I had to get some clubs! I decided to buy online because I’m a broke college student and I wanted to get something better than a cheap beginner set that would be the best I could afford at Golf Galaxy or one of the other stores here in Pittsburgh.
Shopping online my options for used clubs were varied: Callaway Pre-owned, 3balls, Taylormade Pre-owned, Golfsmith, and Global Golf. I built a spreadsheet and compared prices among these sites but ultimately I chose to order from Callaway Pre-owned based on the very positive reviews that I found online and the relative ease of choosing clubs on their website. The search options on many sites frustrated me to no end.
I made a baseline set of clubs that I used for comparison shopping: Driver, 3W, 5W, 3H, 4H, 5I-9I, PW, SW, Putter. I ended up not buying a 3H but I think I will get one soon. More on hybrids below.
In the end I ordered an older set of the Great Big Bertha 2 Driver(10°)/3W/5W, a Heavenwood 4H, the Callaway X-14 5/6/7/8/9/PW, a forged Callaway SW, and an Odyssey White Hot XG+ Rossi putter. I had the X-14’s regripped +1″ by Callaway and I think that was a great choice. The service from Callaway was great, the clubs arrived quickly and as described. I even “liked” them on Facebook to get a 10% discount code. I’m sure I will recommend and do business with them again.
Availability and prices drove my decision of which specific club models once I had chosen to order from Callaway. My previous set were Wilson blades and some crappy Wooden woods that my parents got me in high-school. I knew that any modern cavity-back irons would make a big difference compared to my old set (and they did).
When picking out clubs, I noticed that many of the beginners sets (the Taylormade R7 set) came with hybrid clubs instead of 3 and 4 irons. I could never hit those reliably in the past and so I spec’d out my set to try out some hybrids. I could not be happier with my decision. My 4H is my current favorite club (except my 9 iron). It hits great off the tee-mats at Schenley and can still dig down into into the rough. I also use it when I need a low kick shot to get out of the trees and choked down for long chips. I’m definitely going to get a 3H next time I get an order together.
After playing with my new-to-me set for a month (about 8 rounds) I’ve got to say I’m very happy with my purchases. My least favorite clubs in the bag are my driver and fairway woods. That is definitely where I will be upgrading but not until I feel more consistent and sure of what I want.