Starter Golf Clubs - New or Used?

August 26, 2010 5:23 PM

I'm looking in to buying an inexpensive starter golf club set (for myself). Should I buy new or used clubs?

Let's say my budget is around $200 - $300 dollars. (My budget may be off-scope.)

I'm inclined to get used clubs, but I have no idea what I should be looking for as I scour craigslist. I don't mind buying a cheap set from Target or Costco, but I think I might get better used clubs for my money.

Thanks!

posted by jabberjaw to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (7 answers total)

When I started playing as an adult (about 15 years ago), a friend recommend a golf shop in that could sell me inexpensive fitted clubs. I recall it cost a few hundred bucks then. I'm short, about 5'7", so it helped alot to have clubs that fit my body. So I'd call some locally-owned golf shops and ask if they sell anything like that.

I don't play any longer and I never got very good, but I think that for the average duffer, nice golf equipment has much less to do with success in golf than practice and mental approach.
posted by ldenneau at 5:39 PM on August 26, 2010

i'd suggest used for certain! i played competitively for about a decade, and the first two years was with a set my dad grabbed at a yard sale for $10, and they were perfect to learn on.

i just pieced together a set for my girlfriend this spring, all via craigslist -- and it is *so* awesome. if you'd like to do something like that, but aren't sure what you should be looking for, please feel free to MeMail me -- i could talk golf all day, but rarely get the chance! ;)
posted by crawfo at 7:42 PM on August 26, 2010

Used. Try to buy from a golf shop that sells on consignment and can help get you a decent fit. Another option is try to buy used from a person who is approximately your size and hopefully was fitted well when they purchased. Then if it turns out you want to make a long term investment in the sport get your custom sets, I have a friend who has a very low handicap who prides himself on the fact that the only new club he has ever owned is a single putter.
posted by Carbolic at 8:39 PM on August 26, 2010

Thanks! I think I'll try used clubs.

Any particular brands you'd suggest, or stay away from? What would I look for in used clubs to make sure I'm not getting ripped off? For instance, what kind of wear and tear do you look for?
posted by jabberjaw at 2:19 AM on August 27, 2010

I took golf lessons and they told me to get a set of clubs, but learn to play with one. I think it was a 7 iron. This guy said that learning is hard with all the different clubs, so I just used that one for a while. I remember playing a round one time, and I only had my one club, and someone drove out from the clubhouse and brought me a set. They told me it was against the rules to just play with one club. Maybe that is commnon golf knowledge, but I thought it was funny.

I went to Play It Again Sports and bought a set of clubs. I still have them.
posted by chocolatetiara at 7:12 AM on August 27, 2010

I got a set off eBay for $40 and a bag for $60...yeah, I know...it doesn't make sense to me either! First full round of golf I played, I left my 9 and PW on the course, never to be seen again. I'd recommend go cheap used as others have stated. Good luck!
posted by littleredwagon at 9:48 AM on August 27, 2010

So, I obsessively began scouring craigslist and ebay for clubs and put together a pretty decent used set of TaylorMade irons, Callaway drivers & woods, and a Ray Cook putter (and a cool looking but probably inconvenient vintage bag) for a little over $100.

Hey, littler - sorry you lost your 9 & PW! So easy to lose those ones, I almost left mine behind a few times.

Thanks for the suggestions!
posted by jabberjaw at 11:36 AM on September 14, 2010