Why do most people have so many different brands in their bags?

[glock35ipsc]

Judging from the clubs in my signature, I have no brand loyalty either. Value and performance are what matters, could care less what name is on them.  My "new" 5 year old Cleveland driver was a freebie, it replaced a brand new Callaway driver.  My Cobra 3W was also a freebie.    I swap between a 3 iron and a Bobby Jones hybrid.  I built my set of irons from components from Maltby/Golfworks, and these replaced my Callaway X-22's because I hit then straighter, longer, and more consistent!  Bobby Jones/Pelz wedges, because I had the opportunity to try several different brands and models for a couple weeks before settling on these.  Odyssey putter because I like the looks and the feel, and got it for $45 at Sports Authority after using some coupons I had.  And a really sweet like-new Tommy Armour bag that I snagged at Goodwill for $8, and it replaced a new Sun Mountain bag!

I have the cash to buy pretty much the best of best, but I buy the best value that performs the best.  If I ever find something that works better than what is in the bag now, it will likely find it's way in the bag.  Regardless of who's name is on it.

[MiniBlueDragon]

I play what I feel helps my game. Over the last couple of years I've:

- Started with Nike irons

- Wanted wedges so hit many different wedges but liked Titleist Vokeys the best.

- Wanted a hybrid so tried Titleist, Taylormade, Nike, Ping and Cleveland but felt the Taylormade was the best option.

- Wanted a 3W so Tried Ping, Titleist, Taylormade and Yonex. Felt the Yonex suited my swing so went for that.

I have no brand loyalty; if it works I'm happy to buy it.

The only thing I draw the line at is wearing a cap emblazoned with a brand I don't use.

[glock35ipsc]

Originally Posted by MiniBlueDragon

The only thing I draw the line at is wearing a cap emblazoned with a brand I don't use.

Hahahaha, now that you mention that, I just realized I usually wear a Callaway cap (the one with the magnetic ball marker built into the brim) and I no longer have any Callaway clubs!

[Kieran123]

Price and/or deals on items.

Or, simply, they hit them the best when they tried them.

Just because a person hits their Nike VR Pro blades well, doesn't mean they will hit the VR Pro driver well.

[MiniBlueDragon]

Originally Posted by glock35ipsc

Hahahaha, now that you mention that, I just realized I usually wear a Callaway cap (the one with the magnetic ball marker built into the brim) and I no longer have any Callaway clubs!

lol. Looks like my Nike One cap needs to be dumped too...

I can imagine the scene when wearing a random cap, "Nice Mizuno cap, do you like their stuff?"

"No, not really. I've not tried it."

"Oh."

[Mattplusness]

When looking for a club I don't bother looking at the manufacturer. When I look, I look for something I will feel confident and comfortable with. With all of the technology that goes into clubs today there isn't much variance between the brands. I stick to what I like and don't buy Nike :P

I have callaway irons, callaway fairway woods, a titleist driver, ping putter, and taylormade 56* and 60*

[1par2win]

I ended up with an all Titleist set-up but not because of any particular brand loyalty. It started when I replaced my wedges with Vokeys a few years ago and when I switched irons I was interested in a combo set. Ended up with the 735cm's. Then it went on to a driver and then fairway woods and hybrids. All along the way I tried out as much equipment out there but ended up going with the Titleist stuff. There was a number of times when a Callaway or Nike club would perform the same for me as the Titleist version but went with the Titleist simply because there wasn't a price difference and I had already Titleist stuff so I may as well match the clubs. Just personal preference. The ironic thing about my set up is I don't use a Scotty Cameron putter but a Odyssey WH #1. I tried a number of Scotty's and borrowed for a few rounds some of my buddies but never did see the big deal in the SC's. I'm not knocking them, just never worked for me.

So if I am perceived to be a tool because I have nearly all Titleist clubs then so be it. Golf is challenging enough on it's own merit to worry about stuff like that and besides I am too old to give damn anyway.

[MiniBlueDragon]

I think if people want to go for matching golf equipment then it's up to them at the end of the day. They pay for it, they use it and they accept whatever reactions people will have to it, both good and bad.

One thing I don't understand however is people who look at a club with interest, ask a question and then lose interest as soon as the answer isn't what they wanted. It's like brand-x is their religion...

"Nice three wood! Is it a Titleist?"

"Nope, it's a Yonex"

"Never heard of them" or "Why didn't you get a Titleist? It'd be much better than that thing"

"You may want to take a look at Yonex; their clubs are actually really good. Monty uses them and so does Ryo Ishikawa. Here, take a look..."

"No thanks, I'll stick to Titleist"

*silence*

[sean_miller]

If I'd found a decent Mizuno putter or driver back when I was using Mizuno Pro 2-iron through LW, I'd have been all over them (tried to use Mizzie woods - not a fan).  I could play an all Cleveland bag (not the bag though) if I could have found the right non-persimmon Cleveland driver. I could have used all Ram clubs in the 80s, but went and ruined ti with an Acushnet putter and Cobra wedges.

I love my Callaway driver(s), 3-wood, and the 2-hybrid my wife is giving me for my birthday. "Luckily" the Cleveland and Callaway fonts are close enough that from a distance they sort of match - phew!!  This optical illusion also allows me to "match" my Tommy Armour irons with Tour Action wedges because from > 6 feet away they look like same.

[glock35ipsc]

Originally Posted by MiniBlueDragon

"Nice three wood! Is it a Titleist?"

"Nope, it's a Yonex"

"Never heard of them" or "Why didn't you get a Titleist? It'd be much better than that thing"

"You may want to take a look at Yonex; their clubs are actually really good. Monty uses them and so does Ryo Ishikawa. Here, take a look..."

"No thanks, I'll stick to Titleist"

"You are a marketing departments dream customer!"

*silence*

You left out a line.....

I have no problems with someone who wants to play equipment that is all from one manufacturer or brand.  It's their money and their game.  If it gives them a warm fuzzy that helps them to believe they play better, I'm all for it.  The problem I do have is with the ones who think their brand is the only one worth playing, and whatever anyone else plays with is crap.  But sweet revenge comes from whooping up on them with a "lesser" brand of clubs, or out driving them with an old hand-me-down driver, or being straighter or longer with a home build set of clubs.

[nuck81]

Originally Posted by glock35ipsc

You left out a line.....

I have no problems with someone who wants to play equipment that is all from one manufacturer or brand.  It's their money and their game.  If it gives them a warm fuzzy that helps them to believe they play better, I'm all for it.  The problem I do have is with the ones who think their brand is the only one worth playing, and whatever anyone else plays with is crap.  But sweet revenge comes from whooping up on them with a "lesser" brand of clubs, or out driving them with an old hand-me-down driver, or being straighter or longer with a home build set of clubs.

One of my favorite things is this conversation I have almost weekly at the Driving Range.

"Hey man, you hit pretty good, what kind of Irons are those?"

"This one is a GigaGolf 5 iron"

"What the hell is a GigaGolf??"

[nevets88]

Yeah, I always though it was ironic that cyclists, namely roadies pay so much for those jerseys that are basically huge ads. I find it tacky, but if you take a look at a group at the end of an amateur race, all heavy advert jerseys. I try and avoid any kind of logos or names on the clothing, no logos on the headcovers. Tempted to spray paint over the PING on my bag. I am not going to be a walking billboard.

[ochmude]

Currently I have a Taylor Made Burnner Bubble driver, Dunlop 3W and 5W from Walmart, a Cleveland 3H, Snake Eyes custom fit irons, some cheap wedge from Walmart, Bridgestone balls, an Izzo bag, and a Tommy Armour hat.  My brand consistency matches my ball striking consistency.

Originally Posted by nuck81

"What the hell is a GigaGolf??"

I've heard of those.  You need 1.21 of them to power a flux capacitor.

[MiniBlueDragon]

Originally Posted by ochmude

Quote:

Originally Posted by nuck81

"What the hell is a GigaGolf??"

I've heard of those.  You need 1.21 of them to power a flux capacitor.

When this swing hit 88mph, you're gonna see some serious shit! ROFL

[enis750]

I use what works..... That week:-P Nothing needs to match..... I usually like to match the wedges and irons but not alwys

[rossvanwyk]

Got Callaway X-18 irons that were hand me downs. Still hit those babies so sweetly so not looking to replace any time soon.

TM Driver and 3W, Ram 4H, TM putter and some no name 60 degree wedge.

Mizuno bag and TM balls.

It's all down to what feels good and has a decent price tag really.

[ohiolefty]

Some guys, like me, like to match Driver to fairway woods because of similar feelings in the shaft. I don't get really fancy about non-stock shafts...about the only thing I customize on a club is the grip.

My irons and wedges match, for now, because I got a break on the Cally wedges price-wise.

I play what works. My only 'brand loyalty' is to Nike apparel and shoes. The irony is that I haven't liked any Nike equipment I've tried, and have none of it in the back despite the Nike logo ON the bag, the Nikes on my feet and, very frequently, the swoosh on my shirt.

[Cut68]

I have no club loyalty at all, and have or do own clubs from pretty much every manufacturer. Right now, my irons and driver are both TM, but that is purely by accident. I buy clubs that I like and can get a good deal on. When I picked  my new driver, I narrowed it down to the R11 and the 910. the Dick's by me had a sweet trade-in deal on drivers so that I got an extra $100 off, and that's how I got the R11. Would I be better off with the 910? Maybe, but for $100 less I liked the R11 more. Next year I will probably get new irons. I will hit everything, and I doubt I end up with TM's again (will likely examine the earth with a magnifying glass to find a good deal on some Mizuno's)

It's all about how I hit it and what it cost's. The money isn't as big a deal as it once was.......... Now I'm just cheap