Our second online equipment poll of more than 8,000 Australian golfers provides an intriguing insight into your playing preferences.
Numerical analysis is rife in golf. It is, after all, a game predicated in numbers and the depth to which you can go when it comes to examining statistics feels limitless. Yet apparently we all love it, because 64 percent more Australian golfers felt compelled to provide us with information about the equipment they use than responded to our first reader survey a year ago.
This year’s survey drew 8,267 respondents, which is 3,200 more responses than in 2020, while the equipment questions we asked were also far broader. We learned a lot more about the make-up of your bag, your brand loyalties and your equipment-spending habits, and here we share that information with you.
Most revealing was a switch at the top when it comes to your chosen brands for drivers, fairway woods, irons, wedges and golf balls, while you’re 10 percent more likely to be professionally fitted for irons than a driver. Your online equipment purchase habits also stood out. Nearly 86 percent of you have bought golf gear via the internet and almost one-third expects to buy the majority of new equipment online in the coming year. Interestingly, 44 percent of respondents will consider taking an online golf lesson from a PGA professional.
What sort of golfer completed this year’s survey? Just like last year, 93 percent of respondents were males with the 25-45 years age group most prominent (35 percent), just ahead of the 56-70 bracket (31 percent). Meanwhile, 82 percent are club members, with handicaps in the 10-18 range most common (40 percent). Our favourite stat? The results of the last question, which revealed more than 99 percent of you intend to play more or the same amount of golf in the year ahead. That’s something we should all aspire to, regardless of what’s in our bags.
