Golf Datatech (GDT) reported that golf equipment sales posted a back-to-back increase in on- and off-course specialty stores in September after experiencing 11 consecutive months of contracting sales through July.
Total golf equipment sales reportedly grew over 6 percent for the month in the channel. GDT said the mid-single-digit increase was due to sales of Irons.
Thanks to a 26.5 percent increase in Irons sales for the month of September, driven by new product availability from major manufacturers, overall Golf Equipment sales grew 6.1 percent for the month. September sales were up 43.5 percent versus the 2019 comparable month.
Seven out of nine categories saw improved year-over-year sales versus the same period in 2022, with only Golf Bags and Golf Footwear trailing levels from the previous year.
“Consistent with surging sales in U.S. consumer products, equipment sales in September were up over 6 percent for the month, led by new Iron launches from Titleist, Callaway and TaylorMade,” explained GDT Co-Founder John Krzynowek. “While there are macro-economic headwinds that could potentially slow down sales of big-ticket items like clubs in Q4, they were not a factor in September.”
On a year-to-date (YTD) basis, Golf Balls continue to be the big winner in 2023, posting almost 10 percent growth for the YTD period, while Golf Shoes saw the biggest decline (-9 percent) for the YTD period.
On a YTD basis, overall Golf Equipment sales were down 0.8 percent versus the comp 2022 YTD period, but up 38.2 percent versus the 2019 comp YTD period.
Photo courtesy TaylorMade
