Tom Irwin and PGA Professional Jack Backhouse build the ultimate second-hand golf bag, revealing the best-value pre-loved clubs that still deliver elite performance today.
In golf, new product launches can often feel a bit relentless. Every season brings a new wave of drivers promising more distance, irons boasting new materials or geometry, and putters claiming revolutionary alignment. It can be fairly overbearing for a lot golfers to keep up with. That’s where second-hand equipment comes in…
A growing number of golfers are turning to the second-hand equipment market and so they should. It is a space filled with clubs that have already proven themselves in the hands of players at every level. These clubs are often only a few years old, still packed with modern performance, and available at a fraction of their original cost.
Few people understand this reality better than National Club Golfer’s Tom Irwin and PGA Professional Jack Backhouse. In a recent episode of The Your Golf NCG Podcast, the pair discussed which clubs they would include in the ultimate second-hand golf bag, and why. So, here’s what your ultimate second-hand golf club bag should contain…
Jack Backhouse was unequivocal in his recommendation of the Ping G410. He highlights that it is adjustable, forgiving, and available at remarkably low prices in the second-hand market. He explains: “The driver I would choose as what I would consider newest technology but best value is the Ping G410 driver under 200 pounds. It has all the adjustability in like loft sleeve and movable weight on the back of the head… really good, under 200 quid, absolute bargain.”
For Tom Irwin, the standout second-hand driver is the Titleist 915D, which he remembers fondly.
“I think probably the one I would choose is 2014 and it’s a Titleist 915D. I had one of those and I used to, I drove it really well with it. I think that Titleist make beautiful looking clubs,” he said. If someone asked me to draw a Titleist driver I would draw that one.”
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Irwin praises the 915D’s compact profile, deep face, low spin, and exceptional feel — qualities that still hold up today. Whichever one you choose, you will have a driver that continues to stand up extremely well against current offerings due to their stability, ball speed potential, and continued popularity.
Fairway woods are among the best-value items in the entire second-hand market because they depreciate quickly while losing very little performance. Both Irwin and Backhouse would recommend models from Ping and Callaway’s Epic Flash era. these are seen as excellent options for golfers seeking high launch, predictable spin, and consistent turf interaction. These clubs often cost under £100 yet perform at levels that only marginally trail the newest models.
Those mid 2010 fairway woods is a great place to start looking for some high value-for-money fairway woods.
Backhouse confidently names the Titleist AP2 irons as the best overall second-hand choice. He explains that they are forged, playable for a wide range of handicaps.
“The AP2s are brilliant playable for anyone from a 20 handicap down to a five or lower,” he said. “I think the best value irons you can buy are Titleist AP2s. They’re like an aspirational club, Jordan Spieth won all of his majors with AP2s. They’ve like just brilliant, absolutely brilliant and you can get them for like 300 quid.”
Irwin’s irons recommendation, like his driver, is very much a one of pure nostalgia.
“100% categorically the coolest set of irons of all time, the Ping i2s copper berylliums,” he claims. Although their performance is similar to the standard steel versions, he praises their unique looks and cultural status within golf.
Mizuno TP-19 irons should be the go-to for golfers looking for blades. Irwin calls them “proper, proper golf clubs” and notes that they are exactly what a traditional iron should look like. Nick Faldo used their predecessors to win the 1996 Masters, which only enhances their legendary status.
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Wedges are the trickiest second-hand purchase because grooves wear out faster here than anywhere else. While models such as Titleist Vokey and Cleveland RTX remain excellent choices, both Irwin and Backhouse stress that groove condition is more important than the brand name.
“Someone turned up the other day with a club with a wedge that, I kid you not, they weren’t grooves, they were like trenches,” Irwin recalled. “You should see the ball come back out of bunkers. It’s class.”
Putters, like all golf clubs, continue to develop at a rapid rate and go through constant trends. A trend that is definitely tightening its grip on the golf world are zero-torque putters. All golfers want clubs that will help them to play better without having to undergo drastic swing changes and that is what zero-torque putters are designed to do. No matter the style of your putting stroke, they are made to deliver plenty of forgiveness for better accuracy.
There is one downside; they’re not cheap. But, they’re plenty of mallet putters that deliver plenty of forgiveness for a range of golfers. Therefore, Backhouse’s top putting recommendation is the Scotty Cameron Phantom series, particularly because these mallets combine forgiveness with stability. He explains that he selected one specific second-hand model for only £130, describing it as “relatively new, good tech and good value.”
Irwin also emphasises modern mallet technology. He has hoped on board the zero-torque hype train and remains loyal to his own Scotty Cameron and Odyssey zero-torque putters, which he praises for their stability and consistency.
One myth that a lot of golfers believe is that shopping in the second-hand market is somehow a compromise when n truth it is an opportunity. Golfers often assume that to improve, they need the latest release or the newest piece of engineering. Yet both Irwin and Backhouse dispel this belief through their own experiences and knowledge.
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Many of these models they named were once the absolute pinnacle of golf engineering and have been trusted by major champions and elite players long before they found their way to the second-hand marketplace. Although buying new equipment is exciting and can be worth it or a lot of golfers, it is not always the most viable option.
But, this ultimate second-hand bag is more than just a budget solution. It is the joy of finding kit that truly works for you, regardless of how many people have owned it in the past.
Don’t forget to check out and like our YouTube channel – YOUR GOLF NCG – where you will find lots of hints, tips and equipment reviews.
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