The Golfalot.com Price Index entered the summer holiday season with a month of consolidation as the Index for July 2011 fell by just -0.2% to maintain the record levels established since April 2011.
In a month that saw small movements across the majority of categories the Golf Clubs Sector fell by -0.3% with the average cost of a set of clubs now standing at £904.34, a +5% increase over the last 12 months. The average price of Golf Drivers rose by +1.1% boosted by the entrance to the Index of the Srixon Z-Star offsetting price competition on popular brands with notable falls in some models from Callaway and Cobra. Fairway Woods experienced similar price competition in April and May and the category continued to regain ground with price readjustment across all brands contributing to the increase of 0.3%.
Wedges were the final positive mover in the Golf Clubs category with a rise of +0.4%. Golf Irons (-0.8%), Putters (-0.4%) and Utility Clubs (-1.6%) all experienced negative growth in July with small price falls across the board, with the drop in cost of the Callaway RAZR X and RAZR X Tour Utility Clubs standing out. However, as with the rest of the Golf Clubs Sector, despite this repositioning the average cost of a Utility Club has increased by +5.8% over the calendar year.
The Golf Accessories section also consolidated its strong position falling by just under -0.1%. Golf Bags (-0.1%), Golf Shoes (-0.2%) and Golf Trolleys (+0.1%) all saw little differences in price across all brands and largely maintained the gains accrued during 2011.
The Golf Balls category fell by a larger amount (-0.5%) as the category experienced competition across the board in this highly competitive market. An interesting development to note however is the intense competition of the previous two months witnessed in the premium ball category, with market share for the 2011 Titleist Pro V1 / Pro V1x and the Srixon Z-XV being keenly contested, readjusting to some extent with prices rising for all three golf balls. The Golf Accessories section continues to flourish with the Index enjoying its second highest position since its inception in October 2004.
With the main summer holiday period just around the corner and The Open Championship at Royal St Georges sure to capture the imagination with European hopes to the fore the July Index certainly offers much for the golf industry to smile about as it enters one of its busiest periods.