Does this bother anyone else or is it just me?

[TidePride50]

It doesn't bother me at all, I'm happy to let anyone try any of my clubs.  Most of the time I play with close friends, so maybe that is why.

[Wadess]

I'm the same way.  It's just a club!  Worst case scenario, they make a ding or mark on it.  It will still hit them just as fine.  I'll play the odds and be courteous.

Originally Posted by jangro

I guess I'm an outlier here.  It hasn't happened many times, but I don't think I've ever minded when someone asked to try a club.

I just can't see anyone doing any worse damage than I can do on any given swing.  (Unless it was a total hack, and then I'd maybe be a little nervous about it.)

Then again, I'm not the type to baby my clubs. To me, they're there to get used and I don't worry about scratches.

But that's just me. You should see my iphone -- cracked, scratched, well loved. :)

[RichWW2]

This is one of the few things I LOVE about being left handed. All my clubs are custom fit to me and only used by me. I don't want anyone touching my clubs but I feel like a d-bag for saying "Hell no you can't touch my clubs". Instead its "Oh, sorry, I'm left handed".

The downside is when someone gets a new club and offers me a chance to hit it, I can't because of my aforementioned left handedness. But I guess that's better than anyone touching my clubs...

[burtonda]

I have no problem with anyone trying out my clubs.  In fact, if I happen to have a new or interesting club I'll offer it up during the round.  The benefits of sharing vastly outweigh the miniscule risk of equipment damage.

[deronsizemore]

If someone wants to hit one of my irons, I've got no problem with it. If someone wants to hit my driver/fairway wood/hybrid, it's a no go. I simply tell them I don't allow anyone to hit my woods. If they're friends of mine and I know them and their game, I'll let them, but some new guy to the group, no way.

[imtomtomim]

At the range last week, I left my stall, as I usually do in my practices, with a club in the ball tray and my bag behind it so people know it's not free balls.  I went to the short game area and started chipping.  Then this weird guy who I've never spoken to, range rat like me who always talks to himself loudly (very distracting), goes to my stall, poking his fingers through my clubs, stands over my mat, closely watching the struggling beginners right next to it.  He then decides he wants to instruct these people and picks up the club in my stall!  Swings it around demonstrating his BS golf instruction.  I had to scream out from across the practice area, "Hey, does that belong to you?!"

What the hell?  Who the heck goes and picks up some stranger's junk?

[B-Con]

I don't carry clubs worth borrowing. Save the wedges and putter, everything in my bag is 4+ years old and used on top of it. That said, if I ever had a new/awesome club, I would probably not let random strangers hit it unless they were clearly consistent hitters. I'm not fussy about my clubs, but why risk a skymark? I've never asked to borrow another club to hit. What can you tell about a club in one swing? I'd rather demo one at a store and put a handful of balls through it.

[Zwick]

I have no problem with anyone trying out my clubs.

I even let some of my non-golfing friends use them, if they want to hit some balls on the range (probably once a year).

One of them put a skymark on my fairly new driver, but that doesn't bother me, because it doesn't effect the club at all.

I can understand why someone doesn't let someone else hit the driver. But I don't get the problem with irons, what could happen to them?

[tanktwo2]

If it is brand new, smile and say no, sorry, it is my baby.  if they want to try it that bad they can go to any golf store and hit whatever they like

[SouthernILGolfer]

Originally Posted by Zwick

I have no problem with anyone trying out my clubs.

I even let some of my non-golfing friends use them, if they want to hit some balls on the range (probably once a year).

One of them put a skymark on my fairly new driver, but that doesn't bother me, because it doesn't effect the club at all.

I can understand why someone doesn't let someone else hit the driver. But I don't get the problem with irons, what could happen to them?

Because someone else could snap your shaft and then you have a driver with a broken shaft.   Graphite shafts are pretty tough, but can be broken, especially by one of those so-called non-golfing friends.

[SouthernILGolfer]

Originally Posted by SouthernILGolfer

Because someone else could snap your shaft and then you have a driver with a broken shaft.   Graphite shafts are pretty tough, but can be broken, especially by one of those so-called non-golfing friends.

sorry read that wrong,  but even irons can be broken, i broke a 6 and 7 iron the same day at the range, cheap irons and I had a backup set but still ruined the day.

Originally Posted by Zwick

I have no problem with anyone trying out my clubs.

I even let some of my non-golfing friends use them, if they want to hit some balls on the range (probably once a year).

One of them put a skymark on my fairly new driver, but that doesn't bother me, because it doesn't effect the club at all.

I can understand why someone doesn't let someone else hit the driver. But I don't get the problem with irons, what could happen to them?

[burtonda]

Originally Posted by SouthernILGolfer

sorry read that wrong,  but even irons can be broken, i broke a 6 and 7 iron the same day at the range, cheap irons and I had a backup set but still ruined the day.

I've been golfing regularly for 20+ years and have seen only 2 clubs damaged through normal use (I had a defective driver that the head flew off of after 3 swings and my buddy hit a big, hidden rock with his brand new vokey in a trap).  Outside of a driver sky mark, which has virtually no effect on the performance of the club, it is highly unlikely someone would damage your clubs hitting off a teebox or fairway.  Your clubs are more at risk for damage in your trunk on the drive to the course.

I'm not saying clubs are invincible, only that the risk of damage is so minimal that it doesn't outweigh the good karma you'll get by sharing with your fourball.

[The Road Dog]

Being a family type guy, I go out with son in law and two grandsons regularly.  I bought clubs for the left handed grandson so no problem there. The Son in law is a baseball hitter who always swings for the fence. He couldn't afford a modern driver so I scouted the local pawnshops, I found a recent Mizuno driver with an Aldila NZ shaft, nice item for $50. Well after about three rounds he tells me it isn't sounding good and the ball isn't flying very far. Uh Oh, sure enough there is a 3 inch crack on the crown at the face crown joint. Hmmm. Luckily, since I liked the way that Mizuno worked I had already bought a couple more of different lofts so I loaned him one of those. It worked well for a year and two weeks ago he snapped the shaft (Aldila) just above the hosel.  His finances have improved since last year so this time he's on his own. The result is that he has learned to use eBay and picked up a new Adams 9032LS head and got a UST V2 Xstiff installed, oh and he had the Mizuno reshafted with a V2 in stiff to give back to me.

So family can use my stuff and I'll buy stuff for them, who cares, I'm in it for the memories not the equipment. And being a club ho helps too.

I will add a question to this thread, Why do you fret over the slightest mark on a new driver that will be replaced in a year or two and reject the notion of

iron protectors for clubs that you will likely keep for 5 plus years and then try to sell or trade?

[WarEagleDave]

The guys I play golf with are my best friends. If they ask to use my clubs on the range or the course I allow them too. They let me use theirs too. It's pretty damn hard to damage a club in a way that affects it's performance any ways.

[q7w]

Originally Posted by newtogolf

As a lefty I usually don't have this problem.  I have no issue with someone trying my irons or wedges, but would get a little nervous with woods unless I knew the person.  Since switching to the FT-9 iMix it wouldn't be catastophic for me as replacement heads are under $100 now.  If I was using a new driver like an R11, 910D or Razr Hawk, no way I'd let a stranger swing it unless they handed me $400 to hold while they did.

lol

yup, I'm a lefty aswell

no clubs for anyone

[osgoodisgood]

It doesn't bother me in the slightest. It's a golf club, it's not like they're asking to have a go on my wife.

[WilsonWedgeMan]

Originally Posted by osgoodisgood

It doesn't bother me in the slightest. It's a golf club, it's not like they're asking to have a go on my wife.

exactly...being anal bothers me more....and that's all it is: anality

what's the most expensive set you can buy, including woods?? bet it's nowhere NEAR my Gibson guitars....and you can play 'em all ya want, whether you CAN play or not, as long as you don't intentional damage them. anal people are annoying and I won't be around any.

[newtogolf]

Playing a guitar and swinging a driver are two different things.  I've never seen a guitar damaged accidently while playing, maybe played out of tune, but not damaged.  Where as I've seen drivers get dented and shafts cracked from one accidental bad swing.

Originally Posted by WilsonWedgeMan

exactly...being anal bothers me more....and that's all it is: anality

what's the most expensive set you can buy, including woods?? bet it's nowhere NEAR my Gibson guitars....and you can play 'em all ya want, whether you CAN play or not, as long as you don't intentional damage them. anal people are annoying and I won't be around any.