How much is too much for a new driver?

[RealPretendPsychic]

Different head shaft combinations produce different results for different people, wouldn’t you say?
How much difference was there between you Club Champion and Granddaddy fitting?

About a year and probably ~5mph more clubhead speed that I picked up during that time. I was fit into the Mavrik Sub Zero and the Rogue ST TD, so that was fairly comparable. Got fit into a fancy LA Golf shaft in the Mavrik and the stock Tensei AV White shaft in the Rogue.

 

[Grand Stranded]

It was the same LA Golf shaft with two different heads in Club Champion. My badly self-fit gamer fared better than a few of the heads. Safe to say we found a combo that outperformed the rest.

Do you mind telling us how much an LA Golf shaft costs? I’d imagine somewhere between $3-400? Let’s say I went into Club Champion, and got fit for a new Rogue or Stealth driver with that shaft. Am I leaving with it for under $1000?

 

[RealPretendPsychic]

Do you mind telling us how much an LA Golf shaft costs? I’d imagine somewhere between $3-400? Let’s say I went into Club Champion, and got fit for a new Rogue or Stealth driver with that shaft. Am I leaving with it for under $1000?

Oh gosh I doubt it. Probably in that 3-4 range. I didn’t entertain it as we made some tweaks to my Mavrik Max and optimized those numbers instead. I was mostly there to get fit for wedges and just see what a fitting was like, plus with a new fitted driver coming in less than a year I couldn’t justify that kind of purchase even with trading in my driver. But had I not been getting a new driver the following year I would have gone all-in on that combo. We found a fit where I could get aggressive with my swing and not get punished with my usual left of left miss. It would have been well worth the money!

 

[Campbell Toe]

If it means a couple less Big Mac's a week for a few months/years, then why not.

 

[Grand Stranded]

Oh gosh I doubt it. Probably in that 3-4 range. I didn’t entertain it as we made some tweaks to my Mavrik Max and optimized those numbers instead. I was mostly there to get fit for wedges and just see what a fitting was like, plus with a new fitted driver coming in less than a year I couldn’t justify that kind of purchase even with trading in my driver. But had I not been getting a new driver the following year I would have gone all-in on that combo. We found a fit where I could get aggressive with my swing and not get punished with my usual left of left miss. It would have been well worth the money!

I agree with you. Just because I mentioned the merits of a $300 driver, it doesn’t mean if someone showed me a combination that could give me 15-20 yards, I would spend the money for it also.
Just knowing my club was optimized to my potential would end up saving me $$$$, because I wouldn’t be chasing numbers for a couple years.

 

[YukonLiving]

I’m right around that $500 mark. That feels like a fair bit to spend on one club… now that said, fully admit I’d spend more if a premium shaft gave me better numbers.

 

[Knot Right]

I paid around $500.00 for my Sim2 and gave it to my son after 2 rounds.

He's says it's the best 500 I ever spent.

 

[Jimmy3864]

I’d say $500 USD net when you factor in trade, taxes, etc. I am probably in future going to split my driver purchase between the head and shaft and keep those purchases separately.

 

[Cruskater]

I will be willing to pay a little more for tech advances but honestly not more than $500. I'd rather not buy a new driver at that price.

 

[Luchnia]

Really not going to pay 500 for a new driver, even 400.00 is on the edge for me. The only new one I bought was the Radspeed early last year which I had a trade in to the local pro shop and got it at a steal. Also way too many good used drivers out there to be had for great prices.

 

[DataDude]

No disrespect meant at all with your non-answer, but you do get a discount from at least some manufacturers for all of your balanced contributions to this forum, right? Again, I really respect all you do for us and I have zero problems with that, if that is the situation, because it is well deserved. I am envious. Thanks for all you do!

I think @Jman gets a few clubs for review, but also he buys a lot of stuff out of pocket at full price and then reviews that too.

 

[USAF Retired]

My last driver was $323 brand new at cost from a buddy who rant a shop. I'll be shopping used or some kind of discount as $500+ is too much for me

 

[Motopilot]

I put down $700. Yet I just spend almost that on a new driver because of the shaft. And if I didn’t have lots of hotel points to cash out for Callaway gift cards I would have never spent the money for sure.

 

[mantan]

I do the stupid mental game of considering the net price after I sell my old driver. Used club prices have kept my out of pocket spend somewhat reasonable. I am not at the point where I could see anything over $350 net out of pocket as worth it. For every driver I've gotten horny about over the last few years, very few of them are actually worth it. (If I did it all over again, I never would have gotten rid of the PING G400 Max I bought years ago).

 

[Jman]

No disrespect meant at all with your non-answer, but you do get a discount from at least some manufacturers for all of your balanced contributions to this forum, right? Again, I really respect all you do for us and I have zero problems with that, if that is the situation, because it is well deserved. I am envious. Thanks for all you do!

No, I pay full price when I buy a club.

 

[Jman]

I think @Jman gets a few clubs for review, but also he buys a lot of stuff out of pocket at full price and then reviews that too.

This. ❤

Im a club ho with a wife that understands I could be addicted to far worse things haha

 

[pumbaa]

I feel like we are there now. I understand the engineering and the r&d and marketing raises prices but it's a tough pill to swallow at 500 to 600 for a driver without a fitting or upgraded shaft for that money.

 

[tahoebum]

Golf equipment is much easier to buy and cheaper than it was before eBay and other sites like CPO. When Callaway released the GBB in 1996 the retail price was $499, about $820 in todays dollars and it was next to impossible to find a deal on a used one until a year or two later. Contrast that to now; I was able to pick up a like new Cobra RADSpeed last May a few months after release for $345 on eBay. A slightly used Maverick can be bought with little effort for about $200-$240 right now. The simple fact is, it's much easier now to buy great equipment at affordable prices compared to 25 years ago.

 

[NullNomad]

I need another option... because when the Mrs said "I need (not want) a new driver, we're heading out to get me fit this afternoon", there is no limit.

Would that actually be a "yes dear" option to pick?

 

[Jman]

I feel like we are there now. I understand the engineering and the r&d and marketing raises prices but it's a tough pill to swallow at 500 to 600 for a driver without a fitting or upgraded shaft for that money.

The irony is 599 isn’t a new price point at all. It’s been around many times before the past 20 years.

 

[RatFink]

Looking at the Golftown Canada site we have from top to bottom by UNdiscounted price (aka: what they are listing as not last year's model on sale):

1. Stealth Plus $780
2. TSi $750
3. Stealth $750
4. G425 $730
5. Rogue ST/Epic Speed $700
6. ZX7 $700
7. LTDx $650
8. ZX5 $650
9. STz/STx $550
10. Launcher XL $530

Based on this list, I would only be looking at the Mizuno/Cleveland line but really I would be looking at previous year models if they had the right combo - which we know won't happen, especially if we want to be fitted. Drivers prices make me

 

[PJSprog]

The prices of drivers will never exceed what the market will bear. So long as enough people are willing to spend $XXX dollars for a driver, that will be the price. "Too much" will always be a different value for everyone you ask. (which, it seems, is what you've done here)

Could I pay more than $500 for a new driver? Sure.
Would I pay more than $500 for a new driver? Not likely.

My G30 still works just fine for me, so I'm not in the market anyway.

 

[pumbaa]

The irony is 599 isn’t a new price point at all. It’s been around many times before the past 20 years.

I remember the R11 and Big Bertha in the mid 2010's were like 399 I thought that was about max where the market would go.

Edit: Ping and Titleist were the ones always 50ish more though.

 

[Jman]

I remember the R11 and Big Bertha in the mid 2010's were like 399 I thought that was about max where the market would go.

Edit: Ping and Titleist were the ones always 50ish more though.

Taylormade has been at 599 before, fwiw.

 

[pumbaa]

Taylormade has been at 599 before, fwiw.

And this is why I am always playing older equipment, its rough out here lol.