golf4dayz Posted March 8, 2018 Share Posted March 8, 2018 Hi All, New to the MGS, have a big question for the group. First off, 5 handicap, former D3 golfer looking to replace irons and wedges for the first time in 7 years, currently playing custom fit Mizuno MP 60s and Vokey Wedges. In looking for new clubs, and I wanted to ask about OEM Custom manufacturing. I have a family member that works for PUMA, and my plan is to go to one of my area's top customer club fitters/builders to get my specs, and then place a customer order through the OEM website. However, I have been warned by my fitter that the clubs directly from the OEM can't match the quality of a set he assembles for me (mentioned frequency tuning the shafts in particular). My question to the forum, is does this argument hold water, particularly knowing that a custom set assembled by this fitter will be about double the cost from the OEM? Looking forward to getting some thoughts here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
null Posted March 8, 2018 Share Posted March 8, 2018 Sounds like your fitter is trying to get you to spend money from him.Custom ordering direct from OEM is painless 99% of the time and they they do make a mistake they'll fix it for free Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lou mcconaughey Posted March 8, 2018 Share Posted March 8, 2018 I got fitted for irons and wedges. I had no preference as to make after hitting several brands he selected Srixon. After hitting Srixon irons for about an hour it was determined that 4-6 would be 565 and 8-gap would be 765 and wedges be Callaway forged. Next I have never played graphite shafts but they tested out best. He ordered them to my specs and when they arrived he checked all irons and wedges and they were spot on. Don't let the fitter hook you. That's my experience. Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flipper554 Posted March 8, 2018 Share Posted March 8, 2018 First off, welcome to the forum. I went and got fitted for driver and irons, got the specs and ordered from the company and couldn't be happier. I got the same threat from the fitter that the OEM could not do as good but the numbers are the same as the fitting. Seems to me like a used car salesman kind of pitch to make money. Driver: Cobra F8 Tour length 3W: Cobra King F7 3/4 Wood 5W: Cobra King F7 5/6 Wood Hybrid 3/4: Cobra F7 20.5* Irons: 5 to PW Taylormade P790 A Wedge: 48* Vokey SM6 F grind S Wedge: 54* Vokey SM6 M grind L Wedge: 58* Vokey SM6 M grind Putter: Rife Two Bar Hybrid 35" P2 Aware Tour grip Ball: Taylormade TP 5X Bag: Hot Z Canadian flag 🇨🇦 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GolfJunkie302 Posted March 8, 2018 Share Posted March 8, 2018 Welcome to MGS! You are probably better off ordering straight from the OEM. I imagine it would be pretty hard to tell a difference in performance. Tour players might be able to tell a difference, but I'm sure they would seem to perform the same for most golfers. Sent from my SM-T580 using Tapatalk 2017 M1 460, Project X HZRDUS Black 6.0 JPX EZ 3 wood Fly-Z 4H MP-60, 3i-PW, True Temper Dynamic Gold S5 54° & 58°, True Temper Dynamic Gold California Monterey Pro V1x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
golf4dayz Posted March 8, 2018 Author Share Posted March 8, 2018 This is all very useful. Thanks for the responses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revkev Posted March 8, 2018 Share Posted March 8, 2018 Welcome I was hoping Rookie Blue would answer. I believe he orders components from the OEMs and then assembles the clubs himself. Best of both worlds. If you order then take the clubs to a fitter and have them checked to be sure they are to spec. Good luck Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy Taylor Made Stealth 2 10.5 Diamana S plus 60 Aldila R flex - 42.25 inches SMT 4 wood bassara R flex, four wood head, 3 wood shaft Ping G410 7, 9 wood Alta 65 R flex Srixon ZX5 MK II 5-GW - UST recoil Dart 65 R flex India 52,56 (60 pending) UST recoil 75's R flex Evon roll ER 5 32 inches It's our offseason so auditioning candidates - looking for that right mix of low spin long, more spin around the greens - TBD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RookieBlue7 Posted March 8, 2018 Share Posted March 8, 2018 Specs can be off ordering direct from an OEM. Go in knowing that. Their people in assembly aren't clubmakers, they're part of an assembly line. Their job is to insert shafts into heads with epoxy on them, clean up ferrules, cut to length and put the grips on. They don't frequency match, spine/FLO or Pure. They don't ensure swingweight slopes within a specified tolerance, etc. Their tolerances are sloppy and all over the board. There's no industry standard tolerance. You'll still want someone to verify loft/lie, swingweight, etc as ive seen some come in waaaaaaaay off frommordered spec. Also be VERY specific in your order where you can hold them to hitting every spec. Their tolerances are usually +/- 2 degrees on loft/lie and 2-4 swingweight points depending on the manufacturer In The BagDriver: TaylorMade M2 (2017) w/ Project X T1100 HZRDUS Handcrafted 65x Strong 3 wood: Taylormade M1 15* w/ ProjectX T1100 HZRDUS handcrafted 75x3 Hybrid: Adams PRO 18* w/ KBS Tour Hybrid S flex tipped 1/2"4 Hybrid: Adams PRO 20* (bent to 21*) w/ KBS Tour Hybrid S flex tipped 1/2"4-AW: TaylorMade P770 w/ Dynamic Gold Tour Issue Black Onyx S400 SW: 56* Scratch Tour Dept(CC grooves) w/ Dynamic Gold SpinnerLW: 60* Scratch Tour Department (CC grooves) w/ Dynamic Gold SpinnerXW: 64* Cally XForged Vintage w/ DG X100 8 iron tiger steppedPutter: Nike Method Prototype 006 at 34"Have a ton of back-ups in all categories, but there are always 14 clubs in the bag that differ depending on the course and set-up. Bomb and gouge. Yes, I'm a club gigolo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaskanski Posted March 8, 2018 Share Posted March 8, 2018 Got to agree with Rookie here - you get what you pay for if you want a blueprinted set. For most major OEM's, that's not what you are getting from their custom department, because you are not a tour player and you're not paying for someone to weight sort, measure and align to spot on spec. For most good players (like D3?) it's entirely possible for you to have your clubs built to spec via any reputable builder because your spec sheet is entirely portable across just about any brand. Your specs are your specs - nobody else's - so it doesn't really matter about the OEM other than the club profile, offset, sole grind etc you are looking for. So the answer to your question is your fitter is probably right - the OEM can't match the tolerance offered by a blueprinted set. You would need to measure it to see it perhaps - provided you can discern the difference of course. I would say if you've never been down the route of being blueprinted to spec with shafts tuned for frequency slope, then you wouldn't know any difference. I you had, then you'd have to concede the difference is night and day on some sets. Like I said, you get what you pay for if the builder knows what they're doing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlaidJacket Posted March 8, 2018 Share Posted March 8, 2018 I think it's best to find a fitter you like and have him do everything. If I were a fitter that's what I'd be looking for. A real customer. It's seems kind of $hitty to go get some specs from a fitter and then not have him build your clubs. Of course if I were the fitter my charge would be high to do all the fitting/spec's so to discourage this type of behavior. If I build your clubs then part of the fitting fee is reduced. My Sun Mountain bag currently includes: 771CSI 5i - PW and PFC Micro Tour-c 52°, 56°, 60 wedges EXS 10.5*, 929-HS FW4 16.5* Willimette w/GolfPride Contour Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
golf4dayz Posted March 8, 2018 Author Share Posted March 8, 2018 Yeah, that is the issue. The fitter in my area is very good (I've hit a couple of blueprint Miura iron's he put together for me during a fitting and it was a world of difference from my current set), and doesn't take the price of the fitting off of the final club build. Unfortunately, like most things, this decision will likely come down to finances...i can get the OEM clubs for about a third of the price, and could probably use the money I saved to bring any non-conforming clubs to the correct specs....decisions decisions... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPattGolf Posted March 8, 2018 Share Posted March 8, 2018 If you know all the specific specs for EVERY CLUB you are getting I would say go through the OEM with the discount and then take them to a fitter or golf shop to get the specs checked or corrected if needed. If you aren't sure what specs you want/need, go through the fitter and make sure they go through EVERY CLUB with you so you can get proper gaping between clubs or find out if you need to blend multiple head styles to get the best and most consistent performance. Yeah, that is the issue. The fitter in my area is very good (I've hit a couple of blueprint Miura iron's he put together for me during a fitting and it was a world of difference from my current set), and doesn't take the price of the fitting off of the final club build. Unfortunately, like most things, this decision will likely come down to finances...i can get the OEM clubs for about a third of the price, and could probably use the money I saved to bring any non-conforming clubs to the correct specs....decisions decisions... * Staff Professional* Driver: Stealth Plus+ (7.25*) - Fujikura Ventus Black 6X Tipped 1" 3 Wood: Stealth Plus+ (14.25*) - Fujikura Ventus Blue 7x Tipped 1" Driving Iron: P790 UDI 2 iron - HZRDUS Smoke Black RDX 100 6.5 4 Iron: P790 - KBS C-Taper 130 X Irons (5-7) P7MC - KBS C-Taper 130 X Irons (8-P) P7MB - KBS C-Taper 130 X Wedges: MG3 Black 50.09 / 55.11 - KBS TOUR FLT 130 X 60* Wedge: High Toe Raw - KBS Tour 130 X Putter: Custom Black ER2 or Custom Black Del Monte Bag: FlexTech Stand Bag Glove: Tour Preferred Glove Ball: TP5X #11 RangeFinder: R1 Smart Rangefinder Instagram: @dpattgolf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jmikecpa Posted March 8, 2018 Share Posted March 8, 2018 Specs can be off ordering direct from an OEM. Go in knowing that. Their people in assembly aren't clubmakers, they're part of an assembly line. Their job is to insert shafts into heads with epoxy on them, clean up ferrules, cut to length and put the grips on. They don't frequency match, spine/FLO or Pure. They don't ensure swingweight slopes within a specified tolerance, etc. Their tolerances are sloppy and all over the board. There's no industry standard tolerance. You'll still want someone to verify loft/lie, swingweight, etc as ive seen some come in waaaaaaaay off frommordered spec. Also be VERY specific in your order where you can hold them to hitting every spec. Their tolerances are usually +/- 2 degrees on loft/lie and 2-4 swingweight points depending on the manufacturer What he said.... How far off were my MB2s in swing weight that were built by a tour department? Let's just say they were a heck of a lot better once they were built by Rookie. WITB 2024 Driver: Qi10 LS 9* Ltd. HZRDUS RDX Smoke Blue 60 TX Fairway: BRNR Mini Driver Copper 13.5* Evenflow Black 75g 6.5 Fairway: Sim 19* HZRDUS Red 75g 6.5 Hybrid: 0317x 22* KBS Proto 95x Irons: X Forged CB 5 - PW MMT 105 TX Wedges: Jaws Raw 50*, 54* & 58* TTDG "OG" Spinner Putter: Toulon Madison BGT Fire 34.75" Ball: Z Star Diamond Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hckymeyer Posted March 8, 2018 Share Posted March 8, 2018 I agree with what the other guys have all said. There's nothing wrong with ordering custom through the OEM and some will be better than others. You will also get tighter tolerances and more consistency having the fitter build them. My advice would be to give complete transparency to the fitter. Let him know you can get a deal on the clubs through a family connection. I'm sure he isn't going to turn down the aftermarket work to rebuild exactly to your spec. There has to be a middle ground where you can still save on the clubs and still have him build them to your specs. It may cost a little more than the initial cost of the clubs, but should be less than having him order everything. If you go in knowing your specs you should be able to order them pretty darn close and then have the fitter tweak them to exact. Driver: SLDR w/ Fujikura Ventus Black 3w: '16 M2 hl w/ Diamana D+ 82 5w: Launcher HB w/ HZRDUS Yellow Hybrid: 22 deg. Launcher HB w/ HZRDUS Black Irons: 5i - gap Launcher CBX w/ Nippon Modus 3 125 Wedges: 54 CBX & 58 Zipcore w/ Nippon Modus 3 125 Putter: Red 7s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RookieBlue7 Posted March 9, 2018 Share Posted March 9, 2018 You'll likely end up paying more ordering through the OEM and having the fitter retrofit them. You can pay once or pay twice. If I'm giving advice, I'd say to get the club builder to assemble them correctly the first time instead of having an assembly line put them together and hope they get them close. I've checked out of the box clubs many times and they're very far off. That's with my old Mitchell machine and with the new MR3 True Blue. As far as him not discounting them if he does the work, why would he or should he, honestly? His time, much like anyone else's that works for a living, is worth money. For a specialized service in a service industry where you're working intamately with the customer, one should expect to be compensated for their time. Expecting a discount because you use someone's Service is disingenuous at best. Does your boss ask you to work at a discount if you've dealt with a customer on more than one occasion? Doubtful. I'd either pay the man or I wouldn't waste his time, honestly. In The BagDriver: TaylorMade M2 (2017) w/ Project X T1100 HZRDUS Handcrafted 65x Strong 3 wood: Taylormade M1 15* w/ ProjectX T1100 HZRDUS handcrafted 75x3 Hybrid: Adams PRO 18* w/ KBS Tour Hybrid S flex tipped 1/2"4 Hybrid: Adams PRO 20* (bent to 21*) w/ KBS Tour Hybrid S flex tipped 1/2"4-AW: TaylorMade P770 w/ Dynamic Gold Tour Issue Black Onyx S400 SW: 56* Scratch Tour Dept(CC grooves) w/ Dynamic Gold SpinnerLW: 60* Scratch Tour Department (CC grooves) w/ Dynamic Gold SpinnerXW: 64* Cally XForged Vintage w/ DG X100 8 iron tiger steppedPutter: Nike Method Prototype 006 at 34"Have a ton of back-ups in all categories, but there are always 14 clubs in the bag that differ depending on the course and set-up. Bomb and gouge. Yes, I'm a club gigolo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
golf4dayz Posted March 11, 2018 Author Share Posted March 11, 2018 Thats good advice, thanks to everyone who replied. One more question, if I was originally fit for a set of Miura CB's about a year and a half ago, would I be good to place an order with those same specs for a set of Cobra heads? I guess the question is two-fold, is there a big enough difference in the size/weight of the two different types of club heads, and has it been too long since my last fitting? Lot's of questions, but this is a very big purchase for me, one I hope to have for a long time and I want to get it right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HardcoreLooper Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 For lie angle, you'd want to know the actual lie angles, not just a +/- number of degrees, because all OEMs have their own standard lie angles. I'd be worried about just assuming the same shafts. A different head weight on the Cobras might mean a different optimal shaft. What's in the bag: Driver - F8 - Aldila NV Blue 60 ( S ) 3 Wood (13.5*) - 980F 4 Wood (18*) - F8 - Aldila NV Blue 60 ( S ) 3 Hybrid (19*) - RBZ 4i - PW - D7 Forged - Recoil 760 ( S ) 52* - CBX 58* - CBX Full Face 2 Putter - Craz-e Bag - 2.5 (Blue) Ball - AVX Instagram - @hardcorelooper Twitter - @meovino Facebook - mike.eovino Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RookieBlue7 Posted March 13, 2018 Share Posted March 13, 2018 I wouldn't use those old specs to place a new order, especially if the numbers are just +1, -2 lie or loft. Miura are much flatter standards and their lofts are more traditional lofts. The heads are also generally heavier and the hosel bores will have to have weight drilled out due to them being undersized and needing to be reamed to size. Miura are tricky builds. In The BagDriver: TaylorMade M2 (2017) w/ Project X T1100 HZRDUS Handcrafted 65x Strong 3 wood: Taylormade M1 15* w/ ProjectX T1100 HZRDUS handcrafted 75x3 Hybrid: Adams PRO 18* w/ KBS Tour Hybrid S flex tipped 1/2"4 Hybrid: Adams PRO 20* (bent to 21*) w/ KBS Tour Hybrid S flex tipped 1/2"4-AW: TaylorMade P770 w/ Dynamic Gold Tour Issue Black Onyx S400 SW: 56* Scratch Tour Dept(CC grooves) w/ Dynamic Gold SpinnerLW: 60* Scratch Tour Department (CC grooves) w/ Dynamic Gold SpinnerXW: 64* Cally XForged Vintage w/ DG X100 8 iron tiger steppedPutter: Nike Method Prototype 006 at 34"Have a ton of back-ups in all categories, but there are always 14 clubs in the bag that differ depending on the course and set-up. Bomb and gouge. Yes, I'm a club gigolo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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