Golf Geeks Condition Guide Explained

We thought about this long and hard as there are many ways to ‘grade’ a golf club from numbers to symbols to words. In the end, we tried to keep it as simple as we could by splitting them into five categories.

It is important to note that grading a golf club by a set condition parameter is difficult as the condition is very much in the eye of the beholder. So, what one person might call 8 out of 10 another may only call 6 out of 10.

For this reason, our condition guide is precisely that. It’s a ‘guide’ to give you an idea of how we, at Golf Geeks, grade this particular item when it is compared to hundreds of others of the same or similar model & type.

These five categories are; Ex-Display, Ex-Demo, Good, Average & Below Average.

We will go through each one, in turn, starting with the highest level of condition and move down the scale until we get to ‘Below Average’, which is our lowest category.

It is worth mentioning here that there are times when a golf club falls below this category and will therefore not be offered for sale.

We have included some images of each condition to help with the explanations as we go through.

“Ex-Display” is our highest-grade condition. This club(s) has come from one of our PGA Pro-shop partners or golf retailers and has been on display for sale in the shop. It has been subject to people touching it a looking at it. It has maybe been what we call “shop swung” which means it may have been swung a few times in a shop environment.

It may or may not have the plastic wrapping on the head and grip, some will and some will not, it just depends on the situation.

To make the Ex-display condition, it will show no signs of having hit a golf ball. Sometimes a shop will agree to let a customer hit a club in a bay or on the range and will tape it up using some sturdy tape. Once this is removed it is impossible to tell a club has been used. If, however, it does show signs of hitting a golf ball, it would not qualify for Ex-display, it would fall into Ex-demo.

The next level is “Ex-Demo”. Most shops each year will have a certain amount of stock that is allocated as a demonstration model. This is a club that the shop will let its potential customers take to the range to see how they get on with it.

Over time we have seen a wide variance of the condition of ex-demonstration clubs due to the policy of each facility when it comes to taping up clubs while being used.

Because Ex-Demo is our second-highest grade of a club, it will only show light signs of being used, probably while being taped up. If a genuine ex-demo club came in and it showed more signs of usage then we are comfortable with it would be graded appropriately and not automatically fall into our Ex-Demo category.

So, if you buy an Ex-demo condition club from us, you know that it is only going to show very light signs of being used as it is a high level on our condition scale.

The “Good” category is reserved for clubs that are not necessarily current models but show minimal signs of wear or usage. These include clubs that may have been bought, used a few times, and then put in the garage for a few years before being traded in for example.

If selecting a golf club in “Good” condition from the Golf Geeks website you are safe in the knowledge that you are buying the very best quality second-hand gold club available.

A large percentage of the Golf Geeks stock will fall into the ‘Average’ category as this is where the majority of used golf clubs reside.

Don’t let the word average fool you as this category is full of fantastic, fully functional golf clubs that show the normal ‘fair wear & tear’ you would expect of any golf equipment that has been used for the purpose it was designed.

It will have varying amounts of aesthetic markings including scratching, rubbing, strike pattern wear, fading of graphics or logos, grips showing signs of usage, light shaft rub from being in a golf bag etc.

But it is still an excellent golf club with plenty to offer its new owner.

Our final category is ‘Below Average’ and is the lowest condition that we sell.
These clubs will show an over average level of wear & signs of usage but, crucially, are still fully functional in performance.

What is very common in this category is to have an iron set where perhaps the 7-iron and pitching wedge show heavy signs of use due to being the chosen practice clubs at the driving range. Still, the others would categorise as ‘average’. This means you can get a terrific bargain on these clubs if you’re happy to accept this aesthetic wear.

As stated above when it comes to this level of condition, we are more interested in whether the clubs perform as they should rather than how they look so you can be safe in the knowledge if you buy equipment at this grade it is going to function correctly.

On the website, there will be at least ten pictures of each item we are selling with a full description paying particular attention to any defects, so you are entirely aware of these before purchase.