Equipment
Online golf equipment shopping is up 50 percent year-over-year, says Golf Datatech
Golf Datatech’s Serious Golfer Shopping & Purchasing Habits Study, published roughly every two years, is one of the industry’s most significant indicators of what’s going on at the heart of golf retail.
“Like most consumer shopping preferences in the United States, serious golfers’ choices about shopping for golf equipment or apparel have changed significantly over the past few years,” says John Krzynowek, a Partner in Golf Datatech LLC.
“The retail environment is rapidly evolving across all consumer products in the USA, and the purchasing of golf products is no exception. In fact, shopping for, and buying golf products is frequently a multi-step process. Gone are the days when golfers would buy without shopping for product features, as well as comparing prices. Today’s golfer is savvier about product life cycles and price/value relationships.”
Golf Datatech tapped over 2,500 golfers from its database, surveying multiple demographics, including: golf handicap, gender, facility played, geographic region, alpha consumers (those that buy products most frequently) and price points, along with a special investigation of online shopping habits.
The survey found online shopping for golf equipment is up more than 50 percent year-over-year. Just last year, a GPAU study found participants were most likely to make their next equipment purchase online just 13 percent of the time.
Interestingly, buying more equipment online hasn’t made consumers more impulsive: The average respondent said it takes him/her three months to pull the trigger on a new piece of equipment.
Also worth remembering in evaluating the increase in online sales: More than 100 brick and mortar golf shops have closed in the U.S. in the past year.
Krzynowek also says, “Purchase cycles in clubs have shortened slightly over the past few years, but still remain elongated from an historical point of view.”
Another tidbit: Here’s what Golf Datatech found with respect to average equipment purchase cycles.
- Drivers: 4 years
- Irons: 5 years
- Wedges: 4 years
- Putters: 6 years
- LIKE31
- LEGIT9
- WOW2
- LOL4
- IDHT1
- FLOP0
- OB1
- SHANK8
Equipment
Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (4/18/24): TaylorMade BRNR mini driver head
At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals that all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.
It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.
Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, there is a listing for a TaylorMade BRNR mini driver head
From the seller: (@lasallen): “For sale is a BRNR mini 11.5 deg head only in brand new condition. $325 shipped.”
To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: TaylorMade BRNR mini driver head
This is the most impressive current listing from the GolfWRX BST, and if you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum you can check them out here: GolfWRX BST Rules
- LIKE0
- LEGIT0
- WOW0
- LOL0
- IDHT0
- FLOP0
- OB0
- SHANK0
Equipment
Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (4/18/24): Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made
At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals that all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.
It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.
Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, there is a listing for a Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made.
From the seller: (@DLong72): “Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made. ?: $1150. ?? 100% milled collectors item from the limited releases commemorating when Ping putters won every major in 1988 (88 putters made). This was the model Seve Ballesteros used to win the 1988 Open Championship. Condition is brand new, never gamed, everything is in the original packaging as it came. Putter features the iconic sound slot.
Specs/ Additional Details
-100% Milled, Aluminum/Bronze Alloy (310g)
-Original Anser Design
-PING PP58 Grip
-Putter is built to standard specs.”
To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made
This is the most impressive current listing from the GolfWRX BST, and if you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum you can check them out here: GolfWRX BST Rules
- LIKE1
- LEGIT0
- WOW0
- LOL0
- IDHT0
- FLOP0
- OB0
- SHANK0
As you probably know by now, Collin Morikawa switched putters after the first round of The Masters, and he ultimately went on to finish T3.
The putter was far from the only change he made last week, however, and his bag is continuing to change this week at the 2024 RBC Heritage.
On the range of The Masters, Morikawa worked closely with Adrian Reitveld, TaylorMade’s Senior Manager of Tour at TaylorMade, to find the perfect driver and 3-wood setups.
Morikawa started off 2024 by switching into TaylorMade’s Qi10 Max driver, but since went back to his faithful TaylorMade SIM – yes, the original SIM from 2020. Somehow, some way, it seems Morikawa always ends up back in that driver, which he used to win the 2020 PGA Championship, and the 2021 Open Championship.
At The Masters, however, Rietveld said the duo found the driver head that allowed “zero compromise” on Morikawa’s preferred fade flight and spin. To match his preferences, they landed on a TaylorMade Qi10 LS 9-degree head, and the lie angle is a touch flatter than his former SIM.
“It’s faster than his gamer, and I think what we found is it fits his desired shot shape, with zero compromise” Rietveld told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday at the RBC Heritage.
Then, to replace his former SIM rocket 3-wood, Morikawa decided to switch into the TaylorMade Qi10 core model 13.5-degree rocket head, with an adjustable hosel.
“He likes the spin characteristics of that head,” Rietveld said. “Now he’s interesting because with Collin, you can turn up at a tournament, and you look at his 3-wood, and he’s changed the setting. One day there’s more loft on it, one day there’s less loft on it. He’s that type of guy. He’s not scared to use the adjustability of the club.
“And I think he felt our titanium head didn’t spin as low as his original SIM. So we did some work with the other head, just because he liked the feel of it. It was a little high launching, so we fit him into something with less loft. It’s a naughty little piece of equipment.”
In addition to the driver and fairway wood changes, Morikawa also debuted his new “MySymbol” jersey No. 5 TP5x golf ball at The Masters. Morikawa’s choice of symbols is likely tied to his love of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team.
Not enough changes for you? There’s one more.
On Wednesday at the 2024 RBC Heritage, Morikawa was spotted with a new TaylorMade “Proto” 4-iron in the bag. If you recall, it’s the same model that Rory McIlroy debuted at the 2024 Valero Texas Open.
According to Morikawa, the new Proto 4-iron will replace his old P-770 hollow-bodied 4-iron.
“I used to hit my P-770 on a string, but sometimes the distance would be a little unpredictable,” Morikawa told GolfWRX.com. “This one launches a touch higher, and I feel I can predict the distance better. I know Rory replaced his P-760 with it. I’m liking it so far.”
See Morikawa’s full WITB from the 2024 RBC Heritage here.
- LIKE78
- LEGIT8
- WOW2
- LOL6
- IDHT2
- FLOP4
- OB3
- SHANK6
Dave Portnoy places monstrous outright bet for the 2024 Masters
John Daly stuns fans into silence with brutal opening tee shot on PGA Tour Champions
Things got heated at the Houston Open between Tony Finau and Alejandro Tosti. Here’s why
Tiger Woods arrives at 2024 Masters equipped with a putter that may surprise you
Report: Tiger Woods has ‘eliminated sex’ in preparation for the 2024 Masters
Two star names reportedly blanked Jon Rahm all week at the Masters
2-time major champ announces shock retirement from the sport at age of 33
Neal Shipley presser ends in awkward fashion after reporter claims Tiger handed him note on 8th fairway
Paulina Gretzky opens up on receiving death threats following DJ’s move to LIV Golf
Report: LIV Golf identifies latest star name they hope to sign to breakaway tour
Collin Morikawa WITB 2024 (April)
Collin Morikawa what’s in the bag accurate as of the RBC Heritage. More photos from the event here. Driver: TaylorMade...
WITB Time Machine: Jordan Spieth’s winning WITB, 2022 RBC Heritage
At the 2022 RBC Heritage Jordan Spieth defeated Patrick Cantlay on the first playoff hole after nearly holing his greenside...
Jason Day WITB 2024 (April)
Jason Day what’s in the bag accurate as of the RBC Heritage. Driver: Ping G430 LST (9 degrees @10) Shaft: TPT...
Ludvig Åberg WITB 2024 (April)
Ludvig Åberg what’s in the bag accurate as of the RBC Heritage. Driver: Titleist TSR2 (9 degrees, D4 SureFit setting)...
-
19th Hole1 week agoDave Portnoy places monstrous outright bet for the 2024 Masters
-
19th Hole3 weeks agoThings got heated at the Houston Open between Tony Finau and Alejandro Tosti. Here’s why
-
19th Hole1 week agoTiger Woods arrives at 2024 Masters equipped with a putter that may surprise you
-
19th Hole2 weeks agoReport: Tiger Woods has ‘eliminated sex’ in preparation for the 2024 Masters
-
19th Hole5 days agoTwo star names reportedly blanked Jon Rahm all week at the Masters
-
19th Hole4 days agoNeal Shipley presser ends in awkward fashion after reporter claims Tiger handed him note on 8th fairway
-
19th Hole3 days agoReport: LIV Golf identifies latest star name they hope to sign to breakaway tour
-
19th Hole2 weeks agoAddiction, spinal fusion, and scam artists – Everything Anthony Kim revealed in candid interview with David Feherty
SEO
Nov 3, 2017 at 10:06 am
I blog quite often and I truly thank you for your content.
The article has truly peaked my interest. I will book mark your site
and keep checking for new details about once
a week. I opted in for your RSS feed as well.
Mad-Mex
Oct 29, 2017 at 10:14 pm
Yet on another article online shopping and K-Sigs get bashed,,,,
Tamanna khan
Oct 11, 2017 at 1:09 am
Thanks a lot for this best idea about golf. this is a very effective post
Maxtest Xtreme
Oct 6, 2017 at 7:09 am
Quality articles is the main to attrqct the viewers to visit the web site, that’s what this ssite is providing.
moses
Sep 22, 2017 at 12:03 pm
Buying last year’s model or buying used = big’money savings.
I got a used 917D2 from Globalgolf for $230. No way in heck I’m paying $450 for a new club that’s worth $250 after I play a few rounds.
Justin
Sep 20, 2017 at 6:12 pm
M2 driver AND 3 wood, new in plastic, globalgolf.com for $299… what would that retail for? $649!!! you tell me who’s the asinine one
JCC
Sep 20, 2017 at 7:40 pm
Um no – not the 2017 model you moron. It’s $650 at global. My local shop sells that for $600. If you’re talking about the 2016 model then you’re trying to deceive people.
Justin
Sep 20, 2017 at 8:19 pm
I’m deceiving people or the manufacturers are deceiving people?????
JCC
Sep 20, 2017 at 11:01 pm
Show us where globalgolf is selling the 2017 M2 driver and fairway for $299. Prove it.
Justin
Sep 21, 2017 at 5:07 pm
ok i’m sorry i combined two arguments and you didn’t comprehend, 1. shop online 2. buy previous year models 3. SAVE MONEY
birdie
Sep 21, 2017 at 3:04 pm
lol blaming the manufacturer for you stupidity it seems
Mark
Sep 20, 2017 at 12:09 pm
Ok, with a sampling of 2500 from a population of 26,000,000 what is the confidece level and margin of error in the statistics?
Johnnythunders
Sep 19, 2017 at 8:50 pm
For all of you uniformed people saying all golf equipment sold on EBay is fake, get real. You have no idea the current state of how a very large portion of golf clubs are sold in the United States. And by the very manufacturers that also sell to brick and mortar. Callaway has a great preowned site, best trade-in prices, authentic certificates and there “like new clubs” are in a large number of cases, new. They have the number one selling driver now on there, Epic. And the prices are good but get really great when they have sales like ever other week. And guest were Callaway also sells clubs, right now they have 66,667 clubs listed on EBAY.. Mizuno is different they don’t have a preowned site but they sell clubs to lots of small internet dealers or brick and morter who sell on eBay, you place your order, it’s built by Mizuno and shipp d by them to you at a lower cost.
Now if you play Pings or Titelest they are still trying to control pricing especially Ping. So you have to pay way more to get your shiny new clubs.
And that’s the key lower cost, authentic clubs, faster. Retail stores are dead. The golf store is dead.
Internet has enabled a new retail model. Get on board.
SoloGolfer
Sep 20, 2017 at 6:08 pm
Only idjits buy a set of clubs online and just to brag about WITB. That’s why golf is the game for goofballs and gearheads.
JCC
Sep 20, 2017 at 7:46 pm
how do you know what lie angle you need? what shaft you need? what loft you need on drivers? keep acting in ways that will result in not being able to test clubs out. “the internet” isn’t selling clubs at 1/2 the price of a brick and mortar. that’s just not logical. most brick and mortars will price match if you give them the chance.
birdie
Sep 21, 2017 at 3:07 pm
anyone can go to a reputable fitter, get fit, and then buy the clubs online new or used.
no, we don’t need to go beat balls with random clubs at the closet golf galaxy to figure out what to buy. this is actually probably more detrimental as their launch monitors aren’t all that accurate to begin with.
Bert
Sep 19, 2017 at 7:39 pm
Why is it when eBay is mentioned I immediately think counterfeit? Maybe it’s because when the price of a set of irons is $1300 and you can get a new set on eBay for $600, something doesn’t seem correct. Some mfr’s are listing their authorized eBay Sellers. That’s a good thing for the buyer.
birdie
Sep 20, 2017 at 9:09 am
can’t help but laugh at those who think everything on ebay is fake. the joke is on you for paying retail prices when same clubs can be bought at a steep discount. your example is an exaggeration of course.
Boobsy McKiss
Sep 19, 2017 at 6:50 pm
Seems some people here are still in denial about the future of brick and mortar stores. Do we really need stats to tell us this? Amazon and other online retailers are growing quickly and so are the number of people buying from them. Sure it’s nice to support local from buying local, but it’s dumb to believe this is somehow going to stem the tide permanently. And a lot of people seem to believe they can stop the train.
Like it or not, the future is a lot of empty retail stores (not just in golf) and almost everything you buy will be from online retailers. Toys R Us just became the next victim of Amazon. Who is next? Best Buy is on the brink. And it will take some time (10-15yrs) but eventually the sporting goods stores will go too and that will be that for the in-store golf buying experience. Send all thank you cards to Amazon and Walmart.
Justin
Sep 19, 2017 at 4:25 pm
If you don’t buy online, you probably enjoy wasting money
JCC
Sep 19, 2017 at 7:26 pm
asinine comment
birdie
Sep 20, 2017 at 9:11 am
sorry, but he’s right. if you walk into a store and pay retail you are over paying. its that simple
surewin73
Sep 19, 2017 at 3:59 pm
If I know my specs I would be comfortable purchasing equipment at one of the larger sites (TGW, PGA Superstore, etc.). But I rather purchase from a local shop.
Thomas A
Sep 19, 2017 at 2:50 pm
I bought a set of brand new Wilson Staff v4 irons 4-GW on ebay for $330. Brand new, in the Wilson box with all the plastic head wrap and everything. Why the heck would I pay $900 in a store? Or even $650 when they get marked down after a product cycle?
JCC
Sep 19, 2017 at 8:09 pm
because they are probably fake or stolen. how do you logic out that you can buy clubs for 1/3 or even 1/2 the price online? do you honestly think there is that much margin in golf clubs? if you do then you’re a moron.
birdie
Sep 20, 2017 at 9:13 am
you couldn’t be more wrong. hope you enjoy wasting your money. yes, for a set of clubs that are one to two years old, the margin between online discounts and retail prices is huge. sometimes more than half.
I can walk into a retail store today, see the 716 ap2 irons still near their original price. online, i’d pay hundreds less for the same set.
continue assuming anything online is fake. its your money your wasting
birdie
Sep 20, 2017 at 9:15 am
lol you couldn’t be more wrong. enjoy wasting your money
JCC
Sep 20, 2017 at 7:48 pm
enjoy double posting like an idiot
BIG STU
Sep 21, 2017 at 3:23 am
SERIOUSLY??? Just had to say that and who in the hell would want to counterfit Wilson clubs to begin with?
RonMcD
Sep 19, 2017 at 2:25 pm
I suspect a majority of the online purchases is for balls and other such golf accessories. Buying club equipment online is moronic.
LaBraeGolfer
Sep 19, 2017 at 7:12 pm
This could very well be possible. I have made over 100 online purchases in the last 3 years buying used clubs, through various sites. I have been a club fitter so I know what my specs are and it is fun to try new equipment just to have something new in the bag. It doesn’t effect my scoring at all and I still go to lessons like any serious golfer.
Mark
Sep 19, 2017 at 2:21 pm
This is based off a sampling of 2,500 golfers from over 26 million golfers in the US. Real convincing.
JDR
Sep 19, 2017 at 2:30 pm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sampling_(statistics)
Boobsy McKiss
Sep 19, 2017 at 6:41 pm
+1 for your reply to Mr. Mark. LMAO
birdie
Sep 20, 2017 at 9:14 am
apparently you have no idea how poll sampling works.