We All Have That One Club...

[Tarheelvolvo]

Golf Digest just had an article about emotional attachment to clubs and the dangers it my pose to your game...and maybe your health!

https://www.golfdigest.com/story/emotional-attachment-golf-club-editors-letter

I know I have personally been guilty of hanging on to a club for far too long - pick your reason why, but often times the sentimentality negatively impacted my game, especially as my swing has changed over the years. The old Ping Persimmon Woods that I used to be able to absolutely crush come to mind...on the flip side, I'm still rocking my Ping Anser putter and haven't found anything that provides the same consistency.

What do you guys think?

[Micah T]

I’m a club ho, but I’m more of a “what have you done for me lately” kind of club ho. I stated not 3 weeks ago that I hadn’t hit another driver since getting my custom shaft for my Ping LST, then promptly contradicted myself by ordering a PXG 0211. I have zero loyalty


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[BIG STU]

Loaded question for me--- I never hardly get rid of anything---- I have my Old Man's set of 1962 FC 4000 Macs which I played some growing up----- Still have a 60s Mac Ironmaster putter I got in like 72 or so which has a long story to it in itself. Still have my Original circa 1972 Ping Anser which was a demo in my Old Man's Pro shop. Oh I could go on about just the sentimental clubs I have had for 30 years or more--- Like I said I hardly get rid of anything----- Ask John Smalls he has been around my place but even he has not seen all

[Herts JoaTMoN]

lack of space means i always have to be pretty ruthless about what i keep and what i move on. I'm hoping to find that one true love putter this year though which is my main focus at the moment. Everything else in my main gamer bag is fair game though.

I think the closest thing i have to a forever club is my 26* steel shafted adams a12 pro hybrid. will always be in or around my bag to the point where i have to build the rest of my set around it to ensure i still get the right gapping. Only comes out of the bag in high winds where i put a 6 iron in its place.

[Tarheelvolvo]

1 hour ago, Herts JoaTMoN said:

lack of space means i always have to be pretty ruthless about what i keep and what i move on. I'm hoping to find that one true love putter this year though which is my main focus at the moment. Everything else in my main gamer bag is fair game though.

I think the closest thing i have to a forever club is my 26* steel shafted adams a12 pro hybrid. will always be in or around my bag to the point where i have to build the rest of my set around it to ensure i still get the right gapping. Only comes out of the bag in high winds where i put a 6 iron in its place.

We might be able to help you out on that front later this year

[Middler]

I don’t replace clubs often, but I’ve never felt the need to hold on to a club when I’m upgrading. But I know people who do, and I can understand it. One of my buds has all new Mavrik metals and irons, but he has a favorite old PIng Eye2 beryllium wedge that he won’t let go of because it works for him. I also know lots of guys who haven’t replaced their putters in decades.

I’m the opposite of those who hold on to clubs, I’m determined to get rid of clubs that aren’t in my bag as soon they’ve definitely lost their spot in my bag. Just sold an ER2, MP-20 HMB 3i and Oban Devotion driver shaft so I have 14 clubs and that’s it.

And I’ve always believed when my game deserts me (often), odds are overwhelmingly it’s the operator and not the equipment anyway...

[cnosil]

I don’t have an emotional attachment to any of my clubs. I am generally willing to change anything provided there will be an upside in performance.

[juspoole]

8 minutes ago, Middler said:

I’m the opposite of those who hold on to clubs, I’m determined to get rid of clubs that aren’t in my bag as soon they’ve definitely lost their spot in my bag

I'm the same way.  I wouldn't be buying the new club unless it was somehow better than the one it's replacing.  Be it, distance, forgiveness, feel, or aesthetic or most likely a combination or all of those factors.

I do have my Scotty Cameron Pro Platinum putter, but that's more if I want to go back to a blade rather than mallet style putter.  I doubt it at this point with the ease i find a mallet gives for alignment, but you never know.  

[Tarheelvolvo]

59 minutes ago, cnosil said:

I don’t have an emotional attachment to any of my clubs. I am generally willing to change anything provided there will be an upside in performance.

Do you find a point of diminishing returns with this approach? EG: you're spending more money than it's worth to eek that last bit of performance out of your setup?

[cnosil]

Do you find a point of diminishing returns with this approach? EG: you're spending more money than it's worth to eek that last bit of performance out of your setup?

Not really, because I don’t feel like I change things that often. Probably change more since that I became a most wanted tester and get to test everything side by side and even against my current clubs.

The frugal side of me keeps me in check and prevents the chasing Of small improvements. I also sell and buy used at a local shop or on forums to minimize spending. The testing aspect
also shows that for me there isn’t a big performance improvement with new equipment. my game tells me that equipment improvements aren’t going to magically give me a scratch handicap.

That said, if I perceive a benefit I’ll throw something new in the bag; there aren’t any clubs that are “untouchable”. But I am not a chase the latest and greatest to experiment with possible improvement. I talk myself out of a lot of golf purchases.

Hope that all makes sense.

[Herts JoaTMoN]

42 minutes ago, GolfSpy_THV said:

Do you find a point of diminishing returns with this approach? EG: you're spending more money than it's worth to eek that last bit of performance out of your setup?

[Edit: Whoops i mistook this as a reply to me. haha]

To a degree... I always buy used and am pretty good at setting spending limits and setting up searches under those perameters. I then do A vs B testing and then the loser goes back in to the wild. I find I usually end up making a small profit as well using this method and each time dial in my perfect specs closer and closer. Shaft weights, lie angles, sole grinds etc. it all gets locked away in my head as i approach my golfing perfection. As I get closer to what I think works best for me then the performance gains get more about feel and looks than actual gain in numbers.

My swing on the other hand, doesnt see much of these benefits at the moment, 2 years ago I was flat out with work and hardly got to play or practice and this last year has been mostly in lock down in the uk. I'm hoping to get out there a lot this summer and put a big dent in my handicap with the practice i have been doing at home.

Edited March 16, 2021 by Herts JoaTMoN

[Herts JoaTMoN]

3 hours ago, GolfSpy_THV said:

We might be able to help you out on that front later this year

If by that you mean find my forever putter, then i am all ears. I have moved into arm lock, so options are limited plus im in the uk so which limits my options even further in terms of trying clubs in store and getting fit

[Tarheelvolvo]

3 hours ago, Herts JoaTMoN said:

If by that you mean find my forever putter, then i am all ears. I have moved into arm lock, so options are limited plus im in the uk so which limits my options even further in terms of trying clubs in store and getting fit

Ah, understand the limitations. We have some cool Member Test lined up this year and i'm pretty sure there will be at least one Putter test...maybe two We'll see about the Intl Shipping piece, though!

[GolfSpy_SHARK]

0% loyalty to a club. Closest thing I had was my 60* trusty rusty that I had for several years, super versatile for me but even that fell to a nice set of CBX2's and then those fell quickly after my swing had changed since my fitting to some beautiful SM7's.

My driver was swapped at the drop of a hat for more consistency even after having multiple PB's with it. I think the only thing I could be loyal to is a putter, still have not found "the one" in the putter department though. my O-Works 1W has helped me really improve my putting but I am ready for the next fit.

[DiscipleofPenick]

I've had the same 58 & 54 in my bag for about a decade. Not the club itself, but the same make, model, etc. Pry these Vokeys from my cold dead hands.

Take Dead Aim

[cnosil]

2 hours ago, GolfSpy_THV said:

 We have some cool Member Test lined up this year 

You opened yourself up to the question so I will ask; but pretty sure I know the answer     

What tests are lined up?

[GolfSpy_SHARK]

25 minutes ago, cnosil said:

You opened yourself up to the question so I will ask; but pretty sure I know the answer     

What tests are lined up?

“Stick around and find out”’ 
“who wants to know?”

Insert all sayings here

[GolfSpy BOS]

No real loyalty to any club.  Even before I was selected for #CCC4 I had moved through some clubs and wanted to hit new stuff.  If something performs better I'll sell the old and get the new. 

Now that being said, I had a Cleveland Hibore 4-Hybrid with a regular flex made-for shaft that stayed in my bag for WAYYYYY longer than it should have.  Problem was it just kept hitting great shots and was gapped nicely with my longest iron.  That one was a case of if it ain't broke...

That being said... I was also happy to move on once I found a better fit.  

 

[HardcoreLooper]

Check my signature for what's in timeout and what's replacing them.  There's no reason whatsoever that I should have S2H2's in my bag, but they keep finding their way back in.  I just hit them so well.

[aerospace_ray]

I have one club-a putter that I play on certain type fast greens/bent grass and its a hand made T.P. MILLS #12 by David Mills that I would never sell.

Other than that one putter all other clubs i game are subject to be benched or sold.

I do collect clubs that I won't sell and my son's first junior sets I would never sell.

Also I buy many used clubs to reshaft, experiment with that eventually I sell or give to some that are just learning to play or that may not be able to afford a set of clubs.

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[KOMalley8313]

I still have the original Taylormade Rescue Mid TP in my bag. 16* that replaces the 3 wood for me. I haven’t found a 3 wood that I can hit more consistently and until I do the trusty Rescue will stay in the bag. Stingers off the tee, second shots into par 5, it’s solid from the fairway or the rough.