Golf Drivers

[paininthenuts]

My golf driver is a Taylormade Burner 10.5* with a reg flex shaft. Even though I say so myself, I generally strike the ball quite well with it. It's a few years old now, but if I were to replace it with a new equivalent, it would cost £279 in the UK (M2). I decided I needed a back up driver, so I got myself on ebay. I bought a brand new Dunlop Tour driver that had been sitting in the back of a retailers shop. I paid £10, but even off of the shelf it would only have cost about £40. I was only one of two people who bid on it, probably because of the brand name. Today I decided to give it a test run. I managed to slice the first four drives whilst I was getting accustomed to it, and then I started to strike the ball correctly. I was easily reaching the same distances as I do with my TM. This got me thinking, why the hell do people spend so much money on equipment when there are cheaper alternatives ? 

[mcanadiens]

Its the same reason people buy designer-labeled clothes. Fashion.

My irons are actually Dunlop DMTs. A friend of mine (who spends money like it were nothing) makes his jokes and then whacks his ball into the trees with his $1,000-plus dollar set.

 

[MrDC]

Nah, you get what you pay for, the Dunlop driver may be OK but generally I think a name will have good quality control and use good materials to make the clubs to last, I've seen the heads pop off cheap wedges on the course, I'll keep my decent stuff.

That being said there's no reason to buy new clubs if you want to save money, new club technology is kind of a sham IMO.

Edited August 3, 2016 by MrDC

[Piz]

When a club goes from latest and greatest to last years model and beyond; its asking price drops precipitously.  There is no corresponding erosion in the quality of the product.  Also; the cachet attached to one brand or another varies with time and place.  Cost and performance are, by no means, inseparable.  

[Kalnoky]

I have only been playing one (1) year and in this time I noticed the price drops for TM R15. I assume M1/M2 will go on sale at some point too.

I also play with TM Burner Superfast 10.5, and although it is old, I can hit it fairly well. I bought it used for $65 last year, with original headcover. At my skill level I'm sure I would be no better off with a $400 driver.

If there was a $10 option that could do the same thing as my $65 TM, I would be open to trying it. Especially if it helps me beat my brother-in-law.

 

 

[saevel25]

2 hours ago, paininthenuts said:

why the hell do people spend so much money on equipment when there are cheaper alternatives ? 

Depends if the cheaper club fits you. I can easily lose up to 30 yards in distance trying to hit a driver not fitted for my swing. 

No one said buying golf equipment was logical or purely based on cost-benefit analysis 

[imsys0042]

For a question like that, first of all I would say that depending on how much money you have to budget for golf if you can afford the club(s) you like best and it's within your budget then go for it.   I generally have to buy my irons and wedges new and I put trust in certain brands even though they are more expensive.   I agree with @saevel25 that it's not entirely logical.   I could get knock-offs made in probably the same factory and they would play just the same, but I do have a certain brand loyalty and I trust those clubs to not break on me.   If they do, then I have a company that will be able to replace it.

That being said, I am happy to buy my woods off ebay and save a lot.   I don't think year to year that much changes so I like to have about 5 years between upgrading drivers and fairway metals.   Personally for 30 years I've had 5 sets of irons and my current set will be with me for at least 10.

My last putter was an ebay purchase and I would put it against anything else out there.   It's a 1967 Nicklaus putter and it just fit me.  So if I find something cheaper I'm happy to play it.  I played that for 8 years!

[Grinde6]

The biggest issue with buying something off ebay is that many of the clubs on there are counterfeit.  I purchased a counterfeit wedge on ebay and when I took it in to my local golf shop they had a whole bucket full of clubs people had been buying off ebay and bringing in because something wasn't right and it turned out to be a fake.  I just about pulled the trigger on the new Nike Vapor Fly Pro irons this year, but I wasn't gaining much as far as playability and distance goes, so I decided I will wait.  Now with Nike stopping club production might have to jump on them sooner...I do believe you get what you pay for though.  Over time the quality of the club will show through.  It also depends on how much you play.  You can say your getting 10+ years out of a club whereas I buy the expensive set and I'm getting a new set every other year or so.  But I play around 150-200 rounds a year to your 20-30 so I'm going to need new clubs more frequently than you.

[paininthenuts]

2 hours ago, Grinde6 said:

The biggest issue with buying something off ebay is that many of the clubs on there are counterfeit.  I purchased a counterfeit wedge on ebay and when I took it in to my local golf shop they had a whole bucket full of clubs people had been buying off ebay and bringing in because something wasn't right and it turned out to be a fake.  I just about pulled the trigger on the new Nike Vapor Fly Pro irons this year, but I wasn't gaining much as far as playability and distance goes, so I decided I will wait.  Now with Nike stopping club production might have to jump on them sooner...I do believe you get what you pay for though.  Over time the quality of the club will show through.  It also depends on how much you play.  You can say your getting 10+ years out of a club whereas I buy the expensive set and I'm getting a new set every other year or so.  But I play around 150-200 rounds a year to your 20-30 so I'm going to need new clubs more frequently than you.

Ummm. I play in excess of 300 games a year, but that's the advantage of being retired

[Grinde6]

17 minutes ago, paininthenuts said:

Ummm. I play in excess of 300 games a year, but that's the advantage of being retired

Ya, I guess I used the words "you" and "your".  Was just trying to make a broad remark on quality and how much a person plays.  If you play 300 - 18 hole rounds in a year that's really impressive!  I guess I live in a place where we only golf 5-6 months out of the year so to me 150-200 - 18 hole rounds is a lot of golf.  You must live in an area where you can golf more than 5-6 months out of the year...

[Patch]

My driver and (3, 5, 7, MWs) are all component clubs, built to my swing specs, by a swing guru/club maker. I spent less than $500 for all of them. There's even a complementary 12 degree 2 MW in with that bunch. They are all a matching set, but they don't match up with my iron set. 

I learned early on that "buying a name" just because someone else was playing it was not the way to go for me.  

[NJpatbee]

I tend to stick to name brands since they did the engineering for the clubs but I only occasionally buy new or the most recent version.  My first 460cc driver was a used Ping G5 which was great but eventually the face cracked.  I wanted to get another G5 but wanted to go to 10.5 degrees from 9.0 and could not find one.  I then found a brand new G15 for a great price since Ping was up to the G30.  I have tried the latest G series from Ping and hit the club about as good as the G15.  Bottom line, good quality clubs stay good quality unless they are mishandled or worn out so no reason to buy the latest release.  But then again it is your money and if you have to have the latest go for it. 

[Kalnoky]

There's a lot of superstition in sports. My first set of clubs were cheap and used but I developed an affection for them. So I stuck to the same brand(s) for subsequent clubs. I didn't even shop other options. The truth is I probably don't hit my clubs well enough to know the difference.. Or said another way, I could have been happy with another brand, had I started out with another brand.

I think if someone took my identical putter and put a different name on it, I would miss a lot of putts.     

 

[Vinny Cap]

On ‎8‎/‎3‎/‎2016 at 9:13 AM, paininthenuts said:

why the hell do people spend so much money on equipment when there are cheaper alternatives ? 

Sometimes it's all about bragging rights.  I have seen and heard many talk about spending $400 - $500 on this and that and they still can't hit it past the ladies Tees. 

Golf is expensive, we all know, so if you can get some quality gear cheap, go for it.  If you are a beginner start out with some cheap stuff till you grow your game and then upgrade.  That's what I did.  I got a cheap Ram starter when I started because I wasn't sure if I was gonna like golf.  Well sadly for me I love golf and I am addicted so I have some nice gear now. 

My putters are where I spent the most if you look at clubs for dollars as its only one but it gets used on every hole.  I have a couple of sets of Irons and there you get 8,9 or 10 clubs for the $$$'s laid out.  My driver was given to me so that is always the best deal.

I guess it is like everything else... if you have the money and want the best, go for it.  If you are on a budget, shop around for last years model or try used gear.

[DrvFrShow]

I have a back up Razr Fit 11.5 degree for my Big Bertha. Yeah it's a few years out of date, but I hit it well, and I doubt that I'll do much better with anything newer. Maybe about 10 yds, but is 10 yds worth $400?