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Genuine Question For THPers

SuperStroke
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JB's question is thought provoking indeed and I thought this over for better than 2 hours. I don't know if there is an exact number that would fit most but I know for myself it would be way out on the long side of the bell curve. The gratitude and sense of obligation would be BIG, and from a practical standpoint it takes me some time to really learn new any gear. But it goes past that for me. Rather than an obligation, it would provide an opportunity to contribute that should last well beyond when that gear is the 'newest thing'.

I realize awesome new product and tech is ALWAYS coming out and many in this community are first to see it and game it. Year old tech seems old here. But, in reality there are plenty of golfers, wondering if this 1 year old stick offers more than their current 5 year old model. They may be looking at the newest hyped clubs and need someone to weigh in on how they might relate to their current 3 year old sticks rather than those just one model earlier.

That golf gear evolved while I was away and it's now so tech and numbers driven, AND that a focused shared information community like THP exists, is kid in a candy store stuff for me. My entire professional career was all about designing and conducting comparative tests in numerous industries. Inventing implements, machines, and methods to accomplish the tests etc.... I'm retired now, but I STILL love that stuff, the comparative numbers, tech or swing drill impacts, etc... I probably should be ashamed to admit how many opportunities to actually go out and play were passed up to do still more testing or to re validate prior findings, but we are all wired differently. So, if I were personally fortunate enough to receive clubs this way, especially popular clubs that sold big in the industry, I'd probably retain them for several seasons after I had moved on myself. I'd want them to be available for comparative testing as opportunities arose in the future.

I completely understand playing the best for YOUR game and would do the same for myself and that something professionally fitted would be gamed longer. I really like the pay it forward sentiment in here too and would follow suit eventually. And while I doubt I'd ever personally look to resell or trade in the gifted gear I completely understand those who do. It's their gear.
 
Speaking from a hypothetical stand point, if I was given the opportunity to receive a new bag of clubs to use and test, I'd feel obligated to test and review the equipment thoroughly. It's not everyday something like that happens, and I'd feel like I owed it to THP and the company to use them for a long period of time.

I know a lot of people posted about giving them enough use to provide an honest review. I think an important thing to note is that, depending on the amount someone plays, someone may play everyday and have a thorough opinion in a month, while some who play once or twice a month might need that whole year. Either way I think it's important to use the clubs long enough to be able to provide honest and detailed feedback.
 
I feel like there is an obligation. How long though, I'm not sure I could give a specific time frame. I think it depends on how the clubs work out for you and your game and other outside influences. What if they work great and then by chance you come across something that works even better for you? Though, maybe you shouldn't be looking for something that works better for you until you've at least given the THP clubs a chance. I'm not exactly sure how the 14 club deals work though and if the players are fit for equipment or if they are just picking clubs. If they are fit you'd think they would want to play them at least a season, if not longer.

I am confident that I will find something that works well for me at the UST Event and plan to game it for at least a season or longer.
 
I'd like to answer this tonight when not distracted by work. Very thought provoking indeed.

JM
 
I do think that with the honor of a set of fitted clubs does come with an obligation to play them unless they just are not the right fit for you. I had the honor of testing a TM 3W 3 years ago. It stayed in my bag until late last year when another 3W beat it out. I had the fortune to win a set of Cobra Amps two years ago that I probably will play at least another year or two!
 
I would use the clubs if they were custom fit. I have my irons 2* upright and 1 1/2" longer stiff shaft, standard stiff shaft on my woods. knowing what I signed up for, the whole experience, I would use the clubs! the only club I would not use is a putter, I have used the same putter since 1972, (yes, I know that makes me old, I am 54) the ben Hogan 1415 was a birthday present from my dad, only putter I have used!
 
While I haven't been lucky enough to be in an event where I got a full 14 club bag, I was fortunate enough to be an event where I got a full set of irons. That was over a 1.5 years ago and I still play those irons. They work for my game. And while I am not one to change a lot of equipment for a number of reason I really believe that if I were given a full bag then I would probably play them for a considerable length of time. Somewhat out of loyalty, a sense of obligation as well as for other reasons. Everyone is different though and I would have trouble faulting anyone if they moved on after giving all the equipment a fair chance to work for them.
 
Tadashi70 said:
I think the bottom line is that you should do.what you feel is right. There is no legal or written obligation to play any of the clubs after an event. People feel the way they do and that's all good.
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After thinking about this a bit more I tend to agree with Freddie (particularly regarding non-Grandaddy events), but with a caveat. Most of us are not in the marketing or media worlds. Virtually none of us have an understanding of what the OEM's really hope to get out of these experiences. That's an important factor for each of us coming to our own sense of what is right. Perhaps some guidance on this point and a suggested better practice to the participants could be helpful. From there perhaps we trust the collective good will that occurs at THP, understanding that many will do more and some will do less.
 
I would think with a 14 club deal with an event you'd want to at least play them for at least a season. In my mind, that's only fair. Personally, I'd probably game them for several years, but that's just me.
 
I think that if you are fitted for the equipment then there should be no thought about wanting to let it go. Now if it is just a stock setup I think you should give the clubs a chance and play them for around 5 rounds. Now if they are not performing as good as what you have, say you were fit for clubs then you have the right to try and move these clubs on. Not in a THP even but I did win a full set of D100's from Wilson. I had to sell the clubs because I needed the extra cash for baby stuff and at that time I did not need another set of clubs just hanging out in the garage. Or so my wife told me anyways.
 
Dave Alvarado said:
I would just like to add that if I were fully fitted at Callaway HQ for all 14 clubs, I'd probably get a chevron tattooed on my head. :clap:

That's an experience that couldn't be beat.
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I don't have a tattoo but do have the Callaway logo as a scar on my right hand between my middle and ring finger. Thought it would be smart to punch a golf ball once.
 
I feel like I'm on the same wavelength as most around here. If I was fortunate enough to be chosen for a set of clubs, I would make sure that I played them for a while before considering replacements unless it was obviously detrimental to my game. I'd probably give that club to my cousin or dad or someone who would give it a good home. It's usually for major tech upgrade reasons when I've changed clubs in the past so if I was fitted for something at an event, I can't see it leaving my bag anytime soon.
 
I would think if I were lucky enough to get into one of these events with a complete set of clubs that would would play for a extended period of time. I say this because the clubs would be somewhat fitted for me due to the care the event is taking. But if something else popped up better than what I receive then it would be considered. If the equipment does not help my game I would not feel the need to continue using. But certainly would give a fair trail.
 
Paladin said:
Counter-question...what if the bag was all stock offerings in terms of shafts & grips, or only from a select list of options? Would that change how long you feel like you can or should game them? One thing that's come up during this thread is what the OEM's are trying to get out of their contributions to these events...if they're trying to get an assessment of how their stock builds function across a decent number of golfers, this is an avenue to accomplish that. But how much of an obligation does that impart to us, the guys who play those clubs? I know there are some guys who may well have had some different opinions about certain clubs had they been fitted with stock offerings instead of shafts pulled out of stone & anvil. I know my opinion of my own irons is somewhat colored by how well I get along with the Recoil shafts. It's a pairing that's greater than the sum of its parts for my game. But a full-catalog fitting may not be part of what's offered all the time. My question is, if that's the case, would it affect how long you feel like you should bag that gear?
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It wouldn't effect my playing of the clubs if I was able to score at better level than my existing clubs, that is why I mention before that if it was given to me by a sponsor with the intentions that I was to continue playing these and IMO felt that they just wouldn't be a bag of clubs that I would play then I would offer them back or I would donate them to high school golf team.
 
I think it's easy to say that after a thorough fitting you'd keep the clubs in play long term but when you go from a style you've played long term to a style that isn't remotely close with a fitting and all, those differences will cause you to think about many things. I went from blades where a miss was exactly the same over and I went to a club where a miss had 20 to 30 yd variance. I think you become conditioned to certain things and all of that comes in to play when deciding to hang on to the clubs or not, some of it is not small variables, some is huge differences.

I starting to feel bad for getting rid of my irons and driver from the cup, but the truth is I would have not have gamed them and someone else will, they were meant to be played. I gave them a fair shake and got the feedback I was looking for in return from them.
 
I think that is a different animal Trout. You reviewed the clubs for months. Both leading up to and post event. Its why this thread is so interesting, because a lot of people were wondering and everybody has a different take.
 
I've always been a semi-frugal person when it comes to golf equipment. I just ordered the 1st club I've ever payed retail on. With that said, I think I would cherish a whole new bag of clubs so much that it would be difficult to part with it for a long time.

My only experience with receiving a club from a THP event was the Adams Pro Hybrid I got last March in the OwnTheSecondShot event. I was thrilled to get it & gave it a fair chance, but it could not replace my W/S Fybrid HS. I kept it until last week & traded it to a THPer who loves it.

If given a chance to get into a full bag event, I would feel obligated to post about my time & experiences with the equipment.
 
I think I would keep the clubs considering the thought process of entering such event. If someone was wanting to enter an event knowing they were getting an entire bag of equipment then to discard all of it wouldn't be my first choice. Obviously throughout the weeks and months following you may go back to some clubs like putter or driver depending on feel and confidence.

I think it also depends on the type of golfer. I play 20 tournaments a year so I need clubs I trust in. If it's a weekend warrior or someone who doesn't have competitive goals their opinion may be different. However the one reason why I keep clubs for 2 year periods is because it's trust and confidence I have to build up


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As long as it required to infinity.

I've participated in two MC's, in the first one I had a set of irons built with all the specs I wanted, and I've gamed them since (apart from a couple of rounds) and I can't see them leaving my bag for a long time. So this was in 2013. In 2014 MC the clubs I used were awesome, but not for me, I lost 1-1.5 club lengths in distance and that resulted that I didn't game them for long, I did like them, but we just weren't meant to be, and I was happy to see that someone had a good home for them.

Honest feedback for all the gear received in THP events is something I would expect from everyone. If you use it for 5 years but don't write a single word, that's worse than giving important info for a week or a month and them sell / give them away.
 
Thats a tough one to police. I think it comes down to the user having the ability to appreciate the huge honor that they were extended. I believe that the sponsoring company deserves to receive every accolade and bit of marketing possible for their extreme gift.

For me, I could never sell my Grandaddy equipment, I love the gear and the stories that are tied to it. Secondly, Callaway did such a huge thing for me, I could never in good conscience profit from their generosity. I would pay my good fortune forward, preferably to another THPer or organization like the First Tee.

Separately, despite there being loads of fantastic equipment on the market, I don't see how I could ever buy anything other than Callaway. I support those that support me and I could buy a lifetime of equipment and still feel indebted to Callaway.
 
Trout Bum said:
I think it's easy to say that after a thorough fitting you'd keep the clubs in play long term but when you go from a style you've played long term to a style that isn't remotely close with a fitting and all, those differences will cause you to think about many things. I went from blades where a miss was exactly the same over and I went to a club where a miss had 20 to 30 yd variance. I think you become conditioned to certain things and all of that comes in to play when deciding to hang on to the clubs or not, some of it is not small variables, some is huge differences.

I starting to feel bad for getting rid of my irons and driver from the cup, but the truth is I would have not have gamed them and someone else will, they were meant to be played. I gave them a fair shake and got the feedback I was looking for in return from them.
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At the end of the day, if something doesn't work for you at all, it's definitely something that shouldn't be in the bag, even if it's the best fit from what you had to choose from. Plus, you're not doing your sponsor any favors if you're not playing well with the clubs either - I know everyone's game is different but if you see someone playing really well with a set, you're going to listen to their opinions more, I'd think. Getting the stuff into the hands of someone who's going to love it is going to do a lot more for word of mouth.
 
Ole Gray said:
And if the fitted clubs all of a sudden didn't work for you. You'd still have that chevron on ya head :act-up:
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True, but if I were smart I wouldn't be spending thousands of dollars to dress up all nice and try to hit a ball into a little hole a few football fields away. I'd take up something less painful, like professional toe-stubbing or barefoot-LEGO-walking.
 
I'll say that 12 out of my 14 Cleveland clubs I still game from when I played in the Morgan Cup. I don't think people should have the obligation to keep their clubs unless it is known. What you do with your clubs is your business. I pass no judgement onto those people. But for me personally, if I'm getting a full bag of equipment, you better believe I'm getting fitted to as close to what I need as possible. That's why I still have as many clubs as I do in the bag, because they worked for me and still do.

I'm only really considering replacing them in the near future because they are getting worn down and overused. The two I replaced I didn't replace until I really was sure that they weren't going to work for me. I would hope others would do the same. Give the clubs a chance and really get some solid feedback from them. Make an educated decision on whether they should stay in the bag. However, people can do as they please with their clubs, so be that they are following the rules.
 
What we need to remember is when we are given these bags of clubs we become an ambassador for the brand. As an ambassador I would say a full season of play on the equipment would be the minimum of what is expected of me. My feeling is not only should I play the clubs but I should actively participate in trying to grow the brand while on the course and forums.

I have yet to be chosen for an event with a 14 club deal but I was lucky enough to be chosen to review some equipment for THP. During my time with the equipment I shared the knowledge I had of the clubs with others on and off the course. I was able to help the brand get into the hands of many people who just didn't know either what to look for or what was available to them out in the current market.

With that said, it's really up to the person unless a contract is signed and or implied.
 
Unless somehow the equipment became detrimental to my game, I would play it for as long as I could. I have never been fitted for a full set and I would enjoy it for as long as I could and I would try to represent the company that gave me the opportunity.
 
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