Confessions Of A Golf Equipment Rep
Demo days for golfers is like one huge giddy toy store. So many new shiny clubs promising instant greatness lure us to the tents to taste test the “can’t miss” magic. We hit, sometimes we love and buy, or in my case confirm my last fitting was spot on.
Golfwrx.com posts a telling reveal of what the club reps go thru during their time in the sun. The misconceptions most golfers have are pretty typical.
The Other Reps
Since we spend so much time together during the busy summer demo-day months, we’re more of a band of brothers than rival tribesman. When working with customers, it’s all business, but during off times we hit each other’s gear and trade golf balls and war stories. We even play golf together after demo days wrap up.
The Golfers
From scratch club champs to weekend warriors, we fit them all. The better golfers are easier to fit them since their swings are more repeatable. Most better players are also able to more accurately describe what they are “feeling” swing after swing.
The one thing that still shocks me is the lack of understanding golfers have on simple fitting principles. Many are stuck in the past with what they know about technology. So many golfers also have misconceptions about what leads to gains in distance, accuracy and consistency. It’s part of our job to help make things simple to understand, and something we take pride in. Here are the top-5 misconceptions I hear from golfers on demo days:
- Hitting it higher with a driver causes distance loss.
- Graphite shafts are only meant for the slowest swingers.
- Forged irons are only for highly skilled players.
- “I don’t need to get fit. Just give me off-the-rack clubs.”
- All “stiff” shafts and all “regular” shafts are the same.
To all the golfers headed to the demo day, make sure to stop by and say hello to us tech reps. Don’t be nervous or embarrassed to make a swing in front of us; we hold no judgement. And please, ask as many questions as you’d like. We’ve heard them all, and want you to learn and enjoy trying out some new gear. You might just be surprised what ends up working for you.
