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Great deals galore as golf gear goes half price
  
Buy a new driver and get a free pair of golf shoes.
Buy a set of irons and get a free wedge.
Buy a driver and get a fairway wood for $1. Hell, get one for free!
 
Consumers – well, those with jobs, anyway – are enjoying some great deals on golf gear now as the industry retrenches from the U.S. economic recession.
 
The golf industry is scared, and executives should be. The retail sector as a whole is seriously struggling. Combine that with a sustained recession and golf’s reputation as a high-cost hobby and you have equipment manufacturers scrambling to offer consumers deep discounts. High-quality clubs and balls are available at some unprecedented prices.
 
Whereas a year or two ago you may have spent $400 for a driver and $40 for balls, you might find similar products for $200 and $20-something today.
 
Top-line drivers from TaylorMade and Callaway are marked down to $199 in many cases. Some reputable recent models from Nike and Cleveland Golf are down as low as $149. Complete iron sets that once sold for $699 can now be had for $399.
 
Premium golf balls such as the Nike ONE Platinum and ONE Black are about $30 per dozen in many places, down from nearly $45 last year. Even the Titleist Pro V1, among the most popular and most expensive balls on the market, can be found at a discount in many shops. Are these the models implicated in the patent infringement lawsuit?
 
Anyway, many national chain retailers and even smaller shops are offering their own 10 percent and 20 percent discounts on top of the manufacturer markdowns.
 
Sure, spring always brings with it an influx of new golf equipment and the inevitable discounts on outdated models. That’s nothing new. Like any industry where “innovation” is for sale – cars and electronics to name two – the early adopter pays a premium for being first to the party. If you can wait, last year’s model will soon be on sale, if it isn’t already.
 
And, there are other factors that are contributing to the golf deals. The U.S. Golf Association’s recent ruling against square grooves is surely one reason club makers and retailers, hoping to liquidate their inventory by the end of the year, are willing to give away a free wedge with purchase. Likewise, the growth in popularity of hybrids has to some extent come at the expense of the fairway wood. When you buy a new driver, why not throw in a 5-wood for free?
 
Whether it’s the recession entirely or other factors driving prices down, this year just feels different. Regardless, for golfers with a little extra cash – no, not your severance package – there are great deals galore.
 
Shop around, clip coupons and sell your used clubs to get a deal while they last, because innovation for the golf course has never come so cheap.
 
-Corey
 
Corey Grice recently bought a brand new driver for just $90. Stay tuned for Part 2 and learn how to play golf for less. Follow him at http://twitter.com/GolferWriterGuy and at http://twitter.com/NiceBallz