| By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.
For comments: [email protected]
Good Tuesday morning, golf fans, as we look back at the Masters while looking ahead to this week’s RBC Heritage. |
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1. Shane Ryan: Appreciate Scottie’s greatness
Golf Digest’s Shane Ryan…”This is what’s called generational talent, and we haven’t seen it in almost 20 years. Steve Stricker read the tea leaves when he picked Scheffler for the 2021 Ryder Cup—a decision that was richly rewarded—and starting in 2022, he was off to the races. The only hiccup was a few putting woes last year, but even that only served to highlight how remarkable his ball-striking had become—instead of winning, he was finishing third. When he fixed the putting, with help from a new coach and a bit of equipment advice from Rory McIlroy, he soared yet again to the top of the game, but this time he seemed more indomitable, more inevitable, more brilliant.”
- “The sustained success of the last three years has officially made him the best professional golfer since Tiger Woods, a conclusion supported by analytics, the eye test, and every other metric you could dream up. With fewer majors, he has nevertheless leaped past Spieth, McIlroy, and Koepka in terms of pure ability. He doesn’t have their legacy, yet, but if we’re talking about peak performance, he’s already surpassed them.”
- “He’s so much better than everyone else, which is a sentiment that is both commonplace—I saw it on Twitter over and over again—and revelatory. It’s the thing you say because there is nothing else to say. You’re left with the wild truth, which words can describe but never capture.”
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2. Aberg: I want to be No. 1
The AFP’s Simon Evans…”The 24-year-old finished second, four strokes behind winner Scottie Scheffler, after carding a final round 69 but he certainly won many admirers among the patrons at Augusta National and beyond.”
- “And his performance has filled Aberg with self-belief.”
- “Everyone in my position, they are going to want to be major champions. They are going to want to be world number one, and it’s the same for me, that’s nothing different,” he said.
- “It has been that way ever since I picked up a golf club, and that hasn’t changed. So I think this week solidifies a lot of those things are there, and we just need to keep doing those things and put ourselves in positions to win tournaments, ” he said.
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3. Homa’s honest answer on double bogey
Golf Channel staff report…”But Homa’s tee shot at No. 12 bounded off the putting surface and into a bush. After a healthy search, Homa found his ball and had to take an unplayable lie. He made double bogey, effectively ending his bid at a maiden major title.”
- “Homa tied for third, seven shots back of Scheffler. Asked about what happened on the fateful 9-iron, Homa offered two replies.”
- “The honest answer is, it didn’t feel fair. I hit a really good golf shot, and it didn’t feel fair. I’ve seen far worse just roll back down the hill,” he said.
- “The professional answer is, these things happen.”
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4. Harbour Town ahead
RBC Heritage field notes, via Adam Stanley of PGATour.com…”Scottie Scheffler is, for now, set to tee it up at the RBC Heritage. He was clear to say that if his wife, Meredith, would go into labor during the Masters, he would head home to be with her, so it’s safe to assume that same rule will stand at Harbour Town. Scheffler has not shot an over-par round all season and has three victories (and one runner-up). He made his debut at Harbour Town last year and finished T11… Matt Fitzpatrick looks to become the first golfer to go back-to-back at the RBC Heritage since Boo Weekley in 2007-08. Fitzpatrick, a playoff victor last year, has two top-10 finishes this season. He has just one missed cut at Harbour Town over the last six years and he finished fourth in 2021 to go along with two more top-15 results in a three-year span (T14 in 2018 and 2020)…”
- “Jordan Spieth is hoping to continue his run of fine play at Harbour Town after a playoff loss last season and a playoff win the season prior. Spieth has five top-25 finishes at the RBC Heritage in seven starts… Justin Thomas earned a spot in the field after remaining in the top 30 (he’s No. 30) in the Official World Golf Ranking despite a missed cut at the Masters. Thomas, who finished T25 last season at Harbour Town, has two top 10s on the season… Ludvig Åberg, who is tops in the Aon Next 10, will head to Hilton Head for the first time. Åberg has had a fabulous 2024 campaign thus far with four top 10s (including two runner-up results) and is knocking on the door for a victory… Hideki Matsuyama was the only eligible player who did not commit to the RBC Heritage, while Viktor Hovland – after a missed cut at the Masters – withdrew from the field on Saturday.”
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5. Reed’s caddie’s needle
Our Matt Vincenzi…”After a particularly bad drive during his third round on Saturday, Reed’s caddie, Kessler Karain, also his brother-in-law, made a snide but factual comment to Patrick.”
- “Your driving has cost us a lot this week,” Karain remarked.
- “Reed didn’t disagree and told reporters after the round that there was nothing good about his round…
- “A reporter then asked: “It’s a good thing he’s a family member, right?”
- “Yeah, exactly. I’d probably be dragging him up that last hole,” Reed said. “I swear.Just what you want to hear as you’re looking at the ball in the tree, and he goes, ‘You need to drive it better.’ Thanks, Kessler. I appreciate it. Great words of wisdom. Drive it better.”
- “This may be the last major for Reed for a while, as the 33-year-old has not been invited nor qualified for next month’s PGA Championship.”
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6. LIV wants Hovland next?
Ewan Murray for the Guardian…”Rising speculation that Viktor Hovland will be the next high-profile golfer to be coaxed to the LIV tour will increase the need for Ryder Cup Europe to apply a simple qualification process for golfers on the Saudi Arabian-backed circuit.”
- “LIV is forging ahead with plans for 2025, which include new events and the recruitment of more players from the PGA and DP World Tours. The rate of turnover is likely to be increased by the number of golfers who had three-year contracts when joining LIV, which will expire at the end of 2024.”
- “Chatter on the range at the LIV event in Miami this month and again at the Masters largely surrounded Hovland, the world No 6 who starred for Europe in the defeat of the United States in Rome last year. Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton, who also played in that team, have subsequently joined LIV. Hovland missed the cut at the Masters and promptly withdrew from the PGA Tour’s $20m stop in Hilton Head this week.”
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7. Rory’s management: LIV reports are ‘fake news’
Brian Keogh for the Irish Independent…”A report that Rory McIlroy was on the verge of an $850million move to LIV Golf has been slammed as “fake news” by his management.
“Fake news. Zero truth,” McIlroy’s manager Sean O’Flaherty said in an email.
London financial paper “City AM” reported today that sources have told them that McIlroy “could” join LIV Golf
The paper reported that “two separate sources have told City AM that they believe a deal is close. It is claimed that LIV Golf chiefs have offered world No2 McIlroy an eye-watering $850m to join, plus around two per cent equity in the competition.” |
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19th Hole3 days ago
19th Hole2 weeks ago
19th Hole2 weeks ago
BlackR1
Nov 2, 2018 at 5:30 pm
Message to Bob Parsons:
I’m as PRO Capitalism and Free Market Enterprise as they come, but you sir, can eat a BUFFET of d****….
Biddles
Apr 19, 2018 at 1:52 pm
The logo and clubs are ugly as sin.
To each his own, though.
Robin
Apr 18, 2018 at 12:24 pm
I joined the Marine Corp out of high school. Best choice I ever made .
If you never had the balls to be pushed, then you never know what Bob is really talking about.
Brian
Apr 11, 2018 at 6:09 pm
I LOVE my PXGs, but if you don’t like them or think they’re too expensive, don’t buy them. But let’s not judge people who do buy and enjoy them. Golf is my only hobby and I’m all-in on it.
Mike
Apr 2, 2018 at 12:21 pm
I have to say, I’m pretty shocked at these comments. He’s promoting his company and his products… what else would you expect him to say? He’s obviously a smart guy, so he wouldn’t increase the price unless it made sense. The fact that they are priced out of some people’s range leads to some of the criticism, I’m sure.
As far as the products go, I’m a low single digit hcp and I can say with 100% certainty that misses w/ the PXG irons produce significantly better results than anything else I’ve ever hit. Center shots in any iron are great, but that’s not what its all about. Its up to the consumer to put a value on that, but to say this is not a top-of-the line product is inaccurate.
Miles
Mar 30, 2018 at 9:58 pm
It’s a joke that PXG pushes all this military naming of their clubs and Bob is always talking about his service in the Marines yet PXG doesn’t offer any sort of military or veteran discount when many of the others like Ping, TaylorMade, etc. do offer one.
Steve Wozeniak
Mar 30, 2018 at 5:59 pm
If Tour players had to buy them, don’t think they would be in many bags…….they would play another brand that is just as good. Simple as that, he has not cornered the market on physics
Darryl
Mar 19, 2018 at 9:01 am
Who cares? If you can afford them and want them, buy them and enjoy them. Just don’t expect them to turn an 18 handicapper into a Walker Cup player.
I’d never tell anyone how to spend their hard earned coin, but I do reserve the right to point and laugh when they get taken in by snake oil salesmen.
Who am I to talk anyway, I’ve got 6 Scotty Camerons (until PXG, the ultimate in form over function) and I bought an ERC!
SImms
Mar 17, 2018 at 8:04 pm
If you can afford and WANT to play PXG clubs go for it, golf is not just shooting par it about having FUN and enjoying it….just as playing Walmart clubs for years and then one day getting that set of Pings can make golf a wonderful experience, even going from a TopFlite to a PROV 1 can bring 18 holes of bliss…..
rebfan73
Mar 17, 2018 at 6:55 pm
After watching this, Parsons reminds me of Chris Farley in “Tommy Boy”…..
Scott
Mar 17, 2018 at 4:49 pm
Drop da mic…
Stephen
Mar 17, 2018 at 9:58 am
I’ve tried the gen 1 irons and they are superb and came very close to buying a set. In the end I upgraded my whole bag for less than a set of PXG irons would have cost me. Then there’s the reality setting in when you hit your lovely new PXG iron into a hidden stone that takes a chunk out of it! That doesn’t stop me being a fan of what he’s doing.
You can spend £20k on an Audemars Piguet watch but a Casio will tell the time more accurately so it’s whatever you want to do with your money. I was more astonished by the price of the accessories – £500 for a stand bag, £200 for a sweater. That’s when you know Parsons wants PXG to be a luxury brand for those with enough money not to worry about the cost.
John B
Mar 17, 2018 at 9:35 am
Mr. Parson’s let me explain why I will never pay $3200 for a set of irons… because I can pay $1200 or less for the same quality and shoot the same scores as I would with your irons.
George
Mar 17, 2018 at 1:26 pm
Why exactly would he be obligated to explain anything to you. He can charge whatever he wants. It is your choice to buy or not.
Dave
Mar 17, 2018 at 9:33 am
Lot of hate towards a guy just doing his thing.I could write a list a mile long of products that are “overpriced”. I respect anyone who is a self made billionaire. Being a former Marine who served in Nam,I’m sure he’s hurt by the comments of a bunch of jealous dudes behind a keyboard. I don’t own any of his products and probably never will but I find it hilarious how so many can’t stand others success.
doug
Mar 17, 2018 at 5:20 pm
It’s not about envy, Dave, more to do with a certain amount of fatigue that many of us feel in the face of some of the more egregious marketing spin and BS.
As many have observed on the topic of sports gear generally…’It’s the Indian, not the arrow’.
While I have no doubt that Bob’s clubs are well machined and all that ( though I’m curious to know what it actually costs to build one of his irons)the reality is that- to use an analogy – a Hyundai Santa Fe will get you from A to B with pretty much the same features, comfort and safety as its BMW SUV equivalent…at half the price.
Parson’s clubs are for braggin’ rights. Or to use Ely Callaway’s own words when asked ( years ago) to justify the price of his drivers….” It’s like the cosmetics industry; I’m selling the dream”.
Brett Weir
Mar 17, 2018 at 9:16 am
As a former CDN soldier, I have an enormous amount of respect for The Marines and the US Military but this Parsons guy is so arrogant and narcissistic.
Brett Weir
Mar 17, 2018 at 9:00 am
PXG…for people who wants to buy a game and too lazy to learn it.
Bob Parson Jr.
Mar 16, 2018 at 10:21 pm
Hahahahaha, this dude is full of stinky Parson.
dat
Mar 16, 2018 at 10:17 pm
He could charge $10K a club and someone would buy them. Doesn’t mean they are any good. I wish he would stop saying they are the best clubs in the world, because they just aren’t. They are the most expensive for the mass market though, he could say that from the rooftops and be correct. Very few JDM brands come close.
Speedy
Mar 16, 2018 at 8:37 pm
They look like machine shop mistakes.
Mat
Mar 16, 2018 at 7:58 pm
Price-eXcessive Golf.
Everything Bob Parsons touches is of mediocre quality, vast amounts of marketing, and stripper glitter.
Bob Parson Jr.
Mar 16, 2018 at 10:22 pm
Post of the Evening!
Bob Pearson
Mar 16, 2018 at 6:45 pm
My wife looked over my shoulder when I was reading & watching the video. She asked me why my name was on the headline…then realized that it wasn’t her Bob on the PC. So she said that Bob Parsons must be nearly family and perhaps he should send a set of clubs over to the Algarve in Portugal, for his “family” to test. 🙂
Sean Foster-Nolan
Mar 16, 2018 at 6:32 pm
Great interview, I enjoyed it. I like Bob Parson’s passion and enthusiasm. As a former 0311 my hat is off to PXG. Great looking equipment, but a bit beyond my budget. 🙂
DaveyD
Mar 16, 2018 at 6:12 pm
I like the look of the clubs and the notion that if I got a set, I could finally hit my slice with class.
Zero Ott
Mar 17, 2018 at 2:35 am
How can that be? They have the sweet spot the size of Texas! :-p
Joe
Mar 16, 2018 at 6:01 pm
This whole thing is just marketing. Why are the clubs expensive? Because some people want to pay for expensive things. Why is Tiffany silver jewelry more expensive than the same silver jewelry without the Tiffany name? Because the name itself is a luxury. PGX are simply luxury products. The claim of spending $350k on clubs in a year, before he owned a club company, however, is just pure BS. That would mean that if he bought all $400 clubs ($400 per club, every club), he would buy 62.5 full sets of clubs in a year. There aren’t that many club sets to buy. He could buy damn near every club set made and probably refit all of them with four different sets of shafts, and still not spend that money, much less actually play with them. It’s just marketing BS. But it works, so he goes with it.
joro
Mar 17, 2018 at 9:37 am
Joe, you are right about 350K a year and if he really expects people to believe that, he must be total BS about his Golf Club. This guy is a lot of noise with no background other than being a loudmouth and BSer.
Robert Parsons
Mar 16, 2018 at 5:29 pm
I’m so jealous, I’ll hate on them! Yes, jealous of Ping irons with some screws stuck in them! Call me jealous, but I’m buying screws in bulk to one day perfect my plain ole irons!
Jim P
Mar 16, 2018 at 5:16 pm
they hate us cuz they aint us
Mitch
Mar 16, 2018 at 5:09 pm
i guess inclusion ain’t part of his vocabulary…
Steve Egender
Mar 16, 2018 at 5:16 pm
Go Bob Go, lets build some house around that beautiful property in North Scottsdale and maybe a grocery store and some restaurants. SEMPER FI! Your irons are the best!
Egor
Mar 16, 2018 at 4:18 pm
GoDaddy = mediocre hosting for way more than the competition
PXG = (probably) decent clubs for way more than the competition
Marketing baby.. The golf world is a lot smaller than the hosting/domain market so there are only so many people who will eat the bovine excrement before they figure out what it really is.
steve
Mar 16, 2018 at 6:25 pm
lol, a true IT/golf mastermind here.
Steve
Mar 16, 2018 at 3:45 pm
The elephant cortex has as many neurons as a human brain, suggesting convergent evolution.
Billable Hours
Mar 16, 2018 at 3:42 pm
The PXG hate always makes me laugh – grown men jealous of another man’s toys
preston
Mar 16, 2018 at 4:17 pm
You assume that it’s jealousy. I can assure that I’m not jealous of any man’s pxg “toy”.
Bob Parson Jr.
Mar 16, 2018 at 10:23 pm
Your comment says more about you Thant the alleged haters.
Ell
Mar 16, 2018 at 2:49 pm
Has PXG won more pro tournaments than Calloway, Taylor Made, Ping or Wilson? If not then why not if they’re supposed to be so damn good? How many majors have these clubs been in the winners’ bags?
steve
Mar 16, 2018 at 6:27 pm
“Calloway” has literally won ZERO pro tourneys.
JS
Mar 16, 2018 at 2:48 pm
If those irons were not so ugly, I’d think a second longer about taking them for a test ride … but would still say “no chance” when asked about buying them. IMHO, if you’re considering spending this much for irons, go buy a set of Miura’s. If you don’t have the game for the Miura’s, then go invest in lessons. PXG is nowhere in this equation.
Gmatt
Mar 16, 2018 at 2:17 pm
Bob, maybe you should have spent that (sic $350k) for new clubs on some lessons and that “scratch golfer inside of you” might have come out years ago….
This guy is so full of BS his eyes are brown
Bob Parson Jr.
Mar 16, 2018 at 10:24 pm
In the industry we call it a Full of Parson.
Ryan
Mar 16, 2018 at 1:48 pm
You know, I’ve heard him previously say that the year before he started PXG he was spending $250k on clubs, now it’s 350k. I guess when the Gen3’s get to market it’ll be a half million.
joro
Mar 16, 2018 at 1:26 pm
IF he did make the perfect club how many people are capable of using them the way they are meant to be used. It is nothing but an ego thing for hackers to show they have the money to afford them and show off to their friends who are still taking their money.
Donald Dubyak
Mar 16, 2018 at 1:15 pm
these Golf Club manufacturers whether it’s ping Titleist TaylorMade Callaway pxg or any of the other well known companies get fitted for your golf swing other than that I have some bad news you can’t buy Talent
SY
Mar 16, 2018 at 1:12 pm
Where’s that military discount Bob? Lets knock off a few $$$ for ID holders.
Jim
Mar 16, 2018 at 4:44 pm
HooYah that! Especially for a lot of my disabled vet students. Some could really benefit from the softness & super performance from off center hits
Jerry
Mar 16, 2018 at 4:46 pm
I’d like a rebate for buying the Gen 2 after buying Gen 1 — all of that research for Gen 1 went to Gen 2. I know – Fat Chance. Slim and none, and Slim left town.
Jim
Mar 16, 2018 at 5:34 pm
No joke. We have a waiting list for heads to arrive & for pretty much every client it is indeed a significant investment.
More ‘rich guys’ in 65K cars blab “400 a club – I’ll just tell my wife kisd my ass” never come back. The guy who already knows their a lot, tries one, comes back a week later & asks to demo it again and then asks how much are they really…and we explain the Trackman fitting, shaft prices, our in-house SST Puring and they say “I’m gonna ask my wife” – THAT’S the guy who comes back with 2000 cash to order the heads & book his fitting.
The fitting starts with his irons, then some hits with same shaft on various other brands before getting the PXG with what we feel (kinda know 4/5 times) that’ll work best and if it doesn’t put up better numbers, the feel and confidence it gives that person is what sells it… they never ‘under perform’ and the off center & mis hits are quantifiably better than anything else.
Sometimes the good hit numbers aren’t significantly better distance wise, and in virtually every single fitting I’ve ever done- 2000+ especially with drivers, someone always crushes one or two longer – even 10yds on occasion than the head/shaft combo they buy which they ultimately hit it better more consistently
vince guest
Mar 16, 2018 at 1:08 pm
You know what, how can you not like Bob, he’s a character, enthusiastic and PXG are creating some excellent clubs. I don’t play them but I have hit them, unfortunately they’re just priced outta my ballpark.
Tim Armington
Mar 16, 2018 at 7:54 pm
Totally agree with you! I find Bob very likeable. After watching the video i was “daydreaming” about owning a set!!! Guess my jpx tours will have to do. Great interview too. I have no doubt that he spent that much $ on equipment before starting PXG. You would have to if you were startin a company like PXG.
Paul
Mar 16, 2018 at 1:00 pm
Bob tells you why his snake oil is not only the best, but that its so good, it should be valued even higher.
Travis
Mar 16, 2018 at 12:49 pm
They cost $50 more because anyone who bought PXG before will inevitably shell it out again. PXG is spending a fortune in marketing and sponsorships that they need to make up the cost somehow.
PXG clubs may be fine and all but Parson’s is a joke. Probably should have spend $350,000 a year on lessons and not equipment. But maybe that would’ve been too hard of work for him.
Andrew Pavlov
Mar 16, 2018 at 12:43 pm
Can we get his taradiddle bagged? My garden can use the fertilizer.
Joe
Mar 16, 2018 at 12:54 pm
Seriously? I honestly thought I had heard of every word there is but you pulled that out?
Andrew Pavlov
Mar 16, 2018 at 2:33 pm
Well … I could have just said BS I guess… but I was trying to take a higher road..lol! P.S> Crossword puzzles are good for this sort of obscure word thing.
dc
Mar 16, 2018 at 12:33 pm
They cost that much because there are other really wealthy people willing to pay that much regardless of the performance.
doug
Mar 16, 2018 at 4:55 pm
A bloke in work boots, a hi-viz vest, carrying 20 YO blades in an old leather bag over his shoulder – who really knows how to golf his ball – will beat most of us regardless of how much we fork over for irons designed by Parsons, Elon Musk, Karl Lagerfield or whoever.
As some others have observed; you can’t buy talent. But as Parsons clearly recognises, there are enough folk out there willing to spend vast amounts of dineros chasing the by-product of talent.
I’ve heard it called ‘the Mercedes Benz Syndrome’. Don’t make ’em affordable or the potential market won’t respect the product.
After recently handing over my Mizuno and Titleist heads to be reshafted, gripped and weight adjusted for my golf-crazy 11YO, I bought a 2nd hand set of Ping i25s. Had ’em adjusted for my height and expectations…and have since dropped to a single figure GA with these comfy work-horses.
So thanks but no thanks Mr Parsons. You keep selling the sizzle, but let me play the game my way.
Carmen Sandiego
Mar 16, 2018 at 12:31 pm
Where in the world is your audio engineer?
HDTVMAN
Mar 16, 2018 at 12:30 pm
LOL. Those irons aren’t worth any more than Callaway Apex, Ping i200, TaylorMade P790, or Titleist AP2/3. I sell and fit irons, and once the customer has picked out the iron set he hits and likes best, we try different shafts, then do the fitting, which I can do in 5 minutes. Parsons’ says his shafts are better? The steel shafts everyone sells, from KBS to Project X, to True Temper are found on tour as well as in our store. Graphite shafts can get expensive, up to $500+, but those are not for the amateur. Unless you swing in excess of 115 mph, and the average amateur is 75 to 95, you will not get the benefits of these expensive shafts, and stock & basic upgrades are perfect. Parsons is a marketer, that’s it! Now, if you are looking to buy new irons, you will notice that the prices are up at least $100. This is called the Parsons’ Effect. Companies such as Callaway, TaylorMade, Ping, & Titleist feel that if people (a very tiny percentage) will pay a premium price from one company, they will pay more for their new products. Bottom line…PXG are HIGHLY Over-rated and Over-priced. It’s called MARKETING 101, and Bob Parsons is a very good teacher.
James T
Mar 16, 2018 at 12:02 pm
Bob’s a billionaire… it’s a hobby, he doesn’t need to turn a profit. Do any of the rest of us amateur golfers turn a profit? Or do we pay out and play for fun?
Andrew Pavlov
Mar 16, 2018 at 12:50 pm
Nonsense, this is not a hobby for BP and he became wealthy because he understands that he needs to turn a profit on all his business ventures. I would agree it may not be his primary business focus but he wants it to be run in the black just the same.
Richard
Mar 17, 2018 at 7:43 pm
Absolutely. Couldn’t agree more. You don’t become a billionaire by giving things away. Actually, generally speaking, the only way you become a billionaire is stepping on people’s heads in one form or another for most of your life so no way he’s going to run this company in the red. His ego wouldn’t allow it.
Jerry
Mar 16, 2018 at 11:58 am
Okay, it’s good to hear from Bob. Not any substance, but it’s good to hear an owner discuss his clubs and his take on the industry. He’s definitely “one of a kind.”
Andrew
Mar 16, 2018 at 11:56 am
Has PXG made a cent of actual profit yet?
Jerry
Mar 16, 2018 at 11:59 am
I hear that question a lot with PXG. Haven’t heard an answer.
ML
Mar 16, 2018 at 1:43 pm
Does it matter? They’re a private company and they keep operating and expanding.
DB
Mar 16, 2018 at 1:50 pm
We might be surprised. I know just one fitter who told me he was selling a full set of PXG every single week. I couldn’t believe it.
I would be in the market for the irons if the cost was reasonable, maybe $175. But I understand the high cost is part of the appeal for many golfers.
Bob Parson Jr.
Mar 16, 2018 at 10:26 pm
Yeah, they are appealing for the high handicappers, lol……