Buying used clubs

[shermanM4A1]

How can I tell whether or not a used golf club (I'm mostly talking about irons) is still playable?

Also, do small dings on the club face really affect the club's ability to hit the ball straight?

[DavidFehertysBike]

Along as the grooves dont have gashes in them, the shafts arent bent, and the bodies arent rusted, you can game 'em. Small dings will not effect the performace of the club, what so ever.

[PiKapp23]

With cast clubs the only thing to look for is that the grooves are not worn out and that the club still looks good in terms of the head and shaft. With forged clubs you have pay a little more attention (because they are typically a softer metal than cast clubs). Again, you looking at the grooves as the most important sign that the clubs are good, but you also need to watch for major 'dings' on the clubhead and make sure the hosel doesn't look strange (sometimes it can look like it's been twisted or bent at an angle that is a little 'off', both of which could potentially be indicators of weakness). Another thing to check with forged clubs is that the lofts and lies are not completely out of whack (this can happen easily with forged clubs, but as long as the hosel looks good they can typically be adjust correctly without issue).

I've played several used/pre-owned clubs over the years and have never had a problem other than lofts and lies needed to be adjusted. Typically, if hte grooves look good then they'll be fine.

[ks8829]

about 95% of the used club that you see on-line are playable, nick, ding and scratches usually does make a difference at our level of play.

[shermanM4A1]

Ok. If I buy clubs on ebay, and there is a picture of the club face, how can I tell whether or not the grooves are any good?

Also, are certain brands of golf clubs more durable than others? I've heard that Callaway, TaylorMade and Ping make high quality clubs that last for a while, and I just want to verify whether that is true or not.

[GaijinGolfer]

If the grooves look worn down, dont buy. Little dings, nicks and scratches wont hurt the clubs performance, the grooves are what matters.
The big key with Ebay is to buy from a reputable seller. As long as the seller has over 1,000 for a feedback score and their rating is 99% or more, you should be fine.
Ive dealt with 3Balls a lot and I highly recommend them.