How much do you spend on equipment? Best deal?

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I read a similar thread in the apparel forum, and thought I'd ask a similar question here.

I've been playing about a year and a half, and have still not bought a brand new piece of equipment. So far I've experimented with over 30 putters, and have 6 sets of irons.

How much are you comfortable with spending on clubs?

What is the best deal you've got on equipment?

So far I've gotten two good deals.

I bought a Piretti Cottonwood II from a Craigslist seller in Pittsburgh for $140 shipped. I traded that for a set of Adams XTD forged irons I wanted to try, back when the XTDs were still bringing about $240 on eBay. I played the irons 1 round and decided to sell them before the value kept dropping. Couldn't get them sold, so I had the shafts pulled, and sold the heads for $130. So I'm into a set of KBS C Taper shafts with a nice set of Iomic grips for $10.

I also bought a Bushnell Tournament 1600 for $95 shipped back in January when they were still selling in the $150 range + shipping.
 
I'm really cheap when it comes to equipment. I'm a 30 handicap, and a $500 driver isn't going to change that much (if at all).

The most I've spent on any club was $100 for a SLDR Mini, and that took an act of congress and a surprise Amazon credit to get me to purchase. Other than that I've spent $90 on a driver and $75 on a 3 wood. Those are the three most expensive clubs I've bought, and I don't use any of them anymore.

I now carry a 5 wood ($50), 3 hybrid ($15), 4 hybrid ($25) Speedblade irons ($200), and a wedge that was given to me. They were all purchased used. The only club I use that I purchased new is my putter, and it was $45. Even my bag was a $30 Craigslist purchase. That means the entire setup I take to the course set me back $365.

I have a number of other clubs sitting in my garage that I don't use, and I should really do something with them before they lose all value. None of them were expensive, though. I just can't bring myself to drop big bucks on something golf related.

I suppose the best deals I've gotten would be the driver, hybrid, and two Vokey wedges that were given to me. Of those, I only use one of the wedges. If I'm forced to name an actual purchase as my best deal, I'll go with my Cleveland 5 wood for $50. I have no idea what the actual value of it is, but it is my best club so I consider it a bargain.
 
Most expensive ever purchase for me was G15 2 hybrids + 6 irons for $524.

Dave
 
I'm a budget buyer as well, with the exception of my putter. No reason to spend full retail when last year's gear will perform pretty much the same as the latest release.
 
Best deal hmm.

Super stroke DCF-4 $80 new on eBay
Callaway Razr X tour used from a local shop here 2&3 hybrid for $80.
 
I'm the same as the rest of you. I've never paid over $130 for a set of irons. Most come in at the $30-$80 range. That really is most I've dropped on a single club was the $140 for the Piretti.

I forgot I did pickup my current driver & 3w as a combo for $115 a month ago. That was a pretty solid deal.
 
I think budget purchases are a great idea when you're new to the game and finding out who you are as a player, getting knowledgeable as to equipment, finding out what's out there in terms of the science of getting fit, especially putters and wedges, and what may fit you. Good luck.
 
I rarely ever bought new clubs except for a few drivers and wedges over the years.

But, I have some friends jump right in every time their favorite OEM comes out with the newest miracle club.

I tested a bunch of Ping G series earlier this week (G5's G10's G15's G30's). There was little difference between any of them other than the ball coming off the face a little hotter in the newer models, and a little redesigning of the soles. I ended up buying the G5's for $190.00.......4-PW UW SW LW......in near mint condition.
 
Most I have ever spent on a club was $250 for an r11s back a few years ago.
 
Most I have ever spent on a club was $250 for an r11s back a few years ago.

Pretty good deal this year. $34.95 and a whole new bag. :D
 
I really don't want to know how much I have spent, especially in the last year or so. Most expensive items this year were my current Wilson C-200's that I bought used for $500. I'm thinking of selling them and going to XR-16 irons. I hardly ever buy new clubs because of the "depreciation" when you hit them for the first time. I currently have 3 sets of irons that I need to "move", TM RSi-2's, Adams XTD's, and Nike VRS. I may box them up and send them to CPO to see what trade in value they might have.

In short, I'm pretty "frugal" (read cheap) when it comes to clubs. :beauty:
 
I don't pay full retail for clubs.
 
I’ve done my fair share of spending full retail on clubs (after some launch monitor magic) and losing out on trade in or selling it when it doesn’t work out on the course. So in the past 2 years I decided to take a different approach. Find a club I think might work and watch ebay pricing. Once it gets to a price you are comfortable with and know you can test and re-sell it for a similar price, buy it and if it doesn’t work out get rid of it quick vs sitting on it for a while. At worst you might be out shipping and some ebay/paypal fees.

With this approach my current bag is:

G Driver - $299 same month it came out (sells for $399) not a huge discount but its Ping and they hold value. I actually sold my 1.5 yr old G30 driver later that month for $240 so I wasn’t out much net.
Driver shaft – Matrix Red Tie pull for $35
Tour Edge Trilogy 2/3/4/5 hybrids @ $45 each so $180 total into them
Cleveland Altitude Irons (5-DW even though I only play the 6-DW) from this set - $169
Cleveland Altitude SW - $35
Odyssey Metal X Milled 7 - $135
So entire bag was $854
Not too shabby, the driver definitely makes the cost higher but I like that Ping holds it value and when the new G comes out in Aug ’17 I can upgrade for around $100 after selling my 2016 G.

Disclaimer: There is a facility nearby where they let you take demo clubs to the outdoor range. Also a local shop where you can borrow demo clubs for 24 hours. This has saved me from buying current clubs and the high price tag they warrant after they don't work out for me.
 
Computed, my whole bag costs 2,650 dollars. It's not cheap, but it's not that expensive either because save the 54 degree SM 6 I didn't pay full retail for any club.

I still think my current set is a steal and the best deal because I'm really happy with the setup, and I haven't replaced any club for a year now. That means I may be buying a bit pricey, but it evens out because I've maximized the use of my set.
 
I don't really have a limit I'll spend but I definitely look for deals wherever possible.
I used to just buy any good deal that popped up and I was always swapping clubs constantly. Since then I decided to get professionally fit and paid more but I'm using the clubs much longer.

Best deal ever is my PTx and TK15s for $35 through a THP Event. Gotta love that!
 
For a long time I didn't buy new. Then I started when something really worked out, and it's paid off to some extent - I haven't flipped my driver in 2 years, which is an eternity on THP, and my irons aren't going anywhere barring a screaming deal on some V6's.

That being said, I surf the second hand/eBay market first to see what I can find, and it's paid off with some crazy deals. Best ones I can think of:

-$60 for a brand new XR16 head and $30 for a ProLaunch Blue shaft. Assembled a brand new customized 5W for $100.
-Got my old set of Adams CB3's for like $180 shipped. Sold em later, but basically broke even.
-Got my TM R15 hybo and Aeroburner Mini for $75 each and they were both still in the shrink wrap.
-I've had my Callaway Forged Copper wedges for 3 seasons now and I paid a total of $50 each for them brand new.
 
Most I've spent on one club is $150 for my current driver, new, when everyone was blowing the Vapor Fly lines out a couple months ago.

Best deal was probably $250 for my irons (barring the 4i that I bought separately from a member here) on eBay in almost new condition. Although the deal for the TM UDI 3i and 2i for $50 each last year was good too, I can't remember which site that was from though. Globalgolf maybe?
 
I spend way too much, though I believe I get great deals each time I swipe my card. I'm never disappointed with what I spend, however, I consistently lose money when I sell, and I sell (or trade) a lot.
 
How much are you comfortable with spending on clubs?
Don't really have a set area I am comfortable spending. If its something I just want to try i usually try to go cheap. But if its a club I know I really want I will pay retail. (only has happened twice)

What is the best deal you've got on equipment?

There are a few that I have gotten REALLY good deals on.
Cobra Baffler XL 5H NEW $5.28 shipped this was about 2 months after its release.
Calloway XR 4 Hybrid used (but looked dang near new) $35 shipped.
Odyssey protype Tour design used (but looked almost new) $55
Adams v2 Hybrid new $12 shipped

Not sure If I would call it a really good deal but it was definitely a good deal Mizuno JPX-EZ 4h-6h 7-GW all graphite NEW $242.
Some of them that come to mind right now. I am sure if I thought about it I would remember a few more.
 
How much are you comfortable with spending on clubs?
Don't really have a set area I am comfortable spending. If its something I just want to try i usually try to go cheap. But if its a club I know I really want I will pay retail. (only has happened twice)

What is the best deal you've got on equipment?

There are a few that I have gotten REALLY good deals on.
Cobra Baffler XL 5H NEW $5.28 shipped this was about 2 months after its release.
Calloway XR 4 Hybrid used (but looked dang near new) $35 shipped.
Odyssey protype Tour design used (but looked almost new) $55
Adams v2 Hybrid new $12 shipped

Not sure If I would call it a really good deal but it was definitely a good deal Mizuno JPX-EZ 4h-6h 7-GW all graphite NEW $242.
Some of them that come to mind right now. I am sure if I thought about it I would remember a few more.

Okay, Im seriously jealous of some of those deals. I hate when people find great clubs at like 3% of retail. LOL

The 99 Apex Blades I'm putting together for fall/next year were that way though. Picked them up in the bargain section of Play It Again for $39 + tax. Really mint sets still sell on eBay for $200, and sets similar in condition to mine sell in the $150 - $180 range. So that was a deal I suppose.
 
I'm cheap. I wait on price drops on new clubs, or go with like new but used, and never from eBay. This is the first year in my life, I played the same clubs all year and bought nothing (in 45 years), with no plans of buying anything soon. I played pretty well with what I have this year.
 
Less on golf equipment in a year than my wife spends on clothes in one shopping trip with my daughters!

Seriously, I'm comfortable spending full retail on irons but prefer not to spend more than about $300 on a putter or driver, maybe because I buy so many of them.

The best deal I ever got was on a set of Wilson Staff Pi5 irons with a Sun Mountain bag. Both were barely used and I got the set for $225 and played them for 6 years.
 
I think I just got a great deal this morning. almost new ClicGear 3.5+ cart. Only paid $100 on Craigslist. Looks virtually new. PO said only 5 rounds
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I guess I should have named this Price of Bag vs Value of Bag.

I guess I should have named this Price of Bag vs Value of Bag.

It's hard to really quantify the value I have in to clubs because I trade most of my things, but I have tried to always buy at a price where I know I can break even or make a profit on resale.

My Fall/2017 bag that is in my signature is as follows.

Cobra Fly Z + & R15 3 wood (paid $115 shipped) might could resale the heads for a combined $150 -$160.
Mizuno MP Fli Hi 3 & 4 (about $40 each after shipping) might could sell as a matched pair for $100 - $120 after I put the Steelfibers in them.
Hogan Apex Plus 5-7 (have about $15 a club into them, so $45.) These clubs don't sell well as individual irons. I do have a 3 & 4 in the closet. I think if I sold them as a partial set 3-7 I'd be lucky to break even.
Hogan Apex Blades 8-PW (I bought this hole set 2-PW for $39.) Could probably easily sell them $160-$180.
Scratch 8620 53 & 60...wont comment on what I have in them as they are currently FT. I can't seem to give these things away.
Yes! Stephanie Long... Got it in a trade with another Yes and some Odysseys. IDK. Maybe traded $160 worth of putters for $200 worth of putters. I don't know that I could get anything for it, but I don't really want to try anyway. It's the only head shape I've tried that I can put reasonably consistent with.

So in total roughly $250 in club purchases, and another $210 in shafts, and another $30 in grips. $490 spent on the bag. Maybe $580 in value.
 
$60 for an r15 driver was a pretty good deal. Probably my best was $40 for a Scotty X5
 
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