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Demo Day Woes. A message to all Companies special attention to Callaway and Cobra

SuperStroke
I went to a demo day last Friday and only saw Nike and Taylormade have a launch monitor. Ping had one but he said they didn't have power for it??? It was one similar to what THP had in Kentucky so I didn't think they needed power cable. But the ping rep had me hit mine and then try multiple shafts till I got a good looking flight and good shot dispersion. Sometimes you just have to go by your eyes like they did before launch monitors I guess. I might try it in the shop when it comes in to verify its right for me. I think every rep though should have a launch monitor. So much help can come from it when getting fit.
 
caeleric said:
I've been to some demo days, and I've never seen a launch monitor. I've also never seen a lie board or impact tape. I had a ping rep adjust a lie angle on a demo iron to straighten out flight, and the same rep swapped some shafts out to try to get driver dialed in. if you hit your current driver side-by-side, I would think you can get most of the info you need. other than the personality issue, it just sounds like maybe you could manage your expectations next time.


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I have no problem if they dont have those luxuries. But if they are not willing to help u in any way or help fit u, then the demo day is pointless
 
mcrobertsjmac32 said:
I have no problem if they dont have those luxuries. But if they are not willing to help u in any way or help fit u, then the demo day is pointless
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agreed. I think it's a good idea to let callaway know how that guy treated you.


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Callaway does not use lie boards for lie angle.
Neither do a number of companies for that matter.
At the THP Event Ultimate Club Testing (multiple brands/events) they explained the reason why and how unreliable they are.
 
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mcrobertsjmac32 said:
I have no problem if they dont have those luxuries. But if they are not willing to help u in any way or help fit u, then the demo day is pointless
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I wouldn't say pointless - you still get to demo the clubs. In terms of demo days, the range near me has a number of them over the year. If I'm looking to get fit, I find that my best bet is to go to one of the company-specific demo days. If I just want to play around with some clubs, the big ones are fine, but you're limited on time. I guess I don't expect a ton out of a demo day, though some companies do go above and beyond (Wilson with the Nick in the tour van is a good example).

And really, if I'm truly looking to get fit, I'm going to schedule a fitting.
 
JB said:
Callaway does not use lie boards for lie angle.
Neither do a number of companies for that matter.
At the THP Event Ultimate Club Testing (multiple brands/events) they explained the reason why and how unreliable they are.
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I didn't know that, how do they do it?
 
Yes, I am a homer for the brand but if Wilson Staff and Nick Geyer are having a demo day,,,go.The guy is super helpful and wants you to play the best stuff.At the end of the day if we are buying something custom, shirts, suits, clubs, we expect some attention. Particuarly for what we don't know. It is a big expense. Plus is it suppose to be fun. Demo day is about window shopping,learning and getting a feel for a company.
 
MPlefty said:
I didn't know that, how do they do it?
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At the Grandaddy, they marked up a ball with a vertical line with a sharpie. Then you hit said ball, and they look for the sharpie mark on the iron face. A straight vertical line on the iron face (pointing at 12 and 6 on a clock) means you're dialed in.
 
O'Carroll said:
At the Grandaddy, they marked up a ball with a vertical line with a sharpie. Then you hit said ball, and they look for the sharpie mark on the iron face. A straight vertical line on the iron face (pointing at 12 and 6 on a clock) means you're dialed in.
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oh ok, I have heard of that method too, but I'm not sure its that much more reliable than a board.

I know I am not an expert, I have never been fitted in fact, but this method, IMO, leaves a lot of space for human error
 
O'Carroll said:
At the Grandaddy, they marked up a ball with a vertical line with a sharpie. Then you hit said ball, and they look for the sharpie mark on the iron face. A straight vertical line on the iron face (pointing at 12 and 6 on a clock) means you're dialed in.
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Just found out about doing it that way this past weekend, works great.
 
mpeterson said:
I wouldn't say pointless - you still get to demo the clubs. In terms of demo days, the range near me has a number of them over the year. If I'm looking to get fit, I find that my best bet is to go to one of the company-specific demo days. If I just want to play around with some clubs, the big ones are fine, but you're limited on time. I guess I don't expect a ton out of a demo day, though some companies do go above and beyond (Wilson with the Nick in the tour van is a good example).

And really, if I'm truly looking to get fit, I'm going to schedule a fitting.
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I'm with Matty here. I don't go to a demo day to get "fit" for clubs. I go in hopes that they have a bunch of gear I can try out--and honestly, I'm happy with stock setups. I like to get an idea of the look at the club at address, the sound at impact, etc.

I also think that we, as educated THPers, have an inflated sense of what the equipment reps should know and do. I've been to a few larger demo days in my area, and more than once, I got the impression that a rep or two (for any company) wasn't all that knowledgeable. That being said, there's no reason why reps can't be friendly and at least engage you in some sort of conversation.
 
That's a bummer that your experience wasn't up to par.
Good to hear you're swinging the sticks again!
ACL/MCL surgery is no joke, hope all that turns out well.
 
MPlefty said:
oh ok, I have heard of that method too, but I'm not sure its that much more reliable than a board.

I know I am not an expert, I have never been fitted in fact, but this method, IMO, leaves a lot of space for human error
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We didn't discuss why they do it that way at the Grandaddy (at least I didn't), but I think the guys who went to the Apex Ultimate Testing Weekend did have that conversation.
 
MPlefty said:
oh ok, I have heard of that method too, but I'm not sure its that much more reliable than a board.

I know I am not an expert, I have never been fitted in fact, but this method, IMO, leaves a lot of space for human error
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Some like one way, some like others. Matt Haneline said one of the reasons he personally prefers the sharpie vs lie board is that it allows the golfer to take a divot. Something that cannot be done on a rigid piece of plastic, and is especially helpful for golfers that do not make ball first contact (most amateurs).
 
annsguy said:
Yes, I am a homer for the brand but if Wilson Staff and Nick Geyer are having a demo day,,,go.The guy is super helpful and wants you to play the best stuff.At the end of the day if we are buying something custom, shirts, suits, clubs, we expect some attention. Particuarly for what we don't know. It is a big expense. Plus is it suppose to be fun. Demo day is about window shopping,learning and getting a feel for a company.
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Seconded. Nick & John (Northeast W/S rep) were both fantastic about helping golfers when I went to a Wilson Staff demo day. They were using the store's equipment to measure launch, distance, spin, etc. and were enthusiastic about having golfers try out different combinations. I even overheard Nick tell a golfer not to think about a shaft upgrade on his driver, because based on his numbers spending the extra money wouldn't given him any real performance gains. That was my first demo day I've attended, and it set the bar pretty high for me IMO.
 
JB said:
Some like one way, some like others. Matt Haneline said one of the reasons he personally prefers the sharpie vs lie board is that it allows the golfer to take a divot. Something that cannot be done on a rigid piece of plastic, and is especially helpful for golfers that do not make ball first contact (most amateurs).
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great point, thanks
 
JB said:
Callaway does not use lie boards for lie angle.
Neither do a number of companies for that matter.
At the THP Event Ultimate Club Testing (multiple brands/events) they explained the reason why and how unreliable they are.
Click to expand...
So "nothing" is more effective? It sounds like they had that in spades, so I'm sure the fittings went well at that demo day.
 
Dave Alvarado said:
So "nothing" is more effective? It sounds like they had that in spades, so I'm sure the fittings went well at that demo day.
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Where did anybody say that? It was mentioned that they had no lie board. Its important to ensure that people have the actual correct info in that regards. Maybe somebody strolls up to a demo day, sees no lie board and assumes "this one is junk" and moves on, not realizing that not all companies use them.
 
Dave Alvarado said:
So "nothing" is more effective? It sounds like they had that in spades, so I'm sure the fittings went well at that demo day.
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I don't think a demo day is really meant to be a fitting day. However, a rep should know enough to be able to explain to potential customers how a fitting would benefit them.
 
O'Carroll said:
I also think that we, as educated THPers, have an inflated sense of what the equipment reps should know and do. I've been to a few larger demo days in my area, and more than once, I got the impression that a rep or two (for any company) wasn't all that knowledgeable. That being said, there's no reason why reps can't be friendly and at least engage you in some sort of conversation.
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I don't know, Pete. I think it's unacceptable for a company to send out a rep to interact with the public who isn't knowledgable about their product lines. They don't have to be a fitter or R&D guy but at least be able to cover some basics.
 
captaincaution said:
I don't think a demo day is really meant to be a fitting day. However, a rep should know enough to be able to explain to potential customers how a fitting would benefit them.
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I am going to slightly disagree there. Demo days are used to fit people. Many of the ones around here will take appointments for fittings by the rep which allows a handful of people to get fit by someone that is normally a product expect and allows for the rest of the public to just come and hit. The reps we have in this area are great at helping and working with golfers at demo days to get dialed in. I don't remember a demo day anywhere around here that I have gone to that golfers weren't getting fittings and dialed in to their exact specs, even seen full bag fittings.

The demo days around here where the companies know they will be extremely busy have 2-3 reps on site to ensure the best experience possible for the public
 
tequila4kapp said:
I don't know, Pete. I think it's unacceptable for a company to send out a rep to interact with the public who isn't knowledgable about their product lines. They don't have to be a fitter or R&D guy but at least be able to cover some basics.
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I absolutely agree with you. Just in my experience, that hasn't been the case.
 
tequila4kapp said:
I don't know, Pete. I think it's unacceptable for a company to send out a rep to interact with the public who isn't knowledgable about their product lines. They don't have to be a fitter or R&D guy but at least be able to cover some basics.
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Yes like have some golf balls so the people can at least have a few swings of a club
 
mcrobertsjmac32 said:
I thought about it. But I thought maybe the guy haf a bad day or something, u never know what other ppl are going through. And I didn't want him to get in trouble ya know?
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Where in NJ were you? I know all of the actual reps in the state and can say that I would be surprised if it was one of them. It was probably a tech rep that they hire on their own to help when they have multiple events at the same time. I have done this for a couple of companies and often I was left with minimal supplies as far as technology. It is still no excuse for not engaging the people though.
 
homesy68 said:
Yes like have some golf balls so the people can at least have a few swings of a club
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Well that takes Old Silo out as a possible venue...

I have been to only a couple of demo days, and neither had anything more than clubs and range spots to hit them at. For me personally, that's enough. I see demo days as a way to do a first cut of clubs. Weed out the ones that really don't feel good to me. From there I would look for fittings if needed.
 
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