Used vs new golf clubs: what buying used actually saves

The quick answer

A used driver is worth buying when it is a driver that suits you, in a configuration you would have chosen new, from a seller who will take it back. On price alone the case is strong. At our checks between October 9 and 13, 2026, all 23 drivers we had both a new and a used price for were cheaper used, most of them by a wide margin.

The same was true across every club we track: every fairway wood, hybrid, iron set, wedge and putter with both prices was cheaper used. How much cheaper varied by club. Iron sets and putters were usually closer to their new price than drivers were, and wedges were furthest below theirs.

The saving also varies by model. Ping’s G440 Max was already one of the cheaper drivers new, and its used discount was the smallest of any driver at our checks. Used Gear lists every product with both prices: the lowest used listing, the lowest new price, the retailers, the dates and the difference.

For scale, here is what those drivers cost new:

At our last price checks, the 22 drivers with a current price ranged from about $300 to about $700. We have no current price for the Tour Edge Hot Launch Max.

Who this is for

Golfers searching “is a used driver worth it” or weighing used clubs against new, who want to know what the discount is and what they give up for it.

The cheapest listing is not always the right one

Each used price is the lowest-priced used listing we found for that model on the day we checked, and the lowest price often comes with a catch. Several of the cheapest driver listings we recorded were left-handed heads, stiff shafts or a Below Average grade. If you need a right-handed 10.5° with a regular flex, your used price may be higher than the cheapest one.

New clubs come in the loft, shaft, flex and length you choose. A used club comes exactly as listed. Each product page shows the configuration and grade behind its used price, so compare like with like before you count the saving.

What “used” means at 2nd Swing and Global Golf

Our used prices come from these two retailers. Both grade every used club, but on different scales, so a grade at one does not translate directly to the other.

2nd Swing Golf

The used listings we recorded at 2nd Swing carry a named grade and a number: Mint (9.5), Above Average (9.0), Average (8.0), Below Average (7.0) and Poor (6.0). Most of the driver listings we recorded were Average.

2nd Swing’s Play Guarantee covers “all new, custom, or used clubs purchased in stores or online.” A return under it is paid as 2nd Swing credit for the full amount you paid, not as a refund. It is limited to one exchange per year per club type, and 2nd Swing’s FAQ says a return will not be accepted if the club is not in the same condition category as when you bought it. When we read them on October 14, the guarantee page gave the window as 60 days and the FAQ said 30, so confirm the window before you buy. 2nd Swing also runs a trade-in program for your old clubs.

Global Golf

Global Golf grades used clubs as Certified Preowned, Excellent, Very Good and Value. Its definitions:

• Excellent: “very limited use and will show minimal marks.” Global Golf says these have been played fewer than 10 rounds.
• Very Good: “All of the wear is purely cosmetic, and will not in any way affect the performance of the club.”
• Value: “100% playable condition,” with cosmetic blemishes, from clubs that have been played frequently.
• Certified Preowned: inspected and cleaned, with a 12-month limited warranty against manufacturing defects.

Its scale also has a Poor grade, for clubs worn “to the point of not being playable,” and Global Golf says “We do not offer these products to our customers.”

Its returns page gives 90 days to return a used club, for Global Golf credit only: “There are no refunds on preowned, used or Second Chance products.” A $9.99 return shipping fee comes out of the credit, and you are allowed two returns per original purchase. Global Golf also runs a trade-in program, which it calls UTrade-In.

The practical difference between the two: both let you return a used club for credit, not cash. If you are not sure the club suits you, buy it where you would be happy to spend that credit.

Last year’s model new, or this year’s used

Titleist’s GT2, the driver the GTS2 replaced, was still on sale new at our checks.

At our checks, the cheapest used GTS2 cost about the same as a new GT2. That is the real choice for a lot of golfers: the newer head, used, as listed, or the older head, unhit, in the shaft and loft you pick. Titleist lists GT and GTS driver shafts as interchangeable, so a shaft you like in one fits the other.

Check the listing against the maker’s specs

A used listing names the head, loft, shaft and flex. Compare that with what the maker sells, so you know whether you are getting the stock shaft or something else.

A checklist before you buy used

Shaft. Check the shaft model, flex and length in the listing against the table above or the product page. A non-stock shaft is not a problem in itself, but the shaft changes how the club plays, and an unfamiliar one is a reason to hit it before you keep it.

Grip. Look at the grip in the photos. A worn grip can be replaced, but think before you re-grip a club you might return: Global Golf says its “charges for grips and re-gripping services are non-refundable.”

Headcover. Global Golf’s pre-owned FAQ says its used drivers, fairway woods, hybrids and putters come “with a complimentary, like-new, generic headcover.” 2nd Swing’s FAQ says it offers headcovers for $9.99 with clubs bought in its stores. Neither promises the original headcover.

Loft, lie and the hosel setting. On an adjustable driver, the hosel may not be set to the loft printed on the head. Titleist’s SureFit hosel has 16 loft and lie combinations, and Titleist’s chart reads loft as “effective loft with a square face at impact.” Check which setting the club is in, and ask whether the wrench is included. On irons, a previous owner may have had loft and lie changed; a club fitter can measure them.

Adjustable hosel adapters. Adapters are brand-specific. Titleist says SureFit “is only compatible with genuine Titleist components,” and that shafts from its GTS, GT, TSR, TSi, TS, 917, 915, 913 and 910 drivers are interchangeable. If you plan to put your current shaft in a used head, check that its adapter fits that maker’s hosel. What an adjustable driver hosel does covers the settings.

Counterfeits. TaylorMade warns that unauthorized sellers on sites such as eBay and Amazon carry “a much greater chance” of counterfeits. Its advice is to “buy only from authorized dealers or online directly from TaylorMade,” and it warns: “If the offer is a ‘steal’ of a price, it is most likely just that.” It also says it “cannot repair or reimburse you for counterfeit product.” Compare any used price with the ones on our product pages, and buy from a seller with a returns policy.

Where to go next

• Used Gear: every used price we have checked, beside the new price.
• All drivers we have researched, with their latest new and used prices.
• Irons, wedges and putters.
• Do you need a new driver?, before you buy any driver at all.
• Driver Finder: three questions about your budget, your miss and what matters most.
• How we research.