PERSONAL FINANCE: Golf gear to tee off in style
Moving up the ladder as a professional requires the very best equipment
Moving up the ladder as a professional requires the very best equipment. NAMRATA KOHLI writes
After retiring from cricket, legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev took up golf and even emerged champion in a few prestigious tournaments. The former Indian captain feels that a game of golf is far more engaging for the mind, body and soul than cricket, and also helps you forge deeper bonds with people. Nothing else describes the essence of the game as aptly as this saying: “To find a man’s true character, play golf with him.” And, the golf course is universally known for being a great networking place for building business and social contacts.
Is golf expensive? You need to invest in equipment and lessons, and several rounds on the course before you get recognised as a serious golfer. The game is essentially the rich man’s preserve. In fact, several clubs that are “by invitation only” and cater exclusively to the affluent. Despite all this, you can make your way into the circuit even on a low budget. “A new entrant to the game can start training with just a single iron and golf gloves that would together cost him less than ~5,000,” says Sanchit Garg, cofounder, Golfoy.com, an online portal that sells golf gear.
According to him, once the person is adequately trained to start playing on the course, he needs to put in something like ~30,000-40,000 to buy a full golf set for beginners worth ~25,00035,000, and basic accessories like gloves, tees and balls that would cost him another ~2,500. The player can then upgrade the set to the next level once he is ready, and pick up a set for intermediate golfers, which could cost anything between ~50,000 and ~80,000. Once he gets to the professional level, he could end up spending between ~80,000 and ~2.5 lakh or above.
The gear: The kit typically consists of a driver, one or two fairway woods, hybrid, five-six different irons, pitching wedge, sand wedge and a putter in a golf bag. Depending on the brand and the material used, such as steel or graphite, you could spend anything from a few thousand to a few lakh rupees.
Prominent brands in golf gear include Taylormade, Callaway, Titleist, Nike, Mizuno, Under Armour, Footjoy, Inesis, Reebok and Adidas. There are favoured brands in each product category. So, while a driver from
Taylormade is the most preferred, irons from Mizuno, gloves from Footjoy, balls from Titleist, and wedges from Cleveland rule their respective segments. But you also have new entrants like Trolleys Axglo, which has dented the market by offering high quality at affordable prices. Says Garg of Golfoy.com, “All major golf brands invest a lot in research and development to see how they can improve their equipment, and make the ball go fastest and longest. So, every year they come out with something unique. And anything that boosts the golfer’s performance generates high demand. Currently, the recently launched C3i sand wedge is a bestseller for its ability to get out of the bunkers.”
The more one plays and practises, the better one knows what one needs. Retailers say there is a great deal of customisation in golf equipment – from head angle of the club, to flex, shaft and loft, and kits that cater to the right-handed or left-handed –
manufacturers are willing to go the extra mile to create bespoke equipment that positively impacts a golfer ’s swing speed, distance, and straightness.
Prominent brands in golf gear include Taylormade, Callaway, Titleist, Nike, Mizuno, Under Armour, Footjoy, Inesis, Reebok and Adidas. There are favoured brands in each product category.
Specific clothes and shoes: Golf shirts are collared, and the fabric is largely polyester with some bits of cotton, says Zubin Bhaseen, India director, golf distribution, Mizuno. “The apparel is able to soak in the sweat as players normally walk 8-10 kilometres under the sun. So sweating is inevitable. The material is synthetic and lightweight, with loose sizing, so that golfers can swing the clubs easily,” says Bhaseen.
The shoes are made of soft spikes. Take the case of ECCO shoes, a brand that makes golf shoes costing between ~ 18,000 and ~ 27,000. Says Liam Maher, global creative director, ECCO, “Our golf range provides the perfect balance of style, cushioning, rebound and stability.” Adds Aashish Mashruwala, CEO of the company in India, “If you see the outsole, there are two points – the toe and the ankle – where the pressure comes when you swing, and these two parts are reinforced in our golf shoes.”