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Demo clubs in store, purchase on-line..

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D.Witt

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Have any of you ever demo'd clubs or had a fitting and took your numbers/metrics and ordered your own clubs online instead of from the store itself ? Do people do that ?
 
Yes, people do this. It is one of the bigger issues that brick and mortar stores face when competing with online businesses.
 
D.Witt said:
Have any of you ever demo'd clubs or had a fitting and took your numbers/metrics and ordered your own clubs online instead of from the store itself ? Do people do that ?
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I've done this with my driver I hit it a few times into the sim. Golf Town is really the only option up here and if I get bad service I don't think twice about doing. Mind you this wasn't a fitting just a taped up club and me in the sim.
 
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I try not to, unless I just can't find the clubs I want in a store. I think brick and mortar is good for golfers, and I don't want to see golf shops closing. I also try not to buy clubs from big box sporting goods stores.
 
I demo'd some wedges at local course, went home and was showing the wife (online) which ones I demo'd/liked and be dammed if they didn't have those exact wedges at 2 for 1 price.
 
Did this last week actually. I paid for the fitting, so I didn't feel bad buying online. And it was over 100$ cheaper online. I'm all for helping businesses, but I can't pass that up
 
I believe the term is called "showrooming" if I'm not mistaken. Is a big hurdle for the stores to overcome to keep your business there when a deal is tempting online. And the golf industry is only one of many where this happens. Sucks for ma and pop shops big time, they just can't compete most of the time.
 
I try not to showroom. Especially if my plan is to roll the dice and find a steal of a price online.
 
I generally split my purchases between brick and mortar and online. I order irons from a vendor I like but keep most other purchases local.
 
I try to keep from using stores in that manner unless the deal online is wayyy better. I would rather spend a few bucks more and have it that night and know it's legit.
 
Depends on what I'm buying. If I'm piecing a driver together I will fit myself at the golf galaxy and order the components online. I spend enough money in the store that I have no guilt in doing so.


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This chap my fitters a$$. He raised his rates to $90 to help avoid this. People would pay the $50 get the numbers and then go to the parking lot and see if they could get a better deal online.

I get people want to pay the cheapest prices for clubs. My fitter takes the $90 and applies it to the cost of clubs if the person buys from him. I personally do everything I can to avoid "showrooming" whenever possible. I have a good relationship with my fitter so i can usually get a deal from him. He takes care of his regulars and/or those who take care of him.
 
I prefer to buy in store and walk out with my purchase, but sometimes the online price just can't be beat. For example, I went to golfsmith for a new putter. Found the never compromise I wanted but it was priced at 149. Rock bottom had it on sale for 34.95 and the store couldn't come close to that so sometimes you have no choice but to buy online
 
goald6 said:
Did this last week actually. I paid for the fitting, so I didn't feel bad buying online. And it was over 100$ cheaper online. I'm all for helping businesses, but I can't pass that up
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I'm in a pretty unique position while living in the U.K.. Ordering online in U.S DOLLARS is cheaper than paying for the same club in British Pound Sterling at local stores.. Right now the exchange rate is around $1.60 US Dollars to 1 Pound Sterling...

For example: A local store has the TaylorMade SLDR for 299 Pounds, this equates to $480 U.S Dollars... GolfSmith.com has the same club for $329.99... Talking about a difference of $150.00.

After reading the posts, it seems like I'd come off as a bit of a jerk to purposely do a fitting with the full intent to order online.. BUT.....
 
I do this from time to time, but when I demo clubs at the store I don't take any time of any employee, and I buy enough stuff there that I don't feel guilty about it.

I'd love a Baffler XL Hybrid. At GolfTown its $150 plus tax, on ebay its $40 still in the wrapper. I'm sorry but I'm not paying 300% more.
 
emart2173 said:
This chap my fitters a$$. He raised his rates to $90 to help avoid this. People would pay the $50 get the numbers and then go to the parking lot and see if they could get a better deal online.

I get people want to pay the cheapest prices for clubs. My fitter takes the $90 and applies it to the cost of clubs if the person buys from him. I personally do everything I can to avoid "showrooming" whenever possible. I have a good relationship with my fitter so i can usually get a deal from him. He takes care of his regulars and/or those who take care of him.
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Yeah, I can understand how that can be annoying !!!! The age of the internet has removed "loyal customers" .. We are now only loyal to the best deal, however, when you build a relationship with a business you don't mind missing out on saving a few bucks to maintain the good service you recieve. It becomes more than you just buying something for the cheapest price you can find.
 
I'll pay a little more to buy something in store, but not a lot more. I'm not the guy that's going to come in, eat up an hour of the associate's time, and then buy something online to save $10. I also don't want to be the guy that pays the difference for those that do.

I'm pretty sheepish about demoing anything in store anyway. It's partly because I don't really know how it's supposed to work in most stores, and partly because I don't want to have to actually talk to an associate.
 
If pricing in store was more in-tune with what the pricing were online, I would definitely buy in store more often.

As it is now, I demo in store, and then save hundred buying online. If it is something I were fit into though, I would definitely be applying the fitting fee to the cost of the club.
 
liquidcowboy said:
I prefer to buy in store and walk out with my purchase, but sometimes the online price just can't be beat. For example, I went to golfsmith for a new putter. Found the never compromise I wanted but it was priced at 149. Rock bottom had it on sale for 34.95 and the store couldn't come close to that so sometimes you have no choice but to buy online
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How do you know that putter is genuine? I'll bet you Golfsmith is not marking up that putter $115. And I'll bet Never Compromise didn't sell it to RockBottom for $20.

When you see a deal that's too good to be true, it often is.
 
wadesworld said:
How do you know that putter is genuine? I'll bet you Golfsmith is not marking up that putter $115. And I'll bet Never Compromise didn't sell it to RockBottom for $20.

When you see a deal that's too good to be true, it often is.
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I've never had an issue with anything not being genuine from rock bottom and until they give me a reason to think otherwise, I will continue to give them business.
 
before I worked at a golf course, it was all about where the better deal was. If it was online, I'd get it online. In person, I'd get it in person. Now that I work at a golf course I get everything at cost+10% so it's hard not to do that.
 
wadesworld said:
How do you know that putter is genuine? I'll bet you Golfsmith is not marking up that putter $115. And I'll bet Never Compromise didn't sell it to RockBottom for $20.

When you see a deal that's too good to be true, it often is.
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Rockbottom is an authorized dealer for a lot of OEMS.. They don't sell fake stuff
 
TexasHacker34 said:
Rockbottom is an authorized dealer for a lot of OEMS.. They don't sell fake stuff
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Fair enough. If the putter's legit I'm not sure that's a sustainable business model, but kudos to them if they can make it work.
 
wadesworld said:
Fair enough. If the putter's legit I'm not sure that's a sustainable business model, but kudos to them if they can make it work.
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They've been around awhile.. I imagine they will be fine. Pretty big website. Stuff gets marked down, golfsmith doesn't always follow suit. In fact, I find that more often than not online retailers sell for quite a bit less
 
I think I've found more stuff marked an absurd amount below msrp at big box stores than online.

As for places like rock bottom, my understanding is they turn around inventory for retail outlets and manufacturers that would otherwise never see the light of day. Forty dollars for a two - plus year old Never Compromise putter that otherwise isn't going to get sold is a winner for everyone.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S5
 
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