Brand Snob or Performance ?

[User 105]

Just curious.

If you were looking for a new club to go in the bag and you had say a bag full of Ping, Taylormade, Callaway etc would even consider going with one of the 'value' brands even if it performed much better than the premium equivalent ?

 

[Region3]

If I already had mixed brands in the bag, what brands they were wouldn't bother me.

Since all my clubs are the same at the moment, if I needed another club I'd try to get one the same, but that's just me.

Do Titleist make chippers?

 

[USER1999]

I would never find out about the performance, as it wouldn't occur to me to try it out.

I have two brands I like, Nike, and Titleist. I am sure I can get something that is fine from those two.

 

[Aztecs27]

I would probably try out the brand names first and end up buying one of them, but now being older and (a bit) wiser my head would tell me to try out the VFM brands and buy one if they were suitable.

As a young'un I wouldn't settle for anything other than the best though!

 

[Robobum]

I've got 6 different brands of clubs in the bag so don't hold any brand loyalty.

My brand snobbery is definately there though, all of my clubs have been bought because at the early stage I have picked them up in a pro shop or from a mtaes bag and thought "that feels nice/ I like the look of that". That'll lead on to a demo club or borrowing theirs etc.

The common theme is that they have all been from the leading manufacturers, from experience, I am yet to see or find a club made by Masters or Ram or the suchlike that comes close in looks, feel or quality.

Is that brand snobbery? Most probably, yet to see a "budget" club that alters that though.

 

[HughJars]

I've got 6 different brands of clubs in the bag so don't hold any brand loyalty.

My brand snobbery is definately there though, all of my clubs have been bought because at the early stage I have picked them up in a pro shop or from a mtaes bag and thought "that feels nice/ I like the look of that". That'll lead on to a demo club or borrowing theirs etc.

The common theme is that they have all been from the leading manufacturers, from experience, I am yet to see or find a club made by Masters or Ram or the suchlike that comes close in looks, feel or quality.

Is that brand snobbery? Most probably, yet to see a "budget" club that alters that though.

Not brand snobbery at all, you're picking those clubs based purely on looks and feel, it so happens that the ones you like the look and feel of have been good brands.

Compare that to Aztecs "I wouldn;t settle for anything but the best", which was exactly what he WAS doing. He was picking purely on brand regardless of whether the cheaper club would be better.

I absolutely cannot believe that of 20 reponsdents so far, 25% would pick brand over the better playing club. 'All the Gear, no idea' in action once again.

 

[haplesshacker]

I was sent a 'cheap' brand wedge to do a reader test on a while ago. Paul O'Hagan saw that I had two premium wedges and obviously sent me the MD as a comparison. I've got to say that I was really impressed. Which to a certain extent cured any brand snobbery or just preference if you prefer.

However..........

Driver - Mizzy MP600
3 Wood - Ping G10
5 and 7 wood - Donnay
Irons - Mizzy MX300
52 wedge - Mizzy MPR
56 wedge - MD Superstrong
60 wedge - Mizzy MPR
Putter - Bettinardi (okay it's a Mizzy kinda!)
Bag - Izzo
Cap - Mizzy
Belt - Mizzy
Jumper - Mizzy

Err. So I'm not a brand snob then.

I just happen to like some of their stuff and the accesories were ebay specials, so cost a lot less than expected.

It didn't start out that way, it's just evolved that way.

I'd consider any brand when making new purchases. I did try TM and Ping before settling on the MX300s. They just worked better for me.

 

[Aztecs27]

My brand snobbery/obsession is/was with Lynx, but it's nigh on impossible to find Lynx stuff nowadays...so I need to find another brand to move onto.

I mostly have Lynx or Nike Stuff though.

 

[USER1999]

[quote
I absolutely cannot believe that of 20 reponsdents so far, 25% would pick brand over the better playing club. 'All the Gear, no idea' in action once again.

[/QUOTE]

But hang on, on a previous thread it was accepted that buying gear was no substitute for technique. Therefore, it doesn't matter what you play with, it is all down to technique. There is no 'better playing club', so why not pick a brand/style/colour you like?

 

[Ethan]

Some good "value" stuff, such as MD, some crap.

Some great premium stuff, such as Mizuno, some I don't use - Callaway, Nike, most Ping.

TM is somewhere in the middle, some of their stuff I like - R9, TP irons, some I hate - Burner Superfast

 

[Aztecs27]

I've got 6 different brands of clubs in the bag so don't hold any brand loyalty.

My brand snobbery is definately there though, all of my clubs have been bought because at the early stage I have picked them up in a pro shop or from a mtaes bag and thought "that feels nice/ I like the look of that". That'll lead on to a demo club or borrowing theirs etc.

The common theme is that they have all been from the leading manufacturers, from experience, I am yet to see or find a club made by Masters or Ram or the suchlike that comes close in looks, feel or quality.

Is that brand snobbery? Most probably, yet to see a "budget" club that alters that though.

Not brand snobbery at all, you're picking those clubs based purely on looks and feel, it so happens that the ones you like the look and feel of have been good brands.

Compare that to Aztecs "I wouldn;t settle for anything but the best", which was exactly what he WAS doing. He was picking purely on brand regardless of whether the cheaper club would be better.

I absolutely cannot believe that of 20 reponsdents so far, 25% would pick brand over the better playing club. 'All the Gear, no idea' in action once again.

I was definitely "all the gear, no idea" when I was younger, well I would have liked to be, but at the same time, I knew Lynx clubs weren't the "most famous" but I loved them as I was a Boom Boom fan. I had a hand-me-down set of Lynx Parallax's and persuaded my dad to buy me a set of Black Cats (over any other brand I might add) when we were in Florida on Holiday 12 years ago. So I guess I'm a bit of both.

But as an addition to my original post, I would like to think I'm not that way any more.

I've heard nothing but good things about the MD golf wedges, and would probably have bought one of those over the Nike SV that I bought if I'd known about them *before* I'd bought the Nike.

Having been away from golf for a long time, I have no idea of the latest brands, hot clubs, balls etc.. But visiting here and buying golf monthly again has helped with my knowledge.

I promise my next purchase will be better performance over brand name

 

[HughJars]

[quote
I absolutely cannot believe that of 20 reponsdents so far, 25% would pick brand over the better playing club. 'All the Gear, no idea' in action once again.

But hang on, on a previous thread it was accepted that buying gear was no substitute for technique. Therefore, it doesn't matter what you play with, it is all down to technique. There is no 'better playing club', so why not pick a brand/style/colour you like?

[/QUOTE]Well I certainly don't agree with that. I play Mizuno irons because they were the irons I hit best, I have a Callaway driver becasue it was the driver I hit best, I now have a Cleveland gap wedge (in place of a Mizuno) because I hit it superbly.

Techinique of course is the most important part of playing golf, but then you have to get a club that suits you, and part of that fitting is a club that works.

There's nothing wrong with picking a style and colour you like, if you like how the club looks at address you will be more comfortable, a brand however does none of the above, you cannot 'see' a brand.

If you buy a club simply becasue it is 'brand x', and not because it plays/looks/feels best, then it is simply snobbery.

 

[Deleted member 1147]

As you can see, I mainly have Titleist but if I found out that a lesser brand was a more suitable club for me I'd gladly buy it, even Ping!

 

[USER1999]

Hang on, that's too far. Wash your mouth out.

 

[Adrena1in]

For a while I was definitely a brand snob, and I started to let Ping G10s take over my bag. I was this close to buying a set of G10 irons and then a new bag to complete the set, but sense took over when I realised it wouldn't make the slightest bit of difference to my game.

So I got rid of my G10 Driver, 3W and Hybrid, went back to my cheaper Jack Nicklaus ones, stuck with my Yonex irons, and am more than happy having a mixed bag of clubs and several hundred quid still in my pocket.

I won't vote though, because at the end of the day my game's got nothing to do with the performance of the clubs. It's all down to my own performance, (or lack thereof!).

 

[Deleted member 1147]

Sorry Murph.

But, even though they look like lead weights stuck on the end of golf shafts, if they worked I'd use 'em.

There wasn't a huge amount between the Ping wedges and the Vokeys. The Vokeys winning because I liked the weight of them in my hands better.

 

[HRC99]

It's always been about how it looks and feels rather than the name. If something makes you feel confident at address, then that's a big part of the battle for me.

There are certain big name brands that I just don't like to the look of at address so they're out.

 

[HawkeyeMS]

Depends what club it is.

All the time I can still get Ping Tour-W wedges I will buy them and I suspect if I change my irons again I will go with Ping S series.

For woods and hybrids I would go with best performance.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I would certainly look at the TM option first as they are my favourite make. However if I couldn't get on with their offering I'd definitely shop around. I'd happily have the I15 irons or a G15 driver in the bag and have just got an odyssey putter (well it was my birthday and I have been coveting it for a while) so at the end of the day TM first and then if not whatever gets the job done and the ball in the hole asap

 

[GB72]

As you can see from my bag, I will try anything. Have owned most brands and have tried great kit from MD and Benross. Have a couple of Adams woods that I really love but not exacty a fashionable brand. Best of all was my Orka kit and regret changing it. If I was to start a bag again from scratch now I would be comfortable filling it with Orka clubs and am glad to see they are now getting some decent press.