The Best Used Golf Clubs for Beginners

Giving you a detailed account of what to buy when you first start out in your soon-to-be new favorite sport!

Getting into a new hobby, especially a new sport, when you’re older can be really intimidating. There are so many things to know and you feel the pressure to learn how to be a “pro” within the first month of trying everything out. This can lead to frustration and even giving up too fast on something that could become your new favorite hobby.

You remember when we were kids and someone would come through with a bunch of instruments and you’d pick one to play? You as a child had to learn how to hold the instrument correctly, where to put your hands, and when to come in for your cue. Golf is similar because, well, you have to learn how to hold the club correctly, including where to put your hands, and finding the right time to swing and hit the ball.

But just like when you first strummed your guitar a little too hard or blew through your trumpet not hard enough, you eventually learned the ropes and in this case you’re going to be doing the exact same thing just this time with a golf club. Now that you have a bit of confidence in you, the next question becomes:

“What golf clubs do I get if I don’t know what I’m doing?”

Luckily we have the answers our dear reader and we’re here to give you the “go-to’s” for every club you’ll need while out on the greens and where to get them. We’re taking a look at the best used clubs for beginners by category:

• Drivers
• Wedges
• Irons
• Woods & Hybrids
• Putters

You might be wondering, 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 turned into a business with over 20 full-time employees, a big warehouse, and all the golf clubs to fill it. At StickHawk we sell authentic drivers, fairway woods, hybrids, irons, wedges, putters, complete sets, and all the golf accessories you could ever need so that you can play today! We want to match you with the golf club(s) of your dreams. You can take our “Club Decider Quiz,” which is near the bottom of our home page, and it will help you decide the exact right make and models you need to feel good while you’re on the course.

Go to the StickHawk website, search by category: Drivers, Fairway Woods, Hybrids, Iron Sets, Single Irons, Wedges, Putters, and/or Complete Sets; then you can refine the search by quality, dexterity, loft, club length, shaft flex, shaft material, shaft type, and weight. Here you will get a detailed report of each club as well as high-quality pictures you’re able to zoom in on so you can see any knicks and wear on the head and face. Pick what speaks to you and check them out in just a few easy steps.

But we are getting wayyy ahead of ourselves, we’re talking like you already know the kind of clubs you need and have them ready to buy. We first need to go over the best used clubs for beginners and then we can get to buying. 

?First things first, why used and not new?

Well, golf clubs are made with durability in mind. They are crafted to hit balls as hard and as fast as humanely possible, so with this in mind it makes sense that even older models still hold up today. There are some golfers that say there are certain models that won’t be beat and they intentionally use used clubs. 

Now that you know that used can be (and sometimes are) as good as new clubs let’s go through each to find the best for beginners.

?️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.

The one we’re going to recommend starting out with is the:

Ping G430 MAX

The biggest boon about the Ping G430 is how user-friendly it is. It truly is a great introductory driver because it’s very forgiving which means, as rookies tend to do, mistakes can be made and you won’t feel like throwing in the towel after your first day out on the greens. 

We have more than a few Ping G430 MAX’s in stock which you can view on our store page and find one that fits your criteria, but here’s one we’ll highlight for you now:

Get ready to…ping those golf balls further than you thought possible.

This is the Ping G430 MAX 10K Driver 12* Tour 65g Regular Graphite Mens RH

which was $589.99 and is now $439.79. This club is pre-owned, has been hit with, and has marks on it from normal use, but is overall in good condition. Here are the specs:

• Men's Right-Handed
• Loft: 12 Degrees (Adjustable - Adjustment Tool NOT Included)
• Club Length at address: 45.00"
• Shaft Flex: Regular
• Shaft Material: Graphite
• Shaft Brand: Ping
• Shaft Model: Tour
• Shaft Weight: 65g
• Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 Standard Grip in Good condition 
• Headcover not included

Overall Condition: Used - Grade: 8 (Good Quality)

?️Wedges:

• Wedges are the club we don’t want to use. And what we mean by that is it’s the club that comes out of your bag if you’re in the sands, deep rough, or tough terrain.

The one we’re going to recommend starting out with is the:

Cleveland CBX 2 Wedge Set

Now up front we will say that wedges are the one set of clubs that you can go “cheap” for, especially when starting out. You’re not going to be good for the first few months you play and trying to get top-of-the-line wedges is an investment not worth making until your handicap gets better or you notice you need new ones. Any Cleveland wedges are a great pick, even the three-set you can get from Kirkland at Costco isn’t a bad shout if you’re really looking to save a buck. The reason we chose the Cleveland CBX 2 set is because they offer a bounce and game-improvement you can’t beat this early on.

Our mini saviors out to get our balls out of the rough!

 

This is the Cleveland CBX 2 Wedge Set 52* 11 56* 12 60* 10 Rotex Precision Wedge Mens RH which was $292.18 and is now $278.99. These clubs are pre-owned, have been hit with, and have marks on it from normal use, but are overall in good condition. Here are the specs:

• Men's Right-Handed
• Loft: Gap Wedge - 52 Degrees / 11 Bounce - 35.75" Length

Sand Wedge - 56 Degrees / 12 Bounce - 35.25" Length

Lob Wedge - 60 Degrees / 10 Bounce - 35" Length 

• Shaft Flex: Wedge
• Shaft Material: Graphite
• Shaft Brand: Cleveland
• Shaft Model: Rotex Precision
• WINN DriTac 2.0 Standard Grips in Good condition- The GW has a Lamkin 360 grip on it

Overall Condition: Used - Grade: 8 (Good Quality)

?️Irons:

• Meant to last forever, (cause, they’re made of full-grade stainless steel), irons are for getting your ball into the green and/or getting your ball from slightly rougher terrain so you can then switch to your putter.

The one we’re going to recommend starting out with is the:

Ping G25

Now some might suggest getting a full set of irons but we know that can be overwhelming, especially since you are already going to have a lot of clubs to juggle already. So we’re going to get a single iron, or more specifically the Ping G25. A solid, solid choice for a beginner single iron, the G25 holds up incredibly well. Test out how it feels for you and if it hits well with your swing, then go for the full set.

We have more than a few Ping G25’s in stock which you can view on our store page and find one that fits your criteria, but here’s one we’ll highlight for you now:

It’s your buddy, the one who will help you get even closer to par!

 

This is the Ping G25 Single 9 Iron Green Dot CFS Regular Steel Mens RH which was $96.38 and is now $80.19. This club is pre-owned, has been hit with, and has marks on it from normal use, but is overall in good condition. Here are the specs:

• Men's Right-Handed
• Iron: 9
• Club Length at address: 36.00"
• Shaft Flex: Regular
• Shaft Material: Steel
• Shaft Brand: Ping
• Shaft Model: CFS
• Stock Ping Standard Grip in Good condition

Overall Condition: Used - Grade: 8 (Good Quality)

?️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.

Since we’re just starting out, the best advice we can give is to focus mainly on using your driver and the highest lofted hybrid. We’re actually going to skip out on woods right now because, again, we do not want to overwhelm you as a beginner. We need to focus on our form and actually hitting the ball straight instead of the what, if’s, and who’s of our golf bag. When looking at which is more beginner friendly, woods or hybrids, we say that the hybrid is easier to hit with because typically the shaft is shorter and the lift is higher. A 5 hybrid is going to be our sweet-spot here as it is great for those starting out and the one we like best is:

Callaway Edge 5 Hybrid

It’s great, it’s cheap, it does what it needs to, and works as a starting ground for your first few times out.

We have more than a few Callaway Edge 5 Hybrid’s in stock which you can view on our store page and find one that fits your criteria, but here’s one we’ll highlight for you now:

Repeat after us: “5 hybrids.” And don’t forget it.

This is the Callaway Edge 5 Hybrid 25* Regular Graphite Mens LH which was $89.99 and is now $72.59. This club is pre-owned, has been hit with, and has marks on it from normal use, but is overall in good condition. Here are the specs:

• Men's Left-Handed
• Loft: 5 Hybrid (25 Degrees)
• Club Length at address: 39.00"
• Shaft Flex: Regular
• Shaft Material: Graphite
• Shaft Brand: Callaway
• Shaft Model: Stock
• Shaft Weight not listed
• Stock Callaway Standard Grip in Good condition 
• Headcover not included

Overall Condition: Used - Grade: 8 (Good Quality)

?️Putters:

• The end all be all of golf clubs. The ones that are going to get the ball in the hole. For short distances and low-speed strokes.

The one we’re going to recommend starting out with is the:

Cleveland Huntington Beach 4

Just like the Ping G430 Max is a universally picked driver for beginners, the Cleveland Huntington Beach putter line-up is universally picked for putters. More specially the Cleveland Huntington Beach 4. This 4 blade putter hits like butter, you’ll soon see why when you get close to the hole and pull this puppy out of your bag. It’s stability at address and when you swing is why we’re picking it. It makes your game well worth the effort when you get to finally swing with this. 

It’s time to get that ball in the hole.

This is the Cleveland Huntington Beach 4 Putter 34" Mens RH which was $105.18 and is now $97.59. This club is pre-owned, has been hit with, and has marks on it from normal use, but is overall in good condition. Here are the specs:

• Men's Right-Handed
• Club Length at address: 34.00"
• Shaft Flex: Putter
• Shaft Material: Steel
• Shaft Brand: Cleveland
• Shaft Model: Stock
• Head Shape: Blade
• Stock Cleveland Standard Grip in Good condition 
• Headcover not included

Overall Condition: Used - Grade: 8 (Good Quality)

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Whether you choose to go with the clubs we recommended above or do your own research, we definitely recommend finding and buying your used clubs through StickHawk as we offer free shipping on all domestic orders, (unless you choose expedited shipping at checkout). A great way to save even more money as you start your golfing journey.