Confession Corner - Admit Your Golf Equipment Biases

[Golfguru72]

Titleist drivers…. Started with the 975 J, 983 K, 905 T, and now currently playing the TSI 3. I’ve tried other brands in the past and  they were good drivers… but I never had the same confidence, control, and consistency I have with a Titleist in my bag… 

Vokey wedges… simply the best in my opinion and always a couple steps ahead of the game.. literally..  I thought the sm9’s were a game changer…  I’d love to go through a wedge fitting with Mr. Vokey out at the Titleist Performance Institute. Its definitely on the bucket list. 

Mizuno irons- my first  first set of blades was a combo set of mp32 & mp60’s and have been partial to mizunos ever since. I got fitted into the 921 hot metal pros last year and they’re the best irons I’ve ever hit. Crazy long and ridiculously forgiving. I picked up about 2 to 2.5 clubs with these irons. That shows what a difference getting fitted can make, along with the new technology…  I was also swinging it a little better at that point as well. The looks and soft feel of mizunos is what set them apart for me.  

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 20 by Golfguru72

[GolfSpy_APH]

I wonder how much correlation this thread has with the 1 one OEM survey has with MGS... See lots of the same brands come up for positive and negative biases and definitely think there are some overlaps. 

One I haven't really seen being brought up are shafts. So here are mine.

Positive: Nippon and KBS - have and play both and really like both. Their offerings are stellar they have a great product and imo some of the best iron shafts out there. 

Negative: DG - not that I think they are bad, but I truly do not get along with these and have tried multiple times to see if I can make them work or like me and each time its been a failure. 

[Placasse61]

11 hours ago, Lacassem said:

Idk there are good nights on both ends of the spectrum maybe more I don’t even remember!….I guess that kind of proves your point though…..
back to biases!

Great cheerleader reference! I prefer feel, comfort and performance over eye candy every time. Personally, I need all the I can get (on the course that is). But this is coming from someone that at 17 bought a used full set of Spaulding elites (2 Iron included) for $50 and used them for the next 28 years. 

[cnosil]

3 hours ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

I wonder how much correlation this thread has with the 1 one OEM survey has with MGS... See lots of the same brands come up for positive and negative biases and definitely think there are some overlaps. 

One I haven't really seen being brought up are shafts. So here are mine.

Probably closely related to the OEM survey; you just get more than one answer here.
 

I am not a shaft junkie and can honestly say i have no biases with shafts and would be willing to put any shaft in my clubs.  Maybe it is because there  isn’t a lot of advertising them on TV or seeing logos on players shirts or hats.    
 

I might even  go out on a limb and say they may be the least considered aspect of a club when someone picks a club up off the rack.  

[RickyBobby_PR]

3 hours ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

Positive: Nippon and KBS - have and play both and really like both. Their offerings are stellar they have a great product and imo some of the best iron shafts out there. 

Negative: DG - not that I think they are bad, but I truly do not get along with these and have tried multiple times to see if I can make them work or like me and each time its been a failure. 

Most DG shafts are going to play stiff especially if you are a Nippon fan. The modus is for many what’s common referred to as soft to flex. Also depending on what kbs shaft(s) you like you will feel the DG to be “harsher”. 

[Subdiver1]

On 1/17/2023 at 11:35 AM, Jim Shaw said:

my equipment bias is the amount of focus companies put on what goes into developing the heads of their products, from 10,000 feet, as a consumer, I feel there are very few "innovations" but once there is then "best practices' take over and all the top brands copy in some way the innovation, so after a very short time all the top brands are basically the same. I believe more time and energy should be put into the "engine" of the club and that is the shaft. When I get fitted this coming fall it will probably be 75% shaft and 25% type of construction of the head and I am thinking particularly of the irons. For example the tailor-made 790 irons, from what I see they definitely go further than blade type  irons but when they hit the green they dont stop, they have less spin so you have to take that into consideration. 

I know the feedback I get from all the posts on this site will help me wade through the decision making process for new clubs which can be daunting, and I appreciate the help.

Funny that you day the P790s don't stop when they hit the green. I've been playing them for about 4 years and I can stop a 3, 4, 5 iron when hitting tee shots or long fairway shots in; not so much out of the rough of course. Maybe that is a shaft issue for you. The head (face, grooves etc.) Impart spin, but that can be negated by shaft choice, I saw how different shafts effected spin and flight during my fitting. Bottom line, I don't have any problem stopping short OR long shots into the green with these irons.

[GolfSpy_APH]

1 hour ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

Most DG shafts are going to play stiff especially if you are a Nippon fan. The modus is for many what’s common referred to as soft to flex. Also depending on what kbs shaft(s) you like you will feel the DG to be “harsher”. 

Thanks. I do know that or should say I'm aware of that. 

You have any shaft biases?

[null]

I think we need to re-look at what I meant by bias.  I am not referring to what necessarily fits you best.  I am talking about completely non-scientific or performance related reasons to why we like or don't like certain brands.

I don't prefer Sun Mountain bags because I don't like their stand mechanism.  I am biased against OGIO because they are owned by Callaway and just don't want to own any Callaway-affiliated products.  If sun mountain re-did their stand mechanism, I would consider their bags.  There is nothing OGIO could do (aside from breaking off from Callaway) to make me want to by an OGIO bag.

[RickyBobby_PR]

15 minutes ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

Thanks. I do know that or should say I'm aware of that. 

You have any shaft biases?

Interestingly I don’t from a brand perspective. To an extent it’s more of a bias about feel. If something doesn’t feel good I struggle or if it’s too harsh or boardy feeling I do have the tendency to go at it harder which is never good.

Even more interesting is that despite preferring good feeling shafts I have had the original hzrdus yellow in multiple drivers because it fits my swing yet has no feel.

In drivers either counter balanced or higher balance points are what works for my swing. In woods and hybrids it’s been a mix. Irons s300 or s300 amt white have been the most common with two fittings showing px6.0 also work(another shaft with no feel and requires properly loading). I do like the kbs $ taper and the Nippon modus 120 in some heads, they have been higher spin for me in tm and pxg tho

 

[TylorJudd]

Definitely against visors. They could tell me they have the ability to read the green for me but if they look like a visor it just ain't happening. It's like sandals with socks, you can't have both. No hat or hat, pick one or or the other. 

[cnosil]

9 minutes ago, Golfspy_Lukes said:

I think we need to re-look at what I meant by bias.  I am not referring to what necessarily fits you best.  I am talking about completely non-scientific or performance related reasons to why we like or don't like certain brands.

there are many types of biases: https://thedecisionlab.com/biases-index

our experiences, beliefs, thoughts, etc all influence our decision making.  people are saying these brands because they worked for them in the past and believe they will continue to work for them in the future.   That is a bias.   

[GolfSpy_APH]

Without a doubt players on tour have lead to some irrational bias. For the longest time Phil being with Callaway made me not want to try or think about their equipment where Rory without a doubt lead to some of my past Nike club purchases.

[Jim Shaw]

1 hour ago, Subdiver1 said:

Funny that you day the P790s don't stop when they hit the green. I've been playing them for about 4 years and I can stop a 3, 4, 5 iron when hitting tee shots or long fairway shots in; not so much out of the rough of course. Maybe that is a shaft issue for you. The head (face, grooves etc.) Impart spin, but that can be negated by shaft choice, I saw how different shafts effected spin and flight during my fitting. Bottom line, I don't have any problem stopping short OR long shots into the green with these irons.

I noticed Brooke Henderson is hitting the 790's this year and she didn't have any problem stopping them, although I did see a couple fly over her target but she will get that figured out. the fitting centre we have here in Victoria fits Taylor Made so I defiantly will try the 790's, and the 770's which Nelly Korda is hitting this year.

[RickyBobby_PR]

8 minutes ago, Jim Shaw said:

I noticed Brooke Henderson is hitting the 790's this year and she didn't have any problem stopping them, although I did see a couple fly over her target but she will get that figured out. the fitting centre we have here in Victoria fits Taylor Made so I defiantly will try the 790's, and the 770's which Nelly Korda is hitting this year.

I’ve had the p790 along with a couple other brands similar style irons and never had an issue holding greens. It really comes down to the person hitting them. Someone who already has low spin is more thank likely have too low spin with the p790 thus holding the green

[Jim Shaw]

1 minute ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

I’ve had the p790 along with a couple other brands similar style irons and never had an issue holding greens. It really comes down to the person hitting them. Someone who already has low spin is more thank likely have too low spin with the p790 thus holding the green

what brand of irons are you playing now, and what shaft do you have in them?

 

[null]

55 minutes ago, cnosil said:

there are many types of biases: https://thedecisionlab.com/biases-index

our experiences, beliefs, thoughts, etc all influence our decision making.  people are saying these brands because they worked for them in the past and believe they will continue to work for them in the future.   That is a bias.   

This was supposed to be a light-hearted thread about our irrational equipment biases. But ok  

[RickyBobby_PR]

12 minutes ago, Jim Shaw said:

what brand of irons are you playing now, and what shaft do you have in them?

 

I have 4 sets.
 

Titleist 680MB (aka Adam Scott’s irons) with kbs tour stiff

Sub70 699 with DG s300

Ping i525 with px io 6.0(mostly gamers)

Miura cb301 with recoil 110 proto f4 (other set of gamers)

dont ask me to list pst irons that list is too long but the shafts have been s300, s300 amt (before they did the colors). Px 6.0, kbs tour, dg105, kbs $taper, Nippon modus 120 and recoil 100 non proto f4

[chisag]

1 hour ago, Subdiver1 said:

Funny that you day the P790s don't stop when they hit the green. I've been playing them for about 4 years and I can stop a 3, 4, 5 iron when hitting tee shots or long fairway shots in; not so much out of the rough of course. Maybe that is a shaft issue for you. The head (face, grooves etc.) Impart spin, but that can be negated by shaft choice, I saw how different shafts effected spin and flight during my fitting. Bottom line, I don't have any problem stopping short OR long shots into the green with these irons.

 

... This is a little like hearing folks caring say the hit 300 yd drives. In my experience 300yds is very, very rare. The ones that can, do it with ease but I hit huge drives (for me) back in the midwest that my partners swore had to be over 300yds and maybe them hitting it 220 and thinking 250 has something to do with it. Laser the ball and it's 285. I was always a little skeptical of 300yd claims til I moved to the desert where winter conditions can add 50yds of roll or more. So that same drive that went 270 in typical conditions goes 310 in the desert. Same for altitude that can produce more yards than sea level. And that brings me to P790's...

... I had no problems at all holding greens with my P790 4 iron back in soft Midwest conditions. But here in Phoenix when winter rolls around after over seeding takes hold, greens can be rock hard and I hit a very high 4 iron at Papago that landed on the front of the green, bounced a good 6 feet in the air and rolled off the back of a large green. Couldn't even find a ball mark. Switched back to my Amp Forged and I could hold greens again, although still had to judge a little release. Desert greens are just radically different than greens I had played for 35 years. 

[golfmule]

2 hours ago, Golfspy_Lukes said:

I think we need to re-look at what I meant by bias.  I am not referring to what necessarily fits you best.  I am talking about completely non-scientific or performance related reasons to why we like or don't like certain brands.

I don't prefer Sun Mountain bags because I don't like their stand mechanism.  I am biased against OGIO because they are owned by Callaway and just don't want to own any Callaway-affiliated products.  If sun mountain re-did their stand mechanism, I would consider their bags.  There is nothing OGIO could do (aside from breaking off from Callaway) to make me want to by an OGIO bag.

Try Datrek. I know it's not the fanboy sexy pick right now but they are quality bags.

[cnosil]

59 minutes ago, Golfspy_Lukes said:

This was supposed to be a light-hearted thread about our irrational equipment biases. But ok  

It may start out that way, but the tone and direction of threads always changes.