With the golf season swinging into top gear in June, the Golfalot.com Price Index in the UK experienced another settled month, with the retail market maintaining its strength in the face of the wider economic uncertainty of 2009.
The clubs sector reported a small fall of -0.3% with small fluctuations across all categories offsetting each other and maintaining the level of the index. The largest price change was witnessed in the Drivers sector which fell by -1.7% . This can largely be attributed to small movements across the sector, however an interesting battle for business on newer equipment was witnessed. The popular Callaway Big Bertha Diablo driver, which fell by £40 last month, continued to be discounted as retailers were keen to exploit the interest in this new range following the offer of an Odyssey putter for a £1 with every purchase.
Following the surge in the average price of Fairway Woods last month the sector witnessed some consolidation, falling back -0.8%. In addition, Irons (-0.1%), Wedges (-0.9%) and Putters (-0.3%) also registered small falls. The Utilities sector recorded the Club categories only positive growth, rising by +1% with small price increases across a number of brands.
A very similar picture was seen in the Accessories sector with the average prices for golf balls, bags, shoes and trolleys dropping by just -0.1% from May.
Golf Balls fell by the largest amount (-1.5%) as a result of small price changes, with high end balls like the Nike One Tour and One Tour D being dropped by £1 as retailers fought for position in this market. Similar discounting could be seen at the lower price end of the market, with the Pinnacle Platinum Discount and the Srixon 08 AD 333 falling by similar amounts.
Price falls in both Golf Shoes (-0.8%) and Trolleys (-0.1%) were offset by a small rise in the price of Golf Bags (+1.0%) as the Accessories sector remained largely static.
As the stability in the average market prices of the Golfalot Price Index is mirrored by the continued good levels of traffic experienced by Golfalot.com’s Price Comparison Service the domestic golf market looks to be in good shape. With Tiger back at the majors and a hot , football free, summer forecast there is every reason to believe that this strong position will continue into July and August as more players head out onto the course.
Golfalot Price Index UK & USA www.golfalot.com/News/PriceIndex.aspx