According to a study of golf market profiles of the 10 largest sporting goods retail companies from Longitudes Group, Dick's Sporting Good market impact leads the sporting goods retailers with the most golfers served at 9.8M, or over 39 percent of all golfers.
Previously a proprietary report for clients, the report is being released as a syndicated report to the broader golf and sporting goods marketplace.
Other key findings of the research include:
The Sports Authority serves 43 percent of the U.S. total golf retail market value with its individual stores covering over $2.2 billion worth of the total golf retail market. Dick's is making up ground on TSA narrowing a $500M gap in golf market value from 2011 to a differential of just over $200M this year. The opening of 72 new DSG stores, often in milder southern and western climates with more playable days for golf, is closing the gap.
Sports Chalet has the highest number of golfers per store at 28,136. This is related to its position in densely-populated urban Southwest locations.
Academy has the 2nd largest growth in golfers served since 2011 with a 34 percent increase in stores for a current total of 168 stores. It now has the ability to serve 1.6M golfers within the 15 minute trade areas.
The most valuable product categories in the Sporting Goods channel are the Golf apparel business valued at $240M followed by Woods at $193M, both in retail dollars.
The report compares and contrasts the brands, and relates how each sporting goods chain impacts the local golf markets in which they compete.
Since 2004 Longitudes Group has annually tracked the growth and contraction of the Golf retail market. The Top 10 Sporting goods chains account for over 2,100 retail locations, more than double the number of Off-course golf retailers in the US market.
“The Sporting Goods channel represents over 17 percent of all golf product sales,” stated Sara Killeen, president of Longitudes Group. “The retail shopping experience, product selection, top brands, mall locations and sharp prices make many of the regional and national chains formidable competitors for traditional golf retailers.”
