It probably happens at least once to every golfer. You are only 40 yards from the green but you can’t drive your cart up too close. You grab your putter and a wedge and head to your ball. You pitch up onto the green and as you walk on, you drop your pitching wedge somewhere off to the side, and out of the way. You make a great putt and walk off the green smiling. Distracted by your clear talent, or dumb luck, you leave your wedge behind, lying in the deep rough just off the putting surface.
If you’re lucky, one of your group notices and picks it up. Or one of the golfers coming along behind your group, finds the club and drops it off at the pro shop for you to pick up later. But if you are unlucky as I was, the club is gone. Picked up by who knows who and claimed for their own.
I recently lost my Callaway “A” wedge. It was part of the X-22 set I bought a year ago and I’m kicking myself for leaving it behind. I checked with my fellow players and the pro shop but no one has it. (My name is on the shaft, so if it was found by a fellow golfer, it would have been turned in. Golfers know the value of a good club and almost all are honorable.)
In any event I loved that club and determined to get it replaced. I had been fitted for my clubs the year before and they had been specially made for me so I couldn’t just walk into a golf retail store and pick one off the shelf. It was unlikely to match what I had lost.
I decided the most direct route was to call Callaway Golf. When I told customer service of my situation the salesperson assured me it was no problem to replace the club. I just had to find the serial number that was imprinted on the shaft just below the hosel of the 8 iron and call it in. Simple enough. It’s a good thing I hadn’t lost the 8 iron instead of the wedge!
But it wasn’t quite as easy as I thought it would be to find those numbers. The club has been well used and the surface scratches made it almost impossible to find the number. But it was there. Under the right bright light and with the aid of a very strong magnifying glass I could just make out the figures.
The X-22 set is now more than a couple of years old and has been replaced as the featured Callaway set by a new style: X-24 HOT Irons. But they have a lot of pre-owned X-22s available and I ordered one. It should arrive any day and when it does, I will post a review after I get a chance to try it out.
Just wanted to give some kudos to the Callaway crowd. They made the process of replacing my club very easy, and now that I have that serial number I don’t have to worry if I am unfortunate enough to lose another club on the golf course. I’m promising myself it won’t happen again.
What about you? Have you ever lost or broken a club? How easy was it to replace?
I always place the chipping club over the flagstick. Many times I’ve forgot but the person does not fail to put the flag back and hands me my club
That is a good trick so you don’t forget your club. Another way to remember your chipper is to drop the club in the grass between your golf cart and the flag as approach the green. You have to literally walk over your club as you return to your cart!
i am looking for a Callaway 7 iron right handed FT 65G mid torque mid kick A
Can’t find one anywhere Can you help
Thank you
You might try checking out Callaway’s pre-owned site… they have a lot of great clubs to choose from: http://www.callawaygolfpreowned.com/golf/clubs,default,sc.html
I am only been playing for six months and very eager to learn things just all about golf. My son who works at Golfsmith supporting is college education told me to leave or drop my wedges facing my golf cart. This will allow me to see my club when done putting and returning to the cart. If walking (in which I had never done yet on an 18 hole), just be mindful of the extra club laying around in which is hard to do..
Carolyn… good advice from your son. Insures that you practically have to walk over your club to get to your cart! I just have to remember to carry my sand wedge with me to the green rather than tossing it to the side after getting out of a bunker.
I’m glad you are able to replace your club. After leaving my wedge behind several times, someone gave me great advice to keep from forgetting clubs in the future. I now automatically place my extra club beside or under the flag after I remove it from the cup. When I complete the hole and replace the flag, it’s practically impossible to miss the extra club. I haven’t forgotten a club since I started doing this.
Great idea. I will try to do that in future. Sometimes the flagstick is on the far side of the green so it makes it awkward to walk around… I usually try to leave the club on the edge of the green I will have to walk over to get to the next hole, but that doesn’t always work. Thanks for your comment!