Buying a new golf driver can be a wallet chastening experience. It’s can be tough now to find a latest model weighing in at less than £500 and many of the top brands are now pushing the £600 barrier.
The price of new equipment is often cited as a barrier to participation and fuels accusations golf is elitist.
But how do brands justify the price? One of the world’s top equipment developers has given us an answer.
On The GBQ Podcast, hosted by The PGA, Dr Alan Hocknell, Titleist’s VP of advanced research and innovation, broke down to host Sarah Stirk some of the costs.
Why are golf driver costs so high?
He said: “The bulk of the cost of a driver is in the head. That might make sense – it’s where the most expensive materials are. It’s the part that makes contact with the ball. It has the most influence over your success in where the ball goes.
“It’s the part we focus on the most, but in order to get the most out of the performance – within the limits of the rules these days – we do have to use fairly exotic materials.