bankbank Posted March 9, 2015 Report Share Posted March 9, 2015 hi all, show of hands to those who spend more time and resources on getting new equipment rather than actually playing (and practicing) the game we love? I for one can honestly say that the Equipment World has gotten me by the toes, and no matter how much I improve or worsen, new equipment still intrigues me. I've had many criticisms that i spend too much time buying and testing out new stuff, rather than working on my game, and lowering scores. I'm sure you guys have met these people as well.. For me, golf is a game of enjoyment, pure and unadulterated enjoyment, where one and a group of friends can hang out, enjoy the beauty of the game. More often than not, the equipment brings in the 'joy' factor, as well as the enhancing the beauty of this great game. Having the best equipment (for you) almost guarantees you have a good day at the course. Just by looking at the clubs we buy; it makes it all worthwhile. Of course I want to lower my score through sheer practice, but the satisfaction from using my gear also matters! So i ask you, where do you fit in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phillip Alexander Posted March 9, 2015 Report Share Posted March 9, 2015 I don't know why you would want to improve your game?!? It's all about how good your clubs look! I used to think too much Jack Daniels was my problem until I turned up here. I'm a complete equipment junkie (daddy said go to rehab, I said no, no, no) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TFL07670 Posted March 9, 2015 Report Share Posted March 9, 2015 Well said. I for one kept thinking that if i had spent similar amount on lessons, i can probably lower my score by 10 strokes.. but still kept on spending on gears rather than lessons.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian-500 Posted March 9, 2015 Report Share Posted March 9, 2015 I agree with everything the OP says. I really need to get some lessons and play more golf instead of buying and selling, and then buying some more!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RLL33 Posted March 9, 2015 Report Share Posted March 9, 2015 Well, my adventures with JDM equipment happened to coincide with my changing from being a range rat to a playing fanatic. I hardly ever go the range anymore, and rather than travel all over to play every course I ever wanted to play, I joined a local club and spend most weekday afternoons playing the game. And it's there that the JDM dynamic really comes through. Yeah, I love the look of highly refined, wonderfully, artfully designed golf clubs -- especially when I know they were turned out at the hands of a master craftsman -- but it's playing the game with them that reveals their REAL value. Dirty little secret is equipment really DOES make a difference. And if your hands are capable of feel on the level that JDM clubs are capable of transmitting feel, it's on the course that these sparkling jewels really do SHINE!!! But however their pleasure is transmitted is reason enough to own them, IMO. I have some that I just like to look at in the corner of my office, and they make me love the game as much pure-ing a forged iron down the fairway. For me, they're gifts that keep on giving on many levels -- both design and performance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duffer19 Posted March 9, 2015 Report Share Posted March 9, 2015 (edited) We are all gear junkies here or else we wouldn't be here. Having said that you still need to play the game decently. There is no point in getting the latest driver or the best and softest blade when you couldn't play worth a damn. Don't be a driving range golfer. I try to go out as many times a week as possible from my minimum of 2 to a max of 5. With the best equipment, you would try your best to beat the other guys and take their money or at least so,e bragging right. Improving is still definitely an ultimate objective. Edited March 9, 2015 by Duffer19 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bankbank Posted March 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2015 True true! Since golf is such a mental game, whatever you do (buying hi end to give you that psychological edge), can always be good for your game! It works for me ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
needmoregolf Posted March 9, 2015 Report Share Posted March 9, 2015 Birds of a feather, right? golf is an outlet we all use for all the other important hats we wear in life. whatever it is about the game, the equipment we use/lust for, or the camaraderie we share, it's most important influence in our life is that it brings us fun and acts as a pressure release valve where we can focus on ourselves, if even just for a little bit. I honestly would love to lower my scores but I wouldn't be happy playing some rag tag old set and spent my money on lessons. I love golf, and I think it's safe to say I love the gear that goes along with it (esp JDM;) just as much... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+TourSpecGolfer Posted March 9, 2015 Report Share Posted March 9, 2015 That would be like taking racing lessons over buying fast cars while both are fun they both satisfy a different sensation. I take 2 lessons a week since January and those 30 lessons (4 of them are on course) cost me less than 2 JDM drivers. That said lessons in course management and risk reward could possibly go just as far in lowering the score but again buying gear and working on the swing are scratching two totally different itches for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr.haha Posted March 9, 2015 Report Share Posted March 9, 2015 I am a total tech/gearhead without a doubt. It isn’t just the clubs for me, but the entire hobby of being a club builder. I have loft and lie machines, benches, sanders, extractors, extra shafts, grips, you name it. I truly love building a club from the ground up by doing the research on components, weighing everything, measuring everything and eventually putting it all together. Then, what I love even more is testing if that club performs the way I want to it to perform. That having been said, I probably spend more time practicing than I do playing and building combined! Often, I find myself not wanting to play but wanting to practice a certain shot on the range. I absolutely love to practice different shots on the range and can do it for multiple hours a day. I think the reason for this is that I learned at a young age how to practice correctly versus just smacking balls. My coaches would always tell me that practice never makes perfect, but permanent. Therefore, you must practice correctly to see any benefit on course. So while on the range, and I won’t bore you all with the details but each shot I make is deliberate, spaced out and there is a point to the shot. I never rush through a bucket and I bet I take between 20-30 seconds per ball hit. I can easily make 60 balls last almost two hours. Also, I am huge on muscle memory for the good shots and more specifically the bad. For example, when I make a bad shot, the next shot I take I purposely try to do the complete opposite. So if I mistakenly push the ball to the right, my next shot will be a hard pull or draw to the left. In general I never want my body to remember what it feels like to make a shot that I did not intend hit. Lastly, my practice also stems from my workout regime. About 6 years ago I started to really focus on strength with flexibility. Bikram Yoga a few times a month plus high intensity interval training 2 times a week, has really added visible benefits to my game. So I guess in general, as much of an equipment guy that I am, I know equipment can only take me so far which is why I spend the majority of my time away from the equipment side of the game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
needmoregolf Posted March 9, 2015 Report Share Posted March 9, 2015 good advice, thx haha :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHWhite Posted March 9, 2015 Report Share Posted March 9, 2015 I find it more rewarding to spend time & resources on playing golf - golf trips with friends, low rounds, club tournaments, etc. Buying & testing golf equipment is fun, but far less memorable Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supo Posted March 10, 2015 Report Share Posted March 10, 2015 if new clubs didnt matter that much .... why does the golf mkt sell a trillion billion gazzillion dollars of clubs each year, hmmmmmm ? clubs matter to me for a cpl of reaons. firstly i am totally addicted to feeling and hearing a shot id envisioned and it coming off perfectly . Sure ican do it with an old POS from a 10 dollar bin, but thats not gonna heighten my senses like a forged 6 iron from ENDO with the latest offering from NS shafts now is it ????????????? secondly i LOVE tinkering with clubs to see if i can change the flight patters slighty, get it heigher .lower move left or fight a bit for certian courses. its a hobby and i love it! I could spend tharg on lessons to lower my score, or............... like Angel Cabrerra i can go it alone and learn from trial and error. which i MUCH prefer to do, bec im NOT gonna be popping up on the PGA tour any thime this lifetime trying to earn a living from golf , golf is a game and a past time, not a job. whilst ONE of the aims is to go low esp IN A COMP. the REAL aim is to enjoy a walk around a beautifully sculptured park whilst occasionally concentrating on hitting a litte white ball enroute! there was a great saying by someone.... dont forget to stop and smell the roses.. and i think if we just remeber our first offical "wow" strike when we hit that first JDM club ,what ever it was.... that feeling is ...i preesume why were all here, and THATS why we keep tinkering with perfectl good clubs.!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmieboi Posted March 10, 2015 Report Share Posted March 10, 2015 JDM product is an addiction. One can never have enough of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bankbank Posted March 10, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2015 it is indeed an addiction. For me its JDM all the way. The amount of time and care that is spent in making some of those clubs... wow. The passion that goes into some of these clubs is just worth it IMO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phillip Alexander Posted March 10, 2015 Report Share Posted March 10, 2015 Well said all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henry Posted March 10, 2015 Report Share Posted March 10, 2015 it is certainly an addiction for me as well. Tourspecgolf is the first site I visit in the morning and the last site I visit at night. I am proud to know just about everything that is JDM. Knowing that I play with the best golf equipment on the market makes me a happy person. I am also thrilled when someone looks in my bag and asks me about these clubs. Unfortunately, most people think they are knockoffs but we all know better than that!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bankbank Posted March 10, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2015 yeah, i used the old epon irons before. The technity type j. These were before epons were well known in thailand. People would say all the time "what a stupid name" and "for that much money i would rather buy a set of callaways".. wtf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Icestorm959 Posted March 10, 2015 Report Share Posted March 10, 2015 I don't see the problem. Just do whatever makes you happy. For me I'm never going to be a scratch golfer, so spending time researching sticks and trying new gear gives me more marginal utility than being out on the range or getting lessons. Playing is the best, obviously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuck4golf Posted March 11, 2015 Report Share Posted March 11, 2015 (edited) I like it all - the gear, tweaking the gear, lessons, practicing, playing. After buying and selling a lot of gear, I have done my homework on what I like and I think my buying will lessen now quite a bit. I may still acquire one more very elegant driver but irons, wedges, putter are pretty stalwart. I also love swing theory and the mental parts of the game. Playing well is a challenge and I am really happy to have improved a lot over the past 3 years - and still improving. I guess the integration of all the components - gear, swing, mindset - I want all these to reflect this incredibly deep love I have for this game. I have been playing 50 years (wow wow wow - how can that be?) and to be playing at my best ever is such a pleasure. So I want everything about my game to reflect this incredible love affair. I guess the bottom line is, at 62, I am still improving and can play the best golf of my life (which maybe says a lot about how bad I once was!). I guess the goal is this elusive feeling on harmony on the course, where all aspects are aligned to optimal performance as well as aesthetics. If I don't love and respect my clubs, this isn't going to happen. If I don't understand how to make the shots, it won't happen. If I can't flow with some clarity and confidence, it won't happen. Edited March 11, 2015 by chuck4golf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkkgolfer Posted March 11, 2015 Report Share Posted March 11, 2015 Just last Sunday, my playing partner asked "Why do you keep buying and changing your clubs and I'm not seeing any big improvement !??!?!?!". He couldn't understand the joy I'm having when playing JDM equipments (new and pre-owned). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duffer19 Posted March 12, 2015 Report Share Posted March 12, 2015 In a sense, there is some truth in what your playing partner was saying. You shouldn't change just for the sake of changing but change to better equipment with the ultimate objective of improving. One of our problems is that we don't give the new gear enough time before we change again. I have two new set of Epon irons for the past 24 months (551 and 703) but I play really well now with a 20 years set old Honma LB280 with stock 4 star shaft. Go figure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tembusu Posted March 12, 2015 Report Share Posted March 12, 2015 I too, am an equipment junkie of sorts. I am forever tweaking my set with the hope that I'll ultimate settle down on a perfect one. I buy clubs to replace the ones that i think are not working for me. Somehow l'm not sure if that day will come Lol!! I guess the difference with me & many of you guys here is that I buy used JDM clubs. I like to experiment with different brands of JDM clubs. l hold the view that my game doesn't or can't take full advantage of changes that come with new models-hence the reason why I buy clubs that 1 or 2 seasons behind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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