At La Paloma, we have two demo days during the year: one in the fall and another one in the spring. It’s a chance for members and guests to get acquainted with the newest equipment, talk to manufacturer sales reps, and if they’re so inclined, refresh their golf bags at a bit of a discount.
The lower driving range, which has been closed for the last six weeks because of overseeding, was back open today only specifically to accommodate the five vendors we invited: Titleist, Callaway, Ping, Mizuno, and TaylorMade.
It’s rare for us to have all five of them at once, and a big enough deal that this side of the range won’t be back open again until Dove Hunt, La Paloma’s Member/Guest tournament and our biggest event of the year. From 9:30a-1:30p, people could come out and hit everything from drivers and fairway woods to wedges and putters. Food and drink were also provided.
I’m a huge fan of club fitting, demo days, and the “try before you buy” approach. A lot of people will just buy something off the rack because they think it looks good only to get it home and discover they can’t hit it. Ideally, if you have the time and access, it’s best to see how all the different clubs perform on a launch monitor so you can compare the numbers and be sure you’re getting the most bang for your buck. The technology is available, so you might as well use it!
The one piece of advice I have if you ever find yourself out at a demo day is this: don’t expect a free golf lesson. Demo days are not the best place for instruction because they’re usually so busy. Reps know what they’re doing, but they can’t hand out clubs, take orders, and teach you how to swing the golf club all at the same time.
The same five vendors will likely be back out again in the spring, probably sometime between March and May.