With youth interest in golf "skyrocketing," some golf
equipment manufacturers and apparel companies are beginning
to realize that young golfers are a "potentially lucrative
market niche," according to Johnson & Hua of the L.A. TIMES.
The number of golfers between the ages of 12 and 17 rose by
a "stunning" 33.8% from '95 to '96, driving the first
significant increase in players "in nearly a decade."
Companies such as Zevo, Taylor-Made and Wilson have either
launched youth club lines recently or plan to launch them
soon. Wilson Business Dir Ron Addison, whose company
debuted three youth lines during the '97 holiday season,
said his company's junior sales are up 15% so far this year.
However, companies such as Cobra, Callaway and Titleist,
have been "more cautious" and are "watching how the market
takes to junior brands before launching their own." Some
analysts caution that golf may just be a "passing interest"
with juniors. Joseph Teklits, of DC-based Ferris Baker
Watts: "[I]t might turn out to be a fad, and kids will go
back to roller-blading and video games. Companies are
entering slowly, which is wise." Johnson & Hua also noted
that Nike and adidas and designer Hugo Boss have released
"trendy golf wear" aimed at the youth market, and that golf
courses have also profited from the demo's increased
interest (Johnson & Hua, L.A. TIMES, 4/23).
GRUNGE GOLF: In Orange County, Barbara Kingsley
profiled CA-based golf club manufacturer Dead On Sports
(DOS), and wrote that the company signals that "[g]runge
golf ... has arrived." DOS clubs, priced in "about the
middle" range, feature a "skull and crossbones" on the shaft
and the words "kill it" on the heel. The company also sells
acid-washed T-shirts and caps with the skull on the front.
Kingsley wrote that DOS is targeting the emerging youth golf
market, as well as "aging baby boomers." DOS President
Marty Fortier: "If you're the kind of guy with white shoes
and white belt and white Cadillac, then you don't want our
clubs. If you're playing in jeans and a T-shirt, and you're
cracking open a beer on the second hole when the starter's
not watching and you're going to kill the ball, what do you
want to kill the ball with? A Death Stick" DOS, which
projects sales of $5M this year, is available in about 500
stores nationwide (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 4/23).
