Anyone else alarmed by price increases?

[Rory4Pres]

I'm actually glad they are raising prices. The higher they go, the less tempting it becomes to buy new equipment. In a strange way, it makes me more content with what I have.

[BrockPSU]

I get there is inflation on everything but the problem is the younger generation coming up through does not have the extra funds to be able to keep buying new clubs.

 

Why does anyone, let alone the “younger generation”, need to keep buying new clubs?

 

You don’t start out playing any sport needing to use the newest and best equipment available. Like I said above, there is a very healthy used and secondhand market out there.

 

I have been playing this game for 15 years already and still in my 20's. So why am I not aloud to buy new equipment but the older generations are? And Like I have said the cost of equipment has lead me to this site, which means my equipment is from the used and secondhand market.

 

When younger kids walk into a golf store and immediately see the cost of clubs, what do you think their first impressions of the game are? I am talking about kids in high school. Most will probably say I cant afford this and probably shouldn't ever look into taking the game serious. Which leads to a lack of income coming into the industry and also the lack of people playing the game. Just my thought on what is going on, at least at my club. Most clubs will start closing down because they cant make money without people playing. Maybe this is just my area.

[CAGOFORIT]

First of all, I encourage anyone that can afford it to continue buying the latest and greatest. More stock for me to chose from in the secondary market.

 

I agree with others that have already said what I am going to say. Over the past decade, the prices of the latest and greatest for the top manufacturers has relatively remained constant adjusted for inflation. There are years where everything gets a bit of a bump up in price, but new Drivers have been in the $400-500 range for a while if you wanted one. Volkeys have been $130 for years, and $300 for a new putter was not outrageous. I am typically at least 1 year behind if and when I decide to upgrade a club. I have given up trying to buy a better swing and have focused more on practice and playing at better courses. 2 more yards on irons and 5 more yards on a wood have no real bearing on my game. If anything, I waste time dialing in new clubs and getting used to them.

[ckay]

I can still remember paying $700 for Titleist tour model blades in 1985

Did you really just compare $700 from 1985 to $700 to 2019?

[Bece2117]

$399 for a TM M5 Fairway is absolute insanity if you ask me, there are other ways I would like to describe it but my post would be removed.....

[Mych]

I have a couple of friends who insist on taking the plastic off of every club. One is buying a set of Tommy Armour's because they "felt just like the $1000 clubs". I've tried forever to get him to go for a set of lightly used clubs from 2-3 seasons ago, but he's not budging. To each his own.

 

For me, I can't remember the last time I took the plastic off a club. It's probably been 5+ years. I'm more than content buying stuff that's a couple years old for 1/3 of the retail price or less.

[third-times-a-charm]

I have a couple of friends who insist on taking the plastic off of every club. One is buying a set of Tommy Armour's because they "felt just like the $1000 clubs". I've tried forever to get him to go for a set of lightly used clubs from 2-3 seasons ago, but he's not budging. To each his own.

 

For me, I can't remember the last time I took the plastic off a club. It's probably been 5+ years. I'm more than content buying stuff that's a couple years old for 1/3 of the retail price or less.

 

I can deal with a little bit of wear on a used club but I try to buy 1-2 seasons old stuff as new on clearance or very lightly used. Irons are my biggest peeve - i can't play nicked up used dirty irons, especially with bad wear spots. I need to 'make my marks on them' with my swing pattern or else mentally I will never take to them. So I usually buy irons from CPO as like new or NOS from a retailer.

[sandtrap]

Yesterday a guy comes into the store and wants a new hybrid. He hits a few different models and through process of elimination chooses to order a Titleist. I walk him to the register, The price out the door is $324 and change. The kid asks if this is for a whole set?:) No, One hybrid, yes the prices are out of whack.

[Mych]

I have a couple of friends who insist on taking the plastic off of every club. One is buying a set of Tommy Armour's because they "felt just like the $1000 clubs". I've tried forever to get him to go for a set of lightly used clubs from 2-3 seasons ago, but he's not budging. To each his own.

 

For me, I can't remember the last time I took the plastic off a club. It's probably been 5+ years. I'm more than content buying stuff that's a couple years old for 1/3 of the retail price or less.

 

I can deal with a little bit of wear on a used club but I try to buy 1-2 seasons old stuff as new on clearance or very lightly used. Irons are my biggest peeve - i can't play nicked up used dirty irons, especially with bad wear spots. I need to 'make my marks on them' with my swing pattern or else mentally I will never take to them. So I usually buy irons from CPO as like new or NOS from a retailer.

 

I agree. You can see from my signature that there's no garbage in my bag. All total, I'm at about $650-700 and if I sold everything I could get almost all of that money back. In fact, if I sold a year from now I could probably still get most of that money back because somebody else took the big new-club depreciation hit. People who are patient and find the right clubs at the right prices can change equipment quite often without spending a ton of money every year.

[Mych]

I get there is inflation on everything but the problem is the younger generation coming up through does not have the extra funds to be able to keep buying new clubs.

 

Why does anyone, let alone the “younger generation”, need to keep buying new clubs?

 

You don’t start out playing any sport needing to use the newest and best equipment available. Like I said above, there is a very healthy used and secondhand market out there.

 

I have been playing this game for 15 years already and still in my 20's. So why am I not aloud to buy new equipment but the older generations are? And Like I have said the cost of equipment has lead me to this site, which means my equipment is from the used and secondhand market.

 

When younger kids walk into a golf store and immediately see the cost of clubs, what do you think their first impressions of the game are? I am talking about kids in high school. Most will probably say I cant afford this and probably shouldn't ever look into taking the game serious. Which leads to a lack of income coming into the industry and also the lack of people playing the game. Just my thought on what is going on, at least at my club. Most clubs will start closing down because they cant make money without people playing. Maybe this is just my area.

 

I agree that the cost is a huge limiting factor. I've looked into memberships every year for the last decade, and could never pull the trigger on one because even the young executive level meant sacrificing something for my family. I don't know if I'd say it's a deterrent for golf in general, but it does force people to be more creative about how they access equipment and courses that aren't budget-friendly for early-career adults.

 

With regard to the prices, I think the release cycles and the constant upgrading are what make the prices seem unreasonable. TV, car, and cell phone companies come out with new models that have new features every year and most people don't feel compelled to upgrade those on a yearly basis. The prices are high, but the prices really only get unreasonable if your upgrade cycle is too short. If you trade every phone/car in for the newest model, you're absorbing the largest amount of depreciation every year. We tend to treat golf clubs like consumables and they probably shouldn't be.

[Togatown22]

If someone chooses to, a lot of money can be spent on new gear each season; regardless of sport.

It's really not that different than other hobbies/ pursuits like fly fishing, skiing and snowboarding, etc. The new stuff that comes out is never cheaper; that is not unique to golf.

[blink3665]

I'm actually glad they are raising prices. The higher they go, the less tempting it becomes to buy new equipment. In a strange way, it makes me more content with what I have.

I love the idea of owning the m5 fairway... but I'm not forking over $400. lol

 

I'm not even gonna touch the 'inflation' or 'r&d' arguments. I'm not smart enough for all that. Do I think that the price of current cycle equipment can be prohibitively expensive for people new to the game? Absolutely. Do I think that people that are new to the game should go into a golf shop and buy the latest greatest equipment? Probably not. I have a friend who is just getting into the game. He got a used set of irons from Play-it-again. He filled out the rest of his bag from ebay and online shopping from previous years models.

 

Golf shops sell equipment. They are going to try to get you to buy the latest and greatest. Equipment manufacturers sell equipment. They will try to get you to buy the latest and greatest. We have products pushed on us from every angle with advertisements on TV, social media, print ads, internet ads, everywhere. Just because they try to sell you the newest thing doesnt mean that you have to buy it. Does it make you feel awesome to unsheathe the newest badest driver on the block on the first tee? Probably. Did a salesperson or advertisement just peg you and have you spend more than you needed to in order to launch a golf ball down the fairway? Yup. If it makes you feel good? Buy it. If you can't afford it? Don't.

[A.Princey]

People cherry-picking one or 2 items from a given year gone by(to base past pricing as high or higher than now) aren't getting it. The entire spectrum of brands and releases are high now, that's the difference. It's not just one or two items, it's the entirety of the equipment realm.

[augustgolf]

I get there is inflation on everything but the problem is the younger generation coming up through does not have the extra funds to be able to keep buying new clubs.

 

Why does anyone, let alone the “younger generation”, need to keep buying new clubs?

 

You don’t start out playing any sport needing to use the newest and best equipment available. Like I said above, there is a very healthy used and secondhand market out there.

 

I have been playing this game for 15 years already and still in my 20's. So why am I not aloud to buy new equipment but the older generations are? And Like I have said the cost of equipment has lead me to this site, which means my equipment is from the used and secondhand market.

 

When younger kids walk into a golf store and immediately see the cost of clubs, what do you think their first impressions of the game are? I am talking about kids in high school. Most will probably say I cant afford this and probably shouldn't ever look into taking the game serious. Which leads to a lack of income coming into the industry and also the lack of people playing the game. Just my thought on what is going on, at least at my club. Most clubs will start closing down because they cant make money without people playing. Maybe this is just my area.

 

I agree that the cost is a huge limiting factor. I've looked into memberships every year for the last decade, and could never pull the trigger on one because even the young executive level meant sacrificing something for my family. I don't know if I'd say it's a deterrent for golf in general, but it does force people to be more creative about how they access equipment and courses that aren't budget-friendly for early-career adults.

 

With regard to the prices, I think the release cycles and the constant upgrading are what make the prices seem unreasonable. TV, car, and cell phone companies come out with new models that have new features every year and most people don't feel compelled to upgrade those on a yearly basis. The prices are high, but the prices really only get unreasonable if your upgrade cycle is too short. If you trade every phone/car in for the newest model, you're absorbing the largest amount of depreciation every year. We tend to treat golf clubs like consumables and they probably shouldn't be.

You don't know people that absolutely must have the newest cell phone? If not them, their kids...

[MooJersey]

Don’t buy brand new. All of last years stuff that we were drooling over is available at super deep discounts. Why would you buy a $600 epic flash when you can wait until next March / April and get it for $150 used?

[hardcaliber]

The sweet spot to me is to buy last years stuff brand new or barely used. The only time I buy new is when I have random shop credit to burn.

 

Also, there are a few companies holding the line when it comes to pricing. Mizuno irons are 150 each with nice premium shaft choices and they are offering a 400 dollar driver. We should make a point to reward these companies.

[soregongolfer]

I am. It wasn't that long ago when drivers were $299, woods were $249, iron sets were $699 and wedges were $99 or $119. Prices of new clubs blow me away.

 

I just feel like these types of statements are deliberately misleading. It doesn't take a lot of searching to find that golf club prices have been flat or negative once adjusted for inflation.

 

Some quick googling on just a few Callaway releases over the past 10+ years;

 

GBB - 2015 - $500

BBA - 2014 - $625

RFE - 2013 - $500

RF - 2012 - $500

FT Tour -2010 - $625

FTiq - 2008 - $625

 

Some random iron sets;

 

XHot Pro - 2012 - $1000

Diablo Forged - 2010 - $1250

Big Bertha - 2008 - $740

Big Bertha - 2006 - $960

Big Bertha Fusion - 2006 - $1280

 

And those numbers aren't adjusted. So new drivers being $500-600 doesn't seem alarming.

 

Deliberately? Hmmm. I paid $699 for my MP69's five or six years ago. Oh, brand new as they had just come out. My Titleist 910 woods were 249 each. Again, brand new and within the past 10 years. I think my R9 Superquad for either $299 or $349. I can't remember. I used that driver for 7 years. I bought all of those within the past 10 years and all purchased at a brick and mortar store. Not used and no discounts. So, yes, I'll stick with what I said above and the next time you feel the need to call somebody dishonest you had better be correct.

[Togatown22]

 

Deliberately? Hmmm. I paid $699 for my MP69's five or six years ago. Oh, brand new as they had just come out. My Titleist 910 woods were 249 each. Again, brand new and within the past 10 years. I think my R9 Superquad for either $299 or $349. I can't remember. I used that driver for 7 years. I bought all of those within the past 10 years and all purchased at a brick and mortar store. Not used and no discounts. So, yes, I'll stick with what I said above and the next time you feel the need to call somebody dishonest you had better be correct.

 

The Titleist 910 fairways, at $249 in 2010 when they came out, would be $287 in today's dollars, just google up a CPI inflation calculator. The new Titleist TS2 fairways that just came out are $299 (plus you can grab Ebates at 4 or 5% at places like Carlsgolfland). So technically, there really isn't a huge difference there.

[Yrrdead]

I am. It wasn't that long ago when drivers were $299, woods were $249, iron sets were $699 and wedges were $99 or $119. Prices of new clubs blow me away.

 

I just feel like these types of statements are deliberately misleading. It doesn't take a lot of searching to find that golf club prices have been flat or negative once adjusted for inflation.

 

Some quick googling on just a few Callaway releases over the past 10+ years;

 

GBB - 2015 - $500

BBA - 2014 - $625

RFE - 2013 - $500

RF - 2012 - $500

FT Tour -2010 - $625

FTiq - 2008 - $625

 

Some random iron sets;

 

XHot Pro - 2012 - $1000

Diablo Forged - 2010 - $1250

Big Bertha - 2008 - $740

Big Bertha - 2006 - $960

Big Bertha Fusion - 2006 - $1280

 

And those numbers aren't adjusted. So new drivers being $500-600 doesn't seem alarming.

 

Deliberately? Hmmm. I paid $699 for my MP69's five or six years ago. Oh, brand new as they had just come out. My Titleist 910 woods were 249 each. Again, brand new and within the past 10 years. I think my R9 Superquad for either $299 or $349. I can't remember. I used that driver for 7 years. I bought all of those within the past 10 years and all purchased at a brick and mortar store. Not used and no discounts. So, yes, I'll stick with what I said above and the next time you feel the need to call somebody dishonest you had better be correct.

I wouldn't call misleading dishonesty as much as cherry picking data or anecdotal information.

 

That being said;

 

MP69---msrp $899.99 (2011)

R7 Superquad ---msrp $499.99 (2007)

R9 Supertri ---msrp $499.99 (2010)

[nsxguy]

Leave us not forget we had a depression recession for a minimum of 5 years since 2008 (some might say it's still going on) and the manufacturers are (somewhat) "catching up" ???

 

The 2010 G15, a "mainstream" driver, launched at MSRP $350 (so I guess the store price was about $300, yes ?). The G400, launched about a year ago, 2018, sold in the stores for $400.