Unofficial Review: Short Par 4 Subscription

[goaliewales14]

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]

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!

[Pnwdrivr]

Don’t bother.  Vast majority of what they ship is the overpriced stuff from their in house brands to make it seem like value.  You rarely see the real brand names they highlight like RLX or Travis Matthew, especially with the executive package. Best they did was a few Greg Norman items and Bobby Jones (whoever wears that…)

[goaliewales14]

3 hours ago, Pnwdrivr said:

Don’t bother.  Vast majority of what they ship is the overpriced stuff from their in house brands to make it seem like value.  You rarely see the real brand names they highlight like RLX or Travis Matthew, especially with the executive package. Best they did was a few Greg Norman items and Bobby Jones (whoever wears that…)

Looking at their "Vault" which is made up of left over items, or returns, from their most recent boxes, they had Under Armour, Oakley, and Callaway.  While yes you are not guaranteed that you will get certain brands at every time, but in the course of a year it is highly likely that you will see those brands at some point.  One of the main points of subscription services like these is to allow you to try new brands/products.  I had never heard of 1764 before my trial and their quality is actually really good!  My only issue was the styling of products that I received.  Because of this trial run that I did, if I saw 1764 products elsewhere, I would definitely give them a look!

[MyWifesSwingCoach]

On 4/14/2022 at 6:55 PM, cksurfdude said:

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!

I definitely agree with @cksurfdude, I prefer to find my own deals.

But... I noticed this when I went to check out "The Vault". After everone talking about Cam Smiths routine with a putting mirror, $14.95 doesn't sound like too bad of a deal.

 

I do appreciate how detailed you were about your experience though, so Thank you @goaliewales14 for you review!

 

Update: I figured I would look at Amazon... Needless to say there are a few putting mirrors there for the same price lol

[Lick2X]

no respect for these people at shot4par.

canceled my subscription by texting a string of bots which took forever as they just keep asking if you want some more discounts. Finally after I managed to cancel my subscription they had me pay again for next months! So I talk to the useless bots again until finally I could reach a representative who still I needed to text, said they couldn’t refund my money and could do nothing for me other than to look into what next months box would be. They’ll drain every penny you have. Shady business. 

[Savini72]

I got one month and had the same experience with the “Athletic” style. They sent me , both 1764, a bright purple/ yellow polo and a bright green/ yellow 1/4 zip. Gave the polo to my friend and wore the 1/4 zip once when I played last year and the Masters were on. 
 

I prefer to find better deals online or at my local stores. SP4 is a cool idea, but definitely didn’t suit me.

I also tried the Mulligan box, again a one and done for me. Thankfully most of these places do a decent discount code for first time Buyers!

[Cagolfer]

I am a little late to the party, but I agree with the lack of overall value in the packages.  I have had an executive package for a year now, and there have been some good pieces, but also a lot of duds.  For every Penguin or Travis Matthew item, there are 5 house brands or items I would not wear.  Also, how many pairs of black golf pants can one person reasonably own.   I find myself returning about half of the packages due to sizing or just not vibing with the products.  I also do not go through clothing as much and now find myself with an abundance of golf clothing that I do not wear very often due to putting stuff in the rotation.  A lot of the time, there are ShortPar4 tshirts and hats that I end up donating.  If you can get a trial code or a discount, it is worth the gamble to try and get something different, but it is not worth a reoccurring subscription. 

[ACalling]

Subscription service models are always about the gamble, for them to send something of real value with the Penguin/Travis/UA level brand so that you stay on the hook for another month. I am surprised that with the different tier options that there arent any options to do a quarterly or semi-annual model. As @Cagolfer says, how many black pants do you need? At least an option to just skip a month might even help. 

Thank you for the review. Always good to get the honest feedback!

[PIJoe]

Thanks for this review. I was thinking about trying SP4, but have always thought that subscription services were just unnecessary. Thank you for shocking me back to reality. It seems like it's really just an overrun/unsold clearinghouse for the most part sending the shirts and stuff that the respective companies couldn't sell originally.

 

[hbetts]

I have never once seen a subscription service like this that is actually a good value. It seems like their entire business model relies on people forgetting to cancel their subscription, or making it too hard for most people to bother with. 

[StrokerAce]

Like @goaliewales14 I got a discount code and figured I'd give it a shot after watching a few 'unboxing' videos on youtube. 
The stuff looked halfway decent and I figured I could just cancel if it wasn't for me.

A *very* long story short: I finally was able to cancel after numerous attempts. I still have the shirts and wear them and they're not bad but the stuff is overpriced and I received some things that didn't match up with the "athletic" description. They continue to spam me to this day begging me to come back. Their entire business model seems to be to get subscribers and their customer service is absolutely non-existent.

as an aside:

I'm also very leery about subscription services, but I found this coffee sub on wirecutter that is top notch. The coffee is great, comes quickly, is affordable and best of all you can skip or pause your subscription quickly and easily. They make it VERY easy to find once you log in and this sub service is absolutely worth it to me. https://atlascoffeeclub.com/

[ashelton0509]

I had the executive box subscription for about a year and a half. Started out great. Awesome Penguin polo, Callaway pants, nice leather belt, sleeve of TP5 balls and I don’t recall the 5th item (probably a bag of tees). The first few boxes were similar in that I received quality items from reputable brands such as Dunning, Under Armour, Swannies. They’d also add in some lesser known brands which I mostly liked. After about 6 months, the boxes got worse each month. Stopped getting premium brands. Started getting a lot of SP4 brand hats and apparel. TP5 sleeve of balls turned into Srixon Z-stars. Have enough tees to last my family for generations. Got sent duplicate items on several occasions (same pair of WHITE pants, same polo). It was nice at first but after a few months it lost its value. 

[StrokerAce]

27 minutes ago, ashelton0509 said:

I had the executive box subscription for about a year and a half. Started out great. Awesome Penguin polo, Callaway pants, nice leather belt, sleeve of TP5 balls and I don’t recall the 5th item (probably a bag of tees). The first few boxes were similar in that I received quality items from reputable brands such as Dunning, Under Armour, Swannies. They’d also add in some lesser known brands which I mostly liked. After about 6 months, the boxes got worse each month. Stopped getting premium brands. Started getting a lot of SP4 brand hats and apparel. TP5 sleeve of balls turned into Srixon Z-stars. Have enough tees to last my family for generations. Got sent duplicate items on several occasions (same pair of WHITE pants, same polo). It was nice at first but after a few months it lost its value. 

what happened when you reached out to them about the quality of the items and duplicates? 
I found their customer service to be very poor. 

[Jake L.]

This was absolutely an awful experience. Nothing in my first box was worth keeping. Upon a return, the “sp bucks” they provided barely covered a pair of socks. Then I ordered two different golf shirts - neither of which turned out to be in stock.  It’s been a hassle for over a month getting the value I have spent on short par 4. Most definitely do not recommend.

[Scott 14]

I'm annoyed that I have to even give this a star when leaving a review elsewhere. If there was an option for zero stars, that's what this gang would get from me. So, I'll start this by saying "my fault'. Why/How on Earth can a company that charges $60 a month possibly be able to send golfers quality gear? I went down the same road with 'My Golf Locker' who were not nearly as bad as Short Par 4. What I was just sent would have received the exact same reaction if it was a steaming pile of dog s***. Non-branded spike less shoes that are some turgid black grey nothing color, with the addition of the same non-branded 3 pairs of socks...equally as nondescript and woeful. I will NEVER make this mistake again of being too lazy to shop in a store myself, and to think that these reasonably well established selection box service providers actually have anything of worth to send me.

Edited October 12, 2023 by Scott 14
missed something out

[YasmineWest]

Thanks for sharing your insights into Short Par 4. It's always exciting to explore subscription services, especially when they're tailored to our interests like golf. The Fairway Membership option sounds like a great deal, providing 2-3 apparel items monthly at an affordable price. Your review gives a clear picture of what to expect, which is helpful for anyone considering signing up.
If you're into golf apparel, you might want to check out Sport Tek clothing too. They offer a wide range of stylish and functional sportswear that could complement your golfing wardrobe.

Edited March 25 by YasmineWest

[Southpaw99]

Just for everyone’s information this was my March package. I have been a member for a few years. I still like the service it gives me golf apparel you don’t see at our local golf store. And as far as value I still ahead of the game. But the odd time there is some not so good items. But I recommend going 9 months and then you can opt out for three months.