By Paul, Founding Editor
019 | The Hand-Me-Down
I started golf in 2019 with my dad’s old clubs.
He’d bought them from a warehouse back in the 90s. They had graphite shafts and came in an old carry bag. No stand, no legs to prop it up. Just a bag you had to lay on the ground every time you stopped.
By the time I got hold of them, they were already over 20 years old.
There was even an old green-fee ticket tucked inside the bag, dated 18 October 1996. My dad had left it there all those years.
I still remember the first time I used them. They were great. Nothing fancy, but more than enough to get me started and out onto a golf course.
I must have played about ten rounds with them before I decided I needed anything else.
And if I’d had to go out and buy a set before playing? I probably wouldn’t have started.
Then a friend of mine wanted to get into golf. So I gave him the clubs.
Same clubs. New golfer.
It’s funny how something as simple as an old set of clubs can be the reason someone starts playing.
Especially when golf spends so much time making us think we need new ones.
Do you need a full set of golf clubs to start?
No. You don’t even need half of one.
Under Rule 4.1b of the Rules of Golf, you can carry a maximum of 14 clubs during a round. But there’s no minimum. You could start with five or six and be perfectly within the rules.
Golf just doesn’t always make it feel that way.
Walk into a golf shop and it’s matching irons, expensive drivers and bags full of equipment. It can feel like you need the whole lot before you’ve even hit a ball.
Andrew McGinley, co-founder of Hosel, a marketplace for pre-owned golf equipment, sees it differently.
“Golf has become very good at convincing people they need 14 clubs, a £500 driver and a matching set before they’re allowed on a course. You don’t.”
And he’s right.
The equipment isn’t what makes you a golfer. Playing golf does.
How many people borrow golf clubs instead of buying them?
Quite a lot, as it turns out.
According to 2026 research commissioned for eBay Live x PGA Golf and conducted by Censuswide, 57% of surveyed UK adults who had played golf reported borrowing equipment rather than buying their own.
The same research found that 56% had bought second-hand equipment, while 55% had bought only part of a full set.
And among people interested in taking up golf, 55% said they’d already put it off because equipment costs were too high.
I can understand that. If I’d needed to buy a full set before my first round, I might have been one of them.
It makes me wonder how many people started like I did. With somebody else’s clubs, a little curiosity and no real idea what they were doing.
We tend to hear about the shiny new driver. Not the old bag in someone’s garage that got another person into the game.
Maybe we should.
How many golf clubs does a beginner actually need?
Six or seven is a good place to start. You can get going with fewer.
Andrew’s suggested beginner set is pretty straightforward.
“Something like a driver or fairway wood, a hybrid, a 6 or 7 iron, a 9 iron, a wedge and a putter would give you everything you really need. You could even start with less than that.”
In plain English, that’s a club for longer shots, a couple for the middle of the course, one for shorter shots and one for rolling the ball into the hole.
You don’t need a club for every possible distance.
Not yet, anyway.
At the beginning, you’re trying to make contact with the ball, get it going somewhere near where you intended and hopefully enjoy yourself enough to come back.
Having 14 different clubs to choose from isn’t necessarily going to help with any of that.
And there’s another benefit to carrying fewer clubs.
Less weight. Less expense. Fewer decisions.
For someone new to golf, that sounds like a pretty good deal.
Are second-hand golf clubs good for beginners?
Yes. Provided they’re in decent condition and reasonably suited to the person using them.
A driver doesn’t suddenly stop working because a newer model comes out. And a set of irons that’s a few years old can still have plenty of golf left in it.
Andrew thinks the way people look at used equipment is changing.
“For beginners especially, that makes used equipment a really sensible route into golf. You can get much better quality equipment for the same budget and, if you decide six months later that something doesn’t suit you, you haven’t necessarily taken the same depreciation hit you would buying everything brand new.”
That last bit is important.
When you’re starting, you don’t know what you like yet.
You might prefer one type of club to another. You might discover you love golf. You might decide it’s not for you.
Spending a fortune before you know any of that seems a bit backwards.
There are a few things worth checking when buying used clubs: the grips, the condition of the clubheads, whether the shafts are damaged and whether the clubs are roughly the right length and weight for you.
But they don’t need to be the newest models.
Andrew points out that even professional golfers sometimes stick with older clubs because they work for them.
And he sees how many different owners a single club can have.
Someone buys a driver new. A couple of years later, they sell it. Someone else picks it up for less, plays it for another few seasons and passes it on again.
Eventually, that same driver might become someone’s first proper golf club.
“A golf club doesn’t stop being good because somebody else owned it first.”
I like that.
Because it’s exactly what happened with mine.
How much does a second-hand beginner golf set cost in the UK?
You can put together a useful beginner set for a few hundred pounds, although prices depend on the clubs you choose and their condition.
To see what that might look like, Hosel priced up a simple six-club beginner set using equipment listed on its marketplace in October 2026.
Club Second-hand price
Driver - TaylorMade R11 - £104.95
Wood - TaylorMade R11 5 Wood - £63.95
7-Iron - Cobra Fly XL - £44.95
9-Iron - Cobra Fly XL - £44.95
Sand Wedge - Titleist Vokey SM5 Sand Wedge - £25
Putter - Ping Anser - £30
Total £313.80
That’s six clubs from TaylorMade, Cobra, Titleist and Ping, all established golf brands, for £313.80.
Not a full set, but enough to start playing.
The prices are a snapshot from October 2026, rather than a guaranteed price for every beginner. They also don’t include a golf bag or other accessories.
And you could spend less by borrowing clubs, choosing cheaper used models or starting with fewer.
But what I found most interesting wasn’t the price.
It was what Andrew suggested doing with the money you save.
“If I were advising someone starting out, I’d much rather see them do that and spend the money they’ve saved on some lessons and actually playing golf.”
That makes far more sense to me than spending everything on equipment before you’ve learned how to use it.
You can compare and buy pre-owned clubs from trusted sellers at Hosel.
What would I do if I was starting golf today?
I’d start by asking around.
Someone you know probably has an old set in a garage, a spare club in the loft or a bag they haven’t touched for years.
And if you can’t borrow anything, I’d look at second-hand clubs before buying new.
Here’s where I’d start:
Borrow before you buy. Ask friends, family or a local driving range if they have clubs you can use.
Start with six or seven clubs. You can always add more later.
Don’t chase the newest model. Check the condition and suitability of older clubs instead.
Spend money on actually playing. A lesson, a driving-range session or your first few rounds will teach you more than a new driver.
Pass your clubs on when you’re ready. They might be exactly what someone else needs to start.
There’s something quite nice about that last one.
Especially in a sport that can sometimes feel like it has an expensive front door.
If you’re worried about that first visit to a course, I wrote about why the fear of being watched can be a bigger barrier than the cost of golf.
Because getting into golf isn’t only about having the right equipment.
It’s about feeling like you’re allowed to be there in the first place.
The Hand-Me-Down
My dad bought those clubs in the 90s.
Twenty-something years later, they got me through my first ten rounds of golf.
Then they went to a friend who wanted to give the game a go.
I wonder how many other golfers started the same way. With a bag someone no longer used, a few old clubs and somebody willing to pass them on.
We spend a lot of time talking about the clubs people buy.
Maybe we should talk a bit more about the ones people give away.
Because you don’t need a new set to start.
You need a set.
Whoever had it first.
What were your first golf clubs? And whose were they before you?
I’d love to hear the story in the comments.
Paul is the founding editor of Room 19, a golf brand telling the untold stories of the game for people who found it through culture, not the clubhouse. He took up golf at 37. Find Room 19 on Instagram and TikTok.
I started Room 19 because I wanted golf writing that treated the game the way the culture magazines I read treat everything else, properly, not as tips, gear reviews and FOMO shots of golf courses. If you want the next one first, subscribe below.
Previously in Room 19
Issue 004 | The Invisible Barrier, on why feeling watched can keep people away from golf.
Issue 005 | The Timeless Walk, on how golf can reconnect old friends.
Issue 012 | The Misread, on why your handicap isn’t a measure of your worth.
Issue 017 | The Shortcut, on why nine holes might be all the golf you need.
Issue 018 | The Walkthrough, on how playing the course on a video game the night before can take the fear out of the first tee.
Quick answers
Do you need a full set of golf clubs to start?
No. Beginners do not need a full set of 14 golf clubs to start playing. Rule 4.1b of the Rules of Golf sets a maximum of 14 clubs but no minimum. You can start with six or seven clubs, learn the basics and add more as your game develops.
How many golf clubs does a beginner need?
Five to seven clubs are enough for most beginners to start learning and playing. Andrew McGinley, co-founder of Hosel, a marketplace for pre-owned golf equipment, recommends a driver or fairway wood, a hybrid, a 6 or 7 iron, a 9 iron, a wedge and a putter. This gives a beginner options for long shots, shorter shots and putting without needing a full set.
Are second-hand golf clubs good for beginners?
Yes. Second-hand golf clubs can be a sensible and affordable choice for beginners, provided they are in good condition and suitable for the player. Older clubs from established manufacturers can still perform well. Buying used also reduces the amount of money committed before you know which equipment suits your game.
How much does a second-hand beginner golf set cost in the UK?
A second-hand beginner set can cost a few hundred pounds, depending on the models and condition. In October 2026, Hosel priced a six-club beginner set at £313.80, including a driver, fairway wood, two irons, sand wedge and putter. This was an illustrative marketplace example, not a UK average, and excluded a golf bag and accessories.
How many golfers have borrowed golf clubs?
According to 2026 research commissioned for eBay Live x PGA Golf and conducted by Censuswide, 57% of surveyed UK adults who had played golf reported borrowing equipment rather than buying their own. The research also found that 56% had bought second-hand equipment and 55% had bought only part of a full set. These figures describe equipment behaviour among people who have played golf, not necessarily how they first started.
Can you borrow golf clubs to play a round?
Yes. You can borrow a set of golf clubs before starting a round and use it, provided the clubs conform to the Rules of Golf and you stay within the 14-club limit. During a round, you generally cannot make a stroke with a club being used by another player on the course, although the Rules allow partners in partner formats, such as foursomes, to share clubs if they have no more than 14 between them (Rules 22.5 and 23.7).
What’s the maximum number of golf clubs you can carry?
The maximum is 14 clubs under Rule 4.1b of the Rules of Golf. There is no minimum number, so beginners can play with a smaller selection. The 14-club limit applies to the clubs you are permitted to use during a round, subject to the rule’s specific provisions and exceptions.
Sources and numbers
The R&A: Rule 4.1b, Rules of Golf. The 14-club maximum, permission to start with fewer clubs and restrictions on sharing equipment.
Golf equipment research: Censuswide survey commissioned for eBay Live x PGA Golf, conducted among 2,001 UK adults aged 18+ between 28 August and 2 September 2026. Findings include 57% borrowing equipment, 56% buying second-hand and 55% buying part of a full set among respondents who had played golf, plus 55% of aspiring golfers delaying participation because of equipment costs. Reported by Golf Business News, 22 September 2026.
Hosel: Six-club beginner equipment pricing supplied to Room 19, October 2026. Prices are illustrative and subject to availability.
Andrew McGinley: Co-founder of Hosel. Quotations supplied directly to Room 19, October 2026.
Paul / Room 19: Personal experiences and editorial recommendations.