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One very interesting thing we found is that people adopt a much more sensible and rational attitude when they are buying cars of great value than they do when buying golf clubs and equipment.

Now, it is well accepted across most sections of society that buying a slightly used Luxury car is often much better value than buying a brand new one because the difference in quality between a new and slightly used car of the same brand is not great, sometimes even negligible, while the difference in price can be very substantial. This fact is crucial in shaping car buyers' approach to buying cars of especially high value and quality.

But for some reason people do not naturally carry this way of thinking over to buying their golf equipment. There really is no reason why this rationale should not be equally valid when it comes to buying golf equipment as it is when buying used luxurious cars. Think about it like this: most people apply this thinking to buying a "Mercedes" or "Bentley," so why not apply this same thinking when buying premium brand golf equipment like "PING" or "Callaway."

Therefore one of the smartest things you can do to save big money is to buy slightly used golf clubs/equipment.

The first place to look is your local golf store. This is as always your first port of call for testing, advice and research before you make a buying decision.

Grips: Look for cracks and worn areas in the grip. If you find minor faults and the club is a premium high quality brand, you can easily arrange to get it re-gripped, so don't dismiss slightly 'faulty' clubs on this score. The main thing here is to make sure the quality of the club warrants further investment.

Clubheads: Face wear is what you're looking for. Clubs that have been used for a long time might have a shiny worn spot right in the center of the face. You really don't want these because the clubface won't hold the ball as well, which will be frustrating for a new golfer trying to master the basics. So make sure the grooves still have well-defined edges and stay away from clubs that show indentations in the clubface becaues these will affect the ball flight.

Set Consistency: If you're considering buying a set, line up and compare the clubs throughout the set. Make sure they all appear to come from the same, original set. You don't want to purchase a set of clubs consisting of different shaft types and different models, or where there is not a normal progression of lengths from club to club. Mixing and matching can also throw off the progression of lofts throughout the set as well as make it difficult for you to adapt to the feel of your set. Sometimes golf courses will assemble a set of clubs made up of old sets that have lost, missing or broken clubs. While the price is attractive, you'll be better off paying a bit more and getting a full set from one family.

Shafts: Make sure the graphite shafts don't have worn areas or other indentations that could cause weakness. Test the torque by twisting the grip and head in opposite directions. If there isn't great resistance, it's a sign of weakness. For steel shafts, look down the shaft to make sure it hasn't been bent back into shape by a frustrated golfer. Also, make sure all shafts in a set are the same so the clubs feel similar from shot to shot.

Prices for New Clubs of the Same Model: Sometimes you can find a brand new set of clubs for less than what that set is selling for used. It sounds crazy, but it happens more than you think, especially now that you have direct access to those notorious "overstock" or discount deals from savvy entrepreneur distributors via the internet. If someone buys a set and decides to sell it a year or two later, the set may be in great shape and can justifiably be priced high. But in the meantime, the manufacturer may have steeply discounted new sets to make room for newer inventory, because of discontinued production or numerous other reasons like we've seen at the start of this report.

So you can see that researching used golf clubs are a great way to access the best value deals on golf clubs. The used club sector of the golf club market is so well established that you will even find that manufacturers set up shop selling their own brand golf clubs in the second hand market. For example, Callaway, a major manufacturer of clubs and drivers, even has their own branch of business called "Callaway Pre-Owned." This is an official store selling authentic golf clubs actually manufactured by Callaway. Use these resources in your research for used clubs, its a very valuable tool in your arsenal.

Other great sources where you can find good quality 'almost new' premium brand golf clubs are online auction sites like eBay, which can turn up some great bargains. Again, if you do your research in a local golf store to begin with, you can zero in on the right clubs for you at the best prices.

Another fantastic offline source that throws up deep bargains are Resale shops and 'Overstock' outlets. Sports resale shops are the best as they specialise in sports equipment and can often access the best value from the manufacturers. They'll typically offer great deals on new beginner sets, and this can save you a ton of money off the regular prices. These stores are usually chains or independents which will have nationwide branches, so it's worth taking some time to check them out. Do an Internet search to find the locations of the stores close to you.

A brilliant way to discover some hidden bargains from newly frustrated golfers is "Craigslist.com." Its an amazing place to find nearly new clubs being offered for several times less cost than traditional online or offline sources of golf equipment. Remember a lot of golfers spend huge sums of money buying the latest premium brand, high technology golf clubs every season.

These golfers on Craigslist are usually people who are fanatical about their equipment, but very often tend to change their minds shortly after buying the latest clubs because they realise they got the wrong clubs. Therefore they offer their almost new premium brand high quality clubs up for sale for insanely low discounts, and you can snap up these offers because you'll have done your research and you can get the quality clubs you want from these resellers at incredibly low prices.

Trade In your clubs: Just like you could trade in your used car at a dealership, you can approach and ask your local golf store if they take trade-in golf clubs. If they're open to this, you should clean up your old clubs and bring them into the store for an appraisal to ascertain the price you could get for them. In general, you shouldn't expect to get a lot of money for your used clubs, but hopefully you can get enough cash back to take some of the sting out of the cost of your new clubs however you choose to buy them.

Look out for End of Season Sales: Major golf stores and mainstream retail stores are another great source of heavily discounted high-quality premium brands of bargain golf equipment. These deals are available at certain times both online and in the department stores.

The key to this type of strategy is timing. By searching for these deep discount deals near the end of the season, you will discover tremendous bargains that would otherwise be impossible to find. This usually happens because the stores are desperate to get rid of their 'overstock' for the season to make room for the new season, and so they offer the consumer one last chance at this years equipment at the lowest possible prices.

One of the very best times to buy in these stores is just after Christmas right before the beginning of the new season. This is the prime time when the all the major golf stores will offer huge savings on all the equipment they're trying to clear out to make room for the new stuff coming in for the up coming season. It is at this time more than any other that you'll find the absolute best bargains on all types of brand new, premium quality golf equipment.

This is moreso the case for all golf accessories like golf shoes, clothing and training aids. You can save the most money at these times by 'stocking up' on last season's equipment…remember you would have done your intensive research before now, so you'll get the best quality golf equipment at the lowest prices.

Do online stores really offer the best deals?

The short answer is yes. But you have to know exactly where to find them. There are lots of places online to get great deals, and the key benefit, the reason why it's in some cases the best source is one word: competition. There are so many online retailers battling each other constantly for your business that you can often find some ridiculously low prices. You just have to take your time and look.

The most remarkable thing about this is you don't even have leave the comfort of your own home to find these bargains. But remember, it pays in the long run to do some offline research in stores first so you'll know the right equipment to buy. The bottom line about bargain golf equipment online is to take your time and look in all the right places. Check out section 3 below for more information on buying golf equipment online...