The Golfalot Price Index in the UK increased slightly by 0.34%, but this did hide quite a few significant moves from certain categories. Balls (-3.1%) and Fairway Woods (-3.6%) fell, whilst Wedges (+4.7%), Irons (+1.3%) and Shoes (+1.3%) all rose.
Golf Ball prices were down across the board and the fall in Fairway Woods was due to a couple of the more expensive clubs going out of stock. The increase in Wedges was due to the introduction of the new CG12 and CG14 models from Cleveland and the 2008 T-Series from Mizuno. The increase in Irons and Shoes was again across all manufacturers, as new models hit the shops before the Christmas rush.
The USA Golfalot Price Index hardly changed this month with a 0.04% fall overall. Again Trolleys were the big movers with a fall in price of 4.5%. This was mainly due to the introduction of two new lower price trolleys from Bag Boy, the SC-250 and the Compact 600. The only other faller was the Wedges category, which was down 0.6%. All the other categories increase in price by under 1%, except for Fairway Woods, which increase by 2.9% thanks to the introduction of the new TaylorMade r7 CGB Max woods.
“With Christmas just around the corner we would probably expect some price reductions from the bigger retailers as they try to get increase year end sales,” said a Golfalot spokesman, “but so far prices are holding firm as we get closer to the new 2008 season.”
The Golfalot Price Index allows the golf industry to compare price trends both within the UK and USA and between both countries. The Indices operate in the same way by tracking the prices of the latest models from each manufacturer are chosen as they reach the market. Therefore the models tracked always reflect pricing on what the serious golfer wants – the latest technology.
For more detailed information view the Golfalot Price Index graphs for the UK & USA online at www.golfalot.com/priceindex