Retire in Paradise

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed, or use one of the many feed readers available from the 'subscribe' button. Thanks for visiting!

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.

For a lot of people, the option of buying used clubs can make starting this new hobby not such a financial strain. And by starting out with a less expensive set, you can find out if you will fall in love with golf for life or if your interest will pass. And if you do find that golf is not a sport you will stick with, you have not sunk so much money into the sport and you can always sell the used clubs for little or no financial loss. But the real value in using inexpensive clubs at first is that you can use this time to find out what you need in a quality set of golf clubs so when you do invest in your permanent set, you are an informed customer.

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.

A factor that is hard to quantify that makes one set of clubs better for you than another is how they feel when you actually use them playing golf. That is why when you visit a golf shop, you always see shoppers taking out golf clubs and doing test swings or putts with them right there is the shop. But to know if the club feels right, you need to have enough experience with golf to even know how it is supposed to feel. But above all playing with each club should be comfortable, you should not feel ill at ease using it and the club should be a tool for you to be a success with golf, not a hindrance.

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.

But the heads are not the only aspect of the golf club you should learn to consider when looking at used clubs. The long part of the club that makes up the shaft should make for an easy swing and be light and easy to handle. But in your early weeks of golfing, you learned that the grip is a crucial part of the golf club and it must be right for you to be a success. But if the grips of the used clubs are a bit worn, that’s not a big deal because they can be fixed inexpensively. But even before that is fixed, test how the club feels when you hold it and take some test swings in a drive or putt position so you know if all of the parts of the club work well for you.

This process of buying gold clubs for the first time can be overwhelming and fun at the same time. But by doing some homework up front as we have discussed, you will go into the process knowing what you are doing. Be patient and “test drive” each club in the set and if you look them over well, your gut instincts will help you make the right decision about whether this is the right set for your starter golf clubs or if the search should continue.

Tags: Recreation & Sports