Buying a Set of Golf Clubs

Are you interested in buying a set of golf clubs? There are many things to consider when it comes time to start looking for a new set of clubs.  This article will primarily focus on why it is a good idea to buy used golf clubs instead a brand new set.  As you probably know, a set of latest and greatest golf clubs can cost thousands of dollars.  If you have the money and the desire, please feel free to go all out.  However, here are a few things to consider for those of us on a budget.

LOOKING AT NEW CLUBS

A brand new set of golf clubs is similar to a brand new car. Both will lose a lot of value very quickly. Go to your local golf shop and compare the prices on last year’s model versus the newest version of the same club.  Many times the older model will be discounted 50% or even more from the original price of the club (which was released less than 12 months earlier).  Now combine the price of the discounted older model with a season of play, and you are looking at paying close to a third of what they sold for new.

While this information can be discouraging for those of you who want the latest equipment, it is a chance for the money-conscious among us to get a great deal.  To give you a recent example, we can look at the older TaylorMade Burner 2009 irons against this year’s TaylorMade Burner 2.0 irons.  A new set of TaylorMade Burner 2.0 irons will set you back right at $700, while a gently-used set of TaylorMade Burner 2009 irons is currently selling on eBay for around $250 to $300.  If you have seen these two sets of irons, you will notice that they look very similar and it is doubtful that spending $400 more will help your game much, if at all.  You can use that extra $400 and finish filling out your set with a driver, fairway woods, and possibly a new putter.

LOOKING AT BRANDS

Another decision you need to make when buying new clubs is determining the brand to buy.  Is it better to spend the money on a top name brand, or should you go for one of the value brands?  The price difference may make a new set of value brand clubs seem more appealing.  However, I believe it is better to buy a 3 to 5 year old set of name brand clubs rather than spend close to the same amount on a new set of value brand clubs.  Even name brand clubs that are a few years old are much better quality than some of knock off brands out there.

Another good thing about buying a good used set of name brand clubs is that when you do decide to upgrade, you will be surprised at how much you will be able to sell them for.  There seems to be a point at which the value of name brand iron sets stabilize and stay there for quite a while.  Consider that a set of Titleist DCI 990 irons is going for around $125 on eBay.  When you realize that these clubs came out over 10 years ago, it is amazing that they have held their value that well.

In conclusion, I believe it is better to buy used clubs because you can almost always get more bang for your buck!