Advisor


HIGHLY REPETITIVE:
Golf Tees

For most players, a golf tee is a one shot item.  On most courses, the area around the tee box is littered with broken wooden golf tees.

It's not that golf tees can't be made to stand up to the task.  There have been all kinds of unbreakable tees invented and marketed over the years.  Rather it's something in the golfer's mind that makes the sound of a wooden tee breaking that is part of the ritual of a perfect drive.

Figure it out: eighteen holes of golf means eighteen broken tees...maybe sixteen or seventeen if the golfer is really lucky and gets a second hit on one or two of his tees.  You can tell golf tees are a highly repetitive purchase by the way they are sold in bulk.  Most pro shops offer a handful of tees for a dollar.
 


SOMEWHAT REPETITIVE:
Golf Balls

Golf balls are expensive.  A good golf ball costs as much as a cheeseburger and a side of fries.  So a good golfer tries to make his balls last as long as possible.  Golf pros use balata covered wound balls; while amateurs tend to prefer synthetic covered solid core balls. (And duffers tend to buy used golf balls).

Golf balls are to a golfer an occasional purchase, made every four or five games.  They are an example of a medium repetitive purchase.
 


NOT REPETITIVE:
Golf Clubs

The Rules of Golf say that you are allowed to carry 14 clubs.  The convention of golf says you settle on one set of clubs, and make them last a lifetime.  Golfers tend to be very conservative about purchasing new clubs.  Even seasoned veterans seldom switch from their trusty favorites; figuring that learning the characteristics of a new club might throw off their game for years

Golf clubs represent an example of a low repetitive purchase.  They are often bought only once, and decisions to trade are made with great care and thought.
 

©Copyright 1998-2003 Ron K. Mitchell under license to Wayne Brown Institute