We've all experienced how golf has gotten more expensive – especially post-Covid pandemic, when golf experienced a popularity boom. Want a visual representation of what's happening?
If you only want to play new, premium, tour-quality golf balls, then you might prefer to play Titleist's Pro V1 or Callaway's Chromesoft. Here are charts showing the trend of manufacturer list prices for those balls (per dozen):
The pandemic's inflationary effect didn't kick in right away, as you can see. Both manufacturers kept their respective $45 and $48 list prices for a dozen balls in 2021 and 2022. But 2023 saw the Pro V1 go to $50 and the Chromesoft rise to $48. The manufacturers began matching their prices this year, at $55. (If you don't want to do the math yourself, that's $4.58 per ball!)
This small example of golf's recent inflationary trend is but one example of why your bank account might be suffering more from playing golf than pre-pandemic.
What can you do about this? Well, that's what this website is all about.
If you want to play premium golf balls but don't want to pay $55 a dozen, there are options:
Don't buy current-year models. Some retailers sell older models of these golf balls (new) for less. Here are some prices for previous-generation balls I found:
2020 Chromesoft at Golfballs.com - $29.99
2022 Chromesof at Golfballs.com - $44.99
2021 Pro V1 at Discount Golf World - $49.99
Buy high-quality used balls. Check out the list of used-golf-ball retailers on this website. If you buy used balls from one of those companies and stick to their highest grade, you're getting a like-new product. Here's a small sample of Pro V1 used prices, top grade:
2023 model at GolfBallNut - $35.99
2021 model at LostGolfBalls - $29.99
You can save more money by ordering lesser grades, of course.
Check eBay. I did a search for new Pro V1s and found some prices better than at major golf retailers.
With all of the options above, make sure to pay attention to shipping costs. Some discounters aren't so affordable when you factor in shipping.
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