Dicks getting out of Golf

[Gofish2]

http://www.businessweek.com/articles...its-golf#r=rss

[BullDog]

I guess I won't be getting myself as excited about trips to Syracuse much longer then!

[Travis]

As with most things, it seems that it takes 2-4 years for US market conditions, trends, hot products etc to trickle north of the border and affect us in Canada.

For a number of reasons (mostly socioeconomic) Ottawa starts to experience those same effects 2 years after the rest of the Country. Case in point, the relatively strong market for golf here in the Ottawa area is definitely the exception and not the rule.

I am hoping that this positive local trend continues but history, economics and this slow-moving black cloud are not on our side and I think the local market is poised for a substantial "correction"

I listened to Kevin Haime's radio show last week and they talked a lot about this very topic. The panel of local golf industry professionals were doing their best to maintain a unified front but a significant portion of the 2 hour show was spent talking about all the things wrong with the game. They had some interesting and unique ideas on how to reverse the trend and I suspect that some of them will come through this relatively unscathed but unfortunately the majority out there are simply going to stick their heads in the sand and hope to ride it out.

My .02

[Chieflongtee]

http://wishongolf.com/major-golf-oem...the-recession/

[bobbyc]

Went to myrtle last year and was really disappointed with Dick's. Poor inventory ... Poor service ... Higher pricing !! Greatly preferred Martin's they got all my money

[SnazzyD]

Not too surprising given how they laid off 500 golf pros chainwide last week.

I was sadder to hear that the Adams HQ is being consolidated/moved to TaylorMade's California main location, something like 150 Adams staff were laid off and now the future of the brand is in question. But hey, at least TM got all of Adams' patents from the acquisition...

[Kilroy]

Golf will survive. Some businesses will not. The boom is over and we are adjusting back to pre-Tiger levels, actually better than that. Once the survivors survive and the others fold, the landscape will equalize at a lower level of offerings but the survivors will be OK.

[SnazzyD]

As long as there is golf to be played....I too will survive this. If anything, this will be a net positive for all the good clubfitters out there...

[Kilroy]

It can be a net positive for survivors. It may just be survival. It's a painful and nerve wracking transition for all in the industry.

I see a period where courses are less busy, some fold, the survivors return to normal profitable levels that the market demands. There will be some losers and that is truly unfortunate. It remains to be seen who will remain standing. Locally we seem a bit better off than some other markets.

Golf is still popular. Just not as popular as it was 10 years ago.

[stevek]

This could be a good thing, perhaps I won't be inticed to upgrade as often without all the 'Dicks' commercials.

[Shivas Irons]

Golf is still popular. Just not as popular as it was 10 years ago.

True, and at the same time probably even more popular than it was 30 years ago.

What's really amazing is the revenue ripple effect one guy can have when you think of all the spin off businesses and jobs the Tiger phenomenon created. Almost makes me want to ponder considering maybe possibly trying to somewhat actually like the guy.

[big mac]

I don't know what all the fuss is about---Dick's is only another sports store--much like Sports Experts and the like. There is no way that they could offer the same service that Martins or Golf Town could.

I'm not sure if most people realize that the retail outlets are managed or handled by the suppliers---they are at the mercy of the manufacturer and supplier----------they do not own the merchandise. A few years ago most pro shops at the courses had all kinds of equipment---now there are very few----there is no way they can compete with the big guys. The onsite shop is only there for the convenience of the golfer. I managed the ski shop at Camp Fortune for 10 years and it was more of a service to the skiers---not to make a big dollar. There was no way we could compete with the down town specialty shops in price----service absolutely top notch

I think you might see a little more real professionalism in the future by the surviving shops. I hope it gets back to the way it was way back in the 60s and 70s when you had "specialty shops" that catered to 3 or 4 sports. I really wonder how GT manages to make it through the off season----seems like an awful lot of square footage being taken up by golf with 3 feet of snow on the ground.

Another thing to consider maybe it's the cost of living---gas--hydro--you name it---it is all going up and the courses are trying to compensate and the golfers are starting to benefit---there are some deals out there. For US retired folks that own their homes and have an indexed pension etc it may not be hurting us so much-------------but what about all the folks that are still working--with kids--self employed--no pension plans or benefits---they are the ones that are looking twice before signing up for a membership or dropping 100.00 for a round of golf.

We are heading south for the Feb and March and I am really wondering what kind of conditions the course will be in this year. Last year was terrible---hardly anyone over seeded and most of them were "painted". It should be a good indication of the health of the industry.

There is no doubt that Tiger did have a big role in the rise of golf as a high profile sport: but because he is not playing is not the major reason for the sports downfall----------------it definitely is not as exciting. Rory and all the rest of the guys are good---but there is just not the excitement---barring last weeks final round---would be great if we had a few more.

[headcase]

Folks, just wait up here in Canada when Canadian Tire takes the next step and enters the golf market in a big way. If you can believe it an article that came out in Golf Shop magazine 2 years ago stated this [ The Canadian market is underserved ]. Hard to believe but this could happen, the folks that run Cdn Tire are no idiots.

[1800Duffers]

Canadian Tire already owns Forzani - Nevada Bob/Sportchek/SportsExpert/Atmosphere

[sliceleft]

"Dicks getting out of Golf"

Darn, I thought this meant that there would be fewer people on the course who played slow, didn't replace divots and were rude to other golfers and staff.