How long do you give a club?

[Tumbleweed_1968]

Question: How long (holes, rounds, etc. ) do you give a club before you take it out of the bag? Thinking here of driver, especially old school laminated or persimmon.

 

Currently working with Power-bilt laminated driver. Wondering how long to give it before switching, and how long is a good eval period?

[TimV]

Nothing wrong with trying a variety of various face heights, overall size, shaft stiffness, and shaft launch angle.

Just keep in mind that results are far more dependent upon the Archer than the Bow.

[oldschoolrocker]

For a driver, not too long. So many different ones can be picked up for peanuts these days, think playability, not collecting here, so, there's always going to be something to try out. Now, once you find The One, and I mean The One that you put in, as Stu fondly says, your front line gamer bag, well you'll know. You may, take a few others out to a barn dance every now and then, but, you know which one is going to the Prom.

[baloo]

One outing

[Big Ben]

Only takes a few quality swings for me. If it doesn't fit my swing characteristics I'm not making changes to fit a club. BB

[Fellaheen51]

In general, going along with the consensus here. Not very long. With woods, dozen swings maybe. Course or range. Albeit, more apt to perform eval's on the range these days. Typically, classic/vintage golf clubs are acquired at a very modest (to dirt cheap) investment. So quick evaluation to determine if they are worthy of additional time and investment in new grips, etc. I have no overriding reason to stay with trying to make one work when it doesn't. If I don't receive relatively quick positive reinforcement, next club(s) up.

 

Then there are those in inventory that I've never hit a ball with. They're just sort of around. I look at them thinking should give them a spin. But after two years, and I've never used them, they are liquidated. A handful that are in such nice condition, don't want to hit a ball and potentially muck them up. Not rare or especially valuable, just like the looks of them and prefer to keep them in a relatively pristine condition.

 

With irons, all over the place with how much time I allot to eval. Some set around untouched and then decide to sell them off because I never use them. Others get a longer period, due to a certain aesthetic value to the clubs. Hogan's for instance. Grips and extensions (when possible) are a necessity, so need to determine whether move forward with the task. Or have them set around for awhile before eventually selling them off.

 

As much as I've been trying to eliminate this cycling routine, the process is always one step removed from the next "find" on the cheap.

[Boricua Golf]

I keep my clubs as long as possible, just recently got fitted by Ping and have a full Ping bag, I can see playing these clubs for a very long time, some of my best ball striking days in a while, and of course better scoring due to hitting more fairways and greens...my last set I had since 2010 (so at least 6 years and change)...

[scomac2002]

Nick Faldo once said that he could tell if a club had potential within three swings. I need a bit more time than that. ;)

 

Having said that it doesn't take that long. I've never had any problem dismissing a club quickly at a demo. It's probably a bit like tasting wine. Once you have a bit of experience, you can make a judgement on a single sip. The beauty of this is that like wine, there are lots of clubs out there so if you miss out on one, there will always be others.

[Pepperturbo]

I don't change equipment easily, mostly because it takes so long to find what fits. At first its fun, then turns to drudgery.

 

If a club fits my eye I buy it. How it feels with stock shaft is immaterial on account I never play stock shafts. With driver and 3wd, have to give the process needed time to test each sleeve setting and a number of shafts.

 

Bought 917D2 driver in March 2017. Tested every setting before finding THE setting, shaft, playing length and head / SW, about 3wks back.

 

My least used club is 917 3wd, bought in January 2017. About two wks back finally found the right shaft and sleeve settings.

 

Once I settle on irons shafts, I'll be set for a few years at least.

[Kirasdad]

Driver, vintage or modern, 3 swings (if I have already warmed up). If I haven't nutted it in three swings then it's out. Barney Adams has said that after three or so swings we start adjusting to the club. This means that maybe after a dozen or so balls on the range you think you are perhaps "getting into a groove" with the driver you are hitting, and you are (unless you are a high handicap with an inconsistent move) but no way you can take it to the course. You have adapted your swing to the club in your hand. It took you 15 balls to get there, and on the course you have to do it after just having putted out walked to the next tee, perhaps waited for others to hit then your turn to try and find the fairway. You have a much better chance of that with a club that you could handle right off the bat.

 

Three swings.

 

I am not nearly as good as Sir Nick, but we are the same on this concept, as are most people.

 

[Fade to Black]

Simple, if it doesn't better my existing equipment within one range session, it's kicked to the curb.

[jslane57]

With a vintage driver? One trip to the range, and if that goes well, one or two hits on the course. No reason to take too long when playing vintage, it is not like you're going to change anything with the club. The course really is the test though isn't it? I've had clubs never perform on the range that were money on course, and vice-versa...

[Kirasdad]

Does anyone think there is a difference between evaluating modern clubs vs vintage clubs?

 

My sense is that hickory clubs would naturally be worked with longer. They are not so easily obtained, so I would tend to work with them.

 

Second would be persimmon woods. I tend to give them more grace.

 

Last would be modern clubs. Metal woods seem to be easier for me to evaluate quicker. Quite often I have hit a modern club and just thought "blech", and didn't go further with it. But that's just me.

 

And finally, I think back in the day people bought clubs and adapted to them, so they just kept them. Or am I wrong about that.

Curious...

 

That's a good point about hickory. I have played a good bit of hickory, a lot of it competitive and well...you have to tee off with something don't you? I went through a half a dozen tee clubs (mostly brassies, but a couple of drivers) and used several of them for months at a time that I didn't really like, but had no choice. Either that, or tee off with a midiron. A couple of years ago at Mid Pines I bought a club from a guy the day of the practice round that I knew wasn't a long term keeper but I hit it in play over two hundred yards most of the time, and even though I hit it really low, it was better than what I had, so I went with it. Sold it on eBay a few months later and got my money back. I finally bought a Tad Moore repro driver that I like a lot. I prefer authentic, but hard to find a good one. So yes in the hickory world you often have to "work with what you have".

[deetsal]

Anyone that keeps a club for more then one bad hit is crazy. One bad shot and into the lake it goes, I know it could not be my fault. Just look at my perfect finishing position to your left. :)

[Fellaheen51]

There is a direct formulamatic correlation between how much I paid for a club(s) and the time allocated for evaluation.

 

Increase K_$= longer eval_M. (Where K = capital outlay, M = admitting to a mistake.)

[HoganApexBlades]

Anyone that keeps a club for more then one bad hit is crazy. One bad shot and into the lake it goes, I know it could not be my fault. Just look at my perfect finishing position to your left. :)

That reminds me of the tag I saw on a set of irons at the thrift store. It read, "3-pw, missing 6 iron. Thrown in lake."

 

Doug,

 

That was a good one!

[Swoosh-Thud]

One swing. I either love it or hate it.

 

With the driver if it doesn't pipe one down the middle with a baby draw on the first swing it'll be gone. Works 100%.

 

I'm not shaft sensitive at all and in my irons and can go from (original) Rifles to TCs, to Px, to whatever Ping flavor zz65 etc, to Kuro Kage, to recoil to Monaco back to back to back with a head I like. Same with fw. But the driver has always been finicky.

 

But one swing is all it takes to know if you have a good club in your hands.

[BIG STU]

For me it can be complicated. First off it absolutely has to appeal to my eye. Ok if it passes that it goes to the range. Now I may need to make some adjustments like lead tape for weight. Any other adjustments it has to go to my shop. If I end up liking it on the range it goes into the bag for one of my practice rounds. If it passes there it may go into the line of fire or sometimes it gets put into reserve. Vintage stuff if I like it I will take it on the course if it hits good it gets another outing if it does not it goes back in the building for trade or just sit. I sorta get on a whim with vintage stuff like select a set of irons and then wedges and then putter. Then go to the woods. I have so much vintage stuff I like that it is fun to switch around. Sometimes my biggest decision of the day is what set of irons to play and then the rest of the clubs. Now if it is the mode for money and the point of when the tailgate drops and the BS stops then it is the clubs in my signature

[jslane57]

For me it can be complicated. First off it absolutely has to appeal to my eye. Ok if it passes that it goes to the range. Now I may need to make some adjustments like lead tape for weight. Any other adjustments it has to go to my shop. If I end up liking it on the range it goes into the bag for one of my practice rounds. If it passes there it may go into the line of fire or sometimes it gets put into reserve. Vintage stuff if I like it I will take it on the course if it hits good it gets another outing if it does not it goes back in the building for trade or just sit. I sorta get on a whim with vintage stuff like select a set of irons and then wedges and then putter. Then go to the woods. I have so much vintage stuff I like that it is fun to switch around. Sometimes my biggest decision of the day is what set of irons to play and then the rest of the clubs. Now if it is the mode for money and the point of when the tailgate drops and the BS stops then it is the clubs in my signature

i like this. If a club really looks good, and it is one you've wanted, you do everything to make it work. But I'd guess like many posters, you know if it needs tweaking after just a few shots...

[BIG STU]

For me it can be complicated. First off it absolutely has to appeal to my eye. Ok if it passes that it goes to the range. Now I may need to make some adjustments like lead tape for weight. Any other adjustments it has to go to my shop. If I end up liking it on the range it goes into the bag for one of my practice rounds. If it passes there it may go into the line of fire or sometimes it gets put into reserve. Vintage stuff if I like it I will take it on the course if it hits good it gets another outing if it does not it goes back in the building for trade or just sit. I sorta get on a whim with vintage stuff like select a set of irons and then wedges and then putter. Then go to the woods. I have so much vintage stuff I like that it is fun to switch around. Sometimes my biggest decision of the day is what set of irons to play and then the rest of the clubs. Now if it is the mode for money and the point of when the tailgate drops and the BS stops then it is the clubs in my signature

i like this. If a club really looks good, and it is one you've wanted, you do everything to make it work. But I'd guess like many posters, you know if it needs tweaking after just a few shots...

Yep sometimes I can static swing it or even pick it up and know like it needs more weight for me. Just my uncanny sense of natural feel