Tiger man
Challenge Tour Pro
Yessssssssss! I love polls:clap:
gotta be that blue jpx
gotta be that blue jpx
Drivers 2015 - Poll
- Thread starter SugarPenguin
- Start date
The D200 is a real eye opener, well it was for me.
Piece
Tour Winner
Yonex Z force is another left-field one I've seen.
Yosser
Assistant Pro
I also got the G20 at Christmas, very very pleased with it and my driver has gone from the worst club in my bag to the best. Its both accurate and forgiving and therefore breeds confidence.
I have however recently managed to get hold of a second hand G30 3 wood, which is amazing. Maybe one day a deal will come along and I'll be able to afford the G30 driver but it would have to be a great deal for me to ditch the G20 "fairway hitter".
Slab
Occasional Tour Caddy
On cost alone I've no intention of changing but voted for the Cobra because I have other Cobra long clubs & I doubt any of the 10 will be hounds
Off topic Top Tip to resisting the urge to change clubs:
Look up the reviews/tests that were published at the time for your current driver/irons etc that were carried when they were first launched and read the manufactures blurb & test data as if you were considering buying it alongside today's offerings, then look at today's price for the stick you already own and compare it to the new releases. If you still think a new one is worth the difference then go for it
Slab
Occasional Tour Caddy
Wonder if the results would vary with the following added as a condition:
You actually have to be prepared to pay for it
Would the 915 at £330 still have quite so many votes?
(especially with the previous model at £160)
You actually have to be prepared to pay for it
Would the 915 at £330 still have quite so many votes?
(especially with the previous model at £160)
SugarPenguin
Challenge Tour Pro
Interesting. I did want this to be just about the club but It would be interesting to see.
I do love a good poll. Every thread I do seems to have a poll
Crazyface
Tour Winner
I went to the range last Saturday with:-
Cobra X Speed ( Just can't part with it - BOOM)
Cleveland SL270 (Love this)
Adams Super S (New toy, had money burning a hole in Pro account)
No difference in distance. Why do we bother. (Love the Adams though)
Cobra X Speed ( Just can't part with it - BOOM)
Cleveland SL270 (Love this)
Adams Super S (New toy, had money burning a hole in Pro account)
No difference in distance. Why do we bother. (Love the Adams though)
Slab
Occasional Tour Caddy
Interesting. I did want this to be just about the club but It would be interesting to see.
I do love a good poll. Every thread I do seems to have a poll
Yeah but since the clubs aren't free its maybe no surprise that one of the most expensive is at the top of the votes & removing cost from the poll takes away a critical component in how each manufacture went about designing their club i.e would the benross be different in looks and performance if they knew it was going to retail for £300
I remember a poll of sorts that showed most teenage boys wanted a lamborghini, wonder how many actually owned one
jamielaing
Q-School Graduate
To be honest I am surprised that the Titleist is topping this. I've always wanted to own Titleist clubs. Had a 3 wood a few years back and couldn't hit it at all. Tried the drivers, couldn't hit them. Tried the AP2 irons, completely hooked them. I feel I can pick up any club from any manufacturer and get something from it but not Titleist. Only the Vokeys go well for me.
Still, if it's topping the poll I suppose I better go try it!
Still, if it's topping the poll I suppose I better go try it!
Ontherange
Newbie
I've gone for the Titleist 915. Tried one on the course last Sunday, of the 7 holes I used it on I missed only 1 fairway. That included my first hole of the day where I was running late and so my tee shot was the first swing of the day!
This is the first driver I have used for years (since my old Taylor Made 320 was stolen) that I feel totally confident with.
Going for a fitting tomorrow, but unless there is a different shaft spec that works better than the one I've already tried, I can't see it needing to take more than 5 minutes.
This is the first driver I have used for years (since my old Taylor Made 320 was stolen) that I feel totally confident with.
Going for a fitting tomorrow, but unless there is a different shaft spec that works better than the one I've already tried, I can't see it needing to take more than 5 minutes.
Sponge1980
Challenge Tour Pro
Not being able to justify the cost of one of the big name drivers I've recently got myself a Wilson FG M3 Tour driver. Does the job for me and at £89.99 I would say it's a bargain.
This is always a questionable term for me, what are we classing as a "big name", is it those companies that simply market stronger in publications, get their many ambassadors to put the newly released drivers in their bags immediately on tour, invite joe public on testing days and flood the corners of the country with new products so network marketing is naturally undertaken, and the list could go on..
With all the above taking place, is it no wonder that those that have to pay for these specific latest drivers are looking at £299.00 plus, after all, someone has got to pay for all those subsidised and give-away drivers, not to mention all the advertising, sponsorship and marketing!
Or, could a big name driver still come from a company that mainly concentrates on the product itself with all the same or similar style of technology that is involved in various forms and as such it finds it can match and perform as well as some of those drivers that are heavily marketed and deemed to be "bigger names"?
Are we swayed by price alone, in that, do we think because its so much cheaper it must be inferior?
I was very impressed with the Wilson D200 on a recent driver exercise I took part in, knowing what drivers can cost and believing that the Wilson brand name is a very strong one, I would have thought its price point would be around £249-£299, so I am pleasantly surprised to see it around the £199 mark and even cheaper in some places, but, does that price make it come across to us as consumers as a lesser product than those being punted at £299-£349 or £399 as a £100+ variable is considerable!
Looking at last years models now which at the time were the latest all-singing and dancing must have drivers, you can now pick them up for 40-50% less than their launch prices, mainly because another newer model has been produced, so, is the strength of marketing becoming more important than the product itself to catch as many consumers as possible to impulse buy chasing those extra 10yds, adjust-ability and perfect ball flights, or are we all becoming more savy and waiting for those latest models which we all craved last year to become the older model and drop into our price range, and if that is becoming more the case and where a rush of new sales comes from against the latest models, then why don't manufacturers grasp that and sell at a more acceptable price point and look for a dominant brand presence based more on the quality of the driver alone.
I would love to see 6 unbranded (unknown) drivers put together and fitted to a range of handicapped golfers and then judged and see which manufacturers came out on top, would it still be the same as those we see all the time because we are unconsciously swayed by the brand, its price or strength of marketing, or would it really throw up a curve ball?
Sorry for the long post, I woke up early :smirk:
Last edited:
Pin-seeker
Well-known member
Jesus Fish you can babble on at 6am.
Seriously tho I think your spot on. I wonder how many people when testing new drivers actually try the likes of Wilson or Benross with a view to buying one.
I reckon it's more likely that they know it's between say 4/5 brands which they'll end up with before even hitting them.
MadAdey
Money List Winner
Hit a few of them now and for me due to the fact there was nothing in it I would go with brand loyalty and get the R15, that would make it 9 TM drivers in a row. But a close second was the 915 and to be honest there wasn't anything in it.
But seeing as my SLDR was as good as either of them, I'm not rushing out to change it.
But seeing as my SLDR was as good as either of them, I'm not rushing out to change it.
MadAdey
Money List Winner
Your right, if they had a different name on them people would be more interested in some of the so called lesser brands clubs. When I got the R11s the lad in direct golf gave me a club and told me not to look at the name and just hit it. I did and was very surprised to find out it was Benross. Still did not quite perform like the R11s but for price it offered amazing value for money.
Ontherange
Newbie
Don't forget up until the mid-1990's Wilson were one of the 'big names' in Golf.
They nowadays seem to have committed resources to the tennis market, but given their history should still have enough knowledge to copy the big boys, albeit a season or so behind as their R&D resources are not as big as say Titleist, Callaway or Taylor Made.
Does this make their products inferior? Probably not. Although, They do have the drawback of not being as widely available as the big boys and limited in the ability to customise, so will limit the market they can appeal to.
Rooter
Money List Winner
It's about priorities too though and perception. Mark crossfield tweeted yesterday asking would you rather reduce driver spin by 1000 rpm or have 2 less putts per round. I know which is cheaper!! (No necessarily easier though!) And doesn't have the same warm fuzzy feeling u get when splashing a few hundred large on a shiny toy you can show off!
MadAdey
Money List Winner
I would say that Wilson Staff RM are possibly one of the nicest irons I have ever hit. So they did make quality kit back in the early 90s when I started playing. But like rooter said they started to prioritize other sports instead.
BTatHome
Tour Winner
Who would be prepared to do a truly impartial test though? None of the mags would, as at the end of the day they rely of the bigger names paying advertising fees, and a truly bad report would probably affect their own budgets. Would crossfield do one? Hmmm, whilst he goes on and on about his honest reviews I'm not sure he would, he still relies on the big names giving him kit and even lots of jollies (yourgolftravel, surely he's had a bad experience at least once, but apparently not ... visits some nice courses too).
So how to do it, well 'someone' needs to get all the latest drivers together and stick those stickers on the crown to disguise the markings, also change all the grips to a standard grip and then ensure all the testers don't ever look at the bottom of the driver. Then you need a wide cross section of people to test, and you need to hit loads of shots to get a good average, discounting the clearly poor hits, and the same testers need to warm up and stay fit and be swinging the same for hours upon hours (fish will tell you how hard that is to do, I've done a couple of club test sessions and if your hitting a good amount of balls with each club, and there are lots of clubs, then you'll be knackered at the end). Swinging the same is the hardest part, either due to being tired, or just swinging badly, going back and hitting clubs again is the tough (if your swinging better then retry the poorer clubs early tested to ensure your appraisal is correct).
Mygolfspy are currently doing a test session with all the major players, they invite the companies to send kit to them, some refuse and usually get dumped from the test, but this year they are going out and buying them instead. It'll be interesting to see the results when they are finally available.
So how to do it, well 'someone' needs to get all the latest drivers together and stick those stickers on the crown to disguise the markings, also change all the grips to a standard grip and then ensure all the testers don't ever look at the bottom of the driver. Then you need a wide cross section of people to test, and you need to hit loads of shots to get a good average, discounting the clearly poor hits, and the same testers need to warm up and stay fit and be swinging the same for hours upon hours (fish will tell you how hard that is to do, I've done a couple of club test sessions and if your hitting a good amount of balls with each club, and there are lots of clubs, then you'll be knackered at the end). Swinging the same is the hardest part, either due to being tired, or just swinging badly, going back and hitting clubs again is the tough (if your swinging better then retry the poorer clubs early tested to ensure your appraisal is correct).
Mygolfspy are currently doing a test session with all the major players, they invite the companies to send kit to them, some refuse and usually get dumped from the test, but this year they are going out and buying them instead. It'll be interesting to see the results when they are finally available.
