What To Do With Old Golf Clubs? (3 Options)

Written by Todd in Golf Club Questions

The golfer should consider trading the golf clubs in for value, selling the golf clubs directly or donating the golf clubs.  Within each of these options are some specific options to have your old clubs help your wallet or to help someone in need.

Have you recently purchased a new set of clubs or came across some old golf clubs just laying around the house or garage?

Most golfers will buy new golf clubs every 5-10 years, with many golfers buying a new driver every 3-5 years.  This leaves the golfer with different options on what to do with these older golf clubs.

Some golfers might even buy a new putter every year in search of that perfect putter that is going to help them make more putts!

The bottom line is that golf clubs just sitting there collecting dust are not helping anyone, so there are some viable options to either make a difference in your pocket book or to help someone who needs golf clubs.

What To Do With Old Golf Clubs

Update: If you can’t figure out what to do, donated to a local charity or school is always a great option!

Below, I will dive into the specifics of each area to help you accomplish your goal.  Let’s face it, golf clubs are expensive.  If they still hold some value, they may help you reduce the cost of your new purchase or to truly help out a beginner golfer or a junior golfer who might not be as fortunate.

Three options for old golf clubs:

  • Trade the golf clubs
  • Sell the golf clubs
  • Donate the golf clubs

Resource: Are new golf clubs worth it?

If the golf clubs look like this, they probably have very little value for a trade in, direct sale or even a donation.

Option 1: Trade the Golf Clubs

This option is particularly helpful if you are buying used golf clubs from somewhere on the internet.  

The top two options that come to mind are Callaway Pre Owned, which sells a variety of brands other than just Callaway.  They actually carry new Callaway Golf Clubs and you can use your trade in value towards the purchase of your new golf clubs.

The second option is 2nd Swing, they are very similar to Callaway Pre Owned and provide a 2nd option for golfers.  I would highly recommend buying a used set of irons as the technology with irons does not change drastically even within a 5-7 year period of time. 

However, the technology of the drivers does change, but we are pretty much locked on the total ball speed that can be produced, so even then you can feel confident purchasing a used driver that is 2-3 years olds.

Overall, as you make a major financial commitment to a new set or irons, wedges, driver or potentially a complete set, saving some money from your trade in value is helpful.  I like to think of it like trading in a car, while you may be able to sell more on the actual market, the ease of the trade in and the value you can get, make it a simple one stop shop process.

Your new clubs will be here before you know it and you can start dreaming of breaking your next scoring barrier!

Resource: Is a new driver worth it? (complete overview)

Option 2: Sell the Golf Clubs

There are plenty of options for selling your golf clubs online.  This is another viable option to reduce the cost of your new purchase.  There are plenty of places such as ebay, craigslist, or social media groups where you can list your clubs and hope for a quality value.

You can start by checking out one of the two options above, seeing what trade in value you can get and then listing the clubs a bit higher on the market to see if you can earn additional money.  

While this process brings another element into the whole process of dealing with a buyer directly, you can potentially get more money for your clubs vs the simple trade in through one of the website options that are out there.

Make sure you are honest about the condition of your clubs and provide pictures to help provide a complete overview of what you are selling.  If you are able to change your own grips, it might be worth spending the time and money to change the grips and advertising new grips during the sale process.

Once you get good at selling clubs online, it provides another option to be able to test a club out for a period of time and not lose too much money if it isn’t the right golf club for you!

Another option for getting an estimate on what your trade in value would and a place to sell would be Golf Club Brokers (link below).

Options for selling golf clubs:

Option 3: Donate the Golf Clubs

There are plenty of beginner or junior level golfers who might benefit from your quality clubs.  

If you find the clubs that are 30 years old in the garage, please do not donate these just as a way of getting them off your hands.  Beginners and junior golfers would benefit from clubs that are 10 years old or younger.  Passing off your grandpa’s set that you found in the corner of the garage that is from the 1970s is not going to be beneficial to anyone!

Where to donate the golf clubs?


There are several quality options.  I have listed them below:

As a former high school golf coach, I know that we always had several kids who didn’t have quality golf clubs.  Donating even a quality driver or putter can help a kid feel confident in the club.  There really is something special about a name brand club that you can provide a kid.  He or she can stand there with pride on the first tee or green as other kids are using the top of the line equipment as well!

One of the most frequently received question we have is about the value of golf clubs.

Helping out a junior golfer by donating a name brand, high quality golf clubs can be life changing!

Are used golf clubs worth anything?

The older the golf clubs, the worse the technology, the lower the value of the club.  Once a golf club reaches around 10 years old, the club has very little value.

This is why we highly recommend donating the golf clubs that are 5-10 years or older.  However, once again, once they reach around 20 years, the technology has been completed obsoletted and a donation isn’t worth it either.

Golf clubs are much like new cars. As soon as your take the club out of the store, the cost drops a good amount.

Resource: Are adjustable drivers worth it?

What other golf items could I donate?

  • Golf bags
  • Golf shoes
  • Golf range finders
  • Golf push carts

Final Thoughts: What To Do With Old Golf Clubs

I believe the best route if you want to help offset the cost of a new set of clubs is through the trade in value options that are out there.

If you are someone that wants a feel good moment, make a donation and help out someone in need!  A young, junior golfer who is new to the game, but lacks the funds for a name brand golf club will greatly appreciate the donation!

Golf has been great to many people through the fun, competitions and life lessons we can experience and learn through golf.  Being able to give back and help make another golfer’s journey a special one could be rewarding!

Take Action – What You Can Do Today to Get Better

What does this mean for you?  I believe in the following recipe to get better:

1 – Improve your motion in the golf swing by identifying a golf instructor.  Here are some options:

Here is a list of golf instructors that we have reviewed:

2 – Train to swing faster and improve your swing speed.  Here are some options:

Looking to gain more Speed and Distance in your swing. Two Options:

3 – Understand course strategy and work to break through your next barrier.  Here is a series on breaking through:

We have provided guides on how to break 100, 90, 80 and 70. Check out more below, if interested.

4 – Practice Frequently

Did you know that I build a golf simulator in my garage and have played over 500 rounds of golf on my SkyTrak system?  It has been a game changer and one worth checking out. Here are some of my other posts on golf simulators frequently asked questions:

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