Used golf clubs: the guide

How to find and buy the best used golf clubs

Let's be real, you're buying used clubs because it's way cheaper than buying new. You are prepared to buy clubs that have a little wear and tear on them, and that's fine because if the previous owner took care of them, they're still golf clubs and they are gonna work. Fortunately golf clubs don't just go bad (generally speaking), an iron or wedge with worn grooves is still going to make the ball go, a driver with dummy marks on the head can still spank off the tee, and a putter with some scratches on the face can still sink that 35-foot putt for birdie. But, there's a couple things you should be aware of so that you can be happy when the golf club(s) arrives at your door.

Club Condition

Probably the most important thing is knowing what condition the club is in when you buy it. Is it new? Is it used but it looks like the previous owner only took it to the range once? Was it tied to the back of a truck and dragged along the highway? The only way to really know is to get a good look at the club. You can go to any number of websites where they only show a stock photo along with a rating scale. That seems fine, but how trustworthy is that rating scale? Sure they may offer free returns if it arrives not to your liking, but how many people have extra hours on the weekend they want to dedicate to going through all the steps to return a club just because a fella in some podunk warehouse said a club was an 8 (gently used) and when you got it, it looked like the previous owner took the club to the top of an active volcano and was trying to send all the extrusive igneous rocks back to their home at the bottom of the volcanic crater? Not fun. (Honestly, if hitting those rocks wouldn't hurt your hands so bad, hitting rocks from the top of a volcano to the bottom of the crater might be a blast... The "Not fun" is the whole return process, you know what I'm talking about). So back to being serious, the best way to know the condition is to look at actual photos of the club you want to buy. Is it worn? Of course it is, but at least you know how worn before it gets to your door. Look at the pictures! Be satisfied with how it looks before you hit the buy button.

Club Knowledge

It's also important to know what you're buying. Let's say you're just beginning your golfing journey and you have a scramble tournament with your boss coming up in two weeks. You don't even know what a scramble is. The last scramble you had included eggs, sausage, peppers, and onions. But never mind that, your boss told you this was golf and you needed to bring your own clubs. You're price conscious and you think yourself to be savvy buyer. So you fire up your computer and log onto the google machine on the webs. You type in "used golf clubs" and voila, you go to the first site you see, and you're no dummy, you decide the first thing you need to buy is a set of irons. You start perusing the stock and wham-o the most beautiful set pops up. They're chrome, they're shiny, they're "blades" whatever that means. Blades, ya that's what you want, it sounds macho, you're gonna impress your boss with these bad boys. Fast forward to the scramble, you're on the range, you pull out your shiny new blades, set up a ball, swing. Then you think to yourself, "these must be called blades because every time you swing it feels like a knife is slicing into your palm." Well, well, well, turns out maybe you should do a little research into what you're planning on buying. If you're a stick you know what you want and you should get that. If you're just starting out don't buy something because it's shiny, spend an hour watching youtubes or researching a good beginner set. (Pro-tip it's not blades).

Look Past the Head

Lastly, look beyond the head. The photo that entices you is the picture of the head of the club. It sucks you in, you find the club that is the perfect blend of blemishes to price. The face looks clean and the grooves are still intact. Buy it before someone else does! Checkout complete. Well did you notice that it has a 40g senior flex shaft? Truth be told, the shaft is just as important as the head. Before you buy, figure out what your swing speed is. Don't have a fancy way to know? Look at this neato little list of averages:

• Female Amateur - 78 mph
• Male Amateur - 93 mph
• LPGA Tour Player - 94 mph
• PGA Tour Player - 114 mph
• Long Driver - 135 mph

If you swing faster than 110 mph you are going to want to use an extra stiff shaft. If you swing slower than 80 mph you're going to want to lean towards ladies or senior flex. Regular is around 80-90 mph and stiff is gonna be around 90-100. There are definitely more factors than just swing speed. Be aware of shaft weight and the tempo of your swing. There are resources available you can reference so that you can dial in what you need. Really your best bet is to go get a fitting done. They will definitely try to sell you some new equipment when you get the right set up, but you're under no obligation to buy it after you've been fit. Just take those specs and go find something used that fits. Aside from the shaft though, make sure to note the grip, are you going to have to replace the grip when it arrives? Are you capable of doing that yourself? It's not hard to do but you should definitely be aware because grips can be expensive.

Conclusion

If you want to buy used golf clubs, these three things will really help when it comes to satisfaction. At the end of the day, golf is supposed to be fun. Get yourself some clubs that will allow you to have fun. It's not fun if you have to take out a second mortgage to buy a golf club. And it's not fun to buy a golf club and have immediate buyer's remorse when it arrives. Know the condition, know the club, know the shaft and grip, know thyself and to thyself be true. That's a little Socrates and Shakespeare for ya, so now you can be smart while you golf. Do these and be rewarded.