Why do you care how pretty clubs look?

[2Down]

Lot of folks thought ping isi were UGLY. I just ordered another set off the bay.  To me they look great.  And this set comes shafted with zz65 cushin.  Hope they will help with my elbow pain.  

[I'_rather_be_golfing]

Damn guys, y'all roasted the OP so bad he wont even return back to his own thread.

[GHIN n Juice]

2 hours ago, I'_rather_be_golfing said:

Damn guys, y'all roasted the OP so bad he wont even return back to his own thread.

He’s probably out trading in his Cleveland VAS irons for some new Mizunos now that he’s seen the light and become as vain as the rest of us.  He’ll be back with pics.

[Barfolomew]

On 9/29/2023 at 4:58 PM, btyh said:

Look good, play good. 

 

Or

 

If you can't play good, might as well look good doing it. 

 

Something like that. 

 

Play good... look good 🐔

[btyh]

1 minute ago, Barfolomew said:

 

Play good... look good 🐔

Unfortunately for you it will be play good... still look like barfolomew

[btyh]

1 minute ago, Barfolomew said:

 

Play good... look good 🐔

Unfortunately for you it will be play good... still look like barfolomew

[btyh]

1 minute ago, Barfolomew said:

 

Play good... look good 🐔

Unfortunately for you it will be play good... still look like barfolomew

[Barfolomew]

On 9/29/2023 at 5:23 PM, Reds said:

I look in playing partners bags all the time and regularly comment on how nice their irons or wedges are.

 

Wow... really! No you dont.... you do?  Hey man nice lookin irons... you cant hit em for stink but nice lookin 😍

[Barfolomew]

On 9/29/2023 at 6:14 PM, 1puttTUT said:

 

Aztec or Prius 😆

 

535i... functions like a car should, comfort and sport.  🍪☕ Tea and Biscuits anyone

[Barfolomew]

On 9/29/2023 at 7:56 PM, mantan said:

The first thing my fitter asks me about a club if I like how it looks.  He's a big believer that you'll never be happy hitting a club you don't like looking at...no matter how well it performs.

 

Oh your poor fitter.... He means for function, but he plays along since he knows how many are.... he means does it look good to get the job done not for date night 💋

 

 

 

Edited October 2, 2023 by Barfolomew

[Barfolomew]

On 9/30/2023 at 12:03 PM, bobfoster said:

I suppose years ago I cared (at least a little) what others thought about how my clubs looked. But age has a way of dissolving vanity. Happens gradually, like fog dissipating in the morning sun. You hardly notice it while its happening, but one day you just wake up and sort of realize you simply could no longer give a flying crap what anyone thinks about your clubs (or for that matter, your game). 

 

I certainly didn't pick my current clubs based on how they look, but I also think they look really pretty. At least they do to me, which is all that matters. But it is like relationships I've been in. Do I love her because she is beautiful, or does she become beautiful in my eyes when I love her? 

 

I play Titleist at the long end of the bag, D, FWs, & H. Mixed set of Mizuno irons. Black Miura wedges. Scotty putter. All are really good, high performance clubs. Well suited to my game, and customized to it - e.g., added +4g to my driver, the right shafts (different for different clubs), lofts/lies tuned by a fitter, different grips and number of wraps. May be one of the best, most playable sets I've ever had (I'm having one of the best seasons in a decade or so this year). I've gelled with them. Feel confidence standing over any shot - like anything I can visualize I can execute. 

 

I also happen to think they are beautiful, but that may well be a case of "she's beautiful because I love her". But beauty is also always in the eyes of the beholder anyway. I love my TSR driver. Both very forgiving, and really workable. One of the most responsive drivers I've ever played. But compared to what I see on the course these days, it is likely "boring" so far as looks go. No odd shapes, weird graphics, or lively colors. It doesn't look hot, or hip, or cutting edge. Most of its (pretty advanced) technology is hidden under the covers. It's just a plain black pear. But I think its gorgeous.

 

Oops. Off on a tangent. More to the point, I've always been puzzled by the notion that there's some sort of trade-off. That you have to pick between clubs that look great, or play great. IMO, other than at extreme ends of the spectrum, a great number of clubs do both. Even more so these days, as OEMs are paying more way attention to aesthetics than they did when I first started playing (1960s/70s). I look at the Equipment forum here, and look at people's bags on courses. New Titleist irons, Mizzys, Callaways, TMs, Srixons, you name it. A lot of them really are pretty, each in their own way. Even the sets at the "forgiving" end of the product lines. 

 

Don't think there's an either/or here. 

 

Once you find a sweet performing club they look sexy as all hell 🥰 not before

[lefthack]

[Barfolomew]

On 9/30/2023 at 4:32 PM, sailfishchris said:

So I’m guessing your karaoke night songs are Fat Bottomed Girls? Sprinkle in a little Baby Got Back? 😁

 

...my Milkshake brings all the ladies to the yard 💃

[Barfolomew]

Joined new club with lots of pretty ladies so traded in my trusty Clevelands for some Cobras.... oh yeah lookin great at the clubhouse 💪

 

 

For these...

 

 

 

[Louis_Posture]

On 9/29/2023 at 2:40 PM, Barfolomew said:

Talking prettiness not functional looks like offset.

 

Why can't you play a club with a thick top line?  Dont get when I hear it has a nice thin top line... hybrids got thick top lines and we like em lol.

 

Who cares on looks let the function sell you on using it.  All the times I've played never heard anyone comment on how nice someones clubs look just how good they might be lol

 

This goes for all sports equipment... like those people who pick a tennis racket for its cool graphics lol 🦆

 

 

 

Hybrids have a crown, not a top line.

For irons thick top lines on over size heads result in a club that is more challenging to square at impact, especially from sloped, grassy, hardpan or other less than ideal lies.

 

[Chunkitgood]

Schrodinger’s equation has to be the starting point for any discussion since it is the most firmly supported framework we have about the nature and working of reality.  Insofar as is known, evolution is the only quality that may be ascribed to reality as it exists.  All else is a creation of the human mind, which creations are governed by the evolutionary process that created the state to which we naively ascribe the existence of independently existing entities with separate identities.  Some of those pseudo entities (people) possess what may be called an aesthetic sensibility.

 

The characteristics of such a sensibility possessed by such a pseudo subject is like all else determined by evolution, and in broad terms is related to the survival value of the pseudo object under consideration.

 

When the question is the pseudo object’s value in applying force in a concentrated manner, those pseudo objects are viewed as more aesthetically pleasing which are more effective at such application, in light of their higher efficacy and hence survival value.  The sword is a more effective weapon and hence is more aesthetically pleasing (and in fact frequently has been granted vast cultural significance) than the club.

 

On the other hand, people (I’m dropping the pseudo subject/object thing for convenience) are quite rightly more afraid of a sword than a club.  The chances of and ill consequences of a mishap with a sword are both greater.  The sword is a superior method of applying concentrated force, but the club can be a more effective way of applying some degree of force over a wider area.

 

The evolutionarily determined aesthetics however do not change.

 

The value of aesthetics in the evolutionary biological process should not be underestimated.  Even “practical” people who eschew aesthetics are subject to the sway of beauty, to such a degree that they experience unease and cognitive dissonance when they ignore it, which is resolved by a heightened or even irrational adherence to their “practical” choice that motivates them to disparage the choices of others.

 

Put another way, nature has left us with a higher incentive salience for pretty clubs.

 

 

[Louis_Posture]

1 hour ago, Chunkitgood said:

 

 

 

 

The value of aesthetics in the evolutionary biological process should not be underestimated.  

 

 

Is this why there are way more cart girls than cart boys?

[KGrinols]

Because technology has plateaued nearly across the board, so there's no reason to play ugly clubs anymore.

 

If I'm paying ~1500 for a new set of irons, or 600 for a new driver, 400 for a new putter, etc... I better like the way it looks in my bag.

 

Vanity, pride, ignorance... don't know, don't care.  I treat my clubs like my car.  Sure, something uglier and cheaper can get the job done, but if it doesn't make me smile, what's the point?

 

Buy what you like, enjoy life.  It's that simple for me.  Golf or otherwise.

[Barfolomew]

21 hours ago, Chunkitgood said:

Schrodinger’s equation has to be the starting point for any discussion since it is the most firmly supported framework we have about the nature and working of reality.  Insofar as is known, evolution is the only quality that may be ascribed to reality as it exists.  All else is a creation of the human mind, which creations are governed by the evolutionary process that created the state to which we naively ascribe the existence of independently existing entities with separate identities.  Some of those pseudo entities (people) possess what may be called an aesthetic sensibility.

 

The characteristics of such a sensibility possessed by such a pseudo subject is like all else determined by evolution, and in broad terms is related to the survival value of the pseudo object under consideration.

 

When the question is the pseudo object’s value in applying force in a concentrated manner, those pseudo objects are viewed as more aesthetically pleasing which are more effective at such application, in light of their higher efficacy and hence survival value.  The sword is a more effective weapon and hence is more aesthetically pleasing (and in fact frequently has been granted vast cultural significance) than the club.

 

On the other hand, people (I’m dropping the pseudo subject/object thing for convenience) are quite rightly more afraid of a sword than a club.  The chances of and ill consequences of a mishap with a sword are both greater.  The sword is a superior method of applying concentrated force, but the club can be a more effective way of applying some degree of force over a wider area.

 

The evolutionarily determined aesthetics however do not change.

 

The value of aesthetics in the evolutionary biological process should not be underestimated.  Even “practical” people who eschew aesthetics are subject to the sway of beauty, to such a degree that they experience unease and cognitive dissonance when they ignore it, which is resolved by a heightened or even irrational adherence to their “practical” choice that motivates them to disparage the choices of others.

 

Put another way, nature has left us with a higher incentive salience for pretty clubs.

 

 

 

Well since we know this to be true....... and the fact that we're not complete morons all the time....... means we can be aware to avoid the evolutionary trap you speak of - that we will choose pretty clubs over clubs that will help us play better.... ☕🍪 tea and biscuits anyone?

[Pepperturbo]

It is not that I am incapable of playing less than pretty clubs, it is that I chose not to.  Fortunately, I have what's needed to use the clubs of my choice, and they happen to be pretty too. 

 

I learned golf using 1 & 2 irons, so long irons naturally fit and are fun for me.  When I strike a T100 or MB 3-4 iron, on the nut, there is NO feeling like it.  That feeling is worth chasing for me.  It means I am doing something right.

 

Ball striking, distance and spin control done right, my score takes care of itself.  Off a recent 390yd Par 4, hit 2 iron from the tee, and 4i to apron, baby pitch to 3', putt for par.  If I left a few strokes out there as a result of the equipment, I am good with that.  I am not looking to make any cuts on tour. 

 

Pretty is all about certain specs.  Hybrids, in my eye, look like bastardized woods and don't need their high trajectory to reach GIR.  Thick top line irons look clunky, and excessive offset distracts my intended setup focus, excessive bounce doesn't fit my swing plane; yet all of which require me to adapt to use them.  It's not my job to adjust to the clubs, it's the club's job to fit my eye and demands. 

 

When I address the ball, my conscious choices are to make sure my swing delivers the club head to the ball solidly; control the trajectory, spin and distance of my ball.

 

Pretty is NOT the reason, but it's a secondary benefit.  If others don't care about any of this, fine.  For 30+yrs I've enjoyed minimal offset and bounce, narrow soles, and sharper leading edges which equate to long-legged prettier blonde.  Even when I used player CBs, they were designed similarly pretty to blades, such as 620 CBs and now new T100 irons.  Yep, I still score with pretty.  🙂  Ask my wife…

 

 

 

Edited October 3, 2023 by Pepperturbo

[BCULAW]

My clubs are an extension of me, and I’m WAY too pretty to let ugly clubs drag me down!!  Ha ha!

 

in all seriousness, I admire irons in a way others might admire a work of art. I don’t play competitively, so I can use whatever brings me joy. A beautiful forged club brings to me a sense of the game’s traditions and lore, and adds to the overall experience. 
 

Now, there are times when I am playing poorly and I will (and do) take any help I can get, but playing well with a set that allows me to appreciate the look, feel, and performance of the clubs is part of the overall experience for me. 
 

in short, I like scoring well, but there’s more to the round than score for me on most outings. 

[JohnKHawk]

Do I care how my clubs look? Yeah initially they need to appeal to my eyes visually. Once purchased do I obsess over the appearance of them? Maybe a little...I will clean them after a round. To me they are an extension of myself like maybe your house or your car. Some people take care of there possessions & maintain them whether the reason is just pride or maybe to retain value. For me it's a little of both.

[scooterhd2]

New golfer: Buys some sexy clubs because they look good.

 

A few years later: Ok, I suck. I need some major help. Buys some ugly SGI clubs with plastic badges

 

A seasoned golfer: Still suck. Cant hit a 5 iron to save my life. might as well look good. Sir, can you point me to the blades and driving irons? Thanks. 

[raspymcnasty]

I like the look of a lot of clubs regardless of thinness of topline. 

But there is something so sexy about blades. 620 MBs and various mizunos look so damn good.