Most golfers go about buying clubs the same way. You have a look online to see what things cost, then you come into a shop and look at prices there, and somewhere in between the two you start to get a feel for where you actually sit. What you can stretch to. What is out of reach for now.
That is a sensible way to do it. But there is a step most people skip, and it is the one that changes the maths. Once you know your budget, the question is not just which new club fits it. It is whether that same money spent on a good used club would get you a better club than buying new at the bottom of the range.
Sometimes it does. Not always. Here is how I think about it.
What new clubs actually cost right now
Let's start with real numbers rather than vague talk about "investment".
A current generation driver from one of the big brands sits somewhere around the $1,000 to $1,350 mark. Step back one generation and the same quality of club drops to roughly $800 to $900. The technology in a two year old driver is not meaningfully worse than what is on the shelf today, but the price certainly is.
Now compare that to used. A tidy used driver from a recent model year usually lands between $400 and $650. That is not a small difference. That is the difference between a driver and a driver plus a fairway wood plus a decent bag.
Where your money goes furthest used
Not all clubs age the same way, so used value is not spread evenly across the bag.
Drivers, fairway woods and hybrids are where used makes the most sense. The head is titanium or steel, the face wears very slowly under normal club golfer use, and unless someone has genuinely abused it, a three year old driver performs almost identically to the day it was bought. You are mostly paying for cosmetic wear on the crown and sole.
Putters are the other big one. A putter does almost nothing to wear itself out. A used premium putter at half the new price is often the best value club in the shop, and putters hold their feel far longer than people expect.
Utility irons and single long irons are worth a look too, particularly if you are filling a gap in your bag rather than buying a full set. Buying one club used to sit between your longest iron and your fairway wood is a sensible, cheap fix.
Where I would be more careful
Wedges are the obvious one. Grooves wear, and worn grooves cost you spin. A wedge that has been through a couple of seasons of proper use is not the same club it was. Used wedges can still be good buying, but you want to see them first and know what you are looking at. If someone has been practising with it out of a bunker every week for two years, walk away.
Anything with no clear history. If nobody can tell you what shaft is in it, what the loft is set to, or how hard it has been used, you are guessing. Guessing is fine on a $99 hybrid. It is not fine on a $600 driver.
Grips. Almost every used club needs a new grip sooner or later, and that is $30 to $50 a club. Factor it in. It is not a dealbreaker, just something to budget for rather than be surprised by.
The trap that catches most people
Here is the part that matters more than price, and it is the reason a cheap club is not automatically a good buy.
A club that does not suit you is not a bargain at any price.
The most common version of this I see is shaft flex. Someone buys a used driver online because the model and the loft look right, and it turns out to have an extra stiff shaft in it when they need a regular. The club is fine. The golfer is fine. The combination is useless. They lose distance, they lose height, and they end up thinking they need lessons when what they actually need is a different shaft.
Loft, lie angle and shaft weight all matter the same way. A used club bought on model name alone is a coin flip.
Where people actually buy used clubs in New Zealand
There are a few main places, and they are not all the same.
Trade Me is still the biggest one. Plenty of good clubs change hands there and some people do get genuine bargains. Facebook Marketplace and groups like Used Golf Clubs NZ are busy too, and you will often see gear listed there before it appears anywhere else. New Zealand based golf retailers and pro shops are the third option, and that includes us.
A word of caution on the private channels. Most people selling their old clubs are honest golfers who have upgraded and want the space back in the garage. But wherever there is private selling with no comeback, you will find a few who are not straight with you. Clubs described as excellent that turn up looking very average. Vague answers when you ask about the shaft. The occasional counterfeit head, which is more common than people think on premium brands and very hard to spot from a phone photo. And every so often, gear that was not the seller's to sell in the first place.
You can protect yourself a fair bit. Ask for photos of the sole, the face and the shaft band. Ask directly what the loft and flex are, and be wary if they cannot tell you. Meet in person if you can. If a price looks too good for the model, there is usually a reason.
As a general rule, if you are buying online, a New Zealand based website with a real shop behind it is the safer bet. There is an actual business, an actual address, and someone who has to answer the phone if something is wrong.
What you get buying used through a shop
Buying privately, you are relying on a stranger's description and a few photos. You often do not get the full spec, because the seller genuinely does not know it. If it turns up and the shaft is wrong for you, that is your problem now.
Buying used through us is a different proposition. Every club in our used golf clubs collection has been checked and graded by hand, the full spec is on the listing including loft, shaft and flex, and you can come in and see the club in person before you decide. If it needs a regrip we can sort that. If the loft or lie wants adjusting, we can do that too. And if the spec is wrong for you, we will tell you that up front rather than let you walk out with a club that will not work.
One thing worth explaining, because people do ask. We do not let customers hit our graded used clubs. These are one-off pieces in a known condition, and once a club has been swung on a mat by a few different people that condition is no longer what we graded it as. It would not be fair on whoever buys it next.
You will pay a bit more than the cheapest private listing. What you are paying for is knowing exactly what you are getting.
What our condition grades actually mean
We grade every used club so you know what you are looking at before you buy.
Excellent means near new. Minimal marks, often barely used, sometimes a demo club that has had a handful of swings.
Very Good means light normal use. A few small marks on the sole or face, nothing that affects how it plays.
Good means it has been played properly. Visible wear, honest signs of use, still performing exactly as it should.
Fair means it has had a real life. More noticeable cosmetic wear, priced accordingly, still a perfectly good playing club. This is where the sharpest value usually sits if you do not mind a club that looks its age.
Occasionally we list clubs as Unused, which means exactly that. Still in the wrapper, just never sold.
The point of grading is simple. You should never be guessing what condition means. The photos and the grade should match what turns up.
Left handers and women golfers, this one is for you
If you play left handed or you are looking for women's specific clubs, the used market is worth watching closely. Both are harder to find new in the exact spec you want, stock is thinner across the country, and good pieces move quickly.
We regularly get left handed and women's clubs through, and they tend not to hang around. If you have been waiting for a particular model, it is worth checking the collection every so often or telling us what you are after so we can flag it when one lands.
So should you buy used or new?
Honestly, it depends on where you are in your golf.
Buy new if you are getting fitted properly and want the club built to your specs, if you want the full warranty, or if you have a specific current model in mind and the budget for it. A fitted new club that suits you will outperform a used bargain that does not, every time.
Buy used if your budget is the limiting factor, if you want a better quality club than your money would buy new, if you are filling a single gap in the bag, or if you are still working out whether a particular type of club suits your game before committing to a new one.
Buy prior generation new if you want the middle ground. Full warranty, brand new club, meaningfully cheaper than the current model.
There is no wrong answer here. There is only the wrong club for you, and that is what we are here to help you avoid.
Thinking of moving your old clubs on?
If you are upgrading and wondering what to do with what is in the bag now, come and have a chat. We look at trade-ins and buying clubs in case by case, depending on what it is and what condition it is in. Bring them in or send us some photos and we will tell you honestly where you stand.
Come and have a look
You can browse everything we currently have in our used golf clubs collection. Stock changes constantly because most of it is one of a kind, so what is there today may well be gone next week.
If something catches your eye, come into the shop in Mount Maunganui and have a proper look at it, or give us a call and we will talk you through the condition honestly. And if you are not sure what spec you should be looking for, just ask. Knowing what suits you makes buying used far less of a gamble.
Happy golfing,
Scott Pickett
PGA Professional
Founder - Golf 360, Mount Maunganui
