People often bemoan the expense of golf equipment and use it as an excuse not to get into the game. And while it’s hard to justify spending $500 on a brand-new driver when you’ve never even lifted a golf club, the good news is that you don’t have to!
There are lots of brands out there that appeal to beginner and recreational golfers and are very much at the budget end of the golfing spectrum and this guide also includes left-handed golf clubs!
But what are some of the best budget golf club sets out there? And what do you need to know before buying a cheap golf club set?
We answer these questions and more in this post as we provide you with a helpful guide on how to pick up good cheap golf clubs without breaking the bank.
Where Can I Find Cheap but Good Golf Clubs for Sale?
You can find affordable golf clubs for sale in various places, including:
- Rock Bottom Golf
- Second Swing Golf
- Dick’s Sporting Goods
- Carl’s Golf Land
- Amazon
- eBay
Each of the sites above retail golf club sets for around the $250/$300 mark, which enables you to get out onto the course without spending a fortune on equipment.
To help you find the best affordable golf clubs for your skill level, we introduce some of the things you need to consider when you’re searching for a golf club set and answer some of your most pressing questions about budget clubs.
What is the Cheapest Brand of Golf Clubs?
For a new, full set of decent golf clubs, the brand Tour X is currently the cheapest in the US where you can pick up a full set of 14 clubs online, for less than $300.
However, there are several golf club manufacturers that produce budget sets that are consistently in and around the $300 mark, which represents exceptional value for money when it comes to a brand-new golf club set.
Some of the most affordable brands include:
- Tour X (Rezults): $299.99
- Ray Cook (Gyro): $349.99
- Tour Edge (Bazooka): $399.99
- Wilson Golf (Ultra): $399.99
- Callaway (Strata): $499.99
Ultimately, if you can find a brand-new full set of golf clubs (left handed too) for less than $400, you’re doing well!
The four brands above represent the best value for money when it comes to complete sets, but you could also consider buying your clubs individually.
For instance, Lazrus is a brand that offers great value golf clubs at low prices and is certainly worth your consideration.
How Much Should a Set of Golf Clubs Cost?
A set of brand-new golf clubs can cost anywhere between $300 and $3000+; it really just depends on the brand that you opt for. The cheapest that you’re likely to find a decent new set of clubs is around the $300 mark, which is perfect for beginners or those of you who only play golf once in a while.
After all, there’s little point in splashing out several thousand dollars on a new set of TaylorMade golf clubs if you only play golf twice a year!
Of course, if you don’t necessarily want brand-new golf clubs, you could always look at the used market to find a cheaper set of quality golf clubs on offer.
You can pick up complete used sets of golf clubs on the likes of eBay for less than $250, but you just need to be mindful of the quality and condition.
Again, you could always look a breaking down your purchases to try and make things cheaper for yourself, as you can buy drivers, woods, utilities, irons, wedges, and a putter separately on eBay before putting them together in a set yourself.
If you’re happy to spend time scouring the marketplace, you could probably put together a set for less than $200, but it takes much more time and effort.
Are Cheap Golf Clubs Any Good?
Many people often confuse quality with expense when it comes to buying golf clubs and neglect to realize that some of the cheaper brands on the market produce excellent quality clubs. For recreational players, the difference between a $100 and $500 driver won’t be particularly pronounced.
When you’re a beginner, there’s no need to spend thousands of dollars on golf clubs. It’s much more important to grab a set that you can experiment and practice with until you improve your swing and consistency.
It will take time to get used to your clubs, but players new to the game will almost always get the same benefit out of a $300 set as a $3000 set.
The brands we introduced earlier, including Wilson, Tour X, Ray Cook, and Strata, are all good quality, solid golf clubs.
Just because they’re not used on the PGA Tour, it doesn’t mean that they’re not good clubs.
The reason that professional golfers use the likes of TaylorMade and other brands is that they need their clubs to do more in terms of distance and control.
The bottom line here is that you don’t need to spend thousands on a set of clubs to enjoy a game of golf.
Look for a set that is within your budget, read the reviews, and get started out on the course!
Do Cheap Golf Clubs Sets Make a Difference?
The quality of golf clubs does make a difference, but only notable in relation to your skill level. Most beginner players won’t benefit from using the most expensive golf clubs out there, while players at the elite level of the game won’t benefit from using the cheapest golf clubs on the market.
This is because more affordable golf clubs are built to a lower spec than more expensive clubs, which is reflected in the price difference.
Essentially, if you’re new to the game of golf, spending $2,000 on a set of irons won’t improve your skill level.
The most important thing when you’re starting out as a golfer is practice, and you won’t notice a huge deal of difference between affordable and mid-range clubs when you’re just starting out.
However, it’s important to mention that many beginners actually struggle to use more expensive clubs because of the way they’re designed.
This is particularly the case with bladed irons, which are much less forgiving than cavity-backed irons that are a feature of cheaper golf sets.
When you’re looking for a new set of golf clubs, our advice is, to begin with, your budget in mind and then look for clubs within this price range.
Don’t worry about spending a fortune on the biggest brands in golf if you can’t afford to do so, as more expensive clubs won’t necessarily improve your game.
How Can I Get Free Golf Clubs?
The best way to get free golf clubs is to utilize 3 methods for the greatest success rate. This includes speaking to ex frustrated golfers who no longer play or have a spare set, checking Facebook’s Buy Nothing Groups, or signing up as a golf club product tester.
Although finding free golf clubs requires some time and effort on your part, it is possible to find them.
Here are 3 further ideas available to you if you want to pick up a free set:
- Speak to friends and family members who are keen golfers and ask them if they have a spare set. While they might not be willing to give them to you permanently, they will probably offer to lend them to you so you can try them out on the course.
- Look on your local Facebook free stuff groups and see if anyone in your local community is looking to give away golf clubs. While it’s a long shot, you might find what you’re looking for.
- Be a Youtube or Instagram Influencer and get leading golf club manufacturers to send you free golf clubs in return for honest reviews.
Ultimately, it’s quite difficult to find a free set of golf clubs. So, if you don’t have any luck, you might consider spending some time on eBay looking for used clubs that fit your budget.
Another option is to visit garage sales, as people often sell golf clubs for next to nothing or offer a swap for something you have that you could barter.
How Much Should a Beginner Pay for Golf Clubs?
Beginner golfers should be looking to pay anywhere between $250 – $500 for a brand-new set of golf clubs. You can get a decent set of clubs within this price range, which will be more than suitable to help you get started out on the golf course.
But we should also mention that if you have the money available and are comfortable with the cost, feel free to spend as much on golf clubs as you like.
After all, everyone is different, so you can splash out and treat yourself to an expensive set of golf clubs if you wish.
When you’re new to the game, it’s more important to find a set of golf clubs that you’re comfortable using, as opposed to the latest release from the biggest brand in the sport.
Remember, you can always upgrade your equipment as you improve your skills, as many golf retailers offer trade-in deals that enable you to receive money back for your old set that you can then put towards buying new clubs.
Start Cheap then Upgrade as You Improve
Golf clubs can be as cheap or as expensive as you make them.
But as we have explained, you don’t need to splash out on the biggest brands in the sport to have success out on the golf course and you can pick up good cheap golf clubs for less than you think – sometimes free!
Instead, we’d advise you to do some research into some of the brands we’ve introduced in this article, so you can find an affordable set of golf clubs that are aligned with your budget.