I have been harping on about this all year and I would have honestly thought that these continuing issues would have been resolved by now but they are only going to get worse. Talk about a perfect storm. Time to just rip off the band-aid and give everyone an honest assessment as to where we now stand in the Golf Equipment Industry.

1. Most manufacturers are still dealing with factory labor shortages coupled with all-time historical record orders, already in their respective systems, to just have the clubs built.
2. Due to the sheer volume of orders waiting to be built along with staffing shortages most manufacturers are now (8/4/21) quoting lead times of 6-12 weeks (some less – most more).
3. Component constraints (primarily steel iron shafts and grips) due to the backlog of cargo container ships from Asia (and lack of workers needed to unload the boats and transport the materials/components) are still at all-time record highs/delays. This seems bad but honestly its comforting knowing that these supplies will eventually be delivered to the respective manufacturers within the coming months – fingers crossed (keep reading).
4. Currently most/majority of the factories spread across southeast Asia that actually manufacturer the necessary components (grips, steel shafts, graphite shafts) are now significantly reducing hours/days if not flat out closing (albeit temporarily but who knows how long) due to escalating CV-19 issues related to the newer delta variant (i.e. Golf Pride Factory in Vietnam has been temporarily closed).

SUMMARY – Apart from the delays and extended lead times that we are currently dealing with just to get the clubs built, what do you think is going to happen in 6-12+ weeks when the orders finally get onto the production floor and the necessary component inventories are then depleted (including the inventories currently on the cargo container ships waiting to port and unload). Long Story Short – If you have been on the fence about getting new custom clubs – SET UP YOUR FITTING NOW – and get the orders placed asap. The sooner the orders are placed, the better chance you will be able to secure the existing component inventories (currently in-stock and/or in-transit) to still have your custom clubs built within the currently quoted 6-12 week window. Once those inventories are depleted it will probably be early next year before those inventories are re-stocked due to current factory closings that we are now currently facing.

Sorry but I’m just telling it like it is and we continue to thank everyone for their continued patience and understanding.