Opinions of American Golf

[Tiger]

I don't know about the rest of you but I only started playing golf recently. My views on American Golf have been swayed by two things. One it's got American in the title (I have a natural predisposition to be wary of all things stateside) and two opinions on here.

In their defence they have taken a battering on here, which when I have visited their store near me has not really correlated with my impressions. Despite that I have always thought twice about shopping there, which shows how significant an impression peer review makes.

Anyway they have obviously run this GM promotion with the aim of changing our impression of the knowledge of their staff and the quality of the golf gear they sell. Based on the follow up write ups on here my opinions have changed and they would now be my second port of call after a visit to my club pro (who gets my undivided loyalty!)

Just wondered if any of you felt the same?

 

[bluetoon]

My opinion has obviously been swayed by recent good fortune but trying to put that aside i was impressed by American Golf (world of golf) in Glasgow. The facilities were tremendous, the staff helpfull and knowledgeable and the range of products and prices spot on.

I think with chains like these. Ie Dixons, PCworld, your experience will be at the mercy of the sales person. In my case i got somebody really knowledgeable and well trained. But that may be down to pot luck depending on who serves you.

I would not hesitate to recommend them based on my own experience.

 

[NWJocko]

I know they have a lot of knockers on here and I'm pretty sure (as with most franchises) it will depend a lot on that particular store.

However, I have only used them 3 times in total and one of which was the driver fitting in Manchester at which the facilities, staff, equipment and selection of gear was spot on.

The only other times have been for a putter where I knew, to an extent, what I wanted and a trolley.

This debate has been had before but it seems that they "prey" on beginners or people who are unsure what they are looking for. For regular players I'd say it's up to them to do some homework before going so they know what they want to try.

 

[Imurg]

Think you needed a "bit of in the middle" category.
I'm wary of their new Simulators, not sure how accurate they are but it does show comparison with another club used at the same time.
I've bought stuff from them before but only after doing my homework and knowing what I need - they tend to only stock "standard" set-up clubs, nothing slightly out of the ordinary. Buying this sort of gear online is cheaper than getting AG to order it and paying their price.
But the biggest thing for me is, as said above, you're at the mercy of whoever asks if you need any help. Unless it's someone you know, can trust, then it could be anyone. I know they're trained but that's not the same as asking your Pro or another shop where you know the guys.
The cynic in me is saying "On these fitting days, everyone has been offered top range gear. No Nicklaus, Deep Red etc. Yet they have prominant stand of both of these in the shops."

 

[HRC99]

The problem with AG has always been who served you.

You'd either get a great member of staff who was knowledgeable, patient and not too pushy or you'd get a terrible one who was didn't know what they were talking about and pushy.

To be fair, the last couple of times I've been in to my local store, I have had a very good level of service. Enough to encourage me to come back.

Prior to that, I hadn't been in for ages as I had been put off by a couple of terrible experiences with people trying to talk me into buying kit that I neither wanted, needed or would even have suited me.

The write ups on here from people's experiences with them have been really positive - as you might expect when involved in a feature with GM. Hopefully, this is part of an ongoing drive to get their staff and their training right.

But, in answer to the question, my opinion of them is certainly on the up based on the lucky forummers' feedback so far!

 

[Oddsocks]

Two stores local to me now since the brought out my driving range. The store in purley often preys on the novice with pushy sales of preferred brands like Wilson & nicklaus. This is wrong, just plain wrong. Beginners should be able to shop with the faith their getting good advice, not advice that benefits someone's commission structure.

Now the store at the range is different, it was a independent store that got purchased by world of golf, now in turn purchased by AG. I don't mind using this store as the staff haven't changed and as I know them I get left to shop without the influence of which brands to buy.

 

[NWJocko]

The cynic in me is saying "On these fitting days, everyone has been offered top range gear. No Nicklaus, Deep Red etc. Yet they have prominant stand of both of these in the shops."

Good point Imurg.

To be honest, it would have been interesting (and possibly given them some more credibility when pushing them) had they included Nicklaus clubs in the fittings to compare them to the big brands.

I've never used any Nickalus gear but, if it was good quality and shown to be in the fittings, I don't see why they shouldn't be competing with Benross and MD in terms of quality clubs at a good price.

 

[Tiger]

I wonder if those with negative impressions stem from recent experiences or old ones. It would be interesting to find out. If HRC is right and they are trying to upskill their staff is it fair to harbour impressions based on old experiences?

As for the fact they stock cheaper gear is that an offence? Surely they have to cater for all tastes and wallet sizes?

 

[Imurg]

Tiger - my cynical mind just looks at the whole AG/GM thing as advertising. Pushing the big brands in the adverts is ok - as long as they push them to the consumer when they walk in the door and not ease them towards the cheaper gear that they make more money on.
Tricky, because I've seen an improvement in AG in recent times and I'm in the local one fairly regularly but I'm a cynic at heart.....

 

[Tiger]

Fair enough Imurg. I've just always thought there is a responsibility on the consumer to know about the products on the market before making a purchase.

 

[Tiger]

You guys are a funny bunch!!! On one hand you advise new players not to shell out too much on gear, possibly spend money on lessons but at least wait till they get a bit better before spending big bucks. Then at the same time you criticise a store that suggests a novice should look at cheaper brands like Wilson & Niklaus.

For my money the Wilson Di range is a great, affordable starting point for a new player.

That aside I think the object of the exercise was to get us away from buying online and encourage us to try big brands on their range, with their fitters and make a better, informed purchase

Interesting discussion nonetheless...

 

[thecraw]

Its quite clearly an English issue with American Golf. We were discussing this yesterday and North of the border I've never once had someone try and sell me Nicklaus clubs, I've never once had a salesperson say to me that Nicklaus is better than Callaway, Nike whatever.

American Golf up here has always been decent in my opinion and of anyone else I've spoken to.

 

[bluetoon]

Fair enough Imurg. I've just always thought there is a responsibility on the consumer to know about the products on the market before making a purchase.

Absolutely spot on.
Scenario #1, walk into a garage forecourt "i need a car please", ok sir you need this £50k super dooper bling mobile.

Senario #2 Walk into computer shop "i need a computer please" ah! then you need this £4k high speed sleek machine.

I dont think there are many consumers to fall for the sales patter nowadays, i think you need to give people more credit and believe they are more savvy. But if American Golf did/do prey on the guy who says " i need some sticks to play golf" Then personaly i dont blame AG, the fault is with the numpty that should have known better.

 

[grumpyjock]

We did have an AG in Huddersfield until 6 year ago when it shut down, only have a DG which also has the driving range at The Galpharm stadium.
use the pro shop for most of my usual stuff.

 

[brendy]

You should never walk into an AG or Nevada bobs without a clue of what you are looking for.
If you feel the need to buy something new you should already have at least an idea.
As a shop, they are grand, as a great source of info and wisdom... Stroll on. Most of these places are run by handicap golfers so if I need advice I'll go to my pro and buy from him, unless I was given vouchers.

 

[jammydodger]

I would never use these stores to try out clubs as I feel you can only get a true feel for a club when hitting it outdoors. I do however buy stuff from them quite regularly , tees,balls,shoes,gloves and such like.I did buy a wedge last year but it was only to complete a set I had and they offered the best deal i could find.

 

[HRC99]

There is quite a lot of snobbery here. There is nothing inherently wrong with Wilson or Nicklaus gear and entirely normal for any organisation to try and market the brands which make the most profit for the retailer.

Supermarkets do it every day in hundreds of different ways.

The key thing is the sales experience and how it is handled by the member of staff. That to me is where AG need to continue to improve.

Any retailer in any market with the overheads of stores and sales staff etc is faced with very tough competition from internet only retailers as the internet only retailer has (typically) a much lower cost base.

Retailers, such as AG, have to create a reason to buy from them rather than just the very cheapest price. That reason for golf equipment retailers is custom fitting and the opportunity to try out the kit.

AG came into a very complacent market that was dominated by professional shops - many of which had no need to be competitive in their pricing as it had been, effectively, a closed shop for many years. AG's ability to buy in bulk and, thereby, undercut the professional shops created their market.

The professional shops had to fight back through their expertise in club fitting and become more competitive in their pricing.

Move on around 20 years and AG, having been in a (fairly) dominant position in the market is having to adapt to internet competitors able to offer better prices.

AG is now looking to fight back by developing their expertise in club fitting and becoming more competitive in their pricing in the face of this competition - exactly as the pros did when AG and Nevada Bob's appeared.

It is simply a normal cycle in business.

The benefit to us customers is that there is even more competition for our cash out there and there will be even more expertise to draw upon, as AG and others, develop this side of their business.

 

[Philm]

my club pro works in my local American golf store, as does one of our senior members.

so for what I like to use American golf for like sale items of clothing/ball offers and the odd 2nd hand wedge or demo 6iron

I find that these guys can sort me with good prices and if I ever want to chat about a club I think I should change I can ask the pro and see what he thinks.

it all comes down to the staff.

Phil

 

[bigbazzaboy]

Only been in one and it was fine. I went in for balls and decided to have a quick look at the drivers cos mines been misbehaving. Salesman came over,i told him what i was looking for,the problems i was having with my current driver,what budget i was looking at and that i probably wouldn't be buying that day. Guy still went through the back and brought out some clubs to try and told me he had ex demo versions of the clubs with the wrapping still on the head and if i found one i liked it would be in my price range.

 

[Oddsocks]

You should never walk into an AG or Nevada bobs without a clue of what you are looking for.
If you feel the need to buy something new you should already have at least an idea.
As a shop, they are grand, as a great source of info and wisdom... Stroll on. Most of these places are run by handicap golfers so if I need advice I'll go to my pro and buy from him, unless I was given vouchers.

What about

A) you walk in looking for either cally or tm irons, specifically the X22/20 or 09 burners yet the sales guy forces you to try DI9 & DI7 then spends 20 mins convincing you that you hit them better, miles longer, you can hear just by the strike etc etc etc....

or

B) after still using them for you balls/tee's and clothing through 2010 so your face is known you go into their store to buy MPT10 wedges, At 80.00 they offer a deal at 140.00 (even though their last years stock. you point to their big sign saying "price match" and state that direct golf offer them at £110 for 2 but you would rather spend your money in a local store and take them away with you, your called a liar in a polite way until you bring up the page on your iphone and show the assistant and shop mananger the proof of the price and ask again if you will match the price,

your replied with "NO, thats our last set of 3 and we would rather sell them single items than match a price and make nothing ".... even though they have a sign stating price match for genuine online prices bla bla bla......

on princple i would now rather spent more money at a club pro shop than give the b**tards are puley brand 1p of my money. I reckon i spent around £500 in there last year on clothes, balls, tee's, towels, gloves etc... never ever again.