Golf club difference...

[Tiger]

Well there are so many ways to find out about golf clubs before and after they are launched. Whether it is magazine reviews, blogs, vlogs or written internet reviews there is wealth of opinion out there. So taking woods as an example when I look at the latest offerings from Cobra, TaylorMade, Titleist, Ping etc.. and they all score top marks does it actually matter what brand you buy?

These days does it just come down to which of the high performing models suits your eye and then get custom fit to optimise performance? Or is there really going to be a significant difference in performance from one brand to another depending on your swing?

Answers on a postcard to Homogenous or Not, PO Box HI1, South, South, South Guernsey...😉

 

[Slab]

I think price and aesthetics will play a big part as well as brand affinity but I do think that some manufactures have a ‘design style’ that may or may not suit the individual (i.e my own poor track record with a TM stage 2 hybrid when I love hybrids and can hit my others so much more consistently)

Brands may also have a stigma or reputation that’ll impact buyers (the Ping/OAP link for example)

 

[MashieNiblick]

Good question.

I think it has always been this way. Back in the 70's/80'/90s was there anything to choose between the clubs on offer from Wilson, MacGregor, Hogan, Mizuno, etc.? Pretty much same shafts and grips just slightly different heads.

There's more technology now but with every big manufacturer investing in R&D and releasing new clubs at a steady rate I agree in most cases it'll be more about what suits your eye than any real performance difference in like for like offerings.

 

[WWG]

Well there are so many ways to find out about golf clubs before and after they are launched. Whether it is magazine reviews, blogs, vlogs or written internet reviews there is wealth of opinion out there. So taking woods as an example when I look at the latest offerings from Cobra, TaylorMade, Titleist, Ping etc.. and they all score top marks does it actually matter what brand you buy?

These days does it just come down to which of the high performing models suits your eye and then get custom fit to optimise performance? Or is there really going to be a significant difference in performance from one brand to another depending on your swing?

Answers on a postcard to Homogenous or Not, PO Box HI1, South, South, South Guernsey...

Like anything in life there are fashions. You also have to take into account that manufacturers need to pay for big sponsorship and advertising. That isn't to say you should look at buying rubbish either. If you are looking for a good quality set of clubs that won't break the bank I would consider either MD or Benross. From what I can understand Benross manufacture for one of the big brands, and produce their own clubs to a similar spec. What ever you buy, don't get the new model. Save yourself a fortune and buy the last model, as there is rarely much difference

 

[patricks148]

i tend to go with what works for me irons wise, tried others and none were hit as well or felt so natural to me as Mizuno.

Woods though, im a bit more open minded, had Ping, TM, Cobra, Mizuno and Callaway.

one brand i tend to avoid is Titleist, just don't get on with irons or woods, got a few of their putters though

 

[Tiger]

Interesting comments... Patrick Im glad you brought irons up as I'm now a forged convert but want maximum forgiveness so my choice of model was made for me as I felt at the time that the JPX 850 Forged were the most forgiving forged option out there. If I stayed cast though I'm not sure it would have made too much difference whether I went PING, Titleist, TM etc...

It's not to discredit the fine work the engineers do for their respective companies. Just a question of whether anyone has a distinct advantage in any market through a technical breakthrough? Mizuno and Boron could be one and possibly PING and TrueRoll putters could be another...

 

[patricks148]

Interesting comments... Patrick Im glad you brought irons up as I'm now a forged convert but want maximum forgiveness so my choice of model was made for me as I felt at the time that the JPX 850 Forged were the most forgiving forged option out there. If I stayed cast though I'm not sure it would have made too much difference whether I went PING, Titleist, TM etc...

It's not to discredit the fine work the engineers do for their respective companies. Just a question of whether anyone has a distinct advantage in any market through a technical breakthrough? Mizuno and Boron could be one and possibly PING and TrueRoll putters could be another...

iron wise, who knows!! my mp4's are pre boron, so no idea if there is a benefit or not, when i tried the MP5 its didn't feel as good as mine. but at the end of the day its what you want from your irons that counts. The bridgestone new model that came up last week are supposed to be a new idea, but even in my limited time playing i remember Callaway bringing out some irons tha had a sole about 2-3 inches wide...big bertha somethings.. hideous looking things.

 

[tsped83]

Being a self-confessed club ho’ I have hit/owned/sold far too many clubs in recent years from all the major manufacturers. I’ve been suckered by advertising (“gain ‘x’ yards”, “remove the right hand side of the course” etc. etc.) and have also bought what suits my eye but then couldn’t hit. All things being equal, and me being at the same level of uselessness I’ve been at for the last few years, I think there is very little between COMPARABLE clubs from different manufacturers. By that I mean G25 vs X2 Hot as opposed to G25 vs MP4s, you get the idea.

The main difference for me is looks and branding. They’re all similar specs, lengths, lofts, distance claims, but each manufacturer has their own branding/colours/gimmicks to differentiate them from Joe Bloggs next door. Performance wise, they’re much of muchness for your average golfer. In my opinion of course.

The only caveat to this I will add is that Callaway hybrids have ALWAYS out performed anything else for me. That includes revered Adams hybrids and my fan-boy favourites, Ping. Don’t know why, don’t care why, they just work well for me.

 

[rksquire]

Well there are so many ways to find out about golf clubs before and after they are launched. Whether it is magazine reviews, blogs, vlogs or written internet reviews there is wealth of opinion out there. So taking woods as an example when I look at the latest offerings from Cobra, TaylorMade, Titleist, Ping etc.. and they all score top marks does it actually matter what brand you buy?

These days does it just come down to which of the high performing models suits your eye and then get custom fit to optimise performance? Or is there really going to be a significant difference in performance from one brand to another depending on your swing?

Answers on a postcard to Homogenous or Not, PO Box HI1, South, South, South Guernsey...

That's my issue, all the clubs appear to score top, or close to, marks - I understand they are all developments of previous iterations and should be continually improving, but there must be a better way of bench-marking new equipment; use the first reviewed item of the season as the marker and subsequent reviews are measured against this.

 

[Tiger]

I think GM are looking at this and their recent reviews are looking at direct comparisons between last year and this year's model. I think from an engineering perspective they are always generating some gains but those may be in a different way. For example hovis got no additional distance going from SLDR to M1 but a lot more forgiveness.

Patrick yes the new boron offerings make clubs a bit more forgiving and a bit longer but won't feel as nice as your current irons because boron infused steel is a harder metal. So as a much better ball striker than me you'll be looking for feel whereas I need a compromise between feel and forgiveness...

 

[Vardon11LDN]

Like anything in life there are fashions. You also have to take into account that manufacturers need to pay for big sponsorship and advertising. That isn't to say you should look at buying rubbish either. If you are looking for a good quality set of clubs that won't break the bank I would consider either MD or Benross. From what I can understand Benross manufacture for one of the big brands, and produce their own clubs to a similar spec. What ever you buy, don't get the new model. Save yourself a fortune and buy the last model, as there is rarely much difference

It is harder to get custom fit for previous models though

 

[UlyssesSky]

Well there are so many ways to find out about golf clubs before and after they are launched. Whether it is magazine reviews, blogs, vlogs or written internet reviews there is wealth of opinion out there. So taking woods as an example when I look at the latest offerings from Cobra, TaylorMade, Titleist, Ping etc.. and they all score top marks does it actually matter what brand you buy?

One reason for this is probably that no brand produces completely unusable clubs. Some clubs may be more suitable for one kind of player than some others, and there may be some technical differences besides the more subjective factors, but it's a fact each and every modern club will allow you to hit a small whit ball to roughly the same distance with more or less forgiveness on mi*****.

Another reason is that the products that get reviewed in the magazines are made by the same manufacturers that pay for advertisements in these same magazines. I'm not suggesting the reviews are actually 'bought' but I would guess any reviewer would think twice before he risks losing an important advertising client over anything as vague as a mark in a product review...

 

[Tiger]

One reason for this is probably that no brand produces completely unusable clubs. Some clubs may be more suitable for one kind of player than some others, and there may be some technical differences besides the more subjective factors, but it's a fact each and every modern club will allow you to hit a small whit ball to roughly the same distance with more or less forgiveness on mi*****.

Another reason is that the products that get reviewed in the magazines are made by the same manufacturers that pay for advertisements in these same magazines. I'm not suggesting the reviews are actually 'bought' but I would guess any reviewer would think twice before he risks losing an important advertising client over anything as vague as a mark in a product review...

Or it could be that magazines like GM don't waste teir time and ours by printing reviews of duff gear...

 

[rksquire]

Or it could be that magazines like GM don't waste teir time and ours by printing reviews of duff gear...

Maybe, but shouldn't there be a responsibility to also review the duff gear - people still buy it, so a review, even negative, would allow people to see what they are getting for their buck.

I'm also aware that a negative review, say of the latest Taylormade driver, might have an impact on relations and products that get sent to GM so there is a fine line.

 

[Tiger]

I think we've gone a little off track from the question I was posing...

What I'm getting at is generally speaking the majority of new releases seem to be pretty damn good. So is brand loyalty or aesthetics more of a factor in decision making than club performance because with the right fitting you'd end up with similar results?

 

[Imurg]

As the GM boys say, there's not many bad clubs out there now
Take any of the current crop of drivers, fairways, hybrids, irons or wedges, put a decent swing on it and hit the centre of the club and I doubt you'll see much difference in distance. Maybe a bit in flight but not a huge margin.
I think it is down to brand "loyalty", looks and price...
Personally, the current Ping and TM woods don't float my boat due to the looks, the TM irons due to the slots - same with Adams woods..
I'm sure I'd get perfectly acceptable results with them but if I can get the same results from something that I think looks better then its a no-brainer
Of course, what looks good tomone looks hideous to others and that's why there's the choice of " modern"styles like M1 and more traditional styles like Titleist 915....

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Use and play with whatever suits your taste

Use the clubs you like the look off and give you confidence that you will hit the ball well with them

If those clubs are a bit more expensive that others then so be it - those clubs may last years as opposed to other clubs that are a bit cheaper but you may end up changing them as you aren't 100% happy with them.

Golf clubs will always be personal choice - what's good for me might not be good for you

The great news is there is so many reviews and many places where you can try before you buy and also places where you can get latest or previous models

But always take your time choosing

 

[Tiger]

:thup: just doing the sums at the moment. Thinking of getting either a Ping Crossover 3 or Cobra F6 hybrid 2/3 but whatever I get when I've got the funds the woods will be bought to match. I'm a bit anal like that but just wondered would I be doing myself a disservice by not mixing and matching... but based on the replies to this thread provably not

 

[Deleted member 15344]

:thup: just doing the sums at the moment. Thinking of getting either a Ping Crossover 3 or Cobra F6 hybrid 2/3 but whatever I get when I've got the funds the woods will be bought to match. I'm a bit anal like that but just wondered would I be doing myself a disservice by not mixing and matching... but based on the replies to this thread provably not

Saw the Crossover today and had a hit - have to say they are one ugly club and awful to hit

If that's the sort of club you are looking at my own preference would be to look towards the Mizuno MpH clubs or Titliest TMB clubs

And I wouldn't worry about mix and matching - I have the Mizuno yet have TM woods.

 

[drdel]

I am a sucker for 'new' clubs. Promised myself I'd get a new driver this year. So which is it to be
TM's M2 (M1 seems to have too many adjustments I'll not use),
Callaway's XR16 looks OK (can't be owning something called "Great Big Bertha"),
Ping G25 currently in the bag so an upgrade could fit...

Reviews haven't helped. Anyone have a three sided coin?