After several years of struggles , the golf supply chain is finally beginning to normalize .
Fake news ? The world doesn ’ t think so . The cold , hard truth is that COVID-19 came , saw and conquered — at least for a little while . The global effects of the pandemic period , March 2020 into early 2023 , have been catalogued ad nausem while the aftershocks continue to this day even in golf .
To the initial surprise of many , golf participation skyrocketed with new players flocking to the game leaving suppliers scrambling to provide hard-to-get equipment . When the bullet hit the bone that March , “ everyone started canceling orders and that just rippled down the supply chain for all of golf ,” says Larry Adcock , corporate sales manager for Revels Turf and Tractor , one of John Deere ’ s largest worldwide distributors . “ That went on for 30-60 days and the demand for golf , and golf maintenance equipment , just exploded . Then people wanted to replace their orders after we ’ d told everyone all down the supply chain we didn ’ t want the goods .
“ When the manufacturers tried to ramp up production , the small component suppliers could not react quickly enough to keep up with demand . Many of them were getting parts from all over the world from different vendors . That situation was especially problematic for those building a John Deere tractor which requires parts from 300 different vendors . When some parts weren ’ t available for John Deere or anyone else , the whole assembly process was delayed .”
Advancing technology is also a problem , says Adcock . Most golf equipment products today rely on hydraulic components . Soon the future will shift to electric . Consequently , hydraulic component companies are not spending money on old technology .
There has been a cultural change too . “ Past buying habits allowed for 30- to 90-day equipment decisions , now they must forecast out 12-24 months . It ’ s not the manufacturer ’ s fault ,” Adcock says . “ It is the world we live in now .”
PHOTO BY DEAN ON UNSPLASH
24 V IRGINIA G OLFER | S EPTEMBER / O CTOBER 2023 vsga . org