Question of the week [May 12-18]: How do you believe the United States' plans for tariffs will impact the golf industry?
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RELATED: Will tariffs bring dark days for golf? | Read
You pick up most any golf club, particularly drivers, and almost all components come from overseas and are assembled in the U.S. So it doesn’t look like this year's new price of $649 on drivers from the four or five top brands will hold.
But where is the stopping price point for the consumer? Is it $700 where maybe we replace this year’s technology every three or four years instead of every other year? And irons at $200 plus per club? Wow. What the consumer is willing to pay will help determine the price as much as the tariffs.
Barry Duckworth
Knoxville, Tennessee
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Tariffs, as proposed by President Donald Trump, will not help the country or golf in the short or long run. Golf equipment sales and greens fees are riding high now — birdie, birdie, birdie — but rising costs of many imported golf products along with a slowing economy will dampen the prospects of the game overall. Those with higher incomes won’t feel much pain, but the common golfer will have diminished discretionary income to spend on golf. The Covid stimulus/bubble will falter over time as the market adjusts. It’s really just economics 101.
Jim Fuquay
Indianapolis, Indiana
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So, three years ago I bought some Titleist 350 irons with graphite shafts. When I received them, I noted a small sticker on the packing. The heads were made in China, the shafts were made in Vietnam. I already was aware the majority of the grip brands are made overseas.
While the R&D for golf equipment, along with assembling the components, is performed in the United States, the components themselves are largely foreign made. Guess I'll be hanging on to my wedges for another year.
Mark Kazich
Darien, Illinois
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I believe prices on new equipment will go up significantly due to the tariffs since a lot of equipment is made overseas. I also believe this will greatly increase the activity on sites such as eBay for used equipment.
Bob Norris
Cincinnati, Ohio
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The USGA's and R&A's dummying down of the golf ball will have more of an effect on golf than tariffs. Why would they dummy down the ball when you have more than 60 million golfers worldwide and the change is for 200 or 300 competitive pros. In my opinion, the best advancements have been in shafts.
Mark Andersen
Cornelius, North Carolina
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The short and obvious answer is tariffs will inflate the price of golf hard and soft goods. As President Donald Trump negotiates new trade deals, we will learn how inflationary these long-term tariffs will be. This is not good news for the golf consumer nor the golf industry, but most likely it is not catastrophic assuming the new tariffs are "reasonable."
I will be curious to see if golf merchandise becomes more price competitive in Mexico and Canada, where the Trump tariffs may not apply.
Reid Farrill
Toronto, Ontario
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Most Americans either don’t want to play, cannot physically play or can’t afford to play golf, so don't expect much national sympathy for us. But if tariffs end up much higher, we would see an increase on just about everything consumers put in their hands while on the golf course. As noted in The First Call, fees and dues will rise because of what is imported to maintain a golf course.
I will be curious as to by how much and when price increases occur by the club manufacturers — who wants to go first. Fewer golfers will pay $700-$800 for a $600 driver, therefore many will hold onto their current clubs much longer. Used clubs would also rise in price.
I am curious as to the golf industry CPI index we’ve experienced over the past 10 years, in particular since COVID. The outlier may be today’s younger, affluent golfers who tend to be resistant to price increases — check out what they currently line up to pay for resort rooms and destination green fees. But for the middle class and fixed income seniors, not so much.
Youth golf could be impacted as well, and while he’s keeping the jet, I don't see President Trump exempting golf products from tariffs.
Bottom line is I believe a 10% increase in drivers and green fees would not make a big impact, but a 20% to 30% increase would create a measurable pushback/slowdown.
Steve Moore
Birmingham, Alabama
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