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Drivers are not to expensive.

SuperStroke
Is there an objective answer to this ... some threshold where something automatically falls into the "expensive" category?

I think the question/answer is subjective, so I'd say it depends. Most people live paycheck to paycheck, so to shell out $499 for a single golf club, they'd say "Hell yeah, it's expensive." For those who have disposable income, it probably varies depending on how much income is available. For a billionaire, it's chump change. For you, it's obviously not expensive ... but for me, it's a bit of an investment, and I'd consider it expensive. I'm not begrudging the fact that it's expensive, but it does temper my purchasing somewhat.
 
Kids cost hundreds of thousands of dollars yet there is no shortage of people popping them out like a clown car.

So to me, a driver is fairly cheap :)
 
lightningbolt44 said:
Shane you know I am in agreement here. However I think you could make a driver $250 and people would still complain it is to expensive.

If it a lot of money sure and people view it differently. But I do think the expectation to get the best for pennies on the dollar has increased in recent years and not just towards golf clubs. People want to feel like they are getting a deal but also feel like they are getting the best. Unfortunately it is not possible imo but consumer mindset is consumer mindset. I may be way off but I definitely feel consumers have become much more demanding with features etc. When compared to cost.

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Yes a lot like people who want a course in great condition but want cheap fee's


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I think you are correct, especially considering inflation.

But as anything, it depends on the person.

Some people really can't afford that and others that can might choose not to.

For me, I would never pay that much unless it is a major upgrade for me. A PROVEN upgrade through a fitting or something.
 
Companies can really only charge what customers are willing to pay if want to make money.
 
sposey013168 said:
By that thinking we should never buy a new car. Lose 10k as soon as you drive it off the lot.

In my opinion the low resale of clubs should not matter, we all know you do not buy clubs for resale.


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Was going to say the same thing. I purchased a used car, 2013 with 46k miles on it for $15k. I saw a guy complaining about how he spent $44k on the same car new 2-3 years ago and he is still upside down in it. Not my fault that I bought a lease return at what I consider a good deal and he financed full price on it.

I also look at golf clubs like cars, you could spend a million for the latest and greatest supercar, or you can go find a used Prius for $12k. Most consumers are not going to see the full performance difference between the 2. Same with a driver, you can spend $500+ on the latest and greatest, or you can buy a used one for $40 and still have a damn good driver in your bag that 90% of the golfing community would not be able to distinguish performance wise from the latest and greatest.

Also, this isn't anything anyone of us actually NEEDS. This isn't the latest in medicine that we HAVE to have or we will die, it is a piece of vanity equipment that we all hope improves our game.
 
Are they too expensive? Maybe but then again everyone works their finances differently. By all appearances they haven't gone up terribly but they're not cheap now nor have they ever been.

I figure things like new/latest greatest golf clubs aren't intended to be cheap. They are "want" items not "need" items, meaning you don't have to have one to survive.
 
My issue is the depreciation. I can have the world's greatest driver from last year for $150 today or the greatest driver in the world this year for $500. I just have to stay a year behind, lol. I do the same thing with video games. I'll happily pay $20 for last year's greatest game, but I won't pay $60 for this year's greatest game.
 
It's all relative and individual. Personally, I'll never pay that much for a driver and I felt exactly the same about the $300 Burner Bubble when new, btw.

But I understand that the market and demand have effectively set the price, I have no quarrel with that. I just choose to wait.

I also no longer buy new cars, last four have been CPO. Again, I don't dispute a new car's worth only its value to me, same with clubs.
 
fupresti said:
Thats the problem I guess for Callaway having products designed for different segments. In their defense most of their products are on 18-24 month cycles now.

Epic replaces the Big Bertha 2016 line that came out 18 months prior
Fusion replaces V-Series that came out 24 months prior
XR16 replaces XR that came out 12 months prior.
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I'm not slating callaway, just saying it's the same for a lot of the major manufacturers. TM always seem to be the ones used as an example with release cycles, but believe it's more on the past than recent history
 
I think they are priced where they need to be for the company to make money, which is how anything should be priced. I also believe that the amount of technical design and engineering going in is higher than it's ever been, so the price makes sense.

Where people complain about the cost of new recent model clubs (me included) is this. You can buy the brand new Super Ass Kicker 5000 for $500 which is really awesome and gains you 10 yards and improved dispersion. Cool! However, over on the clearance rack is the Super Ass Kicker 4000 from the last release cycle, and it's up for $300 and gains you 8 yards and nearly as good dispersion. Those like me in this situation see the SAK5000 as paying an extra $200 for 2 yards and a marginal dispersion improvement, and the law of diminishing returns kicks in. You can extend that even further when you jump on eBay and somebody is selling a Super Ass Kicker 4000 that was hit 6 times for $180. Many of us would say, well why in the sweet hell would you ever drop $500 on the newest one!?!?

It's going to differ for everyone, but for those who don't have a strong desire for the latest and greatest, new equipment prices DO seem insane.
 
sposey013168 said:
But you do hit the driver more frequently than any other club other than the putter right?

Perhaps companies should not have spent millions of dollars on technology and we should all still be playing persimmon woods


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All I was saying is "technically" a driver is expensive compared to other clubs. It is that way because that is what people are willing to pay for distance.

I never said anything about companies wasting their millions on tech and research. Technology is fun and distance is fun so as long as people continue to crave that aspect of the game the companies will continue to provide.
 
If I was able to spend half as much time playing golf as I spend reading about golf, I'd have no issue dropping $600 for a driver.

Instead I'm a year behind. Of course online reviews convince me every year how much forgiveness I'm giving up with my inferior driver. Some peace is taken knowing I'll have that driver in 12 months... even though the new posts will again convince me it's inferior to the latest.

It's fun getting new drivers each year but for 25 rounds not worth retail.. to me.
 
Yes 500 for a driver is expensive. Many good points have already been made but the new car analogy is how I view things. Never have and never will buy a new car and the same goes for a driver. I'm just too cheap and can't justify it since there is no conceivable financial reason to support it. It has nothing to do with being able to afford it, I just like feeling like I got a good deal.

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I think the customers actually hold all the keys here. Drivers will be "too expensive" ONLY when customers finally stop purchasing them at said price and the OEMs are forced to lower their prices or close up shop. Until then drivers will sell for whatever people are willing to pay - and we consumers have proven that we will pay $500+.
 
All of these comparisons to the car market have me wondering when Golf Manufacturers are going to start leasing programs lol.
$30/month and you always get the new model when it comes out.
 
New release prices are simply way too high for me, but that's just me. I wouldn't have paid $299 in 1999 or $499 in 2017.
 
JB said:
Check this driver out.

All the rage back in 1999. It was the Liquid Metal and it retailed for $599.

https://www.thehackersparadise.com/...52-Throwback-Thursday-Liquidmetal-Golf-Driver
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"All the rage"? In my 30 years in this business, I don't know 1 person who paid MSRP or even owned that driver for that matter. How long were they in business? They really left their mark.

In my opinion the old adage, "a fool and their money are soon parted" and "what's old becomes new again" comes into play.
 
I also think the prices are fair for new drivers. Certainly I prefer to wait and/or buy used but the new Epic driver might be worth $500 to me.
 
I think new driver prices are outrageous, and performance wise not worth the investment that one's current driver and a few lessons wouldn't generate. After returning to the game after a long layoff (years) I was taken back at the cost of re-entry into golf. I settled into a SLDR (used) and my old Mizuno MP 29s and dropped my handicap five strokes over the summer. People are going to buy the epic, but if it was marketed truthfully, only going to increase your drives by five yards and have no impact on your handicap, most people would wait and see...my $.02


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ArmyGolf said:
All of these comparisons to the car market have me wondering when Golf Manufacturers are going to start leasing programs lol.
$30/month and you always get the new model when it comes out.
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Exactly! Or at least a defined trade in program. Phone carriers have made it work, why not golf OEMs?
 
sposey013168 said:
I have been seeing a lot of grumbling on twitter about how the epic is to expensive at $499.
I totally disagree with this. I remember buying a TM burner bubble in the the mid 90's for $299. Look at that club then look at the epic or M1 and I can see a lot more that $200 of technology in the new clubs. Now if you add inflation on top of that $499 is actually cheap.
Am I am the minority on this topic?

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i understand everything you are saying. I still think 5 bills for a single club is steep.
 
sposey013168 said:
I have been seeing a lot of grumbling on twitter about how the epic is to expensive at $499.
I totally disagree with this. I remember buying a TM burner bubble in the the mid 90's for $299. Look at that club then look at the epic or M1 and I can see a lot more that $200 of technology in the new clubs. Now if you add inflation on top of that $499 is actually cheap.
Am I am the minority on this topic?
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I think people get bored and just want something to complain about because the 500 dollar driver they bough last year isn't worth 200 anymore. What cracks me up the most, is how easy it is to get a bargain bag build with tech that's MAYBE 8-16 months out..... and very clean... yet people want the latest and greatest.

So i say let them buy it, and let them get excited about it. That's a big part of golf.
 
adwillingham said:
I struggle with $499 drivers, $299 putters, and $1099 iron sets. I don't care about the resale aspect, but it's hard to spend a car payment on a driver, a weekend getaway on a putter, or a mortgage payment on irons.
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Totally agree with this Donne. That's why I typically buy used cars :D. It ends up being used clubs as well.

JM
 
adwillingham said:
I struggle with $499 drivers, $299 putters, and $1099 iron sets. I don't care about the resale aspect, but it's hard to spend a car payment on a driver, a weekend getaway on a putter, or a mortgage payment on irons.
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It's different for everyone, obviously.. And that's what is so great about a site like Callaway Preowned... You can get a mint GBB driver for 167 dollars right now.. One release out, barely any time away from the product cycle. Same for just about everything.
 
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