Brand Loyalty...Seems to matter more to Golfers than most will admit!

[NathanGreen]

So I was out playing last week with some friends, one of whom is getting ready to purchase new clubs.  By the way he was talking it seemed like he is really only considering his existing brand (Bridgestone) but without even considering any other brand.  Yes - he will look at the upgraded models but the fact that he won't consider another brand makes me think that golfers are more brand loyal than normal.

What do people think?  Would you even consider looking at some of the less well advertised clubs?

[JamesTucker]

I would tend to agree - but think it is no different to anything else.  Psychologically we are risk averse I think and once we are comfortable with a brand we tend to stick with it unless an experience occurs that really force us to change.

I think that is why you often see people on the teeboxes asking to use someone else's driver - we are curious whether some other brand works for us but we just cannot, at times, convince ourselves to change...

[dak4n6]

Nope. I literally have a mixed bag (see below). I am also a big fan of the 'under the radar' manufacturers. Why should I pay 30 - 50% more for a product when that amount is going towards their marketing and not towards the product being technically better?

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by NathanGreen

So I was out playing last week with some friends, one of whom is getting ready to purchase new clubs.  By the way he was talking it seemed like he is really only considering his existing brand (Bridgestone) but without even considering any other brand.  Yes - he will look at the upgraded models but the fact that he won't consider another brand makes me think that golfers are more brand loyal than normal.

What do people think?  Would you even consider looking at some of the less well advertised clubs?

I think most avid golfers are brand aware because there are brands they will not use or even try. I've never had someone ask to try my driver. Maybe then cn sense my apprehension and maybe it's because it's a Mizuno. Years ago people asked to borrow my 2-iron quite often and it was a Mizuno.

For example, I will not likely ever own a Nike brand golf club (just like I'm not likely to ever own Nike brand hockey equipment). Some of it looks nice and I'm sure the odd stick would fit nicely with what I have, but no swoosh will ever be seen on my equipment .  Stange but true.

[newtogolf]

Typically people who drive Fords don't like Chevy and vice versa.  A guy who prefers German or Japanese cars wouldn't drive a Ford or a Chevy.

We all have our own experiences with certain brands and base future purchase decisions on those experiences.  Another factor is brand appeal and positioning.  At one time Callaway was the market leader, they were the brand the "serious golfers" played before Titleist, Mizuno, Bridgestone, Miura and other Japanese forged irons makers took the crown from them.  Today they are struggling to regain an identity in golf.  They have retained some of their loyal customer base they aren't gaining many new customers.

TaylorMade is interesting as a brand in that most people that I talk to don't think very highly of them as a brand, especially their irons and wedges but they all have an R11 or RBZ in their bag.

I agree with Sean, Nike is a brand that I doubt will ever make it into my golf bag.  I don't like their running shoes or golf equipment.

[Shorty]

Quite odd that the OP bases his experience on what one player did, but uses the term "most" in the title. But I kind of agree. I don't think "loyalty" is the right term. People have prejudices either way but prefer to call them preferences. In reality, a lot can't tell the difference. Witness the number of people who go and buy MX model Mizuno irons and then come here and crap on about their "buttery" feel. Or those who crap on about the "finish" of certain brands and refer us to videos where you see the equivalent of a hammer being forged in a mass production factory but liken it to something much more exotic like a Samuari sword which might take a year to make. Even the most common irons are beautifully finished.

[Jeffrey71]

So as of right now I'm in the "saving" process. I'm pretty sure it's probably gonna run me about $1500 - $2000. My plan is to find a quality fitter and try out several different brands and styles. I admit I've talked a lot to my wife about getting some AP1's or 2's, but that's only because I've been playing with some DCI gold's. Really, from everything I've read, it would be wise to, like I said before, try out several different brands.

[geauxforbroke]

I agree that it's more of a prejudice thing than loyalty. At this moment, I have 5 brands of clubs in my bag (Ping, Taylor Made, Mizuno, Adams, and Titleist), so I'm clearly not too loyal. But I will always favor Mizuno irons and Ping drivers. I think the most interesting loyalty (prejudice) is in balls. I have friends that will only play Titleist or Srixon or Bridgestone. There are probably 5 different balls from 5 different brands that I can play and won't make a shot difference in the round.

[GaijinGolfer]

Id agree that most people get hung up on a certain brand and will only consider that brand when it comes to buying new clubs.  Ive certainly been guility of it.

[bigwave916]

Originally Posted by sean_miller

I think most avid golfers are brand aware because there are brands they will not use or even try. I've never had someone ask to try my driver. Maybe then cn sense my apprehension and maybe it's because it's a Mizuno. Years ago people asked to borrow my 2-iron quite often and it was a Mizuno.

For example, I will not likely ever own a Nike brand golf club (just like I'm not likely to ever own Nike brand hockey equipment). Some of it looks nice and I'm sure the odd stick would fit nicely with what I have, but no swoosh will ever be seen on my equipment .  Stange but true.

Dude, I was so pissed when Charles Barkley spit on that little girl that I boxed up everything that I owned and FedEx'd it to Nike. To this day, I will not own anything with that damn swoosh on it.

[bigwave916]

I am brand loyal. I used to be loyal to Wilson, then I switched to Hogan, and now I"m a Taylormade guy. Balls, even though I will play cheaper balls and other brands, there is nothing  better than Titleist. To the OP's question though, I am more brand loyal when it comes to golf than I am in other areas of my life.

[Golfingdad]

Originally Posted by bigwave916

I am brand loyal. I used to be loyal to Wilson, then I switched to Hogan, and now I"m a Taylormade guy.

LOL!!!!  (I think unintentionally ... but nevertheless, this is hilarious!)

[bigwave916]

Originally Posted by Golfingdad

LOL!!!!  (I think unintentionally ... but nevertheless, this is hilarious!)

Oh, it was intentional, sorta like I have been loyal to my wives and girlfriends, at least while I'm still in love with them.

[Golfingdad]

Originally Posted by bigwave916

Oh, it was intentional, sorta like I have been loyal to my wives and girlfriends, at least while I'm still in love with them.

Haha!  That's what I was thinking too!

[teamroper60]

Originally Posted by bigwave916

Oh, it was intentional, sorta like I have been loyal to my wives and girlfriends, at least while I'm still in love with them.

I can relate!!   LOL

To the OP's  assertion, I am loyal to Callaway for everything but apparel..    I have Callaway clubs from driver through lob wedge and wear a variety of Callaway hats, but my apparel is based on what fits.........    That seems to be primarily Nike..   I have Nike shoes (though I also have a pair of Footjoys), a couple of pairs of Nike shorts and several pair of Nike pants.........

[lumpuckeroo]

IMHO, brand loyal would mean you play one brand and only one brand, as we can see from all the previous posts, that is not the case.  It seems to me, that we find a brand for a particular part of the game that we like and tend to stick with them, but we carry several brands in our bags at one time, I know that is the case for me.  I wouldn't really call that brand loyal, don't know what I would call it, I'm not that ingenious to come up with a term!

[millencolinman]

I think it's more common for people to dislike a particular brand. I would fall in that category, when buying my new clubs this year I gave every brand a fair shot except for Nike. I'm sure they make very nice clubs but I refuse to let the swoosh enter my bag. I just find it hard to trust a company that makes crappy shows to make my expensive golf set.

[sean_miller]

I think that by calling someone with all one brand "brand loyal" can be somewhat misleading. I can throw together a 100% Mizuno bag (except the actual bag since I don't want to be mocked as a fanboy) but it's a snapshot of Mizuno in the past. Am I Mizuno brand loyal with 20 year old blades, 18 year old wedges, a 12 old putter, and a 4 year old driver?  What current Mizuno gear gets me excited about giving the Mizuno Corporation [sic] more of my money? To be completely honest - none of it does. I am loyal to what Mizuno was in the 1990s wrt wedges and irons and more recently wrt their woods. I wasn't a fan of their woods garbage in the 1990s.

If a person is truly "brand loyal" they'll stay in touch with all that brand's new offerings and drool over their brochure every spring. Not sure any brand of anything ever does that for me at any one time - they all have strengths and weaknesses. I could say that Titleist would be the closest, but I won't use a Titleist  ball (personal reasons) and don't plan on replacing any of my gear with what would essentially be replacements in kind.