If you are a beginner golfer do not fall into the trap of spending a fortune on equipment. Cheap golf club sets are in abundant supply, particularly in the winter. Used golf clubs lose their retail value the moment the club face strikes the first ball. There is absolutely nothing wrong playing with clubs that some other Duffer couldn’t get to work.
Think about that for a second. The reason used clubs are for sale is not that the clubs are no good, it’s because the previous owner simply didn’t like them. Equipment choice can be a very personal thing in golf. If the club doesn’t feel right or if you just saw an ad that guarantees additional yardage if you buy the latest driver, you’re apt to buy new and try to get rid of your old clubs by trading them in or selling them.
This is not like buying a used car. If a used car has 100,000 miles on it you know there are only a limited number of additional miles before the thing dies. However a Cleveland Launcher that has been used for a year will last you forever, or until you sell it.
Golf is one of those sports that can have a very high financial Vclubshop threshold to get in. If you buy new clubs, bag, shoes, glove, balls, towel and all the other paraphernalia you can easily be looking at $1,000. Or you can get an entire set and a bag for less than $100. Find a deal on golf shoes, get a discount golf glove and play Top Flite golf balls and you’re in business for less than $175.00 total.
So where do you find these clubs?
Well there are two basic sources, retailers and private parties. Without question, the best deals can be had from private parties but it can be a hit and miss time consuming proposition.
Yard Sales Rock…If You’ve Got The Time
Checking your local paper for yard sales may or may not help you in your Vclubshop search for cheap golf club sets. The reason being is that golf clubs are rarely featured in the yard sale ads. However, it’s a safe bet that one out of four will have clubs for sale. The advantage of yard sales is two fold. First, if there are clubs for sale there probably is a bag for sale as well. If you have to buy a new bag for your cheap clubs you could spend another $60 to $100. Getting one as part of a used set is almost a steal.
Another reason yard sales are great is because they’re usually held on weekend mornings. Where is the husband on a weekend morning? Not at the yard sale but out playing golf. That means that you negotiate with Mom, whose primary motive is to clean out the garage, for the price of those clubs. True story. My wife sold my Great Big Bertha II, a $250 driver, for $10. I was playing golf.
Other good sources are the free online classifieds like Vclubshop CraigsList and USFreeads. Unless you really think you’ve found a buy, don’t offer full price. Send an email and offer something less. The seller will probably decline your offer but then come back in a week asking if you’re still interested.