At what point is a purchase worth it?

russtopher

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Curious to know what moves a lot of THPers to make a new gear purchase when what they currently have works pretty well for their game. Do you go into a sim with a new club thinking "OK, I need to get X amount of yards more to make this worth it?" Is it a feel thing? Or do you just like having the latest and greatest?

I ask this because I find myself looking at new iron prices and thinking of ways to put together enough funds to pick up a new set of sticks... yet I know that my current irons are still very good, I'm comfortable with them, and I'm not immediately going to get down in the the 80's with a new set of clubs (yes for the record I do take lessons, I'm trying to keep this more about purchase decisions than what'll make your game better).

So do you go in with an idea in mind that would make a new purchase "worth it" to you, do you go by feel, or something else?
 
For me, when it makes me happy. In the end, that's all that I care about.
 
Yep, ditto what Jman said, when it makes me happy.
 
When it appeals to me and I think it'll make me happy.
 
Irons I purchase on average every 8 years because I hate getting used to new yardages. Drivers I really enjoy having the latest, or next to latest models so I buy at least a few drivers every year. Often I'm intrigued by a new look or or technology in drivers. Recently it was the Cobra King LTD that I had to have. Putters I like to collect to I also add a few or more putters every year.
 
I'm more of a conservative type of buyer, mainly because my wife would FREAK out if she saw how much I'd spend and I don't want to get a divorce over a few new clubs a year. lol

So, when I'm looking for a new set or new club, it's going to have to be a true improvement from what I have currently, for me. Irons, if you have a current set that's only a year or two old and you're comfortable with them (as I am with mine) then I'm keeping that set in play. For drivers/hybrids/wedges and putters, that's a bit different. I'll step up to a new driver, replace woods or hybrids and my wedges more often with improving tech and/or wear on the face more often.
 
I like shiny new toys, so I'm pretty much in the same boat as Jman.
 
Good question. I'm interested to see the responses.

For me, it's a matter of does this fill a need, or fill a spot better than what I currently have.

I demoed a club the other day. Good price, I liked the looks of the club, but didn't pull the trigger because what I have in that spot works, distance was about the same (I think; sim vs real world) It felt a little better, consistency was about the same, so not enough measurable improvement to justify spending the money.

I'm now on the hunt for 1 club maybe two. I need to fill one spot, and would like to fill another. I can live without either, so it will have to be a club that meets my budget needs, and that does what I need it to do consistently. More exactingly this club will need to cary in the 210-220 range, I need to be able to control it, and it needs to be pretty in-expensive. If I find something that meets all of those needs then I will likely buy it, or it would be "worth it" to me.

I love to look at all the new stuff, and I'd really like to replace my irons, and I want one of the new Odyssey putters something fierce, but I won't likely buy anything. Not right now.
 
When you're comfortable with the price. New clubs always make me happy, so that's not going to factor in. I gotta be confident I didn't overpay AND didn't pay more than I could afford.
 
I like trying new drivers and putters. The remainder of the bag typically doesn't turn more than once every 3 or so years.
 
For me at this point in time its having more forgiving clubs that arent too hideous to the eye and at a solid price point.

I dont tinker much as I think alot of that and alleged improvements for someone are sometimes not as they appear and are often just attempts at purchase justification
 
For me it just new toys. I have very modern clubs now and the real difference between them and the brand new clubs is so small that I'm not sure my talent could take advantage of them. So it's just new toys!!
 
My last purchase was a driver. I convinced myself I was leaving some distance on the table and could get it out there further with a new stick.
 
Our kids are grown, we are able to spoil our grandchildren to the best of our ability and then send them HOME:banana:, so if I see a shiny new toy that other THP'rs are drooling over...sometimes I just go for it.

Having said that, I normally visit the pre-owned sites before I spend money on something I haven't swung before. That's how I became the proud owner of a hybrid that I truly SUCK with....haha.
 
Interesting responses so far, thanks guys. Seems like most fall under the "if it makes me happy" category, which I guess is a feel thing :D I was honestly curious how many THPers were in that category vs the "needing it to demonstratively perform better" category.
 
First and foremost, it's worth it if I decide I want it enough - like Jman said, if it makes me happy. But there has to be a noticeable difference to what I'm playing. Does it look/feel better? Am I hitting it farther on pure strikes?

In terms of making a replacement for something in my bag, if there's a club that I'm finding myself uncomfortable with, it's got a good chance of being replaced. It's why I pretty much never hit hybrids - the ones I have are my favorite clubs in the bag.
 
To me, it all in the set-up. If it doesn't look good when I set-up, I won't have the confidence swinging them. Just like a driver, if the face is too closed, I won't look at it regardless.
 
Only if my teaching professional says it is ok.My excitement for a custom fit set of clubs that will help my improvement is out the roof now.He pleaded over and over to me to stay away from certain brands of clubs and only stick to his recommendation.He said many just buy aimlessly without what their level of ability of swing can produce.These decisions just lead to confusion and disappintment.I so can't wait for the funds to buy the clubs he recommends for my ability level
 
I don't know, but I wish there was something I could take for it because I did it again this morning....I think I like opeing the Callaway boxes.

Sent from my HTC6500LVW using Tapatalk
 
Last year I was an equipment ho to the extreme for the fact that it was fun playing around with the next shiny object. This year I'm all about finding the right fit for me from the get go and sticking to it for at least a year.
 
They have to perform as good for me as my current irons or be something I want to tinker with. For me unless I go sgi which I'm not ready to do yet I probably won't see a big distance gain in new irons. If I like the look, feel and price I'm in and may even trade in or sell my current set to offset the cost
 
For me it's worth it if I've done my research and I'm comfortable making the purchase. I usually feel better about purchases that are somewhat planned out and I almost always regret impulse buys.
 
I don't like the hassle of trying out a lot of new stuff. I'm playing better than I deserve right now at my age so I'm not going to change anything. That said, I like to tinker, so I'm into building my own clubs. I'm carrying two drivers right now and staying within the 14 limit. I'll probably throw one of them out at some point and put in another wedge for awhile.

I changed from steel to graphite irons this year with a lot of improvement in my scoring. However, the steels were stiff and the graphite are regular. I'm intrigued with the idea that the improvement came with the switch to regular rather than the switch to graphite. So, I'll build a steel regular shafted 7 iron. On slow days I'll hit shots from 150 both with the steel and the graphite until I decide which is best. It it's steel, I'll reshaft. That's the beauty in building your own clubs.

Later,

John
 
I tend to think if I am happy, and if there is any improvement at all, then it is worth it.

I shiver when I think of the number of times I have bought something, and then the next day regretted it. My current set though, it makes me happy every day, even just to look at it.
 
Have to be happy with the purchase, and my last set I got a REALLY good deal on. And I tend to get the blessing from the boss first, "Happy wife, happy life"
 
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