The Golf Slice

I’m sure the rest of you living in the American Midwest will agree with me when I say I’m sick and tired of the winter. We’re getting closer and closer to spring though and that means golf is in our near future.

Before the end of last season I had convinced a few of my relatives to get active in golf (one after a twenty year absence). My motivational tactics got started too late in the year though and there wasn’t much time to take advantage in their newfound interest in the game I love.

Luckily, even more of my family has expressed an interest in taking up golf. One of them just bought his first set of clubs this week while we were in the middle of a 5 inch snow storm. So there’s hope on the horizon for family golf fun this spring and summer.

Keep checking out this site for golf thoughts and information as we ramp up for another exciting golf season.

Winston Churchill once said about Golf: “Golf is a game whose aim is to hit a very small ball into a even smaller hole, with weapons singularly ill-designed for the purpose.”

As you go to buy a quality set of good ‘ill-designed’ weapons, you may not only agree with the former Prime Minister… you may be absolutely inundated by the sheer number of complicated sets available. You may also be inundated by the exorbitant price tag accompanying those sets.

Don’t fee like paying $400-$4K for a quality play set to join the boys every Saturday? If you keep some very crucial tips in mind, a used golf set may be just the thing you’re looking for. So… what’s the catch? There’s really not one, if you remember that quality and expense are not necessarily synonymous.

Here’s what you need to look for.

#1: Grips. The grips on any used golf club you purchase should be intact, and free of chunking or other tears. If the grip has any damage at all, it’s not only going to affect your swing, but it could actually blister your hands if you’re golfing without gloves.

On any used set you get, you can reasonably expect the engraved pattern in the grip to be faded or worn. As long as the actual grip itself isn’t damaged, this is okay, and frankly, to be expected.

#2: The Shaft. The shaft should be sturdy and act according to its make. (Steel shafts are fairly rigid with no real flex; graphite flexes to varying degrees depending on the composite materials involved in the graphite itself.)

Unlike the head, which we will discuss in a minute, shafts should not have scratches. Only two types of players scratch shafts; careless ones or angry ones. Dents are an utter no-no, as this will greatly effect the club’s impact on the ball.

#3: The Club Head. The club head will more than likely have at least a few scratches as it is the most commonly impacted section of the entire club. If you see dirt or dry mud caked in the crevices of the head, think again about purchasing it, as it was probably owned by a careless player before.

If you take care to remember the above tips, you can obtain quality clubs and second-hand prices. Just remember; though the weapons are ill-suited, it’s still the soldier’s job to choose the best one for war. See you on the green, soldier.