The price of Drivers and Putters compared to...

[drdel]

Like many I'm a bit of a sucker for new gear and was looking at one of Scotty Cameron's finest. List price is about £280.

Of course having a shiny new putter puts the other clubs to shame so then I thought my 3 year old Ping Driver probably should be update - a cool £370 or so.

Now with spring around the corner I realise that the Lawn will need cutting and my mower's really shot at £20 years old. A quick look around and I'm probably looking at a like for like replacement with the ubiquitous Briggs & Stratton motor coming in at about £250-£300.

When you think about the assembly and complexity of a petrol mower versus a Putter and a Driver you can soon see why its easy to feel we're being ripped off!

If we want understand why more players aren't joining the game this no doubt contributes !!

 

[GB72]

Ah but Briggs and Stratton do not pay out millions to people on the professional mower racing circuit to use their product.

 

[Rooter]

Ah but Briggs and Stratton do not pay out millions to people on the professional mower racing circuit to use their product.

http://www.206cup.com/news/briggs-and-stratton-agrees-to-sponsor-the-206-cup-2015-season

 

[jp5]

Any improvement with a £300 putter is in the mind. Just get a bit of metal stuck to a pole and practice hard, results would be just as good. Wasn't it Furyk that won $10million with a $40 putter?

Any improvement with a £300 driver is mostly in the mind. Get a second hand driver for £40 and again practice hard.

Look at Snedeker this past week at Pebble. 9 year old driver, 5 year old putter. Combined worth $34 trade-in apparently!

By all means if you enjoy the allure of the latest technology then treat yourself. But the game can be played at an exceptionally high level without having to spend hundreds of pounds.

 

[Hacker Khan]

I do kind of agree that golf can be expensive to play and this does not help the game.

However my mower cost about £1500, but cheaper models are available. Same with golf drivers, £370 must be for the absolute top of the range most expensive driver on the market. As is a Scotty Cameron. But cheaper models are available. And I am willing to bet your 3 year old Ping driver will still do much the same job as a new £370 one. And if you used your 3 year old driver until it no longer worked (as you have your mower) then you could argue it is good value.

Plus I am sure there are mower obsessives somewhere saying the opposite, in that they must have the latest ride on mower and it's costing them a fortune, but are happy to use golf clubs from 15 years ago as they still work and do a job.

 

[Hacker Khan]

Any improvement with a £300 putter is in the mind. Just get a bit of metal stuck to a pole and practice hard, results would be just as good. Wasn't it Furyk that won $10million with a $40 putter?

Any improvement with a £300 driver is mostly in the mind. Get a second hand driver for £40 and again practice hard.

Look at Snedeker this past week at Pebble. 9 year old driver, 5 year old putter. Combined worth $34 trade-in apparently!

By all means if you enjoy the allure of the latest technology then treat yourself. But the game can be played at an exceptionally high level without having to spend hundreds of pounds.

This did make me laugh when you think about the admittedly very generous TM opportunity where they insist on comparing old TM models to new ones to prove what improvements there have been in the last few years. Perhaps they should have sent Snedeker the memo.

 

[Rooter]

This did make me laugh when you think about the admittedly very generous TM opportunity where they insist on comparing old TM models to new ones to prove what improvements there have been in the last few years. Perhaps they should have sent Snedeker the memo.

But who is to say the new R15 is not 20 yards longer and tighter than Sneds' Burner? We all know golf is a confidence game, he loves and trusts his old gear and may be willing to give up distance and new tech for tried and trusted....

I voted R15, having very recently jumped on the SLDR wagon, if what i read is true and the R15 offers SLDR performance with more forgiveness I'm in! but I very much doubt i will buy one. Happy with my SLDR for now!

 

[One Planer]

Lee Westwood still uses a G10 driver.

Steve Stricker was loathed to move from his 909

Kaymer still used a SuperTri while everyone jumped on to the R11 wagon.


Horses for courses.

 

[Dan2501]

Harris English, despite moving from Ping to Callaway still uses his old Ping G5 fairway.

Find something you like, and unless you hit anything better, stick with it.

 

[GB72]

I think that the point here is not that there are cheaper models or that older models may work just as well but rather what is involved in the manufacture, research and development of a putter or a driver that makes it cost more than a mower with a quality petrol engine attached.

I would be interested to know the profit margins attached to a new release club to see who gets what out of that £300 price tag.

 

[drdel]

I think that the point here is not that there are cheaper models or that older models may work just as well but rather what is involved in the manufacture, research and development of a putter or a driver that makes it cost more than a mower with a quality petrol engine attached.

I would be interested to know the profit margins attached to a new release club to see who gets what out of that £300 price tag.

Exactly what I was getting at in my OP. I already know I don't 'need' to buy new clubs or pay the price for so-called 'Premium' brands - that's my stupidity if you like.

I was just offering up for discussion the differences in apparent 'value for money'.

 

[MendieGK]

Lee Westwood still uses a G10 driver.

Steve Stricker was loathed to move from his 909

Kaymer still used a SuperTri while everyone jumped on to the R11 wagon.


Horses for courses.

All proof that we all buy into the marketing b*ll **** these companies provide us!

 

[GB72]

Exactly what I was getting at in my OP. I already know I don't 'need' to buy new clubs or pay the price for so-called 'Premium' brands - that's my stupidity if you like.

I was just offering up for discussion the differences in apparent 'value for money'.

I think when you look at it totally analytically, golf clubs are awful value for money. They can be expensive, they depreciate by about half as soon as you leav the shop and even more once you hit a ball with it, they are now fitted so do not suit everyone when sold on and the manufacturers tell everyone every year how that nice new stick you bought is totally out of date.

If you keep your club for years, the cost per use can be pretty decent but, overall, golf clubs are not a value for money item.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

When you see the price of these drivers after a newer model has just been released you should realise how much profit margin is involved. Mfrs only sell them at top whack prices because people pay them. If you keep buying the latest model at full price then they will keep selling them at that price. I know I would. I'd have cracking holidays on the back of it as well.

 

[muttleee]

No one's forcing you to pay £280 for a putter. Why would they charge any less if you're willing to pay?

 

[ruff-driver]

All proof that we all buy into the marketing b*ll **** these companies provide us!

Agreed :thup:

Always amuses me to see a £300 driver in someones bag next to a £10 putter