When buying golf clubs, you have two options: You can buy new, or you can buy used. That’s it. You may be wondering, “Should I buy used or new golf clubs?”
Most of the time, we recommend buying used golf clubs. However, if you are getting professionally fitted for clubs, then you’ll have a hard time finding used clubs with your ideal specs.
However, most golfers aren’t as serious, and they probably aren’t getting fitted. Here’s three main reasons why we recommend buying used clubs over buying new clubs.
Better Value – All Golf Clubs Will Be “Used” After The First Shot
Even when you buy new, your clubs don’t stay new for long. Literally as soon as you take the plastic off the club face and hit your very first shank shot, you no longer have new clubs.
It’s like buying a new car. Once you drive it off the lot, you instantly lose 30% of the value. If you are like us and want to maintain the value of your clubs as much as possible, buying new is not the best choice.
Here’s the way I look at it. If you are patient and buy a slightly used set of irons for $400, you may be able to use those irons for a few years and sell them for $350 once you are ready for a new set. So, you essentially used a great set of irons for a few years for just $50! The alternative would be to buy new irons for $1,000. When you are ready to sell them for whatever reason, you are probably going to have a hard time selling them for $400. Therefore, you’d be paying a net $600 for those set of clubs, far more than the $50 of the used set.
Your Game Changes, And Your Clubs Should Too
It’s very common for golfers to buy new clubs, only to “grow out of them” as they progress and figure out exactly what clubs/shafts work best for them.
For example, when I took golf much more seriously than I used to, I got professionally fitted for clubs and purchased a new set of irons. After a year, I had gone through some serious swing and setup changes which resulted in my new irons not really being perfectly fitted for my game anymore. Well, that was a waste of $1,000. I could have just bought a stock set of irons and been just as fine off in the long run.
Along the same lines, it’s very common for golfers to buy a new complete set of clubs, like Callaway Strata sets. However, within 3 months, they have grown out of them and/or broken them. Instead, they should have bought used, name brand clubs, like Callaway/Titleist/TaylorMade etc from the start. The $300 set is not virtually useless to them, and they will have a hard time selling the set for $100.
You Can Spend Your Savings on More Important Things, Like Lessons or a Club Fitting
When you buy brand new golf clubs, you’re spending money that could be better used elsewhere. We strongly recommend taking your savings and investing in lessons with a PGA instructor. Learning the fundamentals is FAR MORE IMPORTANT in progressing your game than having the most expensive set of clubs on the market.
You won’t believe how many golfers I know that try to “buy their game”. Buying the latest release of golf clubs doesn’t help your game. It makes you look stupid, honestly. Spend your money on lessons, not over-priced golf clubs.
Once you have the fundamentals down and decide that you want to continue improving your game, then you can take your savings (from buying used clubs) and spend money on the best club fitter in your area.
