Confession Corner - Admit Your Golf Equipment Biases

[Subdiver1]

1 hour ago, revkev said:

@Subdiver1- fair enough. And thanks for the compliment.I did end up gaming a Mizuno driver for three seasons when I had a grand agnostic fitting. That stupid thing ooojed like a pancake and sounded worse. Played the best golf of my life with it. 
 

Are or were you actually on subs? My son was a Nuke. 8 year veteran. Your answer was reminiscent of one he might give. 

Afternoon.  You're welcome, nothing undeserved IMO.  I miss my Mizuno irons, but I halved my handicap after an agnostic fitting.  For the life of me I ild the fitter that Callaway was off the table (talk about bias, but honestly that was from prior experience so was is bias, or objective evidence supporting preference?  But, you get the point), but almost ended up in the forged Apex because the fitting showed they were almost as consistent for me as the P790s, talk about a kick in the preconceived notion-preference pants.

I hit a Mizuno driver a couple of years back at a tour day event at our local course, I actually was in intrigued, but not enough to switch.  Anyway, appreciate the response and open dialogue.

LOL!  I was a boat Sailor, 22-years, but I wasn't a Nuke. In his vernacular I was a Coner.  I hope you guys get to play rounds together, it can be a great family experience. Ad you folks have some really great courses in that area.  Thank him for his sacrifice.  

Cheers!

 

[revkev]

1 hour ago, Subdiver1 said:

Afternoon.  You're welcome, nothing undeserved IMO.  I miss my Mizuno irons, but I halved my handicap after an agnostic fitting.  For the life of me I ild the fitter that Callaway was off the table (talk about bias, but honestly that was from prior experience so was is bias, or objective evidence supporting preference?  But, you get the point), but almost ended up in the forged Apex because the fitting showed they were almost as consistent for me as the P790s, talk about a kick in the preconceived notion-preference pants.

I hit a Mizuno driver a couple of years back at a tour day event at our local course, I actually was in intrigued, but not enough to switch.  Anyway, appreciate the response and open dialogue.

LOL!  I was a boat Sailor, 22-years, but I wasn't a Nuke. In his vernacular I was a Coner.  I hope you guys get to play rounds together, it can be a great family experience. Ad you folks have some really great courses in that area.  Thank him for his sacrifice.  

Cheers!

 

Thank you as well. Submarines are special dudes. I enjoyed any of his boat mates that I met and my Dad ride along was incredibly memorable.

Both of my boys live in the Tampa Bay area. We don’t not play as much was we’d like because all 3 of us work long hours and they gave young children. The petty officer and I did go to the Lightning game tonight get her Thursday night and my other son is coming over for the Super Bowl tomorrow. 

[GolfSpy_APH]

Have any of the new releases in 2023 changed or effected any of your bias towards any one brand?

Even though we all kinda knew the new TM line would be Stealth 2 and I will admit I like the updates as far as aesthetics the hype of the carbon face has wore off for me and I can't really say this release has improved that somewhat negative feeling towards TM drivers. Don't get me wrong I think they perform, but I didn't hit stealth all that great and I am not enticed to make the plunge into trying stealth 2. 

Where as I had zero interest in the Srixon driver lineup previously and can say they are on a short list of products I want to try. 

Similar to TM the Ping G430 really hasn't done it for me. I know the products are great and have a lot to offer and I am a huge Ping fan, but I have yet to really fall for one of their drivers since the G400. Irons are a different story. 

I can throw Cobra drivers in this mix as well - I loved King LTD, but AeroJet doesn't hit that spot for me. 

Or maybe this is all because the TSR lineup stands out so much and I have such a bias towards the Titleist drivers at the moment the rest all just seeming fail to live up to the hype of a new product? 

Keep in mind I have yet to hit any of the new drivers so this is all subjective to looks, seeing on the shelf and well lack of ability to hit any due to only seeing RH options to hit right now. 

[chisag]

7 hours ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

Even though we all kinda knew the new TM line would be Stealth 2 and I will admit I like the updates as far as aesthetics the hype of the carbon face has wore off for me and I can't really say this release has improved that somewhat negative feeling towards TM drivers. Don't get me wrong I think they perform, but I didn't hit stealth all that great and I am not enticed to make the plunge into trying stealth 2. 

I still love my Sim2 but wasn't fond the the Stealth either and doubt Stealth 2 will change my mind. 

Similar to TM the Ping G430 really hasn't done it for me. I know the products are great and have a lot to offer and I am a huge Ping fan, but I have yet to really fall for one of their drivers since the G400. Irons are a different story. 

I haven't even considered a Ping driver because of the sound/feel. If I weren't going to get some King Tour irons the i230's would seriously be calling my name and I have never played a Ping iron. 

I can throw Cobra drivers in this mix as well - I loved King LTD, but AeroJet doesn't hit that spot for me. 

I am very interested ing the Aerojet LS but there is a good chance it doesn't spin enough and with both weights forward it may not be as accurate as I need from my driver. 

Or maybe this is all because the TSR lineup stands out so much and I have such a bias towards the Titleist drivers at the moment the rest all just seeming fail to live up to the hype of a new product? 

I have a feeling that if I do move on from my Sim2, it will be with a TSR3. I can't remember the last Titleist driver I played and it might be the 905R. 

Keep in mind I have yet to hit any of the new drivers so this is all subjective to looks, seeing on the shelf and well lack of ability to hit any due to only seeing RH options to hit right now. 

I have a fitting for the Paradym Friday and judging by the MGS Most Wanted Driver just released I don't have high hopes and considering the name of this thread I have an anti Callaway bias anyway. But I will hit the Aerojet LS, Stealth2 and TSR3 at their demo days. Gotta love Phoenix ing winter as all the OEMs have free demo days! I can't remember going into a 3rd season with the same driver in forever but I love everything about my Sim2 AD-IZ and so far it has been hard to beat. Equaled but not beaten. 

 

[funkyjudge]

17 minutes ago, chisag said:

 

Apparently, the sound is much improved with the G430 family of drivers from Ping. I have a Ping G425 Max driver and it was out of my bag sitting in my garage for the last 6 or 7 months because of the horrible sound. However, driving woes with my other drivers led me to put it back in my bag last week, and I hit more than 60% of fairways with it in my 2-day tournament (plus, I only had one wide miss with it in 27 holes where I hit it off the tee).

My shot shape with this driver was very predictable, with only one miss to the right, and everything else moving just slightly right-to-left. I also had 3 drives in the fairways at more than 250 yards in both rounds last week, with the longest one being 274 yards on Wednesday, giving me a decent shot at reaching a par-5 in two (of course, I hooked my hybrid approach shot into the pond left of the green).

With those types of results, I can live with the somewhat obnoxious sound from that G425 Max driver.

Edited February 13, 2023 by funkyjudge

[chisag]

3 minutes ago, funkyjudge said:

Apparently, the sound is much improved with the G430 family of drivers from Ping. I have a Ping G425 Max driver and it was out of my bag sitting in my garage for the last 6 or 7 months because of the horrible sound. However, driving woes with my other drivers led me to put it back in my bag last week, and I hit more than 60% of fairways with it in my 2-day tournament (plus, I only had one wide miss with it in 27 holes where I hit it off the tee).

My shot shape with this driver was very predictable, with only one miss to the right, and everything else moving just slightly right-to-left. I also had 3 drives in the fairways at more than 250 yards in both rounds last week, with the longest one being 274 yards on Wednesday, giving me a decent shot at reaching a par-5 in two (of course, I hooked my hybrid approach shot into the pond left of the green).

With those types of results, I can live with the somewhat obnoxious sound from that G425 Max driver.

 

... "Much improved" may not be enough compared to Sim2 that is very dense sounding/feeling so I am spoiled. But I will hit one if Ping does a demo day, which is very rare here. 

[funkyjudge]

21 minutes ago, chisag said:

 

... "Much improved" may not be enough compared to Sim2 that is very dense sounding/feeling so I am spoiled. But I will hit one if Ping does a demo day, which is very rare here. 

I know the sound generated by the SIM and SIM2 drivers, having hit (and/or owned) both of them. My best friend, who introduced me to golf 38 or 39 years ago, now owns my old SIM2 driver. Although it had a pleasant sound, it didn’t perform very well for me.

[chisag]

19 minutes ago, funkyjudge said:

I know the sound generated by the SIM and SIM2 drivers, having hit (and/or owned) both of them. My best friend, who introduced me to golf 38 or 39 years ago, now owns my old SIM2 driver. Although it had a pleasant sound, it didn’t perform very well for me.

 

... I hear ya, feel without performance is useless. 

[James L. Marshall]

It’s easy to admit my biases.  Titleist golf balls are my balls of choice.  ProV1x in particular.  Have played other Titleist balls and are familiar with the supposed characteristics.  Always felt my swing was so inconsistent that my equipment needs as much consistency as possible.  Until 2019 my irons were always Ping along with my putter.   Switched to Callaway Apex 19s.  Very pleased with the Callaway’s.  My putter is still a very old Ping Answer which is performing well and I see no reason to switch.  Recently started playing Callaway Chrome Soft Triple Track ball on par 3s.  When it comes to drivers, fairway woods and hybrids, currently playing TaylorMade driver and 3 wood.  I still carry a Callaway X Hot 5 wood for now.  The one hybrid I have is an Adams Idea or whatever works at moment.  My Titleist Vokey wedge and Ping pitching wedge round out my bag!  All in all,  I pretty much stick to these 4 brands.   What I have works and unless exposed to something else that blows me away, don’t see myself changing.  Since I’m not looking to change anything its unlikely another brand will get a chance at the bag!

[202]

Ping irons for me.
Drivers, Woods and Hybrids, I like Ping, Titleist, TM and Callaway.
Wedges: Ping or Titleist.
Putter: Ping.
Shoes: FootJoy.

[FreddyTheBearCat]

I'm a bit like Linus from Peanuts, Adams is my security blanket. I know they've been gone for like a decade or so now, probably best to move on. However, when I go window shopping at the pro shop, I tend to gravitate towards, Ping, Callaway, and to a lesser extend Srixon. I like Haywood as well and they're Canadian which is cool.

[berkeleybob]

Really, my bias is price-based.

That said, Callaway is up there. I just thought their driver designs were terrible when I started, and so that bias has been carrying on for the past 15 years. I wanted to like TaylorMade, since I thought their designs were cool, but when I had an R7 Quad, it felt so wrong throughout my swing.

Cleveland‘s driver then became my goto and I swung it so well. The fact that it sounded so loud and horrible made me laugh every time someone at the golf range cringed in surprise.

So there’s my bias. Looking ugly: bad. Sounding ugly: good.

[sosuHands]

I know my bias and my bag mostly shows for it. It's Callaway and Mizuno.

The bias might be from when I learned and played golf in high school I played Mizuno irons and Callaway woods...

I did try to get fittings for my irons and driver and ended up in Mizuno irons and Callaway woods. For some odd reason, I just do better with Callaway woods.

Maybe if I'm making a second bag I'll give PXG and Sub70 a proper look, I really did enjoy demoing Sub70 Irons.

[GolfSpy_APH]

Is there any single Club that you've used which really swung your bias towards a company one way or another?

[G56788]

4 hours ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

Is there any single Club that you've used which really swung your bias towards a company one way or another?

A Ping G20 driver I bought out of desperation when I was struggling with my driving. It was my first Ping non-putter and I haven’t strayed from Ping drivers since. 

[HAC]

On 1/17/2023 at 11:18 AM, Golfspy_Lukes said:

I can get us started.

Positive Bias

Anything that Ping, Titleist, Mizuno and Evnroll make, I will do my due diligence on. I like how their clubs look, I like the brands' messaging, and like the options within their brands that can preform for multiple levels of golfers. 

TaylorMade and Srixon are a notch below.  "Brands of my past" as most of my clubs from HS and College were Taylormade and then Srixons were some of the first clubs I really started getting into when I started getting involved on golf forums in the early 2000s

Cobra will always have a soft spot in my mind because, like Srixon, I really started enjoying their clubs when I was first getting into internet golf stuff.  Particularly their woods.  

Negative Bias

Not going to peel back the onion too much on this, but I don't think I will ever game another Callaway club in my life

PXG - I am sure they perform great, but the marketing and brand image is just something I don't jive with

New Level - I have interacted with their owner multiple times and it was all negative experiences

Indifferent

I don't dislike any of these other brands' they just do nothing for me.

Wilson, Bridgestone, Tour Edge, Cleveland, Sub 70, other DTCs

 

And let me be clear - my biases do not influence what I say on this forum or to other friends or golfers I meet.  I don't think their is bad equipment, only poorly fit equipment.  These are simply MY biases when I look to buy equipment for myself

I think that a lot of how I feel about PXG has changed in the last couple of years.  I thought they were overpriced and overhyped for a number of years.  But, in the last couple of years they did demo days at my club.  Last year, I was looking for a 7 wood.  Very few companies make left-handed seven woods.  I tried out a few and liked PXG and Ping the best.  I like Ping clubs a lot and might have gone with their club except for two things.  One, it would have taken months for Ping to have gotten me the club while delivery time with a PXG was two weeks.  And, most importantly, PXG had a local store where I could get fitted for $40.  PXG Stores  I was really impressed with the fitting when I went to the PXG store.  We tried two different left-handed seven woods, a couple of different shafts and moving the weights and lie angle around.  Took about an hour, and I have been really happy with the club I got.  Gave me a very different impression of PXG.  Would have to consider them when I get other clubs.

But, I don't think I would have any interest in PXG if they did not have a local store here.  I think this is a key.  In my area, they are the only company with a local store where I can get fitted.  Yes, I can get fitted by a pro at my club (and often do).  Yes, I could go to a big box store or somewhere else and get somewhat fitted.  But, this was a pretty nice experience.

Beyond this, as can be seen from what is in my bag, I have a positive bias for Titleist and Ping.  I have a bit of a negative bias towards Callaway (never really demoed one I liked).  

Edited February 22, 2023 by HAC

[Julius]

Ok, this is a great question. I started out with MacGregor (!!) and then eventually moved to Cobra, which I really liked I have to say.  I had a bad fitting session and then I stumbled, at the range, across a guy who fitted PING.  Since then, I have been really committed to PING and I don't see that changing.  For my putter I use EvenRoll, which was a find for me and since I found it I swear by it.  I still have a bit of a soft spot for Cobra (as someone else mentioned), but I moved on after that incident and never looked back (I still have an old set of Cobra's at our summer house though). 

 

For PING, there are some things I really like.  First, it is an engineering driven company, not marketing.  While I know the products of TaylorMade, etc, also have good engineering, they are all about and driven by marketing.  They release a new driver every 6 months that will change the world.  I feel that is cheating.  PING is all about the product and lets the product do all the talking, not the marketing.   I have lot's of clubs around my house, I still use others occasionally, but in my regular bag I have the PING 400 Max driver, the PING G425 irons (5-PW - UW), and their 3 and 7 woods for G 425.  The 7 wood was a game changer and has become a club of choice for me. I also have a TaylorMade Hi Toe wedge (58 degree).  I also like the fact PING still has original family members involved and is not some large, faceless organization. 

I know that there are plenty of videos that will show the Paradym or Stealth hits the ball a bit farther, etc.  But for me, the PING clubs look great, they feel great, and I have confidence that the dispersion is tight.  I am not at such a level of golf that the extra 4-5 yards from the Stealth would make a difference to my score anyway, and I don't like all the mass marketing and gimmicks that TaylorMade and Callaway do (no offense, it is great kit, I just don't like the marketing of it).  Also as it is family controlled I like to spend my money with people like that as opposed to the large, faceless organizations.  Just my personal preference.  None of my friends play a full set of PING's (some have a driver or a putter or something),  most have Callaway or Taylormade but they also update more frequently or mix and match more than I do, for example they might have a 3 wood from Callaway, TaylorMade irons, Scotty Cameron putter, Vokey wedge and a 5 wood from Cobra.  I also prefer the esthetics of keeping the bag simple and uniform and not having a mish mash (also as all PING gear is measured, my lie's etc are all geared to me upon original order, which is a benefit of course vs off the shelf). 

[JimO]

Been using TaylorMade since mid 70's. Over the years and upgrades, found all the parameters for my swing to be the same. TaylorMade new technologies have made my game enjoyable as I grow older.

[Henri8]

My equipment bias, I love my new Cobra LTD X driver and T Rail hybrids. I have regained the 10 (or so) yards I’ve lost with age. Cobra was my first complete set of clubs I played and will continue to be loyal. My first set was mix of whatever I could find cheap, I wasn’t very good. When I started losing distance a bought a set of Adams on close out at Golf Galaxy. They worked great until I continued to lose distance and direction. I also like the fact that Cobra is not one of those overhyped brands. I like not being in the mainstream. I do like Callaway and have a preference for the Chrome Soft Truvis but have noticed additional distance with the Bridgestone BXS balls. I am a big fan of Jon Rahm and have noticed a lot of European players are with Callaway. I bought the hype and purchased a Tour Edge driver and was disappointed with the club and eventually sold it. I am wary of overhyped products. That’s why I will stay away from PXG. I do play the Pro V 1 and x and do notice a difference in performance. I have used an Odyssey Versa putter forever and really would like to find a good center shafted putter as I have this theory that it will help me putt straighter.

I am 68 years old with a 6 handicap. I play twice a week and willing to try new equipment .

[Sinewave]

Titleist just looks and feels right for me. I´ve used Callaway, Ping, and TaylorMade clubs. I´m currently using PXG Gen 2 irons since 2018. I´ll be going back to Titleist irons, wedges and hybrids soon. It´s where I belong. I wish I never left.

I have the 22 and 25 degree PXG 0317X hybrids which are my go to clubs out of the rough.

I´m using 3 Vokey Black wedges though I´ve tried Cleveland. I do use a 60 deg PXG Sugar Daddy 0311T which I love.

I´m exclusive with the EVNROLL ER1 after years of the Scotty Cam Newport 2. I don´t like to switch putters. 

I use the Pro V1. Have had success with Snell, TaylorMade.
The best glove I´ve ever used is the Red Rooster brand. Oh my God it was an instant perfect fit.

I try to ignore the hidden persuasions of advertising and just rely on my feel. Somehow I don´t care for Callaway, Tour Exotics, Mizuno or Srixon.

[Chester3488]

Okay, 

I used to have a bias toward Cobra. I still have a Cobra F7 hybrid in the bag. (I'll argue the best hybrid ever made.) 

Having said that. I've had great experiences lately with PXG. Great fitting sessions. One of the few fitting sessions I've ever had that explored not only the gaps at the bottom of my bag but the gaps at the top. They also fit each club individually. Not just find a 7-iron you like and build a set around that. Interestingly enough the high end of my bag got tweaked upright. The low end got tweaked flat. The middle wasn't tweaked. The low end got tweaked weaker in order to make the gapping work out. The high end of my bag has higher swing weight than the low end of my bag. Everything was done to hit the numbers I wanted to/needed to hit with each club. Easily the best, most thorough fitting I've ever had. Plus they sent them to me with the grips shipped loose so that I could blow on my own Pure Grips Midsize DTX's. Best part, I got fit on a Sunday, I played my custom built clubs that Friday. 

I was so happy with those that I ended up getting a 3 wood and a 5 wood from them. 

So, I'd say I'm a bit of a PXG fan now. 
.... Having said that, I didn't really like the feel of any of their putters. ... They look great, but just didn't quite work/feel the way I wanted them to. 

But otherwise, I have nothing bad to say about PXG. 

[Bob Jerabek]

I believe Mizuno makes the best irons period.  The look and feel is unmatched anywhere. Most golfers differ to the big OEM’s and never give Mizuno a look.  Those that do play it begin to feel cult like with this club.

[scubahoops]

This is a fun and interesting topic because some of this has to do with experience and some of it with brand marketing.

I have been and will be forever be a Ping fan.  I love how they started and what I know about Karsten Solheim, I love how they operate and I love the clubs they produce. 

The other brand that I absolutely love is Mizuno, I love their dedication to the product and the lack of marketing they do. I wanted the new JPX923's really bad, but I just couldn't afford them.

I gave Sub70 a try and I am now a big fan of theirs, I love how they treat their customers and love what they are doing. I love Ping and Mizuno, but I am on a budget so I needed something a little less expensive so I went with Sub70 and am very happy.  If I could afford extra sets, I would probably have a set of Sub70's, Ping's and Mizuno's and rotate or build each one for different conditions, if money weren't the problem I would have a very difficult time deciding.

I think Callaway is more marketing and hype than product. I haven't hit one of their clubs that I have felt good with and I haven't loved the balls either.

I have thought of TaylorMade as the driver leader and everything else is ok though the leader in drivers has begun slipping away. I do also like the TP5 balls, the little I have used them, they perform pretty well for me.

Titleist makes really good products all around but I just don't know that I get the Pro V1 thing.  I just don't play them as well as other balls and I don't understand how they are so dominant.  There are other really good balls out there and some of the DTC brands I have tried really surprised me. I like Snell and Vice. 

The other brand that I really want to do well and am rooting for is Wilson. I considered them when looking at new clubs but even Wilson's were a little more than I wanted to pay. I like having something in my bag that is different than everyone else and I wouldn't have a problem standing up for Wilson and helping people realize they make good products. That is one of my favorite things about playing Sub70's is that no one has heard of them.

The last one is PXG, when I purchased my driver I was very skeptical but the price was so good I couldn't resist at least trying it out. It is a little loud and has a strange sound but I love that, it doesn't sound like every other club. It may not be a coincidence, but it sounds like the Ping's.  If I were buying now I almost certainly wouldn't go with PXG, I am tired of hearing from them and how loud Bob Parson's is, I don't use the PXG headcover because I don't really want anyone to know I use a PXG.  I probably would be hitting a Sub70 driver instead. Figure out who you are and what you are trying to do and then we can talk. 

I don't know what this means but it was fun to get it out.

 

[scubahoops]

20 minutes ago, Bob Jerabek said:

I believe Mizuno makes the best irons period.  The look and feel is unmatched anywhere. Most golfers differ to the big OEM’s and never give Mizuno a look.  Those that do play it begin to feel cult like with this club.

I am with you. I hit some when demoing clubs and they felt amazing and I wanted them but I just couldn't afford them. 

[chisag]

... I do think one of the interesting aspects of a bias is missing out on game changing technology when sticking with one brand or boycotting another. Taylor Mades slot in the sole technology with the RBZ fairway woods was a game changer, so was the hollow headed P790 players irons. Jailbreak in the BB was also a game changer and the only Callaway driver I have played even though I have a bias against them. Cobra's Fly Z managed to get the weight low and far back in the head without excessive launch and spin and imo a Hall Of Fame driver and now most every OEM offers a driver with weight rear and low in the head. The original AP2's elevated multi material irons into the hands of Tour players but were forgiving enough for low index players. The original Tour Edge Lift Off Ironwood hybrid changed that category forever. 



 

[singlewhite]

I grew up playing Titleist blades, so feel was always very important to me. I definitely am biased towards Callaway and Mizuno for their woods and designing for the masses (callaway), and feel (mizuno). I have always been against Ping because of their look and feel - everything they produced never looked or felt right to me (though I think the G430 driver/woods and the i230 irons look great - I've definitely noticed over the years that there are Ping people and 'not Ping' people. 

However, I am coming to realize that everything that every company makes now is good to great, and really you have to get clubs in your hands and get fitted to see launch characteristics, etc. to see what really works for you. I have a whole bag of Callaway now - epic speed triple diamond driver, rogue st ls fairway woods, apex pro irons, 2 wedges, and Odyssey Toulon Memphis putter. I have one Vokey wedge that is great because they had a more square grind on their gap wedges than any other company. 

Also, I belong to a smaller club, so my biases are definitely influenced re: what manufacturers and distributors that they have a good relationship with, because otherwise I just don't see it on TV. Also, my biases have been influenced over the years by my friends who are professionals and who they get sponsored by. I have played the Srixon Z star ball for a few years because one of my pro friends was sponsored by them. He is now PXG who I never ever considered because of their original luxury price points and I agree with everyone re: their annoying ads! but now I'm looking at them differently too. 

[David Leighton Reid]

For many years, I only played Mizuno irons and loved them.  I mainly played the game improvement irons.  A couple of years ago, I was looking for a new set of irons and found the PXG 0211's were less expensive than a set of Mizuno's.  Then last summer I purchased a used set of PXG Gen 0311XF (because of a good price) and have been very impressed.  I do not care for the over-the-top, boom-baby commercials, but the clubs are great.  

For my woods, I have played a Ping for the past several years.  First was the Ping G LST and now I have the G425 Max.  Plus I have the G410 in 3 wood.

I have tried several hybrids but the one that has stayed in my bag is the Callaway Rogue.  

I had been a devoted Scotty Cameron fan for years, until I tried a TaylorMade X Spyder putter.  I love the way the putter sits behind the ball and basically it just looks right to my eye.  

[chisag]

1 minute ago, David Leighton Reid said:

A couple of years ago, I was looking for a new set of irons and found the PXG 0211's were less expensive than a set of Mizuno's.  Then last summer I purchased a used set of PXG Gen 0311XF (because of a good price) and have been very impressed.  I do not care for the over-the-top, boom-baby commercials, but the clubs are great. 

 

... I am not sure what to make of PXG these days. With quality products and priced well below the average from other OEM's they went from a "wouldn't even demo" to a "must demo". So were the original insanely high prices a way to make a splash (albeit a negative splash for most) and then drop prices making them seem like a bargain the original game plan? Or did they wring out rich folks market and sales stalled so they went to Plan B of dropping the price to bring in a different segment of buyers? 

... The bottom line is they make an outstanding iron for every level of golfer with high index XP series to a more average player P series to the low index T series. And if you are OK with last years model they can be had for much less than other OEMs. I have never been very interested in PXG but as they started to loose screws and the price is $695 for the 0311T series 5- 9 iron with MMT graphite shafts they are now certainly on my demo list. 

[funkyjudge]

5 minutes ago, chisag said:

 

... I am not sure what to make of PXG these days. With quality products and priced well below the average from other OEM's they went from a "wouldn't even demo" to a "must demo". So were the original insanely high prices a way to make a splash (albeit a negative splash for most) and then drop prices making them seem like a bargain the original game plan? Or did they wring out rich folks market and sales stalled so they went to Plan B of dropping the price to bring in a different segment of buyers? 

... The bottom line is they make an outstanding iron for every level of golfer with high index XP series to a more average player P series to the low index T series. And if you are OK with last years model they can be had for much less than other OEMs. I have never been very interested in PXG but as they started to loose screws and the price is $695 for the 0311T series 5- 9 iron with MMT graphite shafts they are now certainly on my demo list. 

I would possibly consider the latest generation PXG 0211 irons as a replacement for my current Tour Edge Exotics C721 irons with KBS Tour Graphite 80-S shafts because I am finally transitioning from stiff to regular or S/R (stiff regular) flex shafts in all of my clubs. However, I was just able to get a virtually unused set of 2022 Cobra Forged Tec X irons with KBS TGI 75-R shafts for an unbelievable price of $499 for 6-iron through AW. My only concerns about these Cobra irons is that the Forged Tec X model is a bit closer to the Exotics E721 and E722 than the C versions, and the lofts on the Cobras are super-strong (even stronger than Tour Edge E-Series irons).

[jbern]

My positive biases: 

For some reason I always get giddy seeing someone with Mizuno irons. I’m starting to get the same feeling about Sub70 irons as well. For woods, the price drops of PXG got me going on them and the whole purchasing/fitting experience was very nice! So now, whenever they release something I find myself getting excited about it. 
 

My only negative bias is with Taylormade. I had two separate poor experiences with Taylormade clubs and a fitting and now I just have a sour taste towards them.