Constant Increase in the Cost of Golf Gear

[GB72]

Before I start on this, I know that you do not have to buy the latest gear and that new gear always sells at a premium but I am looking at the RRP of some of the newly released kit and it struck me how much it has increased in the short time (6 years) that I have been playing the game.

A new release, top of the range driver has increased from about £150.00 to £300.00.
A new release fairway wood has gone up from about £80 to about £160.00
Srixon have released a mid range golf ball at £36 a dozen which is more than pro Vs cost when I started.
The lastest shoes are now £150 plus rather than £100 or less.

I know that there is research costs, marketing etc but a lot of new release golf gear appears to have more than doubled in price since I started and, as I said, I have not been playing that long.

Am I remembering things with rose tinted specs or has the cost of new golf gear skyrocketed in recent times.

 

[North Mimms]

Before I start on this, I know that you do not have to buy the latest gear and that new gear always sells at a premium but I am looking at the RRP of some of the newly released kit and it struck me how much it has increased in the short time (6 years) that I have been playing the game.

A new release, top of the range driver has increased from about £150.00 to £300.00.
A new release fairway wood has gone up from about £80 to about £160.00
Srixon have released a mid range golf ball at £36 a dozen which is more than pro Vs cost when I started.
The lastest shoes are now £150 plus rather than £100 or less.

I know that there is research costs, marketing etc but a lot of new release golf gear appears to have more than doubled in price since I started and, as I said, I have not been playing that long.

Am I remembering things with rose tinted specs or has the cost of new golf gear skyrocketed in recent times.

This is why I play with old rubbish

 

[Holty]

It may well be a case of both - for example the Taylormade R7 driver had a £299 RRP in November 2006 according to a quick google search...

 

[Twire]

Before I start on this, I know that you do not have to buy the latest gear and that new gear always sells at a premium but I am looking at the RRP of some of the newly released kit and it struck me how much it has increased in the short time (6 years) that I have been playing the game.

A new release, top of the range driver has increased from about £150.00 to £300.00.
A new release fairway wood has gone up from about £80 to about £160.00
Srixon have released a mid range golf ball at £36 a dozen which is more than pro Vs cost when I started.
The lastest shoes are now £150 plus rather than £100 or less.

I know that there is research costs, marketing etc but a lot of new release golf gear appears to have more than doubled in price since I started and, as I said, I have not been playing that long.

Am I remembering things with rose tinted specs or has the cost of new golf gear skyrocketed in recent times.

And it's even more annoying when most of the OEM products are now made in China for a fraction of the cost.

 

[Simbo]

Not just golf mate, compare the same percentage of increase in anything you buy now compared to 6 years ago, messages in asda, petrol, clothes, sky tv, etc etc!

 

[Deleted member 15344]

I think that's a reflection on everything in life now ? Everything is increasing in price now

 

[Andy]

It may well be a case of both - for example the Taylormade R7 driver had a £299 RRP in November 2006 according to a quick google search...

Best driver head in golf. Just put a half decent shaft in it. Cheap as chips.

 

[Waitforme]

Who actually pays RRP for golf gear ?
I never do, too expensive.

 

[Alex1975]

RRP is not real...

 

[pendodave]

Who actually pays RRP for golf gear ?

People who get custom fit ....

The OEMs know that there are different types of golf customer.
1. Buy current new kit when it comes out
2. Buy current new kit as it comes to the end of it's current-ness at a discount.
3. Buy old model new kit at bigger discount
4. Buy second hand.

They market and manage their pricing to get as much from their product lines as they progress through the life cycles.
They've spotted that group 1 is pretty price insensitive and will therefore keep extracting as much as possible from them until the kit moves to group 2.

Don't be group 1 and my unscientific gut feeling is that golf kit is as cheap as it has ever been. ebay keeps everybody else honest !

After all, it's all used once we've hit it, very little changes over a 5 year period, and none of us have a golf game that is so 'special' that it can only be played with 'special' kit....

d

 

[DAVEYBOY]

This is why my bag will be staying the way it is for a lonnnnnnng time... Unless I want to treat myself

 

[pbrown7582]

This is why my bag will be staying the way it is for a lonnnnnnng time... Unless I want to treat myself

good job you added the unless bit! :lol:

 

[Imurg]

When the original Great Big Bertha driver came out in 96/97 it cost £249 which, back then, was quite a hefty price tag.

You can almost always knock a good chunk off RRP to get the retail price.
ProV's rrp is over 50 quid but they're 38is in the shops......

 

[patricks148]

its not that long ago that Drivers were £179 and Fairways under £100, i remember the first decent driver i got from Redbourne Pro shop. Ping G5 new was £179 in 2006 when it came out...

 

[pendodave]

just bunged £179 in an inflation calculator.

Got £226 as current price.

G25 driver in AG is currently £239. Not great, but not so bad. Especially as G20 is £149 and G15 is £119....

 

[USER1999]

About 10 years ago I bought a 28 inch flat screen telly for over a grand. Now I can have a 50 inch for under 500 notes.

 

[Hacker Khan]

I'd be surprised that if you include inflation, the cost of kitting yourself out with a decent set of clubs, shoes etc etc has not gone up that much on average in the last 6 years.

Yes you can pay full whack for Galvin Green, latest customised MyJoys, brand new sticks and spend a fortune that you could not spend a few years ago even if you tried to. But for the average golfer, especially with the access to ebay and other internet based shops, then I'd say it hasn't gone up that much.

 

[Alex1975]

About 10 years ago I bought a 28 inch flat screen telly for over a grand. Now I can have a 50 inch for under 500 notes.

So taking this and the post above from Ian... In fact the price of golf clubs has not really changed compared to most other things...

 

[Doon frae Troon]

My first microwave oven cost over £300 in the 1990's.
32'' Flatscreen telly £800 about 5 years ago.
Car tyres have never been cheaper [pro rata]

Golfers seem to be a touch soft!

Dunlop 65 was 5 shillings golf wood £5 Iron £4 ...when an average weeks wages was £10.

 

[patricks148]

Golfers must be a soft touch, no one does a 3 iron anymore so you get one less club now and pay more for it.

My first decent set of Mizuno irons were the MP57 which cost me £399 with a 3 iron, last year paid £499 with no 3 iron.

Crafty buggers.