Your best (or worst) golf "freebie"

[RussUK]

We all like to get things for free whether its a free round of golf or a pitchmark repairer. 

So what have you recieved free that you were over the moon about or went straight to the charity shop?

I have been very lucky. 

My top 2 are:

Taylormade burner 08 hybrid from my Uncle. He had upgraded to Ping I25's and i was after a steel shafted hybrid so he game me that....my fave club.

Titleist 695MB 5-9. My father in law's boss was quitting golf and was literally putting all his gear in a skip. As he was putting them in my FiL said i played golf and could i have them? I now have the sexiest practice clubs on the range 

Worst had to be the sleeve of spalding golf balls. I have never hit anything that hard that wasnt a brick!

[bkuehn1952]

In a drawing I won a Nike Covert Driver (2013) which at the time was probably retailing around $300-$400.  -0- cost.

Next best cost a $5 donation. I entered a CTP contest being run by a charity.  Hitting the green got one a hotdog and a soda pop.  As it turned out, my effort won that day.  I won a $100 gift certificate and entry into the $1,000,000 Challenge.  The "Challenge" involved the 12 winners of the daily events attempting to ace a hole, all while being taped for a "made for TV" special. 11 of us missed the green - long sad story.

Worst?  Can't really think of anything particularly bad.

[CarlSpackler]

My annual trip to play Oakland Hills for the last 5 years is definitely the on top of the list. The food and service is top notch. Since I was spending the night in town this year, we hung around and had some drinks on the veranda for a few hours after our round.

Next would be a vendor sponsored scramble where I won a $100 pro shop gift certificate on a closest to the pin, that I used to buy 2 boxes of shiny new Pro-V1s. I also won a Nickent hybrid and $75 in prepaid Visa cards. That was a good day.

[Vinny Cap]

I got a nice almost new Callaway Driver for free.

I got a Callaway Big Bertha 3 & 5 wood for free as my buddy was upgrading his woods.

He also gave me his set of Eye2's when he upgraded his irons.

[mcanadiens]

Friends of mine have actually given me a bunch of clubs over the last few years.

@Jeremie Boop gave me a VRS driver. I don't like it as much as my gamer, but it's a good backup. Another fellow gave me a pretty decent Bobby Jones 3-hybrid after I bought a sand wedge from him.

As far as stuff from the courses I play, it's much slimmer pickings. I did get a Kittyhawk cap when I went to the Association meeting earlier this week.

[stealthhwk]

Won a 15 pack of Pinnacle Golds at my first ever airport golf tournament with my dad. (Raffle) Won a sleeve of nxt tours from a chipping contest at the Colonial a few years back. That was my one and only trip to a pro tournament and my wonderful wife insisted we go, even tho she was in a cast and it was 95 and humid.

 The Pinnacles were my ball of choice at the time. The nxt tours, showed me the ball can make a difference. But the girl in the cast is my wife and the mother of our beautiful son. So, while not a freebie as u say, Im gonna go with that. 

[RussUK]

Going by some of the posts sucj as @Vinny Cap and @mcanadiens i think i need to get some new friends! 

[mcanadiens]

48 minutes ago, RussUK said:

Going by some of the posts sucj as @Vinny Cap and @mcanadiens i think i need to get some new friends! 

Got to love em. Helps to know guys that love to buy lots of equipment.

[Vinny Cap]

58 minutes ago, RussUK said:

Going by some of the posts sucj as @Vinny Cap and @mcanadiens i think i need to get some new friends! 

 

9 minutes ago, mcanadiens said:

Got to love em. Helps to know guys that love to buy lots of equipment.

Oh yea, gotta love it when a friend has to have the latest and greatest and gives you that 1/2 or 1 season old gear.

I get new sleeves of golf balls all the time as everyone at work just hands them to me because that's not the brand they play or they don't need anymore.

I have 2 stand bags I got for free that were pretty much new.  Oh, I don't like Taylor Made or I don't play Titleist!  I'll take em!

I also get nice golf shirts all the time as well.  Can't remember the last time I bought a Polo shirt.

I guess I do pretty good on the freebie golf side. 

[David in FL]

The best?  Without a doubt, this...

Worst?  While it's tough to argue with anything that's free, I can think of any number of logo towels and unplayable golf balls that I've received as tee gifts at charity events over the years.  I really wish that they'd just convert those items into additional cash donations to the charity in question...

[DaveP043]

I have two "bests".  

This spring I was invited to an open house thrown by a local construction contractor for their current and prospective subcontractors.  Each person attending got one raffle ticket, and they raffled off a putter and a rangefinder. I won the rangefinder, a Bushnell V3 Tour.  

The other "best" was from the 2015 Newport Cup.  I know, we paid a little bit, but in my mind that went for the golf and the lodging.  The package of goodies, including shoes, clothes, balls, golf bag, and tours, that  @iacas and @mvmac and the sponsors put together for us was an amazing and unexpected extra.  All that on top of a chance to play some competitive golf and make a few new friends.

I don't have any "worsts."  Sure, I have a bundle of cheap golf towels in the trunk, but those come in handy on rainy days.  I've received golf balls that I'd choose not to play, ugly hats, all kinds of stuff, but it was free, I'll never complain about any of it.

[Groucho Valentine]

4 hours ago, RussUK said:

Going by some of the posts sucj as @Vinny Cap and @mcanadiens i think i need to get some new friends! 

I know right? Best stuff i get is like a sleeve of callaway warbirds or something lol

[Kalnoky]

Wow, you guys have all done really well. I've never got any balls or clubs for free. I can't imagine.  

The best I ever got was a free round... The guy from the Pro Shop was enjoying a cigarette, clearly preoccupied. Without saying two words, he dismissively waived me on and resumed his private thoughts. It was also 100 degrees that day. It took most of next week to get the scent of sunblock off me. 

Edited October 24, 2016 by Kalnoky

[mvmac]

I've gotten a lot of cool stuff being part of TST but outside of TST....

Best was at a member/guest, got a pair of really nice FootJoy shoes in blue and white (club's colors) with the club's California bear logo on the side. 

"Worst" was an outing I just played I just played in, they gave us two sleeves of Nike Mojo balls.

[shanksalot]

During a Masters contest I was lucky enough to win first place, The prize  was a driver head that had been enhanced on the top of the head with a picture of the American flag. The head was made for the one our Presidents that had rejected (he was given three to chose from) I use it for a paper weight. Thought about shafting it up and playing with it, but decided it was nicer to use it as a paper weight.

[jusanothajoe]

Played in a charity scramble this summer. 25 teams of 4.

They had 11 draw prizes, 4 King Cobra drivers, 4 Bushnell Range finders, 2 hats and a visor.

For $20 you got 2 mulligans and a draw ticket, for $5 more you got an extra draw ticket, so I bought an extra one.

Out of 100 players got my ticket drawn TWICE !  

Won a hat and a visor.

[sjduffers]

At a charity scramble, there was a putting contest where every entrant had a chance. It's one of those things where the putt isn't quite straight, but it's 30 feet or so, is setup with rocks you have to avoid (not in the proper line though) and foliage arches, etc... Well, I won the whole thing (qualifier round and final round), and the prize was a Cleveland 56 wedge.  [I assume there are charity scrambles which run chipping contests too, where the prize is a putter! lol]

My associate club has a raffle at the end-of-year event and in the last 2 years I have won $150 and $100 gifts card for nice area courses.  I am expecting a box of Rock-flites this year, though. 

[Buckeyebowman]

I once got a free Wilson Staff golf shirt and golf hat for buying a dozen Wilson Staff "Smart Core" golf balls! And, at a discount price! I can't imagine what that promo cost them. I long ago lost all the balls, but I still have the shirt and hat!