What Should Beginners Spend on Golf Clubs?

Getting started as a new golfer, whether it is for you or for the kids, can be costly and distracting! Not only do you need a set of golf clubs (remember, only fourteen allowed in your bag) but also accessories, clothing...and let's not forget a qualified instructor! Today, let's focus on golf club choices.

This guest post was written by Dan Winger (see below for bio) and edited by Golf for Beginners. Enjoy.

Name brand golf clubs can cost a lot of money, dollars that could be spent on green fees for actual playing enjoyment...however, there is no substituting the quality of a name brand...or is there?

Costs of the name brand clubs average as follows:

·        Driver – $250 (My Callaway X2 Hot Driver currently retails at about $225 -Stacy)

·        Two Fairway Woods – $320

·        Irons, set of 7 – $650 My Ping Karsten Irons w/Graphite Shafts retail at around $899 -Stacy)

·        Wedges, 3 – $300

·        Putter – $130

·        Golf bag – $160

That’s an average total of $1810, a stout sum for the average guy or gal. Golf for Beginners suggests attending demo days at the very least, if that is the route you choose.

If money is no object, go for it, but there are other options. As most beginners have no idea if they’ll like the sport and stay with it, it seems more prudent to start out with a lower cost option.

Lower Cost Options

Low Cost/Used Outlets: There are several online sources of low cost and used golf equipment:

·        GlobalGolf.com (used-new)

·        GolfGalaxy Stores (used-new)

·        Ebay.com (used-new)

·        Amazon.com (used-new)

·        Overstock.com (new)

·        Costco.com (new)

·        2ndswing.com (used-new)

·        3balls.com (used-new)

Often, you can find some excellent golf clubs from these sources. Just be sure that you are buying clubs that fit you. Ask the sales person to check the shaft flex to be sure that it’s right for you.

Garage Sales: I have several golf buddies who regularly play clubs that they bought at garage sales. If you know your swing, you’ll know if a used club will be a good fit for you. Normally this the lowest cost method to buy clubs.

Clone Golf Clubs: Whatever you want to call them, knock-off golf clubs, discount golf clubs, clone golf clubs - they’ll save you money and should provide just as much playability as the name brands.

A set of new clone golf clubs (a set as described above) will cost an average of $600, one third of the price of the name brand clubs. 

The Acer XDS React Titanium Driver by Hireko, for example, is similar to Cobra and tests rate it 97/100.  At $69.95, this club is worth a swing...editor's note.

Good club hunting - there many opportunities to save some cash.


Author Bio: Dan Winger is owner/writer of 2 clone golf club review websites, DW Golf and Golf Shop Bolton.

He worked most of his professional career as a mechanical engineer/designer. Dan has been testing clone golf clubs and writing reviews since 2004. He resides in St. Joseph, Michigan, and can be reached at dwinger[at]rocketmail.com




Have you just purchased your first set of golf clubs? Which did you choose? Tell us in our comments section and on Twitter @Golf4Beginners.


photo credit: dwgolf.com, pgatoursuperstore.com