Quest for a New Driver (Continued)
Ok, here’s an update on my recent post The Quest for a New Driver.
I’ll cut right to the chase. The Ping G15 driver I initially purchased was sent back the day after I took it to the range. I just could not hit the club. Everything was a slice or peeled off to the left (I’m left-handed) with a severe loss in distance.
This is probably due to the wrong loft. I purchased an 8.5 degree when I usually hit a 10.5. 2 degrees is not a lot but when it comes to a flatter face club like the driver it makes all the difference. I believe the shaft flex is still OK with a R shaft.
I think emotion really got the better of me. I was looking for more distance but I should have known that loft was not suited to a recreational player like me – oh well!
Needless to say I was very disappointed because I loved the look and feel of the G15. Very classic and very confident feeling at address. Before I hit it I felt like it was going to go 300 yards on the first swing – not quite.
First, I was glad I ordered from TGW with the 30-day playability guarantee. This means (on selected clubs) you can play it for up to 30 days and then return it for another club it the one you purchased does not suit you.
Well, the caveat to this guarantee is that you can only do it once – which I did not know. The customer service rep said “people will play for 30 days and just keep returning it for a new one” I can understand what she meant but I am curious if this is really being done and is supported by facts.
I am sure you will have the occasional customer who has nothing better to do then package and repackage clubs in order to keep getting a new one but, for me, (and I suspect many others) I just want to find the right driver for ME. I am not interested in playing games with ordering a new club every month. Once I find it I want to keep it – for a long time.
So I don’t really understand this guarantee of returning a club only once. If it takes me a few clubs, so what, they still get my business because there is no cash return (only credit)
This is definitely an issue for me. I know there are some companies who do have demo programs where you can try clubs for X amount of time the return them. You can do this as many times as you like.
Otherwise you have to be aware of and attend demo days in your area. Really the only way to test a club is at the range. There is no way you can get any feedback from hitting in one of these little indoor hitting areas.
So, to sum up. First mistake was not not getting tested (see article I mentioned above) Second was getting caught up in thinking I am a different player than I am (the loft issue)
Third, I should have investigated an alternate demo program with unlimited return because now I’m stuck with a $300 credit at TGW and really don’t want to purchase another driver in fear that’s it’s the wrong one.
I already used my one-time “30-day playability guarantee” so I’m screwed if a get a driver that I cannot use again. It would probably end up on Ebay for a fraction of it’s new price.
I’ll keep you posted on next steps.
Related posts:
- The Quest for a New Driver
- Custom Fit Golf Clubs
- Alpha Golf Driver Test
- Alpha V5 Driver Review
- Why You Shouldn’t Buy A New Driver
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Comments
Thanks for sharing your experience, it’s always good to know more when you’re lookin to buy clubs online. I’ll be weary of that playability guarantee from TGW.
Good Idea Jim – been checking with a lot of local ranges but somehow did not think to look at Ping’s demo day list – nice tip!
Doug
Yeah, golfswingpros – very disappointed with the 30-day playability guarantee – just doesn’t make too much sense. Kinda like a tease – If I were running TGW I would set up a type of demo program where you can try out a number of clubs over time and just return the ones you don’t like. I don’t really care if I am demoing a new club – I just want to find the right club for me! But get tested (one of my big mistakes!)
Thanks for sharing your experience, it’s always good to know more when you’re lookin to buy clubs online. I’ll be weary of that playability guarantee from TGW.
Thanks Bruce – If you see my post just after the one you mention I am going to a custom club fitter and trying to get this right from the beginning. There is just way too much guesswork when buying clubs off the shelf.
Just read both of your blogs about “The Quest for a New Driver.” In your first blog, you stated that it “will be built from golf club components (that are, of course, optimized for my specific swing).” Then I read that you narrowed your choices to either a Taylormade or the Ping G15 (that you ended up buying). In all honesty, neither of these are “components.” Perhaps you would have been better off looking to a true component from component companies such as Hireko, Alpha, Bang or Wishon Golf. All of these excellent companies make “original design components” that are actually made in the same foundries as Taylormade, Callaway, Ping or Nike. I am sorry you had such a bad experience with TGW, however I believe that the phrase “buyer beware” comes to mind. I have personally been making custom golf clubs for the past 35 years (going back to making persimmon woods from raw blanks), and I have seen many companies such as TGW come and go over the years. I wish you the best of success in the future in finding the best driver for you.
Hey Gary,
Thanks for your comments! If you read the post again you will notice I said:
“I can’t say I’m just a little nervous about it as it will not be a “Callaway F9″ driver or a “Taylor Made R-9″ but will be built from golf club components (that are, of course, optimized for my specific swing).”
I just mentioned that I would be a bit nervous (although I have made my own custom clubs via components a number of times before) that is would NOT be some name brand (Callaway, Nike, TaylorMade, etc.) that I could show off to my golfing partners. But I am well aware of components versus “off-the-shelf” clubs.
Bob Swets (whom I went to see in CT) actually deals with only Wishon components. But I still am hitting my Cobra driver decent so sticking with that for now.
And wasn’t really a “bad” experience with TGW just that I thought their “30 day playability guarantee” is somewhat misleading and actually had a conversation with the president about this.
This golf club fitting (as i have come to learn) is not all science. There’s a lot of “art” to it as well.
Cheers!
Doug
Doug,
Sounds like you should attend one of Ping’s demo days (http://www.ping.com/demodays/default.aspx) to hit a G15 with a higher loft. Then you can re-order from TGW safely.
Jim Dauer
Co-Founder, FullForesome.com