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Going The Used Golf Club Route 

Many times people who are just getting started in the game of Golf become as absorbed in a buying spree as they are in learning to play the game well. The urge to run out and buy professional caliber golf clubs is strong as though owning expensive and high quality clubs will make you a great golfer. But for most new golfers, buying used golf clubs is a smarter move.

Buying used clubs reduces the financial impact of getting into golf. You can continue to experiment with the game to see if you are going to be a lifelong golfer or if this is just a temporary fixation that will pass. And if you do cool on playing golf, your investment isn't so huge and you can pass the clubs along to the next new golfer to give the game a try. Maybe more importantly, as you learn how to play golf, you will get a better feel for what is important in buying the golf clubs that will be your long term set and then when you make that larger investment, you know what you are doing.

Even before starting to shop for used golf clubs, don't put your money down until you play a few weeks using rental clubs that you can get at a driving range. You can rent a set for a month or so and use the same set so you are not always getting oriented to new clubs each time you play. And you get to know the game and how you want the clubs to feel in your hands when you do start shopping for a beginner's set to own. Not only that, getting to know the shops that rent clubs is a good move because they often sell off their sets to buy new equipment and you can get some good deals that way.

Even when you start shopping for a used set of clubs to make your starter set, it's a great idea to seek out some wise counsel about the purchase. Knowing how to evaluate clubs will help you avoid the disaster of paying money for clubs that are a terrible fit to your style of play. So work with your golf instructor or pros at the shop you are familiar with because he can give you a list of criteria so you have some guidelines when you shop for your first set of clubs. Then when you do buy, you will feel like you were an informed consumer rather than buying out of ignorance.

Probably the most important criteria for whether this set of clubs is a good choice for your first set is the "feel" of the clubs when you hold them and use them to swing or put. You notice in the golf shop, golfers always have the clubs out getting into position to see how the club feels in use. For you as a novice, you need to first understand how a golf club is supposed to feel in your hands so you know if the one you will buy feels right. The club should feel comfortable, not be awkward to use and help you with the shot you want rather than get in the way. By playing a few weeks or longer before even buying used, you will have some experience in this type of club evaluation.

The quality of materials in a good set of golf clubs will make or break your game. The heads of a good set of used clubs should be stainless steel and not an alloy that will not perform well in play. Good designs for golf clubs especially at the beginner level are what is called perimeter weighted clubs, cavity backed clubs which means they are hollow near the back of the club or clubs with larger or oversized heads. Buying clubs with larger heads gives you a bigger striking surface which means more of your shots will perform well as you learn the game. Then once you are accomplished at golf, you can buy conventional sized golf clubs to use long term.

Obviously other parts of the club like the shaft and the grip are important to your game as well. The club should feel light and comfortable in your hands and the shaft is a big part of that balance. Graphite makes a good golf club shaft material for this reason. But when you are evaluating used clubs, you will be naturally drawn to look at the grip because how you hold the club is so important to a good shot. Don't panic if the grips are a bit worn out on the used clubs you like because that can be easily repaired and made good as new for you. By evaluating all of these parts of the club as a unit, you can decide if this is the set of starter clubs you want to buy.

Shopping for this first set of clubs is both exciting and intimidating. By getting some criteria such as we have described here and with your check list from the golf pro in hand, you will be a smarter shopper. And when you take each club out and put it through its paces as part of the evaluation process, you will feel better about your ability to ask questions and interact with the club owner and about your final decision whether it is to go ahead and buy the clubs or keep on looking.

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