What brand are you most averse to and why? ***No Politics***

[calfan36]

The only brand I have like a mental aversion to is Titleist because they've historically been like Apple, a few years behind on tech while charging a premium price thru their image. Don't like that. 

 

Other than that I'll play anything if it suits my eye and I like it. 

[mogc60]

I haven’t even looked at a Titleist golf club in 15 years. If a buddy has them I don’t even look at them.  The whole company image just rubs me wrong and it always has. Then again I’ve always rooted for the underdog and my golf loyalties have normally gone to the smaller companies. 

[wjdpar1]

PXG and Cobra.

[BTmizuno1983]

Callaway, callaway, callaway.

 

they always looked clunky and gimmicky to me.  Similar to a swag headcover:)

[HellaWedges]

Puma... no real reason..

[SCOTT4099]

Titleist Titleist Titleist. Back when  I used to sell golf equipment, the air of arrogance of the acushnet execs and reps had when they came around to their accounts, was unmatched. Cleveland and ping guys were always humble and appreciated that we sold their stuff. Titleist would walk In and tell us if we wanted their balls we had to order irons,  gloves, hats, umbrellas etc. which back then their were a lot more golf companies around. I am talking mid 90s. Cobra, Callaway, Mizuno  and ping were the top irons then. 
 

So, I avoid titleist for just that reason. Never sat well. 
 

*I do think they make quality gear though, I just won’t use it. * 

 

*not knocking anyone who does! Just my .02

[vman]

Ping. Used them for years then started having issues  with shafts snapping, driver heads flying off, CTP inserts flying out, bubbling finish on irons. Switched to Srixon and zero issues in 7 years.

[Tim Schoch]

I'm a longtime Ping guy, had many sets, never had anything happen. However, I will say, looking at the used equipment on the bay, I see a lot of missing Custom Tuning Ports.  

 

When Callaway came out with "Jailbreak" that jumped the shark for me. Bad enough the Ben Hogan line was cheapened, but the advertising jargon they and others want us to swallow is just silly, and Callaway has the sleaziest (and smartest) writers, along with new models every year that miraculously keep getting better and better, but they never admit that made a mistake the year before.  (All brands do that).

 

Titleist, however, wins the worst brand for me. To me (and I'm a marketing guy) they have not differentiated themselves from the pack, even though they have the #1 ball that is used by professional players, who are, probably, being paid to play them.  (Snell, BTW, rocks.)  Otherwise, I just don't like their style and looks. Subjective, yes, but when I hit a Titleist and then a Mizuno or pure a PING, it is night and day. Titleist can stay in the dark, IMO.   

[ssf301]

Taylormade.  Often seems like they value style over substance.

[mguhler]

On 2/25/2021 at 7:39 PM, jjfcpa said:

Currently, I'd have to say TaylorMade.  I've tried there clubs and they just didn't work for me.

Cobra. Every time I try, they look awful and perform poorly.

[lvgolfer962]

Cleveland 

 

[bnperrone]

Cobra came out with the whole offset driver trend in the 90s and at that point I already moved the ball about a mile right to left. I just don't know if I can look at the brand the impartially.

[Stinger83]

Callaway - although they have been getting better recently. 

 

Not a fan of the > alignment aid they use - it's the same it was in the 90's and it just cheapens the look of their woods for me. 

 

I have really liked some of their irons but some of the badging and "looks" are a little over the top for me. But I did love their MB's and wedges. 

[Fairways_and_Greens]

5 hours ago, Tim Schoch said:

I'm a longtime Ping guy, had many sets, never had anything happen. However, I will say, looking at the used equipment on the bay, I see a lot of missing Custom Tuning Ports.  

 

When Callaway came out with "Jailbreak" that jumped the shark for me. Bad enough the Ben Hogan line was cheapened, but the advertising jargon they and others want us to swallow is just silly, and Callaway has the sleaziest (and smartest) writers, along with new models every year that miraculously keep getting better and better, but they never admit that made a mistake the year before.  (All brands do that).

 

Titleist, however, wins the worst brand for me. To me (and I'm a marketing guy) they have not differentiated themselves from the pack, even though they have the #1 ball that is used by professional players, who are, probably, being paid to play them.  (Snell, BTW, rocks.)  Otherwise, I just don't like their style and looks. Subjective, yes, but when I hit a Titleist and then a Mizuno or pure a PING, it is night and day. Titleist can stay in the dark, IMO.   

That's funny. I think jailbreak has been incredible at retaining ball speed all over the face.

[5 O'Clock Charlie]

Titleist. No brand screams "snob-o-torium" more then they do. Jim Nance can go pound sand too.

[ShAMbotay]

I'm usually averse to anything overpopular, so the big 3 for the most part are out for me. I make exception to Callaway drivers, because their hosel adapter is objectively the best in the industry. I also swear by vernier hyper acuity, and I make more putts with the triple track balls.

 

Titleist isn't completely out either, since I use a 2014 scotty cameron golo 3, which I bought after I bought the custom weights I found by chance on amazon.😳

[Yoshifan151]

Scotty Cameron. 

[mat562]

Callaway.

 

'Everyone had a Big Bertha,' they say. Not me. Their watermelon-on-a-bamboo-cane looked, sounded and felt hideous, and everything they've made since has never floated my boat. Additionally, the whole mardy nonsense over golf balls when they tried to buy their way into the ball market and ended up whinging at Titleist because they didn't initially succeed totally turned me off the brand.

 

I used to like Cobra - I've got a set of Norman blades and a few other clubs - but they lost me when they changed their marketing strategy to making everything in their lineup appeal to highfalutin posers on cocaine and Instagram. I don't know what their target demographic is now, but it's not me.

 

Edited March 10, 2021 by mat562

[BallerNate]

38 minutes ago, mat562 said:

they lost me when they changed their marketing strategy to making everything in their lineup appeal to highfalutin posers on cocaine and Instagram.

Haha...why don’t you tell us how you really feel? 🤣🤣

[mat562]

Oh, also PXG.

 

As a retired naval officer I like the idea that the CEO's a veteran and is pro-military. It's a fine gesture, and demonstrates some corporate vibes that I'm on board with. The whole branding just doesn't gel with me though. It's too loud, ostentatious and... Bomb Squad Golf-y. And the prices... Blimey. Even with a military discount, which I wouldn't get, as I served in the wrong country's forces, I'm not paying that for a set of posh Ping S59 Tours with weird, ugly screws in the back.

 

Ping also do discounts for veterans and their kit and shtick is solid, long-lasting and dependable, but with a utilitarian, unfussy vibe; not a pretentious, 'look at me' branding. Sorry, Bob. I'm out. My bank manager confirms it.

 

A whole bag PXG player, off an 18 handicap, earlier this week: 

 

 

Edited March 10, 2021 by mat562

[ssfranny]

On 2/25/2021 at 6:48 PM, me05501 said:

Wilson, probably. The whole Fat Shaft thing was an affront to my delicate sensibilities. 

agree never had a wilson club likely never will

[me05501]

Honestly I can’t see myself ever using a Scotty Cameron putter. There’s such an odd dynamic around them, IMO. Collectibles for grown men, too much awkward fanboying, etc. There’s just a creepy image around the whole Scotty is God thing. 
 

I fell down a YouTube rabbit hole once where I saw all these videos from one of those conventions where Scotty was holding court and all the participants were hanging on his every word. It was like a Scientology recruitment seminar or something. 
 

I’ve gotten the same vibe from other manufacturer’s conventions, like the ones they have for PRS guitars. It’s weird and gross. Not for me. 

[me05501]

Some of the various brand perceptions here are definitely focus-group worthy!

 

My friend just went through a driver fitting and he said that each golf brand reminded him of certain car brands, some of which turned him off. He said the new SIM2 drivers reminded him too much of BMW. Weird!

 

I think the smartest thing Titleist has ever done is to stick with that classy, simple but totally iconic script logo. There’s really nothing to it, but it touches something deep inside a lot of players. IMO Callaway’s original Old English style script logo was an attempt toward the same credibility. 

[Slanginit]

*Not by revenue, but by brand recognition relevance, unscientifically:

 

All of the big boys have their thing with all of us (Ping, Titleist, TM, Cally), then there are the middle sized boys (Cobra, PXG, Srixon).  Then you got the small boys (Sub70, New Level, & kits like Maltby).  To each their own.  
 

However, with some mention in this thread, but not much, what about Hammer, Alien, Sqairz, and other garbage?  Why no aversion to these companies?  How do they still stick around this long?  People can’t be buying this stuff.

[ShakeyT]

Callaway. Over-selling their "tech" to an uneducated public. Basically took Taylormade's schtick from the era where they made outrageous, unsubstantiated marketing claims about improvements every year.

Ball that changed the ball.... Get outta here.

[AmazinBlue]

If most adverse to equals companies I won't even try on demo days, it would PXG, XXIO and Titleist.  PXG is elitist crap, XXIO seems to be for rich people who think it's "cool" to be seen on a golf course and Titleist because I haven't liked anything they have made since the 962 irons that should have been forged and they would have been the best cavity back ever made.

 

I have purchased custom fit PING irons twice and they just don't work for me.

 

I never thought I would,  but I have a set of Cobra Forged Tec irons on order and I think they are fantastic.

[txgolfer45]

Not averse to any brand.  If it works, I will consider it.  Historically, certain brands haven't worked for me but are still quality clubs.  Mizuno and Titleist come to mind.

[KenEvil]

Callaway - The just don't suit my eye, every club looks shut.

[Bad9]

27 minutes ago, AmazinBlue said:

 Titleist because I haven't liked anything they have made since the 962 irons that should have been forged and they would have been the best cavity back ever made.

 

I believe this was one of the models that Titleist representatives said repeatedly online(early days of online golf forums) were "too complex to be forged" which even at the time was laughable. 

[me05501]

On 3/9/2021 at 3:39 PM, Tim Schoch said:

When Callaway came out with "Jailbreak" that jumped the shark for me. Bad enough the Ben Hogan line was cheapened, but the advertising jargon they and others want us to swallow is just silly, and Callaway has the sleaziest (and smartest) writers, along with new models every year that miraculously keep getting better and better, but they never admit that made a mistake the year before.  (All brands do that).

It is funny how brands sometimes realize they’ve painted themselves into a corner they don’t want to be in. TM with the bubble shafts is one big example. 
 

Callaway used to make 100% “hosel-less” clubs. That tech made sense to me. If you could move that weight elsewhere, why wouldn’t you? It also made them different in the marketplace. At that point they were known as a dominant brand on the Senior Tour and didn’t have much PGA Tour presence. It seems like they had to go to more conventional designs to attract Tour players.