The Golfalot.com Price Index recorded a fall of -1.3% in October as retailers waited patiently for the arrival of the big autumn product releases from a number of leading manufacturers.
In a month of falls in almost every category the Index posted its largest drop of the year – and the biggest fall since August 2009 – which is a measure of how well it has withstood the external pressure of a turbulent economy over the last 18 months.
With both the Golf Clubs Sector and the Accessories Sector posting overall drops the only gain was made in the Golf Ball Category with a rise of 1.4% thanks largely to the lifting of some of last month’s reductions across the Callaway, Nike and Wilson ranges. With an average price of £18.37 the Golf Balls Category has show sustained growth throughout 2010 and the average price is now 10.8% higher than in October 2010.
The Golf Bags Category remained static to continue its recent strong performance. April 2010 was the first time in the six year history of the Golfalot.com Price Index that Golf Bags had reached an average price of over £86 and the category has remained above that figure for the last six months.
Elsewhere in the Accessories Sector October was marked by small falls across the remaining categories. The Golf Trolleys Category posted the biggest loss with a fall of 1.6% caused by a consumer friendly drop in prices across a number of Powakaddy models. The Golf Shoes Category fell for the fourth consecutive month with a drop of 1.1%.
Overall the Accessories Sector fell for the second consecutive month with a drop of -1.1% although the sustained strength of the Index throughout 2010 is illustrated by the 10.4% overall growth in the sector since January.
For the first time in 2010 the Golf Clubs Sector posted falls across every category for an overall drop of -1.4%.
After a strong performance in September the biggest fall came in the Fairway Woods Category with a drop of -2.4%. Eagle-eyed bargain hunters might be attracted by the prospect of big drops across a couple of Wilson and Callaway models as the category slipped to its lowest average price since April.
The Putters Category fell by -1.5% with reductions on Ping and Yes Golf models while both the Wedges Category and the Drivers Category fell by -1.3%. The Irons Category fell by -1.2% where consumers were treated to reductions on iron sets from Benross, Nike and Ping.
The Golf Clubs Sector’s strongest performance was provided by the Utility Clubs Category which posted a fall of just -0.5% to continue a strong 2010 that has seen the category post an overall rise of 8.5% since the February Price Index.
After a strong 2010 the Golfalot.com Price Index has slowed down over the past couple of months and the widespread falls in October are indicative of that trend. This means that consumers looking for an end of season bargain should be well placed to find some decent discounts.
Looking forward we can expect the Price Index to rally as rally as next season’s equipment begins to hit the shop floors. Ping, Nike, Mizuno, Titeleist, FootJoy and Callaway are just some of the major brands beginning to roll out their brand new products and when these begin to trickle into the Index we can confidently predict that October’s falls will soon be recovered.
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