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Order of Importance When Buying a New Club

SuperStroke
Sox_Fan

Sox_Fan

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Albatross 2024 Club
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There has been a lot of discussion around "tour presence" of various club types in the past few days in multiple threads. So it got me thinking, how do you rate the following factors when seeking out a new club purchase?

1. Tour Presence
2. OEM Marketing/Advertising
3. Reviews from "professional reviewers", such as Rick Shiels
4. Reviews from normal golfers, such as those on THP
5. Looks
6. Price
7. Customization Options (shaft, grip, etc.)
 
I will look at reviews and research, but otherwise, it's whether the club fits me and my eye.

Looking at Tour Edge EXS Driver ...
 
1. Tour Presence - Not at all important
2. OEM Marketing/Advertising - Not at all important.
3. Reviews from "professional reviewers", such as Rick Shiels - Very little. I would rank TXG then Shiels then Crossfield. They all have the bias in them but the least amount of bias is in TXG.
4. Reviews from normal golfers, such as those on THP - Very very little. It is more important for my own performance of inconstancy, I don't need to interpret another players and how I am the same and different. That is not a dig at anyone I just want to look at my data to make a decision.
5. Looks - It has to fit my eye. Offset matters. How much of the sole can I see on at 4 iron matters. This is pretty high
6. Price - The 2nd most important factor. I can afford to get a new set of clubs every year but that is not how I roll. I will look for a deal but I am not opposed to paying full price went it is something I want.
7. Customization Options (shaft, grip, etc.) - This rolls into the the most important factor which is my performance. I am not going to buy the off the floor model when I just spent $100+ to get fit. I will get the club built how I need it built. That being said I don't like the model of getting fit then have the fitter go through frequencies of each shaft at another upcharge. Example I got fit for wedges that had an upcharge for KBS shafts. Ok so if I ordered from Callaway it would be $150 for the wedge then $30 upcharge for shaft - $180 per wedge. The fitter would charge me $150 to obtain the wedge and $70 to get the shaft and then make sure it is the right frequency with the other wedges I would buy so $120 more for 3 wedges. I don't see the value in that, others may disagree but I won't spend your money and you won't spend mine. :)
 
7. Tour Presence
6. OEM Marketing/Advertising
5. Reviews from "professional reviewers", such as Rick Shiels
1. Reviews from normal golfers, such as those on THP
3. Looks
4. Price
2. Customization Options (shaft, grip, etc.)
 
Desmond said:
I will look at reviews and research, but otherwise, it's whether the club fits me and my eye.

Looking at Tour Edge EXS Driver ...
Click to expand...

Plus 1 on that.
 
Buckeyeduffer said:
7. Tour Presence
6. OEM Marketing/Advertising
5. Reviews from "professional reviewers", such as Rick Shiels
1. Reviews from normal golfers, such as those on THP
3. Looks
4. Price
2. Customization Options (shaft, grip, etc.)
Click to expand...

This is exactly my order as well. I don't play the same game the pros do so what they use is completely irrelevant to me.
 
In hand performance
Feel

I am not married to looks, nor do I put a lot by most of the professional "reviews" out there.
 
1. Price
2. Looks
3. Reviews from "professional reviewers", such as Rick Shiels
4. Reviews from normal golfers, such as those on THP

I don't even consider the other options.
 
Sox_Fan said:
There has been a lot of discussion around "tour presence" of various club types in the past few days in multiple threads. So it got me thinking, how do you rate the following factors when seeking out a new club purchase?

1. Tour Presence
2. OEM Marketing/Advertising
3. Reviews from "professional reviewers", such as Rick Shiels
4. Reviews from normal golfers, such as those on THP
5. Looks
6. Price
7. Customization Options (shaft, grip, etc.)
Click to expand...

Of your list above, only #7 is part of my criteria for purchasing a new club.
 
1. Tour Presence #6
2. OEM Marketing/Advertising #5
3. Reviews from "professional reviewers", such as Rick Shiels #7
4. Reviews from normal golfers, such as those on THP #1
5. Looks # 2
6. Price #3
7. Customization Options (shaft, grip, etc.) #4

I wonder if I would have resounded differently when I was younger and cared more about the tour players of my era.
 
1. Fit

Nothing else matters. I am not a pro golfer and I do not hit the ball the way they do, or even the same as my buddies. I need to play clubs that are right for me. No amount of advertising will tell me how well I can hit their clubs.
 
For me:
1. Performance
2. Price
3. Looks

I don't care about how the pros use it, different level of the game so has no bearing. I do like some shaft options, but doesn't have to be a ton.
 
I'd put them in this order:

1. Price, feels like a cop out, but really it always comes down to budget
2. Looks, if it just doesn't look right then it probably get's bumped down the list of options
3. Reviews on THP, I know the reviewers and most of their games so I can get a good intro into the product and see how it might help me
4. OEM Marketing/Advertising, it may sway me a bit but also just brings products to my attention and the tech involved
5. Reviews from "professional reviewers", such as Rick Shiels, don't really watch/read many of them so can't tell you what they'd do to help me
6. Customization Options (shaft, grip, etc.), stock no uncharge maybe a bit higher, but overall there are so many options to customize a club even post purchase
7. Tour Presence, if it works for them, there's no guarantee it'll work for me
 
1. Price
2. Performance
3. Customization
4. Looks

Everything else is noise.
 
Whether I like it or not this is true for me... If I don't like the look or colors etc. I just won't want to use the club (looking at you Epic Flash with your nasty Packer colors #gobears).

1. Looks
2. Reviews from normal golfers, such as those on THP
3. Reviews from "professional reviewers", such as Rick Shiels
4. Price
5. Customization Options (shaft, grip, etc.)
6. Tour Presence
7. OEM Marketing/Advertising
 
5, 6, 1, 3... not sure about the others. I’m rating based not so much on what is important but by what’s a dealbreaker.

So looks and price are first because if it’s ugly or too expensive, it doesn’t matter how it performs, I’m not buying it. I won’t buy because of looks or price, but I will definitely immediately toss it out of consideration because of them! Ugly and expensive are the first rank dealbreakers.

Just about gotta have some tour presence OR professional reviews. I bought an Evnroll putter based on MyGolfSpy reviews, but no tour presence. M1 because of proven trackman numbers and tour presence.

I don’t put a lot of stock in lay reviews or advertising. But, my irons I bought before tour presence or many reviews had happened... the Mizuno MMC, I read up on the tech and was sold!

Options don’t matter too much, because I tinker and will probably reshaft or regrip anyway. Only place it really matters is iron and wedge shafts, because I’m not changing those once I buy. No kbs or anything with a soggy tip. S300 or px 6.0 only.


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Start with looks. If it looks good that makes me want it. Next I go to professional reviews and demos like Rick Shiels, TXG, Crossfield, and other write ups to see what they have to say and to see real data comparisons between other clubs. Next I come here to see what you all have to say about the club. I dont know that any is more or less important, but that is the order. Also this forum can sub in at the beginning too. Hearing nice things here can get me to start the process as well.
 
Sox_Fan said:
There has been a lot of discussion around "tour presence" of various club types in the past few days in multiple threads. So it got me thinking, how do you rate the following factors when seeking out a new club purchase?

1. Tour Presence
2. OEM Marketing/Advertising
3. Reviews from "professional reviewers", such as Rick Shiels
4. Reviews from normal golfers, such as those on THP
5. Looks
6. Price
7. Customization Options (shaft, grip, etc.)
Click to expand...

None of the above.

I base my decision on how a club performs for me. I am willing to try anything.
 
I mean the most important piece is performance.

If, assuming said club works for my game and I have to choose from the list.

Looks then price.
 
Order of Importance When Buying a New Club

From most to least

6
5
4
3
7
1
2

Now, with that said, marketing works it’s way into all of that anyway. So even though it’s last for me, it plays more into a part of each of the ones before it anyway, especially the looks part, which is a big part of marketing the club. I’d say most of these options are much closer in importance than they are farther away.
 
Order of Importance When Buying a New Club

I’d love to see how many people would play bomb tech or something similar if it was truly better performance for you...I just don’t believe it, sorry.
 
I've never been fit and not interested in doing so. I was considering all of the options and in what order while largely ignoring price because I don't really assign a budget to golf.

But then the reality of my actual tendencies hit me, price is actually #1 to me as I attach a perceived and personal value to everything and will not buy anything that I feel may not be worth it. That, and I get the hives even considering paying retail. So for me:

1: Price

2: THP and regular golfer reviews (I read voraciously, literally 100s of reviews if I can find them. Searching for trends, toe hits, low on face)

3: Looks/Feel (doesn't have to be pretty but too much offset, too thick of a top-line/sole, loud colors, loud, tinny, will be a non-starter)

4: Professional reviews (again, only looking for trends particular contact a bit toward the toe/thin)

5: Customization options (not big on adjustability, am big on the ability to swap shafts. Not high on the list because I'm always willing to find my own fit)

6: OEM Marketing (zero on performance claims, a bit on stated tech)

7: Tour Presence (only thing that ever gets my attention is the equipment played by the random player w/o a club contract. You pay me to play a product? Can count on my opinion wrt clubs within that manufacturers offerings but cannot really listen to my claims vs other companies)
 
Price, performance... if it doesn't upgrade where I am at for my game then I won't buy. The only problem I've found to turn me away from a club is sound. Taylormade M drivers just sound weird to me.
 
  1. Looks
  2. Price
  3. THPer feedback
  4. "Pro" feedback
  5. Tour presence
  6. OEM fluff
  7. Custom options
5,6,7 are interchangeable for me
 
I love the reviews on here and they are the only ones I read, but let's face Jman is approaching Hercules status, Canadan shoots in the 60's and ddec is just crazy so I use them for getting me interested not for sourcing clubs.

The rest is all about what I did today and that is trying to see what works for me on grass, good or bad this swing is all I have and what the pros do has no bearing at all.

Marketing is lost on me, all the flash (ha ha) in the world cannot change how I hit the ball.

I like options, but just about all the big OEM's offer about the same things

Price is a factor but I am lucky enough that if I want it I can afford it (and I am birthday buying so I can get away with it this week)
 
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