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Does anyone feel bad about going to the local golf store to demo a product and then going online to buy it once you have decided what you want? I have struggled with this recently and wanted to get others opinions. I just don't feel right trying the equipment at the golf shop and then going online or to e-bay to get it cheaper. What are other's thoughts on this?

I do it all the time. I was motivated when the clerk at Sports Authority told me that's the best way to do it. Go to the store to test the club out and then shop online for a better price.

That's the way I normally do it also... it's the best and smartest way to go about it. I understand retailers have to mark up to make their money, and I will go to the retailer for many other items.
Just like shopping for a car, you will go to several different dealers to get the best deal, and the lowest TT&L costs.
The only way I'd even consider buying from the shop I demo'd from would be if I was getting a deal on the club plus fitting.

When you go to the Pro Shop to demo clubs do you actually try out the clubs at the driving range? This is the only way to really test how the club works for you. I only go to pro shops that have a full driving range so I can tryout the club to see how it performs for me.
Hitting into a net at the store is not a very good way to see how the club performs for you. Dick's will sell you a club you think you like, and give you 30 days to return it for a full refund if you are not satisfied. They will tape up the club face to prtect the club so it can be returned. This is a good way to truely test the club.
No I do not feel bad about testing clubs, and buying them from the lowest cost source.

I have done this several times. Our pro even told me so as sometimes better deals can be had and he doesn't make any real margin when he orders direct from manufacturer. I do always buy my balls, gloves, etc from our pro as his prices are similar and I want to support the shop.

I think it is a tough question. Comparison shopping really isn't unethical, I'd call it smart consumerism.

That said, I think that it is fair for stores to charge a small fee for a fitting and a demo. It's going to be hard, because there will probably always be some other store that may do it for free. But, I think that the key is to take the fitting/demo fee (I think something like $30 for a fitting and $3 to maybe $5 for a demo) and apply it toward purchase if the customer should happen to purchase it. The store deserves to get a little something for it's time and the service of having a club to be demoed and the service of giving the customer a fitting. Returning it to the customer with a purchase means the customer isn't out anything for a demoed club that they buy.

At the same time, capitalism is capitalism. If there is a product and you can get it cheaper somewhere else, that's your choice. Do you go with the cheaper item from somewhere else or do you pay a little more for the local store? The big thing you do have to remember is that if you purchase from a far away store, it's probably not fair to be upset if your local store closes. Remember, you vote with your dollar.

Our local stores provide ZERO customer service. I'm a big local business proponent but not at the sacrifice of customer service. This not only goes for our golf shops but also our car dealerships etc. It is an absolute joke to deal with any of them in my area. The majority of the time I ignore the rude attitudes and simply don't come back. I have on occasion told the owners of said business's.... they don't really care. We see a lot of rotation of golf stores come in and out.

If larger distribution centers can offer better prices AND better customer service and support then the local guys are up the creek. This is just a matter of time, math, and economics. That being said, I deal frequently with local business who's prices aren't as competitive as the larger chains but the service I get makes my relationship with them invaluable. Just not in the golf or cars/trucks department..... Or the cellphone market for that matter. I dealt entirely with sprint corporate to get my new phone and new plans set up since I broke my last one. Was as smooth as at it could have been.

An example. I do lease takeovers whenever I get a new car. To get a feel for the car that I am interested in I will show up at the local dealership to test drive the same model I'm looking at. I look at it this way. Although I have no intention of buying their vehicle, if they made me a SCREAMING deal then they COULD earn my business. Also, me being there gives them sales practice. Oh, and I always ask for the new guy at the dealership or I pick him out of the crowd.

PS. I'm a local business owner of a few kinds of companies. There are places that are cheaper than me in all my area's, yet we thrive. key=quality of product, and customer service. You can't be priced WAY out of the market but customer service does in fact have $ amount attached to it.

Lot's of good and diverse points of view. From my experience working part time, helping my friend with his pro shop... my ...

A good friend owns a local pro shop, approximately twice the size (square foot-wise) as the pro shop in Dick's Sporting Goods. He's recently expanded his business to include a local pro shop at a Country Club. The original store has been around for about 20 years, having 3 different owners in this span (all friends or relatives of mine). From sales records from the different owners, the advent of internet sales have not significantly hampered this store's sales. The current owner's reasoning for this is that he has a lot of loyal customers who have been customers for 10+ years. Many of them are wealthy people who'd rather come in, get fit, shoot the bull about golf and order whatever they want rather than save $50 or $100 or $150 on-line. These people rely on the owner for golf info, lessons, knowlegdeable fitting, etc...

Even with his business being somewhat successful, he's not exactly rolling in dough. Renting the size of a store necessary for a nice golf shop costs him $2000 per month, plus utilities (in a fairly cheap area). If he makes $200 on a set of irons, he's got to sell 15 sets of irons per month just to keep the landlord happy, the store warm/cool, the phone ringing, the lights on and the toilet flushing. He's then got to deal with the mass orders associated with maintaining deals with Titleist, Callaway, Taylor Made, etc... often $10k plus each due around the same time every season (for regular stock merchandise).

Club makers don't make the issue any easier. The pro shop makes less profit % on clubs than they used to, even though the cost of a brand new Taylor Made driver has increased by $300 in the past 10 years. The rich are getting richer and the struggling pro shop owner isn't in that category.

His personal life consists of a vehicle payment for a newer Tahoe and a mortgage on a smaller home. I always see him eating cereal and other cheap things for lunch. He's always stressed over bills and he doesn't waste money or have any expensive vices.

The moral of my story, I guess, is that even a guy who puts his all into customer service and selection isn't going to get rich owning a golf shop.

My thinking is torn as well. If people do what they are priveledged to do, buy on-line for a cheaper price, then all of the guys like my buddy will someday go under. If everyone shuns the internet and buys locally, then the consumer isn't getting the best deal. I think the next few years might mark the beginning of the end for some small business owners like my friend. Is it a good thing or a bad thing? I don't know, just changing times I guess.

I can't symapthize with the pompous, ignorant owners of some of the local shops who'd rather try to swindle the consumer than spend time fitting him. For those guys, natural selection should run it's course.

I continue to patronize small shops and wouldn't try and not buy even if they are slighly higher than internet merchants....I don't hesitate, however, in doing my demo at the big box retailers (Dicks, Golf Galaxy, Golfsmith, Edwin Watts) and then buying internet.

I do this all the time,our local driving range has a great choice bit is pricey,so i demo the club then hit the web. There is a small shop not far from here,the owner will match any internet price,so he has been getting my buisness for the past year.

same here, except i try to support the stores with used club purchases/trades, and golf ball purchases...

No ethical problem at all. It's free enterprise....the American way! I either go big box like Dick's or Ebay, whatever has the best price.

Many times the pro/shop owner/sales associate will unkowingly help make the decision for me. With gas prices what they are, I don't try driving all over trying to save a buck. This applies to the internet as well. If I am comfortable with the deal in hand, I won't bother driving home, check the internet, and then drive back out to purchase the first club if the internet doesn't help. Often I have a good idea what the internet price is before I go shopping. So a lot of times if the person helping me with the demo is knowledgable, honest, and seems downright helpful, many times I will go ahead and make the purchase there. especially if the difference is only a few dollars. If the person helping me looks like they would rather not help me, then often I will go home and shop around on the net.

Well I try not to use up too much of their time. I go to the shop, look around, hit a few balls in their net using their demo clubs. But at the same time I have also spent a lot of money there too, in the thousands. I like going to Golfsmith or Golf Galaxy as they have wide variety.