So far the coronavirus outbreak has led to dozens of professional and amateur events being postponed or cancelled and we’re still waiting to see the full effect it will have at club level. But what about on the equipment side of things? Will you be receiving that new driver you ordered? Are manufacturers going to be able to keep producing equipment at all? How is coronavirus affecting golf manufacturers? We contacted the biggest brands in golf to find out…
What are the brands saying about coronavirus?
So far it very much seems like business as usual with most situations looking very similar to normal. Brands have a stock of product already built for the coming season that is likely to be available for the foreseeable future. Below is a list of the companies I’ve contacted and their response, if there is any at all. I’ll keep it updated as I hear back from them.
Adidas: No comment yet.
American Golf: “All American Golf stores will remain open for as long as we can provide a safe environment for our staff and customers alike. We aim to keep you informed as much as possible by means of emails to our database, through our website and on social media.
“We have taken steps to keep our people healthy and safe by implementing CDC recommended guidelines, most of our stores will open from 10am in order that appropriate and recommended cleaning can take place to safeguard our colleagues and our customers. We apologise if this should cause any inconvenience.
“To date our supply of products remains on track and available to support you into the 2020 season. Whilst we aim to continue to trade, our focus will be to keep people safe.
“American Golf are closely monitoring the situation to ensure we are taking all necessary precautions to protect customers, colleagues and their families at this time.”
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Arccos: “It’s an unfortunate situation, but we have plenty of inventory in our global warehouses, our factories are running on schedule and [we] don’t foresee any impact to Arccos as a business.”
Bushnell: “All the main products including the new V5 and V5 Shift lasers are widely available in the UK through high street and Golf Pro Shop outlets.”
“We’re closely following the coronavirus developments. Our recently reported guidance reflected our best estimate of the impact of the coronavirus at that time. As we work through this challenging situation, our thoughts and prayers are with the people of China,Iran, South Korea, Venezuela and Italy including our employees, customers and their families in that region as well as those affected by the virus globally.”