I heard a good analogy of golfers, if golf is 90% mental & 10% physical, when you are playing badly do you need a shrink or a lesson?
Vanity With Your Clubs?
This is an interesting point. I'm sure 440cc or 450cc are perceived as less forgiving based on mass alone, spin profile excluded. I'm playing a smaller head now and I can't even tell it's a "small head" anymore. The adjustment period was pretty brief. A year or two ago, I would've never thought I'd have "forgiving" performance at less than 460cc. Meanwhile, we aren't far removed from drivers being the size of our 3w. So how much is perception driving preference and how much is actually just club performance?
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What is @JDax for $1,000
Do you test things outside of your comfort zone in appearance? Yes! I tested all three sets of hybrid irons earlier this year and last year and it was eye opening, I definitely think I would have been able to game two of them for a full season.
Could you be losing out on performance? Double edged sword though, in that I don't think consumers should make sleep on something visually unappealing, but I think with technology and manufacturing where it's at now, companies shouldn't make ugly equipment
Why does smaller attract the core golfer more than technology forward? This is a great question, I don't have a good answer, maybe it's less chatter in a bag, possibly lighter weight in the bag, they don't see a tour pro playing hybrid irons (OL is different animal and you see people flocking to Cobra based on the success of BAD) Maybe companies need to do a better job of communicating gains with said technology and combating the dreaded "marketing speak." I think with the tech it goes hand in hand with fittings, people used to not get fit, but now the focus is get fit and get more distance and accuracy.
Yes the person in said discussion was me... LOL
I would go with the OL Forged Tec because the profile of the club is very similar to the last several iron sets I’ve gamed (Apex 16, Rogue Pro, Apex 19, & PTx Pros).
It’s not like I don’t have experience with the Forged Tec line as they were JB’s gamers for most of 2020. Everytime I borrowed them either on the course & in the sim , I have hit them well.
I would love to hit them in the OL profile.
With all of that being said, I’m a club snob, and vanity does sneak into my club selection.
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I'm performance minded. I don't care about the looks of a set of clubs. The clubs just need to fit my swing.
I am partial to Tour Edge equipment, but if another brand came out with something than enhanced my game, (consistent/lower scores) I would change. However, that's not very likely at my age.
I know a guy who has mixed bag of clubs who plays a good game of golf. No club vanity in his game. He just likes playing decent golf, and winning skins. He even jokes about his "worn, ugly bag of clubs".
Then there's this other guy I know who paid $1500 for his set of clubs. We play together several times a year. He plays pretty bad golf. He'd be better off playing something more forgiving. However, he paid $1500 for his clubs, but won't admit they are the wrong clubs for his game. Club vanity at it's finest I suspect.
Clubs a side, I think a lot golfers would be better off spending their "vanity money" on quality lessons instead of equipment. A good consistent golf swing will make any fitted club style play well. (IMO)
Myself, if I were a little younger, I wouldn't mind trying out a new set of blades. I think about this sometimes. With a little practice, how would I play with a set of blades? Vanity? Idk.....maybe.
I am partial to Tour Edge equipment, but if another brand came out with something than enhanced my game, (consistent/lower scores) I would change. However, that's not very likely at my age.
I know a guy who has mixed bag of clubs who plays a good game of golf. No club vanity in his game. He just likes playing decent golf, and winning skins. He even jokes about his "worn, ugly bag of clubs".
Then there's this other guy I know who paid $1500 for his set of clubs. We play together several times a year. He plays pretty bad golf. He'd be better off playing something more forgiving. However, he paid $1500 for his clubs, but won't admit they are the wrong clubs for his game. Club vanity at it's finest I suspect.
Clubs a side, I think a lot golfers would be better off spending their "vanity money" on quality lessons instead of equipment. A good consistent golf swing will make any fitted club style play well. (IMO)
Myself, if I were a little younger, I wouldn't mind trying out a new set of blades. I think about this sometimes. With a little practice, how would I play with a set of blades? Vanity? Idk.....maybe.
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I don't have an answer to the question posed in the OP, but I am definitely guilty of choosing the look over slightly better performance.
I like to find an excuse for my choice, however. I won't say " I like these because they look better," but rather "I can control these nicer looking clubs, better than I can the bulky, GI clubs." It keeps me sane in my choices.
I like to find an excuse for my choice, however. I won't say " I like these because they look better," but rather "I can control these nicer looking clubs, better than I can the bulky, GI clubs." It keeps me sane in my choices.
I think "small" mentality comes from exposure; pros, parents, the "good" golfers we go a round with... Dad had a butter knife Hogan 2 iron when I was 8 and it looked cool... ingrained from our youth. Hit mid 50's and now I'm playing marshmallows on a stick
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Depends on the club, but its an interesting conversation.
For instance while there are a few, much less are clamoring for a driver half the size of their current model for precision.
There seems to be this idea that larger means less precise and I am not sure I agree with that, although think it was fair for many years. I think the @Canadan video with the wedges showed that rather well.
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Would you say that you hit the set yesterday (redacted) better than you have hit any other set in the Tech Studio?
I’d like to think I’d choose the clubs that give me an opportunity to score lower. That said, I’m probably not the norm in that I haven’t really found a club that I’m uncomfortable with at address. Changing clubs or certain clubs may cause me to align differently or appear different to the eye, but I can’t really picture anything where I’d make my choice largely based on looks.
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I would need to see substantial gains in the redacted to move me off the forged tec, because I'm the same way. Having tried hybrid irons/players distance/gi clubs performance is key but looks definitely do matter.
I mean sure, one could always go with what they want in performance. I actually just want a set that consistently gaps from 125-210 or so, all things equal. Well until I’m at a 230 yard three with a 220 water carry, then I want the longer clubs.
But if that topline on the 4i is just a thin line of diamonds, whew. So long as it carries that lake, I’m good.
For me I just want to test stuff to see what its like, regardless of looks, do I like the look of one thing and not thee other? sure that happens all the time but if it fits it fits and there has to be a willingness to try stuff.
I think everyone says, I love the looks of blades but can I play them? maybe, maybe not, but try, or a thick sole iron, just try.
Iron a - hit 150 yards, love the looks
Iron b - hit 160 yards, hate the looks
maybe I'll have more confidence hitting the a than the b. OR, I say I don't care how it looks I want the distance and technology.
I want to get out of my comfort zone and I am, by wanting to hit blades or an ugly thick sole GI. One length or fitted. Idc..
I'm willing to give whatever a go, always have, I buy blind for crying out loud..
I think everyone says, I love the looks of blades but can I play them? maybe, maybe not, but try, or a thick sole iron, just try.
Iron a - hit 150 yards, love the looks
Iron b - hit 160 yards, hate the looks
maybe I'll have more confidence hitting the a than the b. OR, I say I don't care how it looks I want the distance and technology.
I want to get out of my comfort zone and I am, by wanting to hit blades or an ugly thick sole GI. One length or fitted. Idc..
I'm willing to give whatever a go, always have, I buy blind for crying out loud..
ohthehumanity
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This is a really good question. When I really started playing golf regularly I bought a set of Ping G5 irons, and they did not seem to bother me at all with the chunky soles, but as I progressed and got better, my desire for more of a player's looking club got stronger. So strong in fact that I absolutely didn't want to play a G series again. I guess it's a mentality that creeps into your head, or at least it was for me. Now my desire is for a blade looking iron even though my cap might not warrant it, but one can strive to get there eventually can't they?
To a point, yes. but i also believe that we tend to test what we believe we would use. I don't test many larger headed irons because when i pick them up and set it down and it has a 1/2 inch wide top line, i tend to put it back. The one time in the last year or so that i deviated from this was at the True Temper Event where there was such a vast selection or heads with different shafts and i was a kid in a candy store. When it came time to select irons to play, i went for the thinner top line and muscle back/blade sight line. THE UHX blew me away. But then again, when we played an extra round afterwards with @OITW I hit the T-Rails a few times and they were okay and i hit good shots, but ti do not hit them any better "or worse" than my irons. Negligible distance either, I am reaching a point in my age where , "do i want to lose distance"? NO, we never do, but if i am still playing my blade 7 iron at 160-165, why would i change?
So looks over comfort ? I would move to a larger non-comfort , and get comfortable with it, when i need it.
"So whether its beneficial or not to your game, the comfort says the decision is made, right?"
I see your point, not trying to be confrontational, but conversational, I would make the move, when i feel i need it for sure....
So this begs the question...have you ever seen a fugly club?
We had one of these in the garage when I was a kid...So this begs the question...have you ever seen a fugly club?
So that's an affirmative. Gotcha.
It's a tough one. If I get better performance, I will go with whatever club gets me there. However, if I can get similar performance, I'll go with the one more aesthetically pleasing. Part of performance is the look and feel of the club to me, not just the distance. The distance and dispersion matter a great deal, but I have played clubs in the past that I could not get around the harshness of the feel or sound. Most clubs, I'm only seeing the back of the club in the bag, at address we just see the face.
So, if I lose 2-5 yds, would I go with a more pleasing look to my eye? Absolutely. If it were 10-15 yards? Most likely not
So, if I lose 2-5 yds, would I go with a more pleasing look to my eye? Absolutely. If it were 10-15 yards? Most likely not
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LOL you actually hit the unreleased Launch Pad irons from Wilson, but all those sexy junk in the trunk beauties look the same right
To your last point, play what makes you happy dude
So this begs the question...have you ever seen a fugly club?
You do remember the Ping Isi Driver right?
OR SAasquatch?
I could hit the Ping, never swang a Sasquatch
Of course I'm immediately drawn to clubs that appeal visually to me, whether color or design - but performance is what ultimately wins the battle unless it's something just so ugly that I can't even stand to look at it. If they perform well and look awesome, that's icing on the cake.
Honestly, I'm not crazy about the burnt orange colors on the Mavrik line (which I currently bag from top to bottom). I don't hate it, but it wouldn't be my first choice either. With that said, it's a non-issue because they play so well for me. About the only thing I've found that I just couldn't deal with visually is that big hump on the bottom of the TM SIM driver - for whatever reason it just completely repulses me. I couldn't bag that club even if it was proven that it would give me 20 more yards and 50% better dispersion.
Smaller clubs? I'm probably the opposite of most - I have no ego about my game, and no burning desire to "play what the pros play" because I'm far from a pro. I don't feel confident standing over smaller clubs and thinner "butter knife" toplines. I don't have the game for them, and I'm okay with that. I don't care what anybody else thinks of what's in my golf bag and I have no pride - I'd play full-on shovels if they resulted in lower numbers on the scorecard. If the dilemma was to whether to carry a bag of clubs that make me look like a pro in the parking lot but a complete hack on the course vs. carrying a bag of fat-headed shovels that make me look like a beginner but I shoot better scores, it's a no-brainer for me.
Honestly, I'm not crazy about the burnt orange colors on the Mavrik line (which I currently bag from top to bottom). I don't hate it, but it wouldn't be my first choice either. With that said, it's a non-issue because they play so well for me. About the only thing I've found that I just couldn't deal with visually is that big hump on the bottom of the TM SIM driver - for whatever reason it just completely repulses me. I couldn't bag that club even if it was proven that it would give me 20 more yards and 50% better dispersion.
Smaller clubs? I'm probably the opposite of most - I have no ego about my game, and no burning desire to "play what the pros play" because I'm far from a pro. I don't feel confident standing over smaller clubs and thinner "butter knife" toplines. I don't have the game for them, and I'm okay with that. I don't care what anybody else thinks of what's in my golf bag and I have no pride - I'd play full-on shovels if they resulted in lower numbers on the scorecard. If the dilemma was to whether to carry a bag of clubs that make me look like a pro in the parking lot but a complete hack on the course vs. carrying a bag of fat-headed shovels that make me look like a beginner but I shoot better scores, it's a no-brainer for me.
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now this is obviously my personal opinion but i tested both of these in hand. Without knowing which is which (you might already know)....
Which looks smaller to you?
Part of this is the heel, the toe shape, the grooves, the finish, etc etc etc.
The lighting is completely different to say which is smaller, although the darker will always appear that way.
With that said, both of those are very thin top line clubs.