What is the most under appreciated brand in golf?

[Solowgolfer]

I agree with many posts here regarding Srixon/Cleveland.  Although I think the Srixon ball does pretty well.  I go back and forth between Taylormade TP5X and the Srixon Z-Star Divide.  
I see a lot of good stuff about Edel Golf but never really see them in action.  I just ordered a 7 iron to try it out.
Another "golf" brand that is growing, but still under -appreciated is True Linkswear.  IMO, the best DTC shoe line in the business.  

[mtspinelli]

Subjective, but the gear/data nerd in me would argue for Srixon (irons), Vice (balls), and Evnroll (putters). Edel is on my radar now as well.

Edited March 20 by mtspinelli

[Kevin McManus]

Irons Cobra’s! Woods Wilson! Ball Srixon! Shoes Square! Walking bag Dana! Courses NJ county Monmouth courses! Pro’s Plainfield! Ridgefield!

players Brooksie, D Johnson, Scheffler, Palmer!

 

[Thomas 2024]

It's too bad Nike stopped making clubs. I have a set of irons from the last year they made them, and they are great hitters, providing my swing is ok. LOL.

[Randall Robbins]

Wilson, for sure and don't forget the new version of Ben Hogan, which refuses to go away. Tour Edge has become a bigger player, and I think Sub 70 and New Level will get to that point as well.  One brand that a club maker friend of mine pushes is Tom Wishon - I've hit a couple of their clubs and they are very good.

[kstroupe]

TRUE Linkswear, I've worn a ton of different shoes from a bunch of brands and these are just stellar but so many people that I meet on the course have never heard of them.

[Julius]

This is a great question.   I would probably start with delineating between the major brands and the more niche ones.  For me L.A.B is niche even if it is doing pretty well on tour it seems.  For the "major" producers, I would probably go with Wilson and Srixon a close second.  More than 30 years ago I had a set of Wilson irons and they were extremely good, I basically learned to play golf with them.   Over the years I have played others, but I always stopped to look at the Wilson staff irons, I think the most recent version are quite attractive.  I would still at least entertain the thought to buy a set in the future if they fitted well.  Clearly, Wilson seems to be the Rodney Dangerfield of golf equipment. 

I saw another comment on here and I would agree with it - in that you could potentially make a case for PING as well in the top tier OEM's. PING is nowhere near as flashy, jazzy and noisy as Callaway and TaylorMade, which seem to release new drivers every 6 months, each one guaranteed to hit it farther than the one 6 months before.  I personally find all that marketing blitz and technobabble about the latest tricks they did to magically make it better a big turn off.  Even if the club DOES go a little bit farther, I will not buy them.  PING still has the original family involved and they are all about engineering excellence and details, not marketing razz.  I think you could argue for the major OEM's despite their high quality they don't get the dues they should. 

 

[Fatshot]

I have always liked Maltby and have used their products successfully for years.   Their latest designs....esp. irons....combine good looks with excellent playability due to the Maltby Playability Factor.  They are also reasonably priced.   I'll be a Maltby customer for as long as I play the game!

[ChuckZ]

One of the finest sets of irons on the market and played by very few on tour are Mizuno irons.  Well made and an outstanding performing club.  When I see a set in someone's bag I know that I going up against a great ball striker.  Underappreciated by the masses but appreciated by the purests. Not seen on tour because they do not pour money into playing pros to play they like Callaway and Taylormade.    

[SDunne]

Love this thread idea as there have been a few names I've not really heard of before I've noted down and will definitely be looking more into. Golf can be such an odd sport in terms of how hard it can be to break into - I've seen a lot more random brands these days on the course as the "average player" finds themselves getting annoyed with what the big brands are costing which is opening things up. I definitely find that players not confident in their own game will always tend to stick with what they see on tour but I love communities like this that open it up and talk about the random brands that we all like. 

From a club POV, I definitely think that a lot of people have hit on a few of the ones that came immediately to mind - Srixon and Wilson. Wilson has been around for so long and set the standard for a lot of design today. I expect we all know a few people that used to game Wilson Staff and I love that they're making a comeback. Srixon similarly is a top brand but doesn't get shouted about as much. 

Golf balls - before Tiger got into them I'd have said Bridgestone as became a big fan after being gifted a sleeve of them and love them. Now I'm more inclined to say a Maxfli or similar. I've also been playing with some Seed balls recently as a mate on the course recommended them. A DTC brand from Ireland but retail through a few websites here in Australia. 

As for clothing - I love seeing newer brands take over on this one. I've started wearing a lot of a small Aussie brand - Birds of Condor as loved their golf hats and have a few of their t-shirts as well. Highly recommend but have also liked seeing Penguin come up a bit more on the course. Funky designs that do brighten it up. 

 

[Dave Gignac]

I think Wilson would be the most under appreciated manufacturer for me. They have always made top quality equipment that no one plays because they don't have a large tour following and everyone wants to play what they see on tour. I remember years ago going to a driver demo day at my home course with my mind set on the Taylormade Burner. I was pretty long in those days and I tried every club there;  the Burner, the Big Bertha, etc, etc, hitting them all out past the 250 sign on the range, which isn't far today but was long in those days. Then the Wilson rep came up to me and asked me to try the Wilson Whale. I hit 10 consecutive shots directly over the 5 on the 250 yard sign then handed it back to him and you could tell by the look on his face he was sure he has a sale. I hit that club 100% on target and easily 20 yards longer than anything else I'd hit that day, but I just couldn't allow myself to have a club called "The Whale" in my bag, even if John Daly had one in his bag. Huge ego driven mistake!

[Donn lost in San Diego]

I will pipe up again for Indi Golf, the maker of hi-spin wedges.

[roby2222]

Golf balls:  MaxFli

Putters:  SeeMore

Woods:  Cobra

[fozcycle]

16 hours ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

For grips I am going to throw out Lamkin and Star. I'm not a big Winn grip fan, but feel both Lamkin and Star make a truly fantastic product that often isn't appreciated enough.

Lamkin was Arnold Palmer’s brand.

[sellemental]

As much has it has been mentioned, I'm not really sure I can say Wilson again, but their new Dynapower Forged irons are so sweet, I'm going to anyway.  Tried them at a demo day and am still pining for them.  Shout out to their new AI fit system too.

If I see a lot of Wilson on the courses this season, I'll come back and edit this post, but doubt I'll have to worry about it. 

Quite a few mentions of the Cobra woods, but if I didn't love my Evenroll putter so much, I'd be looking to pick up one of those 3D putters in a heartbeat.  If/ when the stroke goes cold later, you may see me stalking them again.

Last but not least, I love the  Oncore Elixr balls! 

Really you could probably mention any DTC ball brand, so much better value for almost/exactly the same playability as the big name balls for almost everyone out there.  But if I had to play a "top end" ball, it would be a Srixon.

[Sonny Beach]

I can only speak for the ones I've tried. Based on MGS wedge reviews, I decided to give the Cobra CB Snakebites a go seeing how we have primarily soft conditions and dormant Bermuda grass this time of year, I'm glad I did. I'm not only impressed, I'm impressing others. I've holed out for an eagle from the fairway with the 56, I'm hitting it close with both the 52 and 56 regularly. I hit the pin out of a green side bunker from 15 yards yesterday with the 52. A 52 that plays easily from the firm sand, that's amazing! The radial soles on these clubs are awesome. Our bunkers are always on the shallow and firm side so I typically play a 58 or 60 green with 8 or 10 bounce. I'm surprised how easy it is to slide the 52 under the ball. That makes longer bunker shots easier with the same swing effort for me anyway. I'm more accurate with the 52 and 56 SB CB's than any wedges I've owned and I have the SM10's and MG4's.  All I can say is don't knock them until you try them, the Spy's were right with their assessment, with exception to ranking them #2 compared to the MG4's. That test was likely not done in the worst conditions, dormant soft Bermuda. The SB CB's kick ass on the MG4's and the SM10's in the conditions this time of year and I will keep the 52 and 56 in the bag in good conditions now as well. Going to adjust have the lie checked on the 60 today, it's a little too upright for my game. Considering buying the 48 now too and if they made an entire set of CB irons that looked like these I would buy them today. Accuracy is King Cobra! 

[wwaldo]

Balls:    Maxfli. I've been playing them for years and they just get better and you cannot argue with the price.

Clubs:  As a lot of people have said, Srixon by far. I've demoed several different iron sets and drivers and have not been disappointed. 

Clubs #2: Ping. I know a number of people that will not consider Pings because they think they are made for high handicap golfers only. Even after i point out the number of Pros that play Ping clubs. Just a mindset that cannot be changed. 

[Jon Richmond]

Cobra drivers, long, straight and forgiving and Srixon irons, great feel and very workable.

[Bernie Gaydosik]

 In my opinion, 

-It is Srixon/Cleveland (way too many sponsored professional players from overseas tours)

- Honorable Mention would be Wilson, Snell, Sub70, and Edison

[RATOUR7]

Wilson 

[Wakit300]

Tie between Cobra and Srixon

[RoyN]

On 3/20/2024 at 3:04 AM, acatalano32 said:

My first thought was Srixon, being from Huntington Beach California I always thought it was cool being from the same place. 
but I would say Ping putters are under appreciated. Not a lot of tech but they do feel great and the black putters with white sight lines are very pleasing to look at.
most people gravitate to odyssey or Scotty’s  

Used to live like a half mile away from Srixon/Cleveland HQ in HB.

[RoyN]

Such a great topic! And I am so glad to see so many of the same answers. Said for years but Cobra woods just perform and are a great choice. Wilson has some done a great job lately especially with some of their irons.

But for me top to bottom it has to be Srixon/Cleveland. Quality across the board and performance to back it up. I mean the Zx5 mkII were the MGS winner for players distance irons when they came out. They are not as known or flashly as the big 4 or even Cobra to some level. But they really deserve some more love. 

I will throw these guys out there for balls since they don't make equipment anymore, Bridgestone. Everyone forgets all those balls Tiger used were Bridgestone for years just with a Nike logo stamped on it. Much like Srixon and Sumitomo, when your parent company has 100s of people who do nothing but R&D on rubbers, polymers, etc... you are going to be able to make a great golf ball.