the less you play, the more you buy...

[hardcaliber]

i recently tore some ligaments in my left knee, and now my knee gets sore after i play. going forward, i am forced to ration my golfing to 1-2 rounds per month and maybe 1 range session. ever since i have had to limit the amount i play, i have quadrupled to amount of time i spend on wrx and ebay drooling over clubs. i now feel compelled to buy a new club or shaft or something like every week. has anyone one else noticed that they use obsessing over equipment as a substitute for being able to be on the course?

[JDorfler]

Silly suggestion, but why don't you try playing a golf video game. It might help.

[Par Fore]

I buy a lot more in the winter when I am playing less often. When you find the cure, please let me know

[tomg1969]

I usually go in the opposite direction.......I'll go out and shoot a good score and then race home from the course and jump on the BST or ebay and see what else I can buy to screw my game up....
Then again.....when I'm playing less in the winter I go on a tear so I can go out and freeze my a** off demoing new stuff....LOL

[iH83Putting]

yeah, I find it's true too. I read a great review on a driver or putter and run to the bay and pick one up. In the last two days I've bought two new drivers, a Cleveland Classic and a Nike VRS

[cthoend]

I agree 100%. When I spend time overseas I don't have a chance to play golf, and usually get my golf fix by surfing through the Golfwrx site. Inevitably, I end up on the BST - and who has the will-power to not buy something on the BST?

[dac]

The obsession goes both ways...playing or not playing I am constantly looking at equipment.

[Tarkata]

I am like dac, though i think i am more athletic is all.

[Jc0]

This is so true. I tore my acl in may and have been prohibited from playing golf until november. So durig this time I have bought 2 shafts, a hybrid and a 3 iron. And whats sad is I'm doing this even though with my current set up I made 13 birdies in my last 2 rounds before surgery.

OP- have you done any physical therapy for it? It can help greatly.

[twgolf]

Golfwrx and eBay are my winter time fix when I cannot play, but during the year I will buy clubs depending on how my current gamers are working. Usually driver or or maybe a shaft change. For the most part, my bag is set early in the year and I rarely deviate from it the entire year. IMO, constently switching equipment is bad for your game and consistency. I can completely lose confidence in a driver, but that's about it.

[Colby327]

I have to agree, and that's why I buy a lot more stuff in the winter. Helps to pass the time, while I can't be out playing.

Combine that with all the time I spend on here reading reviews (again because I'm not out playing) about how xxxx product is so amazing, and the next best thing ever. So of course, you start wanting this xxxx item, because it must be the greatest thing ever. Its an addiction.

[NevinW]

[quote name='hardcaliber' timestamp='1344391354' post='5427320']
i recently tore some ligaments in my left knee, and now my knee gets sore after i play. going forward, i am forced to ration my golfing to 1-2 rounds per month and maybe 1 range session. ever since i have had to limit the amount i play, i have quadrupled to amount of time i spend on wrx and ebay drooling over clubs. i now feel compelled to buy a new club or shaft or something like every week. has anyone one else noticed that they use obsessing over equipment as a substitute for being able to be on the course?
[/quote]

What I find is that when I am playing little the desire to experiment and try different clubs is greater. Now that I am playing 2-4 times per week what I find is that I don't mess with anything that works and have no desire to try something different just to be doing it. - Nevin

[ScooterMcTavish]

I actually read the thread thinking it was equating to "not enough playing time = worse score than expected = buying more gear looking for the magic fix".

I sure as heck do that.

And to keep my winter addiction affordable, I buy golf balls when they go on sale. Much cheaper than the BST. Mind you I did buy a new set of irons on Boxing day one year. Oh yeah, and a new driver.....and 2 doz FG Tours.....and 2 doz C:25s.....and some new gloves.....and some winter gloves.....and some tees.....and a new golf towel.....oh crap.

[Huntingchris0000]

I buy golf clubs all the time doesn't matter if I am playing alot or not.

[hardcaliber]

[quote name='Jc0' timestamp='1344441463' post='5430182']
This is so true. I tore my acl in may and have been prohibited from playing golf until november. So durig this time I have bought 2 shafts, a hybrid and a 3 iron. And whats sad is I'm doing this even though with my current set up I made 13 birdies in my last 2 rounds before surgery.

OP- have you done any physical therapy for it? It can help greatly.
[/quote]

I did some PT and it did help some, but the knee still isn't normal and never will be. I am still a young guy and pretty active in a variety of activities. I play several sports that most people would consider more "athletic" than golf, however golf is by far the hardest on the knee. I don't want to risk my long term health, but i love golf too much to give it up. Thought about going lefty for a while, but i decided to just ration the swings i take for a while and see how i do. It sucks because i basically have to accept the fact that i will never be able to practice enough to get as good as i want.

That kind of brings me to a second reason why playing less is making me buy more stuff now. Faced with the realization that i can only play so much golf and probably can't practice as much as i need, i feel like i need to get the most enjoyment out of the rounds i do play. I am kind of using that fact as a justification to buy more stuff, the logic being that i need to absolutely maximize the potential benefit of having good equipment. When i could play as much as i wanted, i was able to keep the equipment addiction at bay by telling myself that i just need to hit more balls and work on my release, rather than get a higher torque shaft.

[aiyyer]

[i] I had surgery on my left palm and right down my lifeline in April and was out for almost four. Ended assembling a new bag buying irons, hybrid, putter, fairways and hybrid . Spent about $500 doing it but was worth it to get through a painful surgery, recovery and physical therapy. Thinking about clubs sort of kept me sane. Working my legs out, doing footwork drills and chipping with only right hand has worked wonders for my score and game!! [/i]
[i]Yes ... the less you play the more you buy[/i]

[stryper]

[quote name='hardcaliber' timestamp='1344391354' post='5427320']
i recently tore some ligaments in my left knee, and now my knee gets sore after i play. going forward, i am forced to ration my golfing to 1-2 rounds per month and maybe 1 range session. ever since i have had to limit the amount i play, i have quadrupled to amount of time i spend on wrx and ebay drooling over clubs. i now feel compelled to buy a new club or shaft or something like every week. has anyone one else noticed that they use obsessing over equipment as a substitute for being able to be on the course?
[/quote]

Maybe, but I find the opposite to be true...the more I play, the less I buy. And almost no one that I know who plays a lot (daily) does the whole 'hoing thing.

[Jc0]

[quote name='hardcaliber' timestamp='1344470884' post='5433262']
[quote name='Jc0' timestamp='1344441463' post='5430182']
This is so true. I tore my acl in may and have been prohibited from playing golf until november. So durig this time I have bought 2 shafts, a hybrid and a 3 iron. And whats sad is I'm doing this even though with my current set up I made 13 birdies in my last 2 rounds before surgery.

OP- have you done any physical therapy for it? It can help greatly.
[/quote]

I did some PT and it did help some, but the knee still isn't normal and never will be. I am still a young guy and pretty active in a variety of activities. I play several sports that most people would consider more "athletic" than golf, however golf is by far the hardest on the knee. I don't want to risk my long term health, but i love golf too much to give it up. Thought about going lefty for a while, but i decided to just ration the swings i take for a while and see how i do. It sucks because i basically have to accept the fact that i will never be able to practice enough to get as good as i want.

That kind of brings me to a second reason why playing less is making me buy more stuff now. Faced with the realization that i can only play so much golf and probably can't practice as much as i need, i feel like i need to get the most enjoyment out of the rounds i do play. I am kind of using that fact as a justification to buy more stuff, the logic being that i need to absolutely maximize the potential benefit of having good equipment. When i could play as much as i wanted, i was able to keep the equipment addiction at bay by telling myself that i just need to hit more balls and work on my release, rather than get a higher torque shaft.
[/quote]

You may want to look into changing your swing some. I am also young and play a lot of other sports and I understand where you are coming from on how hard golf is on your knee. No sport just put a straight twisting motion on your knee like golf does. I would suggest taking a lesson or going and watching your swing on camera and see if there is anything you can adjust to help your knee. An example is if you play sports that require you to be in athletic position you probably brought that same amount of knee bend to your golf swing. That extra bend causes your knee to work harder so you may need to bend less at the knees and more at the hips. There are plenty of things you can try and you just have to be patient until you find something that works..

[hardcaliber]

[quote name='Jc0' timestamp='1344480118' post='5434256']
[quote name='hardcaliber' timestamp='1344470884' post='5433262']
[quote name='Jc0' timestamp='1344441463' post='5430182']
This is so true. I tore my acl in may and have been prohibited from playing golf until november. So durig this time I have bought 2 shafts, a hybrid and a 3 iron. And whats sad is I'm doing this even though with my current set up I made 13 birdies in my last 2 rounds before surgery.

OP- have you done any physical therapy for it? It can help greatly.
[/quote]

I did some PT and it did help some, but the knee still isn't normal and never will be. I am still a young guy and pretty active in a variety of activities. I play several sports that most people would consider more "athletic" than golf, however golf is by far the hardest on the knee. I don't want to risk my long term health, but i love golf too much to give it up. Thought about going lefty for a while, but i decided to just ration the swings i take for a while and see how i do. It sucks because i basically have to accept the fact that i will never be able to practice enough to get as good as i want.

That kind of brings me to a second reason why playing less is making me buy more stuff now. Faced with the realization that i can only play so much golf and probably can't practice as much as i need, i feel like i need to get the most enjoyment out of the rounds i do play. I am kind of using that fact as a justification to buy more stuff, the logic being that i need to absolutely maximize the potential benefit of having good equipment. When i could play as much as i wanted, i was able to keep the equipment addiction at bay by telling myself that i just need to hit more balls and work on my release, rather than get a higher torque shaft.
[/quote]

You may want to look into changing your swing some. I am also young and play a lot of other sports and I understand where you are coming from on how hard golf is on your knee. No sport just put a straight twisting motion on your knee like golf does. I would suggest taking a lesson or going and watching your swing on camera and see if there is anything you can adjust to help your knee. An example is if you play sports that require you to be in athletic position you probably brought that same amount of knee bend to your golf swing. That extra bend causes your knee to work harder so you may need to bend less at the knees and more at the hips. There are plenty of things you can try and you just have to be patient until you find something that works..
[/quote]

Thanks for the advice. I have tried a few things already that i think may have helped a little. I went from hitting a draw to a fade. With the fade swing i can swing with my upper body a little more and less with my legs, and i dont have to shift my weight as aggresively as with the draw. I have also turned my left foot out a little bit to try to take a little stress off the knee. On the follow through i let my left foot roll onto my ankle ala darren clarke. Also i have switched to wearing True tours, which let my foot and ankle move a little more naturally than my old foot joys. ill try your advice about knee bend next time out. Every little bit helps, but theres nothing like having intact ligaments.

[mact3333]

what is BST???...link???

[Gbyeball]

[quote name='mact3333' timestamp='1344485841' post='5434774']
what is BST???...link???
[/quote]

Classified for Sale forum

BST stands for Buy-Sell-Trade

Now either you or your wife will hate me for showing you the way to the Dark Side, hope you have a big garage.


To the OP : yes I buy more when I can't play. As others from the cold climates have noted when there is 3 feet of snow and freezing temps for 4 months of the year I got to buy stuff. When the season opens I play a lot and buy next to nothing.

[CoopaLoopa]

I am sorry to be digging up older threads but just had to post. I had knee surgery (ACI cartilage replacement (don't look at google images)) with a recovery time of about 6 months until any sort of pivoting activity can be done. Since surgery 4 weeks ago I have so far purchased 4 Titleist golf gloves, a box of pro v's, a super xtd 19* hybrid, a bushnell V2 range finder, a gap wedge to match my Ap2s, 2 pairs of Nike Golf shoes and about 6 pr 7 golf clothing items. To make things worse I am about to pull the trigger on a new 913 d3.

I have no idea why I am doing this. I think somewhere deep in my brain I believe that the more time I spend reading about golf and purchasing the tools to allow me to play, the faster I will be able to get back on the couse. Stupid, huh?

[Mulligan26]

I'm not a club ho, I just read about you guys buying stuff. I still have my irons and 3w from high school. Although my 3w has cracked so I need to replace that. I need a new 52 and 56 and I need an 18 degree hybrid (x utility if it works for me). But I'll play my 07 xforged until next season most likely.

[Mulligan26]

Unless I get a MASSIVE tax return, then I'll get either the razr x mb's or 712 mb's

[Big Ben]

100%, the cold off season is when my bag modifications all take place, no coincidence it's also when the OEM's release new gear. To the OP, hope your knee feels better...BB

[freddyottawa]

I rarely buy anything once golf season is underway but it is hard not to buy new gear between the end of October and March when you can't play.

[Happytab]

Totally for me, if I don't have a round in the calendar or the weather gets in the way of a round I do have scheduled, my default reaction is to open up Ebay and look at clubs for sale. I've already bought 4 new sticks since the beginning of December and it's not like I had a gap in the bag.

The only other time I get anything like this busy is before a golf trip or weekend away. I always feel that it will be nice to have something new for that trip be it balls, tee's clothes or even a towel.

As many have said, it's an illness that our bodies have no immunity too.

[Tiptx1122]

I know in the off season I tend to buy more just to get ready for the warmer days ahead as once it's here I only spend my money on playing golf

[somaplr]

Try to buy stuff besides equipment (clubs!). Try a new ball. New golf shoes, etc.

I settle my golf got-to-haves with a slightly weird golf shoe obsession. I have 20+ paris of them.

[PingIrelandS57]

I do it every winter. however this hasnt been too bad. Just stocked up on grips and balls, few shafts and another new driver(the other 6 I own might not be as good as this). I wont be buying any other clubs as my bag is pretty solid. I will regrip my bag next month and reshaft 3 wood and driver. After years of tinkering and spending wasteful you soon realise that all the New gear released sometimes just aint better.