have a small Cameron collection of putters and hard to find head covers from the Peace Sign and first Hula Girls era. I felt lucky to get my money back when I liquidated everything a few years ago. I cashed out because of other hobbies, not because of a dislike for Cameron.

There will be/is a bubble and it will pop. The $200 covers will be $20. Putters will drop drastically. Anyone buying Cameron stuff as an "investment" or to send their kid to college is pipe dreaming.

I think prices will hold as long as Scotty stays involved. Someone will come and take his place eventually. It happens to the best of them.

Can sustain as long as the economy is good and people have money. Prices will subside for some models and go higher for others. Whatever the Poser is willing to spend. In any market, it is expand or die.

As long as Scotty's are relevant "technology" wise, I don't see the prices changing course. For example, 8802 and bullseye styles aren't as sought after any more. Currently the Newport/ ping Anser style is widely used on tour and a very good design. As long as that stays true, Scotty CT will still have the same demand. If the prices of CT scare you, look at what PXG is doing and how successful they are. Also you must not know of Honma. They sell a set of 14 clubs for $60,000. Their putter, the Beres with 5 star Armrq is $4500.

The hate is strong in this thread. Not all of us who buy higher end putters do so because we think they will magically shave strokes off our game. I happen to enjoy many different putters, from various price points. Not only as tools of my hobby, but also as works of art. As with any other commodity, the market will bear what the market will bear.

Only reason I will spend on the Scotty 009 is because it's the only way I can get that style head, as they aren't sold OTR. They are also beautiful sticks!

The purely economic counter argument is that you can get that headshape from a half a dozen custom putter makers for far less money. But this isn't about economics, as much as some folks want it to be.

That doesn't mean that you should, by any means, because putters are a vanity/pleasure item. While we all want a putter that makes a lot of putts, I would argue that the vast majority of us want something cool, or different, or exclusive because it's more than a tool, it's something that makes us happy.

People spend gobs of money on stuff that makes them happy. Granite countertops are completely unnecessary, but people spend tend of thousands of dollars on them. A top of the line grill is big money compared to a Sears grill that'll cook your hotdogs just fine, but people spend big money on grills. And let's not go down the watch/jewelry road.

As long as people have disposable income and want nice things, the "luxury" putter market is going to be just fine. (as well it should be)

Only reason I will spend on the Scotty 009 is because it's the only way I can get that style head, as they aren't sold OTR. They are also beautiful sticks!

 

The purely economic counter argument is that you can get that headshape from a half a dozen custom putter makers for far less money. But this isn't about economics, as much as some folks want it to be.

 

That doesn't mean that you should, by any means, because putters are a vanity/pleasure item. While we all want a putter that makes a lot of putts, I would argue that the vast majority of us want something cool, or different, or exclusive because it's more than a tool, it's something that makes us happy.

 

People spend gobs of money on stuff that makes them happy. Granite countertops are completely unnecessary, but people spend tend of thousands of dollars on them. A top of the line grill is big money compared to a Sears grill that'll cook your hotdogs just fine, but people spend big money on grills. And let's not go down the watch/jewelry road.

 

As long as people have disposable income and want nice things, the "luxury" putter market is going to be just fine. (as well it should be)

Completely agree with everything you said here. I guess there are many reasons why I spend the money I do on the thing I enjoy, and work hard to be able to spend that money when I want to.

Economy is up, so luxury (and plain) consumer spending will be as well. I just bought a $4,000.00 009m Custom Scotty. It's not going to make me score any less and I know that, but I love the looks and the satisfaction that I have. I work hard and have a good job, so why not. I will have this putter for a long time, if not forever. I know if/when I go to sell/ trade it, the value will be there close to what I originally paid. A Rolex doesn't tell the time any different. A BMW doesn't get you to work better than a Honda. This is the same age old argument. Its all relative to the individual, what one can afford or will pay and what others wont. They aren't for everyone.

There will always be the large naive group of golfers who think they can buy a Cameron putter and shave 5 Strokes off their game.

You can make that statement about any golfer who buys any piece of equipment.

I find it funny that $2000 putters get so much hate but spending $400 on a new driver every year is perfectly acceptable even though performance is very close to drivers from 10 years ago (that's $4000 spent on new drivers over 10 years).

I try hard to never count other people's money! If I am troubled by what someone else purchased or did than that is a reflection of me!

KJ

Putter prices probably won't be dropping anytime soon. Sad thing is, there isn't much better tech in putters than there was about 6 years ago. It almost seems that people associate price of putters with quality. "I spent X dollars so therefore, my putter is better than yours that you paid Y for..." A buddy of mine plays an old flannagan putter and I can't remember the last time he stood over a 15 footer that he didn't make or skirt the lip. He paid maybe $75 for it. Meanwhile, I drop $300+ on a toulon and I can miss a 4 footer like DJ at the US Open.

As long as there's guys out there missing putts, there'll be putter companies slowly turning up the heat on the prices!

I've never seen an affordable 009 headshape from any manufacturer. Seems like most companies hold that headshape in high regard and charge more for it.

Only reason I will spend on the Scotty 009 is because it's the only way I can get that style head, as they aren't sold OTR. They are also beautiful sticks!

 

The purely economic counter argument is that you can get that headshape from a half a dozen custom putter makers for far less money. But this isn't about economics, as much as some folks want it to be.

 

That doesn't mean that you should, by any means, because putters are a vanity/pleasure item. While we all want a putter that makes a lot of putts, I would argue that the vast majority of us want something cool, or different, or exclusive because it's more than a tool, it's something that makes us happy.

 

People spend gobs of money on stuff that makes them happy. Granite countertops are completely unnecessary, but people spend tend of thousands of dollars on them. A top of the line grill is big money compared to a Sears grill that'll cook your hotdogs just fine, but people spend big money on grills. And let's not go down the watch/jewelry road.

 

As long as people have disposable income and want nice things, the "luxury" putter market is going to be just fine. (as well it should be)

What bubble do you speak of? There are putters at price points for all spectrums of the market. As far as Tour Camerons, they have been priced in the 4 figure mark for two decades now. A 009 was $2,500 back in 2008 and is still $2,500 in 2018. Cameron Garage were $15,000 in 2008 and still $15,000 in 2018. The prices and demand survived through the 2008-2009 Financial Crisis.

Now if the reality of it was that entry level putter prices were $499 compared to $149, then yes, you have a point.

putter prices are sinking worse than the titanic. look out for some deals

It will continue for as long as people are willing to pay the price that they want for them. I dont see it going away or coming down, if anything, it seems like the price of all clubs continues to keep going up. It used to be that you could get a great putte r for around $100, now it seems like the norm is $150-$200 and its not uncommon to pay $300 for a high-quality putter. Id love to have one of the new Mizuno M-Craft putters but Im not going to pay $300 for one. I'll wait a few years and pick one up off of the 2nd hand market, or I'll just go without.

As long as Cameron and Bettinardi are producing putters either OTR or tour models, the demand will be there.

you guys are definitely correct. There will always be demand. The prices are softening a little bit right now though.

I realize this is a thread from a couple years ago but from an outsider's perspective (having never owned a putter more expensive than $2-300), it seems like the number of high end and super high end putters that have been put out in the last 5-10 years is going to make the secondary market tough, especially for niche brands/makers. An 009 seems like the gold standard of holding resale value and may continue to do so, but I can't see something like a handmade Mann or Lamb keeping up. It's not like the majority of these putters are getting gamed to death, so the number of collector pieces out there just continues to grow at a faster and faster pace while the number of available buyers can't keep up indefinitely.

Just an opinion and not a comment on whether or not it's worth it for any specific individual - obviously if you like something and it's worth it to you... Who am I to gainsay a hobby, I have like 20 Yes! putters lol.

Great point md_mueller. There are so many collector putters being made right now.