Answering Your Questions: How Long Do Golf Clubs Last & When Should You Replace Your Clubs?

There are no stupid questions and we hold this sentiment when it comes to our favorite game ?️

We love golf here, and when it comes to the game there are a lot of questions that might seem silly or like something every golfer should know right out the gate. But we hold steady that just like when you were a kid and taught that there were no stupid questions, that goes the same for this sport. And a couple of those questions are: how long do golf clubs last and when should you replace your clubs? The short answer is that clubs built in modern times, aka the ones you can go online or to your local golf shop for, will last you anywhere from a few years to your entire career. It all depends on how you take care of the club and how often you’re on the greens. 

There are however longer explanations we can give so you can know all there is to know about the longevity of your golf clubs. We’re going to go over the questions you came here about and a couple others so you can become your own encyclopedia of golf club knowledge:

• How long do golf clubs last & when should you replace your clubs?
• How to tell when your golf clubs are worn out
• Do more expensive golf clubs make a difference?

But why are we the ones qualified to answer your club questions? Well if you haven’t heard of us yet then let us have the pleasure of introducing you to what we do best:

Our story is a simple one, what started out as a side-venture in the highs and lows of selling shoes on eBay, has now turned around to be a business with 20 full-time employees, a 15,000 square foot warehouse, and relationships with private golf courses all over the U.S. At StickHawk you can make your putting dreams come true as we sell quality drivers, fairway woods, hybrids, iron sets, single irons, wedges, putters, complete club sets for those who need the basics to play today, and accessories. We want to match you with the gold club(s) of your dreams. You can take our “Club Decider Quiz,” which is clickable on the bottom right hand side of our website, and it will help you decide the exact right make and models you need to feel good while you’re on the course.

?️How long do golf clubs last & when should you replace your clubs?

When you’ve typed these questions into Google you’ve probably been fed a specific number of years. Some say three, some say five, and others say ten; you’ll get a different answer from everyone so what’s the actual answer? 

Our ‘Short’ Answer: Somewhere in-between all of those numbers is generally a good rule of thumb, we love the number seven here, you oftentimes see “lucky number seven” as a boon for lots of things in life and we think that can go for golf clubs too.

Our ‘Long’ Answer: We’re going to take three points into account:

• 1️⃣: Your bank account. Golf is expensive, you know this, we know this- from the equipment to course costs you can spend a pretty penny just getting into the game so upgrading your clubs every few years can put a major dent into your bank account. When you have the money that you can spend on new clubs and want to spend on new clubs or at least one you’ve been eyeing, that’s when you should consider biting the bullet.

• 2️⃣: Speaking of eyeing a new club, that’s point number two. If there is a new golf club that’s hit the market or a used club that’s hit your favorite online shop then it’s always a good idea to get it when you can.

• 3️⃣: How often you play. If you are someone that is out there every weekend or playing more than three times a month. You might be in the group of people that should look into getting a new club a bit more frequently than seven to ten years because of the wear and tear. But if you aren’t someone that’s golfing more than once or twice a month, we’d say the durability of modern clubs will last you longer than what you initially think.

But how long do specific golf clubs last?

You’ll often find that used golf clubs like this Ping G20 Driver 10.5* TFC 169 D Soft Regular Senior Graphite Mens RH from our very own store page can be a great alternative to buying new models.

?Drivers:

Drivers are the club that makes your ball go the distance. If you need to hit it far and gain some much-needed ground then this is the club you’re swinging with. Although modern technologies have improved clubs in recent years, drivers have been slightly on the backburner when it comes to major improvements. At the minute there hasn’t been huge leaps and bounds for our favorite club which means unless the face cracks you shouldn't have a driver in your cart often. If anything you’d probably need to replace the shaft before the head as drivers are meant to be durable. As long as you’re still getting the results you want with the driver you’re swinging with, don’t go running to the store.

Answer: 5 to 10 years.

?Wedges:

Oh wedges, our beloved club that we don’t love to use because that means we’ve gotten our ball into a sticky situation. If you’re in the sands, deep rough, or tough terrain- a wedge becomes the ex you text: “u up?” They can take quite the beating as you’re hitting with a force that’s not synonymous with your other clubs. However they can last a long time because they are built for those tricky scenarios. If you notice the grooves are still intact and don’t have any issues with the spin then your wedge(s) are still up to snuff.

Answer: 3 to 5 years for frequent players. 5 to 7 for those who aren’t always on the greens.

?Irons:

Irons, which like the name suggests, are usually made of “17-4 or 431 grade stainless steel,” according to golfclub-technology; which means that these bad boys are gonna last you a very very long time. If any golf club is meant to last forever, it’s an iron. They’re built for getting your ball into the green and/or getting your ball from slightly rougher terrain so you can then switch to your putter. A lot of older golfers have had their OG pair of irons in their bag still to this day. As long as you don’t beat them up and play with them like they’re expendable, they can last a lifetime.

Answer: 10+ years.

?Woods & Hybrids:

Woods are for long shots and hybrids are used by some as a replacement for and are typically a combination of long irons or fairway woods. Typically you’ll find with woods and hybrids that the technology surrounding it is often being improved upon as the years go by; so if you’re someone that heads to the greens a lot and is always on the lookout for something new then you might be replacing these babies a bit more frequently than the other clubs we’ve talked about. 

Answer: 3 to 5 years for frequent players. 5 to 7 for those who aren’t always on the greens.

?Putters:

Ah putters, our golf clubs that are as close to immortal as one can get. You’ll notice when watching golf on TV that a lot of pros will have the same round of putters they’ve had since the beginning of their career and for good reason because once you find your own golden goose in the form of a putter you won’t ever want to replace it. You can never really have enough putters in your bag, they are the key to making your game go from good to great. 

Answer: 10+ years.

?️How to tell when your golf clubs are worn out

Here you have a wedge, specifically the Callaway Mack Daddy 4 Black Wedge 56* 8 Dynamic Gold S200 Tour Issue Wedge RH from our very own shop which is a great example of a worn out, but still usable, golf club. 

There are more than a couple signs from the universe that your current golf clubs are more than worn out and we’re going to break them down for you just in case you’re debating on buying a new set or not.

• ⛳: While most times when you’re trying for distance, it’s the golfer’s swing that’s going to be the determining factor in how far the ball will go. But in some cases you’ll notice that your balls aren’t flying as far as they once were and if you’ve tried your hand with a new driver and found the balls flying exactly how they should then you may need a new club.

• ⛳: And while we’re on distance, if you’ve found your balls coming up short then that’s also a sign your club could use a replacement. The last thing you want in a game is to be playing incredibly and then you come up short as you get closer to the hole.

• ⛳: When the face of your club smooths out you will notice control start to slip. Just like tire treads help your car from slipping and sliding all over the place, grooves on your club face limits contact between the club face and the ball. The more worn out means the less spin.

• ⛳: Then there’s the obvious: if the club itself looks like it’s damaged and we don’t just mean paint chips, scratches, or a couple dings- but actually damaged then yea, you should replace it. 

?️Do more expensive golf clubs make a difference?

We’re wrapping up our time together today to talk about the elephant in the room:

Do more expensive golf clubs make a difference?

There are certainly benefits to getting top-of-the-line clubs. Like-new or straight out the box clubs will offer golfers optimal control. They are also built for specifics. Every golfer's swing is different and that means not every club will work with every golfer. When you’re buying a new golf club or an expensive golf club, they’re typically tailored to specific swings. This can be great if you’re trying to put all of your stock into the game.

But-

What if you’re someone that wants to play recreationally, still well mind you, but with friends and for the love of the game all the same? Then you definitely don’t need to drop 2-3k on a set of expensive golf clubs. In fact getting good quality used golf clubs from reliable sellers can be just as good as spending hundreds more on one that’s so new it doesn’t even have any fingerprints on it. 

Yes the more expensive something is, generally it will be built to last longer but in terms of golf when the sport has clubs that will last you a good long while? You don’t need to go balls to the walls. 

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With StickHawk you’re able to find like-new used golf clubs that won’t cost you too terribly and will offer you plenty of years of play ahead. We list out the Model, Condition, Dexterity, Loft, Club Length, Shaft Flex, Shaft Weight, Shaft Brand, Shaft Model, and Grip Size so you can know exactly what you’re going to get with your purchase.