Ex-demo, pre-owned and refurbished all describe a golf club that isn't brand new, but each label tells you something different: who used the club, how much, and whether anyone has worked on it since. This guide explains the labels you'll meet on a used club, what each one gets you, how a used club's price compares with new and the rights you have when you buy.

Quick summary

• Ex-demo clubs were hit by golfers trying them at demo days, fittings and pro shops, so they're usually current or last-season models with light face wear, sold off when the next models arrive.
• Pre-owned, used and second-hand mean the same thing: a golfer bought the club and played it, and the condition grade on the listing tells you far more than the label does.
• Refurbished and reconditioned clubs have had work done after use, such as new grips or a refinished head, and the label is only as useful as the list of work behind it.
• The grade moves the price: a pre-owned Odyssey Ai-One Square 2 Square DW putter with its head graded Excellent is £144.99 against £197.99 brand new, and one with its head graded Fair is £130.99.
• Bought from a UK trader, a used club must be of satisfactory quality and match its description under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, and online buyers get 14 days to cancel.

Ex-demo, pre-owned and refurbished golf clubs compared

The labels differ in 3 ways: who used the club before you, how hard it was used and whether anyone has worked on it since. This table sets the 8 you'll see side by side.

Ordered by how much use a club has usually had, the same labels run from never hit to heavily used:

What does ex-demo mean on golf clubs?

An ex-demo golf club is one that golfers have hit while trying it out, at a manufacturer's demo day, a club fitting or in a pro shop's hitting bay, and that is now sold as used. Whoever buys it becomes its first owner, but not the first golfer to swing it.

Shops and fitters demo the models they're selling, so ex-demo stock is usually this season's or last season's range. It gets cleared when the next models arrive, which is why ex-demo sales tend to run through the autumn and winter.

Most of the wear comes from range balls and hitting mats: light marks in the middle of the face, scuffs on the sole and a grip that has been through a lot of hands. Each golfer hits only a few shots, but a busy demo club can see a lot of golfers, so judge the club in front of you rather than the label.

Before you buy an ex-demo club, check 3 things:

• Markings. Some brands and shops mark demo clubs with stickers or stamps, and they don't always come off cleanly.
• Spec. Ex-demo stock comes in the lofts and shafts the shop chose to demo, not the full range. Fitting systems also carry single irons, usually a 7 iron, so an ex-demo iron is often 1 club rather than a set.
• Warranty. Ask whether the manufacturer's warranty still applies. It depends on the brand and the seller, so get the answer in writing.

Ex-demo vs ex-display

An ex-display club was never hit: it stood in a shop, and its only marks come from handling. That makes it the closer of the 2 to new. On our grading scale a club that has never been used counts as Brand New, in or out of its packaging, as long as its original matching headcover comes with it where it had one.

Ex-demo vs new golf clubs

An ex-demo club gives you the same head as a new one for less money, and gives up 3 things in return: first use, a full choice of specs and, sometimes, the warranty. If your loft and flex are common ones and the face wear is light, the trade is usually worth it. If you need a particular shaft, length or lie, new or a wider pre-owned range will serve you better.

What does pre-owned mean on golf clubs?

Pre-owned means the same as used or second-hand: a golfer bought the club, played it and then sold it or traded it in. The word says nothing about condition, which can run from a club hit twice to one played for 10 seasons, so the grade matters more than the label.

Golfers sell us their clubs through trade-ins and part exchange, for cash or for store credit worth an extra 10%, and we inspect and authenticate each club when it arrives. We then grade it in 3 parts, head, shaft and grip, on the scale in our condition rating guide:

Grading the parts separately means a club with a worn head and a fresh grip says so on the listing, and the price follows the grades. A grade describes looks, so the checks that tell you how a club will play, such as grips, grooves and shaft damage, apply to every used club whatever it's called. If a photo doesn't show what you need, message us on WhatsApp and we'll send more photos or a video.

How much cheaper is pre-owned than new?

On the same model, a pre-owned club costs less than a brand-new one, and the grade sets how much less: the better the grade, the smaller the saving. We sell brand-new clubs as well, and some models sit in both ranges, so the same club can be priced new and used side by side.

The Odyssey Ai-One Square 2 Square DW putter shows each step. Brand new, it is £197.99. Graded Excellent on the head and shaft and Good on the grip, it is £144.99. Graded Fair on the head and grip and Good on the shaft, it is £130.99. All 3 are the same 34 inch Double Wide model, so the £67 between new and Fair pays mostly for looks and first use.

Odyssey launched the Ai-One Square 2 Square in November 2024 as a zero torque putter, with the shaft entering the middle of the head to keep the face square through the stroke. Pre-owned examples, graded on head, shaft and grip like every club we sell, are in our used Odyssey putters.

The driver gap is smaller. A brand-new TaylorMade Qi35 LS, 8° with a Stiff Mitsubishi Diamana shaft, is £305.99. A pre-owned one graded Excellent on head, shaft and grip, 9° with a Stiff Project X Cypher shaft, is £254.99, a saving of £51.

TaylorMade launched the Qi35 family in January 2025, and LS stands for low spin: the head is built for fast swings, so it suits strong players rather than beginners. Used Qi35 clubs are in our TaylorMade Qi35 range, alongside new ones.

A club that's 1 season old and graded Excellent saves the least. The bigger savings come from older models and from Good or Fair heads, where the wear is cosmetic and the price drops with each grade.

What are refurbished golf clubs?

Refurbished golf clubs are used clubs that have had work done before resale, typically new grips, a deep clean, retouched paint fill and sometimes a refinished head or a new shaft. Reconditioned means the same thing. Neither word has a set meaning in golf, so the label is only as useful as the list of work behind it.

Some of that work changes how a club plays, and some only changes how it looks:

Ask for the list before you buy. A seller who regripped a club can tell you which grip went on, and one who refinished a head should be able to say what was under the old paint.

New grips are the refurb worth paying for, because grips wear out long before heads do. A well-made club can last for many seasons with little more than a regrip every year or so if you play regularly.

What does certified pre-owned mean?

Certified pre-owned means a used club inspected against a seller's own checklist and sold with some kind of guarantee. No UK standard sits behind the word, so "certified" means whatever that seller's checklist and guarantee say.

Before you pay extra for a certificate, ask 3 questions: what the inspection checks, how long you have to return the club and who pays to fix a fault. The legal minimum applies with or without a certificate, because a club bought from a trader has to be of satisfactory quality and as described, whatever it's called. On our listings the same job is done by the 3-part grade, the authenticity check on every club and a 60-day return window.

What are tour issue golf clubs?

Tour issue golf clubs were built for tour professionals by a manufacturer's tour department, often in its tour van at events, and they're often made to a more exact or specialised spec than shop clubs: lofts and weights measured to the decimal, heavier or stiffer shafts that never reach retail and sometimes prototype heads.

They reach the used market when players and tour staff move them on, and they sell at a premium because there are so few of them. For most club golfers a tour issue club is a collector's piece rather than an upgrade, since a spec built for a tour player's swing speed does nothing for an average one. Buy one for the loft, shaft and weight on the label.

Rarity also attracts counterfeiters. Check serial numbers, stamps and shaft bands, and buy where every club is authenticated, because the tells of a fake golf club are in the fonts, paint, weight and serial numbers.

What are ex-hire golf clubs?

Ex-hire golf clubs are rental clubs retired from a driving range, a golf resort or a club's hire fleet, and they're usually the most heavily used clubs on the market. Dozens of golfers will have played them, often without headcovers, so expect worn grips, marked faces and scuffed soles.

Hire clubs are mostly mid-range models in standard specs, sold as sets, which makes them a cheap way to start. Budget for new grips, check the shafts for dents and compare the price with a graded set, because a second-hand set for beginners with its condition graded tells you what you're getting.

Which type of used golf club should you buy?

For most golfers, a graded pre-owned club from a seller that authenticates its stock gives the widest choice for the money. Ex-demo makes sense for a current model in a common spec, and each label suits a different buyer:

• Ex-demo: you want this season's or last season's model, your loft and flex are common ones, and light face wear doesn't bother you.
• Ex-display: you want a club that has never been hit, for less than full price, and can live without the box or headcover.
• Pre-owned: you want the most models, lofts and flexes to choose from, at a price set by the condition grade.
• Refurbished: the seller lists the work, and the work changes how the club plays, like new grips or the right shaft.
• Certified pre-owned: you'd pay a little more for a written guarantee, and you've read what it covers.
• Tour issue: you know your spec matches the club's, or you're collecting.
• Ex-hire: you're starting out on the smallest budget and will regrip.
• Brand new: you need a spec no used club offers, such as a custom fit, or you want the full manufacturer's warranty.

Your rights when buying used golf clubs in the UK

Bought from a trader, a used golf club must be of satisfactory quality and as described under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, the same as a new one, although what counts as satisfactory takes the club's description and price into account (Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9). Wear pointed out before you buy doesn't count against the seller: if the listing says the crown has a sky mark, the sky mark isn't a fault. That's why a written grade matters, because it's part of the description the club has to match.

If a club turns out to be faulty, you have 30 days to reject it for a full refund (section 22). Clubs bought online or by phone from a trader also come with 14 days to cancel for any reason, counted from the day they arrive (Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30).

Private sales give you less. Bought from another golfer on a marketplace or classified site, a club only has to match its description (Sale of Goods Act 1979, section 13), and the satisfactory quality rules don't apply.

Our own return window is 60 days from delivery: a refund to your original payment method in the first 14 days, or store credit, valid for 12 months, from day 15 to day 60, as long as the club comes back in the condition it arrived in. Return postage is yours to pay unless the club is faulty or not as described.

Frequently asked questions

Should you buy demo golf clubs?

Yes, if the model and spec suit you and the price is well below new. Check the face and sole for wear, confirm the loft and shaft, and ask whether a warranty comes with it. If the spec you need isn't in the demo stock, a graded pre-owned club gives you more to choose from.

Are ex-demo golf clubs as good as new?

They play the same as a new club of the same spec, because light demo use doesn't change how a head or shaft performs. The differences are cosmetic wear, a narrower choice of specs and, sometimes, the warranty.

Is pre-owned the same as used?

Yes. Pre-owned, used and second-hand all mean a golfer owned and played the club before you. The condition grade, not the word, tells you how much it was played.

Is refurbished the same as reconditioned?

Yes, in practice. Both mean a used club that has had work done before resale, and neither has a set definition in golf, so ask the seller for the list of work.

Are 20 year old golf clubs still good?

Many are, especially irons, wedges and putters, which have changed less than drivers. Drivers had reached the 460cc head size by 2006, but faces, shafts and adjustable hosels have moved on since, so a used driver from the last 5 to 8 years usually gives you more for the same money. How well old golf clubs hold up depends on the club type and on the grips and grooves more than on the year.

Where can I buy second-hand golf clubs in the UK?

From specialist used-club retailers, from pro shops, which sell ex-demo stock, and from private sellers on marketplace sites. A seller that grades and authenticates every club and takes returns carries the least risk, and a private sale carries the most, which is the main thing to weigh when buying used golf clubs in the UK.