What We Don’t Buy

Club heads

Chips to paintwork

Golfbidder will not accept any clubs with chips and scratches on the paintwork visible at address or excessive more minor marks that might not be visible when stood over the ball. Neither will we take clubs which have been re-sprayed to cover these up.

These chips result from the club rattling around in the bag and banging against other clubs. The best way to avoid them is to use the headcover that came with your club.

Re-painted crowns and leading edges

Any clubs that have been re-painted or sprayed to disguise sky marks will not be accepted. We understand there might be an occasion where you make a sky mark, and our Condition Rating Guide makes allowances for this, so please do not attempt to cover them.

Dents and cracks

Small dents (mainly in driver's heads) are most commonly caused by contact with irons, either when being put back into the bag with no headcover or when clubs rattle around in the back of the car. We cannot buy clubs with dents to the head. The best way to avoid them is to use the headcover with your club.

Larger dents (usually to the sole) are not caused by clubs banging together - the user causes them. It would be very rare for this kind of impression to be created by clubs knocking together, but either way, we cannot take in clubs with dents on the sole.

As carbon becomes a more widely used material in club heads, there are some instances where this can fail and crack. If your club has any sign of cracks or splits into the carbon elements, then we will not be able to accept it.

Worn faces

Irons and wedges will not be accepted where the protective coating has worn away from the face. "Penny marks" are common in clubs with very heavy use. They often appear on the favourite iron that has spent a lot of time at the range or the preferred wedge used around the chipping green.

If this has only happened on your wedge, then you may be able to sell us your set as 4-9 iron, for example, but please note the smallest iron set we will accept is 6-9-iron.

Worn soles

Like with iron and wedge faces, Golfbidder will not accept any sole, mainly on wedges, where the protective coating has worn through. This wear is again due to excessive use on the range or around the chipping green. 

Please note this will only happen after years of use and hitting 10,000s of golf balls. Most of us will never hit enough golf balls with the same club to cause this.

Perished plating

If your irons or wedges have a coating (usually chrome), please ensure that it is still smooth before sending in your clubs. Any instances where the plating is starting to peel away from the club head will mean we will not be able to take in your clubs.

Damage to leading edge

We cannot take in any irons and wedges with chips or gouges to the leading edge or sole. These marks are usually caused where the club has contacted a stone through impact - usually in a bunker.

Head coming away from shaft

Any clubs where the head is beginning to come detached from the shaft will be rejected by our team. We will not be able to offer our 12-month warranty on these club.

This is different from the furrule slipping up the shaft and exposing the join (which is an easy fix with some steam and elbow grease).

Missing clubs

Specifically for iron sets, we cannot take in sets with missing clubs - for example, 4-PW (but no 6-iron). In this case, we would only be able to take the 7-PW. 

To be considered a set your last iron needs to be either a 9-iron or PW and consist of at least 4 clubs - for example, 6-9-iron or 7-PW.

We do not consider an AW or GW a missing club. Sets can consist of 6, 7, 8, 9-iron, PW, and SW.

Rattling

The majority of the time, this is an issue with driver heads but can occur in other hollow-headed golf clubs. Any rattle in the club head will put the club into quarantine. 

A rattle is usually caused by a small piece of glue which has detached from the end of the shaft and is a quick fix when the grip is removed. 

Missing weights and badges

We cannot accept clubs which have moveable weight technology which do not have all the weights still fitted. We can accept clubs that do not have the additional weight pack, if it came with one.

Although they are for cosmetic appeal, cavity badges on irons also ensure the club is the right swing weight and balanced correctly. 

We cannot accept any irons in a set with their badge missing. If this is the 4-iron, we would still be able to take the 5-PW in as a set. Please see missing irons for more information on what we class an iron set. 

Shafts

Pitting

Pitting is a form of localised corrosion that leads to the creation of small holes in metal. In golf, pitting will occur on steel shafts where the protective chrome layer has been breached by corrosion. 

The first stage of the process will be the appearance of rust spots on the shaft, which can be prevented by cleaning and drying after use. Shafts that have started the pitting process can not be cured and will progressively weaken the structure of the shaft. 

If there are any signs of this process on your clubs, we will not be able to offer our 12 month warranty.

Worn graphite shafts

Our Condition Rating Guide allows for some minor wear of the paintwork on graphite shafts; we cannot accept clubs that have spots of wear greater than two inches.

We also cannot take clubs where wear has gone beyond the layer of paint and worn the graphite itself, as this will not allow us to confidently give a 12 month warranty on all our used clubs.

Poor re-shafts

The large gap between the ferrule and the neck of the club shows the shaft and head are not attached as they should be. It is either the result of a poor re-shaft or the original glue starting to fail.

Another common issue is when the shaft does not fit the head correctly. Although they may look a universal size, there are some minute differences from one to another. If the wrong shaft is used, it could appear to be fitted at an angle.

Finally, on shafts, the ferrule needs to fit seamlessly from head to shaft. Again there are some subtle differences in size so please make sure you use the right one.

If you get any of your clubs re-shafted, we strongly recommend you use a qualified professional. They will carry out the work with the right tools and experience to ensure the club retains any resale value.

Broken or incorrect ferrule and hosels

Another common reason for Golfbidder to reject golf clubs is because of broken ferrules. Any ferrules which are not complete (cracked to pieces missing) will force us to refuse your clubs.

If your clubs are re-shafted, please ensure the correct parts are used. In the past, we have seen all sorts used instead of hosels and ferrules, leading to the clubs being rejected by our inspection team.

Damage to shafts

We cannot accept any clubs with dents, cracks, or splits in their shafts. Clubs sent with these faults will be put into quarantine by our team.

Mis-matching shafts

All clubs in a set of irons must have matching shafts. The shaft must be the same brand, model, flex and length.

All items sent to Golfbidder are inspected individually, and our inspection team has the final say on whether or not a club meets our standards.