What's in the Bag... Do you care?

Kevinmarkham

A question:

Do people care that much about what's in a Professional golfer's bag? Which Driver do they use? What length of putter do they favour?...

I just read a blog where the author asked: What self-respecting golf blog doesn't have a What's in the Bag piece?

Mine doesn't. I can't believe that anyone gives a damn. The professionals... OK, I understand the attraction, but it makes not a jot of difference to me. If Rory uses a bazooka it's not going to influence my next choice of club... although it might influence the choice of weapon that I take to to the next AIB AGM. Eggs are for wimps.

No, I go to my Pro shop and we discuss the type of game I play, whether I draw or fade, what kind of swing I inflict on the ground... and he then suggests a couple of club models and we go from there.

Personally, I have zero interest in what's in anybody's golf bag. Do you, and if so, why?

I've put a poll up on my blog as well as here.

thewobbler

I'll always read "what's in my bag" articles about pros. But, as they're nearly all signed up for sponsorship deals, it's rarely informative. They normally just play with the best clubs their sponsor can provide them. Like all golfers, I'm sure they grow to love and trust their weaponry, but it's not like a pro actually chooses from a wide selection.

JD Dublin

Agree - people will always look to what the pros use. Look at footballers and their day-glo boots, then look at any schoolboy team and see the same gear on 12 year old kids.

Golfers hope to see an improvement in their game using better equipment, and using the same range of gear as the pros.

saintastic

Most "What's In The Bag?" articles also give the players distances which I think is really interesting. For example, the differences between my own (short) yardages, Donald's and let's say McIlroy's.

Also, I'd be interested in confirming if I think a pro is playing a certain type of irons after seeing them on TV

SEORG

I would read the 'what's in the bag' section but I'm more interested in extras they put in not in the clubs they use.

dvemail

SEORG wrote: »

I would read the 'what's in the bag' section but I'm more interested in extras they put in not in the clubs they use.

Agree with this, not much interest in what clubs they use as we've seen em all before but i like to see what kind of lucky items they bring or whatnot.

dnjoyce

Little interest in the particular shafts they use, but always have a gander at the clubs, distances and any other food, gadgets/lucky charms they carry

big_drive

Yes I find them interesting and like reading about what the pros use, both clubs & other items

Borisss

I find it interesting to know aswell.

Not because it'll alter what I put in my bag, none of my gear is the latest model, but because I like seeing what old gems many still use.

eg. McIlroy still games a 906 F4 3 wood rather than a 910. Interesting.

slave1

Only interested for pure Trivia.
Main interest in pro golfers is looking at their swing and thankfully we get a lot of slo-mo's from TV coverage these days.
I can learn from their swing but if I had rakes of money and went and purchased their gear I feel I'd have much less return.

Webbs

I couldnt care what clubs Pros use. to me its just an extension of the advertising/marketing push by the manufacturers.
With all the tweaks and alterations the do to their clubs its a bit like being in the market for a new car but looking at what Jenson Button is currently driving.

Golfgraffix

SEORG wrote: »

I would read the 'what's in the bag' section but I'm more interested in extras they put in not in the clubs they use.

same for me

Whyner

Your poll is a bit confusing

Care: No
Matter: No

Interested: Of course. I like looking at shiny custom clubs. If they carry 4 wedges, what do they leave out? What type of ball retriever? etc...

Kevin - Can't believe you have zero interest. Do you want to rethink that one? Not even a sneaky peek?

Kevinmarkham

Borisss wrote: »

I find it interesting to know aswell.
eg. McIlroy still games a 906 F4 3 wood rather than a 910. Interesting.

Whyner wrote: »

Kevin - Can't believe you have zero interest. Do you want to rethink that one? Not even a sneaky peek?

Nope, Whyner, not interested in the slightest. I read Borisss's comment about 906 F4 3 vs 910... I thought a 910 was a Porsche.

I know that my Driver is a Taylormade and my irons are Taylormade but I couldn't tell you more than that... but then I guess that's why I write about golf courses and not golf professionals - I love watching them play but it makes no difference to me what brand/model is in their hand and it has never influenced what clubs I've bought.

stockdam

I couldn't care less what they use. The only slight interest is to find out how many of them use a "draw biased" driver.........I guess none.

Aesop

Do I care...no.

Do I linger in a golf magazine when I see it...being honest...yes.

Golf porn?

k.p.h

I find it interesting, especially when you get to see their setups. As borris said its interesting the way some players don't use the newest model of a particular brand etc.. Also you get to see the way some players grind their wedges and the way many Ping or Titliest clubs for a few years ago still remain.. Very rarely will you see older Taylormade clubs knocking around (for some reason ) .!

FixdePitchmark

I found it usefull to see which pros use a Hybrid, was good to see Padraig say he thinks it won him the open.

I think it says much if a pro does not even take some of the new clubs, it means the marketing team can't turn a pro to a new piece of ****, the talk is in the strike and flight for them

Mizuno Man

Kevinmarkham wrote: »

A question:

Do people care that much about what's in a Professional golfer's bag? Which Driver do they use? What length of putter do they favour?...

.....Personally, I have zero interest in what's in anybody's golf bag. Do you, and if so, why?

Bit surprised at this to be honest Kevin. Do you watch golf on television? Have you any interest in how a particular shot was played or what choice some pro made in a particular situation? It's just simple curiosity for the majority I would expect and fits into a similar category. It doesn't mean anyone is going to go out and buy an X flex 3 iron the next day after reading a "What's in the bag?" article any more than someone is going to try to hit a 7 iron 185 yards over water to a tight flag after seeing it being done on telly. But they both hold the same interest value. Surely you can see that?

I am very interested to see what gaps pros have through their wedges and what bounce each is as it makes me think about my own set up. Does that mean I think I can play the same as a pro? Of course not. But if I had a 46 degree, 50 degree and 60 degree wedge set and I see most pros don't have that big a gap it might make me rethink what I am trying to achieve.

I am also interested to see how many pros have a 13.5 degree 3 wood which I could never manage to hit and which explains why the gap between many of their driver and 3 wood distances are so much less than my own pathetic amatuer values where I have maybe 40 or 50 yards between them. Will I change my setup? No. It's just interesting that's all.

If some pro has a putting stroke that I think is similar to my own or similar to what I am trying to do, then I may be interested in what model of putter they use and what way it's balanced.

If some pro has Game Improvement irons or has cavity back long irons or hybrid replacement irons, I might reconsider my macho complex and think about doing the same myself.

Bit surprised that you can't see any of that to be honest and how some people might be interested in the detail. It's all fine and dandy to say you don't care and never will, but I would still bet that when you bought your first set of clubs you didn't just go in blind. You had some idea in your head of a brand or a model which was almost certainly influenced by what you had seen or read about, even if you didn't or don't realise it.

If you were as pure as you are trying to suggest, you would either be driving a 900cc Daihatsu Charade purely for economy and value for money or pedalling to everywhere you go on a second hand bicycle. I doubt either will prove to be true!

Borisss

Kevinmarkham wrote: »

I know that my Driver is a Taylormade and my irons are Taylormade but I couldn't tell you more than that...

So you couldn't tell us shaft or model specs?

Despite pulling them from your noname bag about 90 times per round?

OK.

k.p.h

I think their is a difference between caring whats in a pros bag brand wise and whats in a pros bag setup wise e.g tech spec/technology/club type

I actually think not too many people are bothered about the branding but more so what the details are etc..

Webbs

Mizuno Man wrote: »

I am very interested to see what gaps pros have through their wedges and what bounce each is as it makes me think about my own set up. Does that mean I think I can play the same as a pro? Of course not. But if I had a 46 degree, 50 degree and 60 degree wedge set and I see most pros don't have that big a gap it might make me rethink what I am trying to achieve.

Surely though pros change their wedges, grind and bounce from one tournament to the next depending on course length, turf conditions etc something we will never do as amateurs.

I am with Kevin as well in that I have no idea about shaft specs lie and loft angles etc on my clubs just what make it is.

I would rather know what low/scratch handicappers at my course have in the bag rather than pros at a tournament on the other side of the world.

By the way I honestly dont think I have ever looked in a blog/magazine etc at what pros have in their bag but agree my choice of brand is influenced what the pros play as they are part of the huge marketing juggernaut that is modern golf and the wall to wall coverage.
I bought my first couple of sets starting way back in late 70s early 80s when there was basically no marketing push to club players, no one knew then what was in a pros bag, however you still bought what was prominently displayed in a pro shop be it slazenger back in the day through to Taylormade now.
So players are influenced by marketing but surely people arent that star struck they buy what their 'hero' plays in the bag.

Mizuno Man

Webbs wrote: »

Surely though pros change their wedges, grind and bounce from one tournament to the next depending on course length, turf conditions etc something we will never do as amateurs.

Very good point. I guess what I am referring to is the basic setup. Do they have a 47 degree PW and then 52 and 58, or 54 and 60 or what. And generally the bounce will be similar throughout their year except for certain courses that have different sand or firmer turf or whatever. But all that aside, I still hope you see the point I am trying to make.

I am with Kevin as well in that I have no idea about shaft specs lie and loft angles etc on my clubs just what make it is.

I would say that it is a shame if you don't have some idea of your specs. Although I'd imagine it is a bit of an exaggeration to make your point perhaps as I would be shocked to think that you would not know the brand and flex of your shafts at the very least as they are most likely printed on every club in your bag!

But specs and shafts and all that that the pros use is probably the most irrelevant information you might see in an article. The rest of us simply won't be and shouldn't be using any of it.

Tin_Cup

I am interested in what's in the bag but it wouldn't influence what I play with.

Kevinmarkham

Mizuno Man wrote: »

Bit surprised at this to be honest Kevin. Do you watch golf on television? Have you any interest in how a particular shot was played or what choice some pro made in a particular situation? It's just simple curiosity for the majority I would expect and fits into a similar category. It doesn't mean anyone is going to go out and buy an X flex 3 iron the next day after reading a "What's in the bag?" article any more than someone is going to try to hit a 7 iron 185 yards over water to a tight flag after seeing it being done on telly. But they both hold the same interest value. Surely you can see that?

Bit surprised that you can't see any of that to be honest and how some people might be interested in the detail. It's all fine and dandy to say you don't care and never will, but I would still bet that when you bought your first set of clubs you didn't just go in blind. You had some idea in your head of a brand or a model which was almost certainly influenced by what you had seen or read about, even if you didn't or don't realise it.

If you were as pure as you are trying to suggest, you would either be driving a 900cc Daihatsu Charade purely for economy and value for money or pedalling to everywhere you go on a second hand bicycle. I doubt either will prove to be true!

Not sure what you mean by 'pure', but in answer to your comments I watch plenty of golf and I'm intrigued by shots pros play, especially from tricky positions - and the club number they're using - but my interest doesn't have anything to do with their brand/loft.

To be honest, you've misunderstood me. I don't care what people use, or carry in their bag, but I'm not commenting on anybody's else's interest - there are plenty of people fascinated by the detail and that's grand... but I'm not one of them. That's why I started this post.

As for my first clubs (that I paid for and weren't hand-me-downs from my father), they were Cleveland. Why? Because my club Pro was affiliated to Cleveland. My second (and current) set are Taylormade. Why? Because I had a mate who worked for Taylormade.

Borisss wrote: »

So you couldn't tell us shaft or model specs?

Despite pulling them from your noname bag about 90 times per round?

OK.

Genuinely, no. Is that so surprising? My Driver is Taylormade and it has a graphite shaft. Bought off the shelf. My irons are Taylormade and they're very pretty. Bought off the shelf. Yes I pull them from my bag (although not 90 times a round - I'm insulted) but I look at the number on the sole. Nothing else matters during a game of golf, surely!

Yes, I could have told you they were XYZ model when I first got them four years ago, but that sort of detail doesn't stay in my head for long.

And my bag's Taylormade, in case you were wondering.

Tones69

Throw up some pics kev!

Zardoz

I'm interested in some aspects of what clubs the pros use but I take any of those articles with a large pinch of salt.
If anyone thinks that you can buy the same clubs off the shelf as the top pros they are deluded.
Most of their clubs are nothing like what they are listed as.
Complete custom fit,different lie angle,different loft,weight,shaft weight etc etc,in some cases even different clubs .

Benny Cake

Personally I like it as a feature, particularly for the auxiliary stuff they have in the bag (alignment aids etc)

One of the most interesting things I saw recently in one of these pieces was that Luke Donald carries a Taylormade R11 Driver with a Mizuno headcover on it in his bag!!

FixdePitchmark

Webbs wrote: »

surely people arent that star struck they buy what their 'hero' plays in the bag.

I would not underestimate the "hero" factor, most men, are a child inside. It is like saying, surely you would not buy a car for a certain badge.......

DiegoWorst

I'm not all that interested in club or shaft specifications, but am certainly interested in how many fairway woods, hybrids and wedges they carry. The loft and bounce of their wedges is also good info.

Some of the pros give extra tid bits, eg why they took out a fairway wood in favour of a 2 iron for a particular championship.
I read the other day that Ben Hogan didn't carry a 7 iron when he won the US Open at Merion", "there are no 7 iron shots in Merion". I love stuff like that.

TGoodall

It doesn't matter to me, but it does interest me. Not the brand/model, but the number of wedges, longest iron, number of hybrids or woods.

It doesn't affect what I carry or brand I buy but I like to read about it none the less.