Golf Clubs On Us

When Andrew and I first heard of Rankmark, we were fascinated with the concept behind the company – go beyond the marketing hype to determine which clubs will help a golfer play better golf. There are literally hundreds of sites that review golf clubs, but Rankmark tests golf clubs. What’s the difference? If a golfer reads a good review, why not purchase the clubs?

The biggest problem with reviews is you (typically) do not know who is reviewing the clubs. When we test products now, we give you a breakdown of who the golfers are by age and handicap. We now also have different classifications for price. In addition, to get the same information we provide, you would need to read and evaluate the pros and cons of hundreds of reviews. This saves a lot of time and effort.

Think of best golfer that you know. He (or she) will probably have a single handicap or at least a handicap in the low teens. When you next play a round of golf with them, ask them if they like the particular club(s) that they play. If the answer is yes, go to your nearest retailer (try them if you can) and buy the exact same set of clubs. Your golf game will automatically improve. If the clubs are good enough for your single digit friend, then they are bound to improve your game. Make sense? Didn’t think so, but if you buy clubs based on review instead a test, you are essentially buying clubs based on one golfer’s opinion of what works for them.

Now imagine a golf range with 50 golfers ready to test the type of golf club that you want to buy (driver, wedge, fairway wood etc). The assembled group will test clubs from both major and minor brands and provide you with candid, unedited results. The golfers are all shapes and sizes. There are men, women, young and old. There are high handicap and low handicap golfers that collectively, have been playing the game for hundreds of years. They are regular club golfers that are not affiliated with golf manufacturers; they are not on the Tour and they are not being paid by the local golf retailer. They want to play better golf just like you.

There are also PGA professionals present to ensure that the results are collated with the utmost professionalism. Consider this group to be your personal team of testers. In the final test results, you will be able to see yourself in the tester. There will be numerous golfers with approximately your handicap, age and experience. The test results will show which club(s) had the best look, feel, accuracy as well as the club that won overall from each golfer’s perspective.

Let’s face it, there are so many choices today. If you use the results of this test when you buy your next putter, driver, fairway wood or irons, you will be armed with invaluable facts. In addition, you will know which clubs help seniors, high handicappers, low handicappers and women play better golf. You will be a fountain of information for your fellow golfers when they are next in the market for clubs. Simply put, you will know which clubs truly help golfers play a better game.

Testing is not without limitations, many of which Rankmark controls for during the testing process. On balance, however, a test provides the golfing public with more actionable and reliable information than a single review or collection of reviews. Reviews have numerous limitations, some of which are noted below:

1. The golfer that performs the review has often purchased the set for their personal use. It is unlikely that they will author a bad review. They have already decided that they like a club(s) enough to buy

2. Reviews are typically conducted by a golfer with a low handicap. Very few reviews are conducted by seniors, and fewer still by women

3. The golfer conducting the review is not prohibited from performing the review based on their affiliation with a manufacturer, retailer, or professional status

4. Types of shots performed are often not consistent between reviews, nor are the weather or course conditions controlled

5. It is very difficult to compile and compare reviews of the same club by different golfers

6. Many of the sites that publish reviews do not utilize PGA professionals to supervise the test. They also accept advertising review from club manufacturers. Often, a minor brand will not be reviewed as they do not advertise with the entity conducting the review

Rankmark’s goal is to produce unbiased, independent test results that golfers can rely upon when purchasing golf equipment. The company has produced unbiased test results for over 10 years and literally helped thousands of golfers to determine which club will help them play better golf. We will continue to use regular golfers just like you that love the game, and want to play better golf to conduct our tests. So next time you are thinking about reading reviews, think about reading the results from actual tests.

Paul McCormack
COO

The Wilson Staff Luxe Iron Set for Women combines distance, control and style in one iron.  Designed to play and look the part, the Luxe will take your game to the next level.  Available in a Ladies Flex graphite shaft, the Luxe comes with smaller grips and lighter shafts so that every Woman golfer will get the utmost out of the Luxe Iron Set.