Used buying guide Updated
Used golf irons
Iron sets we score 5.0 of 5 for forgiveness start at $409.99 used (Callaway MAVRIK MAX). 111 forgiving iron sets have a used price here, 44 current and 67 earlier models; each is the lowest-priced whole set we found, and each says which clubs, shaft and flex it buys, because a used set rarely holds what the new one does.
Every forgiving iron set with a used price
Most forgiving first, then lowest used price.
Each set's page has its new price, lofts and lengths. The budget irons page sets the lowest new and used prices side by side.
Earlier models, bought used
- PING G15, 4.5 of 5: $225.99 used; today's model is the PING G440.
- Srixon ZX4 Mk II, 3.0 of 5: $260.99 used; today's model is the Srixon ZXi4.
- Titleist T100 (2021), 1.0 of 5: $262.99 used; today's model is the Titleist T100.
- Tour Edge Hot Launch C523, 3.5 of 5: $281.99 used; today's model is the Tour Edge Hot Launch C524.
- Cleveland Launcher XL Halo, 4.0 of 5: $288.99 used; today's model is the Cleveland HALO XL Full-Face.
- XXIO 13, not scored: $291.99 used; today's model is the XXIO 14.
- PING G25, 3.5 of 5: $313.99 used; today's model is the PING G440.
- XXIO 12, not scored: $323.99 used; today's model is the XXIO 14.
- Callaway Big Bertha (2015), 4.5 of 5: $329.99 used; today's model is the Callaway Quantum Max OS.
- Callaway Big Bertha (2019), 4.0 of 5: $329.99 used; today's model is the Callaway Quantum Max OS.
- Callaway MAVRIK, 3.5 of 5: $329.99 used; today's model is the Callaway Quantum Max.
- Wilson Launch Pad 2, 4.0 of 5: $343.99 used; today's model is the Wilson DYNAPWR Max (Steel).
- Callaway Rogue ST MAX, 3.5 of 5: $345.99 used; today's model is the Callaway Quantum Max.
- Callaway Big Bertha OS, 4.5 of 5: $356.99 used; today's model is the Callaway Quantum Max OS.
- Cobra AEROJET, not scored: $356.99 used; today's model is the Cobra KING MAX.
- Cobra DS-ADAPT MAX, 4.5 of 5: $359.99 used; today's model is the Cobra KING MAX.
- TaylorMade M6, 3.0 of 5: $362.99 used; today's model is the TaylorMade Qi Max.
- PING i525, 2.0 of 5: $368.99 used; today's model is the PING i540.
- Callaway Rogue ST MAX OS, 4.0 of 5: $395.99 used; today's model is the Callaway Quantum Max OS.
- Srixon ZX7, 1.0 of 5: $396.99 used; today's model is the Srixon ZXi7.
- Callaway MAVRIK MAX, 5.0 of 5: $409.99 used; today's model is the Callaway Quantum Max OS.
- PING G410, 3.5 of 5: $415.99 used; today's model is the PING G440.
- Callaway Apex DCB, 3.5 of 5: $417.99 used; today's model is the Callaway Apex Ai300.
- Callaway Apex 21, 2.0 of 5: $418.99 used; today's model is the Callaway Apex Ai200.
- TaylorMade Stealth, 3.0 of 5: $418.99 used; today's model is the TaylorMade Qi Max.
- Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke, 3.0 of 5: $434.99 used; today's model is the Callaway Quantum Max.
- TaylorMade SIM2 Max, 3.0 of 5: $446.99 used; today's model is the TaylorMade Qi Max.
- Takomo 201, 1.0 of 5: $447.99 used; today's model is the Takomo 201 MKII.
- Cobra DS-ADAPT, 3.0 of 5: $450.99 used; today's model is the Cobra KING MAX.
- TaylorMade SIM Max, 3.0 of 5: $465.99 used; today's model is the TaylorMade Qi Max.
- Cobra DARKSPEED, 3.0 of 5: $470.99 used; today's model is the Cobra KING MAX.
- Srixon ZX4, 3.5 of 5: $474.99 used; today's model is the Srixon ZXi4.
- PING i230, 1.0 of 5: $485.99 used; today's model is the PING i240.
- PING G710, 4.5 of 5: $494.99 used; today's model is the PING G740.
- Titleist T200 (2023), 2.0 of 5: $495.99 used; today's model is the Titleist T250.
- Callaway Elyte, 3.0 of 5: $499.99 used; today's model is the Callaway Quantum Max.
- Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke HL, 3.0 of 5: $499.99 used; today's model is the Callaway Quantum Max.
- Srixon ZX7 Mk II, 1.0 of 5: $501.99 used; today's model is the Srixon ZXi7.
- Cleveland Launcher XL, 3.0 of 5: $502.99 used; today's model is the Cleveland HALO XL Full-Face.
- Callaway Big Bertha B21, 5.0 of 5: $508.99 used; today's model is the Callaway Quantum Max OS.
- Callaway Big Bertha (2023), 5.0 of 5: $509.99 used; today's model is the Callaway Quantum Max OS.
- Cobra LTDx, 3.0 of 5: $511.99 used; today's model is the Cobra KING MAX.
- PING G425, 3.5 of 5: $511.99 used; today's model is the PING G440.
- TaylorMade Qi, 3.0 of 5: $512.99 used; today's model is the TaylorMade Qi Max.
- Mizuno JPX923 Hot Metal, 3.5 of 5: $519.99 used; today's model is the Mizuno JPX925 Hot Metal.
- TaylorMade Stealth HD, 4.5 of 5: $529.99 used; today's model is the TaylorMade Qi Max HL.
- Callaway Paradym X, 4.0 of 5: $543.99 used; today's model is the Callaway Quantum Max.
- Titleist T300 (2021), 3.0 of 5: $544.99 used; today's model is the Titleist T350.
- Takomo 101, 3.0 of 5: $548.99 used; today's model is the Takomo 101 MKII.
- Cobra KING TEC X, 3.0 of 5: $549.99 used; today's model is the Cobra KING MAX.
- PING G430, 3.5 of 5: $562.99 used; today's model is the PING G440.
- PING i530, 2.0 of 5: $569.99 used; today's model is the PING i540.
- TaylorMade P790 (2023), 2.0 of 5: $571.99 used; today's model is the TaylorMade P790.
- TaylorMade P7MC (2023), 1.0 of 5: $571.99 used; today's model is the TaylorMade P7CB.
- Mizuno JPX923 Forged, 2.0 of 5: $587.99 used; today's model is the Mizuno JPX925 Forged.
- TaylorMade Qi HL, 3.0 of 5: $593.99 used; today's model is the TaylorMade Qi Max HL.
- Titleist T200 (2021), 2.0 of 5: $606.99 used; today's model is the Titleist T250.
- Mizuno JPX923 Hot Metal HL, 4.5 of 5: $614.99 used; today's model is the Mizuno JPX925 Hot Metal HL.
- Callaway Paradym, 2.0 of 5: $615.99 used; today's model is the Callaway Apex Ai200.
- Callaway Elyte HL, 3.0 of 5: $618.99 used; today's model is the Callaway Quantum Max.
- Titleist T350 (2023), 3.0 of 5: $624.99 used; today's model is the Titleist T350.
- Srixon ZX5 Mk II, 2.0 of 5: $637.99 used; today's model is the Srixon ZXi4.
- Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke MAX Fast, 3.0 of 5: $692.99 used; today's model is the Callaway Quantum Max Fast.
- Callaway Elyte X, 4.5 of 5: $704.99 used; today's model is the Callaway Quantum Max OS.
- PING G430 HL, 3.5 of 5: $716.99 used; today's model is the PING G440 HL.
- PING G730, 5.0 of 5: $731.99 used; today's model is the PING G740.
- PING G Le3, 3.5 of 5: $818.99 used; today's model is the PING G Le4.
Each earlier model's page says what its successor changed. The used forgiving clubs guide covers the rest of the bag, and the used drivers page the drivers.
Questions buyers ask
Is it worth buying used irons?
Often: a forgiving set's head does not wear out the way grips and grooves do, and the used sets here start at $225.99 (PING G15). Check the clubs in the set, the shaft and flex, and the grooves on the short irons before you pay.
Why does a used set have fewer clubs than a new one?
Used sets are sold as their last owner kept them: some come without the long irons, some with extra wedges. Each price here says which clubs it buys, and we only list a set that holds at least three numbered irons.
Are 10-year-old irons still good?
The head of a forgiving iron keeps its wide sole, offset and cavity for as long as you own it; what wears is the grips, which a shop replaces cheaply, and the grooves on the wedges you use most. Each earlier model's page says what its successor changed, so you can judge whether that matters to you.
How do I check a used iron set?
Match the model name on the back of the heads to the listing, count the clubs and their numbers, check the shaft label for the flex, and look at the faces and grooves of the short irons. Read the shop's condition grade and return terms before you pay.
The other questions
The most forgiving of each club
- Most forgiving irons
Every forgiving iron set scored and compared, with picks for slicers, slow swings, seniors and budgets.
- Most forgiving driver
The most forgiving head in each maker's line, scored, with the draw models for a slice and picks for slow swings and budgets.
- Most forgiving fairway woods
Fairway woods with the shallow faces and low centres of gravity that get the ball up off the deck.
- Most forgiving hybrids
The hybrids built to replace long irons, with lofts, flexes, hands and price.
- Mini drivers
The smaller driver heads between a driver and a 3-wood, by head size, lofts and draw setting, each price dated.
- Utility irons
Driving irons compared for forgiveness, lofts and hands, and when a hybrid is the better club.
- Forgiving wedges
Compare cavity-back wedge lofts, bounce, sole options and hands.
- Forgiving putters
Mallets and zero-torque putters scored, with lengths, hands and price, and a pick for each kind of miss.
- Most forgiving Callaway irons
Callaway's forgiving iron line, set against each other on offset, sole, loft, flexes and price.
For your game
- Best golf clubs for beginners
What a first set needs, a boxed set against a built set at the same money, and the picks by budget.
- Beginner golf club sets
Every complete boxed set scored, with its club list, flexes, hands and price, and a pick for seniors, women and budgets.
- Best golf clubs for beginners to intermediate
The second set: what to buy when a boxed set stops being enough, without paying for clubs you cannot use yet.
- Best golf clubs for high handicappers
Choose a replacement by bag role and check it against the clubs you keep.
- Best irons for mid handicappers
Game improvement and players distance sets for a 10 to 20 handicap, scored and priced.
- Best driver for slicers
Every driver with draw help, by how much it gives, its lofts and its price.
- Best driver for beginners
Forgiving heads with 12° in stock and draw help for a slice, for beginners and high handicappers, each price dated.
- Best putters for beginners
Forgiving mallets and zero-torque heads by price, stock length and hand, for a first putter, each price dated.
- Senior golf clubs
Every club sold with a stock senior (A) flex or as a senior set, and what senior flex actually changes.
- Best driver for seniors
The forgiving drivers sold in senior flex, by slow-swing help, loft and draw help, each price dated.
- Best irons for seniors
The forgiving iron sets sold in senior flex, by launch, sole and forgiveness, each price dated.
- Women's golf clubs for beginners
Women's lines and ladies-flex options, complete sets and individual clubs, with a pick for each.
- Best irons for women
The forgiving iron sets sold as a women's line or in ladies flex, with each 7-iron's loft and length, each price dated.
- Best driver for women
The forgiving drivers made for women or sold in ladies flex, by draw help, loft and price, each price dated.
- Golf clubs for petite women
The women's sets sold shorter, by how much, and the heights each maker names, each price dated.
- Golf clubs for tall men
The men's sets sold longer, by how much, and the heights each maker names, each price dated.
- Junior golf clubs
Every maker's junior sets by the child's height band, with what is in each box and its price, each checked.
- Left-handed golf clubs
The most forgiving club of each type sold left-handed, and the ones that are not.
Paying less
- Best budget irons
Forgiving iron sets for less, new, earlier and used, every price per club and dated.
- Best budget drivers
Forgiving drivers for less: current heads at low prices, last year's still sold new, and used, each price dated.
- Used forgiving golf clubs
Check the exact used configuration, condition, contents and return terms.
- Used golf drivers
Every forgiving driver with a used price beside the new one, current and earlier models, each listing dated.
- Used fairway woods and hybrids
Every forgiving fairway wood and hybrid with a used price beside the new one, and each listing's club, loft, flex, condition and date.
- Golf club deals
Forgiving clubs below the maker's list price, last year's models still sold new, and used savings, each price with the day we checked it.
- Black Friday golf clubs
The price to beat for the most forgiving club of each type, so you can tell a real Black Friday deal.
Lofts, gaps and wedges
- Golf club loft chart
Loft ranges from the driver to the lob wedge, then every forgiving iron set's lofts, current and earlier, in one sortable chart.
- Golf club gapping
Even loft steps from your longest club to your wedges, each set's uneven steps, and how to check them with your own distances.
- How many golf clubs
The 14-club rule in plain words, what a first bag of eight to ten needs, and how many clubs each boxed set really holds.
- Wedge lofts
Every iron set's pitching, gap, sand and lob wedge lofts in one chart, and the names makers give the gap wedge.
- 52, 56 and 60 degree wedges
What a gap, sand and lob wedge is for, and which lofts to add after your own set.
- Wedge bounce
What bounce does, drawn to the angle, which bounce suits your swing and turf, and the bounce on every forgiving wedge we cover.
- 9-iron vs pitching wedge
The loft, length and bounce between the two in every forgiving set, and which one to hit.
- Hybrid vs iron
Which hybrid replaces which long iron in each set, by the makers' own lofts, and when a hybrid is the easier club.
- Hybrid vs fairway wood
Which wood matches which hybrid by loft, which to carry, and every maker's stock lofts side by side.
How clubs forgive, fit and last
- What makes an iron forgiving
Offset, sole width, moment of inertia and loft explained with the numbers from this site's own table.
- Game improvement vs super game improvement irons
What separates the two classes in loft, offset, sole and price, with every set in each, and how to tell which one your strike needs.
- Cavity back vs blade irons
Why a cavity back forgives and a muscle back does not, with the makers' own offset figures, and how to blend the two.
- Senior flex vs regular flex
What the A flex changes, who it suits, and which clubs we cover offer it as stock.
- Shaft flex chart
Each shaft maker's own swing speed for every flex, side by side, and the flex each chart gives at your speed.
- Best driver shafts
Driver shafts for a slower swing, more height or a mid flight, with each one's weight, torque and flexes from its maker, and the stock shafts on every forgiving driver.
- Steel vs graphite shafts
What a graphite or steel shaft changes, who each suits, and every forgiving iron set's stock shafts.
- Golf club fitting for beginners
Prepare your shortlist and check length, lie, shafts and set makeup at a fitting.
- Golf club fitting cost
What Club Champion, True Spec and PGA TOUR Superstore charge for each kind of fitting, the free ones, and what the fee buys, each price dated.
- Golf club length chart
Every iron set's standard lengths as its maker prints them, and a calculator that adds the change a fitter gives you.
- One-length irons
Every iron built to one length: Cobra's ONE Length sets against its standard sets, club by club, and who still makes one.
- Standard driver length
Every forgiving driver's stock length from its maker, men's, women's and mini, why two makers' figures can differ, and when shorter helps.
- Golf club lie angle
What a wrong lie does to your shots, how to check yours, and every forgiving iron set's lie angles club by club.
- PING color code chart
What each PING dot color means, and every PING iron set's lie angles for the dot you have.
- Golf grip size chart
Your grip size from your hand length or glove size, on Golf Pride's and Winn's own charts, with the feel test and PING's grip colors.
- Best golf grips
The right grip for sore hands, sweaty hands or an all-round feel, with every grip's sizes and weights from its maker.
- Putter grips
Pistol, parallel, flat-front and claw putter grips in their makers' words, their weights and prices, and the stock grip on each putter we cover.
- Blade vs mallet putters
Which forgives more, which suits your stroke, a six-foot test for your misses, and the mallets we cover.
- Putter length
What length putter you need, checked from your own setup rather than your height, and the stock lengths of every putter we cover.
- Zero-torque putters
What a zero-torque putter does, the balance test, who it suits, and how each maker builds one.
- How long do golf clubs last
When grips and wedge grooves wear out, by the makers' own advice, what a regrip costs, and when a new club is worth it.
- How to clean golf clubs
Irons, woods, grips and grooves cleaned the right way, the grip care Golf Pride advises, and how to store clubs over winter.
- How to regrip golf clubs
Golf Pride's ten steps with a hook blade, tape and solvent, sizing a grip up with tape, and what a shop charges.