I was reading this very entertaining and thought-provoking article on GameSpy by Mike Drucker titled, Dear Videogame Industry, Please Stop Making Games . In Mike’s letter he pleas with the video game industry to stop releasing so many new titles every week, because he unable to keep up and complete them.
2010 PGA Show Outdoor Demo Day
So this got me thinking about the golf industry and how the release cycle for golf clubs has shortened and how almost every 3 months a new golf equipment is being released.
I’m not complaining about the number of golf clubs being released, but like Mike, I can find it to be a little hard to keep up and test all the new models that come out. This short life cycle, forces me to be selective about what I can review and test, before a new model is released.
I’d like to know from you, if the frequent release of golf clubs annoys you? Does it make it harder to decide on what to buy and when? Do you think the golf industry needs to go back to a longer life cycle and release new clubs once or twice a year? Or are things fine the way they are?
I’m curious to know your thoughts.
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Rob, It seems like we are headed towards a saturation point with new equipment. The industry is bound to reach a point where smaller companies can no longer afford to stay in business with the limited time they have to cash in on a successful design. That’s what happened to Nickent. They had some great clubs and increasing tour usage, but just when average golfers were getting to know about them they disappeared. I have to laugh at the True Temper press releases every week where they talk about the tour winners using their shafts because they now make almost all of the steel iron shafts themselves. If the goal is to help people play better golf so they will enjoy and play it more often, I think instruction should be a higher priority. Most people will spend hundreds on new clubs looking for the magic ones when they could spend the money on learning how to use their clubs better. Most modern clubs made within the last few years should be fine if properly fitted. Bernard Langer is using a few Apex irons that are older than some school children and he seems to be doing ok with them. And how many high end exotic putters do we need? Just learn how to putt and stop thinking that you need to change to whatever putter the weekly tour winner uses. Learning how to play better can take some effort, buying shiny new clubs is a lot easier if you have the money. If you don’t have the money, the industry goes downhill. Think how different things would be if the average score was 85 instead of 100. People would probably play a lot more golf because it would be a lot more fun. A lot of people quit because they keep buying new clubs and they never improve very much. I think golf is a lot like fishing, where the lures are made to catch the fisherman rather than the fish. Only the most masochistic golfers like being hooked time after time.
I always have to wonder what the difference is between this year’s and last year’s models. Other than updated graphics, the performance gains have to be minimal. And the models from two years ago probably aren’t that different from the current model. How far back do you have to go before you lose 10 yards? I doubt anyone is wearing out the grooves on their irons every year.
I don’t think things are fine the way they are. As Craig said, people would be better off spending money on learning to play better golf. I had my first set of clubs for 10 years and my second for 15 years before buying my current set. The manufacturers are going the way of the auto industry – cars used to last for decades before but now have a life cycle of about 5 years. Golf club manufacturers produce the latest and greatest clubs only to turn round 6 months later and say that their newest offering is actually the latest and greatest!
Golf, to me, is the challenge between me and the golf course. But now golf clubs and balls are making a mockery of some golf courses. These courses then have to extend some holes or change some other aspect of their design.
Mick Euan Tait
I think it’s almost as frustrating to the average consumer who spends thousands of dollars getting his set just right, only to find his shiny new clubs have already been replaced with a newer model. Thankfully, some companies like Titleist & Cobra are moving to a 2 year life-cycle, not only to give consumers and retailers a break, but to cut down on production, R&D and marketing costs.
Great Topic! I am someone who has purchased Madden and NBA 2K games every year on the date of release like clockwork. Only to find that the games are just slightly better than the previous years version. Same thing with my golf equipment. I have purchased hybrids and woods after being promised an additional 10-15 yards, and like the sucker I am I went all in on more than one occasion. My wife calls me the ultimate consumer, and a retailer’s dream. Thats a habit I am trying to break.
John,
you bring up a good point on reducing production, R&D, and marketing costs. Why do you think other golf companies aren’t following that pattern? Do you think if you don’t release often enough, that you’ll lose market share?
Thanks
Rob
Interesting post. The only thing I see that is good about the quick turn-around in the industry is that the “newest” 2010 model offered in the spring will be on close-out by Christmas. Chris states the obvious, a fitted club will last a long time. I still play a Blue Dot Ping Eye 2 one iron.
Rob, you should know, the manufactures need to re-create their image, for fear of losing out to the next “big” thing. Seriously, how many port weight, adjustable head, super-lite clubs would be developed if they didn’t expect to gain marketshare? The target group of the industry stokes the wallet and the itch. It has always been about marketing and the pull that goes with it.
Thanks Steve. I’m aware of the reasons why the equipment manufacturers produce the clubs and I appreciate your input. I was trying to see what John’s or anyones thoughts were on this issue. I agree, that they have to keep innovating to stay ahead of the curve, plus if consumers weren’t buying these new clubs, I think you’d see a slow down in the life cycle of product releases. Clearly this isn’t the case, even after the bad year the golf industry had last year in terms of golf club sales, etc. It hasn’t changed the product life cycle.
R
Rob, sorry my full post didn’t get published, such is the life of daddy daycare..
I wanted to state that the golf industry continually releases new product at a faster rate due to the ability to test new innovations through technology. Their ability to test accelerates the products in the pipeline. The golf industry is caught up in Moore’s Law, which I think has to do more with investors, than with the golfing public. In many cases the amount of R&D spent has to show progress in “innovation”.
It does make it difficult for the retailer (of which I was one) and the consumer. The shorter life cycle of clubs makes it tough to be a club fitter, as the fitting carts are always getting updated. It also hurt when trying to describe why this model was better than the previous and so on… I also found that the shorter life span of a specific model hurt when a club was lost or damaged, if the model was 2 or three generations old (sometimes less than 2 years), the company did not have adequate supply of replacements..Ouch!
So as a consumer, yes I wish they would shorten the cycle. At least give me some time to try your product before you explain why the “newest” one is sooooo much better…but the realist in me knows that this won’t happen, so I stick with the products that fit “my” game and play them until I can’t get replacements anymore.
Thanks Rob, your insights to the industry are above par