PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Walking through a warehouse in Phoenix full of CaddyDaddy golf gear, Rod Dunlap marvels at how business has grown in the past two decades.

“We started with one product,” he smiled. “A $20 product.”

That cooler bag led to a whole line of travel bags for golf clubs. The company also makes gloves and golf bags.

“The retail price on these [golf bags] is $299. Most of our competitors are $400 or $500 for something similar,” Dunlap said.

He knows there’s a lot of competition in the golf industry, and for CaddyDaddy, a competitive price point is critical.

“It has always helped us,” Dunlap said. “We’ve never been a marketing machine and we’ve been able to create really high end quality products that are attainable for a lot of people.”

The sport is growing. The National Golf Foundation estimates 45 million Americans played golf in 2023, either on a golf course, driving range, or golf simulator.

According to Statista, revenue for golf equipment in the U.S. is expected to top $3 billion this year. Some of that money will be spent on apparel.

“One of the biggest trends we’re seeing is that folks are buying apparel for multiple end uses,” said Justine Gray from the Association of Golf Merchandisers, “So instead of in the past maybe they specifically bought a coordinating top and bottom that they would wear on the golf course and only for those four hours on the golf course, they’re looking for apparel that they can wear on the golf course, they can wear to pick up their kids from school. They’re wearing it on a professional Zoom meeting.”

Social media, according to Gray, is also changing how golfers spend their money.

“Consumers have way more of an opportunity to explore and find new and up and coming brands,” she said. “We’re starting to see influence from things such as surf, ski, skate, tennis, pickleball, all those active things that people are doing and many of them are playing multiple of these sports and golf is just a piece of that.”

Back in the warehouse, orders for CaddyDaddy’s products are fulfilled within 24 hours, another competitive edge, according to Dunlap.

“We’ve mainly been an Amazon, direct to consumer company, with the travel bags,” he said. “But recently we’re getting a lot more inquiries from retail which we’re super excited about. It’s a good time to be in the golf business.”

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