Category: The Bargain Bunker
Golf doesn't have to be expensive. There are plenty of high quality, inexpensive clubs, balls and other gear. Companies such as Pinemeadow Golf, low priced brands such as Pinnacle and TopFlite and bargain courses can make the game accessible to nearly anyone.
Gigagolf Acer XP Fused Ti 400
GigaGolf’s Acer XP Fused Ti 400 fuses a lighweight composite crown to a titanium face and body. The weight savings from the crown are moved to the sole, making the driver very forgiving. More weight in the sole means a higher ball flight and less spin—and more accurate drives.
You can get a driver with a composite head from a manufacturer like Callaway for $300 or more. Or you can get this one from GigaGolf for $99 and use the extra money to actually PLAY golf.
Buying From GigaGolf - A Review
Grade: A-
Teacher’s Comments: All in all, a very pleasant and pain free buying experience. Great communication and quick delivery. My first impression of the club is that it’s well assembled and has top quality parts. The website could use a little more tweaks in usability, however.
I recently decided to replace the five iron in my bag with a hybrid. Normally, I’d head to Golfsmith, get the parts and do it myself. I’ve been making clubs for years, and derive great satisfaction from the work. However, as I had recently been given a gift certificate to GigaGolf, I decided to order a hybrid from there instead.
GigaGolf is an internet-based company that assembles custom golf clubs from components. In this, they fill a definite niche in the golf market. They don’t offer original designs backed by hundreds of millions in R&D like the major manufacturers, but they also are light years ahead of department store brands such as Knight, Golden Bear, and JP Lann.
In using parts from major component manufacturers, GigaGolf places itself squarely in the “smart follower” category. Most of the component companies don’t do original R&D (Golfsmith and GolfWorks are the exceptions), but are content to seize upon established technologies from the big boys. Thus, what you are getting is often last year’s design.
And that’s where the cost savings come from. Because they don’t spend millions on R&D, the component guys can offer clubs at substantially reduced prices without skimping on material quality. Parts from the larger name component guys are constructed from the same steel and titanium as the name brands. (not so from the department store clubs, which are often made from cheap alloys.)
The GigaGolf site is relatively easy to use. On the main page, a series of slide-out menus allow you to narrow your selection by hand, club type and model. I had a little bit of trouble keeping the menus in position, so I eventually used the alternate method and clicked on a link in the sidebar that said “View All Clubs”
Pinemeadow ZR1 Irons
Pinemeadow’s ZR1 irons are an affordable set of game improvement irons designed to offer many of the features of Ping’s game improvement irons at at much lower price. With a deep cavity, low center of gravity and low back weight, the ZR1s may be just the thing for your game.
The long irons in the set (3, 4, 5) are called “high trajectory irons.” They have a wide sole, deeper cavity and elongated face. The design moves the weight down, making it easier to get the ball in the air with these traditionally difficult-to-hit irons.
The shorter irons (6, 7, 8, 9, PW) also have a deep cavity and low center of gravity, but feature more narrow soles.
Closeout On Callaway X-16 Irons
TGW is having a closeout on Callaway Steel X-16 Irons. Regularly priced at $880, you can now get them at $449.
Gigagolf Turbo Power XQ 460 Ti
Gigagolf’s Turbo Power XQ 460 Ti offers many of the features of the Nike Sasquatch driver at a third of the price.
With a 460cc footprint, the XQ460 Ti is huge, and nearly as deep as it is wide (USGA specifications actually require that it be wider than it is deep). The result is a club with a very low center of gravity and a high moment of intertia that gets the ball up quickly and keeps it on line.
The best part of the club, though, is the price. Even with a UST Proforce 75 shaft, the cost is just over $100.
Repeat after me: Golf does NOT have to be expensive.
With the Gigagolf online fitting, you can customize the grips and grip size, shaft type, club length and lie to fit your swing. And Gigagolf offers a 30 day playability guarantee so there’s no risk for trying.
