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Tour Pros and amateur equipment

SuperStroke
SquirrelyDave

SquirrelyDave

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This thought started rattling around my head today. Why does the equipment the pros play matter so much? I know a lot of us here will say it doesn't, but for the majority of golfers it definitely seems to. Guys who are way smarter than I am about getting people to buy stuff make the decision to have huge tour stables for their brands; I can only assume it's because having more, better players on tour with their gear translates to sales.

So why? Is it brand recognition? Is it a mentality that "the best players play this gear so it must be the best" ?

I wonder if it's the amateur mentality. The idea that an amateur can really be as good as the guys on tour. I saw a comment here today that in effect said: only a certain percentage of golfers will ever be close to scratch, and there are physical/genetic limitations that almost can't be overcome that will prevent the rest of us from playing at that level.

I know there is some truth to that, 99% of the golfers out there couldn't break 90 or even 100 at The Masters on Sunday, between the course and the pressure, we would collapse. We are not championship golfers.

There was a time though when a lawyer, or a sporting goods salesman could compete at that level. We don't see that anymore. There's a reason for that, in the early 1900s the fledging PGA was not a place to see superheroes. It was a defense against the aristocracy, it was an organization for the guys who'd never seen a silver spoon, for the lower class guys who decided golf was how they'd make their money, because college wasn't an option. The amateurs of that day were for the most part well to do, and could afford college, and free time to play golf for fun. They were often better players than the pros, but they didn't need golf to make a living, it would have been a pay cut for them.


Today as amateur golfers we look to the likes of Bobby Jones and see how he dominated the game of golf and he wasn't a pro, he was an amateur, just like us right? Today Bobby Jones would have turned pro before college, today Bobby Jones could have made a living playing golf, without trying. When he was dominating, there was no PGA tour, there were no million dollar purses. There was barely a future as a pro.


So when we buy equipment today, is it that little voice inside of us saying "amateurs can be as good as a pro, I should have what they have"? Is that why it seems to matter so much? Or is it just another case of "be like Mike"?




Wow. That is a wall of text. If you made it though that give yourself 20 internet points.
 
Can I get 5 points if I read the first paragraph and skipped to the end? :D

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kevin81002 said:
Can I get 5 points if I read the first paragraph and skipped to the end? :D

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk
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Nope. All or nothing.
 
I'd say that a majority of golfers don't play what the pro's play. Their clubs are built to much tighter specs, they aftermarket a lot of things, and generally things are fit so precise to them, that it's not something we have access to. We play facsimile's ... but we don't actually play the gear the pro's do. Just because we hear about Sergio running to DSG to install a Superstroke doesn't mean the rest of his gear comes off a big box store shelf.

I may be wrong though.
 
I'm not sure as to the question at the end - I think it's half people want what the pros play but also what they can afford and helps their performance a lot of different factors for different players


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deuce said:
I'd say that a majority of golfers don't play what the pro's play. Their clubs are built to much tighter specs, they aftermarket a lot of things, and generally things are fit so precise to them, that it's not something we have access to. We play facsimile's ... but we don't actually play the gear the pro's do. Just because we hear about Sergio running to DSG to install a Superstroke doesn't mean the rest of his gear comes off a big box store shelf.

I may be wrong though.
Click to expand...

But do the majority of "casual" (read non internet golfers) know that? Or more precisely does that fact register for most golfers?

I know I've heard some (not many) golfers say "this is what (pro golfers name here) plays"
 
We're definitely in the minority as far as am golfers go, we generally research gear and most have gone through some sort of fitting or have a general base of knowledge about what they need. I think for your average golfer what OEM's the Tour pros are gaming does matter, I do think the brand is more the focus than any specific product though. It's kind of a conversation starter or status symbol at times for the weekend warriors. They walk through the golf section at a big box and see the posters of some of the pros and gravitate toward whatever product they're endorsing. To be honest, this was me before THP.
 
I would say it influences sales for sure to a point. I would settle for having tour level swing for one round of golf. :D
 
I really don't care what clubs the pros are using. I have a set of clubs that I had the budget for and can play them good.

when I watch golf, i look at what they do before they hit the ball. their swing, etc and compare it to mine and make adjustments.
they get their clubs for free and all the tinkering is done for them by the golf companies so their brand looks good.

my 2 cents
 
so-illhacker said:
We're definitely in the minority as far as am golfers go, we generally research gear and most have gone through some sort of fitting or have a general base of knowledge about what they need. I think for your average golfer what OEM's the Tour pros are gaming does matter, I do think the brand is more the focus than any specific product though. It's kind of a conversation starter or status symbol at times for the weekend warriors. They walk through the golf section at a big box and see the posters of some of the pros and gravitate toward whatever product they're endorsing. To be honest, this was me before THP.
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I don't think you're alone, or even close to it. But why? Can you pinpoint the reason for why you used to gravitate to the brands pros play?
 
I played at a course today that had a huge group going off behind us (some kind of opposing club thing) and I looked around at their golf bags and I did not see anything that was not 5-10 years old. One guy still had actual woods, now these guys were old to me and I am old so that says something.

I guess my point is they were out golfing and have fun, the Equipment or what (current) Pros played it did not mean squat to them.
 
dazeedmonds said:
I don't think you're alone, or even close to it. But why? Can you pinpoint the reason for why you used to gravitate to the brands pros play?
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I think for the average golfer that plays once or twice a month, they're really not interested in the technical aspects of gear and why it works or for whom it works. If it looks good to them and their favorite pros poster is hanging over it they're going to gravitate toward it. The Tiger effect was strong, now the DJ, JD, Jordan, Rickie, and Rory effect is strong because of Tiger.
 
jim54 said:
I played at a course today that had a huge group going off behind us (some kind of opposing club thing) and I looked around at their golf bags and I did not see anything that was not 5-10 years old. One guy still had actual woods, now these guys were old to me and I am old so that says something.

I guess my point is they were out golfing and have fun, the Equipment or what (current) Pros played it did not mean squat to them.
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That's great to see and it kinda follows my point.

What the big boys play on tour bears so little relevance to what we buy at DSG, that it's almost not the same club. (I'm speaking big generic terms here, their stuff is fit by the best in the industry, most golfers are buying off the rack) so why should the emphasis be on what the tour pros are playing?? I'm not playing their game. I've got my own terrible game to play.
 
Most golfers lack any knowledge of what they need or would be better suited for them. I have seen several local guys using Titleist MB since Adam Scott won a few tournaments with them last year. I shake my head when they hit their 7 iron 100 yards.

I buy my clubs based on what I hit well. I try every new release when it is time or I want to change something. I see advertisements and such but realize that pro golfers could interchange their clubs and win with almost any brand. Took me a long time to realize that I couldn't buy a golf swing.
 
For some it's definitely a wanting to play what the pros play.

For others it's the thought that if it's good enough for people who get paid to play, it must be good.

For others it's just the marketing of seeing the brand week in and out, and brand recognition kicks in at the store. If you walk in and haven't heard of a brand, there is a good chance you think of it as inferior for that reason, even if it's not.
 
It's a great topic and one which I see rarely here. I might try a tour club but if it doesn't work then there's no point playing it.
I have Titleist mb's but I've had them 8 years and they work for me. At the same time I'm looking at smart soles/sure outs, I'm almost certain that no pro is doing the same!
Know your game and it's strengths and more importantly know where your game needs help. I think that's why we see so many mixed bags on the forum.


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I grew up pining for Taylormade clubs because... I don't know. I thought they were awesome, especially after my dad bought us matching TiBubble 2 drivers in 1998 (it's what they used in "Tin Cup"). When I came home from Afghanistan in 2014 and golf once again became a passion, I bought Taylormade because that's what I wanted. Then Callaway came out with the PM Grind wedges. Since Phil was the only lefty on tour when I was growing up, he was obviously the best player in the world, so 12-year-old me copied his style (especially his wedge game). I had a Callaway gift card last year, so I bought a 56 and 60. I was immediately impressed by the clubs and customer service.

Being wrong-handed, testing clubs is hard to do. So after getting the PM wedges, I bought a few different single irons on clearance from Callaway pre-owned for a total of about $50. They ranged from super-game improvement to better-player's. I loved most, and the ones I didn't like were all based on looks or wrong shaft.

I started slowly rebuilding my bag, always testing as many different brands as possible. Every time, a Callaway product proved better in my hands than another. I am not brand loyal per se, as I am willing to use the equipment that helps me the most, regardless of the name on the club. But as so many people will only buy a Ford, never a Chevy (and vice versa), I trust the Callaway name and will always give them the first look.

And I still throw my Taylormade R11 18* hybrid in the bag from time to time, as well as my Cleveland 588 60* wedge.
 
Lefty Loosey said:
I grew up pining for Taylormade clubs because... I don't know. I thought they were awesome, especially after my dad bought us matching TiBubble 2 drivers in 1998 (it's what they used in "Tin Cup"). When I came home from Afghanistan in 2014 and golf once again became a passion, I bought Taylormade because that's what I wanted. Then Callaway came out with the PM Grind wedges. Since Phil was the only lefty on tour when I was growing up, he was obviously the best player in the world, so 12-year-old me copied his style (especially his wedge game). I had a Callaway gift card last year, so I bought a 56 and 60. I was immediately impressed by the clubs and customer service.

Being wrong-handed, testing clubs is hard to do. So after getting the PM wedges, I bought a few different single irons on clearance from Callaway pre-owned for a total of about $50. They ranged from super-game improvement to better-player's. I loved most, and the ones I didn't like were all based on looks or wrong shaft.

I started slowly rebuilding my bag, always testing as many different brands as possible. Every time, a Callaway product proved better in my hands than another. I am not brand loyal per se, as I am willing to use the equipment that helps me the most, regardless of the name on the club. But as so many people will only buy a Ford, never a Chevy (and vice versa), I trust the Callaway name and will always give them the first look.

And I still throw my Taylormade R11 18* hybrid in the bag from time to time, as well as my Cleveland 588 60* wedge.
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I would agree that for me Phil has been the biggest pusher of equipment, more so than Tiger. Perhaps that would've changed if tiger had been with a different brand.
 
No misconceptions here,..im not a pro and never will be, i just want to enjoy the game and get what i can from it. I do beleive improvements in equipment has helped, but on the big picture very little. Its my belief that it somewhere around 95% ability 5% equipment.
 
We cannot expect to play the clubs the pros play any more than the instruments the pro musicians play. We can't play the same Steinway piano that Horowitz played at Carnegie Hall. Not even close. Can't play the same violin or any other instruments they play. It's the same with the pros golf clubs!
 
Faiz said:
I would agree that for me Phil has been the biggest pusher of equipment, more so than Tiger. Perhaps that would've changed if tiger had been with a different brand.
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Totally agree. Bridgestone is trying to hop on for one last push on his final lap. But hey, at least Nike makes kewl clothes.
 
I will admit that when I started, I bought a full bag of Cleveland, and a Cleveland cart bag. I thought playing a full bag of one type of club was cool. Jumped into a Srixon ball, because so many Cleveland players did so. Didn't even want to try out any other companies.

But now, I'm more open. Heck, getting ready to head out to a demo day an try as much as possible. I've stuck with the clubs I've had, unfit to me, because of money. But now I wont make a purchase without a proper fitting. To whats best for MY game
 
I don't care what they play but I do take notice when everyone including people not on contract all switch to the same club. (m1 last year epic this year)
 
Wow. That is a wall of text. If you made it though that give yourself 20 internet points.
Click to expand...

Pretty brief by my standards . . . .

Well-written and a good question. I think it's more of the "if the pros play it, it must be could, so it must be good for me."
 
I play as a single quite a bit and not many of the various people I've met are using new equipment -- in fact most of it is 5+ years old.

Dave
 
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