Equipment costs

[Cheeezy1]

I’ve been playing golf for many years and have seen the price of clubs sky rocket. One thing I have noticed is that you have to pay more and get less. I’ve been looking into purchasing new irons and when I see the price, initially I think that it’s a descent price but then I notice that the set only consists of Six or seven clubs. Iron sets traditionally and typically come with eight clubs. Whether it be 3-pw or 4-aw. When you factor in the price to purchase the Eighth club, you’ve payed even more then if you bought an eight iron set. Realistically what you that was a descent price, really isn’t at all. 

It’s like the manufacturers are doing the same thing as the food industry. If you’ve noticed in recent years how a 2 liter bottle of Soda is not any more and we’re still paying the same if not a little more now. 

This trend is very concerning. Paying more and getting less. Maybe if a video comes out about this trend, it’ll stop before it goes any further. It’s very concerning what’s happening in the golf industry

[Ri_Redneck]

You're dead on Cheeezy. Fortunately, the prices drop like a stone as newer models come out. That is, unless the clubs end up being a really hot item. I tend to buy models that are 1.5 to 2 yrs old that are still in the wrapping yet are usually hundreds less. Also, don't ignore the less prominent brands like Cobra, Wilson and others that don't spend millions in advertising and pro contracts. Plenty of good clubs out there, you just have to dig a little.

Brian

[NRJyzr]

A couple somethings worth considering....

In 1991, Callaway introduced the Big Bertha driver. It was $270 with graphite shaft. Using the CPI Inflation Calculator, that's $516 in current US funds.

In 1967, MacGregor introduced the VIP irons. A set of 2-PW sold for $225. That is $1,760 in current US funds.

All depends on how you look at it. {shrug}

[dubbelbogey]

Embrace the fun of the hunt for somewhat older gear. Like @Ri_Redneck says, tons of stuff that's a couple of years old out there that is new/virtually new at a fraction of the original cost.
Even better is if you go farther back in time and get stuff at simply incredible discounts. Top-shelf stuff for well under half what it used to cost, and often much less than that. Is there any real performance difference between today's latest and stuff that is 3-5 years old? You'll have to form your own opinion, but I have a very strong opinion that the answer is a resounding no.

[NRJyzr]

And let's not forget the Callaway Great Big Bertha was $500 in 1995, with a stock shaft that was frequently referred to with less than glowing terms. $500 in 1995 dollars is $856 in current funds.

For all the complaining about TM product cycles, they helped save us from $800+ drivers with less than ideal stock shafts.

[Ger21]

I just bought, brand new, driver, 3 wood and hybrid. Paid 28% of the original price 2 years ago.

It's just like computers. Cutting edge is very expensive. Last years are much more affordable, 2-3 years old are dirt cheap, and can still be found brand new.

[MelloYello]

What...aren't we all making double or triple what we were 10 years ago, LOL?

And what about all that "new technology" that's making golf clubs of today perform so radically different from clubs 10 years ago, LOL?

 

Nah, but seriously, companies in all markets will elevate prices when they can and it's pretty common to see them divide up their lines into more and more consumable options as a way to increase profits. Good Lord, there are more types of clubs than ever before. There are more components and upgrades available than ever before. There are more brands than ever before. Golf is a big market with a lot of people willing to spend their cash.

 

It's really a reflection of the consumer though. If you couldn't make a business out of selling expensive stuff, the industry wouldn't exist. In truth, what you describe is sort of the nature of consumer capitalism which says: (1) find the people with money, (2) develop products/services to sell to the people with money, (3) repeat.

 

Most people want to enjoy life so they spend the money they have. Not everyone does that. A few people are very frugal. But most spend what they can afford to as consumers. Fact is, there's just a TON of money consumers throw at the golf industry. So the various companies have to invent products for us to buy.

 

That said, I'm the same as many here. I tend to prefer the more affordable (pre-owned) options. I don't mind assembling a nice-looking bag, but in truth I bought everything I have second-hand. The irons came from Golf Galaxy (used). The driver and fairway heads I got off Ebay. The upgraded shafts where purchased online. The wedges were new. They came from a local shop. The putter I got from a friend.

[Rory4Pres]

The industry has decreased the number of irons in their sets because of market demand, or lack there of. More and more people are wanting hybrids or utility irons instead of 2, 3 and 4 irons. Another factor is they have decreased the lofts of the irons to make them "appear" to go further. So your 4 iron has the loft of a 3 iron, so once again, people aren't seeing the need for a 3 iron.

As far as price goes, it has been quite high in the past (look at ping and callaway in the 90's). Then over the next 15 years the market was weakening on price (why Nike called it quits), until PXG came along and proved there was a segment of the market that didn't care what it cost. This impacted the entire golf industry and is why the vast majority of club makers raised their prices this past season. That being said, metal costs have increased and tariffs were charged on the material coming from China, so costs have gone up for them as well.

Moral of the story is if you don't like the prices, buy used.

[JDMRN81]

Buy "used". I just sold a set of brand new in plastic (except for the 7i) MP20 MMC's for $750. These just came out a few months ago and retail for around $1300 when factoring in taxes. The market is flooded with used irons and unless you need some crazy specs that would be hard to find used, it's a no-brainer.

[jholz]

So, in other words, people who are buying brand new golf clubs at MSRP are suckers. Just about the same as people who are buying Louboutin shoes, $10k handbags, or luxury automobiles.

[dubbelbogey]

I wouldn't say they're suckers (well, at least, not all of them). Luxury goods, almost by definition, are not purely practical purchases. E.g. Those wanting to buy a nice set of clubs (or a watch, or a handbag) as a gift for a spouse typically won't be shopping the used market.

Then again, some are really suckers.

 

[DFS PFD]

They pay a premium for a premium product, and not all luxury items depreciate the same way. Could sell a number Submariners's right now used for a quick $3K-$4K profit. That being said, your average Audi or BMW will lose 30% of it's value just for signing your name to the title. And cost is always relative...

[cgasucks]

I've been playing the game since 2000 and for me, buying clubs have been cheaper and easier as time goes by. Who says you have to buy clubs new? Did someone force you or threaten your family that you have to buy new clubs? Club technology has been stagnant since the mid-2000s when driver heads are at the legal max size of 460cc with a max COR. Iron technology have been stagnant for even longer than that. Because of that, one can get a bag of decent clubs that are used for less than a price of today's driver. Put the rest of the money on lessons and driving range balls if you want to make those clubs perform the way they were meant to.

[Cheeezy1]

All valid points. Not many people use a 3 or 4 iron. So offer the gap wedge and sand wedge.

As for inflation and rates of increase in prices. I wish my salary would increase at the same rate. Lol

Buuing new is for suckers. I bought a used 2017 M1 driver and got rid of my Epic Sub Zero. I wanted the adjustability. I recently went and got fit. I hit my driver to establish a base line reference.After hitting multiple shaft and driver combinations and looking at all of the data, the only thing I needed to change was my shaft. I hit my M1 with more accuracy, distance and lower spin then a Flash SZ,Ping G410, and a Titleist TS 2&3. My driver was fit with a Smoke Black 70 6.5, set to 8 degree, slight draw & slight weight forward. I also hit the Graphite Design IZ 7x well but it’s not worth paying that much for a shaft. The performance gains don’t warrant it. Also since My fitting, I bought a used M1 3 Wood and a Kuro Kage Silver TiNi 70 x flex and used M1 3 hybrid with a Kuro Kage Silver TiNi 80 HYB x flex and hitting them well.

I I bought my Epic preowned from Callaway Which I later sold in EBay. The last time I bought new was in 2011. I bought a set of 2010 MacGregor VIP forged irons that came with 2 free VIP forged wedges at the time. I only payed $500. I compared them to the Mizuno forged Cavity back at the time. My conclusion was that it wasn’t worth spending $300 more on Mizunos for a minimal difference in feel. They both performed well. I’m an 80s shooter and I don’t play competitively so it’s not practical to spend the extra.

If you need to be fit for irons, it will be easier to get the irons you want with the shaft you need in a current model which may end up cheaper then buying preowned and paying to re-shaft them unfortunately. I’m currently playing an S Flex KBS Tour shaft that came stock in my irons. I use Satandard length and lie so it’s easier for me to buy irons but not everyone can do that. I decided to buy a preowned set of Taylormade PSI irons with the KBS Tour C Taper Light. I’m taking a chance but I’ve played with lighter shafts before with no issues. If I don’t like them, I can return them. I hope I hit them well. They look nice.

Lastly, because of stronger lifts and longer standards, 4 irons are the new 3 irons so on and so forth. So if you can hit Today’s 4 or 5 irons it’s probably all psychological. Lol

[dlygrisse]

I started playing golf in the mid 1980's, about the time the Taylor Made metal woods were gaining in popularity and when Ping Eye2's were gaining popularity. Both of these were viewed as premium products, I was a college student and purchased some used clubs, but saved up for a TM Burner driver with a DG S300 shaft. I paid $75 new and had to pay extra for the fuzzy red headcover. A graphite shaft cost an extra $50!. I believe the Pings Cost around $500 for SS and $600 for BeCu, which seemed crazy at the time, much like PXG does today.

Federal minimum wage at the time was $3.35 and hour I believe.

[jholz]

Yeah, but I am talking about values that go beyond dollars and cents (or pounds and pence, marks and pfennigs, or whatever currency you might be partial to).

 

The value of a Rolex, BMW, or any other consumer product is a social construct. In other words, it ain't real.

[DFS PFD]

In that case most of the world currencies aren't real, US dollar included. And I'd argue it's a basic principle of supply an demand, if those luxury items weren't valued at XXX then people wouldn't pay for them and they wouldn't cost anymore than their domestic or Asian equivalent. Markets will continue to determine value.

EDIT I'm really getting in the weeds, I agree golf clubs are too expensive. Unfortunately people keep buying them.

[jholz]

Yes, you are correct on all of your points. All major currencies are fiat, and yes, markets do determine value. When we put those two things together, we get a socially constructed system. Within our current system, things like shoes with red soles and handbags with designer names are considered to be high value. Yet, this value is not a measure of their intrinsic worth, rather a measure of what people are willing to pay for them. It is, ultimately, an "emperor's new clothes" scenario.

 

Which is why I completely agree with your final point - it is unfortunate that people keep laying out money for new, high price golf equipment. If they didn't, then the market would change.

[pinestreetgolf]

In 1997, a Big Bertha driver was $600. In 1997, both Taylormade and Cally's cast, game improvement iron lines were $1,500. Golf equipment is cheaper now than ever. Not sure what I'm missing.

[nicelife]

 

[dlygrisse]

That wasn't the real price for a Big Bertha. Once they produced enough of them they sold for about $200. The titanium Great Big Bertha had a short spell of a very high price point, but once the stores had adequate supplies that price settled down to around $300 pretty quickly. Those $1500 irons were their premium tungsten weighted line, not the standard line.

Your basic name brand driver is about $500 retail right now with a stock shaft. Retail before the year end when they discount stuff to clear the shelves for new products.

Your basic name brand driver 10 years ago was closer to $300. Maybe $350. It just seems that the price went to $400 then $500 very rapidly. The price of a driver has gone from $75 in 1985 when I started playing to $500. The cost of living index in that time frame is $1 to $2.39, which means the average driver now should cost $179.38 all things being equal.

[greenwavegolfer]

One thing people haven't mentioned is that there are some distinct differences in input and carrying costs for manufacturers today versus a couple decades ago. In the past most clubs came with a single stock shaft and all you got to choose was the flex. If you were lucky maybe there was 2 or 3 choices, but that definitely wasn't the norm. Nowadays most iron sets might have 10 or more shaft choices at no upcharge and even more at a nominal upcharge and woods will have 3-5 choices as well. Carrying that many shafts from various brands increases input costs (and reduces purchasing power from economies of scale). Also, the increasing trend of custom orders costs more than just producing the same basic stock set then sending that to your retailers. Throw in the fact that a lot of clubs (woods especially) are made with multiple materials that cost more than previous generations it's easy to see that input costs haven't remained flat over the years. It's not exactly as if we're getting the exact same product just at a higher price, we're getting more now in terms of selection and customization than we ever have and that comes with an added cost.

[cardoustie]

Some guys want the latest and greatest and enjoy new equipment ... and changing equipment a lot ... and can easily afford it .. you can't tell a guy what to spend his cash on

golf equipment is no different than cars, boats, watches etc .... you name a luxury good and there are buyers at all price points. It doesn't need to make sense logically

[dlygrisse]

I don't disagree at all. It's just that the baseline price for the OTR name brand stuff has increased at a much faster rate than the cost of living index. Custom cool stuff can be whatever. You want a $500 head and a $800 shaft, be my guest. I've got buddies who have full bags of the latest PXG or JDM stuff, including matching tour bags. I'm fine with it, it's your money. For me I generally guy stuff that is slightly used or at the end of the product cycle to save a few Benji's.

[cardoustie]

I buy new if I really want it ... but 75% of the time it is with pro shop gift certificates .... so I need to spend it on something .. and my shoes are out of control

(This year I won 4500 in certs at the club FWIW)

[Springsteennut]

I usually buy new stuff a year or so after release and I don’t mind playIng a club for a few years. I usually replace something each year. Last year it was irons. Every year old set I was considering was still over $550 which was fine but then I ran across this company called Sub70. I read read some good reviews about their clubs so I tried their demo program. I was curious to see if their clubs were really as good as the reviews I had read for the prices they were selling them for. I was really surprised how good the demo clubs were and I couldn’t find a reason other than they weren’t from a big OEM not to buy from them so I did. I haven’t regretted my purchase at all. It was nice to find a company that made quality clubs for very affordable prices.

[ChipNRun]

In 1974, the pro where I used to caddie sold me a set of MacGregor MT irons (2i-10i) for $139. This was price for unhit blades that were about three years old. (Probably sold at his cost).

Today, Callaway Epic Forged irons cost $2,400 for eight irons, or $300 a club.One option for OP: get to know a decent local golf shop. Pick up a set of used irons that fits your swing - the shop can can tweak a set for a small charge. You can get 2-year-old set of lightly played irons for about 60% of original cost.

[NRJyzr]

 

Previous model year clubs, whether used or just NOS, really are an excellent way to go. Most of my sticks are like that, though my predisposition to older stuff makes that a near certainty. LOL

[tannyhoban]

New clubs today offer far more options than the days of steel shafts only. Top line equipment in the '70's, 80's and '90's was pretty spendy too.

A lot of selective amnesia going on here.

Lightly used or new old stock today can get you some fantastic equipment if you don't need this years model.

Can't afford it, don't buy it.

[hack2489]

Well, don't take up surfing.

When you buy a new surfboard these days, it doesn't even come with FINS. You have to have your own already or buy a set at an additional cost!

Back in the 'good old days' fins were fixed into the surfboard and included in the price.