After opening the box the I received this morning my wife asked me a very valid question, "Why would you buy Used Golf Clubs?" Let me just tell you that my wife is a golfer and comes from a golfing family and has been surrounded by the game all her life. I chuckled at first but as she picked up my newly received Taylormade R7 CBG Driver I asked her if it actually looked as though it was used.

This is something that I have pointed out to a few people in the past year since I discovered that some of the top online golf shops have a second hand program that allows people to get a trade in price when they buy new clubs. I first purchased a wild cat rescue club from one of these suppliers and the club arrived as good as new.

So when should you buy Used Golf Clubs?:

• The clubs themselves come to you after having been checked by golf equipment professionals. This means you get clubs that are in good condition as it is not worth the reputation of the company selling the used golf clubs to sell end of life clubs.

• The fact that they have already been used is a good thing. I have in the past taken a club to the golf range from the pro shop to test it and the head of the club has out flown the ball down the range. By buying a club that has already been though its paces you will be assured that it is a good solid club.

• The main reason is price! As simple as the fact that you can buy a club that has been used a dozen times on the course for around 75% of the cost of a brand new club. In many cases the clubs are available within a few weeks of them coming onto the market as many companies sell their promotional clubs and demo day clubs in this way.

• The big companies that offer the used golf clubs service also offer a warranty on the clubs, this means that they are certain that you will be getting a great deal on the clubs you are buying, because if anything should go wrong then you can return the club for repair or replacement.

When it isn't such a good idea to buy used golf clubs:

• Of course there are always going to be times when it isn't a good idea to buy used golf clubs, for example if you see a good deal on the likes of ebay and the description says the club has little wear and tear but the picture is of a brand new club, you might just end up with a club that has been used to death.

• A friend says that they have a great set of clubs that they have only used once. In many cases with this situation the friend has decided not to play the game any more and they are looking to off load their clubs onto anyone that will listen. Be very careful when discussing any clubs you might buy off a friend. Always take a look before you decide to buy and make it clear that you are only thinking about purchasing the club, that way if it isn't what you want you can always say no. It is very easy to get into a situation where you feel obliged to purchase be careful!

Some of the biggest golf shops on the Internet such as Callaway Preowned Golf and GolfSmith have trade in programs that offer very good deals on used golf clubs and they both offer a warranty. With a lot of really good deals available on clubs that have hardly been used I am guessing the question should really be "Why would you buy brand new golf clubs?"