Rate Deciding Factors - Gaming It vs Passin On It

[MDyer21]

Golf can be tought at times. A game that seems so easy can really piss you off it you let it. The times when you press and try even harder are usually the times when the wheels fall completely off. But many golfers have an easy answer to an age old question

? = Why am i playing so poorly?

A = It has to be the clubs!

 

Being lefty from a fairly small golf market, i have little if any knowledge of exactly how the clubs i am purchasing will perform. So i usually have to go with my gut and hope all of the homework i have done on various forums etc. will pay off.

 

Below i would just like for everybody to rate how much of each of the following you base your purchase on. Also if anybody would like to include some more options to rate that would be cool to.

 

Rating System : 1-10 --- 1 = Absolutely No Influence 5 = Gaining Some Ground 10 = Greatly Influenced

 

Clubs:

1. The Look of the Clubs -- Finish, Shape, Etc.

2. The Brand of the Clubs -- Titleist, TM, Ping Etc.

3. The Buzz Surrounding a Club -- How many people are Talking about this bad boy

4. The Marketing Claims Made in Advertisment -- Straighter, Longer, Etc.

5. What your Friends are gaming -- Some of us are followers and that is ok, just don't copy me stuff! ha

6. What you might Know/Be led to believe the tour players are using

7. Whether a club says its TOUR ISSUE

8. Stock Shaft Offerings

9. Upcharge Shaft Offerings

10. What Club you best believe will help to improve your game

11. What Club you want to play, but might not be best suited for you

12. How good of a deal it is

 

 

My ratings are as follows:

1. 9 - I am average to slightly above average golfer, so i want to drink some beers, have fun with my friends, and look good doing it.

 

2. 7 - Started off as a strictly Taylor Made guy when i started playing (4 years ago) but now i go for best suited clubs that appeal to me. (910 Driver,Adamps Pro A12 Hybrid, Adams Pro A12 Irons, Cleveland & Vokey Wedges, Cameron Putter, Possibly a TM or Cobra FW, )

 

3. 6 - I would say i am more into products that appeal to me based on looks more than anything. Might try the new RBZ becuase i really like the white, TM's are usually pretty long, but the name is retarded!

 

4. 5 - Clubs can't improve every 6 months or everybody would hit it 300 and never miss a fairway. I feel sorry for Tour players in Commericals that have to lie to their fans. New Club A isn't 15 yards as long as Club B from the End of last season...How do they sleep at night -- O Yea many of them are millionaires. ha

 

5. 5 - I could care less. One of my friends is a PGA pro so he is constantly changing and more willing to player stuff that isn't as popular with the masses. He also gets stuff at cost that i would have to sell kidneys to be able to afford.

 

6. 8 - Bought my 910 because Rory, Rickie, and Adam Scott were gaming it, but also liked it better than everything else i got to try out. (Had DEMO's available for very few clubs: Ping G15, TM R11, Adams 9064)

 

7. 8 - Like it is as conversation piece or something that your buddy is more than likely not ever going to show up with one day.

 

8. 9 - Hopefully it is a good to great stock offering

 

9. 4 - Probably will go with stock until i get comfortable, or get so frustrated that i eventually have to resort to a new one from Ebay.

 

10. 9 - I realize that most of my strokes are lost from 100 yards and in. I don't need super game improvement cavity backs, but i am ok with the fact that my hands probably couldn't stand a whole round with Blades.

 

11. 8 - I usually just go with my gut and buy what suits my eyes best and also the needs i have. When i started out playing, i was buying stuff that i had no reason buying, like say a 1 degree open driver, when i already had a cut/slice swing.

 

12. 9 - If it is something i was looking into, interested in, or planning on purchasing soon i will jump on a bargain. As much as golf balls are these days, i have to penny pinch anywhere i can! ha

 

I look forward to seeing what the rest of the you have to say on the subject.

[Matt Saternus]

1. The Look of the Clubs: 7 for driver, FW, 8.5 for hybrid, 10 for irons, wedges, and putter. There are certain things I like and certain things I don't, and with so many clubs out there, why compromise?

 

2. The Brand of the Clubs: 3. More on the "negative" side than the positive. There are a couple brands that I have not cared for historically. That said, if they flat out perform, they're in the bag.

 

3. The Buzz Surrounding a Club: 0. I'd almost prefer to play stuff people aren't talking about (though that would never keep me from playing a good club).

 

4. The Marketing Claims Made in Advertisment: 0.

 

5. What your Friends are gaming: 0. I don't have a lot of friends who golf, and, if they do, they ask me what to play, not the other way around. (Yes, I know that sounds obnoxious. I don't mean it that way, it just is what it is.)

 

6. What you might Know/Be led to believe the tour players are using: 0. I am not a tour player.

 

7. Whether a club says its TOUR ISSUE: 0. See above

 

8. Stock Shaft Offerings 9. Upcharge Shaft Offerings: Not really sure how to deal with these. In irons, virtually every OEM offers KBS Tour, so it's not a big issue. With the driver, it's hard to say. If the stock shaft is great for me, then that's a slam dunk. If it's not, I'm taking a leap of faith that I can find a shaft to pair it up with that will make it work well. Overall, not sure what to score this.

 

10. What Club you best believe will help to improve your game: 10.

 

11. What Club you want to play, but might not be best suited for you: 1. I know there are things out there that I want that simply don't fit me. I think about them from time to time, but never pull the trigger.

 

12. How good of a deal it is: 8. There are plenty of things I would buy for the right price.

 

Nice questions, I enjoyed thinking about that. I look forward to seeing some other people's thoughts.

[bcgolf]

1. 8 Offcourse I have to like the look of the club. Can make some compromises if results are fabulous, but who wants to play hideous clubs ?

 

2. 6 Brand is somewhat important-ish, from an ego/image perspective (I know it shouldn't be, but at least I'm being honest)

 

3. 1 Buzz, don't care how many people are talking about it

 

4. 1 Marketing Claims, don't care about that, I buy a club when I see a proven gain for me, marketing claims can be reason for investigation though, to see if they are valid for me.

 

5. 1 I like to know what my Friends are gaming because I like golf and golf gear, but that doensn't influence my decisions

 

6. 1 What you might Know/Be led to believe the tour players are using. Maybe I'm overstating it, but generally, what they are playing is not for sale for mere mortals, nor would it necesseraly be wise for us to play it.

 

7. 1 Whether a club says its TOUR ISSUE .. same comment as previous topic

 

8. 5 Stock Shaft Offerings .. clubs should be custom fit

 

9. 5 Upcharge Shaft Offerings .. clubs should be custom fit

 

10. 10 What Club you best believe will help to improve your game .. the game is hard enough as it is, I need the best tools for my job

 

 

11. 5 What Club you want to play, but might not be best suited for you .. Honestly I'm constantly torn between what I like lookswise (CB) versus what I should play as a high handicapper.

 

 

12. 5 How good of a deal it is .. price is important, my budget is not without limits, but I'm not bargain hunting either

[MDyer21]

I understand that only about 60-75% of the equipment on tour ever makes it down to the weekend warriors, but most of the stuff used on tour isn't any harder to hit than your better player clubs on the market. I'm not saying that there are many people out there that need a 7.5 degree driver. As mentioned above, being fit is a very important aspect to look at when trying to improve your game or fine tune your club selection. However, some of us either lack the available equipment or are just to cheap (myself) to waste resources for this important part of the club selection process.

 

I am a firm believer that the most beneficial aspect of being on tour is mainly the 30-40 yards of roll, perfectly rolling greens, 300 pound spectators 15 yards off the fairway willing to take a ball to the chest to save you a stroke, and a guy carrying your bag that know every blade of grass on a course. As far as clubs, i think the tour issue shafts that never make it to market are pretty beneficial also. I would love to try out the Rombax that Rory uses, but i don't see me ever getting my hands on one.

[Dave]

Price, the driver is saturated so few of the driver are actually significantly better than the rest. So why pay a premium for it. And the Looks. I have to like the way they look, if they're ugly it doesn't matter how good I hit them, I'm not buying them.

 

All the others. I don't really care. As long as the flex is around about right I'm good to go.

[Blownfuse]

Perfect timing for this thread. Since I'm looking to completely change out my bag....(still playin' my original TA's)...and even though I talk to myself frequently....I never really thought to ask myself these questions.

 

Rating System : 1-10 --- 1 = Absolutely No Influence 5 = Gaining Some Ground 10

The Look of the Clubs -- Finish, Shape, Etc.

Absolute 10....Ya just can't play ugly.

2. The Brand of the Clubs -- Titleist, TM, Ping Etc.

Gotta be a 1....I joined this site looking for players insights. Just look at WITB for the members here,,,,Everything from soup to nuts...You won't here "Baaaaaa" coming outta my mouth....Performance, that's the ticket.

3. The Buzz Surrounding a Club -- How many people are Talking about this bad boy

Another 1.......Buzz sounds alot like "Baaaaaa"...

4. The Marketing Claims Made in Advertisment -- Straighter, Longer, Etc.

1 again....everyone one knows marketing is a 2 drink minimum....of course I'm a cynic.

5. What your Friends are gaming -- Some of us are followers and that is ok, just don't copy me stuff! ha

1...My friends change equipment like I change shoes...

6. What you might Know/Be led to believe the tour players are using

1....Until I start playin' to a +3 it doesn't really matter.

7. Whether a club says its TOUR ISSUE

Again 1......I'm selfish.....I want what's best for me...

8. Stock Shaft Offerings

8.......Shafts can always be changed.....and even though I'll spend whatever to best fit my game....

I still like to be as economical as possible.....Choices are good!!

9. Upcharge Shaft Offerings

8......This allows for more customization.....see #8

10. What Club you best believe will help to improve your game

5....You'll never know what to believe until you hit it...only your fitter can help you make solid decisions.

11. What Club you want to play, but might not be best suited for you

5.....I have an idea what fits my eye.....after that we're back to performance....with the choices today

there should be no issues finding a good compromise between what you like and what works best for you.

12. How good of a deal it is

8....Set your budget and then live with it.....Are you willing to play a set that's 1 or 2 yrs. back....or does it

have to be the latest and greatest...I see driver tech changing faster than iron tech. Good deals are out

there if your willing to do your homework.

 

Thanks MDyer21.....good stufff....