Staying afloat in a sea of clubs

The golf business has rarely had it so good, and the golfer has never had so many choices. If you walk into a golf store, you're likely to drown in a sea of clubs. But the days when a customer would go into a shop and willy-nilly decide on a purchase have long gone; today's buyer is far more discerning than of old.

Mick O'Kelly, owner of the Nevada Bob's outlet at Kimmage Cross Roads in Dublin, has noticed a significant change in attitudes in recent years. "A lot of people now come into the shop and know precisely what they want," he says. Heavy-handed marketing campaigns have a lot to do with this new approach as club anufacturers pump huge amounts of money into advertising and sponsorship.

It is extremely difficult to quantify exactly what impact a player's use of a particular brand of club has on sales. Does the fact that Colin Montgomerie uses Callaway influence sales? Or how about Tiger Woods playing Titleist clubs? Or Mark O'Meara playing Taylor Made? "Yes," is most likely the correct answer.

But, if that is the case, how then can you explain the impact that Adams have made in the Irish market? Given his current form, Nick Faldo's use of the clubs could hardly be seen as a major contributory factor in sales. Yet, the Adams Tight Lies fairway woods are now commanding a significant share of that sector of the market - and, in fact, were the top-selling fairway wood in the mid-price sector at Nevada Bob's during July and August.

"They were backed by a strong marketing campaign," explains O'Kelly of the Adams impact on the market, "so people actually came in looking for them by reputation. But they also have an innovative design, so others were attracted to them when they came into the store. They have certainly been a big success this summer."

Indeed, marketing is an important influencing factor in sales. For instance, O'Kelly points out that an area of dramatic change is in the putter sector where Odyssey and Ping traditionally fought it out to be the number one putter. "In the past two years especially," says O'Kelly, "there has been a trend for people to change putters, just like the professionals, far more frequently. But they are less likely than before to trade in their old putter when buying a new one.

"The tendency is for them to hold on to the old putter too, just in case they revert back to it. It is almost as if they are mimicking what the pros are doing. But if it makes them feel good, and much of putting is in the head anyway, then why not?"

There have been other changes in approach by purchasers, and a principal one has been the move up-market. Although it is still possible to buy what are called "starter sets" for newcomers to the sport, there has also been a significant shift in buying requirements to more expensive clubs.

One of this summer's big success stories was the Orlimar Trimetal driver (which retails at up to £275) with O'Kelly observing "a big increase in demand after the Masters. I believe it is an indication of how seriously golfers are taking their game and, also, the influence of the Celtic Tiger."

With July and August considered the main playing months for club golfers, we asked Nevada Bob's to keep tabs on the hottest sales in that period in different sectors of the market. Here are the results.