We've launched the new forums! Read more here

Do you ever buy a club sight unseen?

Bryndom said:
Have you ever bought something sight unseen? Without fitting or testing? Did it work for you?

I try to get fitted or at least go to the local stores to swing any club before I buy them, but I’m sure some don’t have access to the local stores.
Click to expand...
Yeah I bought my entire bag based solely off of reading TONS of internet reviews. Cobra Ltd woods, cobra f6 hybrids, Wilson d200 irons, cbx wedges.
 
Like the prior post, a qualified yes. In fact, I only have 2 clubs that I had hit before purchase. That said, I watch reviews on this site in detail and tend to buy toward the end of life cycle of the club. By watching a thread long enough I start to notice if a product has strong following say 6 months after release or if all the early adopters have moved on.

When I start to think a part of my game is acceptable and not in need of change, I will get fit to optimize. So far only the putter falls into that category
 
I have bought quite a few online used with just seeing pictures. Mostly putters but some wedges too. Some have worked out fine and some have not.
 
Most of my clubs/shafts have been bought "sight unseen" BUT not without reading tons of reviews and feedback. I usually purchase clubs that are a year behind the latest release so there is plenty of info to research.
 
I tend to do this more than I’d like to admit. Certainly the smart move is to get a fitting.
Every so often I’m surprised by my random purchases. A recent driver fitting I went through though, certainly gave me more appreciation for fitting.
 
I have bought numerous clubs without seeing them....The C3i wedge. Which I have gamed for years. I bought the Callaway Epic Flash driver lat year after reading countless reviews about it being the best driver for someone with my swing characteristics….Absolutely love it. Was fitted for new irons a month ago. So my purchases cover spectrum.
 
I've bought several off of eBay without any problems. I haven't liked them all but mostly I've had good luck.
 
I purchased a set of Mizuno irons several years ago based on only having seen a friend play the previous (very similar) model.
I likely would have been fitted for a more forgiving design had I made the effort at the time.
 
One thing that seems odd to guys who live close to big time golf fitters and retailers, some of us don't have access to demos that aren't Callaway, Titleist, Taylormade. Even the Ping demos are often sent as a 3 hybrid regular shaft or a large selection of SFT drivers with A and R flex. Getting a hotel room and buying food plus paying for a fitting after buying gas to drive 3-4 hours leads to a $400 driver being $800.
 
All the time.
 
I've bought sight unseen, I've hit a few balls in the bay then bought, and I've been professionally fitted. It's all turned out about the same for me but then maybe I'm lucky. When I buy my next irons I'll probably get fit but I wouldn't pay money for it, otherwise I'll just hit some and see what feels best.
 
Numerous times on eBay, but only if there are several photos and the seller has great feedback.
 
All of my clubs are basically sight unseen except my putter. I have my static specs that I use to customize my order - loft, lie, shaft length and grip size. That's it. So far it's worked out fairly well.
 
Being LH I have bought sight unseen more times than I can count. I trust reviews I have always going here. There have been some hits and some misses for sure.
 
All of my clubs were bought without hitting them. I knew my general characteristics. I no longer do since I’m still recovering from illness and accidents. It seems like most still fit ok, but I may have to lose a flex in my driver as much as that pains me to admit, or at least go to a lighter weight in the same flex.
 
Mavrik driver was bought online on a whim. Still trying to figure out optimal shaft.
Everything else was a fitting.
 
I have been fit in the past so nearly all of the equipment I buy is online and I have never hit it before it arrives.

Trip to the range and if it works there it goes to the course. Many have not even made it past a few swings on the range.

I rarely buy anything new anymore as the depreciation on new clubs is horrendous so I typically wait a month or so after a new release and buy lightly used at that time.
 
I just ordered a Mizuno CLK 2H without seeing one. It's $264 that will be worth half that on trade if it doesn't work. If it doesn't I'll order a Ping 2H. Some chances are worth taking and I found 2 day free shipping on a club I've desired since the last model came out 3 years ago. It has a lot of settings to work with and makes sense.
 
Well the good news is that I think most all clubs are very good today. If you get a shaft that is in line with what you like and the clubs appearance is good to you, it may not be optimal, but it probably won't be a disaster.

The exception may be driver though. There's a lot more than can be "wrong" with a driver in my opinion.

Dave
 
Bryndom said:
Have you ever bought something sight unseen? Without fitting or testing? Did it work for you?

I try to get fitted or at least go to the local stores to swing any club before I buy them, but I’m sure some don’t have access to the local stores.
Click to expand...
Every single club in my bag.

Never had a fitting, would sure be the most efficient approach.

But I've always kind of enjoyed the theorizing, researching, buying, testing aspect to new toys.
 
WMac19 said:
Every single club in my bag.

Never had a fitting, would sure be the most efficient approach.

But I've always kind of enjoyed the theorizing, researching, buying, testing aspect to new toys.
Click to expand...

I had a ball fitting that from overwhelming stupidity I missed the details of and arrived pretty much inebriated. In my defense I hadn’t had that much to drink but a then unknown medication interaction interfered with both my understanding of what was going on and my ability to drink alcohol while taking said medicine.

So outside of that, after about 3 sky marks on the WAY too high tee I told the fitter I was drunk and knew what ball fit me best, lol. I was right on both accounts. I shouldn’t have been drinking but I did know which ball was best. I could hit 100 shots with 100 different balls totally blind to type and know which ball was best for me.

I won’t give any hints but for anyone HIGH flight HIGH spin there’s an , ahem TourBRX, ahem for you.

Man does that sucker cut the wind. That’s always been my nemesis. I hit the ball so dang high from 175 I might be hitting 9i or 5i depending on conditions. There’s a local holes that’s 165 but you are on the highest point on the course and it drops to a near island green to the lowest on the course. I’ve hit PW and been long and I’ve hit 6i and been short. Splash. Splash. I don’t care for that hole. But since I have to play it I prefer a ball that won’t balloon and will have a consistent distance. What once was a 3 club wind is now a 1 club wind. Maybe 1.5. Playing the right ball means so much more than most think.

It warrranted a name change for me it was that game changing.
 
Constantly, the number of clubs I have taken a punt in is incredible. Sometimes, like the PM grind wedge it works out perfectly and sometimes...looking at you SLDR...it works out not so well!
 
I always want to at least hold a club before purchase. Most of my bag are Pings that I had a fitting done. I do a lot of research first, but once I decide, I'm going to be fit.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top