Just wanted to see if anyone has looked at purchasing golf clubs direct from the US? It is very apparent that the current savings to be had due to the strong AUS$ are not being passed on at the stores. Any ideas very welcome.

yea, I looked at getting a driver thru edwin watts, but the exchange rate fee (thru credit card) and shipping costs & insurance ate away any savings.
ended up negotiating a deal at the local golf shop who don’t seem to be selling too much at the moment, so I got a good deal.

Hey Matt,

Yeah I have purchased a lot from overseas, in the form of components, it does work out to be mega cheap! The only trap is the shipping, shafts are always expensive as they attract an extra cost due to their length. If you can find a company that deals with Fedex for shipping this is the cheapest way to go. Buying in bulk is also a good idea for spreading the shipping costs over your products. Heads are relatively cheap to get as they can be sent via regular post.

One thing I will clue you in on is to forget golf bags! OUCH! I had to order and 11” staff bag, the bag weighs 6 lbs. I got charged 35 lbs of shipping due to the volume!

Hope that helps, if you need anymore advice, please feel free to ask.

AB

Thanks, any stores you can recommend?

Just to make things harder I am looking at Titliest :-o

Matt, I buy every time I go to the US…going in a couple of weeks. :)

Edwin Watts is excellent
Golf Galaxy is good
but Roger Dunn Golf Superstore in Santa Ana, CA is the BEST

What L4G said… ;) He has been there and seen it, I had to stab in the dark before I developed my contacts…

I do my stuff direct with manufacturers now but I have bought from Golfsmith and 2 Putt Golf prior to then…

AB

Hey live4golf,

I too am heading to the US in about 2 months time and want to pick up some new golf gear, most notably a driver. First stop is L.A. then a 6 destination trek around to New York then finish off in London. Would you recommend:

• buying in LA then shipping to AUS or carrying it around the country with me (including planes)
• By in New York and send to AUS
• Buy in New York and carry to London then home

cheers!

I have bought a few times from the US, from the following stores
Drivingiron.com
Edwin Watts
Golfsmiths
Purchasing when the Aud is high negates most of the conversion factor, componets and individual clubs arrive in around seven days
My last purchase was a driver, shipping cost was $us 38.50
each time it has been cheaper and in some cases quicker than in Aust.
cheers peter

Depends whether you want to lug around a club (or clubs) with you..I generally buy equipment from my last port of call for ease of cartage and potential decrease in breakage or loss. Postage from US to Aus is an option but I have not done that. One thing to note is some of the airlines in the states charge $50 per flight for sporting equipment…this happened to me once when I was bringing a snowboard back for a mate on American Airlines…but I have never been hit with the $50 fee for golf clubs.

If you’re going to post items back to Aus then I’d recommend Roger Dunn in Santa Ana….in fact I should ask for a commission :)

I looked for golf stores in New York and there is 1 in the centre of NY and it is pretty good, prices are not overly discounted but still pretty good..think it is called New York Golf Center, it is right behind the big Macy’s on W35th street…so all up that may be the best option…..I am sure there are other good golf places in New York

taking golf clubs from NY-Lon-Syd should be the easiest route for you….

Do Edwin Watts sell componenets?

Not the huge range that Golfsmith and Golfworks carry. Golfsmith used to have cheap shipping to OZ but it now starts at USD40 which is a ripoff when I can get a driver sent from 3balls for around USD33.

PT

I bought some stuff from rock bottom golf, arrived within a working week. They use Fedex, which are also a stellar company in my opinion. They have some Titleist stuff i believe, so they are definitely my recommendation.

Cheers live4golf, much appreciated. New York it is then! Will probably check out the other stores you recommended too…

Just got back from the USA.

Roger Dunn in Santa Ana, CA is awesome.

I bought a PING G10 9deg driver for $299 USD
Also got a PING Pioneer 2008 bag for $169 USD
and a Smash bag (impact bag) for $20 USD

The 9deg G10 replaced my old 10deg G2. It is like night and day hitting the new driver. The ball flight is much more penetrating and goes about 15-20m further and straighter than my old driver.

I asked them to pack the driver into a box for me and also wrap the bag in plastic. I checked both in at LAX. Took about 40mins for the box to come out at oversize luggage in Sydney, but was worth the effort.

I called golfbox in perth and the G10 is going for $485 AUD and the Ping Bag is $250 or so.

buying from the us is good at present given that our dollar is bullsh1t strong. I bought a full set of irons from golfetail. $65 us delivery, and had it on my door in 5 business days. (sorry, four business days). All up including the shipping I paid $340 ish for a set of clubs that are still $700 at golf world and everywhere else. I’ve used golfetail, 3balls and RBG and they’re all good. buy several items at once and save a bit on postage.
I don’t think I’ll be buying anything from the local outlets for a while. Thats because I feel like the buying power of our dollar is not being passed on to consumers by the distributors here. Wholesale rates I’m sure are in US$ also, hence why is a set from australian store sometimes up to twice the price as the same thing in is US?

Just got back from the USA.

Roger Dunn in Santa Ana, CA is awesome.

I bought a PING G10 9deg driver for $299 USD
Also got a PING Pioneer 2008 bag for $169 USD
and a Smash bag (impact bag) for $20 USD

The 9deg G10 replaced my old 10deg G2. It is like night and day hitting the new driver. The ball flight is much more penetrating and goes about 15-20m further and straighter than my old driver.

I asked them to pack the driver into a box for me and also wrap the bag in plastic. I checked both in at LAX. Took about 40mins for the box to come out at oversize luggage in Sydney, but was worth the effort.

I called golfbox in perth and the G10 is going for $485 AUD and the Ping Bag is $250 or so.

How awesome is Roger Dunn in Santa Ana? – I could have camped there for a week :)

why is a set from australian store sometimes up to twice the price as the same thing in is US?

I’m going to assume part of it is taking advantage of the fact that consumers are still willing to pay what they use to when the dollar was USD 0.60.

But is part of it down to volumes / competition? The US is such a huge market compared to ours, that you can make a mint just by capturing a small slice, so there is more incentive to discount.

There’s a couple of things to look at with US pricing at the moment.

Firstly, the country is going through some tough times retail wise. When that happens, companies dump their prices and margins to try and get the consumer to spend.

Secondly, distributers and Aussie suppliers have noted that when the Aussie $ dropped, they cut their margins to retain decent price points in the market. (that’s what they say…but really, who knows?)

Thirdly, It still costs heaps to bring large bulky goods into Australia, plus I believe there are some pretty high tarrifs that legit companies pay when they import goods. In theory, when you buy goods from O.S. you are also meant to pay these taxes and tarifs.

Lastly, cheap isn’t always the best. Whilst we all love to get a bargain, you have to realise that you are not supporting Aussie businesses (and so many of you say this is the reason you buy Vison balls from Boz). Your local pro would love to help you get a good price, and there is a good chance that he’s going to give you all the advice you need (including demos) to make sure you choose the best club in your price range.

Megawatty you must be new to golf.

Prices in the USA are great and take advantage if you know exactly what you are after.

I have a club coming from the states ( all top qaulity components ) and built to my spec’s for half the price it is here in Australia.

As for Vision balls , buy them from the States x-pert2 is $32 USA
or pay $50 AUD .

There will be more golfers using mail order at these prices.

You can keep the stores open here Perth , I will shop around.

Retail is all about competition
the most competitive pricing at the end of the day wins

Supporting your local business is good but if their pricing is the shits
how else but look else where
the heart is good but the mind (common sense) is greater
that’s the REal world…..

Top dog got a very valid point

I understand your point about pricing guys.

Who’s going to look after you when something goes wrong? Who’s going to make sure that your shaft is cut correctly, and if it’s not, who’s going to look after you? Who’s going to run the Pro Shop at your local course when everyone brings in their own clubs and balls from the US? And what happens if customs decide to pick your club out and sting you with import duties?

As I said, I see your point, and as stated above, with lower cost comes higher risks.

Don’t just buy from the US without shopping around a bit and giving your local guys a chance to come close to the price.

I’m not here to preach right or wrong, but just to try and give some reasons why local retailers struggle against pricing from OS.

MegaWatty and others,

I shopped around a lot when looking for a new set of irons, even spoke directly with a rep, and their cost price could NOT compete with what I could get from the US. I ended up buying second hand from Aus Ebay, but still, somewhere along the line, someone is making shit loads of money off retail clubs, and word from the mouth of a pro I know is its not him. Hence why smaller club pro’s just can’t afford to stock Nike, Callaway, TaylorMade…

I imagine a pro would much rather me get clubs from the US or Ebay and save a few hundred dollars, if then I could afford to get a couple of lessons or something, putting the cash in his pocket, not some wholesaler/distrubution company.

Either way, unfortunately I am not in a position financially (uni student) to pay full price for goods I can get much much cheaper from overseas.

On this forum, previously it has been discussed that import duties/ taxes don’t apply to good under the vaule of $1000, can anyone confirm?

On this forum, previously it has been discussed that import duties/ taxes don’t apply to good under the vaule of $1000, can anyone confirm?

Yep, just checked that out.

It was always just a retrospective look at why US goods are so cheap, especially at the moment. FYI, I picked up a TM Rossa Spider for near $100 less than the ultimate price in Aus. However, I made sure that I rang and got a great price here first from a shop that I trust (Even though TM restrict retailers from quoting over the phone….I HATE THAT!).

I certainly didn’t waste anyones time pretending that I was going to buy the putter from them. Just like a lot of things you buy over the net, you really buy it blind, and hope that it works for you.

Anyone want to buy a cheap TM Spider?.......Just kidding.

MW

Hi Mega,

You are spot on with your comment of ” lower cost come higher risk ”.

If you know exactly what you want and it is alot cheaper then the risk is not so great.

As with warranty , most quality components come with life time warranty on heads and assembly.

Every one has the right to shop were they feel best.

The most important thing is the enjoyment we get from the game of golf.

I may be wrong but i fancy The Import duties and the Mark up by the Distributors to the retailers on the streets here is so sky high that these retailers have really NO choice but to sell them high….

dont know about Drummonds though…..