Pent-up demand for new equipment may be prompting more consumers than usual to rush out and buy clubs earlier in the year. Once that buying wave passes, another may not follow. Such comments weren't lost on Wall Street. We're operating in a slow-growth industry. But whenever you go through a very difficult stretch, like the golf industry has, you emerge stronger.
People learn to manage their business better. . .
Whether the recovery is brief or lasting, the fact remains several industry players are in better shape today than they were a year ago. Aldila Inc. Retailers, too, report an business upswing. On average, retailers interviewed said, their sales are up modestly, between 5 percent and 10 percent, compared with a year ago. While nearly all those interviewed reported an increase in traffic, there were conflicting reports about whether consumers were spending more money on golf purchases than last year. On a recent Saturday, the number of sales transactions at Pro Shop World of Golf, an off-course retailer in Skokie, Ill., increased 40 percent compared with a year ago, said Kim McCombs, sales manager.