There was no shortage of options in the golf equipment area in 2015. Manufacturers continued to make strides in materials, manufacturing, and marketing to get golfers into the store and wallets open with the promises of longer drives and lower scores. This has me wondering, once a purchase is made, what causes someone to have such a visceral and vocal viewpoint regarding the product purchased? What is it about golf equipment that elicits such a response? Being active on The Hackers Paradise forums, I have seen and been a part of many conversations about equipment purchased and I am always intrigued by the more heated discussions about new golf equipment.
I attribute much of the enthusiasm to the more creative methods of marketing golf companies are using. Specifically, creating events where equipment is provided and used in competition. Personally, I have had many opportunities to play in events where equipment was provided, from companies like TaylorMade, Callaway, Cleveland and others. I have personally developed an emotional attachment to OEMs based on these experiences and as such I am sure my own views reflected that in my discussions. It is a reasonable response to marketing, even if it is not the traditional means of building a brand ambassador.
Now, let’s say the equipment was purchased at retail and was free of such influences. The player did the research, spent time at a demo day or in-store testing and ultimately picks the club that worked best for them. With the new club in the bag they venture out to discuss their experience and decision making process. Your club becomes a point of conversation with playing partners, co-workers and the like. Maybe they are active in online golf communities and like to discuss equipment and are looking for information like reviews and feedback. What follows in some instances appears to be very conflict oriented. What happens when someone does not support the purchase? Dissenting viewpoints are then met with argumentative feedback or outright claims of bias.
What instigates such an emotional response?
Supporting the Underdog
Everyone loves a feel good story of the scrappy upstart taking on the establishment. People like to see individuals and organizations upset the status quo and find success. Does this mentality exist in golf? Do you know anyone who purchase Bridgestone or Srixon balls specifically because of a bias against Titleist? For many, they choose one ball to play because the data supports the choice. However, how many dissenters of the Titleist ball have actually tested and compared performance? How many people refuse to play Callaway equipment because they are the new dominant OEM in equipment? It appears that many people make the decision to play a particular piece of equipment because the market leader doesn’t need support and instead want to support alternative choices. They knowingly reject a product, not based on data but on personal bias. This is not wrong per se, but it is a point of discussion in a game where greens in regulation and driver length are always on the tip of any discussion.
Justification of Purchase
Post purchase rationalization is a cognitive bias, whereby someone who has purchased an expensive product or service overlooks any faults or defects in order to justify their purchase. The market of golf has very much become like the consumer electronics industry, whereas every year you can expect to see advancements in come capacity that triggers a need to seek newer and better. Even if these updates may be incremental, you are still willing to pay to achieve better. Once you make that investment, however, the cycle begins of keeping mentally committed to the choice. This means we actively promote and discuss the virtues of a product and challenge dissenting opinions as wrong, because if they are correct then it invalidates the need for said purchase and questions it. Once again, the bias is not performance based, but rooted at its core in financial commitment.
Pride and Prejudice
What if you have made your purchase and you have the data that shows the club you purchased was the right fit. The simulator or launch monitor gave you the results you were looking for: Launch angle, spin rate, ball speed, all coalesces into maximized yardage. But what if others don’t see what you see? They are clearly wrong because you saw the numbers yourself! What is so difficult to believe and accept with regards to the performance of other companies’ equipment? When does the prospect of another club being better for a person become problematic to you and your choices? With so many options at retail for shafts, lofts, grips, etc., it is not unreasonable to assume that many different golf swings will produce many different results. What happens though when options are considered different then our own, we become angry and argumentative. We treat golf equipment like we would our political affiliations and this toxic relationship spills over into public forum creating conflict. Do we let individual performance establish blanket statements towards other companies and products?
Golf is a funny game isn’t it? The most social of games and at times the most combative, at least in the war for consumer dollars and brand advocacy.
Very entertaining read David. A lot of truth in there that people may or may not want to admit.
Good job. Some real valid points and truth in here.
This was a solid read Fup and quite accurate. There is unquestionably a “passion behind the purchase” for many and it gets very entertaining at times.
A need to justify and defend to the death an OEM that someone supports is definitely real. To each their own….but combativeness is real.
Great article. I think for me, it’s all about my personal preference and what clubs fit my swing. I have tried many popular clubs and come away underwhelmed when others rush out to purchase.
Great read and lots of truth. Golf equipment, like many things, is an emotional purchase and us golf-lovers have a strange attachment to our equipment. We love it and we want others to love it too.
Well stated article and very true. I run into this all the time. People are very protective of their purchases. They don’t want people to think they made the wrong choice or don’t know what they are talking about.
Nicely done Fup! Interesting thoughts on all avenues of the discussion. I still think at the end of the day golf is a sport, a hobby and/or a get-a-way for most. If the purchase makes them feel good and gets them out to the course then win/win for the player and the OEM.
Solid read and the bare naked truth. As consumers, regardless of the product, we need to validate our purchases so we don’t feel like we were “duped” or “had a fast one pulled on us”. In that search for validation we will inevitably come across others who don’t share our viewpoint or passion for our purchase. It’s human nature, but getting upset or combative is what I have never understood.
If it works for you & you are getting all the enjoyment out of that purchase, who cares what others think.
Great article, Fupy! I can agree whole-heartedly with the assessment of such an emotional purchase and the human desire to seek approval and justification from others. I think all of us have been guilty of this at one time or another. I think argumentative conversation of the products is great, as long as it can remain subjective and civil. I will take a cue from jman in that the key to this process is to use tact. Thanks for the interesting, well-thought article.
Great Article. Read it and forwarded it. So much truth in it.
Very nice write up. You put some time and thought into it and is shows.
Very good article. I think it seems to be true for so many things that we just get attached to something once we are vested, golf equipment included. And the feeling that we need to back or defend it more than if didn’t own it and we’re looking at it from a more distant view.
Great article David.
Very very true, people ignore facts and data which can be frustrating.
Also, it’s funny how people like validation.
Good article and oh so on target.
I’m sure that I’m guilty of club, OEM or swing theory bias. My favorite posts are when someone tells a person that they’re wrong about whatever club, shaft, ball or theory they are a proponent of and then ends the post with “to each his own” or “play whatever clubs you like”.
Nice article. Human nature is a fickle beast.
Nice article – lots of good points and arguments presented.
Gotta love golf, marketing, and opinions!!
Great article, nicely done Fup.
It’s an interesting phenomena, not unlike politics. What seems correct to you can appear so different to someone else and yet you can both be correct.
Very nice article. Not every piece of equipment works for everyone. Some may find that piece of equipment that works for them and they want to express how great it can be. Not everythings works for everyone though.
Before 2012 I never considered Callaway. Not because of any dislike for them but because my brother in law plays Callaway (and has since the early ’90s). I just wanted something different than what he had. Funny that now it’s my go-to company!
I don’t think it is just golf equipment, but anything we buy, especially if we drop some major coin on it, that we don’t like it when people tell us what we bought is junk, or not as good as such-and-such.
I know that when I make a major purchase, I research the carp out of it and read as many reviews (I take more stock in bad reviews than good reviews because I want to know anything that can go wrong with something}. Sometimes the bad reviews are ridiculous grousings about the product, and a lot of times they are complaints about something when that something is clearly stated in the descriptions. But oftentimes they are legitimate negatives about the product that you really want to be made aware of. I read the good reviews too, but sometimes those can get a bit ridiculous as well.
This was a fun article for me, thanks for letting us read your thoughts, David!
That was a really, really good read. It is funny how in Golf consumers get emotionally tied to the company that produces their equipment, but that shows a pride in what they have.
Well done, I enjoyed reading your thoughts here.
Great piece. This thinking isn’t secluded to just golf equipment, its embedded in our society. Apple vs. Android, Ford vs. Chevy vs. Ram, American Cars vs. Imports, and the list could go on forever. The arguments I see on the forums get nowhere near as heated as the Ford vs. Chevy arguments ive heard.
Very well stated. And some good points too. There is validity to it. I need to have the latest and the greatest is a way a lot of people think.
I enjoyed that Fuopresti, I love the bit about Pride and Prejudice the most. We all see things differently and our beliefs about what’s best for us vary significantly.
Well written and thought out