Worst equipment mistakes you've made

[rarce_torres]

Buying an Armlock Sik putter without really trying one out.  It did roll the ball good, but it felt way to funky to use on a daily basis.  I still have it along with all of the other bad ideas I bought for golf... 

[Topper]

My biggest mistake was wasting too much time not admitting I made a mistake.  It took 5 years to admit I've lost clubhead speed before getting tested and making shaft changes.  I've purchased too many new drivers with stiff shafts thinking my ability outweighed my physical state.  In fact, I made the mistake thinking a softer shaft wasn't "cool" enough for my bag.  On to putters... Lord, way too many putters searching for a miracle.  In the end, I finally admitted I couldn't keep my coveted blade putters online nearly as easily as today's balanced mallet putters.  So, I'm likely fairly typical wasting money on the new shiny toys without getting properly fitted for equipment I really need to keep my game solid.

[Optik DGM]

2 of the same mistake 20 years apart.....  Bought the Orlimar tri metal 3 wood LH for $180 when it first came out on EBAY.  Never got it airborne. Sold it 3 months later for under $100.

3 months ago I bought PXG 3 wood LH and the same thing. Still haven't gotten rid of it yet.   Don't hate me, I'm still using my Warrior Custom Golf fairway woods that I got 10 years ago 

[John Hoie]

Selling my MP33s when I bought a new set of cavity backs that a pro told me would be easier to hit. 
They weren’t, and I lost the feel of blades

[Rico_de_Gallo]

I've got 2.

1. Playing with refurbished golf balls for years

2. A 3 iron. Bought it to match my set. Never was able to hit it how I wanted. Always hit this big slice with it (which did come in handy on occasion) .... kept it in the bag for far too long

[JWK1969]

Direct-to-consumer clubs.  This was before DTC brands like Sub70, Takomo, etc.  I don't remember the brand, but they promised a harder club face that would deliver more energy to the ball and increase distance and control.  Unfortunately, their over-the-phone fitting "process" resulted in clubs that were too short for me and, before I could discover the error, their return policy expired and they refused to take them back despite the mis-fit.  So, the First Tee ended up benefiting from my mistake.  Since then, I have ignored all DTC brands that I cannot hit and get custom fit for before I commit to several hundred (or more) dollars.  It's unfortunate, as I'm sure there are some great clubs in the DTC space.  But since that fiasco, I just won't risk it.

[Schmucker20]

I bought a set of irons when I started off that were 1.5” over standard and 2 degrees stronger. Not to mention I bought a full bag of regular flex clubs. Found out very quickly I made a mistake and needed to buy a whole new set of clubs. But it didn’t stop there, bought a M3 Driver and I need all the face height I can get when it comes to my driver. Also found out that I really don’t get along with Mitsubishi shafts. So moral of the story, get someone to size you up and always try your clubs out. 

[DPMGolfer]

I caddied before I played golf and back in the 70's I bought my first set of clubs from one of the golfers I caddied for, a set of MacGregor Tourney blades; not the best clubs for a beginner!  I did not learn my lesson, and my second set of clubs was a set of Hogan Producer Irons and persimmon Hogan Apex woods (both of which are still in my garage somewhere).  Many sets later, I've become more sensible since then.

[Schmucker20]

I bought a set of irons when I started off that were 1.5” over standard and 2 degrees stronger. Not to mention I bought a full bag of regular flex clubs. Found out very quickly I made a mistake and needed to buy a whole new set of clubs. But it didn’t stop there, bought a M3 Driver and I need all the face height I can get when it comes to my driver. Also found out that I really don’t get along with Mitsubishi shafts. So moral of the story, get someone to size you up and always try your clubs out. 

[DG_NP]

Many of my mistakes involve selling clubs I should have kept my hands on or altering clubs that were working fine. 

1. Sold a Newport 2 Buttonback in College to pay a heating bill one winter. (I did rectify this by purchasing this putter again many years later, it is currently in the bag)

2. Sold a Scotty J.A.T. that I used in High School, once had 10 putts with it in a 9 hole match. In those days I consistently made BOMBS with it, not sure why I got rid of it. 

3. Another college mishap, I took a legit Diamana Blue Board 73X (not a taylormade painted one) out of my SuperQuad TP in favor of a ProLaunch Platinum...Awful mistake...I ended up scrapping the club shortly after. 

4. Bending my RAC TP irons individually after playing them for 2-3 years, I played one round with them and got rid of them instantly, I could of bent them back but who knows what my reasoning was. 

5. Titleist 913 D3 and 917 D3...I hit the 910 better than the 913 and the 915 better than the 917. (I worked for Acushnet during those releases)

 

 

[EnderinAZ]

Probably the Arccos system. The reasons are a long list. I bought into the system in its first year so have been grandfathered into the non subscription arena. Anyway here are my top reasons.

If you start on any hole besides one or ten you have to manually move from shot to shot and hole to hole. I play a shotgun start course daily. I do not use Arccos on this course at all. 

If it does not pick up the putt half the time the app will not move to the new hole and it is very fiddly to get it to move up a hole

If you play a lot the sensors die quickly. 14 sensors at 14 bucks each gets costly quickly. Plus if you pull one out of a grip you must glue the new one into the grip or replace the grip. 

The new "super sensor" gizmo you use to pick up the shots is over 220 dollars and it should be a free upgrade to the Linc in my opinion. 

Yeah okay that is enough complaining. 

When it works, it is a great system. In 4 years of playing the thing, it has NEVER finished 18 holes with every shot recorded. 

[Medfloat]

Worse equipment mistake?  How about buying all the training aids that are not a bucket of range balls with a lesson or two…

Edited July 8 by Medfloat

[Olyguy2023]

LAB Link 1 putter that I totally overpaid due to custom fit and felt awful after I received it - had no feel and inconsistent striking sound. 

[DymnDog]

2 hours ago, RPBRENNAN said:

Bought Ping driver a few years back, absolutely hated the sound it made when hitting the ball. Even my partners commented on it.

That mistake lasted 1 season.

Although I know the sound (because I play Ping), whenever someone comments on it, I say "I don't care if it quacks like a duck as long as it keeps hitting the ball like it does."

[Mr. Shankenstein]

Once ordered the Callaway C4 driver, thought with my high swing speed a heavier shaft would be best. Could not feel where that club head was in the swing and the feel at impact was gone. 

Other mistake was when I 'self fit' for loft/lie angle...tape showed 2 degrees upright, so ordered my TA 845's 2 degrees up. Did not consider that my natural ball flight of a draw would now be a battle against a severe snap hook. 

[88Buster]

Probably 10+ years ago, I decided to try Ozik Matrix Program 95 iron shafts.  Installed them in a set of Miura irons.  Those shafts launched the ball straight up in the air.  They were totally useless into the wind.  That was an expensive experiment that lasted about 2 weeks.

[Scott Jones]

I must be a gimmicky guy... Tried the Wilson Fat Shafts, Cleveland Hi-bore iron set and just recently the Cobra one length irons.  I saw how important a fitting was for my son but decided to skip it and get the Cobras.  After a month of struggling I went and got fitted and there is nothing "correct" with the iron set.  Wrong lie, not the best shafts for me and poor gapping.  The wife is gonna love how this gets corrected, lol

[WiTerp50]

Most embarrassing was a used Sasquatch square driver. Couldn’t handle the attention from every golfer in sight of the pipe hitting the trash can. Didn’t lose much selling it back in 2 weeks. Wanted some options for a shaft for a 913 driver. It was winter and my go to fitter was closed for the season. A large box golf specialty store talked (conned?) me into a rack model 915. Wrong loft, wrong shaft. Kept at it for the better part of the season and at the front of the line for a 917 from a certified fitter with an outdoor fitting. The 20 yards gained was real, only because the 915 was so bad. That was my worst ever club. 

[maugust]

My biggest mistake was getting fitted for a set of P770’s in January.  Struggled with them and they became my back up set in less than a season.  Wrong shaft mostly.  I can’t bear to part with them because of how much I spent.  Rocking Srixon ZX7’s after trying a set of used Srixons. Afterwords I traded up with some other used equipment for a new set of the ZX7’s.  Ended up with one lie adjustment session and they’ve been golden since.

[alii1959]

About 3 years ago I bought into the hype.  Being a veteran I got a great discount on fitted PXG irons, woods, and putter.  I struggled with them for nearly 3 years.  Finally, I came to the realization that they just weren't for me.  Hard to get rid of them...the cost to me was still high.  So, I went back got fitted again....didn't like their attitude this time.  The only PXG club I still have is a 2 wood, which has been good to me in the past.  I went with cobra LTDx one-length and have been shooting much lower scores.  I feel much like I was duped.  Probably not, but I am not convinced that "fitting" is the best thing.  Every person that has "fitted" me recommended different things.  They make it sound like a science....yet, as a science major I take exception to their use of the word.  The person that has fitted me best over the years....me.

[maugust]

5 minutes ago, alii1959 said:

About 3 years ago I bought into the hype.  Being a veteran I got a great discount on fitted PXG irons, woods, and putter.  I struggled with them for nearly 3 years.  Finally, I came to the realization that they just weren't for me.  Hard to get rid of them...the cost to me was still high.  So, I went back got fitted again....didn't like their attitude this time.  The only PXG club I still have is a 2 wood, which has been good to me in the past.  I went with cobra LTDx one-length and have been shooting much lower scores.  I feel much like I was duped.  Probably not, but I am not convinced that "fitting" is the best thing.  Every person that has "fitted" me recommended different things.  They make it sound like a science....yet, as a science major I take exception to their use of the word.  The person that has fitted me best over the years....me.

Interestingly, the clubs I play and like the best are those I have fitted to myself.  Fitters don’t think I should have D5 swing weight or stiff shafts, but they are what I like and am most comfortable with.

I'm no scratch golfer but once something makes the bag that I’m comfortable with it tends to stay.  For the longest time I chased the game with equipment changes only to finally figure the specs I like.  By chance the bag is close to full with clubs I won’t give up.

There were MANY wrong turns along the way

[Marty2Shanks]

Worst equipment decision was a club I didn't buy.  Had a chance to get a Scotty Cameron 2012 GoLo for $135 at a Play it Again in Tampa back in 2018.  The reason for the low price was because it was 32.5".  Putter was barely used.  And yes, it was authentic.  I could have easily lengthened the club.  Can't even sniff at one of those for under $275 now.  Big mistake not buying it.

Other bad equipment decision was getting rid of a set of Adams CB3 irons. Those things were awesome, but I got wooed away by a set of Mizuno JPX 800 Pros that I just had to have.  I still have the Mizuno's but I should have never gotten rid of those Adams.  

[Marty2Shanks]

11 minutes ago, maugust said:

Interestingly, the clubs I play and like the best are those I have fitted to myself.  Fitters don’t think I should have D5 swing weight or stiff shafts, but they are what I like and am most comfortable with.

I'm no scratch golfer but once something makes the bag that I’m comfortable with it tends to stay.  For the longest time I chased the game with equipment changes only to finally figure the specs I like.  By chance the bag is close to full with clubs I won’t give up.

There were MANY wrong turns along the way

With you 100% on the swing weight.  I am most comfortable playing irons between D4-D7, and I like my driver/woods above D6.  The last time I went to a fitter (which was years ago) I had to argue with him about "why I am wrong" and that they couldn't weight the clubs that way during the fitting anyway.  I recently went to another store and grabbed a Titleist AP2 with Project X 6.5 shafts off the used rack and was hitting the 7-iron 175 and peppering the centerline with a little draw.  I asked them to swing weight the club real quick (they had a scale for grip changes) and it was a D6.  

[RichL85]

Not finding one golf ball to stick with consistently. It's hard to get comfortable when you try out a new ball every other round and it takes a bit to get used to how it's going to react. Or maybe that's just me?

[IvanDrago50]

Not getting fitted for the first non-package iron set I ever bought. Didn't have the extra $ at the time, but after getting a fitting for XMas, I realized I should have ponied up

[tip taylor]

I buy too many clubs to see what fits my game as a senior 10 handicap players alway every year try certain clubs way to much and way to much money spent

[Koncelor71]

Ok Spies--I got fitted for a set of irons in the 1990s. The fitter told me that I needed clubs that were one inch longer and had a regular shaft.  At that time, I was hitting my 8-iron 150 yards. After spending $1,000 on a new set of irons, thewy last 1/2of one summer and I gave them to ne of my sons.

[Flanpro]

Every putter I purchased after a bad round of putting (as many as 15 now). Impulse putters are worse than a mail order bride - no chance it will last!

[alii1959]

1 hour ago, Marty2shanks said:

With you 100% on the swing weight.  I am most comfortable playing irons between D4-D7, and I like my driver/woods above D6.  The last time I went to a fitter (which was years ago) I had to argue with him about "why I am wrong" and that they couldn't weight the clubs that way during the fitting anyway.  I recently went to another store and grabbed a Titleist AP2 with Project X 6.5 shafts off the used rack and was hitting the 7-iron 175 and peppering the centerline with a little draw.  I asked them to swing weight the club real quick (they had a scale for grip changes) and it was a D6.  

That is much my point entirely.  The PXG guys, and others, wanted me in whippy shafts due to my age.  The ones that I bought from those guys and the other clubs like them were the scourge of my game.  Especially the hybrids.  I recently came across 2,3,4,5 Cobra Aerojet hybrids with 85g stiff shafts, for about $100 each.  Suddenly, the hybrids are some of my best clubs.  I just don't think the fitters listen very well, and much like many who give lessons, they have preconceived notions that they cannot be pushed off of.  I don't want to argue with my fitter.  I want them to pay attention to my suggestions.  I was even yelled at for taking a 1/2" off of some of my clubs.  Hey, these are mine!  I will cut them, lengthen them, reshaft them as I please!!  But, I have always tinkered with my clubs.  Had a 60* wedge once that you could shave with.  I ground all the bounce off and moved the weight up on the back of the club.  I could flop it off of the driveway.

 

[MuniGolfer]

When I got an M5 driver, I didn’t listen to the advice of my friend who worked for taylormade when I asked him about his thoughts on shaft. He even tried to give me a graphite design shaft for it that I didn’t take. I ended up buying the same shaft later and completely transformed that driver for me. However, by that time I had already purchased a Ping g425 I was waiting on. I probably would have had a lot less struggles if I had just kept the shaft he gave me. A said, the Ping has been heads and tails better for me than the taylormade.