Second-hand golf clubs: how to buy without getting burned

1. 1

   Specs before anything

   Shaft flex, length and lie, in writing. A set an inch short or a flex too stiff is wrong at any price. If the listing does not say, ask; if the seller does not know, walk.

2. 2

   Grooves

   Run a fingernail across the face: if it does not catch, the grooves are gone and the club will not spin. Wedges wear first; the sole tells you too, nicked and smooth means well used.

3. 3

   Shafts

   Steel: sight down it, any bend is a no. Graphite: look for cracks and paint wear where the shaft enters the head, the highest-stress point, and dents three-quarters up where it rubs in the bag.

4. 4

   Matching, ferrules, grips

   All shafts in a set the same make and flex; a ferrule that does not match the rest means a repair, ask why. Grips hard, shiny or cracked: budget a regrip, usual on anything over five years old.

5. 5

   Heads

   Drivers: no cracks on the face, no rattle, the adjustable hosel turns and locks. Irons: no dents on the top line that mean a drop. Putters: the face insert flat and whole.

Nobody can tell you a number without the model, the year and the condition, and anyone who does is guessing. What you can do: find the same model at a certified pre-owned shop that grades condition and gives a warranty and a return window, and at a marketplace. The marketplace will be cheaper; the difference is the price of a guarantee and of someone having inspected the club. Pay it when you cannot inspect yourself, skip it when you can hold the club. And look at last season’s new price: once a new model is out, the previous one new is sometimes close to used.

On WhatsApp, for a model you name, Morris searches shops and second-hand listings, reads the pages and tells you the price he found, where and the date he read it. That is all: he does not sell, takes no commission, and a listing can be gone when you click. Where to look yourself: the places to buy used golf clubs. And before buying anything, know what your swing needs: the bag builder and the shaft flex finder.