Worst equipment mistakes you've made

[mackdaddy]

My worst purchase mistake was getting a full bag fitting in one session.  The driver that was first in the fitting and the irons were both good buys.  The hybrids, fairway woods, wedges and putter were disastrous!  I was tired and my swing speed was way off.  The fitter just reshafted my wedges.  The putter had to much toe hang.  

The fitting was early in the pandemic and the clubs took 3 months to come in and when they came instead of being 2 degrees upright they were two degrees flat.  I spent over $4000 and the only thing that spent over a year in my bag were the driver and irons.  

The lesson was don't schedule more than one or two elements of the bag in a fitting.

That said I am 100% pro fitting.

[jcarey483]

Buying the Nike Sumo Driver, then trading it in a week later. 

[Dweed]

Mine is more of a what was the worst decision I made about equipment buying that I didn't do and I should have. I passed on the Maxfli Tour 4 doz cube late last year at $99. Man, what a mistake. Shoulda, coulda, but didn'ta.

[Jimmybagofdounuts]

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? 

In 2020, I purchased a full set of Taylormade M6 with the black & blood orange leather cart staff bag the pros use. Went all out. What a waste of money. After 2 years, the irons looked 10 years old and I cracked the driver head. They sit in my room now as a stark reminder to never be stupid and believe the hype and propaganda of the rip-off brigade.

After reading Ralph Maltby's books, everything changed for me. As a mechanic, I gotta have GOOD tools and know how to use them properly. I forgot to use this philosophy when I started playing golf. Silly rabbit.

Edited July 9 by Jimmybagofdounuts
Added a note

[moreeman06]

Buying a Nike Covert Tour driver based off of looks when they came out a decade ago.  The golf course I worked at had a demo set Dr-3w that the shop manager let me buy.  3w was a great club and only left the bag this year after I scored a new Paradym on clearance in my specs.  The driver not so much.  Couldn't hit it worth a damn, it was replaced within the season.

Edited July 9 by moreeman06

[Rico_de_Gallo]

7 hours 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.

few questions and comments...

1. what part of Georgia? (lived in Warner Robins for about 10 years)

2. what school/background

3. When you say each fitting / fitter recommended different things, are you talking shaft length, lie angle, club brand, etc?

Interesting to hear so many differing recommendations

 

Well done to you for being able to cut ties with the clubs, bummer on having to spend so much though.

 

Cheers and thank you for your service

[buckpillar]

Buying a Callaway jailbreak hybrid and never put in play.. didn’t like it 

[marcva]

Getting rid of the TM 300ti driver i had for a new 580xd. The 300 just worked. Straight and long. I've never been able to hit the 580. Now "mini" drivers are the new rage. Go figure. I may but an old 300 on ebay for $40

Edited July 9 by marcva
typo

[BigBurghy]

i love to buy clubs and i have a basement full.  no real regrets since i never pay top dollar for clubs, just not worth it.  years ago bought an adams speedline driver (someone else said the same thing earlier) and i couldn't hit very well at all.  i kinda think it might have been me though. 

generally though i find good buys and that keeps me from regretting questionable choices.  bought bunch of PXG clubs over the years, all at closeout prices.  the fairway woods are excellant but the gen 5 driver i bought never worked out.  the sound and feel of the driver really isn't good.  never learned how to hit it, even after i put an expensive (and fitted) shaft in it.  finally gave up and had to admit it was a bad fit.  bought a cobra LTDx LS and have never driven the ball better in my life.    

[GolferXY]

I bought what I think was the original Autoflex. Not to say it was a Korean Hidden Technology, no this was as American as fiberglass siding. And made of the same thing. Yes, fiberglass...no matter what your swing speed or style, this club was guaranteed to hit it straighter, longer. Gimmick, of course. The shaft swished around like a sapling in a strong wind.  It lasted about 2 hours in the bag before I gave it to a guy that had gifted me a cheap bottle of scotch for my birthday. Hey, payback is a bear man!

Edited July 9 by GolferXY

[poprocksncoke]

Every hybrid I have purchased, every one of them

[TJ Hall]

1 hour ago, poprocksncoke said:

Every hybrid I have purchased, every one of them

I completely agree!

Have never gotten along with a hybrid, found utility irons are a much better fit for me.

[Jeffthechef23]

Buying anything TaylorMade has been my biggest mistake ! The worst manufactured equipment on the market and a dream for club repairers . 

[tony@CIC]

On 7/8/2024 at 7:54 AM, in3948 said:

Tony@CIC  what is your worst golf purchase? 

I can remember a couple instances where I purchased a putter.  One was a Scotty Cameron Oil-can putter.  It didn't work for me.  Just gimmicky. 

The other was an Odyssey mallet putter.  Good putter but not on a sunny day.  This putter blinded me on sunny days.  I tried everything to get rid of the glare.  Finally had to get rid of it.

Real easy response as they're hanging on my club rack in the garage. A 55* and 60* Indi wedges that I ordered direct from Indi after a phone consult with them. They're now sidelined and my Vokeys are the go to clubs. Note they're also not on the PGA resale list so difficult to get a resale value.  

[tony@CIC]

45 minutes ago, Jeffthechef23 said:

Buying anything TaylorMade has been my biggest mistake ! The worst manufactured equipment on the market and a dream for club repairers . 

Holy cow - I love my Stealth 2 Driver and a recent addition Qi10 5 wood. Never had an issue - I'm even thinking of upgrading my Radspeed 3 wood to a Qi10 as well. Note the Stealth 2 driver was an upgrade from my SIM 2 which was in the bag for 2 years - and I play 150+ rounds a year. 

[GG429]

I was just starting out playing golf, and couldn't hit my long irons to save my life. Saw the infomercial for the "Perfect Club" it was basically a fairway wood with larger angle and offset. It was supposed to be easier and longer than a 5 iron. Tried using it for about 3 months and could never hit it. It's collecting dust in the garage.

[Alf. S]

As my handicap was dropping thru the teens to single figures I thought I was getting good at the game and decided to move from my cavity back Mizuno MX-15 regular shaft to a new set of irons. After trying the TaylorMade LT2 regular shaft irons at the local golf shop decided to go and buy them from eBay, didn't really know what I was doing but one of my golf mates used rifle shafts and I thought he was smart. So it was LT2s with rifle shafts I bought. The shafts were extra stiff. Starting off I couldn't use them at all, after 6 months I had completely changed my swing, now totally inconsistent, handicap on the way up and had given myself tendonitis. Needless to say at the start of the next season I got fitted for Mizuno MX-25s Regular shaft, 1/2" longer and never looked back. Still got them but the LT2s are long gone.   

[The Iron Man]

I would say moving to a Nickent set. The driver and 3 wood were too strong, and the standard height of the irons and hybrids were too short. The king of hybrids turned into Bye-bye to short clubs.

[hoppman]

Toulon Las Vegas putter - Don't know what I was thinking, I had never hit it, just ordered it blind. Never even played it. Hit it on the practice green and it was way to firm for my taste and didn't like the shaft bend. Traded it in within a month or so. I should have known better, I have always liked and had putters with inserts, prefer a softer feel and yet, I purchased it.

[KC Golf]

Bought a counter balanced long putter without demo’ing it on the course with various length putts.  The idea “Sounded” great and worked well in the store on a small flat indoor green.  Was a nightmare on the course in real life.  Gave up on it with 2 months after a lot of frustration…

[Golf_family_608]

I purchased some Taylormade P790s and spent about a grand on them.  They were wonderful clubs, loved everything about them... but I'm a 20 handicap golfer and ultimately realized the clubs will never solve anything.  Sold them after a neck injury had me questioning if golf was ever going to be in the cards again.  Ended up getting the neck to a manageable point and bought some old used PING G2 (?) Irons for 100$ and regripped them. I could still compete with my golf buddies that are equally as poor of golfers and I really liked them for what they were.  

Lesson learned - it's not what's in the bag that matters.  After being taken away from the game due to another injury - I would take the crappiest golf clubs out there to play again right now.  Glad I have my children to live vicariously through now .  It's fun to watch them go through all the emotions golf puts you through.  It's a silly game but can teach you a lot of valuable life lessons if you let it.

[Tallwood88]

Number 1 has to be getting fit for some new Ping irons 3 years ago, but never feeling quite right about it. I kept being told it's me, my swing and I have work to do. I played with these irons for 1 season and never came to enjoy them. Over the off season I went to a golf expo where all the big names including Ping were going to have hitting bays with all their new stuff. I went to the Ping booth with my 6 iron and asked if they could take a look. After a few swings they checked the club, took a few measurements and asked who fitted you? These are at least 1/2" too short, 3 degrees out and the grips are questionable. I ended up trading those in and refitted with a new set. What a difference! 

Number 2 is buying random clubs off eBay. I've bought a dozen with only 2 that I can think of as being a success. 

[David S.]

I went through 3 drivers based on bad data from inferior simulator/launch monitor. Probably cost me $600-$750, even though I was able to sell them off. Probably would have been perfectly happy with the TSR4 or the LTDX-LS, but I thought I wasn’t getting the best out of them. 

[cksurfdude]

Sheesh just getting into golf was an expensive mistake .. imagine where I could be if I'd just put all that money down betting on the horses...

Kidding kidding

The worst mistake for me would probably be in swing training aids when I was starting out - have to admit I was a bit of a sucker for a few things that had little actual practical use .. especially for a beginner...

 

Edited July 15 by cksurfdude

[The Iron Man]

On 7/10/2024 at 2:05 PM, The Iron Man said:

I would say moving to a Nickent set. The driver and 3 wood were too strong, and the standard height of the irons and hybrids were too short. The king of hybrids turned into Bye-bye to short 

Same here! Now I know why they went under!

[JohnSmalls]

Great topic!  I'm going to generalize the details this to keep the post short.  For my first few years playing the game I refused to believe that I would ever fit into a low launch/low spin shafts.  For 3 years or more I continued to buy/try R or S flex middle of the bell curve (blue profile) shafts.  Come to find out, I cannot stand how those shafts load and for years I HATED hitting tee shots.  Big thanks to @chisag for a shaft sale a number of years that proved rebar feel and low lauch/low spin is my happy place.

Biggest lesson learned was to try large variances against each other and make changes from the info gathered.

[sans]

Trading ln my ping G400M for a new fitted Wilson dynapower titanium  and then paying extra for it too 

[alii1959]

On 7/8/2024 at 10:00 PM, Rico_de_Gallo said:

few questions and comments...

1. what part of Georgia? (lived in Warner Robins for about 10 years)

2. what school/background

3. When you say each fitting / fitter recommended different things, are you talking shaft length, lie angle, club brand, etc?

Interesting to hear so many differing recommendations

 

Well done to you for being able to cut ties with the clubs, bummer on having to spend so much though.

 

Cheers and thank you for your service

Sorry it took me so long to respond.  

1.  A small town you might have heard of:  Augusta

2.  I was the high school science guy at the Alternative school in Columbia County,  I taught all science...sometimes as many as 11 subjects in one room.  I helped that I am a bit insane!

3.  The times that I have had "professionals"  explain what I need to play better I have nearly always been skeptical, however I did fall for the PXG hype.  I find that the person that knows my swing best...me.  Further, I am the guy who is more than willing to take a hacksaw to anything that doesn't suit me.  I practice a lot, I play a lot.  I know my game.  The fitters have constantly told me that I need a senior shaft, at least lately.  Yet, I play better with stiff shafts.  I am a feel player and unless a club feels "right" it isn't for me.  I took a set of Hogan Edges apart and rebuilt them to suit me years ago.  I have had fitters try to put me in "players" clubs because of my handicap.

 

The real issue i have, as a science guy, is the fact that unlike chemical or physics equations, the "science" of fitting seems to yield different results depending upon the fitter.  I have tried to be open minded with these people and allow them to advise me.  Their advice has cost me a great deal of money, frustration on the course, and left me fighting my swing over and over.  Henceforth, I will be my club fitter.  I respect the guy who is unwilling to do the job himself, but those of us who have the skills can do it ourselves.

[Rico_de_Gallo]

19 minutes ago, alii1959 said:

Sorry it took me so long to respond.  

1.  A small town you might have heard of:  Augusta

2.  I was the high school science guy at the Alternative school in Columbia County,  I taught all science...sometimes as many as 11 subjects in one room.  I helped that I am a bit insane!

3.  The times that I have had "professionals"  explain what I need to play better I have nearly always been skeptical, however I did fall for the PXG hype.  I find that the person that knows my swing best...me.  Further, I am the guy who is more than willing to take a hacksaw to anything that doesn't suit me.  I practice a lot, I play a lot.  I know my game.  The fitters have constantly told me that I need a senior shaft, at least lately.  Yet, I play better with stiff shafts.  I am a feel player and unless a club feels "right" it isn't for me.  I took a set of Hogan Edges apart and rebuilt them to suit me years ago.  I have had fitters try to put me in "players" clubs because of my handicap.

 

The real issue i have, as a science guy, is the fact that unlike chemical or physics equations, the "science" of fitting seems to yield different results depending upon the fitter.  I have tried to be open minded with these people and allow them to advise me.  Their advice has cost me a great deal of money, frustration on the course, and left me fighting my swing over and over.  Henceforth, I will be my club fitter.  I respect the guy who is unwilling to do the job himself, but those of us who have the skills can do it ourselves.

Augusta? ..... not really ringing a bell. Ha

Good deal on the above and that must be kinda fun to be able to tinker your own equipment to that level.

My biggest knocks on fitting is how it can be so different from fitter to fitter, but at the same time, there are so many combinations of clubs/shafts/balls/ etc that have an impact. Is there any true way of known what the best fit is for a person. My other knock is sample size .... fittings should take longer than a single session regardless of what's happening. I understand the price aspect and sales aspect of things, but need for than a single session to get a full feel of dispersion pattern.

Cheers and best of luck this season!

 

[Marty2Shanks]

13 minutes ago, alii1959 said:

Sorry it took me so long to respond.  

1.  A small town you might have heard of:  Augusta

2.  I was the high school science guy at the Alternative school in Columbia County,  I taught all science...sometimes as many as 11 subjects in one room.  I helped that I am a bit insane!

3.  The times that I have had "professionals"  explain what I need to play better I have nearly always been skeptical, however I did fall for the PXG hype.  I find that the person that knows my swing best...me.  Further, I am the guy who is more than willing to take a hacksaw to anything that doesn't suit me.  I practice a lot, I play a lot.  I know my game.  The fitters have constantly told me that I need a senior shaft, at least lately.  Yet, I play better with stiff shafts.  I am a feel player and unless a club feels "right" it isn't for me.  I took a set of Hogan Edges apart and rebuilt them to suit me years ago.  I have had fitters try to put me in "players" clubs because of my handicap.

 

The real issue i have, as a science guy, is the fact that unlike chemical or physics equations, the "science" of fitting seems to yield different results depending upon the fitter.  I have tried to be open minded with these people and allow them to advise me.  Their advice has cost me a great deal of money, frustration on the course, and left me fighting my swing over and over.  Henceforth, I will be my club fitter.  I respect the guy who is unwilling to do the job himself, but those of us who have the skills can do it ourselves.

Amen!  I had a golf buddy at my local beer league who just got fit some new Callaway Mavrik irons at out local golf shop (custom order) and was having all sorts of issues…I did a few test swings and they felt very head heavy.  I put them on my scale and the swing-weights went from D9 to E3.  They were +1/2 inch with DG X100 shafts and midsize GP CP2 grips.  Even with those specs should be looking at D5.  Tour pros don’t play those swing weights.  I put CP2 Jumbo on and did a little back weighting and got them down to D4-6….huge difference in consistency.  Watched him drop a 7-iron 4 feet from the flag at 196 yards.  Hits the 5-iron ~225.  How a custom order from “professional” fitters can be that far out of spec is beyond me.