When is the best time of the year to buy new clubs?
Every year a golfer must decide if the equipment they are playing with is holding them back. Maybe you’ve dreamt of owning a Scotty Cameron, and your current putter is giving you fits. Possibly your driver is the weak link, and you need to upgrade to a fitted boom stick. If your irons played in a different century, it might be time to take advantage of all the new technologies, including custom fitting.
The question that kills golfers and creates the infamous “paralysis by analysis” is when is the best time to invest in the best equipment. If you buy in late summer/early fall, your clubs will be obsolete in weeks. If you make that purchase in early Spring, you get the latest and greatest, but your game might have a little rust due to winter hibernation. In the middle of summer, you might be in prime form, so why change and risk ruining your best rounds?
With all these factors taken into account, my opinion is as follows. Wait until the new product launch, which is typically October or November. At that time, you may have the best of both possible worlds. Most manufacturers will have old and new stock, which means you can save money by buying the “old” stuff or get fit into the latest. If you buy the 2023 product in October of 2022, you are in the newest possible equipment for at least a year. If you are on a budget, the replaced driver may save you $150-$200 off the top and may still be a custom fit.
We host fitting days in the Spring and Fall at the golf course. Hosting at those times provides buyers the best time to find what works for them—going into prime summer golf with new sticks, working all the kinks out, perfecting your swing, and getting new gear for the less busy fall and winter months.
At the Tulare Golf Course, we have a state-of-the-art fitting center available for fittings and range sessions seven days a week, all year round. If your budget doesn’t allow for the other times of the year, or if you want to make a club purchase for a special occasion like a birthday or graduation, book an appointment at the TGC Apex Golf Center. We use the GC Quad to custom fit you into all the clubs in your bag.
The putter is one of the most overlooked aspects of fitting for golf clubs. Many golfers are willing to pay $500+ for the latest driver, which is used less than 14 times on the course. The putter is used 30+ times in a round, and no one takes the time to get a proper fit. As far as return on investment, the putter is king.
One of the fastest ways to improve your score is to putt less. Anyone can learn to be better than 90% from three feet; not everyone will be able to drive the ball over 300 yards. Even that logic confounds some golfers that tell me hitting the driver on the range is more fun than 100 putts for practice. You know what, they are 100% correct. That is also why they can’t break 90 regularly. Get a proper fitting throughout the bag, and find out how many strokes we can shave.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t answer the big question. Only you can decide when is the best time to buy new equipment. My best or most straightforward answer is to come into Tulare Golf Course, visit the Apex Golf Center, speak to Robert or Stephen, and let us answer all your questions.
We will work with you to find the best time of the year to honor your budget, fit your best swing, and maximize your time with the new equipment.