How Much Should Visual Appeal Matter?

[Overspark07]

I stopped by the local PGA Tour Superstore to take a look at some clubs I’ve been researching. I’ve had it in my mind something like a P790, MP245 or T200 is probably the right class of club for me. When I hold those though I struggle with how chunky they look at setup. The MP243 was the only “next step” they had in the store and it looked so much better to me when side by side. It’s more so that I held one and felt confident when I looked down vs unsettled. I’ve had OLD TaylorMade LCG irons forever and I’ve never felt settled when I try out newer clubs because of the size, thickness and offset. How much should I let something like this influence?

[chisag]

6 minutes ago, Overspark07 said:

I stopped by the local PGA Tour Superstore to take a look at some clubs I’ve been researching. I’ve had it in my mind something like a P790, MP245 or T200 is probably the right class of club for me. When I hold those though I struggle with how chunky they look at setup. The MP243 was the only “next step” they had in the store and it looked so much better to me when side by side. It’s more so that I held one and felt confident when I looked down vs unsettled. I’ve had OLD TaylorMade LCG irons forever and I’ve never felt settled when I try out newer clubs because of the size, thickness and offset. How much should I let something like this influence?

 

... Performance is king. But clubs can't look bad in the address position or it leaves doubt before even starting your swing. I used to be very particular but I have learned to accept more through the years, although it still has to look at least OK at address. If performance is a toss up I go with what looks better to my eye.

... I would add if T200's look chunky to you   there aren't many irons that will look much "less chunky" at address. The thinnest top line of any players distance iron and you can't see the back of the club at address with a mid/small head size and shape. The P790's look pretty good imo, although the top line is a little thicker than I like but if they out performed my T200's I would play them. For me, the P790's don't produce enough spin to hold hard, fast desert greens but were really nice when I played them in soft Midwest courses. The new P-770's look awesome at address with a smaller head and a thinner top line. 

[Hacker60521]

But what if the clubs have a great personality?  

[cnosil]

Maybe it is because I test lots of clubs for MGS but looks at address doesn't bother me much. Sure I like a nice looking iron versus a thick bulky club but it really comes down to performance first.   I've hit clubs that look great horribly and clubs that look terribly very well.    the way a clubs looks does nothing for my confidence it all comes down to how the ball flies. 

[bens197]

I’ll always say looks are confidence. If you don’t like what you see you’re going to tell yourself it won’t work. 
 

I challenged this 20 years ago after spending a week at PING. I stopped playing my 670’s and replaced them with i5’s. 
 

To counter the uncertainty about what a club looks like I’d say keep an open mind. Hit them first before rushing to judgment. 

[Gravenor]

@Overspark07 I have the exact same issue with my driver. I still play a 2011 Nike Pro Ltd Edition having bought the driver nearly TEN years ago 

I completely agree with the visual appeal dilemma. I just can't take that thing out of the bag. The compact head shape and no-nonsense crown with no alignment has me in a choke hold, and almost no manufacturers, with the exception of Titleist, make anything that suits my eye down by the ball.

At the end of the day if you look down at a golf club and don't get that feeling of confidence or comfort, the chances are you will convince yourself the club isn't for you before you have even hit it. Having said that, it doesn't hurt to test it anyway. What's the worst that can happen?

[Imaxwell]

I can definitely relate to the visuals adding to confidence. I got a little hookup on a set of callaway irons last year. I talked to my low handicap friends I play with, did a bunch of research, and made the decision to go with the clubs that would ‘help me’ the most. I got the Paradym X. While I can say I like the way they play, I hate the looks. Very chunky, and I am also not a fan of the color and design on the back of the clubs. I will say I love the hybrid I got though; performance and looks. 
For me personally, I now know that I need to add something that looks as good to me as it plays. 

Edited August 5 by Imaxwell

[cksurfdude]

GI iron player here. Looks are important but getting the right performance is the most important. 

Absolutely demo and test different clubs .. makes , models, types .. and do a fitting if possible or find a fitting day near you.

Confidence - for myself, anyhow - does not come from how a club looks to me while sitting on the ground at address...

... confidence comes from knowing how, and how far (hopefully! ), the ball will fly when you hit it with that club.

[NHRon]

It depends where you fall on the spectrum. At one end there are people who will play anything that works for them, and they don't care what it looks like (some of them even enjoy the reactions they get from their playing partners). They'll game a bag made up of a Nike Squareback driver, Adams Idea upside down FWs, Ping Zing irons and a Ping Doc 17 putter. At the other end are the "thin topline or bust" iron players, who will game Wilson Staff blades even if they can't hit them to save their lives. If a driver is the least bit triangular in shape, it's not even a candidate.

Most of us fall somewhere in between. And most of us move on that spectrum (and the spectrum moves on us) because they way golf clubs look has changed over the years, and we get used to the new looks. They become "normal". You may not be old enough to remember how big the first "Big Bertha" drivers looked when they came out. I knew people who claimed they'd never get used to a club that big. I'll bet each one of those people is now gaming a 3W that's bigger than the original BB.

The way irons look has changed a lot, as advanced materials and manufacturing techniques are used to incorporate GI features into more clubs (including "player" lines). They may not look like Ping Zings, but I think almost all current irons have chunkier toplines than most of what was available when I started playing.

If you hate the look of modern irons and don't think you'll ever be able to get used to them, then you're stuck. Your choices will be limited, and some options that might fit you better will be excluded from consideration.

So in answer to your question, only you can determine how much "visual appeal" matters, because it's different for everybody. In objective terms, "visual appeal" doesn't affect the performance of a club (although concessions to aesthetics might actually have a negative effect on performance). But if you don't like the way your equipment looks, it affects the way you feel about playing the game, and how you feel is kind of the whole point, isn't it?

[Wakit300]

Personally, I can't look down at an iron (or any club) at address and think ... yuck. I don't care how it performs. I've never Not been able to find a better looking club that performs just as well as some clunky, fat, big, offset fugly looking club that's supposed to "help" me hit better shots. Confidence is ESSENTIAL!

[chisag]

22 hours ago, bens197 said:

I’ll always say looks are confidence. If you don’t like what you see you’re going to tell yourself it won’t work. 
 

I challenged this 20 years ago after spending a week at PING. I stopped playing my 670’s and replaced them with i5’s. 
 

To counter the uncertainty about what a club looks like I’d say keep an open mind. Hit them first before rushing to judgment. 

 

... For those not suffering an ego attack, I think the clubs design usually falls in line with the players ability. A high index player struggling to get a high enough trajectory isn't gonna look down at a thin top line with a thin sole and a smaller head and think "This looks great!" but a thicker top line, larger head and wider sole may give then the confidence they need. Conversely a low index player looking to control their trajectory with consistent distances isn't gonna look down at a larger head with a thick top line and wide sole and think "this looks great!" either. 

... It is those in the middle that have decisions to make. I always dislike reading a mid index player thinking they need MB's to improve and become a low index player. I see plenty of scratch golfers using GI's. And you certainly don't wanna put the cart before the horse and attempt to play a club that doesn't provide both the performance and forgiveness needed. Do you hit the ball too high or too low? Do you produce enough or too much spin? Do you slice, hook, fade or draw the ball or hit a pretty straight shot? Trajectory and spin with proper gapping should be the determining factor and in most cases the iron design will follow the attributes of the player. 


 

[bens197]

3 minutes ago, chisag said:

 

... For those not suffering an ego attack, I think the clubs design usually falls in line with the players ability. A high index player struggling to get a high enough trajectory isn't gonna look down at a thin top line with a thin sole and a smaller head and think "This looks great!" but a thicker top line, larger head and wider sole may give then the confidence they need. Conversely a low index player looking to control their trajectory with consistent distances isn't gonna look down at a larger head with a thick top line and wide sole and think "this looks great!" either. 

... It is those in the middle that have decisions to make. I always dislike reading a mid index player thinking they need MB's to improve and become a low index player. I see plenty of scratch golfers using GI's. And you certainly don't wanna put the cart before the horse and attempt to play a club that doesn't provide both the performance and forgiveness needed. Do you hit the ball too high or too low? Do you produce enough or too much spin? Do you slice, hook, fade or draw the ball or hit a pretty straight shot? Trajectory and spin with proper gapping should be the determining factor and in most cases the iron design will follow the attributes of the player. 


 

Well said Sam. 

[Swood1994]

I definitely have to like what I’m looking down at in order feel confident about hitting the shot I want to hit. I think it’s normal for most to feel that way but it could also be a testament to my fragile mental fortitude… 

[Berg Ryman]

Admittedly this year has made me more of a Marie Kondo in club design, thinking "does this bring me joy" when standing over the shot. I want to be inspired by my clubs, to find the fun that golf has, so yeah, seemingly visual appeal is now a consideration in a way it wasn't before

[Rico_de_Gallo]

I think it really just comes down to what you want to enjoy since you are spending money on it.

I went through fittings at the end of last year and my biggest priorities were cost and performance. Looks were a bit of a tiebreaker if needed

[Yorkie07]

Depends on the person, but looks 100% matter to me. Sometimes it's all about confidence. If you look down and hate what you're looking at, is that how you want to start a swing.

I'm sitting at a 9 handicap and there are certain drivers and fairway metals that I put behind a ball and depending on how the club face looks, I will have zero confidence I can put a good shot together. 

More importantly irons. I recently went for an iron fitting and in my head I loved the blade look. That said, I tried everything from Mizuno 245 and 243, the new TaylorMade Q irons, Titleist, ping, etc. As soon as I put the TaylorMade irons down I knew that I didn't like them. Same with the Titleist 770's. Just something about how they sat behind the ball I couldn't get comfortable with. But that looks of the Mizunos got me and whether it was looks or not it translated to my best shots. 

 

There's enough tech out there, you should be able to find something that youre proud to have behind the ball that also gives you confidence. 

 

 

[Dan1247]

I try to tell myself that performance is what matters, but I can't deny looks play a part. I just demo'd the Sub70 699 Pros and loved them. A bunch of my buddies like the look of them as well. However, I can't find a set of the originals and the V2s don't look good to me with the giant 70 on the back. Almost makes me want to go to the 659 or 639 CBs even though my handicap says I'm not good enough for those irons. 

During my fitting I was recommended T200s and Cleveland Zipcore XLs. The T200s were my favorite and a big part of that was the look at address and how they'd look in the bag.  

[MCMSR]

In the past, ‘visual appeal’ was a consideration … I remember doing several ‘demo’ rounds with the original Cobra 1-Length clubs; performance was Ok but the appearance/coloring was not confidence inspiring. Today, it’s definitely the performance results. 

[chickenfarmer]

Back around 1996 I gamed Mizuno T-Zoid irons (including a 1 iron) and I’ve found that the older I get the less my eyes can see the top line of the club!  I still prefer a more compact looking club but I’m at a point where performance trumps looks. I’ll be looking for new irons at the end of this Michigan golf season and will instruct my fitter to find whatever works best for me.  (Hoping for T-100s but could end up in T-350s!).  One caveat though: I never miss right so little to no offset…

[RetiredBoomer]

5 minutes ago, chickenfarmer said:

Back around 1996 I gamed Mizuno T-Zoid irons (including a 1 iron) and I’ve found that the older I get the less my eyes can see the top line of the club!  I still prefer a more compact looking club but I’m at a point where performance trumps looks. I’ll be looking for new irons at the end of this Michigan golf season and will instruct my fitter to find whatever works best for me.  (Hoping for T-100s but could end up in T-350s!).  One caveat though: I never miss right so little to no offset…

The T-Series irons also blend very well in mixed sets.

According to Titleist, 80% of the Titleist Staff Players on tour have blended sets,
but a much smaller percentage of recreational players do.

That's where a good fitter can broaden the vistas of your imagination as to a blended set.

[chickenfarmer]

I’ve blended the top end of my bag - TSR3 driver and 4 wood, PXG 7 wood, PING 9 wood…

[HikingMike]

On 8/6/2024 at 9:15 AM, Rico_de_Gallo said:

I think it really just comes down to what you want to enjoy since you are spending money on it.

I went through fittings at the end of last year and my biggest priorities were cost and performance. Looks were a bit of a tiebreaker if needed

I second this philosophy. Looks shouldn't really matter, but they do. I would like... to like the look of the clubs I hit with so often, that I have in my bag. It's kind of just a "being proud of my stuff" thing. I spent money on them. 

In most aspects of my life, appearance plays second fiddle. It's not substance. But it would be nice to like the way your golf clubs look, on top of hitting them well, right? And if you're not having fun, what's the point? 

Now I'm not saying this means it needs to have a thin topline or not be game improvement irons or whatever. A person can like the look of anything. It's completely subjective. 

Anecdote - years ago I played a course when traveling with original Callaway Big Bertha irons rented from the course. Talk about top line, lol. The top line was about 1 inch wide, and square horizontal. Actually they were thick all around. But I hit them pretty well and played just fine, despite just picking them up for the first time, and noticing they were uh quite a bit different from my irons.

[TAGolf13]

On 8/5/2024 at 12:48 PM, NHRon said:

"At one end there are people who will play anything that works for them, and they don't care what it looks like (some of them even enjoy the reactions they get from their playing partners). They'll game a bag made up of a Nike Squareback driver, Adams Idea upside down FWs, Ping Zing irons and a Ping Doc 17 putter."

You nailed me with this description. Although being comfortable with the way a club looks and feels in my hands matters, results matter most. For example, I have had an old Odyssey White Hot OG 2-ball putter with the rear "ball" missing in the bag. Took it out of the cart barn one day when I didn't have my own clubs, and it has been the most effective putter I've used...even with its damaged look. Nope. Not thrilled with how it looks, but it feels good in my hands and I've had my greatest putting success (that's not saying all that much) with it.

"So in answer to your question, only you can determine how much "visual appeal" matters, because it's different for everybody. In objective terms, "visual appeal" doesn't affect the performance of a club (although concessions to aesthetics might actually have a negative effect on performance). But if you don't like the way your equipment looks, it affects the way you feel about playing the game, and how you feel is kind of the whole point, isn't it?"

With you 100% on this response! Well said NHRon

 

[RetiredBoomer]

On 8/4/2024 at 7:27 PM, Overspark07 said:

I’ve had OLD TaylorMade LCG irons forever and I’ve never felt settled when I try out newer clubs because of the size, thickness and offset. How much should I let something like this influence?

Except for the weird looking stock "Bubble" shaft, those LCGs were a very clean and simple looking club.

I assume you're finally changing because they're very worn, not because you're otherwise dissatisfied with them.
If you want that clean look in a reasonably forgiving iron, I think you may find yourself paying serious money for them.

There are many nice looking models with a measure of forgiveness, but in all likelihood, they'll be more expensive than the pure GI models whose looks you don't like.  In the LCG era, even some of the the nice looking clubs like your LCGs were made of cast stainless steel.  The new ones that look nice are much more expensive to make.

Edited August 7 by RetiredBoomer

[BIG STU]

On 8/7/2024 at 6:05 PM, TAGolf13 said:

 

LOL had a bud of mine that had a 2 ball the back ball came out of. He got it at Goodwill for like $2 or something like that. Man could he putt with it just like it was. His brother was OCD and could not stand it. He was always on me since I do club building and repair to "fix it" for him. Checkers as we called him told his brother not on your life. He called it his 1 ball special.

I recall a tourist prim and proper golfer asked him about it. Now Checkers had a line of BS and it could be convincing. He told the guy he special ordered it that the weight on the front side put the MOI forward. I had to turn away at that point. Now he may have been on to something I do not know but one thing he could can putts with it

[TAGolf13]

37 minutes ago, BIG STU said:

LOL had a bud of mine that had a 2 ball the back ball came out of. He got it at Goodwill for like $2 or something like that. Man could he putt with it just like it was. His brother was OCD and could not stand it. He was always on me since I do club building and repair to "fix it" for him. Checkers as we called him told his brother not on your life. He called it his 1 ball special.

I recall a tourist prim and proper golfer asked him about it. Now Checkers had a line of BS and it could be convincing. He told the guy he special ordered it that the weight on the front side put the MOI forward. I had to turn away at that point. Now he may have been on to something I do not know but one thing he could can putts with it

Glad to be in the same club as Checkers. At least I'm not the only one. Now if I can only get my confidence back on the playing greens. Still a bit shaky on the comeback tour, but it's only a matter of reps I believe.

[Overspark07]

On 8/7/2024 at 5:25 PM, RetiredBoomer said:

Except for the weird looking stock "Bubble" shaft, those LCGs were a very clean and simple looking club.

I just had the steel shafts thankfully. 
 

I really appreciate the feedback here! I decided on a bridge solution. Found a great used set of Sub 70 699 Pro at a really great price point. It’s sort of a rip the band aid off and learn to be less attached without breaking the bank for the experiment. The 699s arrived today! So here goes the new adventure…

[fixyurdivot]

On 8/4/2024 at 4:27 PM, Overspark07 said:

I stopped by the local PGA Tour Superstore to take a look at some clubs I’ve been researching. I’ve had it in my mind something like a P790, MP245 or T200 is probably the right class of club for me. When I hold those though I struggle with how chunky they look at setup. The MP243 was the only “next step” they had in the store and it looked so much better to me when side by side. It’s more so that I held one and felt confident when I looked down vs unsettled. I’ve had OLD TaylorMade LCG irons forever and I’ve never felt settled when I try out newer clubs because of the size, thickness and offset. How much should I let something like this influence?

Aesthetic value is different for everyone.  I'd like to say I'm as aesthetic agnostic as I am brand agnostic, but I'd be lying.  I find some clubs just plain off-putting (putters in particular) and they would have to offer a step change level of improvement for me to bag them.  If a club does not look good and instill confidence at address, I see that as a negative.

One of our product testing categories includes aesthetics and I have chosen not to put my name in the hat simply based on how a product looks.  

All that said, I played PE2's for almost 35 years... go figure .

[Formergreenskeeper]

22 hours ago, fixyurdivot said:

Aesthetic value is different for everyone.  I'd like to say I'm as aesthetic agnostic as I am brand agnostic, but I'd be lying.  I find some clubs just plain off-putting (putters in particular) and they would have to offer a step change level of improvement for me to bag them.  If a club does not look good and instill confidence at address, I see that as a negative.

One of our product testing categories includes aesthetics and I have chosen not to put my name in the hat simply based on how a product looks.  

All that said, I played PE2's for almost 35 years... go figure .

I used to agree about the putters until I started using my Ping Craz E Kirsten series (the one without the insert). I was a terrible putter with classic looking putters but then when I tried my Ping it was a GameChanger. Putts were starting online and holding their line. It’s never coming out of my bag. 
But, yeah, as far as everything else in the bag, looks matter to me. 

[puttslikecrap]

On 8/4/2024 at 7:27 PM, Overspark07 said:

I stopped by the local PGA Tour Superstore to take a look at some clubs I’ve been researching. I’ve had it in my mind something like a P790, MP245 or T200 is probably the right class of club for me. When I hold those though I struggle with how chunky they look at setup. The MP243 was the only “next step” they had in the store and it looked so much better to me when side by side. It’s more so that I held one and felt confident when I looked down vs unsettled. I’ve had OLD TaylorMade LCG irons forever and I’ve never felt settled when I try out newer clubs because of the size, thickness and offset. How much should I let something like this influence?

I know the feeling.  I was raised playing First flight blades.  They had a thin top line. That was nearly 50 years ago.  While at a Mizuno demo day recently the rep kept pushing me to work with the cavity back clubs but the top line looked too thick for me so I went with the 241's.

Golf is probably an addiction and a subset of that for me is a blade or blade like club.