Buying Golf Clubs

[oda561]

Coming to Pattaya in July, would like to know if there is any where in Pattaya to buy new clubs? can I assume that the Golf course club houses sell them?

Regards,

Dick

[chuckd]

Coming to Pattaya in July, would like to know if there is any where in Pattaya to buy new clubs? can I assume that the Golf course club houses sell them?

Regards,

Dick

Don't go to the golf courses to buy clubs. There are a number of golf equipment shops on Third Road (both sides) and the clubs will be cheaper.

My last set was a set of Nike clones that set me back 10,000 baht. You can't tell them apart from the real thing and I am hitting them as well as any I have ever owned. Don't be afraid of the clones.

If you want originals, go to the Outlet Mall on the corner of Sukhumvit and Thepprasit Road. There is a large golf shop there and they have the real things. A lot more expensive though.

[SDH]

My last set was a set of Nike clones that set me back 10,000 baht. You can't tell them apart from the real thing and I am hitting them as well as any I have ever owned. Don't be afraid of the clones.

Where di you buy these Nike Knockoffs???? Wow for 10k/bt I want some!

[Khutan]

Don't go to the golf courses to buy clubs. There are a number of golf equipment shops on Third Road (both sides) and the clubs will be cheaper.

Thanks, I will be down in a few weeks to have a look. Do they custom fit the clubs. I had a set of Tommy Armour 855's that I just love, but I gave them away because of problems bringing them here.

I am sure Mrs Khutan will be interested in a set of ladies clubs also. As she is 40kg wringing wet, I was thinking of some extra light graphite shafts and lightweight (Maybe neoprene) grips fr her.

Any advice please.

[chuckd]

The golf shops I frequent are those on Third Road, between Central Road and North Pattaya Road. There are 4-5 of them along this stretch on both sides of the road. Drive slowly and look for them.

I have not seen any Nike clones in quite some time. They mainly have other name brands available

I have never seen Tommy Armour's there so that isn't much hope....nor have I seen ladies clubs but then I haven't been looking for them. The golf shop in the Outlet Mall will have ladies clubs or you might find a set of used ladies clubs in the Third Road shops.

You might also check some of the pawn shops around town as they sometimes have decent clubs for sale.

I do not think you will have much luck getting the clubs custom fitted. Generally it is a "take what we have today" type arrangement. Luckily, I swing regular flex, D4s so it seems to work quite well for me. Give it a try, though. Maybe they will work out something for you.

Check the Pattaya Mail advertising section under "items for sale" and you will find some clubs for sale. Some local telephone numbers are listed so you might call them if you are in Thailand now. I am in the Middle East right now so I won't call them. The web site is:

http://pattayamail.com

I love to look at golf equipment and if I was there I would be happy to squire you around and help you spend your money. Happy shopping.

[oda561]

Thanks for the imput guys, Third Road it is.

Dick

[expatgaz]

Dont understand why anyone would want to play with "cloned"clubs.Firstly the material is sub standard compared to the real club, the workmanship is not as good etc etc .To me all it proves is that people want to go on a course and say look at me I've got Nike ,I've got ping, I've Callaway.The standard of a cloned club is the same if not worse that a set of 100 pound clubs you can buy from Argos or Golf Discount Store.Don't let this Cloned Ping fool you that its anything else.If you can play well with a cloned club that just proves you could play well with a 100 pound set call "whatever".So why buy the Clones ........ THE NAME !!!

EPG

[chuckd]

Dont understand why anyone would want to play with "cloned"clubs.Firstly the material is sub standard compared to the real club, the workmanship is not as good etc etc .To me all it proves is that people want to go on a course and say look at me I've got Nike ,I've got ping, I've Callaway.The standard of a cloned club is the same if not worse that a set of 100 pound clubs you can buy from Argos or Golf Discount Store.Don't let this Cloned Ping fool you that its anything else.If you can play well with a cloned club that just proves you could play well with a 100 pound set call "whatever".So why buy the Clones ........ THE NAME !!!

EPG

My other two sets of clubs are Titleists and Callaways. Real, not clones.

I prefer the clones. Simple as that!

[chuckd]

Dont understand why anyone would want to play with "cloned"clubs.Firstly the material is sub standard compared to the real club, the workmanship is not as good etc etc .To me all it proves is that people want to go on a course and say look at me I've got Nike ,I've got ping, I've Callaway.The standard of a cloned club is the same if not worse that a set of 100 pound clubs you can buy from Argos or Golf Discount Store.Don't let this Cloned Ping fool you that its anything else.If you can play well with a cloned club that just proves you could play well with a 100 pound set call "whatever".So why buy the Clones ........ THE NAME !!!

EPG

I think the general content of epg's thread needs to be challenged. My experience with cloned clubs is they are every bit as good as the real ones. In fact, the information I have been provided is that most golf clubs are made in China now. The clones are very close to originals and in fact may be originals that are spirited out of China for their piracy business. I am not certain of this information but it sounds good.

I have seen Calloway, Nike, Taylor Made clones and am hard pressed to tell the difference. The clones are made of the same materials and have the same grips and shafts that are on originals. Don't dismiss them as poorly made copies. They are not.

FYI, I have played golf since I was 21, have played to a low handicap of 4 and am currently playing off 15 at a very advanced stage of my life. I am not a novice at the game and have owned more clubs than most golf shops. I know of what I speak.

[madmax]

Dont understand why anyone would want to play with "cloned"clubs.Firstly the material is sub standard compared to the real club, the workmanship is not as good etc etc .To me all it proves is that people want to go on a course and say look at me I've got Nike ,I've got ping, I've Callaway.The standard of a cloned club is the same if not worse that a set of 100 pound clubs you can buy from Argos or Golf Discount Store.Don't let this Cloned Ping fool you that its anything else.If you can play well with a cloned club that just proves you could play well with a 100 pound set call "whatever".So why buy the Clones ........ THE NAME !!!

EPG

I think the general content of epg's thread needs to be challenged. My experience with cloned clubs is they are every bit as good as the real ones. In fact, the information I have been provided is that most golf clubs are made in China now. The clones are very close to originals and in fact may be originals that are spirited out of China for their piracy business. I am not certain of this information but it sounds good.

I have seen Calloway, Nike, Taylor Made clones and am hard pressed to tell the difference. The clones are made of the same materials and have the same grips and shafts that are on originals. Don't dismiss them as poorly made copies. They are not.

FYI, I have played golf since I was 21, have played to a low handicap of 4 and am currently playing off 15 at a very advanced stage of my life. I am not a novice at the game and have owned more clubs than most golf shops. I know of what I speak.

Good for you for having success with cloned clubs. Myself, I took up golf 2 years ago and I golf or practise 4 - 5 hours each day, 5 - 6 days per week and have a handicap of 0.4. I use actual TaylorMade woods and Tommy armour irons with great success. I have recently purchased a cloned Taylormade 5 wood just to see the difference. On my first shot with the cloned club I noticed a difference in how the club felt, sounded and reacted on a full swing. There are alot of clone clubs that are good, but not near the same quality as the originals. They are very similar, but not made from the same material or same technology. They get as close as they can without breaking too many pentening laws but are not quite as good as the originals. I did replace my 5 wood with one from Golfsmith from the United States and it is much softer to hit and the sound and ball flight is much more pleasing. I am not saying that clone clubs are not a good facsimilie of the original, but they just don't fell the same to me. But i am glad that you are having success with yours......

David

[chuckd]

Alas, David, my handicap is not 0.4 but I have played off of 4 in my younger days and am beating it around to a still respectable 13 at age 68. While I have lost some of my distance over the years, the short game still seems to save me from total embarrassment at times.

My personal history with clones is they are every bit as reliable and well built as the real things. As I said earlier, I have both Titleists and Callaways and prefer the clones over both of them. I am unable to tell the difference in stroke and feel and have confidence in the clones.

Perhaps my sense of feel has been dulled over the years so we can mark it up to that but the bottom line is, I like them and for 1/3rd the price of original Nike's, I am happy.

[Meerkat]

A lot of the cloned club-heads are now made in the same factory as the real ones (in China). In fact, they are real ones. They...ehem...disappear on the night-shift.

The main difference is the poorer quality shafts that they put them on.

I have a cloned set of X16s for travel, and keep my real X16s at my club in Macau. Now that I'm spending more and more time in BKK rather than HK, I'll upgrade the clones to a real set for use here.

For my standard of golf (around 21 h/cap) it made sod-all difference which set I used! The clones were GBP 80 for a full set of metal woods, irons, putter, brolley, bag and travel bag. And that included delivery from the mainland to my office in HK!

[nrp1000]

A lot of the cloned club-heads are now made in the same factory as the real ones (in China). In fact, they are real ones. They...ehem...disappear on the night-shift.

The main difference is the poorer quality shafts that they put them on.

I have a cloned set of X16s for travel, and keep my real X16s at my club in Macau. Now that I'm spending more and more time in BKK rather than HK, I'll upgrade the clones to a real set for use here.

For my standard of golf (around 21 h/cap) it made sod-all difference which set I used! The clones were GBP 80 for a full set of metal woods, irons, putter, brolley, bag and travel bag. And that included delivery from the mainland to my office in HK!

[nrp1000]

Just going back to the original question before you guys went off on clones. Any left handers seen around in the shops? For those who play the proper way round this can be tricky. I'm going to be living in the region as from july and it would be good to play a few rounds.

thanks for any advice

neil

[hebbsey]

Hi I am looking to buy some Golf clubs in Chiang Mai, Can anyone help?

Many thanks.

Carl

[ProdigalSon]

If you're looking to buy clubs in Chiang Mai then there are quite a few places to go - just remember that buying new set of irons here is roughly twice what you'd pay in the UK and even more than that compared with the US.

Places to look are the sports section in Central Airport Plaza, the two sports sections (on the same floor) in Kad Suan Kaew, Stardome golf course and also the string of golf shops opposite Lanna golf course.

If you want to go second hand, then check out the classified ads in Chiang Mai Citylife, the Baht and Sold website and, of course, here on Thai Visa.

Good luck!

[phutoie2]

Apologies for going slightly on a tangent, but whats the general view from the senior golfer on graphite shafts v steel??.

I was in Robinsons at Future Park, Rangsit, they have a good golf section and a set of Ping G15's were on special offer.

Reduced to 31K Baht from 42K, they had graphite shafts and a nicely milled (if that's the right word) club head. Ideally I would have liked to have hit a bucket of balls with them, but you cannot here. Unlike in the US or back home in the UK where you can try clubs out.

I use a 10 year old set of Srixon irons with a strong steel shaft, my driver is Callaway graphite, but my other two woods are steel shafted. Handicap of 7 but like many others have to dig deep for some Sevy magic to play to it.

PS: The Pings were only available in 5,6,7,8,9 and PW! (31k Baht for 6 irons)!

[cdnski12]

I've always found clones to be a bit stiffer than real clubs. Probably due to the shaft frequency (dampening). I now use TaylorMade Woods, Irons & Putter. I have a TM 3 Hybrid, but can not hit it properly. Had to revert back to Cobra Hybrids. Better to buy real clubs in your home country and get them fitted properly. Buy a hard cover Travel Bag c/w wheels on the bottom. Easy to drag around the airport. You can always buy a std bag here in Thailand. Alternately, buy clubs in Singapore if you are passing thru there. Bring your golf gear and leave most of your clothes at home. You can always buy clothes here in Tahiland, unless you are bigger than Std Large size. You will defintely have fun golfing in Thailand.

[chrgrims]

phutoie2: For your handicap i would def consider the new ping i20. its a players iron, but i use them with a hp of 18, and they are great. Also, consider the cfs steel shafts from ping. lighter than normal steel shafts, but heavier than graphite for added control.

[phutoie2]

phutoie2: For your handicap i would def consider the new ping i20. its a players iron, but i use them with a hp of 18, and they are great. Also, consider the cfs steel shafts from ping. lighter than normal steel shafts, but heavier than graphite for added control.

Thanks for the info. Been doing some web surfing for new clubs and the Pings are on the wish list. Have you seen the new i20 fairway woods?, along with the driver they are all matt black in finish. Look tasty and have good reviews, but I personally would favour the Callaway RAZR fairways.

[impulse]

Just going back to the original question before you guys went off on clones. Any left handers seen around in the shops? For those who play the proper way round this can be tricky. I'm going to be living in the region as from july and it would be good to play a few rounds.

I'm a lefty and look for lefty sets each time I pass by a golf shop in BKK. Perhaps one in 5 shops have any lefty sets, and 1 in 10 have lefty sets less than 30,000 (and higher). Go by Thaniya (sp?) in BKK for the best selection of lefties I've found. It's a building full of small shops that sell new and used clubs. Also lots of small shops that custom build, reshaft and regrip, and tune clubs.

I ended up buying mine (used) on the street in Chinatown. First I bought a set of classic Callaways for 2,000 Baht. I think they were real because I regripped them and found Callaway inventory tags under the grips where I doubt any clones would bother sticking tags. A few weeks later I found a set of Mizunos of a later vintage and bought those for 2,000 baht. I can't tell if they're genuine because the grips are fine.

Sadly, the Callaways didn't come with a putter and I needed one for a business outing. I got soaked for 6,000 for a Ping putter, which was the only lefty putter I found in a panic search of the stores near the office. Live and learn. Bottom line- if you find a good deal on lefties, snap them up. It may be awhile before you see another good deal.

As for the cloning issue, I believe that some clones work better than some genuine clubs for some guys. Just like some golfers play better with 50,000 Baht Titleist clubs than 50,000 Baht Mizunos or 50,000 Baht Callaways. A well made clone from the 4th shift (Google it) can be "more right" for someone than a genuine set. And as I try to remember about my classic Callaways- folks back in the day were playing scratch golf with those very club designs. Yes there are newer designs on the market, but I'm not good enough to get any value the extra 48,000 Baht they cost.

[Forethat]

A well made clone from the 4th shift (Google it) can be "more right" for someone than a genuine set.

A well made clone from the 4th shift...?

Bahaha, that is so funny.... you haven't got a clue about this, do you...?

[Bangkokhatter]

A well made clone from the 4th shift (Google it) can be "more right" for someone than a genuine set.

A well made clone from the 4th shift...?

Bahaha, that is so funny.... you haven't got a clue about this, do you...?

I think he does, just changing back door for 4th shift

[impulse]

Bahaha, that is so funny.... you haven't got a clue about this, do you...?

The 4th shift is the shift where all of your QA guys go for a beer and your supplier pounds out thousands of clones of your product, often using the same equipment and materials they use to make the legitimate products for you. Yeah, I do have a clue. Lived in China for 12 years as a sourcing and QA engineer for industrial goods, and saw hundreds of millions of dollars of 4th shift products being produced. Your credentials?

[chuckd]

Sort of off topic but I thought some of you guys might find this story amusing.

Back around 1981 I was working in Saudi Arabia, where golf was NOT a major sport. I happened to be in Jeddah on business and visited the International Market looking for some items. During my visit I wandered around a large sporting goods store.

Imagine my surprise when I noticed a barrel of golf clubs on the floor with perhaps 50 clubs inside?

Now imagine my surprise when I found that ALL of the clubs were putters and ALL of them were left handed.

Some golf club salesman somewhere earned his commission.

[Forethat]

Bahaha, that is so funny.... you haven't got a clue about this, do you...?

The 4th shift is the shift where all of your QA guys go for a beer and your supplier pounds out thousands of clones of your product, often using the same equipment and materials they use to make the legitimate products for you. Yeah, I do have a clue.

lol

If you want to learn something I suggest you simply ask, there are people on here with great knowledge in this matter.

[thailandgolf]

If your flying into Bangkok there are some really huge and awesome golf stores here. PM us here at golfasian and we can shoot you some info if you like.

[chuckd]

Bahaha, that is so funny.... you haven't got a clue about this, do you...?

The 4th shift is the shift where all of your QA guys go for a beer and your supplier pounds out thousands of clones of your product, often using the same equipment and materials they use to make the legitimate products for you. Yeah, I do have a clue.

lol

If you want to learn something I suggest you simply ask, there are people on here with great knowledge in this matter.

I'm asking. Fill me in.

[Rsquared]

I think the most important thing is to "try before you buy" so.......

.....are there any golf shops that provide this facility? Nets inside the shop etc.

[GolfAsian]

If your in Bangkok you can go to the "All Star Driving Range" they have quite a few golf shops there from various companies and they let you test out the clubs on the driving range before you buy them.

518/5 Soi Sahakarnpramoon, prachautit Road.