Best value brand relative to performance?

LegendOle said:
I've currently got the CG7 Tour irons. I still really like them but feel like punishment / forgiveness is a bit too harsh for anything that isn't hit out the middle. My 20 handicap maybe needs something a bit more friendly...
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I went from CG16 irons to Ping G25's. Much more forgiving, make the change (it doesn't have to be that model but you get the gist). Incidentally, I loved my CG16's and when I caught one flush it was fabulous. The pings give you much more margin for error though and frankly, who doesn't want that sort of help?
 
Lord Tyrion said:
I went from CG16 irons to Ping G25's. Much more forgiving, make the change (it doesn't have to be that model but you get the gist). Incidentally, I loved my CG16's and when I caught one flush it was fabulous. The pings give you much more margin for error though and frankly, who doesn't want that sort of help?
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G425s are one of the sets I was thinking about. Also like the look of the Mavrik pros (but, again, would they be as forgiving...?)
 
Value is a funny thing. Depends on how you define it. It isn't the same as budget! :)

I'd rather pay twice the price for something I hit much better than something less suited to my game. At the extremes, that's easy, but you need to find where along the price/feel continuum you want to go. But of course, you may hit the cheaper ones better, it isn't linear.

So, as ever, try as many as you can within your budget. Choose what you feel is best (no kidding? :-) )
 
I’ve got a Ping fitting session in 45mins - looking for new irons and new driver. Will report back on whether or not I am inclined to fork out the major £££s that will be required if I decide to go Ping.

I note that the most I have paid for golf clubs to date is the £299 I paid for my 3i-PW set of forged John Letters some 15yrs ago but I am prepared for the ‘shock’.
 
I've always thought Wilson kit has been great quality and value, as well as looking great.

As Crow says though, buying second hand does offer up some great value opportunities.. yes, you don't get new out of the packaging feel but it is still new to you!
 
SwingsitlikeHogan said:
I’ve got a Ping fitting session in 45mins - looking for new irons and new driver. Will report back on whether or not I am inclined to fork out the major £££s that will be required if I decide to go Ping.
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....I am picturing Private Frasier in Dad's Army exclaiming something like. "Och laddie, they cannae be that much!"

Everyone I know who has tired the 425 driver has loved it!!

(and someone of this parish is selling some i210s, can't go wrong with them if configured correctly :)
 
Boomy said:
I've always thought Wilson kit has been great quality and value, as well as looking great.

As Crow says though, buying second hand does offer up some great value opportunities.. yes, you don't get new out of the packaging feel but it is still new to you!
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Crow's definition of second hand though is slightly different ..................................
 
I do not think that second hand is offering great value at the moment. Throughout lockdown, prices of second hand gear have been going up and, whilst cheaper, i am not sure that the gamble on the condition of second hand gear is currently value.

I have always found the best value is on new gear that is a couple of years older than the latest model. Can normally be found at half the price of the latest gear and rarely is there a development in that period that makes it significantly inferior.
 
GB72 said:
I do not think that second hand is offering great value at the moment. Throughout lockdown, prices of second hand gear have been going up and, whilst cheaper, i am not sure that the gamble on the condition of second hand gear is currently value.

I have always found the best value is on new gear that is a couple of years older than the latest model. Can normally be found at half the price of the latest gear and rarely is there a development in that period that makes it significantly inferior.
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Very true. The prices on Golfbidder at present are crazy
 
IanM said:
....I am picturing Private Frasier in Dad's Army exclaiming something like. "Och laddie, they cannae be that much!"

Everyone I know who has tired the 425 driver has loved it!!

(and someone of this parish is selling some i210s, can't go wrong with them if configured correctly :)
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Just back from my Ping Custom Fitting session...and Ooooh! Did I like the i425 driver, and the i425 4 hybrid and the i425 5 wood...and the i210 irons...or what...

Guided by our pro with the Ping Rep I found myself instantly hitting the ball better, higher, straighter and further...in a 40min custom fitting session hitting no more than half doz balls with each club ?

Sounds like my fit for the i210s will/would be quite specific and non-standard...

Now for the quote...
 
A very difficult circle to square - value in relation to performance.

Let's be honest - amongst the brand leaders and more niche names - quality (and therefore performance in the right hands) is a given. If this wasn't the case - every professional golfer would be using the same gear if there was something that was discernably better than the rest of the field.

Once you are buying at the higher quality end of the market - the best value clubs are therefore probably the cheaper ones. The likes of Wlson Staff, Cleveland and to a degreee Cobra win the value side of the equation.

The kicker is - in the right hands. So once you reach a reasonable standard when your swing is vaguely repeatable - you can go and get fitted. And common sense would tell you - you should buy what appears to work best for you. Forget the fact that you just love the looks of the new XYZ if the new ABC which you have down as "Fugly" is 8 yards longer with a tighter dispersion - that's the one you should buy to get the best performance - if budget is no issue. But how many of us are swayed by our preconceptions and what looks pleasing to our eyes?

Also, for some golfers an extra 5 yards is worth whatever it costs. For many an extra 5 yards for an extra £200 just isn't.

And of course what you shouldn't overlook is all the marketing hype attached to new clubs - especially drivers. Distance gains were pretty much capped with restriction on the C.O.R. and whilst new technology has aided forgiveness on off centre hits, pure distance gains are difficult to achieve for the average amateur golfer without improving strength or technique.

But despite the fact that deep down the vast majority of us know this - we all like shiny new sticks and persist in the ongoing quest to find golfing nirvana and the holy grail of perfect clubs.
 
IanM said:
You better sit down....
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I pretty much know what it is going to be as my pro has warned me...what he can do is look at his margin given he has plans ? for himself and my daughter - though he can wait a while more on that front if I have any say in the matter - which I won’t ?
 
The Fader said:
The kicker is - in the right hands. So once you reach a reasonable standard when your swing is vaguely repeatable - you can go and get fitted. And common sense would tell you - you should buy what appears to work best for you. Forget the fact that you just love the looks of the new XYZ if the new ABC which you have down as "Fugly" is 8 yards longer with a tighter dispersion - that's the one you should buy to get the best performance - if budget is no issue. But how many of us are swayed by our preconceptions and what looks pleasing to our eyes?
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But while performance for some is king, for others enjoyment might be the kicker. For them, playing club XYZ brings pleasure every time it's pulled from the bag, while ABC brings a frown and the thought that "with this club I should score well".

Some people might be happy to hit a few good shots a round with club XYZ and not be too concerned about the ones that get away.
Had they bought club ABC they might find themselves getting so hooked up on the scores they feel they should be making, that when they don't they feel like a failure and the enjoyment goes.
 
Relative to performance ???

There is no performance difference. They are all the same!
The power of advetising to give that illusion certainly costs though. Whether through sponsoring players, turning out new designs every three weeks, or coming of with new paint designs and how their real benefit is lowering air friction so that you can hit it as far as Bryson.
 
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