Are there really people here spending $600 on a new driver?

[wedgegame]

4 hours ago, ace919 said:

I have a theory that getting fitted clubs works against amateur players in the long term. Why would a player who is looking to improve (think mid - high HC), tailor their clubs to a swing that represents their current skill level they no longer wish to be? 

How does it work against them in the long term exactly? Can low handicappers not use GI clubs?  By your own logic the equipment doesn't matter so what are we even talking about here?

 

3 hours ago, ace919 said:

I'm aware of the alternative options. My point is I've seen far too many hacks who are in possession of The $600 Driver. That's the idea. 

 

Wait until you find out how much some people spend on head covers. 

 

Also where can one apply for a gate keeping job like yours?  Under some bridge I'd imagine.

[Tiptx1122]

What is so disappointing is how people went out and paid top dollar on PXG irons when they 1st came out and drastically the price has dropped. That would have me pretty darn upset and now they are being sold at a much lower price which tells me PXG was never worth the asking price at the beginning.
Then Callaway’s Great Big Bertha titanium irons started at $450 an iron now $250. I don’t care how much money I have or how much others have or how they spend their money I would be pretty upset with all the greed these companies have if I at first paid way more than they are actually worth. Sad to say there are some things that will never change and corporate greed is one of them

[MtlJeff]

As the great Kanye said:

 

Rain, pouring....all my clubs is foreign

all my shafts is foreign

Money tall like Jordan

[zap311]

While I wish new drivers costed less than $600, I think it's not as bad of an investment as it appears. Here is a way to think about the cost of the new driver, compared to everything else, assuming:

 

1. 3 years of use and then sell for the next (conservative, since most people keep longer)

2. 25 rounds per year

3. 14 shots per round (add one for mulligans? 😁)

 

1,050 shots in your life of owning the driver. You can likely sell a good brand driver for about $250 after 3 years (i.e. going price of Sim2). Cost per shot is $0.33, not including range time and rounds beyond 25/year. To put that in perspective, here's what you're likely spending otherwise on golf:

 

Fuel: $5-10 round trip

Greens fee: $40-100

Food & Bev: $5-25 per round

The feeling of puring your $600 driver: Priceless

Edited August 24, 2023 by zap311

[PARETO]

My takes is this. Life’s short and golf is my only real hobby / passion. If I want that newly fitted driver, I’m buying that driver. It’s just money. I’ll earn more. 
I have friends that love mountain biking. You want to see an expensive hobby? They’re dropping $10k on a bike. Then there is my brother in law. He’s not wealthy by any means but the amount of cash he spends on his 2015 M4 track car is mind boggling. But man is he quick around a track in that car. It’s his life. He loves it and we all croak sooner or later. 
A few bucks on our chosen hobbies is nothing to stress over. 
Buy the damn driver. 

[Lobby]

I’ve been retired for 15 years and I’ve seen my purchasing power decrease from my heady days in the corporate world. 
 

It’s the nature of this stage of life I’m in, I suppose. 
 

corporations know this about folks like me, and they don’t market to us. 

[kthomas]

Last driver I bought new was a Ping G30 SFT - still using it.

 

Also bought the wife a Ping G400 Max when that driver came out - she'll use that into perpetuity.

[dixiethunder]

6 hours ago, POKeefe said:

Callaway's 2x trade-in bonus is enticing when you have an iron set that's not well suited to you anymore in the backup bag...

This is the way, with a little hard work you can grab a new Paradym for under $300

[RobotDoctor]

7 hours ago, MattM97 said:

Are there really people here that worry how others spend their own money? 

Yeah, here we go again.  Who cares.  Unless someone is feeding me, funding me or f#€%!§& me I don’t care what anyone thinks.  
 

Maybe a bit harsh but who are some people so concerned what others do with their money.  Just be patient and those $600+ drivers will make it to the BST section here for a discount.  😆

[SollyinGA]

3 hours ago, miles2go said:

Depends on your budget. Golf and related equipment seem like a pretty cheap hobby compared to something like fishing (have you seen the price for a good rod and reel plus gas, insurance, maintenance and storage) or flying (repairs, fuel, insurance, training, hangar)?  Not to mention the initial asset cost. $600 for a hobby you love?  Dirt cheap.  
 

100%. I raced motocross most of my life up until about 10 years ago. Try dropping 7K on a couple of bikes each year plus the upgrades and parts. Not to mention when your kid wants to follow in your footsteps. 
 

Golf’s practically dirt cheap in comparison. Gotta live your life and enjoy it. I work hard so that I can.

Edited August 24, 2023 by SollyinGA

[sadclevelandsports]

Instead of spending $700 on getting a driver through a proper fitting, I buy and sell drivers on BST 5 times until I have a driver that kinda works for $1000 total spent.

[st1800e]

9 hours ago, tatertot said:

This will not end well ...

If it ever ends....

[Kamen]

This is a terrible troll thread. Please lock it. 

[Superscroll]

My other hobbies are sporting clays and fishing.  Golf is the most frugal thing i do for fun.  Well except for chasing my wife around the bedroom now that i'm snipped.  

Edited August 24, 2023 by Superscroll

[ShortGolfer]

15 hours ago, ace919 said:

I have a theory that getting fitted clubs works against amateur players in the long term. Why would a player who is looking to improve (think mid - high HC), tailor their clubs to a swing that represents their current skill level they no longer wish to be? 

I really small so I need clubs that are short and light.  Think -2 inches and a SW around C2.

My driver is 12* and set to 14*. I can easily set it back down if can improve my swing speed.

It is a Ladies Stealth.  From what I've hear it is a better choice for me than the new one because I can shape my driver shots, alternating between a fade, draw, and slice. 

I heard the new one is worse for shot shapers and better for those trying to fight a slice.

 

Last round I was joined by a brand new golfer who was gifted a set of old clubs.  I helped her by suggesting she use the 12* Driver instead of the 9.5 that "looked better." and have her take some good swings with it.

She was a softball player.  I think she was impressed by my golf swing. It sounded good and the ball went up high and straight!  This season, #3, I'm working on ball first contact with my irons.

Edited August 24, 2023 by ShortGolfer

[bluedot]

I’m 71 and still playing as much competitive golf as I can.  I’m not a car guy, I don’t go to Vegas; golf is what I do.  I only care what I shoot, and what I spend to get there is just part of the process, like practicing, like working with a teaching pro, like workouts, all the way down to pre-round stretches and what I eat.

 

I haven’t had a club in my bag in many, many years without data beforehand that assured me that it was an upgrade.  The Paradym driver that’s in my bag right now, and for which I paid $600, is there because I saw numbers on a monitor that told me I was going to gain vs my previous driver.  And so I have…

 

I never batted an eye about the $600, and you know what?  If I were to test another driver TODAY and see the opportunity to gain, I’d drop another $600 without a second thought.

 

And fwiw, my wife and I are both retired teachers, so it’s not like we’re made of money.  But all the way back to when I was a kid, and then a college tennis player, and then the father of a baseball player, I’ve hated the possibility that performance might be limited by equipment.  Now it’s 2023, and there is ZERO reason in golf for that to happen; dollars are just numbers.

[NoTalentLefty]

The answer in the form of a question : Is the sky blue? 

[gvogel]

I got fit for a new Titleist driver and bought it.  Then I read the Fujikura thread, and I'm looking to buy a Ventus.  So I might end up with $1,000 all told in my new driver.

 

On the other hand, the last driver that I bought was a Ping G25 in 2013, and that driver has served me well for 10 years.  At 70, I needed more loft and a softer shaft.  I should be set until I am almost 80.

[Mike_C]

Is $600 excessive?  I guess so.  Have I ever spent that much, no, but have just recently spent $350 on 2 different fairway woods, something I thought I never would do.  I was always the guy who tried to buy recent models used, or last gen marked down when the new models were released.  Last "great deal" I got was a new M2 when the M3 came out, I think they were selling them for $249.99.   I remember being shocked when TaylorMade re-released them a few years later, at the same $249.99....  And its getting harder to find good deals on used stuff now too. 

 

But I also remember when spending more than $100 on a putter was excessive, my hole bag didn't cost $600, counting the bag and pull cart, and probably shoes too.....  But everything golf is more expensive now, but I guess so is everything else.....

[boggyman]

13 hours ago, MtlJeff said:

As the great Kanye said:

 

Rain, pouring....all my clubs is foreign

all my shafts is foreign

Money tall like Jordan

You mean people actually listen to him?? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[nvr3putt]

YOLO!😀

[phizzy30]

4 hours ago, Superscroll said:

My other hobbies are sporting clays and fishing.  Golf is the most frugal thing i do for fun.  Well except for chasing my wife around the bedroom now that i'm snipped.  

The baby factory is closed and the play ground is now open.  That's what my wife's step mother said. 

[Orchardist]

Some purchase two at a time, one for the set at the club. one for the set at the second home.  And maybe a third for the travel set kept at the office or hanger.   To the idiocy of the original post..Nope, nobody purchases new current model drivers.

[Mikey_HACKilroy]

If you build it, they will buy. 😄 
 

"Too much" is a function of personal choice, but let us consider other expenditures.

We'll go spend $100 on a meal for two that we'll eat, digest, and then s*** out without giving it a second thought.

 

Conversely, we'll play golf once a week, and practice twice a week with that same driver in some percentage of total time per session. That's $3.85 per session.

So..... well..... suddenly it doesn't seem so bad. 😄

I still will buy the last generation at a discounted price, but I would be careful about calling people idiots for spending $600 on a driver, really. 😄

[SheriffBooth]

Is OP trying to make Cobra Long Tom the new Cleveland Hibore 2-wood?

[PNWGuy]

15 minutes ago, SheriffBooth said:

Is OP trying to make Cobra Long Tom the new Cleveland Hibore 2-wood?

And I thought "Cobra Long Tom" was an adult film star.

[subrew]

17 hours ago, SollyinGA said:

100%. I raced motocross most of my life up until about 10 years ago. Try dropping 7K on a couple of bikes each year plus the upgrades and parts. Not to mention when your kid wants to follow in your footsteps. 
 

Golf’s practically dirt cheap in comparison. Gotta live your life and enjoy it. I work hard so that I can.

 

Indeed.  I was road racing a Subaru STi for a couple years.  A set of $1000 Hoosier tires lasted a single weekend.  Front brake pads made it about four days, front wheel bearings lasted six days etc.  It got about 3.7mpg on track, of 100 octane.  Plus entry fees, cost to tow to the event, stay at hotel etc.  I was easily spending $2000/weekend.

 

I then "downgraded" into a vintage Formula Vee.  A set of Dunlops lasted all season, as did the brakes.  It was mostly keeping the engine oil fresh since that is the primary form of cooling.  But even then, a new set of Dunlops was $800.  Entrance fees for a weekend could be $300-600.  Plus the tow, hotel, food.  I was still spending the equivalent of $800-1,000 each event, running in 6-12 events per year.

 

I could build a custom brand new driver 10 times a year, and it would still be cheaper than what it cost me to run one of the lowest cost forms of auto racing (the Formula Vee.)  A $600 driver each year is chump change to a large group of golfers that are spending $3,000/yr for a membership at the local CC.  Or paying $50-$100 for a single round on the weekends at a nicer public course, 20-30 times a year.    

 

 

I get it, new stuff is expensive.  But we're on GolfWRX, where people should be tech-capable enough to understand the basics of fitting and building.  My current driver is a 2yo Ping G425 I picked up a few months ago for $200.  It replaced the TM M4 I was using before, that I sold locally for $160.  And I have a $400/yr membership at a local small muni course.  So I'm about as tightwad as it comes.

[shaolingolfer]

Will anyone buy $600 new driver, $4,000 for a set of Artisan iron with LA golf shaft and custom ferrule, $400,000 McLaren, $6000 Prada Purse, $100 a pound A5 Waygu, $10,000 first class suite airplane ticket to Singapore, $5000 a night hotel suite, $250,000 country club membership?

 

YES YES AND YES!

[boggyman]

Of course or they wouldn’t be on the market at that price.  Has the price of materials went up that much? Look at irons how  the price has increased over the last few years. It’s ridiculous!! 

[SollyinGA]

38 minutes ago, boggyman said:

Of course or they wouldn’t be on the market at that price.  Has the price of materials went up that much? Look at irons how  the price has increased over the last few years. It’s ridiculous!! 

You have to also throw in the money for logistics, R&D, sponsorships, graphic artist, advertising. I know it seems ridiculous, but I can somewhat see it.