Does it matter anymore to have same brand equipment?

[MrBandit]

When I started golfing not too long ago, every bag I saw was the same equipment thru out the bag, Mizuno, Titleist, Callaway, TaylorMade, Ping, Cobra, Wilson, etc.etc.
But now everyone seems to have a mix bag, either one Brand of woods, with another brand of Iron, to Wedges and Hybrids.

SO I have a couple of question;  

1. Does having standard brand name equipment in the  whole bag matters? 
2. With a mix bag of equipment do you feel lack of consistency going from ie. TaylorMade Irons, to Titleist Wedges, to Callaway drivers.etc.?

 

[cnosil]

When I started golfing not too long ago, every bag I saw was the same equipment thru out the bag, Mizuno, Titleist, Callaway, TaylorMade, Ping, Cobra, Wilson, etc.etc.

But now everyone seems to have a mix bag, either one Brand of woods, with another brand of Iron, to Wedges and Hybrids.

SO I have a couple of question;  

1. Does having standard brand name equipment in the  whole bag matters? 
2. With a mix bag of equipment do you feel lack of consistency going from ie. TaylorMade Irons, to Titleist Wedges, to Callaway drivers.etc.?

 

People play mixed bags because they like the specific club or because those particular models work best for them.

 

Clubs are intended to help you achieve specific results; put the club in the bag that enables you to do that.

 

No, there isn’t anything special about clubs that requires a transition.

[Flip4000]

1. No it does not. Some people chose to do it because they are huge fans of the brand . Others do it because manufacturers tend to make hybrids and woods blend into their ironsets now and it helps with gapping. 

I also think there is a little tour influence in the sense a few years ago it seemed like a lot fewer players played with mixed bags than they do now

2. From a consistency stand point, I do like my woods to feel similar to an extent, however if I get better performance from using clubs from different manufacturers why bog myself down using just 1?

  I think more people are taking a performance based approach than ever especially with the amount of data we have access to so it makes sense people would now pick clubs with the best numbers. Additionally some manufacturers really stand out in different parts of the game, and that was really true several years ago. Now everyone has started to make long drivers, high launching hybrids, forgiving and/or precise irons, and solid wedges. People have more choice than ever so why limit yourself?

Especially if none of them are sending you checks for using their gear.

[MrBandit]

6 minutes ago, cnosil said:

People play mixed bags because they like the specific club or because those particular models work best for them.

 

Clubs are intended to help you achieve specific results; put the club in the bag that enables you to do that.

 

No, there isn’t anything special about clubs that requires a transition.

I agree that you put the clubs in your bag that best performed for you.

I think the trend of having one type of brand in your bag and has change in the last 3-4 years, where now it doesn't matter as long as it works. There doesn't seem to be no more loyal to only one brand. I think fitting has add it to this since, places like Club Champion give you all of the different options to optimized YOUR game and they will put different irons, woods etc.

As far as transition, what I was getting at with that, each brand has a particular feel and if you are expecting to get that feel and get a different one, is that a big deal (you get use to it of course) You know is a big difference feel going from a Mizuno to a Titleist.

[Flip4000]

2 minutes ago, MrBandit said:

I agree that you put the clubs in your bag that best performed for you.

I think the trend of having one type of brand in your bag and has change in the last 3-4 years, where now it doesn't matter as long as it works. There doesn't seem to be no more loyal to only one brand. I think fitting has add it to this since, places like Club Champion give you all of the different options to optimized YOUR game and they will put different irons, woods etc.

As far as transition, what I was getting at with that, each brand has a particular feel and if you are expecting to get that feel and get a different one, is that a big deal (you get use to it of course) You know is a big difference feel going from a Mizuno to a Titleist.

True, but the mizuno buttery feel you get with their irons isn't necessarily what I want in my wedges, nor would I necessarily get that same feel in the woods. I think part of it is I am willing to overlook a different feel if the results of using another brands clubs are much better. Also, performance wise sometimes the brand you want doesn't make a club in the shape or with the tech you want.

[tehuti]

It probably never mattered, but that’s how most people shopped for clubs.


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[CarlH]

Doesn't matter now....didn't matter then.  Probably just more noticeable now due to the heavier emphasis on club fittings and marketing.

[aerospace_ray]

IMO no it does not. Rather it matters that each club in your bag fits you and can be used for a certain purpose(s).

Side story: I am guilty of brand loyalty to some extent but play mixed sets. Now I am a club junkie and have a fun little side project where I am attempting to build

my favorite OEM brand (Ping) full set in a bag (driver to  lw, putter) but with different models. So all Pings but different model irons for example (I210 pw, I500 6-9, glide 3.0 sw/lw, etc).

So far I have lw to 6 iron. Next club is hybrid. But this a backup set and something I wanted to try.

[NM01]

Doesn’t matter. If someone did a full bag fitting for one brand they would be just fine. 
 

What matter is you play what makes you happy and makes you want to play golf or practice

[GolfSpy AFG]

Absolutely doesn't matter.

At the end of the day if you're a fanboy for a particular brand and it makes you happy to have one OEM for all of your sticks, go for it, but don't do it because you're convinced one company has just figured it out and is better than all the others.  No way, and "better" is subjective anyway...what's better for one might not be better for another.  Get fit and play what fits your eye, has you confident over the ball, and works best for you. 

[GolfSpy_APH]

As many have already said it doesn't really matter. A lot of same brand set ups have to do with preferable to a brand and in some cases the fitters preference to a brand. One of the big terms used by MGS is be your own brand. The really holds true in a good fit process where it's unlikely you would get fit into a single brand top to bottom.

That being said depending on where you are in your golfing career and budget sometimes buying a good boxed set (TM and Cobra have had good ones in the past) then slowly upgrading different areas can be a great way to get started. 

For me personally there are certain brands I prefer over others, yet I still carry clubs from a variety because they are what work and are best for me. In the end if it works and I like it I don't really care which company it came from.

[GolfSpy AFG]

21 minutes ago, Apolloshowl said:

For me personally there are certain brands I prefer over others, yet I still carry clubs from a variety because they are what work and are best for me. In the end if it works and I like it I don't really care which company it came from.

If anything for me I have no real brand loyalties, just a few "hell no's" that I won't play.  Primarily, TM.  They never fit the eye, and it's hard for me not to resent some of the marketing shenanigans they seem to be more guilty of than most. 

[StrawberryShortCake]

4 hours ago, MrBandit said:

When I started golfing not too long ago, every bag I saw was the same equipment thru out the bag, Mizuno, Titleist, Callaway, TaylorMade, Ping, Cobra, Wilson, etc.etc.
But now everyone seems to have a mix bag, either one Brand of woods, with another brand of Iron, to Wedges and Hybrids.

SO I have a couple of question;  

1. Does having standard brand name equipment in the  whole bag matters? 
2. With a mix bag of equipment do you feel lack of consistency going from ie. TaylorMade Irons, to Titleist Wedges, to Callaway drivers.etc.?

 

1. It doesn't matter at all, use what works for your game and your swing type.

2. With a mixed bag i'm more consistent, every club in my bag is a club I hit well. I have Callaway, Adams, Cleveland and mizuno's they are all clubs that I know preform well for me and the biggest thing is confidence. When I pull out my wedges I know they are going to do what I want them to do. Not because of a brand but because I have confidence in hitting them.  

[DiscipleofPenick]

The only time I ever saw one brand throughout the bag was caddying at the country club. I think it was pretty standard awhile ago that club pros had more direct relationships with manufacturers and reps. They were expected to be part of the sales team and push the product. My club was a Callaway club, and if you didn't like Callaway you had Ping.

I have all Titleist other than hybrid and putter. But if something else came along that verifiably gave me better stats I'd switch.

I was fit into the driver over Callaway & Taylormade.

The 3 wood was the best price on ebay.

The irons gave the best stats on the monitor at GG over Mizuno & Ping.

The wedges offer the best grinds for my style of play, which is odd. I have a steep attack so I should play high bounce, but I play the lowest I can buy, which is 4* in my 58.


Take Dead Aim

[NM01]

38 minutes ago, Tsmithjr9 said:

think it was pretty standard awhile ago that club pros had more direct relationships with manufacturers and reps.

It’s still pretty common for teaching pros and head pros to have staff deals. It’s probably rare to find one that doesn’t. I can’t think of a pro ive gone to for lessons or saw working at a course that didn’t have a staff deal. Heck my old fitter had one and the current has been offered one several times

[Kenny B]

I've never had a bag with all the same brand.  Came close once with MacGregor in 2004.  If I had known about the MacGregor Bobby Grace putter, I would have.  I even had a MacGregor Staff bag.

[DiscipleofPenick]

I've never had a bag with all the same brand.  Came close once with MacGregor in 2004.  If I had known about the MacGregor Bobby Grace putter, I would have.  I even had a MacGregor Staff bag.

I miss Macgregor. I gamed my V-Foil driver until 2015. My first irons were Nicklaus Muirfield 20th Anny, I still have them too.

Take Dead Aim

[Kenny B]

4 hours ago, Tsmithjr9 said:

I miss Macgregor. I gamed my V-Foil driver until 2015. My first irons were Nicklaus Muirfield 20th Anny, I still have them too.

Take Dead Aim
 

Yes, I still have my V-Foil driver, 3W, hybrids, and irons.  My irons were the V-Foil VIP 1025M muscle backs.  I still use the 7i for practice, but had to change out the shafts since I couldn't hit stiffs anymore.

[Middler]

It seems like most people I know have mixed bags, woods different than irons at least. That said two of the better players in our league bought full sets of Mavrik’s this year (during a promo where they got 150% trade-in on their old sets). I’ve had different brand woods from irons for 40 years.

[NRJyzr]

Overall, agree with the prevailing theme, it's never mattered with respect to one's game.

Personally, I've only operated with one brand related point (never Titleist), generally picking and choosing what worked without regard for the company name stamped on the club.

That said, I will occasionally play an all Ram bag, top to bottom, except for the golf ball.  It's not much of a departure, since I frequently play Ram Tour Grind irons anyway, as well as at least one Ram wedge, and have been playing a heel shafted blade putter most of the season; easy to swap in the TW Custom or Wizard 600 with little adjustment.  Add a couple persimmons and off we go.  

[BIG STU]

1 hour ago, NRJyzr said:

Overall, agree with the prevailing theme, it's never mattered with respect to one's game.

Personally, I've only operated with one brand related point (never Titleist), generally picking and choosing what worked without regard for the company name stamped on the club.

That said, I will occasionally play an all Ram bag, top to bottom, except for the golf ball.  It's not much of a departure, since I frequently play Ram Tour Grind irons anyway, as well as at least one Ram wedge, and have been playing a heel shafted blade putter most of the season; easy to swap in the TW Custom or Wizard 600 with little adjustment.  Add a couple persimmons and off we go.  

Never has mattered to me either I play what works. Now you will get a kick out of this right before I got hurt I played an all Macgregor vintage bag but then again you could say it was mixed the woods were a different year from the irons and the putter was an Iron Master remake from the 80s. 

[NRJyzr]

27 minutes ago, BIG STU said:

Never has mattered to me either I play what works. Now you will get a kick out of this right before I got hurt I played an all Macgregor vintage bag but then again you could say it was mixed the woods were a different year from the irons and the putter was an Iron Master remake from the 80s. 

 

I don't think the different years matter, it's all MacGregor.  

[BMart519]

It never mattered... I don't think there has ever been an emphasis that your fairway woods should match your irons or putter. With all of the utility clubs and new construction techniques you could very easily have 5+ different types of clubs in the bag - Driver, fairways, hybrid, irons, wedges. Other than irons/wedges none of those clubs play the same and you could game a driving iron which was different from the rest of the set. One could argue you should be spec'ing out wedges with different bounces and grinds to help with shot your iron set struggles with. 

[HardcoreLooper]

Not only has it never mattered, it's been fairly rare to see a single-brand bag as long as I can remember. I caddied for nearly a decade in the late 80s - early 90s, and maybe a couple of our members carried a single brand. Even our pro, who was on staff with TM, carried Wilson JP2 wedges. 

The closest I ever came to a single brand bag was during the Cobra Connect Challenge 2. And I basically have up on hitting hybrids, because I didn't like the Cobra hybrid. As soon as the challenge ended, I pulled it out of the bag. 

Every club in the bag needs to have a role, and every club needs to earn its place. Nothing gets in there because I'm brand loyal. 

The amount of Cobra in my current bag makes me keep looking for something better. 

[TeeBrain]

To me, it matters not one bit. I think I have six different club brands in my bag right now.

[PMookie]

I’ve been playing over 40 years, and not once have I had one brand throughout the bag. Personally, I’m not sure it was ever a “thing”, to be honest...

[BostonSal]

I find that mixed brand equipment is more common that a unified brand throughout.

 

[NM01]

10 hours ago, Riverboat said:

Were you playing with other beginners? Just asking because those are about the only ones I see with a single brand, usually because they buy a package set. Other than that situation, I only know one person who has a single brand bag. He's like a walking advertisement for Callaway pre-owned.

I play with a bunch of random people who aren’t beginners who have single brand bags. Some because of brand loyalty, others because they had a club or set of clubs they liked and bought clubs from that brand to fill out their bag.

I’ve had single brand bag on multiple occasions 

[drb1956]

Let's see..I have Ping, Callaway, Snake Eyes, Giga Golf, Cleveland, and a Top Flite ball. So, I have 5 different brands of clubs in my bag, but it feels "seamless" to me when I play. I have lucked out that the feel of my clubs is all pretty much the same, as I have gotten used to this. I will be playing this bag for quite a while. I am big on "feel" when I try new clubs. If I am not comfortable when trying, even after hitting 10-15 balls, not buying it. It was once suggested I try a "tour" version of a driver. Felt like I was swinging a 2x4! It had a "stiff" shaft. I don't swing fast enough for a stiff. Went back to the "regular" version, felt really good, had a great price(demo), and I played that driver for 10 years. So, I am brand agnostic, except my wedges! MUST be Cleveland!! It's a confidence thing with me to play these wedges. Currently gaming CBX2's, 50, 54, 58...

[RoverRick]

The only reason I can see to playing the same brand of everything is if you are being paid to do that.