Golf Datatech (GDT) reported that golf apparel sales were down in on-and off-course specialty stores for the second straight month in August, falling by 3.5 percent after a 3.6 percent drop in July. 

The July decline in golf apparel sales was the first decrease in 18 months (read SGB Media’s coverage here). 

GDT said only three of eight categories were up for the month, led by men’s tops (+7 percent), while headwear was the biggest decliner, down 12 percent.

Apparel sales increased in 35 of the 36 months between July 2020 and June 2023 but appear to have peaked, according to GDT’s analysis of its monthly tracking of on-course and off-course specialty stores. Still, GDT noted that golf apparel year-to-date (YTD) sales remain 56 percent ahead of pre-pandemic levels.

Golf apparel sales were up 5.2 percent year-over-year in the U.S. on- and off-course shops for the YTD period.

“No product category can grow forever, and Golf Apparel through the On- and Off-Course channels has been on something of a tear since recovering from the initial lockdowns in the earliest days of COVID,” commented GDT Co-Founder John Krzynowek. “Even with severely constrained supply chains, golf apparel continued to thrive. However, there are indications that sales are slowing and inventory levels are growing, which could lead to an uncomfortable situation as many regions of the US are heading into their off-season.”

On a category basis, August year-over-year sales trends for U.S. On- and Off-Course shops were as follows:

  • Men’s Shirts: Units +0.3 percent, Dollars +1.0 percent
  • Women Shirts: Units -7.3 percent, Dollars -6.4 percent
  • Men’s Tops: Units +6.5 percent, Dollars +6.9 percent
  • Women’s Tops: Units -0.2 percent, Dollars +1.9 percent
  • Men’s Bottoms: Units -10.2 percent, Dollars -9.3 percent
  • Women’s Bottoms: Units -6.6 percent, Dollars -10.7 percent
  • Outerwear: Units -0.9 percent, Dollars -0.3 percent
  • Headwear: Units -15.8 percent, Dollars -12.3 percent

For more information on trends in the golf specialty market, go here.

Photo courtesy TravisMathew, Data courtesy of Golf Datatech