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Trade In Equipment
Finding the Best Deals on Golf Clubs
By Vinnie Manginelli, PGA
Published on
If you’re in the market for new golf clubs, you’ve probably seen that the price tags on golf equipment these days can be pretty steep. Granted, the technology is better than ever, and upgrading your equipment will usually improve your game. But at what cost?
Although your local PGA Professional wants to see continuous improvement in your golf game, he or she understands that cost is often an issue. So there are many pros who are implementing trade-in programs in their golf shops to curtail the cost incurred to their customers.
PGA Professional Tony Johnson is a Master Staff Member with Callaway Golf and he sells a lot of Callaway golf clubs. He knows their technology and believes in it for his members at San Angelo Country Club in Texas. He caters to his customers by creating relationships that are based on trust. After all, if you’re buying new golf clubs, you should be comfortable doing so. He custom fits his members before every sale using state-of-the-art technology that provides precise data that helps him determine the best clubs for them.
He also enables them to trade in their old set, significantly reducing what they pay for their new clubs. “I handle everything from the trade to the fitting to the sale,” Johnson says. “The customer is getting new clubs and they love it!”
It’s a similar story when it comes to golf clubs for junior golfers. Jim Fatsi, the PGA Head Professional at Brooklawn Country Club in Fairfield, Connecticut offers trade-in opportunities to help stimulate sales of U.S. Kids Clubs and lessen some of the cost to his members.
“I implemented a trade-in program many years ago that enables families to trade in their used sets once their kids have outgrown them, and apply that credit to a new or used set at the next level,” Fatsi explains.
Fatsi maintains a large inventory of U.S. Kids Clubs, and also sells the sets that are traded in, providing an even more cost-effective way for parents to keep their kids in clubs that are suited to them. Whether you’re looking for clubs for you or your kids, your local PGA Professional has a solution to help alleviate the hit to your pocketbook.
Lastly, there’s a PGA Professional in Kentucky who is using old equipment that has been donated or traded in, and even damaged clubs that he repairs, to not only put clubs in golfers’ hands at a good price, but also to benefit the junior golf foundation that he and a local colleague started.
“I buy second-hand clubs and provide low-cost opportunities to our many new golfers each year,” says Derrick Griffitts, the PGA Head Professional/GM at Clear Creek Golf Center in Shelbyville, Kentucky. “Some of my customers will even buy hard goods at local yard sales and sell them to me at a fair price, which in turn I pass on to other customers. Sometimes, they just donate them to our golf facility knowing that we’ll find a good home for them.”
Griffitts understands that there have historically been barriers to golfers going all-in on golf:
- Cost to play
- Time to play
- Learning opportunities
Today’s professional is taking steps to break down those barriers. PGA Professionals know that a golfer with his or her own clubs will be more inclined to commit to the game. It’s better for business. It’s better for the game. And it’s much better for the golfer. After all, golf is a game that you can enjoy with family and friends for many, many years.
As a side note, Griffitts also raises money for the Shelby County Junior Golf Foundation through the sales of used golf clubs. “With many clubs being donated, we’ll often sell individual clubs for $10, $20 or $30, and those funds build up to make a difference in the lives of local youth golfers,” Griffitts states. “I’ll even come into a number of broken clubs that I’ll re-shaft and sell to benefit our foundation.”
When it’s time for you to go shopping for new clubs, don’t get discouraged by the high price tag.
- Seek out your local PGA Professional
- Inquire about trading in your old set
- Ask about pre-owned clubs to reduce cost even more OR if you’re a first-time golf club buyer
There are ways to play some very good golf clubs at a fraction of the expense. Talk to your local PGA Professional on just how to do it.
