06-19-07
Ah, the feeling of getting a new club is exciting. The first time out at the course there is a build up of anticipation that this is indeed the golf club that will help me lower my score. It may be a new driver, fairway wood, hybrid, putter…or whatever, there is a certain expectation that the club will perform as expected.
Golf is unique in that most average golfers are inconsistent from day to day as demonstrated by the fact the average 18-hole score on a full-size court is 97 for men and 114 for women. One time you shoot lights out, while other days you want to give up the game only to want to play
again to prove that round was a fluke. The law of averages works in mysterious ways. For instance, when trying out new custom golf club equipment, you could have either a good day or perhaps a bad day. In either case the club is evaluated based on that round. For me, I must be fortunate because new clubs generally do well the first time out - maybe because they inspire confidence or just the feeling of having something new to try. But as all golfers know that there is a honeymoon period with any club.
For some there is a 30-day rule, while others say it is closer to 45 or 60 days. Regardless, the performance needs to be based over some time and different experiences to gauge the effectiveness of your new purchase. There are others that will argue that the honeymoon period should be longer, like for a year or six month for a true evaluation. This I would have to argue about if the player had played any significant number of rounds with the product. My motto is "If it doesn’t work for you immediately, then it is probably not going to work for you at a later date."
Think about it? You go out day after day and your new custom made golf club and it just doesn't perform until you adopt a new swing path, stance or ball position in order for the results to be satisfactory. But how does that swing translate to the other clubs in your bag? Do you need a different swing thought for those too? The game is hard enough to begin with, let alone to add insult to injury. This is why clubs should be custom fit to the golfer rather than the other way around. One shouldn’t have to create a new swing to make the club work.
If you are struggling with such a club and have given it a fair chance, it is time to move on – the honeymoon is over. I think one reason why most golfers begrudgingly continue to use a particular club is from the simple standpoint of how much they paid for their equipment. For instance, the average pro-line driver costs $300, fairway wood $180, hybrid $150, steel-shafted iron or wedge $90, or $200 for a putter. That’s well over $1800 for a typical 14-club set. It doesn’t have to be that expensive. There are huge mark ups for pro-line clubs to account for advertising and player endorsements.
So why spend a lot for something you are unsure of? There are alternatives to purchasing pro-line equipment, such as the merchandise available at Hireko Golf, either in assembled or in component form. The best part is you can try a single iron if you want. Most golfers cannot tell the difference between these custom built golf clubs and pro-line clubs with comparable shafts and grips and in many cases, at 1/3 of the cost. Golfers will generally happy with their purchases with any amount of homework beforehand. But in cases where they are not, the lower cost alternative to pro-line club will ease the pain if the honeymoon period were to end.
by Jeff Summitt
Hireko Technical Director
jsummitt@hirekogolf.com
06-19-07