What worked for you to stop buying stuff all the time?

[AdExec]

I ran out of bags to fill for now…..but Im debating a Mackenzie bag for range/walking  so it will obviously need its own full set to fill it if I pull the trigger. I have several sets of blades and PXG Gen 4 0311P as my main set. Thinking t100 or TC201 for the next set. 

[Mrgreen36]

Teenage kids?  

[NZ315]

I thought I buy quite a bit of golf stuff. But there is a lot of people on here that buy a crazy amount of clubs. I thought I had a problem then I started following I here more. Some peeps are crazy with gear! 
being on here helped me feel better about my golf purchases. 
Nothing is going to stop me from buying stuff but now I don’t think I buy too much lol.

[ezpz]

Getting fit and just realizing that trying the same model in 5 different brands isnt going to net any results. I enjoy the proces of trying to get better more than shiny stuff anyway. Last thing I bought was probably 5 yrs ago. Shiny stuff is nice but I'd much rather spend money on some kind of item that will last me a long time rather than a golfclub thats basicaly just a tool.

[wjdpar1]

Being accused of creating demo iron sets.  May be true but those 99.9% new sets sold so fast they were gone the next day.

 

Won't shop there ever again.

[NoTalentLefty]

This year is my famine year. 2500.00 last year left me thinking at 63 it ain’t helping. Also bought my dream set of irons and wedges , PXG, that cost 1800 alone. Got enough putter styles to last years.

[Dwayne Williams]

Over the years I have battled a significant issue with buying golf clubs. It started with going to the local Goodwills and thrift stores and finding deals. It was fun because I could try out all sorts of golf clubs and if I didn't like them, I could sell them for a profit. In the beginning, I wasn't losing any money, I was actually making money. That's how I justified it. Then I turned to eBay. The purchase price was considerably more expensive and if I didn't keep the clubs I resold them at times breaking even, sometimes for a loss. I've gone through hundreds of sets of irons, dozens of drivers, and last year, I went through too many putters to count. I wasn't even certain as to what I was looking for. This winter, my objective was to stop this cycle. I decided that I would buy a set of my favorite clubs and that would be it. After my purchase, I closed my eBay and OfferUp accounts. I stopped frequenting Goodwill, thrift stores, Play-it-Again Sports, Dicks, Golf Galaxy, and the PGA Superstore. I had to stop watching YouTube channels like Stacked Golf, The Vintage Golfer, Club Champion, etc. It hasn't been easy. I have had some moments of weakness. For instance, I was wasting time and I decided to go into a Goodwill. I saw a set of clubs, nothing special, but they were $1.99 per club; full set, 2-PW with graphite shafts and good grips. I picked them up and walked back and forth in the store putting them back and then picking them up again. If I had bought them, I wasn't sure what I would do with them. Eventually, I left the store without them, but I was embarrassed by the mental struggle I experienced. So far, I still have the set of clubs I started the year with. My goal is to not buy another club unless something breaks. My hope is that I can get through an entire season and the urge to switch or buy clubs will subside. There really is no good reason to buy anything else. All of my clubs are in great condition and they are my favorite picks of all of the clubs that I have tried over the years. I have no good excuse if I relapse. All I can say is the struggle is real. 

[nitram]

I figured out what suits me and best fits my swing. So in essence I stopped blaming it on the "arrow".

[nsxguy]

1 hour ago, Dwayne Williams said:

I've gone through hundreds of sets of irons,

 

"Hundreds" ? 

 

May I ask how long you've been playing ? TIA

[kwcsports]

I retired so I'm going to play more and buy and try less.

Only purchase is an electric push cart 👍

[Mych]

Buying our "grown up" house and deciding the garage wouldn't look like a sporting goods store. Big purge and haven't bought much in the last 3 years. 

 

Also had to stop thinking about how much my clubs are "worth" and be willing to let them go cheaper in exchange for some sanity. 

[njmack]

Oddly enough, buying an older set of irons lol

 

On a lark, I picked up a set of rac lt's just b/c I wanted to game them when I was a kid. I hit them every bit as good the i230s I was playing, just weaker lofts. Even then, I'm only seeing about a 1/2 club difference. Sold the Pings and I've been less interested ever since... hopefully it lasts!

[Kacy]

3 kids in daycare will help you stop buying lol

 

but on a serious not finding a set of irons that I have confidence in ended a 5-6 year streak of switching. Srixon z785s have been in the bag since 2020 and I truly have no desire to switch. They are consistent and feel great. That’s all I want.

[lefthack]

It's a combination of finding what I like and supporting a small company at the same time. I'm still buying stuff now and again just for fun, but my bag has been pretty much set going on 2 years now. I will add a 5 wood once one is available.

 

I had some trade in credits, so I got a stealth 2 for fun. It will likely be on the BST forum in a week. 😛

[Hawkeye77]

LOL, hundreds of sets - not.

 

Like @nitram above, I don't blame the clubs for my game but . . . . . I love trying new sticks!  Just to get in some swings before a clinic with Monte a week ago I set up a "fitting" which . . . .  turned into a fitting, haha.  My wife asked me this week if I'd ordered a driver --- I said "no".  A few minutes later she suggested maybe she wasn't as specific or as general as she needed to be, haha.  I've never owned a Mizuno club, which is a little surprising in hindsight, so I guess that will be rectified with 7 of them.

[Dwayne Williams]

5 hours ago, nsxguy said:

 

"Hundreds" ? 

 

May I ask how long you've been playing ? TIA

I've been playing for about 20 years. But I used to buy golf clubs from thrift stores sometimes a few times a week. I would try them and either keep them or sell them. I've gone through a lot of clubs. 

[CROUSE99]

Going broke works.

[95124hacker]

Not wanting to be viewed as a hoarder is enough incentive for me. I like to tinker as much as anyone but there’s a practical limit I won’t cross.

[msg]

I built an older set of 2016 model driver and woods and irons and wedges except the putter. Put them in play a few months ago. Shot the same scores as I would with my newer clubs. I even broke 80 once in the 1 month I was playing them. I know that, that will be the case because I have been playing some very odd clubs in my sim and I play the same course all the time, so I know my tendencies and distances indoors and they are pretty close to real life, even shorter by 10 yards or so because of the software. I know what my scoring range will be indoors so that makes it interesting when I try different kinds of clubs and setups. I have been playing old clubs, minimalist sets, odd or even numbered irons, no driver or no woods or hybrids or long irons as the longest clubs in the same sim when it's winter and I tend to get the same scoring range over and over again. Heck I even tried my wife's clubs. l even played a set that are three inches shorter than the normal length of clubs from driver down to the wedge. I used some iron set from 2001 and they were 1 club shorter as expected because of the lofts. Scores did not differ from my regular clubs, all withing striking distance. 

 

Then I went on a fitting session and gained very little improvement. Maybe because it was not Ian Fraser from TXG golf who did the fitting or there are not reputable fitters in my area or maybe there are but I am just too cheap to spend a lot for a whole set of new clubs?

 

I got tired of all the process and I know anyway that I probably will shoot the same scores even if I use some older clubs in real life anyway and went on to buy the actual clubs that I have been wanting to buy for a long time. This time I know that this purchase will not impact my score but it will make me "happy" because these are the clubs that I really want to use and look at when they are in my bag. I am at peace now with the reality that I will never be able to go or afford a tour level fitting and make considerable gains. That I will just be posting the same scores regardless if I used 2024 or 2001 clubs. I have finally accepted that truth. 

 

I have not bought new clubs or used in the last 2 days. I think this is gonna be it for me. 😅

 

 

[soap1984]

Have kids, or if you have kids already, have more kids or get a dog. Basically, find something else to drain your money supply and if you have a ton of money, well it isn't really a problem to buy tons of gear!

[goalie]

Some lessons and finally, after decades, having a repeatable swing, has greatly reduced the club ho-ing for me.  

 

Now, that said, I did give my son my old Tour Edge clubs that I used at my lake place, so I am contemplating what irons I should get (I have enough "spare" hybrids and woods) to keep at the cabin.  

[MelloYello]

I realized several years ago that the more one plays, the less one worries about equipment...

 

...and the more one sits at home watching & discussing equipment, the more they shop. 

 

 

That revelation helped me separate my consumerist impulses from my actual love of golf. Once you realize those are 2 totally separate things, you can control your thoughts & actions a bit better when you're not playing.

 

It's easier to realize when you're getting into the shopper mood and stop it before it goes too far. In fact, you probably shouldn't ever be 'browsing for the heck of it.' That has nothing to do with golf and everything to do with boredom. So either go play golf or find something else to do. 

 

Shopping for equipment is not a replacement for playing and shopping as a hobby can become a real problem (as some here have described). 

 

And finally, if you're insistent on spending money on your golf lifestyle, it doesn't have to be on equipment:

 >  Patronize your local Club.

 >  Flesh out your wardrobe with clothes & shoes.

 >  Purchase interesting stuff like an electric trolley.

 >  Plan a golf trip.

 

There are tons of ways to spend money in fun and interesting ways that don't involve just buying equipment which isn't likely any different than what you already have. 

 

 

.

Edited March 11 by MelloYello

[jholz]

Learning how to do club work at home - mainly regripping - has helped to curb my desires for new stuff. It also helps that I can't afford much. 

 

But, a new set of Crosslines is only about $70. Changing them out kills a couple of hours. 

 

And, with new grips, every old club feels new again. 

Edited March 11 by jholz

[North Butte]

As others have said, the cure for spending too much time and money buying golf "stuff" is to play more golf. Unfortunately for a lot of folks, playing more golf isn't really an option. I can see how buying clubs and stuff is a way of (slightly) scratching the golf itch regularly when you can only get the course to play once in a while. 

 

Fortunately for me, over the years I've gradually been able to play more golf to the point where I can avoid the buying urge for months at a stretch now. I think when I do (occasionally) buy a new set or irons or something it's mostly out of habit, after doing the club-ho thing on a regular basis for so many years. 

 

I always joke to my wife there are only two things that make me want new clubs. If I'm playing really bad I want to get rid of the old ones and replace them. Or if I'm playing really good I want to celebrate by treating myself to new equipment. Good thing I play mediocre most of the time!

[Judge440]

Nothing.  I don't fight it.  I just try to not have too much extra crap on hand and piling up.  

[oskaru]

A girlfriend who started questioning the number of parcels being delivered to our mailbox.

[kamaaina1]

Never stopped... Either new equipment, apparel, accessories, etc. 

  Embrace the disease... 😵‍💫  

[Snikers]

I decided to finally get fit for clubs instead of buying something new every couple weeks off FB marketplace and tinkering on my own. I tried a bunch of stuff last year, but my handicap only went up lol. I still plan on messing around with new things, but I'll be limiting that to only putters, and never have more than two at a time. @North Butte and @MelloYello are on to something though, the more I play the less I actually care about what I'm playing with. 

Edited March 11 by Snikers

[Joselo]

my 3 wood has been sitting unused in my bag for a long time due to my lack of skill to hit a proper shot with it.... could not get it airborne for the life of me

recent swing change has made me flush it now

 

deciding if i need a 5 wood now that i hit the 3 so much better

 

sometimes playing better doesn't help 😁

[Catrick_Pantlay]

On 3/10/2024 at 10:59 AM, kwcsports said:

I retired so I'm going to play more and buy and try less.

Only purchase is an electric push cart 👍

They are the best. A complete game changer