Is Golf now too expensive???

[abjectplop]

Ok you're at the mercy of the winter weather but you can stay at Trump Turnberry and play both courses for £209 in February.
https://www.bunkered.co.uk/golfbreaks/resort/trumpturnberrycombi

 

[Oddsocks]

The big factor driving cost increases in pro players wages. Anyone notice the jump in TM gear when they signed Rory and Tiger…….

 

[Slab]

Leaving aside diamond encrusted putters and gold plated drivers, I took the opening post to be talking about the rising ceiling costs of ‘regular’ equipment/golf costs? Everyone, inc Jacko knows you can play the game cheap as chips buying 2nd hand this/that and muni courses etc but I didn’t think that was what the OP asked

We’re talking about 600 quid drivers from Callaway here… Callaway!! A good solid brand used/loved by many (& historically affordable to a significant portion of players) now have the most expensive regular drivers on the market & the question is, is golf becoming too expensive? Not 'how can I play for less'

It does not matter to the discussion what you could pick up in a thrift shop or from the Pros ex demo gear

Forget the wide range of irons at a grand a pop, just mid-range irons now need a £700-£800 spend for maybe just six clubs! So you still need to add a couple of hundred more to get a full ‘set’

Dam right its getting too expensive!

 

[Oddsocks]

The counter argue is that used stuff is holding a higher resale value

It’s only expensive if you are a must have new gear golfer as that’s where the biggest depreciation is

 

[Jason.H]

Buy a high end road bicycle that will be over £10k.
It’s not just golf that’s getting expensive.

 

[KenL]

Buy a high end road bicycle that will be over £10k.
It’s not just golf that’s getting expensive.

True, but that would be a hand-built masterpiece with only a few being made.
Not a huge volume item churned out by a factory in China.

 

[Jason.H]

I believe Henrick Stenson still uses old Callaway Legacy Black forged irons that can be had for less that £300 on eBay. And a trusty old 3 wood. You don’t have to have shiny new gear ?

 

[moogie]

With the mad prices (imo) of the current new releases from Taylormade, Callaway and Ping.....
I can see PXG appearing in a few more bags this year
bargain basement PXG

 

[Jason.H]

True, but that would be a hand-built masterpiece with only a few being made.
Not a huge volume item churned out by a factory in China.

A Specialized SWorks Tarmac SL7 is a few quid under £14k. It’s not a one of a few made special. Admittedly not common but made in Taiwan like most bikes.

 

[IanM]

All golfers are called Paul.

 

[Slab]

Curiosity got the better of me, so I googled...

The brand new all signing all dancing 2016 Callaway XR 16 Driver had a tag of £289rrp. Seven years on and the price is more than doubled for their driver. Even the one year old Callaway Rogue rrp was £479

I’m not singling Callaway out. My Cobra fly-z driver was £249rrp around the same time. The 2023 Cobra Aerojet driver has a tag of £429rrp

Just seven years

 

[Deleted member 25575]

Leaving aside diamond encrusted putters and gold plated drivers, I took the opening post to be talking about the rising ceiling costs of ‘regular’ equipment/golf costs? Everyone, inc Jacko knows you can play the game cheap as chips buying 2nd hand this/that and muni courses etc but I didn’t think that was what the OP asked

We’re talking about 600 quid drivers from Callaway here… Callaway!! A good solid brand used/loved by many (& historically affordable to a significant portion of players) now have the most expensive regular drivers on the market & the question is, is golf becoming too expensive? Not 'how can I play for less'

It does not matter to the discussion what you could pick up in a thrift shop or from the Pros ex demo gear

Forget the wide range of irons at a grand a pop, just mid-range irons now need a £700-£800 spend for maybe just six clubs! So you still need to add a couple of hundred more to get a full ‘set’

Dam right its getting too expensive!

I totally get where you are coming from here and to give a very simplified answer. No! No, golf is not becoming too expensive. The equipment manufacturers are selling these drivers and irons at this price, so overall the market at the moment (or last year at least we still need to wait to see how they sell this year) has determined that they are not overpriced or too expensive. Once sales drop and prices recede then most overall the market will have deemed these products to be getting too expensive, same goes for green fees. Until then, you or I may feel they are too expensive for us, but market forces are what manufacturers will respond to

 

[Slab]

I totally get where you are coming from here and to give a very simplified answer. No! No, golf is not becoming too expensive. The equipment manufacturers are selling these drivers and irons at this price, so overall the market at the moment (or last year at least we still need to wait to see how they sell this year) has determined that they are not overpriced or too expensive. Once sales drop and prices recede then most overall the market will have deemed these products to be getting too expensive, same goes for green fees. Until then, you or I may feel they are too expensive for us, but market forces are what manufacturers will respond to

Yeah I get it, the 'market' will decide (as it should) I just figured Jacko was asking us for our thoughts/opinions as fellow golfers rather than as part of the market forces

 

[Voyager EMH]

And all these views are valid since we are all part of the market.

 

[Jacko_G]

Ok you're at the mercy of the winter weather but you can stay at Trump Turnberry and play both courses for £209 in February.
https://www.bunkered.co.uk/golfbreaks/resort/trumpturnberrycombi

Ailsa is mats everywhere and you're at the mercy of the horrendous West Coast weather, perhaps even frost, snow etc at that time if year.

You could be lucky with the weather but if I'm forking out for Turnberry Ailsa I ain't using a mat.

 

[Tongo]

I generally play the cheaper end of the market in terms of courses and there are still plenty of courses that offer good value. But there have been one or two instances in my area where courses have noticeably hiked their green fees significantly. I wonder whether the COVID spike in people playing golf has allowed some courses to become a bit more choosy about whether they need non-members.

But, ultimately it isn't a cheap sport to play and hasn't been, probably ever.

 

[Mark_Aged_42]

Singling out driver costs is an outlier. The cost of carbon fibre has rocketed in the last few years, disproportionately boosting the retail prices.. All sports have been affected by this. How does the price of a premium brand set of steel shafted irons compare?

 

[Jacko_G]

I believe Henrick Stenson still uses old Callaway Legacy Black forged irons that can be had for less that £300 on eBay. And a trusty old 3 wood. You don’t have to have shiny new gear ?

Nobody is arguing that you have to have shiny new gear - £300 may still be too expensive for some.

I've just ordered new irons. I chose to pay what I paid - that said I genuinely think it's an absolute nonsense how much they're costing me compared to a few years ago.

 

[Jacko_G]

With the mad prices (imo) of the current new releases from Taylormade, Callaway and Ping.....
I can see PXG appearing in a few more bags this year
bargain basement PXG

Like my bargain basement PXG Gen 5 driver for £250 in September. Bought with a stock shaft that I was previously fitted for - absolute snip.

 

[KenL]

Like my bargain basement PXG Gen 5 driver for £250 in September. Bought with a stock shaft that I was previously fitted for - absolute snip.

Quite funny that PXG is now at the lower end of the market having launched with absolute rip off prices for average kit.