How hung up do you get ont he aesthetics of your clubs?

Joshzilla

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Do looks matter? It's what's on the inside that counts, right?

I gravitate to equipment that has a sleek/traditional look, but I'm using an Odyssey Sabertooth putter. I get great results with the thing, but I really want to be able to use a blade putter...or even a normal style mallet. It's really just a visual thing and pretty silly when you think about it, yet it's an almost irresistable urge to make the change.

How do you guys feel about the looks of your equipment?
 
I agree with you to a point but I'm pretty sure that looks was 75% of my problem with the Nike MachSpeed Black square driver I recently reviewed. There are certain ugly clubs that you can warm up to when you see good results but then again sometimes just getting over the ugly first impression can make that warming up to the club that much more difficult.
 
I like to have clubs that I like the look of. But performance trumps looks all day long
 
Club appearance is a major factor in how the clubs perform for you, I tell people all the time that you have to like what your looking at when you address the ball. Give someone a blade and ask them do they feel that they can hit the ball in the sweet spot all the time, then give them a perimeter weighted club and ask the same question. I remember when the Ping Zings came out and everyone just hated the tab on the toe of the club, a story here was the Mr. Karsten brought a set to a pro golfer at the range and when he set the club down he handed it back to Mr. Karsten and said "No thank you".
 
It's kind of funny how looks really are in the eye of the beholder. I've had numerous clubs that I fell in love with on looks, wanted them to be THE club, but never worked for me.

The black Mach speed driver was beautiful to me, lol, and worked great as well. I might be the only one here who really liked that square headed one. I really loved last years black Cleveland irons, but they just didn't work for my swing.

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For me looks fall into 2 categories: the setup and the graphics/design.

Setup is as important as anything else when I consider new clubs.

Graphics/appearance can be a deal breaker.

I often never even test certain equipment simply because I can't past the looks, especially putters. Then there are those cases where I make myself try it. Superfast driver as an example, like how it works, but still can't pull the trigger and compare everything else in hopes of finding something that works AND looks nice. For me this has been the issue with the majority of Taylor Made products, but i can tell you the Burner 2.0's just solved that problem I think.
 
Looks mean very little to me. When over the ball I never look at my clubs, I tend to concentrate on the ball. Guys who can't play thicker or chunkier irons must only care about how their bag looks to and from the course, or on the range or something. I can honestly say that when I look down at address, rarely do I look at my club.
 
Looks mean very little to me. When over the ball I never look at my clubs, I tend to concentrate on the ball. Guys who can't play thicker or chunkier irons must only care about how their bag looks to and from the course, or on the range or something. I can honestly say that when I look down at address, rarely do I look at my club.

Im with you TC. I am VERY glad that I dont have these thoughts that others have about too thick, too thin, too big, etc...

It must be brutal to play a hybrid for some being as how big that club head is.
 
Looks play a little bit in terms of decision making and comfort level for clubs but results are what matters the most to me.

Now crocs on the other hand...that's a whole different thing altogether....
 
Looks mean very little to me. When over the ball I never look at my clubs, I tend to concentrate on the ball. Guys who can't play thicker or chunkier irons must only care about how their bag looks to and from the course, or on the range or something. I can honestly say that when I look down at address, rarely do I look at my club.

Amen. After the first few responses I was beginning to worry that I was the only one. I've played some butt-ugly clubs in my day (there are some who would include my present putter in that group), but all I've ever cared about is how I hit the ball with them. :golf2:
 
I like the look of blades and nice looking equipment in general, but recognize my own shortcomings as a shot-maker......I don´t play blades.....yet*lol*

I´d rather play good golf over looking good playing bad shots.

oh, and I play a V-foil putter so I´m aesthetically-challenged.
 
I'm just shallow.....
I had some PING Zings that were lazers but I just couldn't love em
 
When I started playing two years ago I was very surprised how much weight people put into aesthetics when making equipment decisions. In ski equipment you NEVER hear a reviewer say that aesthetics drove a ski/boot/binding decision! That being said, aesthetics DO weigh heavily... I was just surprised to hear the golf industry admit it.
 
In the Spring Issue of THP the Magazine, there was a great interview with a legendary club maker that talks about how clubs look and people that play clubs for certain reasons. His opinion obviously, but I think that social credit plays a big role.

We hear it all the time, when it comes to the word or term OFFSET. I think, and this is ONLY my opinion, that people relate the amount of offset to skill level. Like it is a crutch, or training wheels.
 
Looks mean very little to me. When over the ball I never look at my clubs, I tend to concentrate on the ball. Guys who can't play thicker or chunkier irons must only care about how their bag looks to and from the course, or on the range or something. I can honestly say that when I look down at address, rarely do I look at my club.

Sure it matters to me what my clubs and bag looks like, just like many care about the clothes they wear to the course. But thicker irons look and feel bulky to me.

I think my problem comes from playing the types of clubs I've played for sooo many years. Last year was the first time I ever even tried to hit the thicker GI or SGI type irons. They would likely be better for my game, but only time will tell.

In that regaurd it's nothing to do with what my bag looks like, its what my eyes are telling me looking down at address.

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They would likely be better for my game, but only time will tell.

Well therein lies the million dollar question Duey. I guess it really depends on what people want out of this game. If something you believe would make you a better golfer score wise, then I would say something is missing right?
 
===== QUOTE thedue ====

They would likely be better for my game, but only time will tell.



===== /QUOTE ====



Well therein lies the million dollar question Duey. I guess it really depends on what people want out of this game. If something you believe would make you a better golfer score wise, then I would say something is missing right?

That may be JB and yes the million $ question, lol. I've tried a few of those type irons and some were ok, but yet to find the ones that really fit.

My burners were ok, but just felt a little bulky, yet the R9's seemed a little smoother. Several Mizzys were down right nice and the 800's at the outing felt great, yet they were a GI iron.

Think the look may have less to do with it than weight? I'm not sure yet.

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well off to play with my beat up clubs and blue jeans. Hope I don't run into a marshall that's concerned with aesthetics cause it's cold out there.
 
I wish I was good enough to care about how my clubs look. My a30S irons are pretty horrible looking, but they have helped me quite a bit. In fact, I put the ugly things back in my bag for the weekend since my iron play has sucked so bad lately. I looooooooove how the Ci7's look, especially with white grips, but pretty doesn't equal GIR.

I did recently pick up the Odyssey #9 partially based on looks. I wanted a non-mallet for aesthetic reasons. I couldn't get used to blade putters and didn't really like the way they looked from the top. The #9 looked nice to me, but it was also the best performer out of all the putters I tried.
 
Depending on several work related things coming this week, My hope is to make an appointment with TMPL during the week before the outing and do things right this time.

I want to have a ton of options and the professionals working with me at the same time. The right style head with the proper shaft for me along with instructions from some of the best.

Toss in a putter fitting and watch out 2011 THP outing, haha

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To the point of ridiculousness. If it doesn't have some sort of neat styling, strange shape, or some other nifty something, I'm generally not interested. Adams, Nike, Callaway are my favs. I wanted some Nickent ARC wedges BAD. Bought Scratch wedges instead... sometimes function wins over, but I like the eye candy.
 
I guess I have it bad. I pick shafts by color not by characteristics. I could never use a V2 or older Motore because of the color combos. Weird shaped driver heads don't stand a chance with me even picking them up. Some Callaway, Nike, and few others I wouldn't even consider. Putters are the same way... they need to flow from the neck to the sole of the putter. I like them to look "natural" if that even possible to subscribe. No weird pieces sticking out, half moons, or strange looking shapes would never make it in the bag. Putters like Machine, Seemore, Ping, and even Odyssey have several models that don't even look like putters to me. Irons not so much. I just like thinner topline and sole isn't wide as a shovel. It could be a blade or cavity back but if cavity I don't like alot going on there. I think those are mostly game improvement ones so I really don't have to worry about those. I know you can't see it during your swing but I do have to look at it everytime I go to pull a club. I guess being a lefty I should be happy with whatever they make... but that isn't the case with me!!
 
I really care about the looks of my clubs, anyone that knows me can tell you that, but they can also tell you that I like the look of a gentle, consistent draw much better. What wins out? I would say the consistent ball flight. If it was not the case, I would be playing blades because, to me, no iron design is as breathtaking as a blade, but one in 5 shots would look beautiful and that is just ugly. I also play brands that I don't like because they play the best for me. What works, works and if you don't game what works, then you are an idiot (unless you can't afford it, then you are smart, or should start a savings account).
 
For me, all that matters in the end is when I stand over my ball, I have confidence that with the club in my hands I can pull off the shot I need. I will always strive to find those clubs that give me that confidence. So for me, looks have very little to do with that equation. I'm a logical guy, and if I'm on a launch monitor or on the range hitting balls, I want the clubs that give me the best results, period.

Unlike JB and TC, I do notice the topline and overhead view of my club somewhat at address, but it doesn't bother me so much that I won't use a thick club or orange club as long as it does the best job for me hitting the ball. So, the looks category for me is really just the tiebreaker. For example, if I was hitting the machspeeds and the CG16s at the range and was getting very similar and good results with both, I would go with the CG16s.

Putters are a little different story... putting is all about confidence standing over the ball, and I think you need to really love what you see looking down when you are lining up your putt. Part of the "look" of the putter also encorporates the alignment aids so that has to be included in the looks discussion too I think.
 
It doesn't really matter to me. But I like the way that my clubs look, and its a benefit that I can actually hit with them too :wink:
 
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