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Direct to Consumer Clubs

SuperStroke
I think brick and mortar will always have its place. Look at the average club golfers bag, nothing is fit and usually an advertising campaign or a buddy recommending a club. When people even get fit there is a huge range. I think a lot of people buy clubs without giving them so much as a waggle (not including the club hos who are an extreme)

For DTC brands the opportunity is really on the edges. I think a lot of them feel like the late night commercials. Bombtech is clearly in this category. I think golf balls are a better opportunity and why snell has been successful. Vice/cut have been straddling the lines. Hogan in the space and I think the only reason it can operate like that is the name Hogan.

Really most of the brands have started to acknowledge the dtc market. Cobra, taylormade, Callaway, and Cleveland/Srixon all have their custom department apart of the website. Ping and Titleist have had years of certain online retailers having a special relationship and even then I really dont see much space for a large scale player to only play in the dtc market.
 
DG_1234 said:
During the past 5 years the Palm Springs to Indio , Coachella Valley region, went from having 8 free standing golf retail stores to 3. That's not "talk" or "assumptions" , it's reality.
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Was there enough business to support 8 stores? That’s a LOT of golf stores. In the major metropolitan area where I live there are 2 or 3 dedicated golf shops, and that’s about right. There’s courses that sell clubs and some driving ranges that sell clubs too, but very few golf only retail only stores.
 
JB said:
It is discussing brands that cannot be Tested before purchase and how they are viewed and can they be successful.
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I think a good sense strategy that a "pure DTC brand" might employ could go something like this :

1) t.v. infomercial featuring both pros and various skill level amateurs swinging the clubs (this has been done for decades and is sometimes proven to be very effective at selling clubs).
2) website with several photos and videos detailing the benefits of the club's design/technology
3)website with user written reviews and video testimonials from pros as well as various skill level amateurs.
4) offer a wide range of shaft options/upgrades
5) 90 day "playability satisfaction guarantee" allowing the consumer to pay a flat fee of $25, which includes a return shipping label. If the consumer returns the club he/she gets his money back less the $25. If he keeps the club the brand gets to keep the $25.
 
dazeedmonds said:
Was there enough business to support 8 stores? That’s a LOT of golf stores. In the major metropolitan area where I live there are 2 or 3 dedicated golf shops, and that’s about right. There’s courses that sell clubs and some driving ranges that sell clubs too, but very few golf only retail only stores.
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The Coachella Valley is primarily a second home/retirement/resort area which was developed and built to cater to people playing golf.
Right now I think the most significant "golf problem" this area faces is not golf stores closing, but the state of the game itself. 30 to 40 years ago is when most of this area was built, including dozens of golf courses. The primary customers for those courses has always been retirees. However the forthcoming retiree population, those people currently in the 40 to 60 age range, are not playing as much golf as their parents and grandparents did. For this reason I envision the courses will have less play, the fairway homes and condos less buyers, and this will likely create a significant economic problem for the Coachella Valley.
 
I need to see a club, hold it in my hands before I would ever buy it. Hogan has a demo program I am not sure about the others. Another set back would be finding a fitter who carries these DTC clubs if your going to go that route.
 
Bombtech and Pinemeadow are 2 that come to mind. It can work and companies like that who have much less fat to trim can offer the same products at a much more competitive price.
 
So does New Level fall into this mix?

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I think if DTC are happy with their small profits, then yes because they will build a fan base. But I don’t see that model working well enough to change the industry or even grab a significant market share.
 
I don’t see any DTC club companies lighting the world on fire with offerings but the personalized attention and quality builds help them stay in business as long as they stay lean. Quality is expected but personal connection can make sales. I think growth will be an issue though
 
My guess is that DTC will exist for two distinct markets.
The first will be the buyers who have been fitted previously and know the shafts that work best for their game. These buyers will configure clubs and try them out to see if the clubs perform with a known constant (the shaft). DTC will need to cover return shipping and offer a trial period for this method to work. DTC will also need to offer a high performance/luxury product to entice these buyers.
The second will be the buyer who is looking for value and doesn't have the care to be fitted for their equipment nor care all that much if the clubs are optimized. These buyers are leaving DSG etc every day with club sets that they swing a handful of times in a simulator (at best) but fit their budget. DTC will offer clubs with popular entry level shafts and offer upgrades.
I remember looking at Bombtech years ago. The thread on THP was what turned me off to them. There was some issue with getting tester clubs from the company. Made me feel uneasy about doing business with them. They had a very attractive buy-back guarantee as I recall. I have seen a few people playing the woods, have not seen irons in the wild.
Snell on the other hand has won my business by offering a high level product at competitive pricing. Not sure Dean's model translates to equipment though.

My 2¢ for whatever it's worth...
 
JB said:
They are part of the first post
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New Level is now in Club Champion. I know they have a demo program. They have answered all my questions, even though I was a sceptic at first. I really like the 2 wedges I have and am looking forward to hitting the 902’s.


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I think there are some things working against a pure DTC play.

As others suggest, there is the demo/compare notion. This is probably the easiest to solve on the surface.

Where it gets complicated is fitting. Presumably a DTC company doesn't have a fitting cart. Do they do demo days? Do they stock clubs in all shafts and models for demo? Do they take a 'fitting is overrated' approach?

I think those are important questions to answer if they are targeting the avid gearhead that actively seeks information of niche brands.

Now if they are targeting the person that simply buys stock off the rack they avoid much of that, but probably have more work to do in getting themselves known to that customer as they are the ones more likely to base their choices off of the Hot List, tour use, etc.
 
Ed Settle said:
New Level is now in Club Champion. I know they have a demo program. They have answered all my questions, even though I was a sceptic at first. I really like the 2 wedges I have and am looking forward to hitting the 902’s.


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Right. Just as Bridgestone is in a number of fitting centers. As of now for the most part they are still DTC.
 
I only like DTC if the cost savings are there. At the end of the day none of the current DTC brands offer anything I cant get elsewhere so unless there is a cost savings or some sort of collector market to suck me in odds are I'd look elsewhere.
 
Someone should claim this space, B-Stone, Exotics and Wilson come to mind. Someone should be the dollar shave club of golf.They just have to figure out the returns and fitting sides of it.
 
Sox Fan said:
As a price conscious consumer, I really like the cost savings (usually) of the DTC option. I believe Ben Hogan is viewed a little as a cut above others due to it's long history in the equipment business and the cult-like following of us over 50 year old consumers that played and loved their equipment when we were much younger.

Then again, I am in a different geographical situation than many THPers in that I have very little opportunity (none local) to test various equipment in retail or fitting facilities. My equipment buying decision making process typically starts and ends with THP reviews.
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I’m in the exact same situation, locally no availability to test new equipment so dtc really appeals to me. Knowing my spec and the shaft type and profile I prefer I ordered a set of the hogan edge and 3 wedges sight unseen. Some may think that’s crazy but it works for me, I love golf equipment and always have atleast 3 sets of irons and numerous drivers, fwys, wedges etc. I may be in the minority on this but the ease of purchase and price of dtc can’t be beat. I paid 935$ shipped for 9 forged irons and a hybrid was thrown in for free. 10 clubs I know are quality for less than 1k. That’s a deal to me.

Knockdown


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annsguy said:
As usual good timing on THPs part to ask this question. My wife and oldest daughter recently used a service called Rent The Runway to rent beautiful dresses for a wedding. These were expensive dresses and they could have them for a month. There is even an option to buy the dressif you want. It got me thinking about how you could create a similar model for clubs. Everyone wants to try before you buy. I think the missing thing would be a way to get the clubs properly fit. Shipping is a big issue too. Somebody will figure this out.
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They have this for drivers.

Overall, I think it could work. For some they will want a personal touch and get fitted. I really don't want to pay for a fitting, even if it could take 10 strokes off my game. Golf is expensive enough. So if a company had the right prices, good products, and hassle-free returns, someone like me could be interested.
 
I assume someone will develop an app that will help the golfer provide all the correct measurements and the components will be send to the golfer for assembly by the golfer or a free lance person who can adjust lift and lie. I don’t think that would work for me but I can see some people enjoying that process.
 
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