DELRAY BEACH, Florida – The U.S. golf equipment industry is on the rebound from the Covid-19 pandemic that slowed it this past spring, according to Golf Datatech, an independent market research firm that tracks retail sales, consumer and trade trends.
According to Datatech, U.S. retail golf equipment sales for August 2020 were up nearly 32 percent over the same period in 2019, exceeding the previous all-time high August (2006), by 15 percent. The August surge in U.S. retail golf equipment sales followed Datatech’s recent report on July 2020 equipment sales of $388.6 million, which was also an all-time high since the Company started tracking data in 1997.
In total, U.S. golf retail equipment sales for August 2020 were $331 million, compared to August 2019 ($251 million), and the previous record year of August 2006 ($287 million). Datatech reported five equipment categories, set all-time records for August: balls, irons, wedges, bags and gloves.
Overall, according to Datatech, golf bags were the best performing equipment category in August – 55 percent vs. August 2019, while YTD bag sales are up five percent.
“We have never seen a surge like what has happened in the summer of 2020, coming out of the worldwide shutdown from Covid-19,” said John Krzynowek, a partner in Golf Datatech. “While the overall 2020 U.S. retail golf equipment market is still down 4.1 percent (YTD) from 2019, this spike is nothing short of remarkable considering the game and business of golf was shut down for a good part of the spring season.
“The August sales record, which followed an all-time record month in July, is great news for the industry moving forward.’’
