The Soccer Touch

Perhaps one of the most important factors in influencing the decision to start any new sport is cost. Golf unlike some sports requires a plethora of golf equipment from the beginning including golf clubs, accessories, balls, shoes and suitable clothing – especially if you’re considering to take-up the sport in winter; put simply, golf equipment is a huge part of the game and entry costs such as lessons, membership and driving range fees can be equally so.

Before the dawn of online retailing the pro shop, franchised high street store and direct mail organisations held the monopoly on ‘expensive’ golf equipment. Ever increasing overheads were inherent to such retail outlets – with margins especially tight on top branded golf equipment – retailers were faced with two options; absorbing (to a point) all overheads or increasing their prices.

As a beginner you’ll most likely be looking to invest in a beginner’s set of clubs. If like so many of us you’ve tried out the local driving range with a selection of used golf clubs – you’ll probably have noticed a pro-shop within the club house. If you take a look at the price of an average golf club set, you’ll notice that the price will most likely be over your budget; the same is also true for other items of golf equipment including golf shoes and balls.

A Saturday morning trip to your local shopping centre can also provide an opportunity to find new golf equipment – large high street chains like JJB and Sports Soccer both stock a limited range of equipment for the beginner. Prices can appear on the surface to offer exceptional value; golf sets from £99.99 for example. Unfortunately, like all ‘high-street’ retailers – the price will reflect the enormous overheads of retailing offline. Choice is another factor often missing in the high street; these stores are limited to the number of lines they can carry for one sport – ‘one-size-fits-all’ is common-place in the high street.

The Internet on the other hand offers a wealth of discount golf equipment. The Sports HQ (www.thesporthsq.com) for example offers the complete package for golfers – stocking hundreds of lines from well-known manufacturers and offering exceptional discounts on its exclusive range of golf brands including Confidence, Prosimmon, Texan Classics and Chicago Golf. These brands are produced exclusively for The Sports HQ – shipped direct from the manufacturer and supplied through one of the many websites operated by the group including: TheSportsHQ.com, Golfballs.co.uk, GolfGear.co.uk and JuniorGolf.co.uk

From a beginner’s perspective an online store like The Sports HQ can provide the complete golfing outfit within budget and delivered the same week. Like many of us feeling the squeeze in the current economic climate – purchasing a complete golfing outfit for the beginner – on a budget, is a tall order. It can often prove more expensive purchasing individual items of golf equipment in the long term instead of purchasing the entire outfit from the start.

Online retailers can pass on incredible savings to the customer through low overheads, stocking more lines and supplying golf equipment direct from the manufacturer. A beginner’s set of clubs for example can be purchased for less than fifty pounds – including a stand bag; again, the benefits of retailing online become apparent – the golf set in question can be purchased in men’s, ladies and left-handed editions. If you’re searching for a perfect gift at Christmas for a junior golfer – golf sets can be purchased at JuniorGolf.co.uk from £29.99 – the new junior golf equipment website from Sports PLC.

Any newcomer to the game on his or her first experience of a golf course will find themselves having to invest in a pair of waterproof golf shoes and a plentiful supply of golf balls. A quick browse of The Sports HQ website reveals enormous savings on both items of golf equipment – two pairs of leather (waterproof) golf shoes for under thirty pounds; 2-dozen lake balls (perfect for any beginner prone to losing balls) from £4.99.

Suddenly the reality of purchasing an entire golf outfit on a budget is a reality – most online shops will offer one shipping charge when multiple items are purchased at the same time – items can also be delivered the next working day at a small additional cost.

The Sports HQ