Ohio Golf Journal October 2017

My crystal ball has a big crack in it, but I see two new trends worth noting in the golf club business. Both involve the development of clubs with limited appeal and at this point neither are can’t-miss prospects. Ultra-High-End Priced Clubs First, is the appearance of ultra-high- end priced clubs as exemplified by PXG custom-only models. The driver alone carries a tag of $700.00 followed by fairway woods at $500.00 each and a full set of irons at $3,000.00 or more. A bag full of PXGs wouldn’t be complete without the addition of one of their custom- made $400.00-$600.00 putters. That brings the total cost for a complete set of clubs to over $5,000,00, not including a bag. (PXG should throw the bag in for FREE.) In the past, there have been custom- made clubs at prices much higher than normal retail, but none have made as much of an impression on the overall market in such a short time. PXG founder and CEO, Bob Parsons said in an interview with Golfweek, he expects $100 million in sales this year, but more significantly, noted that his new company will be profitable. That is quite a feat in the golf industry, going from nothing to profitability, in just two years. Realistically $100 million in club sales is not a very big ripple on the pond compared with Callaway, who expects around $980 million of sales in 2018 and Acushnet (Titleist) with a $1.6 billion forecast for the coming year. The effect of PXG’s entry into the market is that both of these major manufacturers have decided to compete with PXG for the ultra-high-end priced market. Titleist has priced its C16 driver at $1,125.00 and Callaway’s new Great Big Bertha Epic Star is $700.00. Titleist has priced a complete eight-iron set at $3,000.00, while Callaway Epic irons start at $2,000.00, with the new Epic Star irons at $2,400.00. How big can this ultra-high-end price market be? These three major brands, plus Honma, XXIO, Bettinardi, and a couple of other Latest Trends in Equipment By: Ed Travis Ohio Golf Journal Ohio Golf Journal