Looking for affordable golf clubs to improve your game? Check out these tips for where to buy cheap, high-quality used golf clubs.

In this age of $600 drivers, $350 fairway woods, $400 (and up) putters and the price of everything else golf going through the roof, now is a perfect time to find some alternatives to buying new.  If you’re at all like me, the sheer sticker shock can be daunting, often sending you scurrying to the dark recesses of the internet or, God forbid, the even darker recesses of someone’s garage sale to find a hidden gem.  

Before you start scouring your neighborhood for garage sale deals, let’s discuss some better options for those of us on a budget.

Benefits Of Buying Used Golf Clubs

Before you start your search for the where and how of used clubs, let’s take a look at the why.  There are so many reasons to buy used: huge selection, prices that are significantly discounted and my No. 1 reason—technology doesn’t usually change THAT much year over year.  That means you can typically find last year’s clubs for a steep discount and still take advantage of incredible tech.

Even better, if you know the right places to look, and if you know the specs of the clubs you need (see below for more on this), you can walk away with an incredible deal and still have money left over for a few rounds of golf (or a few rounds AFTER golf).

Places to Buy Used Golf Clubs In Person

These are fairly unlimited but for the purposes of this article, I’d strongly suggest you consider buying online.  Sure, you may randomly find a deal on a 20-year-old hybrid at a garage sale or a wedge set that someone hasn’t used in a few years (Cleveland 588 Tour Action? Sweet!), but it’s hard to say for certain what you’re really buying.  All of the sites listed below have some sort of guarantee and a vetting process as well. Unless you can 100 percent vouch for the seller of the clubs, I’d suggest a large dose of Buyer Beware.

1. Garage/Yard Sale/Thrift Store

We’re grouping these together as they’re all the same idea: you have to sift through a lot of stuff that you DON’T want in order to find a thing that you MIGHT want.  

Pros: 

Unbeatable price options.  Often gently used.  You get to handle the product in person before deciding on buying.  You get to meet your neighbors, which is always nice.

Cons: 

Typically the product is many cycles old (often a decade or more).  You have to weed through a lot of hay to find the needle.  You have to meet your neighbors, which isn’t always nice.

2. Craigslist

Although this is technically online, most of the purchases happen face-to-face, therefore it’s under the “In-Person” umbrella. Craigslist is one of those places some people swear by and, just as often, one people swear at.  

Pros: 

Great deals can be had. Often in decent shape, as most people selling on Craigslist seem to be less enthusiastic golfers, and therefore clubs have been used infrequently. Hands-on period at the point of purchase. You get to meet someone new and that could be exciting.

Cons:

Despite there being lots of options, the chances of it being a great fit for YOU are slim. People’s price expectations might be out of touch with reality (“but I paid $500 for this three years ago so it’s still worth at least $450!”). You have to meet someone new and that could be … interesting.

Places To Buy Used Golf Clubs Online

As you’ll see below, there are so many incredible places to source high-quality used clubs. We’ve highlighted a few that we’ve had great experiences with and are near-universally trusted by buyers (and sellers) across the globe.

1. ebay

At the peak of Used Club Mountain, at least as far as selection goes.  Ebay has been the go-to for many, many golfers looking to pick up a used club or an entire iron set for years. 

Pros:

Essentially every company is represented, from Adams to Yonex, and every KIND of item is represented, from shafts (of every different flex and type) to bags (cart, stand, Sunday, etc.).   Easy-to-use interface encourages people from all over to list their items and, because of the auction feature, you can often get a great deal on something you’re looking for. Auction feature means you might get a steal on an item worth considerably more. The “Buy Now” option simplifies things if you know what you need and what you’re willing to pay for it. Lots of excellent, trusted sellers from all over the country (world) and shipping is often reasonably priced. Ebay tends to side with the buyer in any issues with delivery of goods.

Cons:

Having to trust that the item is 100 percent as described can be a risky proposition. Cannot get hands on the product until after received (and paid for) to verify quality. Auction feature means you may get in a bidding war with someone and end up paying more than you were hoping to.

A large word of caution about buying (in particular) on the ‘Bay: buy from sellers with a good reputation. There are plenty of sellers with thousands of reviews and 99-percent (or above) positive ratings—this is what you’re looking for.  While you COULD find a deal with a first-time seller (and if you’ve sold on eBay, then you were a first-time seller once upon a time), when buying something that’s inherently not cheap, I’d go with someone with a verified positive rating.  

Also, if bidding on an item, set a limit for yourself that you’re not willing to go past. If the item hits that mark, let it go. There’s nothing worse than getting in a bidding war with someone and realizing you could have gotten it elsewhere for less—after winning the bid. 

2. GolfPartnerUSA

What we love about Golf Partner is the sheer number of top-quality items from all the top brands, combined with the fact that all their used clubs are inspected and rated by at least two professional inspectors. 

Pros:

Inventory updated every week, often multiple times per week. Huge selection of high-quality inventory. $25 flat shipping fee on orders under $300, free shipping on orders over that. Pictures in listing show actual inventory, not representative photos. Large selection of Japanese OEM products.

Cons:

U.S./Canada only. Return policy is complicated. Not as large a selection as some of the others on our list.

3. Global Golf

GlobalGolf.com is another incredible option when searching for the highest quality in used clubs. Odyssey, PING, TaylorMade …  if you can think of the company, they have the clubs.  It really is a one-stop option as they sell apparel, bags, balls, shoes, accessories, etc.  

Pros:

Incredibly varied choices of products, new and used. Used options are certified pre-owned under a six-point inspection process. Easy-to-understand rating guide (“Mint” all the way down to “Poor”). “Second Chance” (open box) items run the gamut from apparel to bags, shoes to tech and accessories. 12-month guarantee against manufacturing defects.

Cons:

Lots (and LOTS) of text/emails if you sign up for newsletters. Constantly some sale going on; can get confusing about when the best time to buy something might be. “UTry” program only available on new items, not used. “USelect” program seems like it’s generating fairly generic recommendations.

4. 2nd Swing Golf

Whether you’re looking for clubs with ultra forgiveness, ultra spin or just ultra discounted, 2nd Swing Golf should totally be on your list to check out their offerings.  

Pros:

Over 115,000 used clubs. Top-notch trade-in program, often with additional incentives on top of value of trade-in. Free fitting with the purchase of a club (yes, even used) if shopping in one of many physical stores. If shopping online, they offer a “Tour Van Phone Fitting” with one of their fitters. Trade-in payment options include store credit, check or Paypal.

Cons:

Sheer volume of options can be overwhelming. Signing up for emails/texts for discount codes leads to a lot of messages.

5. Callaway Pre Owned

Don’t let the name fool you: it’s not just Callaway clubs here. Although, if you are in the market for Callaway clubs, there’s no better place to get them used (and often new), at the best possible quality.  

Pros:

A super-intuitive and easy-to-use chart for every club shows the exact condition of the club you’re considering. Being able to sort by club and stiffness and then choose the shaft that appeals to you and then to select what quality of “used” you’re willing to pay for,makes this an incredibly useful addition to the buying procedure. Their Price Protection Guarantee means that if the price drops within 14 days of your purchase, they’ll adjust the price (at request). Ninety days to try the club in the real world and if you’re not happy, they’ll buy it back. Although the name only says “Callaway”, non-Callaway inventory is available and covered by the same warranties and uses the same easy-to-use “quality chart.”

Cons:

Non-Callaway offerings (COBRA, Titleist, etc.) not nearly as robust as competitors (not a huge surprise). Constant barrage of emails/texts once you sign up. No free shipping unless orders over $199 and membership in their Rewards Club.

L.A.B. Outlet 

One that is often overlooked is the L.A.B. Outlet, where they offer some pretty significant discounts on “blemish” putters that don’t meet the rigorous standards of the company.  Assuming you’ve taken advantage of L.A.B.’s free online fitting, keeping an eye on the outlet is a good way to snag one of the hottest putters for a great deal.

Pros:

Often upgraded shafts in the configuration you need for the same price or lower than “stock.” Blemishes are often imperceptible to an untrained eye. Discounts are substantial.

Cons:

You need to know your exact specifications before perusing their inventory. Selection can be extremely limited, especially for less common lie angles. All sales final, barring a 90-day manufacturing defect warranty. 

Tips For Buying Used Golf Clubs

Now that we’ve covered some of the top sites to find some incredible deals on used equipment, let’s get into some quick tips that will make the process that much easier.

1. Research The Brand And Model

The easiest way to make your life that much easier is to know what you’re looking for BEFORE you start looking. Are TaylorMade clubs tailor made for you? Do you regularly have a PING fling? Are you in a tizzy for all things Mizzy (Mizuno … stick with me here)?  Having a sense of clubs that you’ve hit well in the past or that you know would suit you well will give you a huge head start. Do some comparing, perhaps using MyGolfSpy’s Most Wanted testing from the year prior to see what stacked up well in the category of your choice.  Pick your top three and then start doing a deep dive to see if you can find a deal on one of those. 

2. Check The Condition Of The Clubs

Most of the sites listed have some sort of “certified” process to guarantee the quality of the club. We can’t stress this enough in order to get the right used golf clubs into your bag. There’s nothing worse than going through all these steps only to receive a club that looks like it’s been run over, left out in the rain and then used to chop down a tree. One thing I will note: A LOT of companies undersell the quality of the clubs. I’ve heard from multiple people while researching this article that the clubs they got that were described as “good” or “like new” were in fact brand new and still in a wrapper. 

3. Consider Purchasing A Club Fitting

If you don’t know what club you need, how can you possibly know what club you need?  I know that’s super circular but I think you get my point.  Before you can start searching for the right driver/putter/iron set for you, you need to actually know what the right set for you is. While it may cost you a few bucks to get a proper fitting, consider it part of the cost of getting the exact right club(s) for you. Also, if you go for a fitting with this year’s clubs, most likely the tech hasn’t been upgraded SO MUCH that last year’s (or even two years’) model will give you 95 percent of the benefit of the current year’s. This way you can dig in and find the perfect length/lie angle/shaft combination for YOU.

4. Look For Sales And Discounts

It can be a bit overwhelming but one of the ways to find out when a site is having a big sale is to sign up for emails or newsletter options. You will probably get a TON (as mentioned in a lot of the “Cons” lists) but they always let you know when big sales (and not so big sales) are going on. Lots of these sites will give you bonuses on trade-in items (some as much as 100 percent on top of the regular value, exclusions apply), a coupon code for being a first-time buyer, closeouts, major deals on holidays, etc.  If you’re looking to buy from one of the sites, doing a quick search for coupon codes for that site would be well worth your while.

Conclusion

In no way is buying used clubs “easy”—just look above at all the things to consider and you’ll know it’s not.  Hopefully, with some of the tips we’ve provided and some of the sites we’ve mentioned, you’ll be better equipped (see what I did there?) to tackle the task of getting yourself some sweet new(-to-you) clubs for this upcoming season, all while saving some much-needed coin. 

Did we miss any great sites you all use?  Let us know in the comments below!

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