Why do we collectively continue to buy new drivers each year?

[Hawkeye77]

Rick “shields” —- lol. 
 

Few buy new drivers every year. 
 

 

[SylvesterLundgren]

Honestly i think it’s based off of a blend of two perspectives 

More money than talent

feel

 

lol there’s probably more specific idiosyncrasies but IMO those are the biggest 

[cardoustie]

Retail therapy

 

its always the arrow, not the Indian ... and a magic stick may exist for your game

[clinkinfo]

4 hours ago, L29 said:

The answer to the OP’s question is because golf and golf equipment can be one’s passionate hobby just like collecting stamps, tweaking out muscle cars, or fly fishing.

In terms of practicality, did you really need that upgraded tranny or 1000$ fly fishing reel?  Of course not,  but as long as it’s your disposable income and you gain enjoyment from it, then more power to you.  I think most everyone on this board knows by now you can’t buy a competent golf game through equipment alone. 

 

ah, but there’s the point exactly!  The upgraded tranny makes you faster at the drag strip or track.  The upgraded fishing rod is probably lighter and does something for you (i don’t know fishing well).  BUT the new drivers aren’t physically doing anything for us!  They are just different colors.  No one is spending  $1000 on rods or trannys to change the color and not get any performance gains.  Why are we?

[clinkinfo]

21 minutes ago, cardoustie said:

Retail therapy

 

its always the arrow, not the Indian ... and a magic stick may exist for your game

but with launch monitors, fittings, and YouTube reviewers we KNOW it’s not a better arrow???  Yet we still throw cash at it? Seems a bit disconnected, kinda more like a “fashion” upgrade, not an equipment upgrade.  And maybe that’s why there are sooooo many Nike shoes on the BST now?  Maybe golf has a “current fashion” component to it now.

[bogeypro]

5 hours ago, clinkinfo said:

 

So as golf enthusiasts we likely realize that driver technology is maxed out, and every new driver right now is simply a different color and shape, and really doesn’t offer performance differences from the prior model.  Somewhere inside I think we know that’s true, especially those of us that objectively test on launch monitors a lot.  

 

Plus, With YouTube comparisons all over the place, you’d THINK we would easily see and understand that there’s nothing in the new models.  I think Rick shields has said “well, there’s nothing really in it” about a hundred times already this pre-season in his comparison reviews.  Callaway, cobra, ping.....it doesn’t matter.  Every comparison video shows the same thing, the exact same performance between the old and new models.  

 

Yet, we as a community keep spending money buying up the newest ones.

 

Why?  Why aren’t we changing our buying behaviors when we know the newest model isn’t going to give us anything new in performance? 

Because I like shiney new things.

[clinkinfo]

14 minutes ago, bogeypro said:

Because I like shiney new things.

i think some of us might have more respect for the manufacturer’s marketing teams if they simply said “‘this one is shiney and new” instead of making more stupid performance claims that EVERY reviewer instantly discredits (albeit with very careful language as to not tick off the ones giving them the stuff to review)

[DLiver]

I am lucky enough to belong to a club where the majors OEMs have demo days every year. If a driver gets a lot of hype, I may try it out head to head with my gamer. Most of the time, my gamer is at least as good and often better. Every once in a while, a new driver will show some promise. The last time that happened was with the Epic Subzero. It produced several more mph of ball speed than my gamer regardless of where I hit it on the face. Though the years, I've seen that the latest and greatest is usually just the latest. 😉

[Myherobobhope]

id still be playing my cobra ltd pro that I bought used if I hadn’t won a driver.

 

honestly, I think the real question is how many golfers actively pursue improvement?

 

I don’t play golf with a ton of people who get better year over year... they usually hit the range and whack balls and then play on the weekends... every few years they change equipment.

 

people who buy drivers every year aren’t chasing better golf, so the drivers not being better doesn’t matter. 
 

 

[shoot4par]

People seldom do anything out of necessity. They don't need a new car but they want one. People are materialistic for all sorts of reasons. Golfers are no different. 

[caniac6]

I am using a Ping G400 max that replaced a Ping G20 that replaced a Ping G5. Not every year for me.

[ChipNRun]

7 hours ago, clinkinfo said:

Yet, we as a community keep spending money buying up the newest ones.

 

Not sure I follow your logic. Do some golfers within the WRX community buy drivers each year? Yes.

 

But, does the entire community population buy a driver each year? No.

 

In my case, since 2008 my drivers have lasted about four years before being replaced. And since 2015 most changes have been due to me getting older and needing a lighter shaft and a bit more loft.

 

And, the actual sales figures are inflated by people who go through two or three drivers a season, and sell each one before they learn how to use it. (People trying to buy a game.)

[Pearson10M]

I like new toys.  I have infinite amounts of money.  I get fitted and buy a new set of clubs for every round I play and then as I am walking off the 18th, post on eBay and head to the golf store for another fitting and set of clubs.  As I head to the store, I look at videos from golf experts Shiels, Crossfield, and Newton's website and what is new and hot.  I easily get board with stuff and always want something different and I want to keep as many people employed as I can with my spending practice.  

Unfortunately, the second part of my story is a lie, having infinite money, making the rest of the story total nonsense.

 

 

[tatertot]

I played an Adams Fast11 driver from the year it came out until last year ... and I tried to replace it almost every year. Finally replaced it with a TaylorMade that wasn't really better, just not any worse. I just got sick of looking at the Adams.

 

Basically, we all have issues.

[ZAP]

I would say there are a few reasons for this.  Here's a few I can think of right now.

 

1.  People trying to buy a game

2.  People play golf for fun and having new stuff is fun.

3.  Cause stuff

4.  Cool new headcovers

5.   They like spending money foolishly

 

I am sure there are more.  

[bnperrone]

Shoot, several of my favorite drivers only went out of the bag because they cracked. Original Great Big Bertha Ruger head 8.5, an R510 tp my brother built and gave me, and a Callaway FT-5. I wasn't looking to move on from any of them, and I had a really great fitting for my current G410LST. I don't expect to replace it anytime soon.

[A.Princey]

I tried the Sim and a few new offerings last week, not impressed beyond what I already bag. Glad that I have two identical backup heads for my M2 12*, one still in plastic!

[mogc60]

For me it’s simple...I love golf equipment and I love the process of tinkering with my equipment. I get bored playing the same thing. I hold onto what works and sell if I’m not in love with it. But I love the search. Wedges and putter I don’t change often and irons that are dialed in will stay a bit longer but I cheat on my woods very often. I’ve never been loyal to my woods...I enjoy trying new ones way too much. 

[iNeedMoreGolf]

Because i have 74 yards and straightness to gain duhh! Not to mention where else should my money go? A house? Pffft.

Edited March 15, 2021 by iNeedMoreGolf
..

[Quasimoto]

I used to buy 2 or 3 drivers every year.

Quit that a few years ago and played the Srixon z785 from release until this season.

I have a Callaway Epic Speed. Not because I need one, but the shape, size and look at address please me.

If it doesn’t perform for me I’ll change the shaft and if that doesn’t do it I will buy a new Srixon.

Only because it gives me enjoyment to play new equipment.

[dodgyman]

For me it was simple. 2 years of hard work and lessons have changed my swing to the point that my previous driver was no longer optimal, even with loft adjustment because of how the face would sit.

 

The last 4 times in 8 years before that… umm I like shiny new things, but I swear this is the last one…

[95124hacker]

FOMO (fear of missing out). We see PGA Tour pros hit it farther & straighter than we can imagine, then read in this forum average Joe’s having success with their new driver. Newer must be better is what guys latch onto.

[Tim Sherwood]

I think the majority of people don't buy a new driver every year. The sales figures just reflect how many people wanted that particular driver - they may have had their old driver 2,3,4 or even 20 years before they bought the current years model. At the courses I play regularly, it's very rare to see the latest releases in anyone's bag. It's not like there was a year zero in which we all started with the same driver, so people's upgrading habits can't really be measured in any meaningful way. In my experience, the new driver every year gang are a very small minority of golfers.

Edited March 15, 2021 by Tim Sherwood

[Guy In Lyon]

I'm averaging a new driver every 8-10 years or so, and I seem to be quite happy buying the previous generation's Super Club on sale just after the newest generation is announced.

[Ryan19jwu]

Because money and hobbies are different to all people. If you have the money and enjoy buying clubs every two weeks, go nuts. 
 

Will it fix your game? Nope. Will a new knife make you a better cook? New car make you get to work on time? New gym membership get you in better shape than the old one? New wife get less mad about new clubs? All are a no for me Bob. 
 

I like me some new irons and drivers every few years. I’ve gone from a 23cap to an 8 in the last 3 years.  Not a single club in the bag is the same...chicken or egg? I also started taking lessons......Clubs or lessons....guess we’ll never know. 😂
 

 

[aquapig]

17 hours ago, cgasucks said:

Because some people with more money than brains like to buy shiny new things and play what the pros play on TV.

Ding ding ding

[jmevox]

Same reason half the guys on here have 300+ dollar 3 woods and never take them out of the bag

[MSB]

16 hours ago, cardoustie said:

Retail therapy

 

its always the arrow, not the Indian ... and a magic stick may exist for your game

 

This. Winter sucks and it feels good to buy things sometimes.

[me05501]

21 hours ago, Radeon962 said:

I buy new “used” so that I can sell last years model hopefully before the price drops too much.  Similar to phones.  I buy outright every year and sell my previous Gen iPhone even though it does everything I need just fine.

 

I lose a bit on these types of transactions but when you spread the cost over the year it really is a minimal cost to play/use what I want for the year.

 

 

16 hours ago, jvincent said:

 

Up here Golftown has a trade-in event which essentially let's you pick up the new model for about $150 CDN if you trade in last year's model. Not a terrible burden financially.

 

I always buy used clubs, but I can't refute the logic in these approaches. It's basically like leasing a car versus buying one. If you accept that you will want what's new and shiny every year, and you keep your clubs in good condition, you can trade up every March and probably reduce your cost of ownership to about $150-200 per season. 

 

I buy a 2-3 year old driver every season or two. This approach *feels* wiser to me but it's more or less the same. I spend $200-225 on a driver that will depreciate just as fast as a brand new one. My drivers are worth maybe $100 when I'm ready to move on so my cost of ownership is roughly the same as the guy who trades in every year. The only difference is that I never made the initial purchase of $500 or whatever to get in the game. 

 

My favorite foursome includes my Rogue SZ, a new Epic Speed, an M4 12* and some old Ping, maybe a G30. The flights look different for sure but the end results are similar on most holes. The guy playing the Ping bought his entire bag from the guy with the M4, sight unseen. He recently came back to the game and plays pretty well even though he didn't choose a single one of his clubs. He might as well be playing a rental set. 😄

Edited March 15, 2021 by me05501

[RacineBoxer]

FOMO is a big one. 

 

I'm playing a 2014 Cobra BioCell driver (that I bought new but one year old in 2015) and I tried to replace it with a Mavrik last year through a fitting at a demo day. Couldn't beat it. 

 

Now I'm going into 2021 with the same thought process- I need to go get fitted because these new drivers just HAVE to be a TON better than my 2014 Cobra... right? Based on the data I've seen... I doubt it. I mean, Rick Shiels just did a 5 year test with most major brands a year or two ago, he was swinging then around 111-112 and he's still swinging 111-112 in 2021, and the distances he's getting are really close to the same. And the BioCell was already known to have the weight low and back, so I doubt how much more forgiving/stable the new ones are. A little I'm sure... but $500-600 worth?