What would rejuvenate the golf equipment industry?

[uW0tM8]

Mods, please move if necessary!

 

I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts on what would bring more stability back to the equipment industry. Personally, here are a few things I have noticed, and things I think manufacturers should do:

 

1. More personalization/customization.

 

Let's be serious here, I cannot stand the way certain companies drivers/clubs look from a color aspect (and overall design scheme, but that's something you can't really change). I really dislike the flat black finish on Callaway and Ping clubs, (However the PXG has a little "something" to it that makes the flatter gray look nice). I'm not ditching TM drivers any time soon, but if brands offered more color customization, it would definitely at least get me interested. Just look at Cobra, I've seen more Cobra drivers in bags over the last year than I've ever seen. Sure, if you're are die-hard brand loyalist, you probably don't care, but 90% of the golfing community wants more than one color option, ESPECIALLY the younger generation.

 

I also love how Cleveland, Titleist to an extent, and now Callaway are offering wedge customization. I believe this is something all manufacturers should do, just how Scotty Cameron has their custom putter shop. Completely makes the clubs your own, and allows you to throw personal flare into each club. Heck, you could even expand that into total iron personalization too. I understand the more GI irons you could probably only do paint-fill due to the design of the club, but if I'm dropping $1000 on a set of blades, I think it's more than fair to be able to stamp my initials, alma-mater, or favorite Bible verse on the backs.

 

2. Cut the nuclear iron garbage.

 

Sure, for the weekend player it's nice to be able to take 1 less club than your buddies and let them know you carry a bigger stick, but overall, I believe better scores are going to make consumers happier than hitting 7 iron 220 yards. Sure, high and even mid-handicappers usually don't strike the ball consistent enough to make too much of a difference, but hear me out: Say you know your 9 iron goes 130 ish give or take on a somewhat decent strike. You hit your 9 iron, flush it, and it goes 155 yards over the green and into trouble because you hit the "hot spot" (I'm looking at you, Callaway and Ping). That would really grind my gears. The best example of what I would like to see from companies is how Titleist markets the AP1s. They are forgiving yes, have strong lofts, but they aren't designed to be 2 clubs longer than the number on the sole. They're designed to be FORGIVING. So same scenario, you hit that 9 iron from 130, flush it on that rare occasion, and it goes 138. You're still on the back of the green, birdie putt.

 

3. Manufacturer demo clubs that you can take to your course and test.

 

Will make it much easier for consumers to justify hundreds if not thousands of dollars in clubs if they can visually see what they will do on the course. I know some stores will allow you to demo a 6 iron, and in some cases a driver, but that's very uncommon and just hitting a 6 iron won't tell me how the whole set will perform. Here's how they could do it:

 

Provide each retailer with a number of iron sets, wedges, and woods subject to the amount of revenue generated (Large stores will have more demo sets). Have regular, stiff, and x-stiff available for demo. Require a deposit that covers the cost of the demo in case they are stolen or broken. That way, people can play a round or two with the clubs they are thinking about buying and if they decide they like them, they can go back and put the deposit towards a new set. If they don't, get their deposit back and try again.

 

What are some other suggestions you guys have?

[Soloman1]

I get paid for consulting like this... :)

[uW0tM8]

I get paid for consulting like this... :)

Feel free to hire me as a contract worker! :D

[jslane57]

1. I disagree with the woods. I like to see a club and know what it is from a far. Like the TM M1 and M2. You see one of those and you know right away what it is. All the options and colors just add to the nonsense. I agree with the irons/wedges. So cool to stamp your own clubs. Of course, this could backfire and sell less clubs. I know my personalized clubs don't get sold...

 

2. I agree 100%. The distances are a joke. But we do spend more money on wedges. And wedges maybe wear out faster. Maybe this is smart after all.

 

3. This seems just too hard. Demo clubs loose their shine quickly, and you don't want folks demoing crappy looking clubs. Also, how many folks buy the club that is out to demo? Not many, there seems to have to be some type of customization these days, even if not needed.

 

The clubs are made very well these days, and are customized. Once you get the right set, why replace? It seems to me if companies really wanted to sell more equipment, they'd make their products less expensive and a little cheaper. Do you really wear out clubs these days? Do they really become obsolete any longer? How about a material that actually would wear out, but maybe feel even softer. If reasonably priced, folks would replace. Fun discussion. With equipment limits being met and the game taking a little slide in popularity, it will be interesting to see where manufactures go. Maybe they will lobby the governing bodies to make equipment rule changes, this would get new clubs out there...

[uW0tM8]

1. I disagree with the woods. I like to see a club and know what it is from a far. Like the TM M1 and M2. You see one of those and you know right away what it is. All the options and colors just add to the nonsense. I agree with the irons/wedges. So cool to stamp your own clubs. Of course, this could backfire and sell less clubs. I know my personalized clubs don't get sold...

 

2. I agree 100%. The distances are a joke. But we do spend more money on wedges. And wedges maybe wear out faster. Maybe this is smart after all.

 

3. This seems just too hard. Demo clubs loose their shine quickly, and you don't want folks demoing crappy looking clubs. Also, how many folks buy the club that is out to demo? Not many, there seems to have to be some type of customization these days, even if not needed.

 

The clubs are made very well these days, and are customized. Once you get the right set, why replace? It seems to me if companies really wanted to sell more equipment, they'd make their products less expensive and a little cheaper. Do you really wear out clubs these days? Do they really become obsolete any longer? How about a material that actually would wear out, but maybe feel even softer. If reasonably priced, folks would replace. Fun discussion. With equipment limits being met and the game taking a little slide in popularity, it will be interesting to see where manufactures go. Maybe they will lobby the governing bodies to make equipment rule changes, this would get new clubs out there...

 

1. As far as the woods go, I don't necessarily mean make stock models have multiple color choices, I just mean allow them to be changed if desired. Like if I bought an M2 but wanted the sole plates and accents to be blue, I could order it that way. Or if I wanted a Titleist driver with a gloss red crown, I could order it that way.

 

2. Definitely on the same page

 

3. I see what you mean, and that does make a lot of sense. I just know that for me personally, it's hard to justify buying anything unless I've hit it with my ball that I play, and I've seen the ball flight outdoors. That's why I prefer to hit clubs at demo days. Which brings up a good suggestion, maybe increase the amount of demo days, or give golf courses better fitting carts. If my home club had a full Titleist, Taylormade, etc fitting cart, it'd be so much easier to purchase clubs because I'm able to hit them off the turf. And yes that would be interesting as far as a different material. Maybe a softer type of steel or something would be interesting.

[Bonneville85308]

They need to realize that the majority of golfers don't change clubs every year and adjust their product cycles appropriately.

[hot_corner]

Tiger Woods buying TM would rejuvenate the equipment industry. He still moves the needle in the golf industry.

[BrianMcG]

Personally, I hope a few more companies go out of business. They have been trying to sell everyone garbage for years with false promises. Peoples handicaps would be unchanged if everyone was still using blades and persimmon woods. But then Golfwrx wouldn't exist. Lol.

 

It's truly amazing how every golf company has a new revolutionary product every 12 months.

[bazinky]

More of a focus on improving performance versus marketing. While I understand the need for product "cycles", I think the public has finally caught on to the fact that the majority of "new" clubs offer only marginal (if that) improvement over the previous version. Companies need to stretch the cycles out if they haven't really made something better.

 

Granted, that won't ever happen with a publicly traded company. Shareholders take too much precedence over consumers and short-term gains outweigh the long-term health of the companies.

 

I'll also add that the short product cycles (and this site) often make me buy less equipment. By the time I read enough long-reviews of a club, I'm usually starting to hear the rumours of the next version, which in turn makes me hold off buying to that one comes out ...

[vitaminsteve]

A flood, needs to be cleaned out

[Dpavs]

If by rejuvenating equipment you mean stimulate sales... I think most of the comments here would move things in the wrong direction. The majority of consumers, as opposed to the more avid\sophisticated golfers like we have here on the WRX, are influenced by hype, tech and appearance gimmicks which is why the industry is where it's at right now. Moving away from those things would like decrease sales which of course is not something the industry would like to see happen.

[pinestreetgolf]

I believe better scores are going to make consumers happier than hitting 7 iron 220 yards

 

lol. There is no way this is true. They'd much rather hit it 220 yards. Most golfers don't post real scores anyway man (play OB like water, ground club in bunkers, don't mark ball on green, etc...)

 

Mods, please move if necessary!

 

I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts on what would bring more stability back to the equipment industry. Personally, here are a few things I have noticed, and things I think manufacturers should do:

 

1. More personalization/customization.

 

Let's be serious here, I cannot stand the way certain companies drivers/clubs look from a color aspect (and overall design scheme, but that's something you can't really change). I really dislike the flat black finish on Callaway and Ping clubs, (However the PXG has a little "something" to it that makes the flatter gray look nice). I'm not ditching TM drivers any time soon, but if brands offered more color customization, it would definitely at least get me interested. Just look at Cobra, I've seen more Cobra drivers in bags over the last year than I've ever seen. Sure, if you're are die-hard brand loyalist, you probably don't care, but 90% of the golfing community wants more than one color option, ESPECIALLY the younger generation.

 

I also love how Cleveland, Titleist to an extent, and now Callaway are offering wedge customization. I believe this is something all manufacturers should do, just how Scotty Cameron has their custom putter shop. Completely makes the clubs your own, and allows you to throw personal flare into each club. Heck, you could even expand that into total iron personalization too. I understand the more GI irons you could probably only do paint-fill due to the design of the club, but if I'm dropping $1000 on a set of blades, I think it's more than fair to be able to stamp my initials, alma-mater, or favorite Bible verse on the backs.

 

2. Cut the nuclear iron garbage.

 

Sure, for the weekend player it's nice to be able to take 1 less club than your buddies and let them know you carry a bigger stick, but overall, I believe better scores are going to make consumers happier than hitting 7 iron 220 yards. Sure, high and even mid-handicappers usually don't strike the ball consistent enough to make too much of a difference, but hear me out: Say you know your 9 iron goes 130 ish give or take on a somewhat decent strike. You hit your 9 iron, flush it, and it goes 155 yards over the green and into trouble because you hit the "hot spot" (I'm looking at you, Callaway and Ping). That would really grind my gears. The best example of what I would like to see from companies is how Titleist markets the AP1s. They are forgiving yes, have strong lofts, but they aren't designed to be 2 clubs longer than the number on the sole. They're designed to be FORGIVING. So same scenario, you hit that 9 iron from 130, flush it on that rare occasion, and it goes 138. You're still on the back of the green, birdie putt.

 

3. Manufacturer demo clubs that you can take to your course and test.

 

Will make it much easier for consumers to justify hundreds if not thousands of dollars in clubs if they can visually see what they will do on the course. I know some stores will allow you to demo a 6 iron, and in some cases a driver, but that's very uncommon and just hitting a 6 iron won't tell me how the whole set will perform. Here's how they could do it:

 

Provide each retailer with a number of iron sets, wedges, and woods subject to the amount of revenue generated (Large stores will have more demo sets). Have regular, stiff, and x-stiff available for demo. Require a deposit that covers the cost of the demo in case they are stolen or broken. That way, people can play a round or two with the clubs they are thinking about buying and if they decide they like them, they can go back and put the deposit towards a new set. If they don't, get their deposit back and try again.

 

What are some other suggestions you guys have?

 

I think all these ideas and posts would be fine if the question was "how do we make the golf industry more responsible" but none of this is going to actually sell more clubs. This is a billion dollar industry. "Realizing" that consumers want more colors isn't going to move a six billion dollar needle. It might generate another 2%, but you guys seem to think this is like boosting sales at the local GolfSmith. It requires drastic (and dramatic) change.

 

The demo idea will never happen, ever. People will give you bum cards every day and sell the clubs on ebay. They'll dispute the charges. This is basically an invitation to have clubs stolen. Unfortunately, there is no way you could do this. Maybe if the equipment gets expensive enough you could put a GPS device in a shaft or something, but as it stands now there is no way a golf shop is letting anyone who walks in walk out with a $1500 set of irons with zero supervision.

 

For your ideas: More personalization is a good idea, but won't move the needle at all. Less nuclear irons would sell less clubs, not more (sad but absolutely true). Demo is not feasible because they'd all get stolen instantly.

 

I think Three things could move the needle:

 

1. USGA rule changes - if the USGA seperated the professional rules from the amateur rules and allowed higher COR and more hot equipment, they would sell like crazy and people would have more fun with the game. They could do it with clubs or balls, whatever. If they don't, then we're not going to see much of an upgrade from the R1-R11-M1-M2 chain. In fact, I'm pretty long and I hit my 10.5* SQ from a while back about as far as my G30. its 6-8 yards back, but the G30 doesn't destroy it. Its because both very near the rules limit. I think there should be three rules levels: professional, amateur, and casual. Tournaments could be run under any of them. It would make the industry explode back to life with new designs and ideas for casual golfers. The insistence on one set of rules from the USGA is infuriating. A good example is hurting me - this forum helped me put together a bag despite a medical condition with shaky hands that lets me play well. I can take medication for it, but its considered a banned substance by the USGA (it stops tremors in the extremeties). Since I play in some events every year trying to qualify for stuff (never have) I can't take the medicine. This is stupid. I should be able to take it and play in tournaments of a certain level like my club championship, for example which could be run under amateur or casual rules, etc. If i try for the PGA Tour then fine, but this one set of rules for all is *STRANGLING* the game of golf in a lot of ways IMO. For example, you could tweak the rules under casual rules level to make rounds much, much faster (OB like water, only 2 mins to find ball not 5, etc...) but leave professional the same.

 

As a 2 cap, I'm a good player. One of the best at my club. However, based on shotlink data, I am closer to a 20 cap in ability than a tour pro. There is zero reason for us to be playing by the same rules as they play by. Every other sport does this. Could you imagine a 24 second shot clock at elementary levels of basketball? Could you imagine a high school referee trying to interpret the NBA rule of verticality? Could you imagine high school football players being able to hit exactly like their professional counterparts? Every sport creates slightly different rules to maximize fun, speed and safety at different levels of play. Golf doesn't. And its really silly.

 

2. Growing the game - Its a billion dollar industry guys. Making Callaway drivers yellow isn't going to do anything. The only other way i see is to grow the game. The more people who play, the more people who buy stuff. Unfortunately, for some reason, golf was hockey and not basketball. Hockey had its Jordan (Gretzky), was hugely popular while he played, and has declined since. Jordan grew the NBA like crazy, and the league just didn't stop after he left to the point its the biggest its ever been today. Golf had a Jordan (Woods) that made it massively popular, but he's gone and golf is shrinking. Unfortunately having the same ten or twelve tall, thin, long-driving white guys in titleist caps competiing every Sunday isn't interesting to anyone except us. You think someone who doesn't play golf is going to watch Kevin Chappell battle some other whitebread dude down the stretch to see who can be slightly more precise with a 55* wedge?! Nope. But millions tuned in to see Tiger Woods yell and fist pump and dominate. Right now its garbage and its a huge issue for the equipment industry. When Woods made the "better than most" chip I called my wife in to watch it. I can't imagine doing that with anyone on the current tour ("You've gotta see Rickie Fowler play safe to the middle of the green here!! Awesome!!!").

 

3. Make the PGA Tour more interesting - The PGA Tour is incredibly dull compared to other sports. The courses are all the same. Long, green, tree-lined. With one or two exceptions, the players all look exactly the same (white, tall, golf company cap, no personality, corporate as can be). Look at what a big deal they make about the "stadium par 3" because the caddies run to the green. Think about that. Think about an NFL game thats on at the same time and when you flip to golf its "look at Fluff run to the green". The PGA Tour with Woods was awesome. The PGA Tour now is not bringing in fans and the golf industry needs it to. Like it or not, its the face of golf. People get into basketball because of the NBA. Nobody plays golf because of this current tour (but they did with Woods). Maybe do some things like make the cut for a particular tournament down to 8 guys and then match play. Maybe play a course that has some insane Mountain holes (I played a course on vacation in New Hampshire that had an approach shot that was literally 300 feet straight up a mountauin. I'd love to see the pros compete on that). Right now, the Tour sucks. "Oh, some white guy drove it 330 and then hit a wedge and slid a biride putt by? Thats odd. That never happens!". When the most interesting facet of a course is a false front on 14 that slopes five degrees maybe don't play an event on that course. Maybe find more interesting courses to play on - there are a ton of them out there. I don't know the answer exactly, but if the PGA Tour doesn't get more interesting fast golf is in trouble. Golf equipment to pga tour is the same as basketball shoes to the nba. The health of one is the health of the other. And right now they're in an ambulance headed to the hospital. They need to do *something* to make it super exciting like when Woods was around. Think about how much different the Bob May - Wood duel felt than the Jason Day - Johnson duel at last year's PGA. They were virtually identical, but one was insanely compelling and I fell asleep during the second one. Oh, he showed no emotion, won, thanked his sponsors, his coach and his family, and then Jim Nantz signed off? Sweet. See you next week.

 

Just my thoughts. You have to remember this industry is massive. None of these suggestions will move the needle. They are all 10-100 million ideas, not billion dollar ideas.

[BigHook25]

I think to help get the golf equipment business you have to first help golf itself. Golf courses should give discounts towards another round if you finish your golf round in under 4 hours. This would help speed up play and get repeat business. Second, the red stake, yellow stake, and white stake rules should be cleaned up to be just one rule for all. Just make everything red stake and that would help speed up play and get some confusion out of the rules.

 

I really think faster golf rounds will increase enjoyment and play and would help equipment sales by bringing in more golfers.

[00bolt]

i agree with distances. Lofts on irons change so dramatically from set to set to fool you into thinking they are longer than their competitor. I wish all irons were labeled as a loft, not a number. Or at least labeled the loft on them as well like a wedge. Pretty much every Driver, hybrid and wedge in your bag lists its loft. Yet your irons do not. Just strange to me. I hate seeing people on the course ask their buddy... so what are you hitting? I sit there and think, what does it matter your 6 irons could be an entire club or more off from each other based on the lofts nowadays.

[Ferguson]

I think the OP nailed the answer and didn’t even realize it. The title of his thread says “rejuvenate” but his post askes what would “stabilize.” The industry is facing concurrent challenges. It doesn’t know what customers want because it’s selling to a dying breed of customers. Manufacturers are trying to excite customers with outrageous claims and fancy products but it has lost a stable base of repeat buyers and is gaining no traction with new customers.

 

Bottom line is this: Since the Millennials are fast outnumbering the Baby Boomers, consumer buying habits are changing. The Millennial wants “satisfaction now” and “immediate results” from their purchases. Nothing in golf is immediate. There is no app for better golf.

 

My advice: build less, and build them better. Less choice is a good choice.

[TU_Owl]

I think a lower price for equipment is necessary.

 

Not the entry level stuff, but what most WRX buy used because they are too expensive new should really start at 50%. And then market the hell out of why your 1 year old irons aren't good enough and you won't break 90 without getting a new set.

 

lower entry cost would certainly allow more (albeit still expensive) to enter and certainly make my life better when i can afford new for cheaper. $1000 for new irons just sounds too expensive without really thinking about length of use.

 

I mean, seeing brand new 2 year old irons for $299 by TM/Callaway just doesnt give me the confidence to buy brand new clubs. Why not pay 30% of retail?

[Bad9]

If by rejuvenating equipment you mean stimulate sales... I think most of the comments here would move things in the wrong direction. The majority of consumers, as opposed to the more avid\sophisticated golfers like we have here on the WRX, are influenced by hype, tech and appearance gimmicks which is why the industry is where it's at right now. Moving away from those things would like decrease sales which of course is not something the industry would like to see happen.

 

I think there is far more attention paid to, and people buying into, hype, tech and appearance gimmicks on Wrx and other online forums than there is among the majority of consumers. 95% of the golfer i run into don't buy new clubs every year or even every 2 or 3 years. But On Wrx where many pronounce themselves immune to such things, there are numerous threads about can't wait for the new products, preodrering stuff sight unseen and reviews of their 4th driver this season.

[cgasucks]

Call me stupid but I just thought of this. With all the OEMs trying to reinvent the wheel over and over again despite being restricted to the maximum size and COR limits how about the OEMs making "retro" clubs? Callaway started by making hickory shafted clubs as a niche. Now I don't want them to make really old school Tom Morris era clubs but maybe some old school blades (at old school lengths and lofts) and persimmon woods. I know they won't sell a lot of them but would squeeze out a bit of extra money from those who are fond of clubs from that era. Also, old school balls should be rereleased too...I miss the Titleist Professional and Tour Prestige and the original Maxfli Revolution.

[2bGood]

More of a focus on improving performance versus marketing. While I understand the need for product "cycles", I think the public has finally caught on to the fact that the majority of "new" clubs offer only marginal (if that) improvement over the previous version. Companies need to stretch the cycles out if they haven't really made something better.

 

Granted, that won't ever happen with a publicly traded company. Shareholders take too much precedence over consumers and short-term gains outweigh the long-term health of the companies.

 

I'll also add that the short product cycles (and this site) often make me buy less equipment. By the time I read enough long-reviews of a club, I'm usually starting to hear the rumours of the next version, which in turn makes me hold off buying to that one comes out ...

 

I have always like Titleists 2 year cycle, with irons and woods alternating. Will be interesting to see what happens after the IPO

[jslane57]

I also think buying golf equipment has gotten too complicated. I friend of mine asked me the other day to recommend equipment for a guy who has been out of the game for 20 years. He was a good player, so a 14 piece Top Flite kit won't work. So what's next? Full on crazy. As to keep a decent budget we will be going over eBay together to get decent stuff for a decent price. How about a kit for different levels?

 

I also think a line or two of retro clubs would be awesome. I use a retro raylor from 10 years ago and love the club. If Titleist offered a retro set of blades from the mid 90's, how cool would that be?

[Albatross85]

Call stupid but I just thought of this. With all the OEMs trying to reinvent the wheel over and over again despite being restricted to the maximum size and COR limits how about the OEMs making "retro" clubs? Callaway started by making hickory shafted clubs as a niche. Now I don't want them to make really old school Tom Morris era clubs but maybe some old school blades (at old school lengths and lofts) and persimmon woods. I know they won't sell a lot of them but would squeeze out a bit of extra money from those who are fond of clubs from that era. Also, old school balls should be rereleased too...I miss the Titleist Professional and Tour Prestige and the original Maxfli Revolution.

[cmrl1986]

I feel like the only thing that would rejuvenate the equipment sales is for prices to be lower and less product. By less product I mean longer model cycles, the ping and Titleist business models are perfect in my opinion. Woods one year and irons the next. The reason tm couldn't keep a profit in my eyes was that it seems like every 3 months a new driver or irons were out. This kills resale value, and made me feel like if I was to buy new, they'd be obsolete in less than a year. That pander s to rich people who can afford new sticks every year, not the average player. I know golfwrx is not the norm with how much we buy/sell/trade. I know I can't afford a new set of irons at $1000 plus every year, or a driver at $400 plus.

[jslane57]

The saying goes: 20% of people buy 80% of the new golf equipment. If these 20% keep buying, why stop catering to them? It sucks for the 80% who are a bit more reserved in their purchasing ways. I agree that the way the companies are catering to these 20% is ridiculous, but it is what it is. How could the industry still be exciting for the 20% without turning away the 80%? Should they even care? Right now the answer is no, they don't care. Maybe pre-owned equipment will be the norm in every store soon. Like it is with cars. The analogy with cars may be closer to where the golf world is going. The expensive cars sell well at new prices, the cheap ones sell well when used. Everyone buys tires and gas:)

[RecidivistGOLFER]

Changing the game, IMO, would have greater impact than equipment (which would naturally follow in equipment.) Golf is expensive in time, and in $. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think courses need to think outside the box. Have events, push more kids golf, concerts, "free" golf days or offer $15-$20 specials. Simplify the rule book for amateurs allowing for lie adjustments, no penalty for accidental contact, & so on.

 

Manufacturers like callaway & TM would, IMO, also do well to market paired-down sets of high quality clubs like 7 or 8 club sets, like a driver, fw, hy, 6,8,p,s + putter, for example.

 

golf is a middle & upper middle class game in an era when these groups are struggling. The economy is soft, and gold doesn't have Tiger Woods.

[SCOTT4099]

Bottom line, lower prices.

 

Especially on drivers/putters as more people change these out than irons, generally.

 

$500 for any driver is ridiculous imo, since a stock offering probably costs the company under $75 to make it.....

 

The stockholders have become more important than the customer. Not to say the technology is bad,it's just not cost effective for the average joe which affects sales numbers.....

 

[golf0101]

I think for many it comes down to time and money. A 5 hour plus round and club prices that keep going up may not not help the golf industry improve. I like the idea about having less clubs at steady prices that are improved in each new version and having just enough power in the golf carts to go 4 hours and 5 minutes.

[Stetson]

I think for many it comes down to time and money. A 5 hour plus round and club prices that keep going up may not not help the golf industry improve. I like the idea about having less clubs at steady prices that are improved in each new version and having just enough power in the golf carts to go 4 hours and 5 minutes.

 

450 for a new driver, 900+ for new irons and then 50 for a muni round. Not an inclusive form of entertainment, but then again it never was and never will be

[TU_Owl]

i just want the surfboard carts and then problem solved

[Tcann32]

Cost and Time, and I don't expect that that is any secret. Outside of the general interests of current and up and coming generations, the world is a busier place. The majority of people I know are pretty much confined to play on weekends, and that's just because of work, not including families and other obligations.

 

For those of us fortunate enough to play rather frequently, I think it's safe to say that golf is a priority to us. Weather it is kept in check with other priorities is up to the individual, but I know that to play as much as I do, I have to work earlier or later on some days to get to play another, and I am fortunate to have that kind of job and schedule to be able to do that often enough.

 

The amount of play bleeds into the purchasing of equipment. The guys and gals that are getting out once or twice a month are, most likely, going to have a harder time justifying new clubs more frequently because the driver they bought two years ago has been hit a grand total of 50 times.

 

The price of the equipment makes my last statement double in truth (or what I believe the truth to be). Getting a new driver and irons would be a little easier to handle if you could walk out with both for $1000, not $1500-$2000. Buying nice used gear is a simple solution for most of us on here, but the vast majority of golfers out there don't really have the same re-sources, and the used clubs at the big box stores are generally beat up and not even at half price for a 3 year old stick, which has been modified to have a new topline color of "golf ball" and rock chips.

 

I also think the insane product cycles push people away. There will always be those who buy the newest everything, but when the product cycles are shortened, and more product is released, the consumer get skeptical of what to buy, and when, as there's generally much less tangible improvement in short cycles vs longer ones.

 

Market some real improvements using the results of real people. Do what you can as a company to get stuff in the hands of the average joe (majority of the target market) easily and faster, and get those guys results. All of the "results not typical" BS only sells to those who are a little more gullible and unassuming.

[Tcann32]

I think the OP nailed the answer and didn’t even realize it. The title of his thread says “rejuvenate” but his post askes what would “stabilize.” The industry is facing concurrent challenges. It doesn’t know what customers want because it’s selling to a dying breed of customers. Manufacturers are trying to excite customers with outrageous claims and fancy products but it has lost a stable base of repeat buyers and is gaining no traction with new customers.

 

Bottom line is this: Since the Millennials are fast outnumbering the Baby Boomers, consumer buying habits are changing. The Millennial wants “satisfaction now” and “immediate results” from their purchases. Nothing in golf is immediate. There is no app for better golf.

 

My advice: build less, and build them better. Less choice is a good choice.

 

Nailed it. The more of something you build, the lower the value of it, the more you have left over post-product cycle, etc..

 

Not much has been marketed towards millenials. The new, flashy, fancy, blah blah blah might seem like a good way to attract newcomers, but that's not generally something millenials are interested in. Golf is also often viewed as a game of old traditions with roots of elitism and many other things we won't get into, but those are also not things that will appeal to millenials.

 

It also takes a long time to learn the game, and parents have less time to teach their kids now, and young adults have less time to go out and learn.