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Are there too many golf club options?

SuperStroke
ArmyGolf said:
No, there aren't too many so long as the OEMs are actually making money.

If an OEM pumps out an iron in all 4 or 5 categories at 2 or 3 price points and then runs into inventory issues or profitability issues because they can't sell enough - no sympathy from me.
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I don't think many OEMs are "losing" money per say, but product cannibalism on store floors is a real problem for the seller.
 
I don't care about the number of options but more about not confusing the consumer. If someone walks into a golf store to buy callaway since that's what the op referenced and they see 10 options...I'm not talking about the "internet or more informed golfer" but rather the avg Joe who is going to walk in and just buy clubs off the rack the number of options in the same category from the same company will probably cause confusion especially with some releases coming out only a handful of months later. My memory isn't all that great lately and I don't remember if it was 2014 grandaddy or sometime before or after that but I thought Harry mentioned about wanting to change to 18-24 month release cycles and have a lineup that doesn't confuse the customer 10 models of irons in 2 years doesn't seem like it's removing confusion.
 
golfunfiltered said:
I don't think many OEMs are "losing" money per say, but product cannibalism on store floors is a real problem for the seller.
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by "seller" do you mean oem or retailer, or both?
 
emart2173 said:
I don't care about the number of options but more about not confusing the consumer. If someone walks into a golf store to buy callaway since that's what the op referenced and they see 10 options...I'm not talking about the "internet or more informed golfer" but rather the avg Joe who is going to walk in and just buy clubs off the rack the number of options in the same category from the same company will probably cause confusion especially with some releases coming out only a handful of months later. My memory isn't all that great lately and I don't remember if it was 2014 grandaddy or sometime before or after that but I thought Harry mentioned about wanting to change to 18-24 month release cycles and have a lineup that doesn't confuse the customer 10 models of irons in 2 years doesn't seem like it's removing confusion.
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if average joe is walking into the store to buy irons, the confusion won't preempt his purchase, will it? he'll still buy. and if that confusion results in him asking the associate for clarification, i think that's a good thing. companies are also making information for available through website live chats, social media, and more robust product information on the website so the online shopper can make an informed decision.
 
I do not understand how there could ever be too many options/choices.
 
c.a.eleric said:
if average joe is walking into the store to buy irons, the confusion won't preempt his purchase, will it? he'll still buy. and if that confusion results in him asking the associate for clarification, i think that's a good thing. companies are also making information for available through website live chats, social media, and more robust product information on the website so the online shopper can make an informed decision.
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I can't speak for avg Joe whether they will buy or if they will ask. Some may there may be some that say I'll look somewhere else or not buy. Some avg consumers of any product are shy or don't want to look dumb so they won't ask an associate for help or questions. The bolded part imo doesn't imply to the avg golfer imo because again they aren't doing research before buying. I play golf with several avg golf consumers who are going into a store and buying a particular brand and only thing they are looking at is price, then for woods and hybrids loft and flex, for irons flex and wedges lofts. They don't care about gaps or anything. Its about buying what they are used to playing.

Again I don't care about the number of options or what brand has however many options. I consider myself an informed golfer and familiar with most brands and I probably wouldn't be able to name the 10 options callaway has and what category they are all defined in.
 
Options are a Good Thing - Let's be honest, only 2-3 sets would fit a golfer at a certain skill level.
The other options are either beneath or above that said skill level so it doesn't come in to play.

I'd be more concern as a stock holder that the company is inventorying 10 different sets of irons.
Doesn't seem very "Lean"
 
golfunfiltered said:
I don't think many OEMs are "losing" money per say, but product cannibalism on store floors is a real problem for the seller.
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But isn't that the stores issue, not the OEMs? Yes I know buy agreements dictate purchase discounts for sellers but just like consumers, they too have the choice to purchase or not stock a particular club.
 
emart2173 said:
I can't speak for avg Joe whether they will buy or if they will ask. Some may there may be some that say I'll look somewhere else or not buy. Some avg consumers of any product are shy or don't want to look dumb so they won't ask an associate for help or questions. The bolded part imo doesn't imply to the avg golfer imo because again they aren't doing research before buying. I play golf with several avg golf consumers who are going into a store and buying a particular brand and only thing they are looking at is price, then for woods and hybrids loft and flex, for irons flex and wedges lofts. They don't care about gaps or anything. Its about buying what they are used to playing.

Again I don't care about the number of options or what brand has however many options. I consider myself an informed golfer and familiar with most brands and I probably wouldn't be able to name the 10 options callaway has and what category they are all defined in.
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i think you missed the part about the online shopper. i was covering how a brick-and-mortar buyer and an online buyer both have access to quite a bit of information whether through a conversation with a sales associate, or reading information available online.

if your point is that neither care about the information, i think that's a fair point. but if they don't care, i don't think the confusion is an issue. they'll just look for the club that looks the best and meets their price needs. it may be a terrible fit for them, but i think the oem is designing and pricing the club to set an expectation and hopefully "speak" to the target market with intentionality even if it's on a subconscious level.
 
Even with 10 products, Callaway has done well differentiating the lines. They hit ever skill level, price point, and aesthetic preference and there's basically zero overlap all things being considered. As far as the "confused average Joe" walking in to buy clubs based on looks and price, more options=more sales.
 
I like options and think the search for a great set of irons is almost as fun as using them.
 
c.a.eleric said:
i think you missed the part about the online shopper. i was covering how a brick-and-mortar buyer and an online buyer both have access to quite a bit of information whether through a conversation with a sales associate, or reading information available online.

if your point is that neither care about the information, i think that's a fair point. but if they don't care, i don't think the confusion is an issue. they'll just look for the club that looks the best and meets their price needs. it may be a terrible fit for them, but i think the oem is designing and pricing the club to set an expectation and hopefully "speak" to the target market with intentionality even if it's on a subconscious level.
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I don't have the numbers to say one way or the other but i believe the large part of the golf consumer base is the one who is going to buy in store or online based on price. This also goes for the golfer who gets fit but is looking for a deal. My old fitter raised his prices because he would spend 1 hour doing a fitting, charge $50 dollars, the golfer would get their specs and then go into their car surf the web for a deal and if they found a set cheaper try and get the first to sell at that price or buy a set similar to what they were fit for but from a different brand because it was cheaper.
 
Argument I saw was that it could be confusing to consumers. I say, if you don't do the research then a fool and his money are soon parted. Blaming manufacturers for the spending habits of consumers is nigh on silly.
 
Hyper choice is a real thing, and it can be bad. You get it when you go to the grocery store for instance and there are way too many kinds of the same thing and you can't tell the difference, so you have a really hard time deciding. For the average or casual golf consumer that really doesn't know much or doesn't care to learn, you could argue there is too much choice for that reason. But just as in cars, it's more so just different options for everyone, which is a good thing in general. I don't think anything needs to change at all though. It's on the consumer to be informed.
 
cbaker2882 said:
Hyper choice is a real thing, and it can be bad. You get it when you go to the grocery store for instance and there are way too many kinds of the same thing and you can't tell the difference, so you have a really hard time deciding. For the average or casual golf consumer that really doesn't know much or doesn't care to learn, you could argue there is too much choice for that reason. But just as in cars, it's more so just different options for everyone, which is a good thing in general. I don't think anything needs to change at all though. It's on the consumer to be informed.
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Fear of missing out is real.
 
The more options the better. I started with the max game improvement irons, super forgiveness, oversize, and help with launch. As I have steadily improved and moved into the game improvement section, I had 3 different lines to choose from and went with what I have now and am happy with it. If I were to further improve and develop my game more, would I like the options of blade/better player irons on what works best for me. Do I ever plan on gaming blades? Nah not really, I don't have THAT much time to golf and prefer the forgiveness quite frankly.

That alone is 7-8 different styles of golf clubs from Max to blade. What is wrong with 10? Nothing.
 
cbaker2882 said:
Hyper choice is a real thing, and it can be bad. You get it when you go to the grocery store for instance and there are way too many kinds of the same thing and you can't tell the difference, so you have a really hard time deciding. For the average or casual golf consumer that really doesn't know much or doesn't care to learn, you could argue there is too much choice for that reason. But just as in cars, it's more so just different options for everyone, which is a good thing in general. I don't think anything needs to change at all though. It's on the consumer to be informed.
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Bad for who? The consumer, retailer, or manufacturer?

Came across this manuscript in Research Applications in Marketing:
The objective of this research is to study the reactions of consumers when faced with a hyperchoice situation. Two experiments were carried out, varying the number of products displayed in a jewelry department. The results show that increasing the number of products has a positive effect on the perception of price and the sensation of choice, but a negative effect on the attractiveness of the showcase, the perception of quality, the perception of product originality, and the desire to make a choice. However, these effects of hyperchoice are largely attenuated by the presence of a brand.


The whole thing is crazy. The consumer needs to do their research. Hell, I compare milk prices (per ounce) when I'm in the store, so I cannot fathom how one would make an ill-formed $1000+ purchase.
 
It can be very daunting when going to look at clubs. You really need to do some homework before you go to the store. I don't think there is too many options one you eliminate clubs based on profile, price, brand loyalty or looks you really have a narrow list to choose from.
 
I think people complain about options because they want all of them haha. Irons are expensive... Most people do not go through them as quickly as say a driver or putter. With more options, it makes people feel like they are missing out on something that could be the one for them. I don't agree with that thinking haha, but I feel like that's what i hear from others. It's sort of like the "they're releasing another driver again?" comments. Even though most companies are on a 2 year cycle with drivers now a days just a new driver every year (offsetting line releases).

like said early in the thread.... just complaining for the sake of complaining.
 
LOL @ "no one complains about too many car or home options". That's called a False Equivalency.

Back on topic. I actually do believe there are too many options. Especially for the Newbie. Your head spins trying to get into the sport and picking your first set of "real" clubs. Especially if you don't have the option of trying them out. How many Game Improvement sets does each Manufacturer really need?
 
Interesting question, I think options are a good thing but you also have to be smart about it. Like Cookie said it is a chance to learn and get what best fits your game. Also on the other hand if companies put out more options are they banking on people making impulse buys without doing research?
 
So is buyer's remorse the argument against options?
 
deuce said:
Bad for who? The consumer, retailer, or manufacturer?

Came across this manuscript in Research Applications in Marketing:
The objective of this research is to study the reactions of consumers when faced with a hyperchoice situation. Two experiments were carried out, varying the number of products displayed in a jewelry department. The results show that increasing the number of products has a positive effect on the perception of price and the sensation of choice, but a negative effect on the attractiveness of the showcase, the perception of quality, the perception of product originality, and the desire to make a choice. However, these effects of hyperchoice are largely attenuated by the presence of a brand.


The whole thing is crazy. The consumer needs to do their research. Hell, I compare milk prices (per ounce) when I'm in the store, so I cannot fathom how one would make an ill-formed $1000+ purchase.
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Bad for the consumer, which in turn could be bad for the retailer. If a person walks in the store thinking they are going to buy something, but gets overwhelmed by the options and walks out - that's not good for either side. The example provided states just that "and the desire to make a choice". The fact that a brand name could sway decisions making it easier is only true if there is one large brand name among a bunch of no name products. But if every item is a brand name (as it tends to be in golf), that point is moot and it's still an issue. Again, I'm not saying anything needs to change and I personally feel the current state of options is a good thing. But to the casual golfer trying to make a decision, it could be.

Also - many people make ill-informed $1,000+ purchases. Hell tons of, if not most people, buy cars that way.
 
cbaker2882 said:
Also - many people make ill-informed $1,000+ purchases. Hell tons of, if not most people, buy cars that way.
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I didn't mean to imply that people don't make ill-formed choices, just that I can't understand that mindset. I won't complain either ... because it usually translates into cheaper prices for me when they have to sell off that equipment at a loss.

I understand that the manufacturer has to take responsibility for providing the product they state they've made, but beyond that ... I don't see why they should have to protect the consumer from the consumer.
 
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