Component driver madness

Tinker · 2017-04-12T00:25:05+00:00

Have noticed component drivers get more expensive the older they get. I see 12 year old designs ( Bang, Alpha) that are way out over 100 bucks and are older...

ValueGolf

garyt1957

Bang sells 3 products with regularity:

Original BOM, Super BOM, SF Fairways. So much so that that's all we stock in Bang now. And it sells through really well.

Original BOM and Super BOM sell mostly overseas, SF sells really well in the States.

I could tell you guys which components sell as well as ever but I don't think you'd believe me.

garyt1957

ValueGolf

Try us

kelco9

garyt1957 Wasn't thinking so much of Bang as SMT, Geek, and Krank. If you're talking about quality models that max out all the specs and are still in production, why exactly would the price of these go down?

garyt1957

kelco9

I seriously doubt they max out all specs compared to current models. CT, sure but no way they're as forgiving as todays heads. I don't know if they still measure MOI the same way but the 455DB was about 3700 MOI back when. I'd bet a lot of heads today are 5000, but you don't see this pushed much anymore.
Plus variable face thickness plays a huge part in off center hits (according to Tom Wishon) and I don't think any 2000-2005 drivers have VFT, and certainly not as good as today's models.

ValueGolf

kelco9

Anyone that says the SL "won't go anywhere" I literally don't even bother to reply to anymore. But I will reply just this once: 🙂

Never in my 20 years of this business have I seen anything sell through this well. Never. It is an absolute boom, and anyone that says differently is just plain old out of touch. I see crusty guys comment about what a joke it is on various forums and I just literally smile and shake my head and move on (generally to go ship more SL stuff).

DC300

ValueGolf I would have a set if you could keep the GD things in stock! I'm happy for you, but knock it off 😜

kelco9

ValueGolf By the way Aaron, here is your next venture: women's SL. Yes, I know, I know -- this is a niche inside a niche. But I can't think of a concept better suited to a particular segment of the market. The problem is, as it always is with the women's golf market, convincing them that a new set of irons/clubs is needed and then getting them to spend money on them. (Sorry if there are any women on this forum who take issue with this characterization women golfers, but from my experience, it's true. If I didn't buy/make my wife new clubs, she would golf with a stone tied to a stick and not care (even though she would complain all the way around -- as you can tell, my wife doesn't read this forum).)

Okay, I've now mapped your way forward, defended your SL irons, and saved you an unnecessary logo change. I'm going to be looking for compo before long. 🙂

ode

DC300 lol, me too, but it's really my fault, as I'm in, then out, then in....and when I go to pull the trigger the sumbiches are out of stock again. That and the fact that Hireko now sells these tells me all I need to know about how well these are selling!

kelco9

Tinker Yeah, and look how well that one turned out. Chasing sizzle is like chasing the wind. You better have deep pockets. Maybe components should have chased the Nike Covert. Not!

kelco9

garyt1957 Interesting. I would like to hear someone with more knowledge than me discuss this. Thanks.

rsvman

garyt1957 I'm gaming an old Wishon 919THI driver and I though one of its main claims to game was its ultra-high MOI. I don't remember the exact numbers but it is pretty high, I think.
I feel confident that it is every bit as good as a modern driver head.

accufitgolf

Aaron, while happy for your business, I believe the mainstream OEM business would lose their shirt on single length clubs.

I do not know your goals/numbers, but you selling say a thousand or two thousand sets might be great for you (and I wish you well) but a major OEM only selling a thousand or two thousand sets would go belly up.

ValueGolf

accufitgolf

We've sold a lot more than 2000.

And us selling them with basically a zero advertising budget is not comparable to a major OEM with millions of dollars to spend. I can stone cold promise you that Cobra is making money right now for example.

This Golf Digest article from a couple days ago is worth a read to single-length doubters:

http://www.golfdigest.com/story/single-length-irons-can-one-size-fit-all-equipment

accufitgolf

As a follow up. I liked the 12 degree driver component driver I built. It is a fairway finder but it is costing me distance. I have ordered the 10.5 degree model so I will see how it goes. I also ordered the same shaft versus pull the 12 shaft and reshaft the 10.5 as I want the 12 as a backup for shorter courses and when I am not playing well.

kelco9

accufitgolf Please do keep us informed accufit. I, for one, will be very interested in the results of your new build, and I hope that you will find your way onto a good launch monitor and provide us with the results.

I am always curious about computer modelling versus "real world" results. Based solely on the modelling software and assuming a 0 degree angle of attack, you will only lose distance on the 12 degree (versus 10.5) if you swing in excess of 99 mph. Anything lower, according to the software, you will carry the 12.5 degree farther.

Look forward to hearing your experience.

accufitgolf

Kelco

I will keep you informed. My swing speed is about 90MPH with a positive angle of attack. My information will be real life usage, not modeling software.

kelco9

accufitgolf Thanks! I would be particularly interested if you could use a Trackman (or similar) to do the comparison. On course isn't always the best comparison because people tend to measure their drives against their best drive ever (or even just particularly well-hit drives, rather than their usual drive). Having been in the business, you may not be as prone to that tendency, but I think we all suffer from this to a degree. (I just had a good friend tell me the other day that he usually hits his 7-iron 175 yards. I looked at him incredulously and said, "When? I play golf with you once a week and I'm about one iron longer than you, and I hit my 7-iron about 155." He says, "Oh, yeah, well I guess that was only one time and I think I had a wind behind me." I was thinking, "Yeah, and you hit the path, a sprinkler head, and a fox picked up your ball and ran with it for awhile.")

ZWExton

ValueGolf

Neat article! While I don't have single length now, my initial reaction to the concept when I first heard about it was, "yep, that makes a lot of sense. Variable shaft lengths are pretty stupid."

They cite that if you were inventing the game today, you would not make every club a different length. If you did, you'd sure as shit MOI/TLT match them so you could play competently with fewer variables in the swing. Single Length is a lot simpler than MOI/TLT matching.

I'm in, but my JPX 850 forged are so pretty 🙁

Next set I buy will be single length. I suspect these "obstacles" of distance gapping will be resolved within the next year or so, as they seem fairly minor.

DC300

kelco9 hahahahaha, fox assisted for the win!

ZWExton

rsvman

I have 4 of these - 2 original and 2 "new age" (one chrome, one black anodized.)

Even the original touts 5000+ MOI. May not have the variable face thickness for heel/toe forgiveness, but it is as resistant to twisting on off center hits as anything.

In other news, if anyone would like to buy an 8* 919thi head, I have a couple for sale!

garyt1957

rsvman

I agree on the 919, I had one. But that's not that old of a head, even the original. I'm talking more of the circa
2002-05 type heads, BB450, 455DB, etc.
I still play a Wishon 949MC. Now that's an older head that stands up. When the square Nike Sumo came out and they were touting it's 5000 MOI, ( as compared to the SMT, Bang's etc 3700-3900) the 949MC was measured at 4750 or thereabouts, virtually identical according to Wishon who says you need at least a 500 MOI difference to even start to see a difference. And it was a deep faced traditional shaped head.
BTW, you old time FGIers may remember the MOI test was done by Tim Hewitt of MY Ostrich Golf. Now that's a name from the past.

DC300

ZWExton hmmmm I so want to take one of those 8 heads off your hands, but I have a G30 I'm hitting sooo well. I know it would end up sitting around. Any interest in low loft ( like 6) Geek heads?

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