The end of the component business came about as a result of several things:
- The Internet showed the price of components so people started balking at paying professional clubmaker prices thus driving a lot of clubmakers out of the business thus the demand for components dropped drastically.
1A. Internet golf chats started showing how to do most any club repair, built clubs, reshaft, grip, etc, thus driving more professional clubmakers out of the business.
OEM's were dropping prices especially on new stuff not 6 months old. Hard for a clubmaker to get $500 for a custom fit, custom made set of component, name not known, clubs when you could buy a new, 6 month old set of an OEM's top line set of irons for $300. Some of the top line OEM drivers were costing more to assemble then one could buy an OEM driver for.
The component providers could not get by on onesy sales. They needed a clubmaker to commit to volume purchases. The home hobbyist that bought one or two driver heads a year was not their ideal customer. As the professional clubmakers started to dwindle, so did component sales.
The general slow down in the golf business effected all suppliers be they OEM or component.
I was fortunate. Not that I did not see some handwriting on the wall but primarily by 2000, I was ready and able to retire. I did not try to hang on while starving.