GOLFSMITH HEADS
Ian Buckley
Hi, I am planning on building a set of irons and need to know if anyone
has played Golfsmiths :- TRIFECTA, O/S PROJECT, or POSITRAC Heads. Also
are the Trifecta modeled after Cleveland VAS heads?
Thanks...Buck
James Gallegos
"Ian Buckley" <buck...@csra.net> wrote:
I built several O/S Project clubs (irons) with Paragon graphite
shafts. I built #s 1-5 and am currently working on # 6. I like them
a lot. The ones I have are the "graphite weighted" heads. Looks good
at address, very nice, no-nonsense heads. You can't go wrong with
these.
Cam Fraser
Ian, I have been asking the same questions lately, I want to make a set as
well, and all my info say that the Trifecta is a Cleveland VASalike. I've
just ordered the golfsmith catalog so I'm not sure about the other heads,
but if Dave T. get's a shot at this post, he'll probablty clear most of it up
for you...he seems to be a fan of Golfsmith.
Good luck with your sticks!......Cam
In article <01bb542c.198bb0e0$6208...@bucktrop.csra.net>, buck...@csra.net
says...
Gordon Olson
In article <01bb542c.198bb0e0$6208...@bucktrop.csra.net>, buck...@csra.net
says...
>
>Hi, I am planning on building a set of irons and need to know if anyone
>has played Golfsmiths :- TRIFECTA, O/S PROJECT, or POSITRAC Heads. Also
>are the Trifecta modeled after Cleveland VAS heads?
> Thanks...Buck
>
Last spring I made a set of Trifectas (2-UW) using TT Lite
shafts. I have been very satisfied with them. I don't know
if they are cleveland clones. I made four different 5 irons
with different shafts and this was the combination that I like
the most.
They have held up very well.
Gordon Olson
Dave Tutelman
>In article <01bb542c.198bb0e0$6208...@bucktrop.csra.net>, buck...@csra.net
>says...
>>Hi, I am planning on building a set of irons and need to know if anyone
>>has played Golfsmiths :- TRIFECTA, O/S PROJECT, or POSITRAC Heads. Also
>>are the Trifecta modeled after Cleveland VAS heads?
I posted a couple of days ago that the Trifecta came out shortly after the
VAS. Seems intended to take advantage of the furor over inset hosels
(apparently not a VAS patent, but their big selling point), but otherwise
a very Golfsmith head. The new VAS+ looks like it's modeled after the
Trifecta (or, even closer, the UT Avanti).
In article <4p9pc6$o...@aphex.direct.ca>, Cam Fraser <c...@direct.ca> wrote:
>... if Dave T. get's a shot at this post, he'll probablty clear most of it up
>for you...he seems to be a fan of Golfsmith.
Actually, I wasn't going to respond to this post. I've hit a club made with
the Trifecta once (my impression was dominated more by the shaft than the
clubhead), and have no first-person knowledge of the O/S Project or Positrac.
But PLEASE let me disabuse you of the notion that I'm a fan of Golfsmith.
I've posted several times recently that I'm disappointed in Golfsmith, and
would be buying more from, say, Dynacraft (or a few others), except that
Golfsmith makes most of their irons with square grooves -- which I consider
a big plus -- and few others have more than a smattering of square groove
clubs.
Golfsmith is the biggest component supplier -- BY A LOT -- so when I write
about clubmaking it's only reasonable to mention Golfsmith. But to say
that I'm a fan is carrying things much too far.
Cheers!
Dave
Mike Thomas
Ian Buckley (buck...@csra.net) wrote:
: Hi, I am planning on building a set of irons and need to know if anyone
: has played Golfsmiths :- TRIFECTA, O/S PROJECT, or POSITRAC Heads. Also
: are the Trifecta modeled after Cleveland VAS heads?
Buck,
I recently built a set of PosiTrac irons 1-LW and several of the woods
with the three being best for me. I used Apollo Aculite shafts and Golf
Pride Tour Wrap grips. I love them. Just shot an 82 today with them. I
would suggest buying the parts for one club that you normally hit well.
Build it and see if you like it no matter which head/shaft combo you
decide on. Good luck.
Mike Thomas
Pete Cousin
Dave Tutelman wrote:
>
> >In article <01bb542c.198bb0e0$6208...@bucktrop.csra.net>, buck...@csra.net
> >says...
> >>has played Golfsmiths :- TRIFECTA, O/S PROJECT, or POSITRAC Heads. Also
> >>are the Trifecta modeled after Cleveland VAS heads?
>
> VAS. Seems intended to take advantage of the furor over inset hosels
> (apparently not a VAS patent, but their big selling point), but otherwise
> a very Golfsmith head. The new VAS+ looks like it's modeled after the
> Trifecta (or, even closer, the UT Avanti).
>
> In article <4p9pc6$o...@aphex.direct.ca>, Cam Fraser <c...@direct.ca> wrote:
> >... if Dave T. get's a shot at this post, he'll probablty clear most of it up
> >for you...he seems to be a fan of Golfsmith.
>
> Actually, I wasn't going to respond to this post. I've hit a club made with
> the Trifecta once (my impression was dominated more by the shaft than the
> clubhead), and have no first-person knowledge of the O/S Project or Positrac.
>
> But PLEASE let me disabuse you of the notion that I'm a fan of Golfsmith.
> I've posted several times recently that I'm disappointed in Golfsmith, and
> would be buying more from, say, Dynacraft (or a few others), except that
> Golfsmith makes most of their irons with square grooves -- which I consider
> a big plus -- and few others have more than a smattering of square groove
> clubs.
>
> Golfsmith is the biggest component supplier -- BY A LOT -- so when I write
> about clubmaking it's only reasonable to mention Golfsmith. But to say
> that I'm a fan is carrying things much too far.
>
> Cheers!
> Dave
I on the otherhand am a big fan of Golfsmith. I've been building their
clubs for four years. The quality seems to hold up and the design is a
plus. I've built a site around the Turbo Driver which I've been using
for a couple of years. Take a look and tell me what you think. Check it
out at http://shops.net/gripandripit/.
Pete
Cam Fraser
Dave, sorry for making the "fan of" association between you and Golfsmith.
It was an assumption based on what I have read in some of your clubmaking
articles on the Web. I guess I really haven't been in RSG that long (about 2
months), and shouldn't be offering up someone elses opinion for them.
Judging by what I have read though, you definitely have the clubmaking
knowledge and don't mind helping out us amatuers.
Keep up the good work and I'll keep opions to my own. Again, I apologize for
the post.
Cheers....Cam
Ray Reilly
I've recently constructed a set of clubs (1-SW) of both the Golfsmith
Sterling and XTR-II Plus heads. Both of the sets hit far better
than my old Tour-Model II heads. I had the opportunity to design a
test 5-iron out of an OS-project head and was satisfied with how it
played, but decided I did not need it's extremely strong lies. I have
not hit either of the other two heads so I cannot comment on how they
play. But if you don't have your heart set on any of those three heads,
I highly recommend trying the Sterling, XTR-II Plus and also the RMC-270.
Dave Tutelman
In article <31BC3A...@itribe.net>, Pete Cousin <pe...@itribe.net> wrote:
>Dave Tutelman wrote:
>> But PLEASE let me disabuse you of the notion that I'm a fan of Golfsmith.
>> I've posted several times recently that I'm disappointed in Golfsmith, and
>> would be buying more from, say, Dynacraft (or a few others), except that
>> Golfsmith makes most of their irons with square grooves -- which I consider
>> a big plus -- and few others have more than a smattering of square groove
>> clubs.
>>
>clubs for four years. The quality seems to hold up and the design is a
>plus. I've built a site around the Turbo Driver which I've been using
>for a couple of years. Take a look and tell me what you think. Check it
>out at http://shops.net/gripandripit/.
I've been building clubs from Golfsmith components for 6-7 years now.
I'm really impressed with where they've been, and was a BIG fan for the
first 4 years of that. I think they've taken steps backwards in
design, in quality control, and in clubmaker education in the last 2-3
years. IMHO:
- They're becoming more trendy in place of their formerly exceptionally
sound engineering design.
- Their quality control has suffered. I weigh the clubheads I get from
all suppliers for the last few years. Last year, they sent me a 7-iron
head with the biggest weight error I've ever seen from ANY supplier
(17 grams, or almost 10 swingweight points). Equally disturbing was the
reaction I got from their service line when I called about it: not very
surprised, and almost cavalier. (They did exchange it and gave me full
credit, but I had to front the money for both shipping and the replacement
head. I've certainly received better treatment elsewhere.)
- They've "dumbed down" the articles in "Clubmaker". I know that a lot of
folks prefer the "practical, how to do it" articles they have these days,
but I much preferred the serious technical articles they used to have.
I guess I'm still enough of a fan to buy most iron heads there (and a bunch
of supplies as well), but I still think they've gotten on the roller coaster.
Cheers!
Dave
Bill Huang
I just built a set of Golfsmith Counterpoint irons (2-LW) with TT lite
shafts and XPC plus woods (1,3) with Golfsmith Power taper graphite
shafts. I can say without hesitation that I love these clubs. I have
gone from shooting 100+ to an 86 this weekend (in 3 weeks). :-)
As far as the Golfsmith people and service go, I'm sort of mixed on
that. They just opened a new store in Dallas. I was one of the first
people in the store on opening day (by accident). They were happy to
spend a lot of time with me discussing the options in heads and
shafts.
I hit the Counterpoint heads (different shafts) into their net. At
first, I wanted them to assemble me a set. They wanted $455 for the
irons. The components themselves cost about $180. I opted to go for
it myself. The part that bugs me a little is that they said they
thought everyone should have custom fit clubs. When I asked them how
they would do that, they just asked me what was my 150 yd club and so
forth. No measuring at all. I told them my hand measurement. And I
steered the conversation to the shafts I was interested in. The
upshot of it was that if I didn't already have a REAL strong idea
about what I wanted, there's no telling what I would have ended up
with.
Anyway, I'll go back to them, but just keep in mind that there is no
substitute for doing your own homework and making an informed buying
decision. Also, in fairnes to GS, it could have been the guy I dealt
with. I got EXCELLENT advice from another guy on the woods.
BTW, it's great to be able to go in to the store and touch all the
stuff in the catalogue.
Bill Huang
Brad Anderson
In article <4pl110$1...@nntpa.cb.att.com>, d...@pegasus.bl-els.att.com says...
[prior posts and text from this post snipped]
>I guess I'm still enough of a fan to buy most iron heads there (and a bunch
>of supplies as well), but I still think they've gotten on the roller coaster.
>
I've followed this thread with some interest. I've just had my first semi-
negative experience with Golfsmith myself. I'm a rank hobbiest who makes a
few clubs for my personal use, so I don't order often or in large quantities.
I recently ordered two metal wood heads and a couple of shafts. At the time of
my order the sales person informed me that one head was out of stock. Since
I'd broken my driver, I really needed driver head and associated shaft, both of
which were in stock. I was told that these would be shipped promptly, but that
there would be a wait to obtain the head on backorder. After 3 phone calls and
over 3 weeks, I finally received my complete order. My impression is that GS
waited until all components were in stock to ship the order. My order was
complete, and I'm pleased with all components, but I was not pleased with the
service. In the past, I've had very good luck with Golfsmith. The customer
service folks always said they were swamped with orders and behind in their
shipments.
Sort of reminds me of several computer vendors. I wonder if Golfsmith's
business volume has grown faster than their ability to respond in a timely
mannor. I hope this is an aberration because I've basically been happy with
Golfsmith in the past. My experience was not so negative that I won't order
from Golfsmith in the future, but if this kind of service continues in the
future I'll have to look elsewhere.
Brad
Eric Burcham
On 12 Jun 1996 09:54:21 GMT, bj...@netdoor.com (Brad Anderson) wrote:
>I've followed this thread with some interest. I've just had my first semi-
>negative experience with Golfsmith myself. I'm a rank hobbiest who makes a
>few clubs for my personal use, so I don't order often or in large quantities.
>I recently ordered two metal wood heads and a couple of shafts. At the time of
>my order the sales person informed me that one head was out of stock. Since
>I'd broken my driver, I really needed driver head and associated shaft, both of
>which were in stock. I was told that these would be shipped promptly, but that
>there would be a wait to obtain the head on backorder. After 3 phone calls and
>over 3 weeks, I finally received my complete order. My impression is that GS
>waited until all components were in stock to ship the order.
<snip!>...
I've only had 4 or 5 orders from Golfsmith, but I've never had any
"bad" experiences (yet). In fact, the last order I placed was for
grips for all my clubs, lightweight grips for my woods, a new
Grafalloy shaft, and the Titanium 230 head. The head was out of stock
at the time, and was due in there on the 7th. They said they would
ship everything else, then ship the head (and bill me) when it came
in. I got the balance of my order 2 days later, and on the 7th, I
received my titanium head (great surprise!).
I'm very happy with the service and quality from Golfsmith, but thanks
to Dave and everyone else, I have a "caveat emptor" approach and
scrutinize my components closely...
So far... so good!
EB.
---
Eric Burcham
(cra...@onramp.net,
usme...@ibmmail.com)
Jim Kehler
bj...@netdoor.com (Brad Anderson) wrote:
>Sort of reminds me of several computer vendors. I wonder if Golfsmith's
>business volume has grown faster than their ability to respond in a timely
>mannor. I hope this is an aberration because I've basically been happy with
>Golfsmith in the past. My experience was not so negative that I won't order
>from Golfsmith in the future, but if this kind of service continues in the
>future I'll have to look elsewhere.
Brad,
Yes, GolfSmith's business is growing. And they have made some
changes that any normal business would make. I don't have any inside
information from GolfSmith, but I can tell you what I have seen from
the business I do with them. They are taking much better care of
their volume customers. Not from the standpoint that they are not
interested in hobbyist business, but from the standpoint that they,
like any other business, are in business to make money. I order from
GolfSmith once a week, usually five or six hundred dollars, sometimes
more. My friend up the street builds a new driver once or twice a
year. My orders get here in seven days (I am not in the U.S.). His
take longer. GolfSmith has told the volume customers, the clubmakers,
that they are trying to give us priority service. And the only way I
can imagine they can do that if they get backed up is by letting the
little orders wait while they ship the big ones. They have to give
volume customers priority service, if they don't, we won't be volume
customers very long.
Any other suppliers I deal with operate the same way. I do too.
If I have a customer who wants a $10,000 order delivered on Monday,
and one that wants a $200 order delivered on Monday, it doesn't take
me very long to figure out which order I am going to worry about
first.
Imagine that you are in business. My friend up the street will
buy $95 worth of your product every year. I will buy $25K. Who would
you take care of first ?
Regards,
Jim