"Buying a game"

[Heat]

I dont try to buy a game. I like golfing, I have some extra cash and I like bragging to my friends.

[clickagent75]

I agree. I think for some people having the best club they could afford gives them a confidence boost that shows up in their game. For others, they've got confidence (and skill) just oozing out of them and for the most part it doesn't matter what clubs they play, they'll still score well regardless.

[jcrew]

having nice clubs(not to say i have the nicest but I think I have some pretty nice clubs) gives me confidence and I just feel better than if I were playing some old crappy set. That being said, even that confidence would not be able to fix major swing flaws.

I find it rediculous when I walk down the driving range and see this guy with say a callaway ft-i, callaway fusion woods, callaway fusion wide sole irons etc etc and then when they swing their driver.. 1. it's an ugly swing 2. the ball slices and goes about 170 yards

[DDBowdoin]

good points everyone! I think the worst though just happened to me yesterday. I caddie at a pretty historic country club, The Country Club in Brookline, MA host of the 99' Ryder Cup. Anyways, looping there is always interesting because you just have to deal with a number of members who are terrible yet have PGA tour bags. The worst though came in my Monday round yesterday! I was a bit late to the course so I missed a lot of the caddie groups i usually play with. After sitting on the putting green for a half hour or so some other kids came in and I was paired up with their group. These kids were the worst kind of kids I can think of when it comes to golfing culture and this thread topic. We matched up for a little match play and my partner was this little 12 year old "future Tiger Woods" at least he looked the part. I glanced over at his bag and it's a complete Titleist bag... 907D2, 906F2, 585H, 695MB!!!!!! Vokeys, Cameron... all that jazz. So I start to think to myself, damn... this kid better be unbelievable. Come to find out he loops every now and then because his dad thinks it'll be good for him... his family has a membership.

Anyways, end of the story is the kid was terrible. Guess he didn't get fit for those 695's. But his bag looked great and he couldn't have enough Titleist Junior Tour gear on, not to mention a crazy pair of Oakley M Frames and Sergio Garcia special edition Tour 360's.

[sandtrap]

Whoa trigger.....
I'd play every round with a different set if I could. I stop at every golf store I see in hopes of finding a used something. [Mostly putters] And no I din't "need " the 85 that I have. Cause you can only use one at a time.
Everyone has a hobby of some sort that they are free to spend on. Some it's golf.
If you ask me, if you are not into equiptment you probably aren't that into golf.
Is "wasting" money on gambling or wine or season tickets, or cars, computers, cameras, shot guns , club dues, any different that golf clubs?
Hobbys or collecting is all in the eye of the beholder. I'm sure you spend a bunch of money on something that the rest of us would say. I'd never spend that much for that when I could get a widget that would do that for 3.99 at goodwill.

Buy a game no, but having things that you can hit is important. So chill dude and we won't make fun of your obsession, whatever it is.

[eltelgb]

Some of us need any and every little bit of help that we can get.

[bwinger79]

At the end of the day, a bad shot is a bad shot. Doesnt matter if it is off of a $600 club or a $30 club. Nothing makes me happier than taking money from someone that spent $3000 on clubs when what they really needed to do was spend $300 in lessons. If you have the money, buy it, but dont think it is going to magically turn your 40yd slice into a nice 7yd draw.

[norcalgolf]

100% agree. 95% of it comes down to the golfer. If you hit a big slice, new equipment maybe able to minimize it, but it isn't going to fix it.

I love people who buy stuff looking for the quick fixes.

I didn't really start playing seriously until about 3 years ago (I was the typical play 3-4 times a year, usually scrambles, etc), but when I did, I had the typical 220 yard huge left to right drive (read slice). I usually sliced/faded most of my irons.

I realized very early on when I started playing seriously that I needed to correct my swing, and I needed to learn more about how to play golf.

I have spent the last years taking lessons off and on. The first year was lessons every other week or every 3 weeks. After that I went back every couple months for a few weeks at a time to work things out.

I had spent less money for all of those lessons than I have currently invested in my clubs. It is definitely money well spent.

My natural shot shape now is a slight draw, and I have definitely improved the carry distance of all of my clubs.

As my game has improved, I have improved my clubs to match mainly because I have been better able to take advantage of it. Other than my putter right now I have reached a point where I am very happy with my current clubs and other than having to replace my wedges from wear and tear, I don't plan on changing things out anytime soon.

The moral of the story, spend your money on lessons. :)

[BaronV]

I dont try to buy a game. I like golfing, I have some extra cash and I like bragging to my friends.

Same here with my foursome. We are terrible hackers, but like to get new gear sometimes just to show off to each other. One guy will buy a new Nike SQ driver, then another guy will get a new TM R5 Dual in response. Another gets a new Odyssey 2-ball putter, another comes back with a new Never Compromise GM2 putter. New Nickent hybrid, another new TM Rescue Mid hybrid. One gets new Cleveland wedges, another gets a whole new set of Rapture irons to combat the wedges. It’s a case of global escalation, gotta Keep Up with the Jones’ of course!

[SuaSponteMn]

Does anybody notice how many golfers out there try to "buy their game" by constantly upgrading their clubs, even when they have a hard time breaking 90?

So you're inferring that if a golfer doesn't break 90, he doesn't deserve new clubs? In my mind, once I've lost confidence in a club, it's gone, that's it. Doesn't matter your score, confidence is the name of the game and if a new club inspires confidence at address and it's fit to the player, it's not going to hurt his game and could possibly help.

My driver cost me $25, I got my woods at Goodwill for $6.99 apiece, I bought a clone putter, and my irons (Tommy Armour 845s) were given to me by a neighbor, yet I consistently manage to break 90, and on good days 80. I am not trying to say that I am a great golfer because I play with crappy equipment

Actually it seems like you

are trying to say that you're a better player because of your equipment or lackthereof. It's either that, or you have bag envy. People have hobbys, some have a quite a few, I have one really and it's golf. As an American consumer, I have every right to buy whatever I like. Now... Off to put batteries in my new rangefinder :)

[Ghetto P]

If I ain't blingin' I ain't swingin'.