January of 2017 featured good weather across much of the United States (West Coast not withstanding), and the golf equipment business responded positively, getting off to a solid start with Consumable sales (golf balls and gloves) up over 10%, clubs growing by 9% and light durables (bags and shoes) improving by a little more than 6%.

Following the good weather theme, Green Grass sales grew more than twice as fast as the Off Course Specialty channel, though both showed significant improvements compared to  January of 2016.

The club side of the ledger benefitted the most from new driver models hitting the market in January, creating consumer buzz, traffic, and interest.  In Golf Balls, sales were up substantially compared to 2016 when the category got off to a horrendous start and fell by more than 20%.  While this year’s increase appears substantial, golf ball sales still remain below historic averages for the month.

Since January sales are a relatively small piece of total annual sales in golf equipment, it’s never a good idea to get too excited or too distraught over the results, however as an industry it always feels better to get off to a good start.

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