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Genuine Question For THPers

SuperStroke
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I say give the gear a fair shake. I don't know that the event itself is enough to determine if the clubs work for you. I mean, you are on a new course with new clubs and under quite a bit of nerves to perform. Let's get those clubs back on your home course with a casual round with your buddies and see how they perform. In fact, let's get about 4-5 rounds and plenty of range time on those new clubs before giving up on them.

I love my bag right now, but if I got into the Legacy and had a full set of Wilson or BStone clubs, for example, I would definitely want to give them a fair shake even if that means the Apex stay in the garage for a month or three.

That said, if someone wins a full bag and then drops them on ebay a week later I try not to judge them. Everyone has different financial situations.

I'd lie if I said it didn't bother me just a bit more when inactive members that only show for contests grab the gear and run though. But that's how it goes sometimes.
 
Hard to say, ive been fortunate enough to play in a few of the larger events that did include gear.

Some of it has worked for me long term and still remain in the "rotation", but like most on here I get interested in the newest and greatest and in order to fund that purchase it sometimes involves moving old gear (not to mention my wife makes sure im not a hoarder). It usually takes some time with these clubs to figure out if they are going to be "right" for me.

Different strokes for different folks.

But more of a keepsake I have kept a few items from each of those events as part of the memories
 
I have a viewpoint on this that I am sure is not shared by all but that is OK I understand theirs as well.

Personally if you get something from an event you need to give it a fair shake. I think many probably look at it like well I will sell this off or sell my old stuff off and be ahead of the game. I am not big on this . I get that equipment might not work for everyone but don't approach it trying to get ahead in the game. My approach is if I get something from and event I will try it out if it works out it will stay in the bag if it doesn't I am paying it forward to another thper not just selling to be ahead. By paying it forward it gives the opportunity for another opinion and to me that is the real value in a community setting such as this.

To expand on that as well. If I was ever lucky enough to get a full bag if it worked out I would he paying my old equipment forward (what I didn't want to keep). Again it helps out other thpers and to me the equipment honestly means nothing I love the experience the events provide the equipment is honestly just an afterthought when I am considering an event.
 
Out of fairness to the sponsor, I would at least give them a season, but how long ultimately would depend on how the clubs impact my game.
 
How long is it right to play it? As long as the recipient wants to.

I think if there is an expectation that they continue to play or provide feedback on it, it should be communicated in advance of the event (like we have seen with the MC in the past).
 
As a club ho I realize it's difficult to not get attracted to the shiny new Christmas ball but based on the experiences and opportunities I have seen offered on this site I believe a thorough and long evaluation period should be required. Considering the cost, time, and fitting that goes into the process you would think that for most a set has been optimized for personal performance. Accordingly give it ample time to show if it's the Indian or the arrow. Additionally I could see a situation where it makes sense to require folks to commit to a prescribed period and long-term evaluation/review otherwise the equipment should be returned or donated. It seems to me that if you are just living in the now of the event then that misses the point and doesn't take the equipment fitting seriously.
 
I think if you get into an event that offers a full club deal then you should play those clubs for the next year. I've always thought this but it's never been established. I've always felt it to be a slap in the face to your sponsor and thp if they aren't gamed. The whole point of the morgan cup and legacy is to push your sponsor. It wasn't written in stone but I always saw it as an unwritten rule.

The 14 club deal in the one glaring difference between thp events. If your in the event for the golf and to make friends, sign up for an invitational. If you get into event and receive a full bag and don't play it, you're there for the free gear. I've always felt that way and will.

Too many get left out that would trumpet their sponsor for a set of clubs and do so for a good bit. But others get in and take the gear with nothing in return or disappear all together.

I know.poeple say I can't game.what they gave me, it's not for me. I don't buy it because people on thp that get into events switch gear all the time. The issue is they just don't like what they got. I get that but there, imo, is still an obligation to your sponsor and thp.

I know I'm in the minority on this and lets be clear pass no judgement on those that sell their gear right away. It's yours to sell. it's not a rule so have at it. But there needs to be somethjng in place for a Q and A about the huge bag of gear you just got handed.
 
If I got a full bag of equipment, I would game it for at least a few months especially if it was fit for me, or I choose said equipment.
 
first off I would almost never give away something that was given to me, the guilt would kill me, I say almost because sometimes there are reasons or situations to do something nice for someone & I like to do it when they don't expect it.

If it's a bag that i chose I would play them of as long as possible, I always blame myself not the clubs, so if i chose them & they don't work i will torture myself to figure out how to play them consistently
 
Sort of a nuanced answer here after reading JB's question again. No, I do not think participants should feel obligated to play the equipment for a certain period of time. Now, for me personally, I would expect that I would play the clubs for a long period provided they had been fit for me and were a line that interested me. For example, I have been very impressed with this year's Wilson line and would be thrilled to go through a comprehensive fitting and get all the clubs tweaked for me. If that "tweaking" does not happen, there would be no way they could outperform my current bag. Also, I would not apply for events with manufacturers in which I have little interest.
 
To be honest, I would play them for years. Prior to a few recent changes in my bag (driver, 5-wood, and putter) the majority of my clubs are 3+ years old. My current hybrid was bought in 2008 and I still game it today. This same idea would not change even if a full bag was given to me in a future THP event. I have never been one to buy, buy, and buy new clubs. If it works, and I'm assuming the new bag does, then why would I feel the need to get rid of them shortly after a event?
 
I would say it varies by club to a point. I personally wouldnt try them out for any shorter period of time than I would a club I bought myself with the exception of the putter since I think thats such a personal club. I can also see a situation where someone has their favorite go to 5w for example and goes back to that sooner than other clubs. Just give them a fair shake down, it helps if you were fitted for the clubs you got.
 
If I was ever fortunate enough to get a full bag deal that was customized to me in some way, shape, or form ... I'd play it indefinitely. Why? Because that sponsor was gracious enough to provide that equipment for my use. I'd feel some sort of obligation to market it on the course with my stellar play :) Perhaps there would come a time when certain elements (driver, or fairway, or hybrid) would be swapped out in favor for something that better fit my game, but I think the irons in particular would have a very long life in my bag.
 
#Cookie said:
How long is it right to play it? As long as the recipient wants to.

I think if there is an expectation that they continue to play or provide feedback on it, it should be communicated in advance of the event (like we have seen with the MC in the past).
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Simple and to the point. Very well said
 
#Cookie said:
How long is it right to play it? As long as the recipient wants to.

I think if there is an expectation that they continue to play or provide feedback on it, it should be communicated in advance of the event (like we have seen with the MC in the past).
Click to expand...

Once again, Cookie said it much better than I ever could. Almost everyone that gets a full bag in an event is going to play that gear for some time because it's new, but unless there is a specific obligation given prior to getting that gear, people can do what they want. I've been fortunate to have full bags of gear provided in the past, but didn't have full fittings associated with them. Some of the gear fit me really well, other gear wasn't a great fit at all and I moved on from that stuff pretty quickly.
 
I think if you are choosing your own equipment as a result of a THP event offering a full fitting/selection of said equipment, the equipment should be used for a reasonable amount of time. In my opinion that time is 6 to 12 months. This should not be seen as an obligation, but rather as a respectful social convention within the context of THP.
 
greggdrews said:
I would say it varies by club to a point. I personally wouldnt try them out for any shorter period of time than I would a club I bought myself with the exception of the putter since I think thats such a personal club. I can also see a situation where someone has their favorite go to 5w for example and goes back to that sooner than other clubs. Just give them a fair shake down, it helps if you were fitted for the clubs you got.
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I was just thinking this. The putter is so personal and I really like my SeeMore. If I received a bag of another brand I may play clubs 1-13 and use my SeeMore.
 
cpljohnst said:
My own experience to this does not relate to a full bag event but one were a single club was given. I played with the club given for about 7 weeks following the event. It was an ok product for me but not as good as what I was playing previously. However I made it a goal to find a club from the sponsor of the event that did fit me and by mid August I had one in the bag.

I'm not saying everyone needs to do something like that, but I personally felt a lot of appreciation to the company and wanted to show a bit of thanks by getting some of their gear in my bag.


In a full bag event where I've chosen the club's I can't imagine a scenario where at least half of the clubs would not still be in my bag after a year. I can see where some might not be a fit but I'd think most would work out.
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I think theking is a different animal. it's a single club and the main club in most bags. The option given.was the head. The shaft was along for the ride. I think the 7 weeks you played it was perfect. The point is that you played it and could offer up details about it.
 
Personally, I would feel guilty dumping the gear unless it just wasn't working for me. But I'm the type to find sentimental value with gear that's also part of an event. I could go on and on but to keep this post from being too much, I would say that yes there would be some sort of obligation on my end unless it just simply didn't work for my game
 
Tadashi70 said:
I think if you get into an event that offers a full club deal then you should play those clubs for the next year. I've always thought this but it's never been established. I've always felt it to be a slap in the face to your sponsor and thp if they aren't gamed. The whole point of the morgan cup and legacy is to push your sponsor. It wasn't written in stone but I always saw it as an unwritten rule.

The 14 club deal in the one glaring difference between thp events. If your in the event for the golf and to make friends, sign up for an invitational. If you get into event and receive a full bag and don't play it, you're there for the free gear. I've always felt that way and will.

Too many get left out that would trumpet their sponsor for a set of clubs and do so for a good bit. But others get in and take the gear with nothing in return or disappear all together.

I know.poeple say I can't game.what they gave me, it's not for me. I don't buy it because people on thp that get into events switch gear all the time. The issue is they just don't like what they got. I get that but there, imo, is still an obligation to your sponsor and thp.

I know I'm in the minority on this and lets be clear pass no judgement on those that sell their gear right away. It's yours to sell. it's not a rule so have at it. But there needs to be somethjng in place for a Q and A about the huge bag of gear you just got handed.
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Freddie - you seem very passionate about your stance, but is this a case of do as I say, and not as I do?
 
TexasHacker34 said:
I will elaborate more later, but I believe you should give every club a thorough review before replacing it. By this I mean trying to answer questions, posting your thoughts in the appropriate threads. Just my feelings though
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Well put. Maybe think of each piece of equipment you receive, put it through the same paces and timeframe a forum testing timeline might follow.
 
salisboss said:
I was just thinking this. The putter is so personal and I really like my SeeMore. If I received a bag of another brand I may play clubs 1-13 and use my SeeMore.
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Funny, was just thinking the same thing.
 
Good question, and one I will have to answer this year with the Legacy. I think I will be playing whatever Bridgestone clubs I get for at least a year, and hopefully longer than that. Because my sponsor is stepping up huge for THP and the Legacy, I feel I am obligated to share how well their equipment works. However long I play them, its unlikely I will ever sell them. I anticipate incredible memories and stories being tied to the event and the sticks and I'm just a little sentimental about stuff like that.

At the same time, I like to play my best. So I am going to do whatever possible to ensure that the clubs and shafts I play are most suitable to my game. This will probably mean a professional fitting if at all possible leading up to the event, even at my own expense.
 
Tadashi70 said:
I think if you get into an event that offers a full club deal then you should play those clubs for the next year. I've always thought this but it's never been established. I've always felt it to be a slap in the face to your sponsor and thp if they aren't gamed. The whole point of the morgan cup and legacy is to push your sponsor. It wasn't written in stone but I always saw it as an unwritten rule.

The 14 club deal in the one glaring difference between thp events. If your in the event for the golf and to make friends, sign up for an invitational. If you get into event and receive a full bag and don't play it, you're there for the free gear. I've always felt that way and will.

Too many get left out that would trumpet their sponsor for a set of clubs and do so for a good bit. But others get in and take the gear with nothing in return or disappear all together.

I know.poeple say I can't game.what they gave me, it's not for me. I don't buy it because people on thp that get into events switch gear all the time. The issue is they just don't like what they got. I get that but there, imo, is still an obligation to your sponsor and thp.

I know I'm in the minority on this and lets be clear pass no judgement on those that sell their gear right away. It's yours to sell. it's not a rule so have at it. But there needs to be somethjng in place for a Q and A about the huge bag of gear you just got handed.
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I agree with this 100%. I haven't been selected for any THP events or testing, but my gut was a one-year rule would be the norm. Again, not an obligation from THP, just a reasonable understanding between the forum and the member.
 
At least one season. It takes that long to get used to the nuances of the sticks. Loyalty to this site and manufacturer is also a factor but not as much. As you said we choose the clubs in most instances!
 
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