5 Tips For Finding Golf Clubs At Goodwill

Staff

I’m an admitted golf gear junkie. I have an ever growing collection of clubs in the “corner” (read: multiple corners) of my garage. If I see a good deal on a club or set of clubs, I feel compelled to buy them. Perhaps I’ve twisted reality so drasticaly that my logic behind these compulsions doesn’t make sense anymore but I always buy the clubs for two main reason:

1. I enjoy trying new clubs for cheap
2. I can always resell them and make a small profit, at minimum

Thrifting golf clubs has become a small hobby of mine. I make it a habit to check my local thrift stores a few times each month and do the same whenever I’m traveling to other areas. I’ve even ran into a few of the same people scouring the golf bin at my local Salvation Army a few times so I know I’m not alone.

If I haven’t convinced you that my hobby is worthwhile yet, here are a few of the deals I’ve gotten over the last few years.

5-PW Ping G15 Blue Dot Iron Set – $17.50
TaylorMade SLDR Driver – $7
34″ Scotty Cameron Newport – $3
Ping i20 White Dot 3-PW + 3 Tour wedges – $29
Nike Forged Blade Iron Set 2-PW – $25

That’s ~$1000+ worth of golf clubs that I grabbed for around $100. Some of them I’ve sold and turned a profit on and others I play rounds with on ocassion or test out on the range to see what fits me the best. I enjoy seeing how each club is unique and how the different lofts/forgiveness fit my swing.

Over the years, I’ve picked up some tips that have helped me score some great finds. Before I dive into them, I need to start with the most important tip of all: luck. I’ve had 3-4 months in a row where I spend time staring at the worst, most beat up golf clubs you’ve ever seen and I feel like I’m wasting my time. Great quality clubs show up randomly and out of the blue. You might just miss out on them by a few minutes at Goodwill. You can increase your chances of finding clubs but luck is always a huge factor. I totally lucked into the Ping G15 set. I was on vacation and stopped at a local thrift store early in our trip and saw the usual horrible collection of beat up Northwestern clubs. I wasn’t planning to go back but decided to stop by a few days later on our last night (Yes, I have a very understanding wife.) The crappy Northwesterns were still there but a flawless set of Pings were propped up next to them. Score.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind when trying to find golf clubs at Goodwill. (more…)

5 Best Golf Wearables in 2017

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Advancements in technology have helped to progress golf incredibly over the past 10 years.  Once just tools for professional coaches; golfers of all levels have access to a huge range of data, capturing everything from on-course pin yardages to club head speeds for each individual shot- all projected to you instantly via. a range of devices. Below we preview the 5 most essential golf wearables for 2017.

1: Game Golf 

The original, and still the best.  Game Golf is a digital shot tracking system that tracks and records every single shot during your round.  The product comes with Game Golf tags that are ‘pinned’ into the butt of every club. You wear a small device on the waist and proceed to ‘tag’ each club before your shot.  The technology then picks up that shot and registers all vital stats.  At the end of the round, you download all the round information onto your computer for full analysis.  Analysis includes total score, fairway accuracy, GIR, approach shot percentages, average club distances and more, all presented in an attractive and easy to understand format.  If you’re addicted to golf statistics, this is the most essential tech purchase of 2017.

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5 Best Golf Putters for High Handicappers

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Putting.  Arguably the most important stroke in the game, yet the one we golfers often practise the least. It seems so simple- just put the ball into the hole, yet this couldn’t be further from the truth. For the high handicapper, putting is often the stuff of nightmares and has the potential to ruin your round. Thankfully most golf companies make putters that are designed to be forgiving and offer true roll even when you don’t strike it sweet. Below are 5 of the best putters for high handicappers- take a look as there’s bound to be a putter that suits you.

 

1: Callaway Odyssey Tank Cruiser 330 (Mallet)

Since purchasing Odyssey from Tommy Armour Golf in 1997, Callaway has grown the brand to become the number one putter brand worldwide.  The Tank Cruiser 330 features an adjustable counterbalance design in addition to head weights which will enable you to dial into the right weight for your individual stroke. This promotes stroke consistency across all greens and turns your putter from just another club in your bag to something that has been individually configured for you. Perfect for the player looking for a long-term putter that will mould to their stroke.

 

2: Taylor Made Daddy Long Legs (Mallet)

Taylor Mades range of spider putters have been popular for a while now, but their Daddy Long legs takes things to a new level with their highest rating MOI putter ever (coming in at 8500). The term “MOI” (or Moment of Inertia) is a technical term that often gets people confused; it can essentially be defined as a measurement of an objects (putter head) resistance to twisting when force (hitting the ball) is applied to it’s heel or toe.  Putters with a higher MOI keep more square through the putting line meaning that high handicap golfers who have trouble striking centre will love this putter due to the amount of forgiveness it gives.

 

3: Titleist Scotty Cameron Futura X5 (Mallet)

Famed putter maker Scotty Cameron stamps his mark on the game again with the Futura X5. His more innovative, futuristic designs of recent years take a step back with the Futura X5, which features a simple wing-tipped design and minimalist lines, creating a solid, forgiving putter that has the feel of a blade but the precision of a mallet. Multiple alignment aids promote confidence and enable you to start more of your putts on their intended line. The base plates of the putter are made from aluminium (which is lighter than steel), enabling Cameron to re-distribute weight which in turn makes the putter more forgiving- the ultimate benefit for the high handicapper.

4: Ping Cadence TR B65 (Blade)

The only blade to make this list, Pings latest offering comes in two weights- traditional for the putter who puts through the line quickly and heavier for more even, controlled strokes. A unique feature on the Cadence TR is Pings exclusive ‘True Roll” technology. Precision-milled grooves across the face of the putter give you forgiveness by normalizing the ball-speed across the face.  This enables your ball to roll true, even for miss-hit putts. The added forgiveness enables you to hole more putts while making 3-putting a rare occurrence.

 

5: Cleveland TFI Smart Square Putter (Mallet)

Innovative in its material and appearance, the TFI Smart Square putter is the most advanced putter ever created from Cleveland. Patented ‘True Feel Innovation’ technology makes use of a milled copper-infused face cap, hiding a copolymer insert which results in a putter that delivers a soft feel and consistent speed off the face without reducing MOI.  In addition to the unique materials used, Cleveland have also switched up the alignment markers (now squares), which makes squaring your line a problem of the past.  This enables you to focus solely on ball tempo through the stroke- perfect for the golfer who struggles with alignment issues.

For the high handicapper, being comfortable with your putter is more important that your driver and wood choices.  Invest in a putter that molds in with your stroke (test out different weights), provides maximum MOI and has alignment aides that give you confidence. You’ll be dropping strokes in no time.

[Beginners] Help! I can’t break 100 on the golf course

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A Simple Strategy For Breaking 100 in Golf

If you either grew up playing golf or have a natural feel for the game, it probably didn’t take you long to shoot under 100 on a regulation length course.

For the rest of us hackers who picked up the game late or lack natural skills, the 100 stroke mark can feel like a massive hurdle to cross during your first few years playing the game. For some, it takes a solid season of playing to shoot under 100. For others, it can take a couple of years.

Personally, I spent 2 years hacking it up playing 20-25 rounds a year shooting around 110-120 before I finally broke through. So if you are in a similar position, I totally understand the feeling.

Below is a path that I took to breaking 100 following advice from golf pros, friends, random people on the course, anonymous internet commentars and some self-experimentation. This doesn’t mean the following steps are exactly what you need to follow to shoot a 99 or better…but — if nothing else — hopefully a few tidbits inspire or put you on the right track.

Equipment

Let’s talk about equipment and the role it plays in breaking 100. I was the guy who blamed a lot of mis-hits on my Kmart $120 set of clubs I was playing with. If only I had some new Pings or Callaways! Then I’d shave off the extra 7 or 8 strokes that were killing me. I actually bought and tried out a few other sets before I quickly learned this wasn’t true. In fact, the TaylorMade blades I ended up using made me even worse because they weren’t very forgiving.

My light bulb moment was when I asked myself: Could a scratch golfer break 100 with these Kmart clubs? The answer, obviously, was yes and quite easily. The clubs weren’t really holding me back. It was my mental approach.

In theory, you should be able to break 100 on the course even if you are hitting your furthest club 170 yards or so. If you are going to invest a lot of time in golf, you’ll have lots of opportunities to buy new clubs once you are shooting lower scores. Besides, after you are breaking 100 consistently you’ll have a much more dialed in swing and know exactly what type of clubs fit your swing the best.

If you want to be a gear whore, the only club I would recommend splurging on relatively early on is the putter. Most guys invest in an expensive driver early on. That’s a mistake. (We’ll touch more on that later.) The putter is the most used club in the bag and being a good putter — even a “not bad” one — plays a much bigger role in breaking 100 than smashing your driver an extra 5, 10 or even 20 yards.

Putting is all about confidence and feel. Roll a few putts with different putter styles, lengths, lofts and designs. See what feels best. I lucked into a gently used Scotty Cameron at a thrift store. I started gaming it right away because it was a Scotty but using it helped me understand that I should be playing a shorter putter and helped hone in my stroke. And it definitely helped my confidence knowing I was using a Scotty Cameron putter. It’s stupid to say, but I’ve heard the same from a lot of people.

To summarize: the clubs you have now are 100% fine but if you really want to upgrade something, start with the flat stick. Buy whatever makes you feel confident over the ball on the green whether that’s a $400 Scotty or the Wilson Ultra putter in your bag.

Mental Approach

Breaking 100 requires you to be in the right frame of mind. This starts before you even get to the course and continues throughout the round. One of the things that I love most about golf is the mental endurance that is required. Unless you are Justin Thomas, you are going to have several horrible shots during each round — even your best ones! Golf is a game the rewards people who remain focused, stay positive and approach each shot individually. You have to have a short memory out there.

If you are struggling to break 100, you will likely have 10+ horrible shots during the round. While you want to improve and eventually well, you have to anticipate that you’ll shank a few balls and not let it get you down.

A couple water balls over 18 holes will sink you if you are trying to shoot 72 but there is some margin for error built in to a 99 stroke round. Don’t let your attitude stay sour and worsen. Replay the good shots in your head and toss out the bad ones.

You have to be able to laugh at yourself on ocassion. I’ve hit wayward drives into parking lots, duffed tee shots in front of 100+ rich people eating dinner and even had a few total swings and misses. These things happen to all of us hackers.

Stay loose during the round and view each unique shot as an opportunity.

Course Management

Once you get the basics of how to approach the round and what equipment to use, by far the biggest factor in breaking 100 is course management.

The old timers I met told me that breaking 100 was all about getting off the tee and limiting penalty strokes. It’s a cliche I suppose but it’s 100% true. You have to structure your round around these two key principles.

1. Keep the ball in play off of the tee

For most people, this means that you might only hit driver off of the tee box 1 or 2 times per round. Narrow fairway? Iron. Hazards on both sides? Iron. Driver sucked while warming up? Iron.

Accuracy off of the tee is by far the most important thing to aim for. The driver is a difficult club for most new players to control and even if you smash it 250 yards it does you no good if you are in the other fairway or out of bounds.

Only pull out the big stick on those wide open fairways where you can lose the ball a little bit to the right or left and still have a fairly easy 2nd shot.

2. Limit penalty strokes

Penalty strokes add up quickly and can kill a round. Your job is to keep OB/hazard meetings to a minimum. This is going to mean that you’ll be playing ultra conservative. Have a Par 3 with a 170 yard carry over a hazard to the green? Look for an area to lay up short of the hazard. I’ve even played shots like that over to an adjacent fairway so I could have 2 100-110 yard wedges to the Par 3 green because I didn’t think I could carry the hazard.

That sounds lame, but taking 2 shots to reach a Par 3 and carding a 4 or 5 is much better than hitting a water ball and putting down a 6 or 7 on a longer Par 3.

Don’t go for the hero shots if you are in a bit of trouble. Punch the ball out into the fairway. Keep it in play.

Putting For Par

Your goal with each hole should be to have 1 putt for par. That gives you an extra stroke to reach the green each hole. Par 4’s become Par 5’s to you. If you can average 2 putts, giving yourself an extra stroke to reach the green would still put you at a 90 for a par 72 course! That means you have a lot of margin of error still even with that conservative approach.

I love this tidbit from Practical Golf on breaking 100:

Let’s do the math for a second. I’ll use shooting a 98 as an example, or 26 over par. This is what your scorecard can look like:

  • 2 pars

  • 8 bogeys

  • 6 double bogeys

  • 2 triple bogeys

One of the biggest problems beginner’s make is playing too aggressively: trying to reach the green off the tee on a Par 4, trying to hit the green in 2 on a long par 5.

Approach long Par 5s giving yourself 4 shots to reach the green. 150+150+150+150 will put you on a 600 yard green with a putt for par and you’ll have a much better chance of hitting 4 150 yard shots in a row than you will doing 320+280 which most beginner players try to do.

The long Par 5 holes can be intimidating because you are staring at hundreds of yard ahead of you even after a couple of strokes. A common mistake is to ‘grip it and rip it’ right at the green each time. A smarter approach is to hit a consistently straight club up the fairway for 3-4 times until you reach the green.

You might catch some flack for hitting a 6 iron off of the tee on a par 5 or laying up on a par 3, but if you are really committed to lowering your scores as a beginner, these tips will work wonders. You will progress faster in golf if you follow this method vs. trying to blast 300 yard drives off of the tee and using a course management strategy designed to shoot a 75 since you do not have the skills to execute that aggressive of a plan.

tl;dr: golf is frustrating, have a good attitude, leave the driver in the bag, focus on mid-short iron shots, break 100.

5 Best Drivers for Seniors in 2017

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The incredible thing about the game of golf is that it’s a game that can be played across a lifetime. Rock up to your local club on any given weekend and you’ll find a unique mix of people with a larger age span than any other mainstream sport. If you were to start off as a junior and kept healthy throughout your lifetime, it’s feasible that you could potentially play the game for 80+ years. This is what makes golf special.

The common paradigm in golf is that the older you get, the higher you shoot. This is not necessarily true. With some simple club and technique adjustments to your game as you age, you can continue to hit good, solid scores well into your twilight years.

Below we introduce 5 of the best drivers for seniors. For those with dependable swings, these drivers will help you with your consistency off the tee, allowing you to hit more fairways no matter your age.

1: Taylor Made M2

The Taylor Made M2 drivers have been crafted to compliment their incredibly popular M1 range and for $100 less, are a fantastic buy. This time round, Taylor Made has focused on increasing the drivers sweet spot by removing the sliding “T-Track” found in the M1, creating an extra 15 grams of discretionary weight which has been redistributed towards the back end of the driver head. The result of this is their highest MOI driver to date producing a sweet spot that is incredibly forgiving. This is a great driver for the senior golfer who’s primarily concerned with consistency off the tee.

2: Callaway Big Bertha Fusion


Over the past 20 years, the Callaway “Big Bertha” name has become synonymous with power, distance and aggression. Callaway continues that trend into 2017 with a new driver that promotes distance without scaling back on forgiveness. To gain an edge, Callaway have continued their partnership with Boeing aerospace engineers to improve their “speed step” crown design, resulting in faster head speeds through refined aerodynamics. Inside the driver, an “exo-cage” houses unique Triaxial Carbon material that is 65% lighter than titanium. This extra weight has been repurposed low and towards the back of the driver, resulting in increased forgiveness, reduced backspin and higher launch angles. If you’re a senior who is looking for more forgiveness without having to sacrifice distance, this is a great club for you.

3: Ping G25

Although three years old, the Ping G25 still manages to make our list of the best drivers for senior players in 2017. The reason? The large, forgiving face on the G25 still produces high ball speeds on miss-hits. The head has +/- 0.5° of face angle adjustment and tends to produce lower sidespin, resulting in more accurate drives. Of the 5 drivers tested in this blog, the G25 hits the longest while the large head improves confidence and allows for a bigger sweet-spot. The matte-black finish looks nice on any course and is perfect for the senior golfer who’s looking to impress friends whilst crushing it consistently down the middle.

4: Cleveland 588 Custom Driver

For senior golfers looking for adjustability, the Cleveland 588 Custom Driver ticks all the right boxes. The 460cc titanium head allows for maximum distance with an increase in forgiveness and accuracy while the centre of gravity lies much lower in the club head, resulting in a drive that produces a consistently high, penetrating flight. There are 12 different adjustable settings on the bottom and back of the club head which allow you to alter and optimise your swing weight. Note that this should be done in accordance with a professional club fitter who will run a full set of numbers on your swing before making any necessary adjustments.

5: Mizuno JPX 900

Brand new for 2017, the Mizuno JPX 900 debuts a new ‘CORtech’ face design which has added support behind the face both horizontally and vertically, expanding the COR area. This improves forgiveness for shots that are hit off-centre as well as too high or low on the face- perfect for senior golfers. A new ‘infinite track’ allows you to adjust the centre of gravity either forward or rearward for improvements in trajectory and spin rates. There are no standard settings with the infinite track meaning even the most minute adjustments can be made. Make sure you consult a professional club fitter before making adjustments.

Golf doesn’t have to become harder just because you’re getting older. We’re living in an age where technology allows manufactures to create the most forgiving drivers ever made without reducing head speeds or distances while adjustable drivers mean that you can fine-tune your game like never before. Take advantage of the new drivers on show and watch your golf game continue to flourish as life goes on.

5 Best Golf Rangefinders For Under $200

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For the average golfer 20 years ago, finding your yardage to the pin was all about the “feel”. Just eye up the nearest yardage marker and make a gut call on distance and club. This was fine for a tour pro with an intimate understanding of their iron distances; but for us regular joes, we were missing the green more often than not.

Thankfully for us, golf rangefinders were invented, allowing us to unleash the tour pro inside of us.  It’s time to banish any misconceptions that rangefinders are too expensive- here are 5 of the best for under $200:

1: TecTecTec! VPRO 500: $149.99 (Sale)


TecTecTec! are well known for their advanced cameras and drones, but their rangefinders are hitting a sweet spot with golfers across the globe. The VPRO 500 is essentially instantaneous with it’s yardage reading, but the best feature is the crystal clear 6x magnification, ensuring you get a great view of the flag from as far as 540 yards out. Pinsensor technology accurately measures overlapping areas ensuring you’re able to measure bunkers, water hazards and trees. The VPRO500 is extremely lightweight and will simply slip into most pockets while their 24/7 customer service is second to none.

 

2: Breaking 80 Golf Rangefinder: $129.99 (Sale)

 

Breaking 80 specialise in rangefinders, so it’s unsurprising that they make our list. With two separate modes, this rangefinder has you covered across the whole course.  ‘Scan’ mode is perfect for identifying the pin and any potential hazards, while ‘open’ mode gives you continuous yardages for 8 seconds, which comes in handy when you want front, back and centre green readings simultaneously.  It’s the only rangefinder on our list with a lifetime replacement plan as well.  That’s right- lifetime. The only thing this rangefinder doesn’t do is actually help you break 80.   

 

3: Nikon Coolshot 20: $176.95

 

Japanese powerhouse Nikon delivers the smallest, lightest rangefinder on the market with the Coolshot 20. As you would expect with one of the worlds leading camera manufacturers, images come across extremely sharp and clear even at 6 x zoom. First target priority mode comes in handy for greens that are surrounded by hazards, allowing you to get accurate distance readings on your actual target and not the background.  Perfect for golfers that love to golf throughout the year, this rangefinder is completely waterproof.

 

4:  Callaway Golf 200 Laser Finder: $176.55

For the golfers that love to stay loyal to golf brands, the Callaway Golf 200 Laser Finder is all that you need in a rangefinder. Incredibly clear optics work well with the easy to read LCD display, allowing you to instantly lock onto targets.  Callaway’s exclusive Pin Acquisition Technology provides instant readings from up to 275 yards away with accuracy to +/- 1 yard which is as good as rangefinders twice their price. Extremely lightweight and compact, the rangefinder is also waterproof and includes a long lasting CR2 3V lithium battery which easily lasts multiple rounds.

 

5. Caddytek- CaddyView V2 + Slope: $162.27

Golf Cart experts Caddytek have burst onto the rangefinder market with their CaddyView V2. What sets this product apart is the fact it has a fully patented slope compensation mode which accurately accounts for slopes across the course, often dramatically changing your club selection and taking strokes off your game. Flag seeking technology automatically ignores hazards around the green and the IPX4 waterproof design ensures you can use it across all 4 seasons. The rangefinder also conforms to USGA, R&A Rules of Golf and USGA Handicap Guidelines- the ideal product for the golfer that still may feel a little guilty about using a rangefinder.

From an illegal device, to fancy gimmick, to must have accessory- rangefinders have evolved dramatically over the last few years.  Once only a tool for the rich, there are rangefinders that fit every budget and need. Take a look at each of the above, choose your weapon of choice and in no time you’ll be hitting more greens and lowering your score.