cost of golf equipment......

[time_vans]

having just recently got into golf after 20 years match fishing i was suprised at the cost relative to fishing gear. if i am correct a driver appears the most costly piece of kit some going £300 plus. my most costly piece of fishing equipment cost over £2000 ( a pole) and the total cost of equipment i posses is roughly £6000 so i am guessing quality golf gear comes in a bit cheaper. also something rife in angling is manufacturers bringing out 'new' gear every year which is basically the same stuff with different names and graphics some people buy into it but angling technology doesnt move that quick .is golf the same ? i am looking to purchase second hand for now and looking on golfbidder there are some absolute steals to be had surely golf clubs that are 3 years plus old still work!!!ps any views on golfbidder? cheers everyone off to the range for a quick 100 !

 

[medwayjon]

There are certainly good deals to be had on buying equipment 2nd hand if you look in the right places. At the end of the day you can get kitted out for £100 or £5000 depending on what you want. My equipment including shoes, trolley and odds and sods probably worls out at £1300 which isn't too sad in my books.

Totally agree with you about angling, I am a sea angler and have real issues with a rod firm called zziplex, real issues!

 

[MVP]

ZZIPLEX!!! ha ha jon! ZZiplex dont often bring out new fishing/match rods they just bombard the market with tournament rods, trust me the top casters love it. most of the top casters pay less than half the price for a rod blank as advertised in gerrys or tonys tackle because they get them straight off terry.
And believe me there are literally hundreds of prototypes that are about that you probably wouldnt know about

Golf

The New ping I wedge is practically an MB wedge in a slightly different shape. Ping are in my opinion the worst brand for bringing out new gear every year with a different badge on. the likes of titleist bring out quality products that exist till a real difference in technology helps them design a new product!

What makes me sick is that golf Labels knew ages ago about the illegal drivers in 2008 yet they continued to bring out illegal drivers. Just to make money!

 

[medwayjon]

Damn right about ping, they know how to rip off people with perverse brand loyalty. I know I love cobra but if something better came along I would switch brands in a heartbeat.

You have a point about the illegal drivers too. To be honest though the rule change has been well documented for a signifcant amount of time so anybody who bought one is a bit naive in my eyes. There are still diluded pro-shops trying to sell illegal 440SZ unlimited Cobra drivers for £80!

 

[thecraw]

Ping are no different to any other manufacturer. They all "tweek" their designs and claim to have added new technology whether that be an undercut cavity or the latest shaft they all do it. Look how many models Titleist have under the DCI banner!

Compare a Ping Eye 10 with a Ping Rapture iron and you will see a world of difference. I have the Ping Eye5 irons and the feel and look of them compared to the newer eye10 is huge.

Callaway, Mizuno, Taylor Made they all bring out new models based on previous ones its called progression.

 

[medwayjon]

What we are getting at regarding ping is G5/G10 and so on. If the improvements were real why was westwood using the same ping irons for 10 years?

 

[RGuk]

You could conceivably get a good bag of kit for very little.

Golf bidder looks unsatisfactory to me, the prices are very high....that's the problem with this type of thing, and ebay isn't much better i.m.o. Everyone connected to regular buying/selling knows how much stuff could "potentialy" be worth and there are so few bargains.....everyone is chasing top dollar.

This particular site advertises "set of irons by X manufacturer from only £289" or whatever, a well stocked range thats deals in second-hand sets will be way cheaper. The pro will have taken them in PX at a low price and wants to get shot of them. He won't be even trying to get the top second-hand price.

Also, there are many of us on here with all kinds of very good, but old gear. My old clubs won't be going on ebay, because the prices for anything other than new or last season is just terrible. My (now unused) set cost me about £300 the lot, and the original prices would have been over £1,000 easily. I've bought 5 sets of irons now, all 2nd hand, all top notch stuff in their day, and on average I picked things up for 30% original cost.

Look on ebay at old-ish sets and ask here if they were any good. Ask the fellow forumers to PM you if they have any useful gear. I'll start!

Dave

 

[thecraw]

What we are getting at regarding ping is G5/G10 and so on. If the improvements were real why was westwood using the same ping irons for 10 years?

Or on the other side of the coin why did Angel Cabrera immediately after winning the US Open ditch his Rapture Drive and immediately switch to a G10?

I could also quite easily re-shaft my Ping eye 2's and start using them again as they are awesome. Its all about what you like.

 

[RGuk]

I'm not surprised Cabrera went to G10 from Rapture.....the G10 seems far better, the rapture series are a bit odd, maybe they were aimed at a different type of buyer?

Dave

 

[brendy]

Tim, as already mentioned, golf is like any other sport, its as expensive as you want it to be.
I started off years ago with Magregor 2000 irons, forgan Rocket Driver and a regal putter. Got my handicap from 18 to 12 in a year, the year I did this, I wasnt taking it seriously nor practicing, just playing once a week/fortnight when I could. Then When I moved to a closer club I changed irons to a set of mizuno Tzoid tour pro 2's, excellent clubs for the time.
I experimented with a set of Callaway x 12's back when they couldnt even be gotten over here (graphite shafts et al. sourced from new york) They hit the ball way too high but got me down to 6 then I gave the game up due to circumstances, family, work etc)
Since restarting and joining Bangor GC last year I've bought a set of Taylormade RAC LT irons which have been grand so far.
I think people change clubs more for confidence boosting than actual necessity. Some clubs are actually a step forward, have a nosey at the titleist vokey spin mill wedge range, compared to the standard vokey wedges they definately impart a lot more spin round the greens.
Getting back on subject though, I have only once paid top dollar for a driver, To me there are three kinds of golfers out there,
1. The Club Ho, all the gear and no idea!
2. The contented golfer
3. The 'I'd play with an umbrella handle if I could get away with it' golfer

Number 1 is never content and has all the latest kit, usually still a mid to high handicapper who changes clubs because they think its always their previous clus fault for that shank or crap drive and not the horrendous loopy swing.
Number 2, The seasoned golfer who still plays his/her 4+ season old mizuno/dci/clevland/talormade/ping eye 2's who only change a good thing when it becomes broken thing.
Number 3 has been plying 20 years and still uses persimmon headed woods and finds no reason to change the mix and match iron set as "they are still functional".

 

[RGuk]

I'm no.2!

Still got my 1989 irons and some old-tech metal woods. Bought a 3 wood to replace a bent up steelhead and a 460 Ft-3 to replace a 250cc Big Bertha. That's it....

my idea of a new club is buying a putter from 1992!

Having said all this, I am saving to visit the Mizuno guys at the Wales fitting centre.....might be looking at £500 for a good mid-player club.....can't see the low end stuff appealing.....too much offset, too oversize.....yuk!

Dave

 

[thecraw]

Wot about the Srixon I 601 irons realgolferuk? I think they sit lovely and are amazing value!




http://www.golfonline.co.uk/srixon-i601-irons-4sw-steel-shaft-2007-p-2669.html

 

[brendy]

Callaway irons are like big toys when it comes to learners, they are first and foremost designed to get the ball airbourne, that would be my first port of call, eariler Big berthas or x12s will be dirt cheap these days.

 

[RGuk]

Srixon....hmm....could be good, nice looking as well. Not much on the website about offset etc.

I agree with brendy about the early callaways....the old stuff will be cheap and the original berthas or x series are fantastic beginners clubs.

Dave

 

[HTL]

I started with some old Wilson deep red, still got them at home, would recommend anybody starting to get a set.

They are big headed, cavity back, powerful brute of irons. I love them!

 

[viscount17]

Isn't there a risk buying used off Ebay? You can have no real idea of its condition until you have it in hand.
I know, from a notice in my Pro Shop, that golfbidder will only accept recent (less than 4 year old) clubs that must be in good nick - grooves not worn, grips good, etc.

 

[Parmo]

There is a risk buying off Ebay but sometimes that risk is worth it if you save a load of cash, I wouldn’t buy drivers off there as there are far to many poor quality clones, I have just won a set of Cleveland CG12 wedges (52, 56, 60) from there for £116 inc p+p they did want £129 exc p+p but had a best offer and took my chance with that, the problem now is waiting to receive them and hoping they are orginal or even turn up, but if they are ok I have saved £50-100 on them if not I send them back and get my cash back.