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Dick's out of the golf business all together?


RonTheSavage
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I like Dicks and have nothing against them, but don't buy golf clubs from them.  I shop there for other things.....I do buy golf shoes and shirts.  I like Under Armour golf shirts and I know I can find a good selection at Dicks.  I also purchased a laser from them.    I rate their club selection as an "F".   Especially for lefties....

What's in Paul's Bag:
- Callaway Big Bertha Alpha Driver
- Big Bertha Alpha 815 3-wood
- Callaway Razr Fit 5-wood
- Callaway Big Bertha 4-5 Rescue Clubs
-- Mizuno Mx-25 six iron-gap wedge
- Mizuno Mp-T4 56degree SW
- Mizuno Mp-T11 60degree SW
- Putter- Ping Cadence Ketsch

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This may be wishing vs reality, but I hope a small, independent golf shop returns to our town.

+1 on this.  We lost one do to Golf Galaxy and Golfsmith moving in.

Scott

Titleist, Edel, Scotty Cameron Putter, Snell - AimPoint - Evolvr - MirrorVision

My Swing Thread

boogielicious - Adjective describing the perfect surf wave

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Since this discussion has morphed into why golf is "shrinking," just some thoughts from someone completely new to the game.  Brown Coast is hitting on golf's image problem. Golf has always been seen as a game for rich white guys. Whether that is fair or not, there are certain things which feed that image. The $500 club, for example. I look at $500 and see a car payment or half the mortgage payment or two months of power and water. Someone like me is never going to spend $500 for a club, EVER. And I agree with BC about the whole thing. Why in the world would a single golf club ever cost $500?  Cost for a round is another example. [URL=http://golfcrandon.com/rates/]http://golfcrandon.com/rates/[/URL] So those are the rates at Crandon. Again, a person like me is looking at that $30 9-hole twilight rate and thinking that might be something I could do a couple times a month. It would be easy to say that, playing no more often than that and no more holes than that, why bother at all? And I think there are a lot of people who see it that way. But mostly it's the economy. There are still too many people out of work, or working a bad job, or working extra hours off the clock trying to keep the job they have. Who has time for golf? Who would dare take a day off work to play a round? Only rich guys. And there we go again, feeding the image that golf is only for some people and not for everyone. I mean, why do you think every third world country on the planet has a great soccer team? Because all you need is a patch of dirt and a ball. Golf is a game that requires more AND more expensive equipment, larger space to play, and other things which put it out of a lot of people's affordable recreation budget. So it's a lot of things, but it's a cycle. Once the economy is truly stable again, more people will play golf again. And it will help as more courses and more golfers themselves come up with new ideas and promotions that introduce new players.

Very good points. Something else I can blame on Obama.

Driver.......Ping K15 9.5* stiff 3 wood.....Ping K15 16* stiff 5 wood.....Ping K15 19* stiff 4 Hybrid...Cleveland Gliderail 23* stiff 5 - PW......Pinhawk SL GW...........Tommy Armour 52* SW...........Tommy Armour 56* LW...........Tommy Armour 60* FW...........Diamond Tour 68* Putter.......Golfsmith Dyna Mite Ball..........Volvik Vista iV Green Bag..........Bennington Quiet Organizer Shoes.... ..Crocs

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FWIW, I went to Golftown last week and there's still plenty of dicks working there...

Yours in earnest, Jason.
Call me Ernest, or EJ or Ernie.

PSA - "If you find yourself in a hole, STOP DIGGING!"

My Whackin' Sticks: :cleveland: 330cc 2003 Launcher 10.5*  :tmade: RBZ HL 3w  :nickent: 3DX DC 3H, 3DX RC 4H  :callaway: X-22 5-AW  :nike:SV tour 56* SW :mizuno: MP-T11 60* LW :bridgestone: customized TD-03 putter :tmade:Penta TP3   :aimpoint:

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Very good points. Something else I can blame on Obama  all our politicians in Washington.

Fixed it for ya'.

And to Moxie, one can find used clubs for relatively little money - a full bag for $500. You can always find deals on polo shirts, pants, and shoes. You can go to golfnow.com or find other deals for 18 holes at $30-35. Many daily fee courses give twilight deals. Get to work early and take off at 2 pm.

It's not a rich man's game -- if you need to get economical, it's also a smart man's game in many areas of the country.

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Ping G400 Max 9/TPT Shaft, TEE EX10 Beta 4, 5 wd, PXG 22 HY, Mizuno JPX919F 5-GW, TItleist SM7 Raw 55-09, 59-11, Bettinardi BB39

 

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Well, that leaves... ZERO places in my area to buy golf equipment now then.  Save for one or two of the mom and pop shops that pretty much ONLY sell Mizuno and PING

Support them... Mizzy and Ping make nice clubs.

.

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And to Moxie, one can find used clubs for relatively little money - a full bag for $500. You can always find deals on polo shirts, pants, and shoes. You can go to golfnow.com or find other deals for 18 holes at $30-35. Many daily fee courses give twilight deals. Get to work early and take off at 2 pm.

It's not a rich man's game -- if you need to get economical, it's also a smart man's game in many areas of the country.

I will add that I can find new ProV1 and other top name golf balls on Craigslist all the time.  People get them for presents and sell them instead.

Scott

Titleist, Edel, Scotty Cameron Putter, Snell - AimPoint - Evolvr - MirrorVision

My Swing Thread

boogielicious - Adjective describing the perfect surf wave

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Not sure what DSG's issues are. I don't shop there, so their getting out of the golf market is not something that going to bother me one way, or the other. It's probably been almost 10 years since I last visited a DSG outlet.

What I do know is that prices on just about everything are on the rise, while personal income is not keeping up. Except for some day trading, (a hobby) I  myself live on a fixed income.

Back before the last depression hit, folks had lots of extra money to burn/waste, or just basically just fool around with. Millions of folks were hurt in their pocket books. The failed economy was a learning curve to  quite few people, who now watch their money a lot closer than they did  10+/- years ago.

To me the game of golf is one of those fringe sports, that folks, in general,  just don't spend much money on anymore. They would rather go to baseball game, soccer game, football game or even a basketball game. $1.00 beer night is a big incentive. Except for personal satisfaction, golf has no incentives to keep more folks playing.

In My Bag:
A whole bunch of Tour Edge golf stuff...... :beer:

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Dicks made a poor business decision that golfers would need to buy the next 460cc driver every 6 months and that they could replace the small golf shop for club fitting and personal attention.  They will still have a golf section, but it will be smaller in its offerings.  I have to admit what gets me into Dicks are the Top-Flite Gamer and Maxfli U series golf balls and their sale items - I do not expect that to change.

If golf were only for the elite I would not be playing twice/week.  I use a Ping G15 driver that I bought new on-line for $125 and Wednesdays is my inexpensive golf day and rarely do I pay more than $35 for some good golf in one of the more expensive areas of the US.  The slow economy is the main reason IMO for people abandoning golf, followed by the loss of interest without Tiger (sorry, but regardless of what you think of him he grew the game).  Most courses will survive, and some of the equipment OEMS are going to have to scale back there "new and better guranteed 50 yards longer" programs.   The market is reacting normally and the sky is not falling.

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Fixed it for ya'.

And to Moxie, one can find used clubs for relatively little money - a full bag for $500. You can always find deals on polo shirts, pants, and shoes. You can go to golfnow.com or find other deals for 18 holes at $30-35. Many daily fee courses give twilight deals. Get to work early and take off at 2 pm.

It's not a rich man's game -- if you need to get economical, it's also a smart man's game in many areas of the country.

Appreciate you fixing that other post. Our economic condition has been brewing for 30 years, we just didn't see it coming. Plenty of blame to go around.

I actually have a full set of clubs, but they were given to me by a stalker so I feel uncomfortable about them. Probably be a new starter set in the future. So I do know that golf is not a rich man's game, but that image is out there and has always been. I'd really love to work with a golf course as a true novice and "ordinary person" to help them find ways to attract people who think it isn't for them. Off hand...Ladies Golf Brunch. Tuesday morning, you get rental clubs, 9 holes and a lovely brunch for $40. Do it on whatever the slow day is at your particular course. Twilight Golf and Cocktails. That one is for the guys who want to get their wives to come out and give golf a try. Just ideas.

In the bag:
Lady Tiger Shark 5 Hybrid
Lady Tiger Shark 9 Iron
Adams a70S Hybrid Gap Wedge
Adams Lady Fairway 1007 Putter

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Originally Posted by vangator

Very good points. Something else I can blame on Obama  all our politicians in Washington.

Fixed it for ya'.

And to Moxie, one can find used clubs for relatively little money - a full bag for $500. You can always find deals on polo shirts, pants, and shoes. You can go to golfnow.com or find other deals for 18 holes at $30-35. Many daily fee courses give twilight deals. Get to work early and take off at 2 pm.

It's not a rich man's game -- if you need to get economical, it's also a smart man's game in many areas of the country.


$500 for used set, $30-$35 per round are still a lot of money.    Typical folks in their 20s, 30s can't shell out that kind of money when they are trying to make a living and raise family.  Nor can they spend 1/2 a day to play golf so often.  This effectively makes golf a hobby for a limited crowd (aging/retired folks with some money to spare).   I am generalizing of course but you get the point.

The last economy boom (housing bubble) & Tiger Wood phenomena created a lot of excess in the golf industry.   I see continuing consolidation (closing golf courses, smaller companies being acquired, ...).   Dicks is a part of that besides their inept golf business model (people's buying habit these days do not support their pricing strategy).

RiCK

(Play it again, Sam)

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$500 for used set, $30-$35 per round are still a lot of money.    Typical folks in their 20s, 30s can't shell out that kind of money when they are trying to make a living and raise family.  Nor can they spend 1/2 a day to play golf so often.  This effectively makes golf a hobby for a limited crowd (aging/retired folks with some money to spare).   I am generalizing of course but you get the point.

The last economy boom (housing bubble) & Tiger Wood phenomena created a lot of excess in the golf industry.   I see continuing consolidation (closing golf courses, smaller companies being acquired, ...).   Dicks is a part of that besides their inept golf business model (people's buying habit these days do not support their pricing strategy).

I realize it depends on your circumstances and golf is not for everyone.

But I see a lot of 20-30 somethings on this site, and only a few of the middle aged like me.

Ping G400 Max 9/TPT Shaft, TEE EX10 Beta 4, 5 wd, PXG 22 HY, Mizuno JPX919F 5-GW, TItleist SM7 Raw 55-09, 59-11, Bettinardi BB39

 

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What a joke of a company. They attempt to do to much, and do everything poorly. They are a case study for business schools on how not to manage a brand and run a business.

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$500 for used set, $30-$35 per round are still a lot of money.    Typical folks in their 20s, 30s can't shell out that kind of money when they are trying to make a living and raise family.  Nor can they spend 1/2 a day to play golf so often.  This effectively makes golf a hobby for a limited crowd (aging/retired folks with some money to spare).   I am generalizing of course but you get the point.

The last economy boom (housing bubble) & Tiger Wood phenomena created a lot of excess in the golf industry.   I see continuing consolidation (closing golf courses, smaller companies being acquired, ...).   Dicks is a part of that besides their inept golf business model (people's buying habit these days do not support their pricing strategy).

I'm curious, what do you think their "pricing strategy" was, and why couldn't it be supported?  Equally, do you think that strategy differs in their other product lines (hard and soft) and if so, how, and if not, do you foresee Dick's closing completely due to that "inept business model"?

In David's bag....

Driver: Titleist 910 D-3;  9.5* Diamana Kai'li
3-Wood: Titleist 910F;  15* Diamana Kai'li
Hybrids: Titleist 910H 19* and 21* Diamana Kai'li
Irons: Titleist 695cb 5-Pw

Wedges: Scratch 51-11 TNC grind, Vokey SM-5's;  56-14 F grind and 60-11 K grind
Putter: Scotty Cameron Kombi S
Ball: ProV1

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What a joke of a company. They attempt to do to much, and do everything poorly. They are a case study for business schools on how not to manage a brand and run a business.

Really?

Since 2009 their stock price has went from the low 20's to the low 40's, doubled.

They are a fortune 500 company, making 6.2 Billion, with a "B" in revenue last year.

They have over 500 stores in 46 states.

They also own Field & Stream and Golf Galaxy.

I think they have done pretty well, especially since it started out as a local sporting good store in Pennsylvania.

If consolidating means a bad business model, ask GM how over-expansion worked for them? Seriously, I give Dick's Sporting Goods credit for changing what they want to offer as the business climate changes. It just means they are willing to stay competitive.

Matt Dougherty, P.E.
 fasdfa dfdsaf 

What's in My Bag
Driver; :pxg: 0311 Gen 5,  3-Wood: 
:titleist: 917h3 ,  Hybrid:  :titleist: 915 2-Hybrid,  Irons: Sub 70 TAIII Fordged
Wedges: :edel: (52, 56, 60),  Putter: :edel:,  Ball: :snell: MTB,  Shoe: :true_linkswear:,  Rangfinder: :leupold:
Bag: :ping:

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Really?

Since 2009 their stock price has went from the low 20's to the low 40's, doubled.

They are a fortune 500 company, making 6.2 Billion, with a "B" in revenue last year.

They have over 500 stores in 46 states.

They also own Field & Stream and Golf Galaxy.

I think they have done pretty well, especially since it started out as a local sporting good store in Pennsylvania.

If consolidating means a bad business model, ask GM how over-expansion worked for them? Seriously, I give Dick's Sporting Goods credit for changing what they want to offer as the business climate changes. It just means they are willing to stay competitive.

Pointing to a doubling of the stock price from 2009 doesn't mean much because the S&P; 500 is up ~3x since then. From a financial perspective, they've managed to do better with the archaic big box model than some of their peers, and I give them credit for that. From a customer satisfaction standpoint (judging from this forum and every single golfer/athlete/outdoorsoman I know) they are terrible and only getting worse. If they're still profitable in five years, I'll be reasonably shocked.

A busienss has to figure out who their customer base is and what their value proposition is. DSG relies solely on location and convenience to sell products that most of its customers would rather (and more frequently do) buy elsewhere. Zero customer loyalty or brand differentiation is not a winning proposition. On paper, I am their ideal customer- I hunt, fish, golf, exercise, etc. and live within 5 miles of two stores, but I will only buy from them when I'm in a last minute pinch and have no other option.

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I'm curious, what do you think their "pricing strategy" was, and why couldn't it be supported?  Equally, do you think that strategy differs in their other product lines (hard and soft) and if so, how, and if not, do you foresee Dick's closing completely due to that "inept business model"?

I think there were at least one response in this thread that was specific about pricing.   A poster noted their high mark up ($7 item being marked up for $30 - or something like that) price.   That's what I was referring to and see whenever I went to Dick's.   That kind of mark up does not work when most of the items can be ordered through E-bay at lower price.    I can't say much about their non golf item pricing.

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RiCK

(Play it again, Sam)

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I think there were at least one response in this thread that was specific about pricing.   A poster noted their high mark up ($7 item being marked up for $30 - or something like that) price.   That's what I was referring to and see whenever I went to Dick's.   That kind of mark up does not work when most of the items can be ordered through E-bay at lower price.    I can't say much about their non golf item pricing.

That was me. I worked for a company that sold stuff to Dick's.

In the bag:
Lady Tiger Shark 5 Hybrid
Lady Tiger Shark 9 Iron
Adams a70S Hybrid Gap Wedge
Adams Lady Fairway 1007 Putter

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