How much are custom-fit clubs usually (the higher end ones)? How good of a quality are they compared to the brand names out there (nike, callaway, etc. etc.). If they're really expensive, why is that (just because theyr'e custom fit, or because higher quality/better results?).
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Golf People: custom clubs?
- Thread starter PoPPeR
- Start date
Alchemist99
Golden Member
I had my pings custom fited to me, no big really I think they were $600
But you can find custom clubs for less, find a golfsmith in your town and check out some prices,
Just ask at some Golf clubs about who's good or available.
I would imagine they range from $300 on up.
But you can find custom clubs for less, find a golfsmith in your town and check out some prices,
Just ask at some Golf clubs about who's good or available.
I would imagine they range from $300 on up.
GagHalfrunt
Lifer
Most of the price of custom clubs is the cost of the components that go into making them. If you choose fairly inexpensive components the clubs can be very inexpensive, if you choose really expensive parts the price rises quickly. If you take a set of irons as an example, there are normally 8 clubs in a set 3-PW, so you need 8 heads, 8 shafts and 8 grips. Heads run $7-$30, shafts run $5-$15 and grips $2-$5. Do the math on the parts needed for a lower end set and one using the most expensive parts:
(8x$7)+(8x$5)+(8x$2)=$112
(8x$30)+(8x$15)+(8x$5)=$400
Building/fitting costs are the same either way, $100-$150, so a custom set will run 250-500. For the most part though, the really expensive sets use certain heads that are off the scale in terms of quality and therefore price. Very few people want or need a $30 forged blade head and most sets I do are $300-$350. For that, you get:
1) A club head every bit as good as any OEM proshop set
2) A shaft likely better than a proshop club
3) A grip as good or better than a proshop club.
4) Choice of each part so you get EXACTLY what you want and need. OEM clubs you're locked into a single grip and maybe 2 different shafts. With customs there are hundreds of head styles, dozens of quality shafts and several hundred grips.
5) Build quality and quality control FAR BEYOND that offered by even the most expensive name brand clubs.
6) Clubs that fit and are right for your size, swing and skill level.
There is no real way to compare OEM proshop clubs to custom. It's like the difference between buying a month-old sandwich out of a vending machine versus going to a deli and getting the freshest ingredients of your choice assembled into your perfect lunch.
(8x$7)+(8x$5)+(8x$2)=$112
(8x$30)+(8x$15)+(8x$5)=$400
Building/fitting costs are the same either way, $100-$150, so a custom set will run 250-500. For the most part though, the really expensive sets use certain heads that are off the scale in terms of quality and therefore price. Very few people want or need a $30 forged blade head and most sets I do are $300-$350. For that, you get:
1) A club head every bit as good as any OEM proshop set
2) A shaft likely better than a proshop club
3) A grip as good or better than a proshop club.
4) Choice of each part so you get EXACTLY what you want and need. OEM clubs you're locked into a single grip and maybe 2 different shafts. With customs there are hundreds of head styles, dozens of quality shafts and several hundred grips.
5) Build quality and quality control FAR BEYOND that offered by even the most expensive name brand clubs.
6) Clubs that fit and are right for your size, swing and skill level.
There is no real way to compare OEM proshop clubs to custom. It's like the difference between buying a month-old sandwich out of a vending machine versus going to a deli and getting the freshest ingredients of your choice assembled into your perfect lunch.
FoolishMcNasty
Senior member
are you talking about knock-offs or custom fit OEM clubs?
AFAIK- most clubs can be fitted to your swing with regard to loft and lie angle. The guy doing the fitting will basically put the club in a little vise and bend the hosel to your liking depending on what kind of swing you have.
That said: I wouldn't get too excited about spending massive amounts of cash on clubs unless you're a pretty low-handicapper. Golf is about 90% indian and 10% arrow IMHO. 😉
That said: I wouldn't get too excited about spending massive amounts of cash on clubs unless you're a pretty low-handicapper. Golf is about 90% indian and 10% arrow IMHO. 😉
GagHalfrunt
Lifer
Not all clubs can be bent for loft and lie. And bear in mind that bending for loft changes bounce by the same degree, so making loft 2* stronger removes 2* of bounce, that does change playability. But you're right, 90% Indian/10% arrow is a fair assessment. A good player is going to beat a bad one even if the bad one has a $3000 set of clubs and the good one is using a 50 year old set of K-mart cheapos. It's also true that a $200 set that fits is better than a $3000 set that doesn't. But that also highlights why customs are such a good choice. They're cheaper and they fit better, so they win on both counts.
Since this thread crops up every month or so, I'm going to write up an essay on the real economics of the golf business and the real differences between OEM/custom and just save it for reuse. I'll try to get something up this afternoon.
richardycc
Diamond Member
you can get a "custom fiited" knock off online for around $200ish. 😉 Some fitter charge a lot of money just for the fitting part, some will do it for free. lessons on the other hand, the good ones charge like a few thousand for an hour of lesson. Thats insane!
hehe, i play with different folks all the time whipping out "the big dog" 480cc monster driver. When and if they actually hit it in the fairway it'll go about 240-250 yards.
meanwhile I've hitting a 3 wood 260 yards, right down the middle, slight draw, everytime.
🙂
I'm really liking the bi-matrix shaft (stiff graphite with steel end) on the three wood. You can really feel the power at the clubhead.
Hehe....my three-wood is actually my dad's old club from about 1967. Real wood head and an aluminum shaft. I've never bothered upgrading as I can whack the thing 220-240 off the fairway with a slight fade most of the time.
My driver is a 975D, but I'm thinking about going to something a tad more forgiving as you really have to have your swing grooved to be consistent. It's a great club when you're "on" but will spray drives big time if you're not. I'm about a 16 hdcp, so "on" only happens maybe half the time I play a round. 😉
I took an interest in golf lately, and my dad has too. He has a really good friend of his who happens to be a custom fitter. My birthday is coming up and so my dad bought me a custom set which I was fitted for. Apparently the guy charges about $2,500 for what the people there usually get (i'm guessing the materials he uses) but he sold it to my dad for what it cost him, negating any profit/labor costs. I didn't ask for a custom fitting, especially one so expensive. If you had read any of my other golf posts, I basically thought it'd be fun to goto the driving range, and I liked it better and better to a point where I was spending like $50 a week on driving range balls, hitting with my friends drivers. I felt really guilty when my dad told me how much the clubs usually are, but this is probably the first thing my dad and I have ever done together. He wants me to go with him every week (and I will) to get lessons from his friend and he hopes we'll be able to play together someday soon in a real game against his other friends and their sons.
I recieved the clubs this morning, I haven't tried hitting with them yet (had some classes this morning). One bad thing about never having taken lessons before: my stance was incredibly bad. He laughed when he saw my grip in the beginning, then he basically told me I was going to injure myself if I continued to swing that way (which I had in the past, I normally stopped when I felt any back pains). It's really hard but I really like the game, I'm glad that my dad knew enough to get us both custom fitted clubs, regardless of price, instead of going out and buying a bunch of Callaways or something. Anyways, thanks for the info, hopefully I can have a round of golf with an ATer one day.
I recieved the clubs this morning, I haven't tried hitting with them yet (had some classes this morning). One bad thing about never having taken lessons before: my stance was incredibly bad. He laughed when he saw my grip in the beginning, then he basically told me I was going to injure myself if I continued to swing that way (which I had in the past, I normally stopped when I felt any back pains). It's really hard but I really like the game, I'm glad that my dad knew enough to get us both custom fitted clubs, regardless of price, instead of going out and buying a bunch of Callaways or something. Anyways, thanks for the info, hopefully I can have a round of golf with an ATer one day.
I think stereotypes sort of drive that price up. the whole "only rich white men" play golf thing really gets into people's heads. When my friends found out I was learning, some of them were really discouraging, asking me why was I "posing" or "your not 40 yet." I've played baseball, tennis, basketball, ping-pong, volleyball all at competative levels so I don't think they can really be a judge of what sports I should like to play.
On the other hand, I do want to major in business when I transfer from my current junior college, and even my instructor said a lot of business deals are made on the greens 🙂
Mr.IncrediblyBored
Lifer
I will hold you to that! I'm posting here just so I remember to check back on this thread later.🙂
ok, well my dad went up to a local shop, and had them measure out and fit him a set of irons. these were just normal cleveland golf irons. he had them custom order them 1.5" longer than normal. this upped the cost NOTHING. they also widened(wow i cant spell) the grip a little. i like these, and they are MUCH MUCH nicer then the cheap clubs he was using before. he plays better with them too, and all he changed was the club, nothing else.
MIKE
MIKE
GagHalfrunt
Lifer
Make it this evening. I just wrote up a rather lengthy review of a new Accuflex prototype shaft that I got for testing. Starting work on the golf expose now, but it's going to be long, so it'll take a while.
richardycc
Diamond Member
where do you usually post your reviews? do you have a golf related site? thanks!
rich
rich
DanTMWTMP
Lifer
i have custom pings as well! the original ping eyes..what i did was i had a shop pro fit me...measured me, my stance, the angle of my desired stance..etc etc..
sent the clubs to ping, they bent and beat it into submission..brought it back...PERFECT..
i recommend henry griffiths though..they have a very comprehensive set up, and the clubs are attractive and well biult.
some dudes say custom isn't for anyone, it's only for low handicappers..i strongly disagree
getting custom is important from the start..why?...because from the beginning, you do not want to adjust your stance and swing for the club..u want the club to adjust for your unique comfortable stance...this way, it's easier and better to learn the swing. you do not want to develop bad habits early.
Custom fit clubs are about half the price if you're talking about "knockoffs" or "clones".
Quality depends on which ones you are buying.
There are several "component" companes that sell only clubheads, some of which are very good quality including KZG, Tom Wishon, Snake Eyes, to name a few (prices vary).
If you are buying a decent quality clubhead you can have just a good a product as a name-brand.
The really expensive ones .. KZG and Tom Wishon are still (somewhat) cheaper than OEM/brandname clubs, but typically better quality.
They are expensive because they are very good quality, but you aren't paying anything extra for the advertising (nike, callaway).
Great golf forums:
http://www.freegolfinfo.com
http://www.golfopinions.com
Golf Aficionados
Best golf reviews posted by golfers:
golfreview
Best golf reviews from websites:
hamegg
http://www.golfclubreview.com
http://www.equip2golf.com
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