I was virtually all component for about 20 years, but I've drifted over to the dark side as well. When 3-5 year old OEM drivers can be had for $25 with patience from EBay, it's hard to justify $75-$100 components. The non-adjustable OEM drivers get incredibly cheap, and I'm fine with pulling shafts. I picked up some ti face 15 year old Bridgestone irons that are really long for under $150, and I didn't even change the shafts. I have some Tour Series and Chicago wedges, but I have an old Mizuno putter that's been treating me well. I just picked up three Final drivers, 10.5, 12, and 14 -- a clone of the first (I think) square Callaway driver -- brand new for pretty much pocket change. I've been using the 14 for a couple of weeks -- it'll be my winter driver.
Component vs OEM
Long gone are the days when components were popular and the swap shop was loaded with new toys to try cheap. I miss the days at FGI when i would consumate 2-3 deals a week fighting off other ho's like Darkside , Coachsb, Baab, Cutter, Fishergolf , lowpost42 and so many more trying to get my hands on that new component driver head or iron set. Wasnt unusual for me to have 25 drivers and 10 sets of irons on hand at any given time.
Quality component Brands such as Ashton, SMT, Bang, Alpha, Nakashima, KZG, Wishon, Infiniti , Pure fit, Golf smith, Golf Works , Innovex and many more produced some awesome product at user friendly pricing. Now, quality components are few and far between and expensive. I still like and use Wishon and Golfworks and both maintain the high quality.
At the same time as components falling off the map OEM's dropped significantly in price making them more attractive. I used to be 99% component but now I am 99% OEM. I still have a set of Wishon 560 mc , a couple component putters and woods ( Ashton, SMT, Innovex) but my two main bags are pretty much all OEM.
I recently demoed the Sterlings and they look and play great but wow! Are they pricey. Im a SL believer so going to build me a set of Pinhawks and should they make the cut will move to the Sterlings later next summer and sell my i20's
I went from all OEM (callaway) to a set of ping clones (DTG ) but I still use my Odyssey putter.
Par4QC I don't think so.
You're free to disagree, but you'll be wrong.
I'm aware that Powerbilt clubs are sold assembled as OEM clubs, but I purchased this one as a component from Hireko. The only Dynacraft clubs in my bag that came from Hireko are the wedges. The Hypersteel 5wd and the hybrids came from Dynacraft before they were bought by Hireko. I'm 100% sure of the Hypersteel, but I could be mistaken on the hybrids. Honestly, they might have been one of the heads in inventory at the time of sale.
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From about 1985/1986 to three years ago I was 100% Component. I made custom clubs for others as well as my self. Three
years ago I bought a Taylor Made Daddy Long Legs putter. Last year I bought a set of Adams New Idea hybrid irons. They were only $269. It would have cost me nearly the same money to build a comparable set. I was planning on getting out of club building for others any how so this was my first step to quitting. This year I bought a new Cobra driver and 4 wood and a new Cleveland SW and LW. That left me with a Gap Wedge and sometimes a driver that still were components as I struggled to consistently hit the Cobra driver. I also couldn't seem to hit the Cleveland Tour Action wedges so just before the end of the season, I bought a new Cleveland CBX SW, which I love. I started using an old Snake Eyes LW that had never been hit and the jury is still out on that club. SO, for someone who was all component until three years ago, I now have only a GW, LW and sometimes a driver that are components. I'll likely buy a new OEM driver this winter and would have had a OEM GW if one was available with the irons I bought. I also will likely buy a Cleveland CBX LW so that will complete my transition from component to OEM.
customgolfcenter All mine are components: Wishon 919THI driver, Acer Mini-Thriver, KZG Cobalt 5-wood, Pinhawk 4H (recent), Wishon 560s irons, 1Iron wedges, and Heavy Putter.
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I play just as good (crappy) with OEM stuff as I do with component stuff.
At one time had BOM driver and 3-wood coupled with KZG Evolution irons with an OEM putter for a nearly completely component bag. Recently had some TM clones in the bag for about a season and a half.
At present, trying to fill my entire bag with cheap stuff I picked up at garage/estate sales, second-hand shops, and the like. Therefore it is almost all OEM.
Driver. TM Burner bought at Play It Again sports for $50
3-Wood. Carrying two. One is a TM I bought for $20 at a golf shop used bin, The other is an old Callaway Steelhead I picked up for $5 at a garage sale. The Callaway is about 10 yards shorter and functions as a 4-wood.
5-wood. Component club I bought out of a barrel for $5. Can't even remember who makes it
Irons. TM RAC HT irons, purchased at an estate sale for $45. (Paid a lot more than that for new grips.)
Sand wedge. Ping Eye 2, pulled out of a full set I bought at a garage sale for $25
Putter. Currently gaming a Ping Zing 2 that I bought at an estate sale for $5. Just regripped it with a new oversize grip by Golf Pride that I think is miles better than any Superstroke grip ever made
Yeah. So I guess you could say I pretty much went from almost all components to almost all cheap OEM stuff.
OEM woods & putter. Component irons & wedges.
The last component irons I owned were Wishon 752 TC's (back in the early-mid 2000's) and I hit them no better than the OEM irons I'd purchased prior to that. Given that they cost me the same amount of money that I could've purchased a set of OEM irons (that I could actually demo - couldn't demo the Wishon irons) and get them at the same price point or perhaps even cheaper - I said never again.
Just a personal decision. Nothing against components, nothing against Wishon equipment.
Not into building my own equipment, never have been and never will be.
From roughly 2000-2008 it was primarily components for me (good times back then). After taking a long break to focus on my career and health, I now have all OEM. Times have changed.......
I have got a ton of clubs, some new component stuff that I haven’t hit. Mostly all component. Love my rechromed rebuilt Mac. VIP’S. Love my baby Ben putter. Love switching around all my clubs. Just regrouped a KZG Gemini that I’m going to try next time out.
I am 100% component. Geek DCT or Geek LB130 for driver, Snake Eyes 695 3w, DTG TM RBZ clone 2h, DTG Ping G15 clone 3h, Malby DBM 4-pw, Maltby 50 & 54 wedges, Inazone 60, and an Inazone Sabertooth like putter.
I have Dynacraft CB Prophet irons and an old Golfsmith 7 wood. The rest is OEM. Although even the OEM stuff is at least 3 years old. I'm pretty much done trying to buy a game with the possible exception of a putter. But really, they're all components to us, right?
Used to play an all component bag, except for the putter,(SMT woods, Infiniti irons and hybrids). Now because used OEM has become so cheap( Ping G driver $112, Ping K15 hybrids aver $50, and Wilson D-200 irons $200) , you almost can't build any cheaper. Plus the paint on DTG and Hireko woods chips easily and doesn't hold up. I found that component iron's quality, consistency and playability is all over the place, save perhaps for Wishon, Maltby and Infinity.
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Used to play an all Snake Eyes bag with Ti462-Draw Driver, Quick Strike II hybrids at single length, Quick Strike II/Golfsmith Twin Tune irons at single length, Wishon PCF Wide Sole wedges, and Viper Tour 1 putter.
Driver is now an Adams XTD Ti - the adjustability is a great feature. Like others have said, the cost was less compared to components as well (less than 40 bucks from the Bay, including headcover, adapter and tool - paired it with an old school Grafalloy Valor shaft from Golfsmith). Hybrids now are Nike CPR Woods at single length. Irons and wedges the same as above. Went back to a center shaft SE Python putter. So, a mixed bag right now.
If I ever have the time I plan to assemble Wishon 775HS hybrids to a single length as well as 7-AW 770CFE irons to single length. Price is a factor re: 770CFE vs. the Sterlings. I figure the 770CFE with its hot face should do decently compared to the Sterlings.
HybridWood You may want to do a bit of study into SL before cutting your 770s to a SL. Weighting is just the first issue. The second is that the hot faces on your short irons is the opposite of what you want.
kelco9 Appreciate the heads-up, but I have done so. My current single length clubs are at about 281 g, I can weight these 770CFEs to 282 g with the heads I have on hand.
I haven't double checked Tom's background info on the Sterlings, but my recollection was that either there or a Tutleman study the high COR faces do not have as much of an effect at higher lofts, which is why the higher lofted Sterlings do not have the high COR face. Having the high COR face with the 770CFEs then, hopefully won't make much of a difference. Plus, my slow swingspeed...!
I'm also going with 4.5° loft gaps for the 770CFEs.
HybridWood Ah, I see. Sounds like you have done your homework. That is interesting about the hi-COR effect on higher lofts. That makes sense. There will probably be a diminishing effect from 7-iron to SW, but you can simply address that through loft adjustment if it does emerge. The one thing that surprised me is the 281 g SL heads. That's heavier than I expected, given the 272 spec on a pinhawks and 274 on the Sterlings. That certainly makes it easier to SL your 770s.
Except for my original Ping Eye2 BeCu irons, which now occupy a place of honor in the man-cave, I played all components for years. Cheaper than OEM and much more fun to build, especially since I had a part-time business doing so and used components from all the major components companies back then. Last several years seems many of the companies folded, merged or just disappeared. With the price of the OEM today after being on market for 6 months it is much cheaper to purchase and re-shaft to what I need - don't run the business anymore as dealing with the public is a pita. The OEM's have shot themselves in the foot by releasing new product every quarter to try and one-up each other. Marketing-types run the OEM's and most of the difference between a company's offerings will be marketing hype. Most savvy buyers will now wait 3 months and get what they want at half price and if they are really savvy they will get the shaft replaced to one that better suits their swing, unless they are lucky enough to get a proper fitting before purchasing.