Worst equipment mistakes you've made

[quod erat]

On 3/23/2024 at 9:02 AM, Greg Schmitz said:

So I'm going to be 55 this summer and had a torn labrum fixed in January. Do graphite shafts really make a big difference? I'm at the point that I need my body more than I need to beat myself up playing golf.

I hit graphite for the first time at my last fitting and was sold immediately. If you don't always hit the center -- I certainly don't -- it really makes a difference.

[JRDuck40]

On 2/28/2024 at 6:19 AM, jazz15c said:

Going into pretty much every golf store in a 50 mile radius and finding no left handed clubs has led to a LOT of eBay guesses...and misses! None of these are bad clubs; they were just bad for me. 

SLDR driver - rocketship out of the center; not so much anywhere else...FORE LEFT! 
Srixon ZX5 3H with a Hazrdus Black shaft - good club but shaft felt like a scaffold pole; what was I thinking? 
TM SIM DHY - Couldn't even hit my 5 iron, but thought a 3 iron DHY would be peachy for me. No. Just...NO. 
Cobra RadSpeed OneLength hybrid - so bad for me that I bought it TWICE. Couldn't get the thing more than 10 feet off the ground. 

Basically, a lot of clubs in the space that is now filled quite happily by my 5 & 7 wood, who are both wondering what all the fuss was about 

Amen on the SLDR. You hit is square, absolutely a mistle launcher. Anywhere else on the face, good luck finding that shot. It lasted around 3 weeks in my bag. 

[matt_puttercup]

So last year, I decided (arbitrarily) that my driver flight was way too high. Playing in the muddy PNW and getting no roll (unless you count 1-foot of backspin) finally cracked me. I had only just swapped out the Stiff HZRDUS shaft I had on my 9* SIM Max for an X-Stiff Accra shaft when I decided lower lift was in order and then put an 8* Stealth 2 Plus head on the Accra shaft… without even testing it. Between the shaft change, the loft change, and the lower spin due to the design of the Stealth… well let’s just say it was a BAD year off the tee.

[FightingScot82]

My current set of irons are not what I need. I was dumb and being cheap, so I bought late model TaylorMades from Dunhams. The salesperson knew almost nothing about golf and basically just allowed me into a room with a hitting mat & net to bang balls. I didn't do any research (had not yet discovered MGS) or had ever been fitted, so while I bought the correct type of head (game improvement), I didn't have anyone catching my other errors. I have a faster swing so I bought regular instead of stiff shafts. I also misunderstood the "high launch" edition of these clubs thinking it was for golfers like me who tend to thin irons, not understanding that they're adjusted for slower swing speeds (the opposite of me).

[USMCSnyper]

I constantly do this....I just "built" a new driver based on what I think I need. I was fitted, but the performance was never there after I left the bay. I love doing this, however if my wife ever find out how much I spend fitting myself....oof

[bavs1984]

I blindly just buy what I think I need and make it work. Then I get on the monitor to fit it to me. My iron specs haven’t changed for years but the woods have been a rollercoaster.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Pete Player]

Years back in Spain on a spring camp in changing location some 400 k to another town…

As I packed my bag into a travel case, did not check all the clubs were in the bag. On arrival found out few irons were missing in the middle.

Had a competition on the way few days ahead and rushed to a golf shop to buy replacements. Nothing that could fit my clubs and fill the gap.

Bought a set of Titleist AP2-712s and took them out onto the range same night. Could not hit the ball pure with them, yet same shafts and ”same” everything. Total crap of a club that!

No feedback on impact, and the feel was as I was trying to hit a golf ball with a matchbox. The sound was a hollow ”klop” and the ball flight was questionable.

Played in a comp the next day after a sleepless night and scored a pretty respectable 78 with them.

Sold them off in two weeks for half the price payed for and returned back to the clubs I used before, Mizuno MP-60.

Lesson learned, keep better care of your gear and never buy any club by other people’s oppinions.

[CorporateGolfRat]

On 2/22/2019 at 8:31 AM, tony@CIC said:

Ok spies, time to come clean - what are the worst mistakes you've made in buying equipment? 

Almost never a "mistake" in buying equipment lol. I will say that buying equipment off the shelf has become a mistake of mine. After getting fitted and learning how much that it affects your game, I will not buy anything stock again. (Unless it fits of course) Biggg promoter of more gear though. Just gives you all the more reason to golf and test equipment.

[CorporateGolfRat]

On 2/27/2019 at 4:26 AM, RoverRick said:

I let a guy hit my driver one time and he sliced one over the club house and broke the window of my car. Does that count?



Sent from my iPad using MyGolfSpy

Could be a scene in a movie lol

[JMAC60]

Bought and sold the same set of irons.....three times.  This goes back about 15+ years.  I bought a set of Precept Tour Premium Forged irons with S400 shafts.  Same irons played by Stuart Appleby.  I loved them!  But being the club ***** I am, I sold them.....bought them again.....sold them again......and bought them again.  If you're thinking.......This guy is an idiot.  Yes......Yes, I am.  

Look what I just found on eBay:  https://www.ebay.com/itm/166440429600?chn=ps&_trkparms=ispr%3D1&amdata=enc%3A1XA86UI31REO8etZWSeVWug59&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&mkscid=101&itemid=166440429600&targetid=1587262744497&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9018571&poi=&campaignid=19894961968&mkgroupid=148855406073&rlsatarget=pla-1587262744497&abcId=9307911&merchantid=101707145&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw8diwBhAbEiwA7i_sJf-9GVXsgQOpzfWqjVsiJGgnFo0CY5VIVSIbqjy4yLRcs02kOu38RhoCdyQQAvD_BwE

I gotta run.......Need to call my therapist.

[RangerGrey]

I should have never got rid of my Srixon ZX 5 irons for PXG 0311 Gen 4 XP's, Just glad I didn't pay the price for them when they 1st came out as I would think paying the outrageous price when they 1st came out was awful when in less then a year the price dropped close to half. I do like the Hero's pricing as they were not terrible just not as nice as my Srixon's were. Yes I was fitted for them

Then I let some Mizuno 923 HMP's go for a good price only to get some Titleist T-350's. Then the internet and shops were being flooded with Quality issues with the back plate falling off. Mine never did but hearing that and the wait people had to go through, 4 months is all I had them and I was glad to let those go. I don't have a back up set so I wasn't going to be without clubs as I just felt that I was eventually going to become the next victim since I got the 1st batch of them when they released. 

[Big moose]

Buying knockoff drivers to save money thinking that they would perform just like the o.e.m. clubs, not. They worked fine for the first 3 months or so then the distance dropped off significantly. No more for me.

[Hacker60521]

Garmin CT10 Sensors. 
 

I used the Arccos system in the past. But I didn’t like how I had to put my phone in my pocket or use a Link sensor. But I’ve been a fan of Garmin golf watches so when they introduced the CT10s I thought it would be a great complement to the watch.  Wow was I wrong. While the sensors worked well with the watch, the App and online experience were really lacking. So now I’m using a ShotScope X5 and so far so good. 

[Hindsy1987]

On 2/22/2019 at 9:40 PM, sixcat said:

Probably not exactly what you're looking for.  I left my first set of clubs in a storage building when I left my childhood home at age 17, never to be seen again.  Still a bit bitter about it 25 years later!

I did this same thing also lost the first cricket bat I ever bought myself and comic books I try to forget about

[MarvChamp]

Ruined a really good older 5-wood that I hit well, by shortening the shaft. It was the shaft that helped me hit well.

Live and learn. Best, -Marv

[Wolfstrum]

I have only recently started playing golf with any real purpose. I spent years playing with rental, loaner, hand me down, or thrift store clubs. Since I was only playing 2 or 3 times a year I can’t really call that a gear mistake. 
 

I started playing more last year when 2 of my sons started playing more often. This year I have committed to playing once a week and set goals for improving my score. I quickly realized that the biggest gear mistake at the moment is using what ever golf balls I find on the course. Made the decision to purposely select a golf ball brand and model and use that ball exclusively. Makes it way easier to fix other parts of your game when the ball is consistent. 

[GG194]

Think the worst club mistake I have made isn’t necessarily the club, putter. Mistake was trying to make it work because I liked the way it looked even though my putting really went sideways. Putting has always been the best part of my game and it’s taken almost a year to get back to normal. I’m sure a lot was mental but absolutely had no confidence in what was the best part of my game. 

[GolfSpy_APH]

I think the biggest mistake I have made is trying to figure out wedges by myself. Should have just done the fitting and even an online fit to get a better understanding. Was costly to the tune of two new wedges that I love the look of, but simply don't perform to the standard I needed. 

[mpatrickriley]

Given my remote location, getting fitted for clubs is not an immediate option. I buy most of my clubs on clearance or eBay, and over the years, I've come to have a pretty decent idea of what works for me.

Worst equipment mistake, though, was likely trading in a fairway wood that worked well for me. A few years back, I had a TaylorMade M4 3HL (16.5°) with an Atmos shaft. For whatever reason, that club and I just got along really well. But I ended up trading it in to help offset the cost of Kirke's current set of junior clubs.

Happily, this story has a pleasant ending: my most recent club purchase was a "pre-owned" (but still in its plastic) Tour Edge Exotics E722 16.5° (Tensei AV RAW Blue 65 / S). Really pleased with this club so far, and hoping I won't make the same stupid mistake twice.

[kmorforsure]

Biggest mistake for me has been buying a club without trying it out first. Mostly in relation to shafts. The same weight and stiffness shaft play and feel very different across brands. I’ve wasted time and money doing this a few times over the years and have regretted it all but once. Even if you don’t get fit swing the club first. A very popular brand name shaft, does not work for my swing and I don’t like the feel but people swear by it and I thought I’d be safe. 

[Jean D]

Worst for me was buying TaylorMade “Rescue” fairway woods- 3 & 4 (Ventus HB non Velocore shafts) that were sorta/kinda/maybe fitted at our ONE big box golf places here in town.  The young gent doing my fitting wasn’t very experienced and neither was I… Bad combination.  Those FWs sit in my spare bag, never use them as I can’t hit them with any sort of consistency and will likely be trading them/selling them at the end of this season.  I’ve since picked up some new, still plastic-wrapped 2022 Cobra LTDx FW’s (3 & 5) with Hzrdus Smoke Green 5.5 R shafts.  I am absolutely loving them , can actually shape my shot with them and getting solid, consistent results!  

[Jean D]

On 3/30/2024 at 1:34 PM, quod erat said:

I hit graphite for the first time at my last fitting and was sold immediately. If you don't always hit the center -- I certainly don't -- it really makes a difference.

Absolutely agree.  Graphite (like any changes to your equipment), involves a learning curve…but once you get comfortable you will wonder how you lived through the pain of steel shaft mis-hits!

[GolfSpy_KFT]

I had bought a Sim 2 Max 3 wood off global golf with a UST Lin-Q Purple shaft in it, and only did it because I thought that shaft would be better than a stock one. We did not get along at all and it became a club I never wanted to use because I didn’t trust it. The occasional ball I’d hit really well was great, but that was it. 

[NM01]

59 minutes ago, Jean D said:

Absolutely agree.  Graphite (like any changes to your equipment), involves a learning curve…but once you get comfortable you will wonder how you lived through the pain of steel shaft mis-hits!

Dont fully agree that there is a learning curve going to graphite from steel.

Getting fit for the proper shaft which includes one of the important aspects being feel will get resolved. I personally had a seamless transition from steel to graphite. Went from s300 to recoils 110 f4 in the same irons

[Jean D]

2 minutes ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

Dont fully agree that there is a learning curve going to graphite from steel.

Getting fit for the proper shaft which includes one of the important aspects being feel will get resolved. I personally had a seamless transition from steel to graphite. Went from s300 to recoils 110 f4 in the same irons

Well, I had a learning curve

[Shlax]

On 2/22/2019 at 8:31 AM, tony@CIC said:

Ok spies, time to come clean - what are the worst mistakes you've made in buying equipment? 

Recently: Getting a TaylorMade Stealth UDI 2-iron

Now, I don’t regret this mistake one bit, but I guess that it qualifies because I had to part ways with this clubs despite loving it. Even to this day, it is my favorite club off the tee by a country mile. However, I had to come to my senses that it wasn’t the club for me from the fairway or rough. I kept it as a 15th club for a little while but finally sold it.

Mistake: Buying used wedges

Yup. Bought a used set of 52-56-60 TaylorMade RAC wedges when I got back into golf after high school. They were dirt cheap and consequently, they were DONE: No groove or bite left to them whatsoever. I extended their lifetime for almost 10 years which is crazy. It’s only when I changed them for my current set of TaylorMade MG2s that it opened my eyes to the extent of the complications that I needlessy inflicted on my game by playing basically with lofted paddles all those years .

Edited July 7 by Shlax

[Shlax]

On 7/5/2024 at 8:41 AM, Hacker60521 said:

Garmin CT10 Sensors. 
 

I used the Arccos system in the past. But I didn’t like how I had to put my phone in my pocket or use a Link sensor. But I’ve been a fan of Garmin golf watches so when they introduced the CT10s I thought it would be a great complement to the watch.  Wow was I wrong. While the sensors worked well with the watch, the App and online experience were really lacking. So now I’m using a ShotScope X5 and so far so good. 

Completely agree! I’m also a former Garmin customer and never looked back since I switched to ShotScope (X5 with sensors also)!

[fozcycle]

A long time ago I traded in my Callaway Fusion irons for the Fusion wide body irons. Played about 4 rounds with them then sold to a friend for a loss. I really liked the Fusion irons but could not play the wide body irons.

[That’s Mr. Dirt]

Well, over 25 years ago I was talked into getting a new set of golf clubs that I thought were custom, but we’re just knock offs. Because of this, I thought my golfing was horrendously bad but it turns out that the clubs were just crap.

[SteddyGolf]

Buying a Mizuno Driver with special order shaft without getting fitted.  I thought I could use my knowledge and experience to select the right match.  I was woefully wrong.