American Golf Trafford

I realise that you might consider asking about American Golf like swearing in church, but I'll give it a go anyways!

Background info:

i) Male aged 21, 1.74m tall, average weight, athletically built

ii) Currently playing the ugly-looking Nike SQ Machspeed 9.5 degree (not the black one) regular shaft + the matching 3-wood.

iii) 19.2 Hcp currently with good swing-dynamics, but disastrous putting/short game (just invested in a new putter and trying to spend more time practicing around and on the putting greens)

vi) Natural shot shape: draw.

v) Average driving distance (with the wobbly regular shaft) : 250-255 yards.

vi) I've increased my swing speed since I bought the clubs, although I haven't had it measured.

vii) Irons: Mizuno MP52's with regular-flex shafts, these don't seem as wobbly as the driver/3-wood though (obviously the shafts on the woods are longer, hence softer, but I don't feel the irons' flex is a problem).

Problem:

Launching the ball way too high at full swing speed (with the risk of a nasty hook) + relatively large dispersion.

Solution:

Stiff shafts probably, perhaps shortened a bit for added control. I don't care that much about distance to be honest, it's control I'm after. However, I imagine I'll gain a few yards if I get fitted with the right shaft. Partly because I would be able to swing it confidently at normal swing speed without fearing that high hook.

So, I was thinking to go to the (in)famous American Golf in Manchester (Trafford), and try out some new clubs.

I live abroad outside university term-time, and as I don't have time to do this now due to the exam period, it'll be the last day before I leave the UK for the summer! So the most important factors for going to AG is that I can test several models to find one I'm comfortable with, drop off my current driver & 3-wood, and buy new ones that are in-stock (which obviously is essential as I won't have time to wait for them to order them in for me). Does that make sense?

Questions:

1. How is the product range at the mentioned shop? I'm more than anything else interested to try out the Mizuno MP-630 Fast-Track you see.

2. How are the prices in-store compared to the prices online? (Poor student here, so if they're selling at RRP or close to it, I could just go my local club pro instead...)

3. How is the actual policy for exchanging in used clubs when buying new equipment? Do you feel like they're fair when estimating the value (I imagine not, but hopefully they're not too unreasonable)?

Any response, but especially from someone who's been in the AG Trafford shop would be greatly appreciated!

i think american golf do online " offers " so they are slightly better in store

as far as exchange goes, they use a website, if only i could remember for you , gives the list price for clubs

i would try sell your club private, you might make more

my advice would be have a look for local pro that can set you up on a launch monitor, i just feel american golf is gona try push you to something that benefits them

good luck !

Stiffer shaft you will likely loose distance, as mentioned.

I game the same woods in R flex and if anything think they play firm for an R Flex- maybe halfway between a "standard" R and S flex. Also found the shaft does not balloon, even with a 10.5 head, but produces a penetrating flight and works very hard to stay straight.

I am a 6 foot, a touch over 200lbs and usually get your sort of numbers in metres not yards (ie. 250m-270yds)- 8 handicap

I have buddies with new R11 and Superfast Burners etc that cant out-hit the ugly MS (ie. they use my MS), it is sneaky long and not such a bad stick.

It may not be the stick, is all I am saying and you might be better of getting fitted, at least check your swing speed to make sure the shafts are in the ballpark and then get into some lessons. Looks like you are trying to talk your self into buying stiff shafts to correct a high slingy hook, which is most likely a swing fault- that shaft is not reknowned to be very high.

I actually did the same thing for about a year- tried about 4 different drivers in all- sorts of lofts and flexes but ended up back at R and surprisingly at the ugly MS- because it did what it was hyped to do on the box- long and straight.

Thats without mentioning the fairway- its a cracker/

Thanks for the responses guys!

Actually, I was trying to talk myself to have both clubs cut down, to gain added control and some stiffness. I e-mailed Nike Golf and asked what they thought, and it was they who suggested switching over to stiff shafts.. I do take lessons on a regular basis, and have tried some other regular flex drivers, but with the same results.

Let me make it clear that I usually don't hit that high hook, but I don't swing my driver (especially) as confident because I know that if I perform a bad swing the result could be rather bad. So, I swing my driver and 3-wood quite a lot slower than I actually want. If I hit my driver at normal speed, and it goes straight, it can go very long (sometimes within chipping distance from the green on a 298 yard par 4), but obviously I can't risk letting-it-rip on each hole.. Actually I almost never use my 3-wood, as both my 3-iron and 2-hybrid go longer, as I can confidently swing them at normal speed.

I dropped the AG idea as I can't be bothered dealing with their apparently terrible sales people, so I went and paid for a fitting at a proper pro shop with the aim to just have the shafts refitted.

Driver swing speed: 105-110 mph (without restricting the swing speed)
Spin off clubface (R shaft): 4400-4600 rpm
Spin off clubface (S shaft): 3600'ish rpm

The S shaft apparently had a higher kick-point, which I was told would help to get a lower trajectory.

Average shot distance stayed the around the same oddly enough (roughly 280 yards), but dispersion improved massively, and got more of the piercing flight I wanted. Still, I need to work on getting the spin down it seems though.

So the long game should be sorted pretty soon! Next step: get rid of the dreaded 3-put...

[quote name='Parfait' timestamp='1307372890' post='3287834']


I dropped the AG idea as I can't be bothered dealing with their apparently terrible sales people, so I went and paid for a fitting at a proper pro shop with the aim to just have the shafts refitted.


[/quote]

I just posted about american golf trafford in another forum, it's terrible. Here's what I wrote:

Wow, ok, so I had no clue as to the notoriety of this store before I went. I was in Manchester for a couple of weeks for work and ended up going to the AG there to enquire about custom fit irons. The guy I spoke to was INCREDIBLY rude, this was a couple of days after The Open Championship and apparently he had just flown back. He was attending because he was one of Darren Clarke's guys, actually the way he put it was that DC was one of his guys. That's all well and good, I was just as happy as the other guy that DC had won, he deserved it and is a stand up guy. But to simply fob off a customer like that is seriously out of order. I asked him how much the custom fitting was for irons, and he just says "£35 for 15 minutes". I look at him as if he's nuts, and he then goes on to say, "everyone charges that, you won't get much cheaper". Okay, so I'm standing in front of him with holding a set of MP-32's with PX's in them and a couple of decent level amateur tournament bag tags adorning my pencil bag, does he seriously think I'm falling for this s**t?

I know for a fact that Urban Golf in London charges £85 for 90 minutes, you test everything, irons and wedges and you get a take away sheet as well. So I ask, "Do I get a take away sheet for that price?" and he looks at me like I'm an idiot. "No," he says, "I keep everything". OK, I have no problem with places that charge say £20 for 30 minutes keeping your specs, they run a business and can't risk losing you to online companies and they'll probably give you the £20 off the price of your irons if you buy from them. But £35 for 15 mins? Are you kidding me? So I decide to carry on with my line of questioning. "How long will it take to order in the Titleist D3 with the RIP 60 X?" I ask, "About a week, but there is an upcharge for all X shafts" the goon replies. So, now I know for a fact that's incorrect. Maybe there's an upcharge for the beta or the gamma but not the stock 60X. So I ask him if he can confirm that with Titleist, guy says there's no point, I know there's an upcharge, then he adds you probably don't need an X. Yup, considering the guys never seen me hit a ball, so I show him my current Kai'Li 60x. Somehow, I managed to keep my mouth shut and didn't ask him how the hell he managed to get to know DC with an attitude like that. By this time, I've had it and just wander out onto to the range to hit some balls whilst imagining his face on them. i actually didn't say a word, just wandered out with him looking at me.

I have no idea how helpful the other staff are, but holy cow this guy was a piece of work.

TL;DR
Went to american golf in trafford (it was at the range, I didn't actively go there, it was simply convenient), was treated like an idiot. Now I'm raging.

[quote name='Parfait' timestamp='1307372890' post='3287834']
So the long game should be sorted pretty soon! Next step: get rid of the dreaded 3-put...
[/quote]

If you buy a shiny new putter you will never 3 putt again...