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Drivers - What Draws You In?

SuperStroke
1. Name Brand - I gravitate towards certain brands because of preference and reputation.
2. Buzz - What items are creating the most excitement.
3. Looks - asthetics are very important.
4. Price - generally used as a tiebreaker if all else is the same or relatively close

That just gets the game started. Once a club has my attention, it has to perform for me and that is most important. The ability to hit good shots with the club decides if it goes into my bag, and more importantly stays in there. I was all set to love the R11 driver which aced all above criteria, but playability wise, was not the club for me. I ended up with the Superfast 2.0 instead.
 
Brand is first for me. If it is a TaylorMade, Ping, Callaway, Nike, Titleist or Cleveland/Srixon driver, I know it is going to be good. All are looked at equally by me.

I am not going to lie, tour usage does impact me a little as far as putting something on my radar, but local players do too. With my current driver, a local kid had an older Titleist driver that I really liked which put the brand on my radar and then I saw some pro's doing well with the 910 which made me want to take a look at one.

My everyday life is inundated with golf, so I see most of the stuff before it hits stores. Seeing something sleek in the store does not have that much of an effect. It does have some appeal to be sure, but I usually know more about that product than anyone in the store (as most of us here would) which means that I have gotten over the glam.

A big draw for me is the stock shafts. I am pretty big on instant gratification with my golf gear and I like to find something that fits in the store OR something that I can change the shaft out relatively easily. This is what I love about TM drivers, I can have a shaft tipped while still playing the driver with the old shaft and being excited about my new one as I see my ball cutting into the trees. I don't like not having a driver with a glued tip because I feel that it takes away freedom (even though I like the neutral setting).
 
looks, looks, and looks. Then brand. But overall performance....but I know in the OP you stated before you hit it. I am willing to play any driver that works for me
 
I am going to get a driver fitting at Miles of Golf in Mi next week. I have read about the benefits of the fittings on THP. After that I will pick the driver and shaft that performs best for me. So I guess performance is what I am looking for most if that makes any sense.
 
I hate to say brand even though I've been pretty much a Titleist driver owner for quite some time...I am pretty traditional - square to open face, classic looks. I didn't love the previous model, but am loving the 910.
 
Looks definitely draw me in at first. Brand name certainly comes into play, but I'm also quite interested in the technical info on the product.
 
The first thing that usually draws me in is the look. Then after Im drawn in by the look the next thing I look at is the shaft.
 
For me its brand in conjunction with past experiences. For the life of me I cannot hit a Titleist driver. But put any Cleveland in my hand and we have a winner. Same thingw with Callaway. Sometimes it just fits better.
 
1. Walk through the drivers and go "That looks cool!"
2. Lay the club down in my hands and see if it feels closed or feels akward. (No no's)
3. Check the shaft and what goodies come with driver, weight system, high MOI, blah blah.
4. Take it the hitting bay to see if I like the feel/launch
5. Curse at the driver if I kinda like it since I can't try said driver with the correct flex shaft for me and that I always end up buying blind. (Sometimes swinging hard Sucks) :banghead::angry:
 
Yoccos said:
For me its brand in conjunction with past experiences. For the life of me I cannot hit a Titleist driver. But put any Cleveland in my hand and we have a winner. Same thingw with Callaway. Sometimes it just fits better.
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I totally agree and understand this. I cannot hit Callaway. I know it's a psychological thing but I just get so-so results. Irons it's the top-line don't like the look. It's odd.

Alex
 
Most definately looks in first instance. If it does not look 'right' when holding it, subconciously you will not be totally happy with it.

I then test it, and if no good I move on to the next one
 
Nicklausfan said:
I totally agree and understand this. I cannot hit Callaway. I know it's a psychological thing but I just get so-so results. Irons it's the top-line don't like the look. It's odd.

Alex
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Lol its crazy! but it's golf :) I hadn't hit a Callaway long term since the first big bertha driver and it was just as easy now as it was then. Crazy what confidence will do. That's why sometimes it baffles me that some companies go completely away from what has been working when it comes to drivers. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't.
 
Looks, sound and results for me. Marketing no doubt draws me in a bunch, then I turn to the reviews.
 
Look of the head shape/size first then it's the price. Over $300 and I am out no matter how "pretty" it is....
 
When I went to get fit for my current driver, I told the fitter that I wanted the best driver for me, I didn't care what brand/loft/flex/etc. He had me swing Taylormade, Ping, Titleist, Nike, Cobra and Callaway. He tried different shafts for a number of them, all in all we spent close to 1.5 hours. After the testing it was down to a Nike MachSpeed Black and a Callaway Diablo Octane, both 9.5* stiff flex. In the end I liked the feel and sound of the Callaway better and went with that one.
 
The brand first and looks second.
 
Well for me it's brand first as im a huge callaway fan, followed by results luckily callaway have a great range when it comes to drivers. Sound is a major factor for me played a contact driver recently and nearly burst an eardrum it was so loud ha ha
 
I would say in a general order of importance (thought not necessarily for myself)....

Look
Price
Brand
Technology
Feel
Performance/Results
Sound

I think if you can't get past #2 then the rest doesn't matter. If you can't afford to buy it, why torture yourself?
 
I don't care about brand however if I hear something good about a driver I may take a look at it. But the thing that makes me want to hit it at the store is how it sets up at address. I want a head that sits/looks square at address and looks good to the eye. Then of course it must pass muster on the launch monitor and on the course.
 
It's kind of a tie between looks and technology for me. If there is something new with driver tech I want to try it out and see how it will work with my game, if it's just a new driver it's all about looks.
 
I see 2 very different reasons to buy a driver. The first thing that we see when were looking is the sole, so the design and cosmetics obviously play a huge part of what catches your eye. Diablos red colors, Pings huge lettering, and even Titlelists conservative markings are all things we recognize. It's the only "advertising" space they have and they use advertising techniques like any company would.

However, it's the reviews, the word of mouth, brand loyalty, and personal testing that makes me reach for my wallet. I don't care if the club is ugly as sin, shaped like a banana, and painted bright pink, if it's the best fit for my game ... I'm sold.
 
I shop by price. I go through the sales bin and used club section and if i see a potential deal, I'll try it. I saw a used Ping G10 driver for $80 in the used club section. Wasn't in the market for a driver, but just based on the price, I tried it, ended up hitting it way better than my burner driver, and bought it.
 
For me reviews by thp users are the most important aspect when buying a new club. I have actually never hit a club before i bought except the 910h I ordered last week.
I know my swingspeed and what kind of ball flight i want and the rest I can figure out with reviews. This is why I will order a 910d2 next year when Ive got enough cash again.

Oh and i love titleist clubs.
 
JB said:
Had a great conversation with someone today about drivers and new technology and he said something incredibly unique. In his opinion 90% of driver sales are based on 1 of 2 things. Name brand and/or looks. Meaning that the buzz created by a name brand or tour usage of that name brand equals someone wanting to "check it out". Or that someone sees something in a store that stands out aesthetically and they want to "check it out". I had never looked at those 2 so together and separate before.

So I will ask everybody here. What draws you in? We are talking first impressions to wanting to try something here, not what makes you buy something after trial.

Sound off...
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I disagree. In my opinion people purchase a driver for one primary reason: more distance. A golfer may purchase a driver based on looks and/or brand but only if he thinks he'll get more yardage out of it. I don't think anyone buys a driver primarily because it looks good or because it's a TaylorMade, he buys it because he want more distance off the tee.
 
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