And he put a picture of the new stealth driver and in australia it cost a thousand dollars which i believe looking on google exchange rates about 550 quid so a bit more than is over here. But you know kind of similar is price. And he said this is starting to get ludicrous it's the cheapest i can find on off-the-shelf stealth. For and it's a it's a thousand um us dollars in fact it's 1 100 sorry australian dollars for 1 100 australian dollars i fully understand the whole saying if you don't like it or don't buy it and last year i bought a callaway um driver 800 uh but this is becoming silly now surely something needs to be done. Or can be done to bring these prices back. So normally everyday people can afford these toys am i the only one that thinks these sort of prices are driving the cost of everything else associated with golf sky-high i am all. For everyone wanting to make a decent living but it's becoming stupid um i hate the idea of using a regulated market but it's getting to the point where it kind of needs some regulating from the gulf polo shirts to trousers to hats the golf balls etcetera um surely i'm not the only one who thinks like this maybe rick and other golf influencers he'd start talking more about these prices with a louder voice so i replied to him the price of the tailor-made stealth was 1100 australian dollars that's just killed me it is um. So i had a response to him and i want to hear your take on this i think this is something a lot of people are interested in simple question are golf clubs getting too expensive obviously that's the situation where he's in australia. And it does seem like it is more inflated over there exchange rates. Or whatever it may be um yes. And no. And it doesn't answer the question greatly but it's not new for drivers to be 500 pound the driver like i remember almost 10 years ago like the first erc remember that that came out i hired it secondhand as a junior and it still got expensive i was like 500 pounds. And that was like almost going up to 20 years ago the first one now. So i i don't feel like any this is that new like pro v1 have been steadily expensive. For 20 years golf clothing it depends what brand you get it but it is expensive um. But on the flip side i do really think. And we've i've we've done a few videos on it recently you can still get brand new equipment. Or you can still get very good equipment. Or second-hand equipment at a much much much much much better price for the example the taylormade m4 driver pounds now i revie know if it's in australia or how much that would be that's 200 pounds less than the stealth now it's got its limitations you can't always get perfectly fitted or whatever it may be what you saw from that video i actually preferred to feel the sound and somewhat the performance of the m4 driver now you could argue that i still think. But this is where the brands are pushing it i would say probably everything is ten percent slightly too expensive. But also everything else in the world is right now because at the moment with obviously chronovirus. And everything going on now with you know ukraine etc shipping costs go up material costs go up unfortunately it's just the way the world these top players sponsorship fees go up yeah r d development goes up all of these categories the price increases. And in every industry when the price increase in in the manufacturing unfortunately gets passed over to the customer they have to stomach up the more fee yeah. So as much as i do think there is a there is a point now where brands are pricier expensive i still think we've never been in a better position than where a lot of second-hand product. Or even new product like the taylormade m4 that's come out recently the new one i feel like brands are addressing it. But in a different way i think as well yeah i think i obviously don't want golf brands to start charging more because it doesn't benefit our listeners our viewers that go. And buy gear so i'm definitely not one that's pro expensive um however. i do think it's a funny one i'm just looking example here. So the odyssey two ball the kind of white og version he's 199 quid now when that launched in about 0.304 and in fact as early as 02 it launched it was 139 quid i remember once was a junior. And didn't ever get one because it all did. For a long time after but it was. So expensive at the time so in terms of yeah it's gone up 60 quid. But in 20 years that does kind of align i believe with inflation. But what really kind of struck me about the point that um derek was making was that what kind of if we're wanting that premium stuff it's because we're almost falling. For and use that word loosely the marketing claims of the brands we all kind of know now a lot of people know that watch youtube or listen to this podcast or really into the golf world that year on year there's very very little changes in golf clubs is that even over the last five. Or ten years really so if you suddenly decide you want the taylormade driver but you're not happy that it's 500 quid well that's the price it is you know rolex is a 10 20 30 40 grand obviously upwards ferrari is however. much now i'm not saying that taylormade's the ferrari. Or the rolex of golf but you can buy casio. For 10 quid it still tells the time you know golf can be expensive. But i'm very passionate in telling people that golf isn't expensive full stop yeah because as we've proven before you can go to sports direct not one second plug in sports direct. But it's where you get the cheapest golf stuff from you can get a drive. For 17.99 i mean overall as a sport golf is definitely more expensive than like a football where you only need little ball. And you play on the park you do need a club you do need a ball you do need a golf bag. And correct shoes and it does add up overall. So we know it's not the cheapest sport in the world but if you're into golf you don't have to spend a fortune to continue that hobby on your equipment yeah. So it's almost like people get annoyed because they want it of course which is it's not like you know if energy prices go up. And gas goes up and water rates go up we as there's essentials we have a right to be upset about that because it's people like petrol goes up whatever but if golf clubs go up i think it's kind of like well don't buy them unless you see what i mean. And it sounds like he's bought one just recently well he has yeah i bought one last year with the callaway driver he said he's not after this one he's just looking at it. But it's like well i kind of get it you know it's like football shirts if you've got a junior son or daughter who wants a new stealth drive for the birthday it's 500 quid and they're desperate for it it's a lot of money and if you're gonna [ __ ] out for them it's a lot of money but again it we know that ben ross wilson cleveland these other kind of semi-premium brands make clubs that perform pretty much as well yeah. But we want the sexier brands because martin's so i'm always fascinated again going back to the store at the driving range yesterday my three hours being there when i was walking up. And down the driving range i mean it was. So busy yesterday but in every bay was you know a golfer with secondhand golf clubs let's say okay. But hand me downs whatever it may be and the next.
Bay was another golfer with brand new everything like spent five grand on their equipment next.
Person had like just a few clubs next.
Person hired some clubs they're all playing golf exactly. And none of them look like the guy who had the most expensive equipment didn't look like he was gonna be the best golfer out such he might have been. But he didn't look it and like you you can just you can get a little bit lost in it um. And i think prices of equipment it reflects the current market. And everything else um and i can understand people's annoyance if they want it. But as you've made some really good points i want i want a ferrari yeah. But unfortunately that's the price of a ferrari we'll just touch on your point then.
When i was at the range on saturday out of the two days i was there this weekend the lady was left-handed he was kind of facing me in the behavior awkward really because i'm hitting that when he's looking each other in the eye almost every shot. And he said oh i listen to the podcast oh great whatever i love rick's videos love the podcast those chat great whatever yeah you know what i mean i didn't want to yeah i was like great chatting to him. For a bit and he's really made it we just put a set of violence from the shop from american golf and there was second-hand ping g15s it's quite old irons. But in really decent condition and he got over 150 quid where is it i was like mate they're like yeah i said honestly like unless you want something brand new in a rapper which obviously wasn't bothered about that is an amazing deal. And also i think lastly on this again i know the prices are getting up. And up and up but taylormade callaway etc have absolutely huge global teams who look at the merchandise in the buying of parts etcetera they won't just think of a price on top of the head. And go we'll call it 500. they know so when they start charging too much and people don't buy the products that might be the time when they start decreasing them but until that day happens don't make it ever will it's just part of golf isn't it you.
