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OEM "Custom Clubs"


golf4dayz

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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!

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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

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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 🇨🇦

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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  :taylormade-small: M1 460, Project X HZRDUS Black 6.0

:mizuno-small: JPX EZ 3 wood
:cobra-small: Fly-Z 4H
:mizuno-small: MP-60, 3i-PW, True Temper Dynamic Gold
:mizuno-small: S5 54° & 58°, True Temper Dynamic Gold
:cameron-small: California Monterey
:titelist-small: Pro V1x

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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   

 

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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 Bag
Driver: TaylorMade M2 (2017) w/ Project X T1100 HZRDUS Handcrafted 65x 
Strong 3 wood: Taylormade M1 15* w/ ProjectX T1100 HZRDUS handcrafted 75x
3 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 Spinner
LW: 60* Scratch Tour Department (CC grooves) w/ Dynamic Gold Spinner
XW: 64* Cally XForged Vintage w/ DG X100 8 iron tiger stepped
Putter: 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.

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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.

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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:   TWGTLogo2.png.06c802075f4d211691d88895b3f34b75.png 771CSI 5i - PW and TWGTLogo2.png.06c802075f4d211691d88895b3f34b75.png PFC Micro Tour-c 52°, 56°, 60 wedges

                                                                               :755178188_TourEdge: EXS 10.5*, TWGTLogo2.png.06c802075f4d211691d88895b3f34b75.png 929-HS FW4 16.5* 

                                                                                :edel-golf-1: Willimette w/GolfPride Contour

 

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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...

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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...

*:taylormade-small: Staff Professional*

Driver:  :taylormade-small: Stealth Plus+ (7.25*) - Fujikura Ventus Black 6X Tipped 1" 

3 Wood: :taylormade-small: Stealth Plus+ (14.25*) - Fujikura Ventus Blue 7x Tipped 1"

Driving Iron: :taylormade-small: P790 UDI 2 iron - HZRDUS Smoke Black RDX 100 6.5

4 Iron: :taylormade-small: P790 - KBS C-Taper 130 X

Irons (5-7) :taylormade-small: P7MC - KBS C-Taper 130 X

Irons (8-P) :taylormade-small: P7MB - KBS C-Taper 130 X

Wedges: :taylormade-small: MG3 Black 50.09 / 55.11 - KBS TOUR FLT 130 X

60* Wedge: :taylormade-small: High Toe Raw - KBS Tour 130 X

Putter: 5WoCG8Y.jpg Custom Black ER2 or Custom Black :taylormade-small: Del Monte

Bag:  :taylormade-small: FlexTech Stand Bag

Glove:  :taylormade-small: Tour Preferred Glove

Ball: :taylormade-small: TP5X #11

RangeFinder: :918457628_PrecisionPro: R1 Smart Rangefinder

Instagram: @dpattgolf

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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.

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   M5 15* Evenflow Black 75g 6.5

   Sim Ti 22* HZRDUS Red 75g 6.5

   Sim2 Rescue 22* Diamana Thump 100x

   X Forged CB 5 - PW MMT 105 TX 

   Jaws Raw 50*, 54* & 58* TTDG "OG" Spinner

   Toulon Madison BGT Fire 34.75"

   Z Star Diamond

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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: :taylormade-small: SLDR w/ Fujikura Ventus Black

3w: :taylormade-small:'16 M2 hl w/ Diamana D+ 82

5w: :cleveland-small: Launcher HB w/ HZRDUS Yellow

Hybrid: :cleveland-small: 22 deg. Launcher HB w/ HZRDUS Black

Irons: :cleveland-small: 5i - gap Launcher CBX w/ Nippon Modus 3 125

Wedges: :cleveland-small: 54 CBX & 58 Zipcore w/ Nippon Modus 3 125

Putter: :odyssey-small: Red 7s

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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 Bag
Driver: TaylorMade M2 (2017) w/ Project X T1100 HZRDUS Handcrafted 65x 
Strong 3 wood: Taylormade M1 15* w/ ProjectX T1100 HZRDUS handcrafted 75x
3 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 Spinner
LW: 60* Scratch Tour Department (CC grooves) w/ Dynamic Gold Spinner
XW: 64* Cally XForged Vintage w/ DG X100 8 iron tiger stepped
Putter: 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.

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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.

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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 - :cobra-small: F8 - Aldila NV Blue 60 ( S )
3 Wood (13.5*) - :titleist-small: 980F 
4 Wood (18*) - :cobra-small: F8 - Aldila NV Blue 60 ( S )
3 Hybrid (19*) - :taylormade-small: RBZ
4i - PW - :wilson_staff_small: D7 Forged - Recoil 760 ( S )
52* - :cleveland-small: CBX
58* - :cleveland-small: CBX Full Face 2
Putter - :ping-small: Craz-e
Bag - :1590477705_SunMountain: 2.5 (Blue)
Ball -  :titleist-small: AVX
Instagram - @hardcorelooper
Twitter - @meovino
Facebook - mike.eovino

 

 

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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 Bag
Driver: TaylorMade M2 (2017) w/ Project X T1100 HZRDUS Handcrafted 65x 
Strong 3 wood: Taylormade M1 15* w/ ProjectX T1100 HZRDUS handcrafted 75x
3 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 Spinner
LW: 60* Scratch Tour Department (CC grooves) w/ Dynamic Gold Spinner
XW: 64* Cally XForged Vintage w/ DG X100 8 iron tiger stepped
Putter: 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.

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