Unofficial Review: Short Par 4 Subscription

[goaliewales14 1,664]

I'm sure many of you have would have seen the subscription service called "Short Par 4."  If not, it is a subscription service where you can pick from 4 different membership to receive golf related appear or accessories each month.  They were running a special on their subscriptions, so I thought I would give it a try!

Memberships

Fairway Membership:

This is the cheapest male subscription.  It is $54.95/month, and you will most likely receive 2-3 apparel items such as 1/4 zip pullovers, polos, pants, shorts, etc.  

Executive Membership:

This is the most expensive male subscription.  It is $109.95/month, and this will unlock brands such as Ralph Lauren, Travis Mathew, Greyson, etc.  

Magnolia Membership:

This is the female subscription.  It is $99.00/month, and you will receive items such as shirts, skirts, dress, etc.

Glove Membership:

This is a golf glove only subscription.  It is $15/glove per month.  You can choose between all white or color gloves.

 

Getting Started

The process to start these memberships is very simple!  You take a "styling quiz" the is composed of 5 sections:

• Gender
• Subscription
• Style
  • Athletic 
    • Solid colors, subtle textures, strips, deep tones
    • Examples being Dustin Johnson, Zach Johnson
  • Loud and Wild
    • Bold, Strong, and Fun
    • Examples being Rickie Fowler
  • Traditional
    • Solids, Ultra-subtle textures
    • Examples being Matt Kuchar, Fred Couples
  • All Styles
• Sizing
  • Shirt
  • Pants
  • Shoes
  • Hat
  • Glove
  • Glove hand
• Additional
  • Handicap
  • How Often You Play
  • Putter Type
  • Ball Preference
  • Wedge Preference

Once you've answered all those questions, it takes you to the shopping cart to check out and your first box will be shipped at the 1st of the next month.  The selections I made were to go with the Fairway subscription and the "Athletic" style.

 

Review

Delivery:

The delivery was super quick!  It came within 3 days and was in a large bag like the ones below. 

 

I received 2 items, 1/4 zip pullover and polo.  Both of which were from the brand 1764.  The packaging was very good!  They were each in their own ziplock bags, with cardboard in them to make the presentable.  I will have to say when I first opened them, I was very disappointed at the style though.

I went back through my subscription to ensure that I chose "Athletic" style and not "Loud and Wild" as both of these items seemed like Rickie more than DJ.  The 1/4 I wasn't mad at, but it wasn't something I would have bought in store.  The polo, however, was definitely not my style, nor would I ever wear it.  I was very confused how this article of clothing would fit the description that I selected.  I will note that the size and fit, were both spot on for what I selected.

Returns

With polo not being something I'd ever wear, I decided to try their returns process.  I noticed on the website they had a section called, "The Vault."  In there, it appears there were previous items that were left over, or possibly returns, that you could purchase.  My first initial guess was I could just exchange the polo for another one, as I saw that same polo in The Vault listed at $53.95 if you were to purchase it off their website.  I went through there "Mulligan" process, which is what they call their returns.  It was a very quick form to fill out online to get a prepaid packing label to send back the item(s) you didn't want.  When they received the item(s), they then evaluate the condition, to ensure you didn't wear, or damage, them anyway to give you money back.  If they do suspect the items have be worn/used, they will only credit back 20% rather than 100%.  Here is where I should have done more research!  When I saw 100%, I was thinking the $53.95 that they were advertising in The Vault.  In fact, "The value you receive will reflect the paid value of the subscription for the items shipped back to SP4 of the current month's package."  The go on to list a few examples that I'll share below.

• Example of Fairway Subscription receiving a Polo, Hat & Glove
  • Paid amount of $54.95
    • Shirt Value: 70% = $38.46
    • Hat Value: 15% = $8.24
    • Glove Value: 15% = $8.24
  • Paid amount of $27.48
    • Shirt Value: 70% = $19.24
    • Hat Value: 15% = $4.11
    • Glove Value: 15% = $4.11

I only found this out, when I went to my credits, or "SP4 Bucks" as they call them, in my account only 3250.  For them 100 SP4 Bucks equals $1, so I only received $32.50 back.  I figured ok let's just go ahead and spend the $32 on the account and call it a day.  It would be an extra $5 in shipping because I'm not ordering anything over $100.  They had a 3 pack of Nike belts and an Arnold Palmer divot tool that was going to total $37, so I was like, "Let's do it."  When I went to go pay, and use my credits, they don't allow you to use all of your credits at 1 times.  For the amount I was at, I could only use $25 worth.  The SP4 bucks could only be redeemed for coupons in $5 increments, and once you got to $25, it skipped to $50.  You can also only use 1 coupon per order, so if I wanted both items, I would have to make 2 separate transactions causing me to pay double the shipping.  I went ahead and tried to just buy the belts as they were only 24.95, but since their total was not exactly $25 or greater, I couldn't use the coupon.  They cut off the prices on every item so you have to go well over the coupon to use them.  Either that, you have to complain to customer service to even try to make it work.

Cancellation

With everything going on, I decided to just cancel the subscription and cut my loses.  Of course, they make it so you have to either call, or chat, with a customer service rep to cancel your subscription.  You cannot go into your account and just cancel it on your own.  We all know what that means, "We're sorry about your decision, but here's XX% off your next order so you'll stay."  After a few attempts to keep me to stay, I was finally able to cancel it.

Overall Review

For the value of $55, or less if you have a code, getting a 1/4 zip pull over and a polo from a good brand like 1764 is a really good price.  However, it seems like the styling of what they send you could be greatly off.  I don't know if that's due to logistical concerns that are happening right now, or if that's just an issue on their end with what they pick to go into your box.  I was also disappointed that you just couldn't swap for a similar priced item within their store.  That you could only get a discounted price off another item and not the full amount that they rewarded to your account.  Overall, I would only try this again if I could get the subscription down to about $20, but would most likely cancel it after that promotion just due to the concerns I saw with this box.  

[cksurfdude 10,910]

Thx for that rundown. Personally, I'm not inclined to try any subscription apparel services .. 

I like shopping for deals on my own. And picking my own styles, I def tend to the more conservative side .. so I hear ya / feel ya on what you'd received!