February 4, 2012

ORLANDO, Fla. — Had Heath Martin not been lodging the butt-end of a Titleist Scotty Cameron putter against his paunchy midsection, he might have sounded as if he were reciting his jacket size.

“I’m a 39 short,” he said. “When you’re low to the ground and got a gut like mine, it’s not going to be very long.”

Martin, a club professional at Deerwood Club in Kingswood, Tex., was among the thousands of P.G.A. pros and golf shop merchandisers at the P.G.A. Merchandise Show here last week, who sought out what many consider will be the hottest product in golf equipment this year — the belly putter.

Following the lead of a growing number of touring pros, many recreational golfers are clamoring for a putter with an extended handle that sticks into the stomach, sternum or, as some prefer, the chin. Golfers are making the switch because it promotes a more consistent setup and removes the wrists from the stroke while still allowing for a pendulum motion.

The potential for gangbuster sales has those in the golf business jumping for joy. Sales of putters have decreased for the last nine years, according to the research firm Golf Datatech. In 2003 putter sales in on- and off-course shops were about $200 million. In 2011, that figure had dropped to $141.3 million, down 4.1 percent from the previous year. But those in the golf-equipment industry say belly putter sales could invigorate the category.

“The belly putter is the great white hope,” said Steve Boccieri, the maker of the Heavy Putter.

He noted that early last summer, he struggled to sell his belly putter models to major retailers, who deemed the club “inventory poison” for its tendency to sit on shelves for months.

Then the belly putter boom began in earnest in August when Keegan Bradley won the P.G.A. Championship, becoming the first golfer to win a men’s major while using a belly putter. Odyssey Golf, the maker of Bradley’s 43-inch White Hot XG Sabertooth belly model, reported belly putter sales skyrocketed more than 400 percent last year. A combined nine tour victories with belly or long putters legitimized the clubs in the eyes of many. The veterans Ernie Els, Jim Furyk and Phil Mickelson also experimented with belly models in tournament play.

Suddenly, Boccieri found himself writing orders in October for 800 putters from the golf retailer Golfsmith and 1,000 from Golf Town, Canada’s largest golf-specialty store.

“That’s more bellies than I had sold in a year,” he said.

The consumer frenzy caught equipment makers and retailers flat-footed. Larry Hirsch of Villanova, Pa., an avid golfer fiddling with a Scotty Cameron belly model at the Titleist booth, said he shopped at several stores before he located a belly putter, then bought the only model on the shelf.

To match the growing demand, the leading shaftmaker True Temper has increased its production of belly and long putter shafts to 120,000 last year from 60,000 in 2010. The company says it expects to produce more than 500,000 shafts this year.

Chris Koske, the global director of Odyssey Golf, said the company sold 8,000 belly putters in 2010 and more than 34,000 units last year. He has high hopes for this season.

“I’d like to get to 100,000,” he said. “I think it is completely doable.”

When Paul Azinger notched the first win with a belly putter in 2000, demand for the club surged temporarily. The putter-maker Scotty Cameron recalled inserting a chopstick in the grip hole of Azinger’s putter as a practice device. Soon after, while browsing at a pro shop, Azinger toyed with lodging a long putter cut down for a shorter man in his belly button. After holing a string of putts, he bought the club, changed the grip, got it approved by the United States Golf Association, and rolled to a seven-stroke victory at the Sony Open. Sales spiked again in 2003 when Vijay Singh, dogged by a balky putter, conquered his woes and won several events wielding a belly putter.

Recreational golfers often avoided the belly or long putter because they were considered an old-man’s crutch, an act of desperation for a golfer with a bad back, or a case of the yips. But when younger players like Adam Scott, Webb Simpson and Bill Haas won on tour with a long or belly putter, the stigma disappeared.

Dave Pelz , a renowned short-game coach, said he had used long and belly putters for instruction purposes for more than 20 years and coordinated trials involving students from his six teaching schools to try and determine which putter generated the most accurate stroke. Pelz found that 60 percent of his students putted better with a belly model.

“I’m not endorsing it,” he said. “I’m saying test it.”

A lingering question is whether the long and belly putter should be allowed. The U.S.G.A. considered a proposal limiting the length of a putter in 1989, but decided longer putters were not detrimental to the game.

But to many golf purists, using a belly or long putter is akin to cheating.

“My best friend said he wouldn’t play with me anymore if I used one,” Hirsch said.

While equipment makers and golf retailers attempt to capitalize on consumer interest, a bigger question than legality is whether the belly putter craze will last this time.

Tim Reed of Adams Golf introduced several belly putters under the company’s Yes! Putter brand at the P.G.A. show. How convinced is he that the belly putter is here to stay?

“Well, I named one of the belly models after my wife,” he said.

By Jack Crittenden

The market forgolf apparel appears to finally be on the rebound, according to a new study by Golf Datatech. The independent research firm reports that the on-course dollar volume in 2011 increased by 8 percent compared to the prioryear.

“Through the first 11 months of 2011, every product category shows significant improvement over 2010 dollar sales volume,” said Tom Stine, Co-Founder, Golf Datatech.  “These totals don’t take into consideration December numbers, which reflect the bulk of holiday sales and are likely to further increase these figures considerably.”

Men’s tops, which includes sweaters, vests and fleeces, showed the biggest year-to-year increase as a category — up 21.9 percent. The average retail price was $75.13, a 4.2 percent increase. Men’s bottoms increased by 20.6 percent, with the average sale price forpants and shorts at $49.04, a 2 percent increase. Not all prices were up, however, as men’s shirts dropped by 1.3 percent to an average of $50.42. That was still far higher than off-course prices, which averaged $34.70.

Women’s shirts sold for$45.49, a 2.8 percent increase, and bottoms for$53.61, a 4 percent increase.

Forouterwear, the average retail price was $72.79 at on-course locations, which reflects a 0.6 percent increase from 2010, while the average retail price at off-course locations was $62.94, which reflects a decrease of 2.8 percent from 2010.  Overall, outerwear sales have increased 9.4%.

Golf Datatech makes the Golf Apparel Market Reports available on a monthly basis to apparel companies, retailers and golf shop operators and managers, providing a detailed snapshot of apparel sales for every category. The reports list the market shares, retail pricing and inventory levels of virtually every apparel manufacturer, as well as define the market leaders.

ORLANDO, Fla., February 16, 2012 … Golf Datatech, LLC (www.golfdatatech.com), the golf industry’s leading independent research firm for consumer, trade and retail golf trends, today released golf’s first comprehensive study of serious golfers’ evolving media habits, including their attitudes towards monthly and weekly print publications, network and cable golf television, Internet usage, digital golf weeklies, social networking, and newspapers.

The Serious Golfers and Modern Media Study explores the impact of emerging, new digital devices & properties, and how they are changing golf media consumption.  The study’s results and recommendations are based on responses from 2,000 randomly selected golfers drawn from Golf Datatech’s exclusive Serious Golfer Database, with significant data mining into critical sub-segments such as age, gender, handicap, etc.

“This study is a deep dive into the modern media habits of serious golfers to see what they are using and how they use it.  It establishes a benchmark for the evolving trends of all age groups of golfers and their propensity for how they receive their golf information,” said Tom Stine, co-founder of Golf Datatech.  “While social media consumption continues to gain popularity in sports, golfers aren’t actually engaging in social media as much as other sports, though the major golf media outlets rely on social media a great deal and frequently quote them in their own reports.”

Key findings in the Serious Golfers and Modern Media Study include the following:

• The two major monthly magazines Golf Digest and Golf Magazine have the strongest readership among printed publications; however, they are read less frequently than they were one year ago.
• Although it remains in its infancy, digital delivery of golf information is the fastest growing method of distribution.
• Facebook is the most widely used social networking tool by serious golfers, with 30% saying they visit daily and 49% reporting they visit at least weekly.  Findings reveal social media consumption is skewed towards younger golfers.
• 82% of respondents watch the Golf Channel at least once a week, and golfchannel.com leads PGAtour.com, golfdigest.com and golf.com as the most popular golf website.

For more information on the Serious Golfers and Modern Media Study or to order the study, call 888-944-4116 or click here.

About Golf Datatech, LLC

Golf Datatech, LLC was established in 1995, and since that time it has become the industry’s golf standard for accurate and timely information on the retail sales, inventory, pricing, and distribution of golf products through the on and off course channels.  In 1998, the Company extended its reach into consumer research and strategic sales and marketing consulting.  In 2006, the Company expanded its retail and consumer research programs into the United Kingdom and in 2008 added markets in Europe.

Golf sales trends

The golf industry received welcome news in 2011 that, through the first three quarters, sales for apparel and equipment were up a combined 3.7 percent, according to Golf Datatech, which tracks results at retail. While sales are still well below pre-recession levels, the year’s growth has retailers encouraged that the bounce back will continue in 2012. One of the largest growth areas was drivers, which also happen to be some of the highest-priced golf items. Spurred by new product launches by TaylorMade and Titleist, overall driver sales were up 17.1 percent in dollars and 4.2 percent in units.

The study uses Golf Datatech’s exclusive database of Serious Golfers to develop insights into the current state of the putter marketplace with responses from 2,000 serious golfers via the online study.

The study gains insights into the consumer’s current perspectives on the putter market, including but not limited to:

• Is the current sales malaise due to a perceived lack of product innovation and technological breakthroughs?
• Have higher prices (Average Selling Price of Putters are up 50% over the past decade) negatively impacted consumer demand during these difficult economic times?
• Has there been a significant shift in channel importance in putters? With the increased importance of the sporting goods channel have serious golfers changed their purchase behavior on putters?
• What “triggers” the desire to purchase a new putter? How important is technology? The Tours? Alignment? Feel?  Design?
• Which brands are positioned to benefit the most from the possible recovery in golf equipment sales?

The study will be released October 1, 2011 and may be purchased for $3500 by calling Golf Datatech at 1-888-944-4116 or info@golfdatatech.com .

Golf’s fastest growing equipment category, the DMD market is represented by hand-held GPS rangefinders, laser devices and smart phone applications. The Distance Measuring Device Study was conducted in the Spring of 2011, with Golf Datatech surveying nearly 1,800 golfers from an exclusive database representing 5-6 million serious golfers, or 20% of the top golfing population who embody roughly 80% of the golf retail purchasing market. As 1,448 of the respondents currently use a DMD, with 13% having purchased a device in the past year, the study asked these “hardcore” golfers not only about their purchase habits and usage levels when it comes to DMDs, but also expanded on their attitudes and opinions toward the category.

Key findings of the study show that hand-held GPS rangefinders out-sell lasers by a 2-1 ratio, with the average selling price of a DMD between $240 and $249. Among the serious golfer respondents, 43% favored hand-held GPS rangefinders, as compared to 28% for lasers. However, 51% of the respondents stated that laser devices are more accurate than hand-held GPS rangefinders. Additionally, while about two-thirds of the serious golfers surveyed in the study utilize smart phones, less than one-half of those have downloaded/purchased a DMD phone application. Among the most interesting findings in the study, 30% of all respondents stated that exact yardage from their ball to the target was “extremely important,” while an additional 64% said it was “important.” Further, 68% of the respondents who utilize DMDs believe the device speeds up the place of play.

In estimating the size of the DMD market, Golf Datatech states that conservative estimates range from $130 million to $175 million, but could be as high as the $180-$190 million range, which is bigger than golf’s putter market at On and Off Course channels. Golf Datatech’s market analysis is based on multiple methodologies and input from a variety of industry sources, including sales data from many leading golf retailers (On and Off Course), estimates from leading manufacturers of DMDs and estimates of consumer data taken from survey respondents.

The comprehensive 2011 Distance Measuring Device Study, now available for $1500, is a 132-page report covering golf’s fastest growing equipment category and includes a Study Overview; Objective & Methodology; Executive Summary & Observations; and Golfographics. For more information or to order a study, call 888-944-4116 or visit www.golfdatatech.com.