The US retail sales numbers for golf equipment are published this week by Golf Datatech. Despite the start of the colder season and a slight reduction in sales across some categories, signs are still very positive for golf equipment.
US October 2023 Total Equipment Market (On-Off Course)
On-Off Course October ’23 vs ’22: Dollars -1.2%
On-Off Course October ’23 vs ’19: Dollars +43.8%
On-Off Course YTD ’23 vs ’22: Dollars -0.8%
On-Off Course YTD ’23 vs ’19: Dollars +38.6%
Summary
Total Equipment sales were down a little over 1% for the month, and almost 1% on a year to date (YTD) basis.
Five of nine categories were lower for the month, led by Woods which were off 10%. Ball and Glove sales had the most significant improvements, up 4.5% and 5.9% respectively.
On the latest numbers, Golf Datatech co-founder John Krzynowek, said “Equipment sales continue to remain at elevated levels, up close 40% YTD versus 2019, with consumables leading the way. In October we start to see significant seasonal slowdowns in play, as the cooler weather in the north combines with substantially less daylight to suppress rounds, however compared to prior year we were pretty much on par.
With only two months to go, golf retail appears to be on the way to posting another good year, even in the face of substantial economic headwinds.”