Callaway Epic Tour Issue???

[xjohnx]

"Tour issue" heads aren't made to an exact spec. They are just mass retail heads that have been digitally checked to be an exact loft. They all come from the same production line.

 

I'm certainly no expert but, I've also understood there to be more variance off the production line than just loft. I thought weight, cg, moi and cor can all vary head to head. Now, the old argument remains whether these variances are negligible or not for most golfers. Won't help my game, I know that.

[dhayse32]

I ended up buying a "retail" head yesterday. I will compare the two and see if an Average Joe golfer can really tell the difference.

[Jc0]

I'd be curious to know if there is a substantial cost increase to the OEMs if they were to issue all their equipment to the standards of tour issued.

 

lots of cost increase indeed. specs have to be either 1. exact or 2. tight within allowance to the players request, AND 3. in compliance with tour equipment regulations etc. basically needing way more cost in man power of Q&A, assessing, sorting, spec'ing etc. it's—usually—not a different line of manufacture, but more of 'selecting' among the whole bunch.

 

No extra cost from production side. The extra costs are inspections. The tour heads and retail heads are the same. What makes them different is that all their specs are checked for specific items (weight, face angle, loft, etc.). That costs money and not all heads they checked may fit the specs needed.

 

Not as easy as you suggest. The guy asked what if they were ALL made to those standards. If they do it your way they will have A LOT of bad eggs that would be seemingly scrapped. Wasted materials of the clubs that did not meet spec would have to be factored into the production costs of the good ones. The only way to avoid this would be to improve the manufacturing process to ensure each club is made to a much higher tolerance. This would also significantly increase production costs. I guess the obvious point to make here is that, if it were they easy to make all clubs to tour standards, they'd have been doing it for quite some time now.

 

There is no tour standard. There is callaway production standard. All they do is measure a few heads, if the specs are good they make them tour heads, if the are off they go back into regular production pile.

[Jc0]

"Tour issue" heads aren't made to an exact spec. They are just mass retail heads that have been digitally checked to be an exact loft. They all come from the same production line.

 

I'm certainly no expert but, I've also understood there to be more variance off the production line than just loft. I thought weight, cg, moi and cor can all vary head to head. Now, the old argument remains whether these variances are negligible or not for most golfers. Won't help my game, I know that.

 

There is variance. The differance between tour and retail are the specs are measured so a club builder can adjust. You could by a retail head with the exact same specs as a tour issue head, you just wouldn't know.

[xjohnx]

I'd be curious to know if there is a substantial cost increase to the OEMs if they were to issue all their equipment to the standards of tour issued.

 

lots of cost increase indeed. specs have to be either 1. exact or 2. tight within allowance to the players request, AND 3. in compliance with tour equipment regulations etc. basically needing way more cost in man power of Q&A, assessing, sorting, spec'ing etc. it's—usually—not a different line of manufacture, but more of 'selecting' among the whole bunch.

 

No extra cost from production side. The extra costs are inspections. The tour heads and retail heads are the same. What makes them different is that all their specs are checked for specific items (weight, face angle, loft, etc.). That costs money and not all heads they checked may fit the specs needed.

 

Not as easy as you suggest. The guy asked what if they were ALL made to those standards. If they do it your way they will have A LOT of bad eggs that would be seemingly scrapped. Wasted materials of the clubs that did not meet spec would have to be factored into the production costs of the good ones. The only way to avoid this would be to improve the manufacturing process to ensure each club is made to a much higher tolerance. This would also significantly increase production costs. I guess the obvious point to make here is that, if it were they easy to make all clubs to tour standards, they'd have been doing it for quite some time now.

 

There is no tour standard. There is callaway production standard. All they do is measure a few heads, if the specs are good they make them tour heads, if the are off they go back into regular production pile.

 

Right, We aren't really saying two different things here. To answer the guy's question I was saying to get all production within the tolerance of meeting the more desired specs it would cost some serious dough.

[jsixman]

It looks like that hot melt port has been taken out and replaced as well.

[Double Dodger]

Metal woods are massed produced and none are made for tour only (irons and prototypes not withstanding). Tour issue heads, as has been mentioned elsewhere in this thread, are simply measured and are a known numerical quantity. A tour player very rarely likes the first head he hits from the tour van. Jordan went through more than a dozen heads before he found one he would use.

Being a scratch handicap I have some experience in a way with the difference in head manufacturing. I at one time I had three identical JDM 430 SLDR heads. One of them I could hit laser after laser with. The other two set up the exact same with the EXACT same shaft switched between them were garbage. I could not keep the ball on the planet with either of them.

So if you demo a club and really like it, don't be to surprised the club you later receive disappoints.

[spr298]

Does anyone know how you can get the adapters with the green dot? I like to put a few on my extra shafts I have

[PowerPlayer]

Does anyone know how you can get the adapters with the green dot? I like to put a few on my extra shafts I have

 

I'm in the market for these as well if anyone knows where to source them. Thx.

[bigmaxx]

This was quoted by a club tech at the the Peoples Clubs

 

"The difference in Tour Issue Clubs over retail clubs is very significant. Retail clubs can be very misleading.

The tolerances they allow for are 10 times greater the tolerances on tour vans. If a club is stamped 10.5 and is supposed to be 1.5 open it may very well be 9.6, and 2.5 open.

Every specification on a tour issue club is measured, and marked. They then COR test the clubs, making sure they are eligible for use on tour.

Tour Issue Clubs are also hot melted for use on tour. Hot melt can be used to do many things, create a draw, fade, lower or high spin, however mostly it’s used for feel.

There are also some clubs, shafts, and finishes that are tour only. They were designed for tour use only and will never be released to the public.

Ask anyone who has played a tour issue golf club, there is no comparison".