When buying used clubs - how much wear is too much wear?

Hi everyone,

I was looking at various pre-owned golf equipment websites and Ebay, I just wanted to ask for your opinions on what is your tolerance for wear on the club(s)? I've seen a number of listings where the condition is marked 'very good' but the clubface looks like crap and there is obvious ear on the bottom of the clubhead. 

If going with used clubs I would suggest going with a cast face vs forged. They tend to hold up much better.  Would also suggest getting fitted first so this way you know exactly what you are looking for.  I’ve bought stuff via 2nd swing and could say there stuff is rated pretty accurately. Bought a ping irons listed as 8/10 that was 8/10. 

I don't care about the bottom of the clubs, but I can't stand looking at a horrible (all over the face) impact pattern on the face. I tend to agree with shred that used cast clubs will look much better than forged. I just picked up a set of Callaway Rogue Pros (cast) from Callaway Preowned that were rated very good. The clubs look awesome. I can tell that a couple of the short irons were hit some, but the faces look very clean.

One buyer beware tip: on forged clubs where the chrome has come off, exposing the raw metal, it is possible for the seller to clean/polish the metal so that these blemishes don’t show in photos. (They just clean the rust for presentation’s sake) There is no harm in it but the clubs will suddenly commence to rusting once you put them in play, which can be distracting later on.

Global golf is consistently better than their rating

Callaway Pre-Owned tends to rate highly.  2nd swing gives real/honest pics, so you know what you're getting.  

My tolerance varies based on the age of the club.  If it's a fairly late model, I expect it to be fairly light.  If I buy something older, I'm a lot more forgiving.

I've bought a lot from 2nd swing more than eBay.  Costs a bit more, but I feel comfortable I know exactly what I'm getting.

Clubs have to be pretty bad for me.  I just bought a set where looks like dude hit the 7 and 8 off the cart path once...that said, I don't mind dull face wear but do avoid browning.  I would prefer clean of course, but specific things at specific prices you got to be flexible.

Every now and again I'll search 2ndSwing for some gems.  Especially when tinkering with hybrids or FWs.  Honestly they have to be in like new/light wear for me to buy used.  I have gotten some really great clubs at a significant savings going that route.

it's got to be as little as possible on the face, sole not so important.

But if a club has only been hit once and it left a horrible sandy strike out on the toe its a no go!

bought a few clubs from 2nd swing and they were as advertised. they post pictures of exact club(s) your buying

I don't buy used online very often (a few on Ebay that had a lot of pictures), but I do buy used a lot at our local golf shops. Wear is very important to me especially groove wear.

Irons and wedges - should not have any browning

Woods - should not have any skymarks or crown scratches

Browning is a no buy, so are huge nicks. Chatter is fine, normal face wear fine. Shafts that were installed post retail is a yellow/red flag. Original grips is a green light.

Depends on price and "actual" condition. If not enough pictures or fuzzy I say no. Cast always better than forged. Rusted club face is a no go. Some pitting may be of concern on certain finishes as the pitting can be a sign of rust underneath that will get worse. Browning is a sign the finish is wearing off and I stay away from. Black marks and black dots are rust marks cleaned up.

All the big name 2nd hand guys are usually above their stated condition but not all have pics. Most have pretty good customer service when it comes to an "oops" moment.

Lengths, lie, and loft if available is nice...and you know if you are good to go or need to get them adjusted. I don't really care about "new grips" as that just means more cost and expense for something I may have to change anyway. Sets with traded out clubs or reshafted due to damage or lost are a no. How and why is a question which is very important? They may no longer match as a set...especially if they don't know if factory or custom irons. Imagine getting a Ping retro lofted set with the 7 iron being replaced with a power spec. You may end up with two 6 irons at different lengths with no 7 iron.

I have seen a "sub-Ok" condition come out as near mint and I have seen "like new" come out as Goodwill rejects. I have bought scratched up drivers and irons that were perfectly fine for play and more importantly super cheap. They work well and I don't care about adding more dings. I do not buy wedges unless "near mint" or "new"...I like my wedges pristine for me to ding up.

Any condition beyond what is shown and stated in the offer for sale is too much wear.

In answer to the OP's original question, I'm not overly concerned with wear and have bought all but one of my used clubs in "Average" condition from Callaway Preowned. I've never had any complaints.

When it comes to what kind of wear is acceptable, I generally have three rules:

1. I want _**reasonable**_ golf related wear only. I don't want a club that looks like it's been used to hammer nails, nor one that has been used repeatedly off of cart paths or something. Strike marks, brush marks, bag chatter - all acceptable to me.

2. I want existing wear have been created by someone relatively skilled. I don't want strike marks way out from the center of the face or pop-up marks and chipped paint on the top of woods/hybrids. I don't want anyone to be under the impression that I might hit the ball that poorly, of course.

3. Clubs still need to have some life to them. You obviously have no real idea about what the clubs have been through, but you can use clues to make an educated guess. I look for clubs that have been played for a couple of seasons by a serious recreational golfer who plays once or twice a week. I look for players irons - more likely to be played by a skilled player. I look for models that are at least a couple of years old - if not 4 or 5 - that don't indicate super heavy use. I also know a fair amount about equipment (thanks WRX!) and what works for me.