I have played with golfers, all types of handicaps, and its amazing through conversations with them during a round, how many are influenced by advertising and what the tour players are playing, or what type of golf ball they are use. Anybody else ever notice this?

we are sheep. it is sad but true. i admit that i am one of those guys that think, since the pros play it, it must be the best.

This site is all the proof one needs.

it's very true. i try really hard to forget that and play what i feel is the best...it's hard though

OEM's know this....that's why you see so much money thrown at them every single week

How many threads during a tourney week are there about "what was XXXX trying on the range today?"...."When did XXXX switch shafts in his driver? Anyone know wat it was?"

People want to know, and people want to try all the latest and greatest, just like the pros do. The pros are sheep too though, just at a higher level.

It goes Manufacturers-Pros-Photographer/TV-Us.

I only notice what someone is playing when they beat Tiger.....must be really good stuff then right?


just kidding.

Quite frankly, I could care less what they are using. I pay attention, but it does not influence me.

I play what works best, feels best for me.

That is why I laugh when people get upset at $100 basketball shoes while swinging their $1000 driver with tour only shaft that lower their spin rate to 2000 rpm and gives them 10 more yards off the tee just like (insert name of pro that you like here)...

We are a consumer country that is influenced by the lifestyles of the rich and famous...

If my favorite pro is playing taylormade, then I have to get taylormade or because I see 30 bags in a given tournament with tm logos then tm must be the best because the pros play it and then get it for free (or that is the rumor that some would have you believe)...

golfwrx probably influences what i play more than the pro
i think that's because i've already accepted that the pros equipment is suited to their game which i'm nowhere near so i shouldn't really be messing around with that anyway
but on golfwrx, there are other memebers whose ability i could relate to, and therefore a common ground can be shared in terms of equipment

I think the average golfer is. I know for a fact I'm not, because I play what works for me. I have still have a launcher 460 driver and a launcher fairway wood. I bought new irons last year not because I wanted new irons, but because I needed new irons because my Ta3s were shot. Wedges I need to replace every 2 years, and my putter is a Scotty.

It's not by accident that Tiger makes 80 million a year in endorsements. Advertising works, some better than others. Do you really think so many players would play Pro V1s if the pros didn't play them?

Whether we know it or not, I'm certain it DOES have an effect on us.
How many of us like to try the "latest and greatest" because they saw a tour pro use it?

Or lets look at the Spider putter from TM....really how many of us would even look at the putter if it wasn't for a pile of TM staffers havnig it in the bag? Yet there have been numerous threads on the putter shortly after we see some tour pros sporting it in their bag AND doing well.

And even if it may not directly lead us to buy a club...it sure feels nice to have our club selection choices validated by it's tour play. I see WAY more people playing the Callaway FT5/FT3 then the X460 or Hyper X....for a lot of players this is because the FT5/FT3 drivers is what they SEE in the tour pro's bags...

It stands to reason, or at the least it's reasonable to think, that what the guys who are playing for a living are using is the best. After all, their livelihood depends on it. (Please spare me all the pay for play stuff). For example, if you want to know what the best knife is, ask a chef. The best wrench? Ask a mechanic. I believe this thinking generally also holds true in golf. It's somewhat different in golf however because of all the different dynamics/variables involved. There can't be one best club, shaft or set of specs...there are just too many variables for a given player. But you can bet that if it's good, there's some tour player somewhere using it.

In a word, "duh!!"

I agree with this post 100%. A good example is a couple years ago.......I noticed a LOT of pros playing this weird colored UST shaft with a bottom yellow half, top half painted dark. This turned out to be the UST V2 which is a SPECATULAR shaft, that produces great launch monitor results. Another example is when I saw MANY pros using the R7 driver, even if they were not sponsored by TaylorMade.

So.........I'm not necessarily going to jump on a club just because I see a particular pro using it, but when I see a lot of pros using a particular piece of equipment, even when it's not their primary sponsor, I at least demo the club, or try it out.

What the pros play has no influence on what goes in my bag.

One of the few....one of the strong.

I can honestly say it doesn't matter to me at all. ...looking at my bag, i'm not sure there are pro's playing any of my clubs, with the exception of my driver.

However, in general it has a huge affect. Just ask the guy with the Nike Blades I played with last year that shot over a 100....

I think it does 99% of the time...

Everyone at one time or another has stood over a shot holding a club (for instance a Taylormade TP MB) and thought Sergio uses these irons... and then you naturally swing like him......

Or stand over a drive with a sasquatch and swing like tiger....

I must admit, if i see a new club on tour that i like the look of ill take a look... When the Mizuno Mp600 came out, was instantly looking up on it, tried it, ordered it. If Master Donald was to turn up next week with a new set of Mizuno blades, i think ALOT of people would instantly be pre ordering, then Daniel Vansick puts them in the bag, as does Billy Andrade, Lee Janzen, Jeff Sluman... They would be sold out before theyr even in production...

I think the manufacturer has a big influence aswell, not just the individual player, if Mizuno as a company bring out a new product, im interested, but if luke donald uses a TEE 3 wood, not so interested...

Projamie

Yea that's the reason I want the shoes Paris Hilton wears and the shaft that Lopez swings! Yeeks, thats a scary thought! I like the above poster could care less about what the pros play 'cause it (sadly ) won't help my game. But being the club ho I am I will try different clubs, shafts balls and ..... did I leave anything out!? I do love this site!! Just because it makes my wife of 38 years crazy!!!!!!!!

I have to admit that I am surprised by the number of responses that say they are influenced by what the pros play. I would have thought that this group would be more apt to play what was best for them.

I tend to be interested in what the pros play and may try it out, but I have never bought anything because someone else plays it. I wouldn't call that being influenced by the pros, I would say that the pros have just created an awareness of what is new.

I am not influenced by what the pros play. I keep up with market trends and equipment developments, but my test is how I hit the ball with it.

I can honestly say it has no effect on me whatsoever.

I find it crazy that OEMs lavish the money and attention they do on winning driver counts or paying the wrold number 100 player to play their equipment.

I've yet to see anybody walk into a pro shop and say "I want to play the most used driver on the PGA tour"

I take more notice of what my local pro and assistant use as they are more in my world and are pretty much the same build as me.

I don't think anybody is saying people are going to say, "I want to play the most used driver on the PGA tour" but instead look towards brands they see tour players play.

For example, Bridgestone is a fantastic brand with GREAT products however I don't see many players even look at them because it's not as prevelant on tour....funny enough now that they see guys like CHIII and such play them they are starting to look for them.

Another example is Sonartech, make a GREAT hybrid....but the first thing most players grab for is a TM Rescue...
Ditto for Nickent, great product at a decent price....hardly see many look at it because it doesn't get as much tour play.

There is a reason TM puts out so much tee up money for their drivers....and interestingly enough I see A LOT of TM drivers on the course.

I'm not saying it's the sole reason people pick what they play, but it DOES have a big effect on where one starts to look.

The irony is that Joe Golfer wants to know what the pros are playing but...

Takes a cart instead of walking.

Drinks beer instead of water.

Downs a hot dog and chips instead of healthy, energizing snacks.

"Practices" by beating a bucket of drivers.

Spends little time on their short game.

Has no regular fitness routine.

Well, it's true, isn't it?

Play well!

I know what you mean (especially with TM getting so many to play their driver etc) but I still think its value is way overstated.

For example nigh on all the guys I know play Ping drivers. But nobody plays them because Calc, Westwood or Di Marco play them its because they are very solid products. You get great fitting and the customer service is superb. The members know it and the pro at our course knows it.

For me I can understand the value of having Tiger, Ernie, Phil and some of the other big names on board. What I dont see the value of is having guys like Kenny Perry on the staff. And yes I know Kenny has been doing very nicely on the tour.

Still as you say TM are big on it and they wouldnt do it if they didnt think it would translate into sales.

Add me to the small group that could care less what Joe Pro is playing. Many of the guys I used to play with would run out and buy the stuff their "hero" is playing. I loved it, because I'd still beat their a$$es with my homemade clubs. It ain't the clubs boys. Spend your money on lessons and practice and groove your swing.

In an ideal world I would like to say that I'm not influenced by the equipment used on the tour, but that's just not the case for me.

Before I started visiting WRX, a huge part of my golf equipment brand awareness came from watching the pros. For me, the logic goes "well, if the pros are using it, it's at least not junk." This perception of quality, whether correct or not, helps me parse the myriad of club options out there.

Now that I visit WRX, I have higher levels of brand/component/equipment awareness. I wasn't at all familiar with custom shaft options until recently... but hanging out here got me thinking about new brands. Seeing that something has a big following here can, for me, provide the equivalent brand validation of seeing something on tour. I'm willing to categorize something as "not junk" if, based on the collective wisdom of this forum, people don't think it's junk.

Watching the pros also has an interesting validating effect. After buying new equipment (sometimes based on WRX posts), I'll look on tour to see if any players are using similar equipment. When I notice that a pro is using something similar to what I got, it makes me feel happier about that buying choice. I experienced this after getting TP Mills putters for me and my fiance and after getting him a Diamana Whiteboard for his driver... I didn't know that these were popular on tour at the time I bought them (but I knew they were popular here). Later, I saw that these things are actually used on tour, and thought that was "cool."

For me, at least, the influence of what tour players use is somewhat irrational, but to be honest, it is definitely there. I guess marketing works on me.

I could not have said it any better!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lol my initial reaction was no

then I read the other post and began to think about it

where did I see my first 60 degree wedge

Hybrid

2 ball putter hell my first TP Mills years ago


All on the PGA tour so although I am not sure what manufacturer they play is that important whats in there bag is

hell right now I am dying for one of those Spider Putters and have never hit a putt with one


good thing I am cheap or I would be so broke. But the answer to this thread is a definite yes

I can honestly say that myself, as well as my usual playing partners don't pay much attention to what the pros play. I play mostly Ping clubs. Until I started looking at the Ping website more often, I couldn't have even told you who their staffers were.

I play Callaway HX Tour balls. I couldn't even name a pro that hits those. I'm sure plenty do though. Same with my clubs. I just play what works for me. I do take note of what brand some of the Pros I like to watch play, but just because it's working for them doesn't mean it's going to do much for me. As a matter of fact, I'm a Phil fan, and the last Callaway club I owned was the Great Big Bertha, which was actually given to me by my dad.

I do see some members at my country club with "pro level" OEM equipment in their bags that's way over their head though. It does happen, and quite frequently.

to some degree yes...but the more you know about the product the less your influence may be......

I like Hot Dogs and chips

I watch golf on TV but pay no attention to what clubs the pro's are playing. It has never had any influence on my purchasing. What a particular player plays would never work for me so I could care less what they play.
I am however always amazed at the post on this and other golf related boards asking questions about the equipment of whoever wins in any given week. Last week there was even a question here about the color of the circles on Tigers hat as they had changed from one week to the next. I just didn't get it I guess.

Funny, I would think that the people here would be MORE sensitive to what the pros play. We are a group of more aware, or at least more obsessed golfers. I watch televised golf religiously, and always take note, or at least try to take note of what the top players play.

That being said I dont have anything in my bag that you woudl find in tiger's bag, or phil's for that matter (maybe my ball, but hell it is just the ball i shoot the best scores with). That being said I am aware of what they are both playing. I frequently check the WITB threads for the big guys, and even some of the regulars here who obviously have more money than i do!!!

I do try on those rare occasions when i actually get to purchase new clubs to pick things that i think will work regardless of what my favorite pros are playing, but its still in my head when i make my purchases, and id be disingenuous to not recognize that.

I don't think there is one thing in my bag carried by a pro, besides possible the driver and maybe 3-wood. I golf on the cheap and realistic view! lol

The ones I pay attention to is the ones that don't have a sponsor or the ones that do and play another OEM. We must ask ourselves this,, "If they could play anything at all, what would it be?"

In general I would say yes. I think the Titleist Pro V1 is the best example. There are plenty of great premium golf balls out there but people insist on playing the Pro V1. It's a great ball but to some degree I think this popularity comes down to usage on the PGA and European Tour.

I have to say yes. Equimpent makers would not be paying millions in endorsements if it was not selling club and balls.

x 2; but I must admit that I'm influenced by... reviews

Rhetorical question.

This site is viral marketing at its best!

If John Daly could ride in a cart he would, everything else describes him to a t...
No wonder he's so popular.
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