The Golfalot.com Price Index in December held steady ahead of the busy festive shopping season. With new products making their debut in key Golf Club Sector categories the index held firm against the competitive price cutting from retailers looking to gain the competitive edge in the Christmas Market.
The Golf Clubs Sector fell by less than -0.1% with strong performances in the Drivers and Putters categories which rose +1.0% and +0.7% respectively on the back of some new entrants into the Index.
- Golf Drivers saw the new ZL Encore range from Cobra and the Nike VR Pro Limited Edition models enter the index and this positive boost offset some price falls on existing Callaway andClevelandmodels as we await the exciting new Callaway RAZR Fit and Cleveland CG Black models early in the New Year.
- The Putters category welcomed the 2012 Island Series from Rife and we expect this category to continue to show rude health with new models from popular manufacturers hotly tipped to be launched in January at the PGA Merchandise Show inOrlando.
Utility Clubs (-1.4%) Fairway Woods (-0.5%), Golf Irons (-0.1%), and Wedges (-0.4%) all fell in December as a combination of competition for Christmas market share and discounting ahead of new market entrants early in 2012 saw prices drop across all of these categories.
Despite tough trading conditions that saw the Index slow down towards the end of the year the Golf Clubs Sector closes 2011 +3.3% higher than at the start of the year with strong club releases anticipated this looks set to continue.
The Golf Accessories Sector fell slightly in December with a drop of -0.2% but given the competition in this Sector leading up to Christmas the size of the fall indicates the underlying strength in Accessories that has seen a fall of less than -0.1% across the Sector in 2011.
The Golf Balls category is always a fiercely competitive market for Christmas stocking fillers and a drop of -0.7% for December continues this annual trend. Golf Shoes (-0.3%) and Golf Bags (-0.8%) also recorded small falls with only Golf Trolleys (0.1%) recording positive growth.
As 2011 draws to a close the Golfalot.com Price Index gives an optimistic outlook for 2012 despite the continued economic uncertainty. With a +2% rise across the index in 2011, up +10% in the late 2 years, and with all the major manufacturers ready to launch new equipment to the market the golf industry can enter the New Year in good spirits.