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Setting up your golf bag; choices or preselected?

SuperStroke
How would the OEM's figure out if you have a quick transition, or if you have issues swinging a lighter shaft, or if your putting is why your HCP is back in the double digits, or if your miss is high on the center of the face so hotter clubs hurt you more than help?

I'm not sure it would be a close fit if the OEM's chose. I can game whatever you put in my hands but it doesn't mean it would be optimal.
 
Tadashi70 said:
And this isn't just for Morgan cup. What if this is how clubs were purchased. Specs sent to OEM and they send back best option.
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This might work for a small subset of golfers. A very small subset who have access to a proper (probably approved/certified) fitting and are buying new exclusively. Who will not blame the clubs for their errors.
I think you'd see a hundredfold increase in returns. "My swing changed" "This isn't what I wanted" "It doesn't feel like that other club did".

Interesting, and probably a model a smaller boutique clubmaker could work with. A major OEM, I can't see making this work.
 
I'm to obsessive about the equipment I put in my bag to not have any control other than numbers on a peice on a paper. I wouldn't like it. One thing I haven't seen yet mentioned in feel. They my put you in a shaft based on the numbers sumitted that is the best fit for you, but you hate the feel and the feedback of that shaft. That clube then is not going to perform for you as well, because you are going to adjust to get the feel you want from that shaft. No good. I would rather look and take their recommendations, do my own research and then have the final say on whats the best choices for my game.
 
ChristopherKee said:
How would the OEM's figure out if you have a quick transition, or if you have issues swinging a lighter shaft, or if your putting is why your HCP is back in the double digits, or if your miss is high on the center of the face so hotter clubs hurt you more than help?

I'm not sure it would be a close fit if the OEM's chose. I can game whatever you put in my hands but it doesn't mean it would be optimal.
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That's why you would go to an OEM approved fitter who would send the results to the OEM, and not just send in your numbers on your own.
 
If you get a fitting at golftec they give you several options of what works with your current swing. Shafts, heads, loft and lies as well as balls. This info can be used the OEMs to help set up your bag.

There are no wrong answers here and I appreciate all the feedback
 
Smallville said:
That's why you would go to an OEM approved fitter who would send the results to the OEM, and not just send in your numbers on your own.
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I get what you are saying, and I understand the premises of the OEM choosing what is best for your game based on the numbers and without our own subjective input. But at this point if you went to an OEM approved fitter who was basing your fitting off OEM's equipment wouldn't you already know what was going to be in your bag since you probably hit the club/shaft combo that gave you those best numbers?

Just liked to add that if something looks bad to my eye, I will hit it poorly 100% of the time.
 
ChristopherKee said:
I get what you are saying, and I understand the premises of the OEM choosing what is best for your game based on the numbers and without our own subjective input. But at this point if you went to an OEM approved fitter who was basing your fitting off OEM's equipment wouldn't you already know what was going to be in your bag since you probably hit the club/shaft combo that gave you those best numbers?
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Not always. A lot of times people go to a fitter and asked to be fit for a specific club, say a 5 wood. In this case, it would be the OEM making all of the loft and club choices for you based on your results. Basically, from the way I understand it, it's a blind testing, you just hit the club without knowing the head/shaft combos and then the recommendations made to you.
 
Tadashi70 said:
There are no wrong answers here and I appreciate all the feedback
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This is a good debate. We should test it.. I'll send you my numbers and you get someone to send me some equipment =)
 
I'm a gut feeling kind of guy, and mood, emotion and visual stuff are very important to me, so in a way I have to say no. If something doesn't suit my eye, I don't feel confident, and that's what golf is about. For me.

But, I would definitely want to see what a OEM would suggest and then see if we can fill a bag with stuff that suits and pleases me.
 
I would be ok with an OEM making suggestions with my lineup after giving them specs and such. I would hope that ultimately it would come down to the players choice. In MOST cases, given correct numbers, going with their suggested line up would probably be what I would do. However, there is just sometimes when one club, though it preforms well, just doesn't meat me eye when setting up to it. If we are talking about a 5 yard difference between two clubs, I would rather give up 5 yards, but have confidence in my setup than not. That's just me though.
 
So there are several OEMs that do online fittings based on what you like not what is best. They fill orders based on your info and it seems to work pretty well and has made KBS & Bridgestone pretty darn popular not mention successful. Don't see why this couldn't work with others based on provided info.
 
Tadashi70 said:
So there are several OEMs that do online fittings based on what you like not what is best. They fill orders based on your info and it seems to work pretty well and has made KBS & Bridgestone pretty darn popular not mention successful. Don't see why this couldn't work with others based on provided info.
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I dont follow Freddie. The op is based on numbers and the OE making the choice for you. What you seem to refering to here is the consumer making the choices based on prefrences and not hard data. Correct me if i'm wrong.
 
It would be very difficult for me to imagine it working for me. I understand the idea, and technically its not too much more of a leap away from getting sticks 24 hours before the first round. However, I know I don't hit the ball as far as other 8.6 cappers (I guess the fitting would show that too) so it would kind of be like being stereo-typed (not really, but it's all I can explain at the moment). I am planning to do the absolute best fitting I can find and hopefully with a Bridgestone equipped fitter. I learned a lot from the loft up discussions as it relates to having an open mind and letting the numbers speak for themselves in a fitting, but in the end I would like to be a little more hands on with my selections personally. Just my opinion though.

JM
 
This is definitely an interesting discussion. I don't know that I could entirely just pass off any input into the end result that way, ignoring personal preferences in areas like bag composition, loft set-up, grip size and type.

Another aspect would be if, particularly if the individual in question was purchasing the clubs instead of an event like the MC, if the companies wanted to have the responsibility of pairing the consumer with the equipment. Right now, if I'm a 30 handicap, I can go into the store and buy the same clubs that Phil uses, and even though it's probably not the best idea, Callaway would have no reason to question the consumer's logic, and would hold no responsibility if that golfer could not appropriately use them. If a company picked the clubs for someone, and if that consumer didn't like them, then the company would have at least some involvement there, and might be expected by the consumers in general to have more lenient exchange or return policies.
 
Playdough said:
I dont follow Freddie. The op is based on numbers and the OE making the choice for you. What you seem to refering to here is the consumer making the choices based on prefrences and not hard data. Correct me if i'm wrong.
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I agree. This seems to be completely opposite of the original post.
 
adwillingham said:
This is definitely an interesting discussion. I don't know that I could entirely just pass off any input into the end result that way, ignoring personal preferences in areas like bag composition, loft set-up, grip size and type.

Another aspect would be if, particularly if the individual in question was purchasing the clubs instead of an event like the MC, if the companies wanted to have the responsibility of pairing the consumer with the equipment. Right now, if I'm a 30 handicap, I can go into the store and buy the same clubs that Phil uses, and even though it's probably not the best idea, Callaway would have no reason to question the consumer's logic, and would hold no responsibility if that golfer could not appropriately use them. If a company picked the clubs for someone, and if that consumer didn't like them, then the company would have at least some involvement there, and might be expected by the consumers in general to have more lenient exchange or return policies.
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Waiver policy would be a must.
 
Playdough said:
I dont follow Freddie. The op is based on numbers and the OE making the choice for you. What you seem to refering to here is the consumer making the choices based on prefrences and not hard data. Correct me if i'm wrong.
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Your correct and those items seem to work. Just think of it if the OEM had hard data from a fitting to set you up
 
I could see something like this working, now that I think about it, at least in theory. Let's say I go in to a golf store and say I want a bag full of new....I dunno, Callaway gear (imagine that.) The store says, "We don't really have much in the way of fitting options for Callaway, but let's see how you hit your regular gear, and we'll go from there." So I hit all my current gear and we presume there's a static value that will get me maximum carry and minimum dispersion. And we say, "Oh, your shaft is too high-launching for you, so let's go with this shaft or flex instead, which empirical data says will adjust a player with your swing speed down from your current shaft to something closer to a given standard." The rule of 17, for example.

It might work, provided something like the rule of 17 were agreed upon and could be applied to every club in the bag. But that would be tough. Some people just like a higher launching iron, so even if you could prove maximum carry and spin with minimum dispersion, people might still be fond of, say, a higher flight out of an 8 iron. Also, given the sheer amount of equipment and shaft/head combinations, there would be a mind-boggling amount of analytic data to grind through to even make educated guesses without actually putting the club/shaft combo in the player's hand.

Plus, I think there will always be people who would rather play a club that doesn't get maximum performance just for the sake of their ego. Like the lowest lofted SLDR.
 
Tadashi70 said:
If you get a fitting at golftec they give you several options of what works with your current swing. Shafts, heads, loft and lies as well as balls. This info can be used the OEMs to help set up your bag.

There are no wrong answers here and I appreciate all the feedback
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Having gone through a GolfTec fitting, being able to see the numbers, hit the different clubs, and choose which one you want is nice. If the numbers are close, which they were for me, having a choice in the matter is a great option to have as there was one club I wanted more because of feel/sound/looks that cannot be measured in hard numbers.
 
Tadashi70 said:
So last week while at the show, Jman, Dean and myself got to talking about the Morgan Cup and the MC bags. In each of the three Morgan Cups the players were fortunate enough to setup their bags with basically what ever their OEM offered. Of course there were some limitations but for the list part you got to choose what you wanted.

The three of us discussed a different scenario for 2014. Mind you this was talk between the three of us and nothing more.

If given the opportunity, what are your feelings on sending your specs and hdcp to the OEMs and allowing them to choose for you. Instead of second guessing yourself and your choices, it was placed in the hands of each OEM. Is this something people would get behind or would you prefer choices?
This is simply to quench my curiosity nothing more. My thinking is that the R&D teams know what shaft works best with each head and with your swing specs would know how to fit you. What are your thoughts?
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I still want final say. If I could go through a full fitting at the OEM's site, I might go with exactly what they recommend, but short of being fit live at their site just like the tour pro's, I'd say no, not a 100% their choice.
 
I personally would not take that option if given it. I would want to be the final decision maker. Now that is not to say that I would discard any suggestions made by the OEM, but I would want to have the final say.

Different strokes for different folks.
 
I am really enjoying this thread. Let's hear from some more people on this one.
 
If it were possible i would love to attend an event where you got to test out this hypothesis.

1.) You have a clubmaker build a set to your specs that you choose. (and choose your own ball)
2.) The clubmaker builds a set based on what THEY think is best for your game. (they fit you for an ideal ball as well)

It would be interesting if you could play 18 holes that day, with each set of equipment to see how much is ego and how much is 'knowing your game' vs a club fitter trying to do what's best.
 
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