Thursday, February 18, 2010

“Trading in your golf clubs is easier than ever (Sports Illustrated)” plus 3 more

“Trading in your golf clubs is easier than ever (Sports Illustrated)” plus 3 more

Trading in your golf clubs is easier than ever (Sports Illustrated)

Posted: 18 Feb 2010 12:19 PM PST

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Golf has changed so many ways in my lifetime that I can't even begin to count them. I'll just leave it at this — when I was a kid, we used to cut covers off golf balls, unwind the rubber stringing like a puzzle and speculate about what kind of toxic poison liquid was inside the remaining core. Fun stuff. I might as well be describing the engine in a Model T.

Fast forward to 2010: Apparently, I'm among the last to know that, thanks to a variety of companies and websites, trading in your clubs is now as easy and as common as trading in a car.

Your old clubs may not be worth a fortune in trade-in — just like your old car — but now there are avenues where you can trade or sell your equipment.

You already know about eBay and Craigslist. I decided to investigate the golf-specific sites and see what kind of deal I could make. Here are the sites I visited, and what I found out.

PGA.com Value Guide (valueguide.pga.com)
This is kind of like the Kelley Blue Book of used clubs. It bills itself, in fact, as "The National Standard for Golf Club Values." It's a good starting point. You can browse clubs by type or by brand. I've got a set of Ping i10 irons, brand new, and I want to see what they're worth. I click into their index of Ping clubs and find the i10 iron set with steel shafts.

The answer? Based on 630 transactions, the price range is a low of $156 and a high of $214. The estimated trade-in value for my set is $177. Great. I can get almost half of a new driver for that.

The resale value of my clubs, however, sounds a lot better. Resale value is what the clubs would go for if I tried to sell them myself, maybe on eBay, or if a golf retailer sold them. The range there is $312 to $428, with an average price of $355. I can pretty much afford a new driver with that.

All right, selling the clubs myself is too much of a hassle. Sad to say, I don't actually know how to take a photo with my cell phone camera and put it up on eBay, so I'm going the trade-in route. This is incredibly easy. All I do is get my estimate, print out a pre-paid UPS shipping label, box the clubs and send them in. In the return mail, I get a certificate for the value we agreed upon. I take that voucher to my local PGA Trade-In Network Facility, which in my case is my home club — Treesdale Golf & Country Club in Gibsonia, Pa. — and I've got $177 toward whatever equipment I pick out in the golf shop. Pretty slick. I also could've taken my credit to the local Dick's Sporting Goods, which is part of the PGA network.

Let's see if I can get a better deal.

Global Golf Trade In Center (globalgolf.com/tradein)
This online retailer not only takes trade-in equipment but also has everything for sale — clubs, balls, shoes, clothes, bags, apparel.

The process is similar at GlobalGolf.com. I identify the clubs I wish to trade by type (irons), brand (Ping), model (i10) and shafts (steel). I also have to check a box stating that the clubs don't need repairs. The set must have eight consecutively numbered clubs (if you're missing a 6-iron, for instance, no deal), and clubs must not have excessive wear, dents or rattles.

Bingo: GlobalGolf.com says my clubs are worth $175 in trade-in value. Now I can ship the clubs in. After evaluating them, GlobalGolf.com sends me a certificate for $175, which I can then use to shop on their website. Very easy. Now on to two major brands' sites.

CallawayGolfPreOwned.com
Here, you can trade in your equipment for Callaway gear — and that includes headcovers, bags and GPS units. I tried it out, and I liked that its check-in was more specific. Besides the usual info, I had to click on tags to identify the clubs as men's or women's, right-handed or left-handed, shaft type and set makeup. (In my case, 4-iron through pitching wedge, plus a sand wedge.) The value: $170. That amount is credited to your shopping cart, and you can then surf the website and purchase assorted Callaway equipment.

Also, the use of the phrase "pre-owned" just sounds better than used, doesn't it?

taylormadegolfpreowned.com
Very similar and also very easy to use. I identified my clubs, got a quote of $175 for trade-in value, and was then able to go shopping on the site using my new credit once I registered as a user and created a log-in.

There are many ways to trade or sell your unwanted golf clubs, but these sites are the best. It's easier than you might think.

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Spike orders timely "Back Nine" golf pilot (Reuters via Yahoo! News)

Posted: 17 Feb 2010 09:01 PM PST

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Gabey Baby buzzed up: Excited GOP: Energy on the right, divisions within (AP)

25 seconds ago 2010-02-18T13:14:45-08:00

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Top seed Stricker ousted at Accenture golf event (AFP via Yahoo! News)

Posted: 17 Feb 2010 06:28 PM PST

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TUCSON, Arizona (AFP) – Steve Stricker crashed out of the Accenture Match Play, becoming just the second top seed to lose in the first round of the World Golf Championships event.

Englishman Ross McGowan came out ahead in a tight match, sinking an unlikely 25-foot par putt to clinch the victory at the 19th hole.

"I knew I had a good chance at the beginning of the day," said McGowan. "On the whole I tend to stay level headed (but) it was quite exciting when that one dropped on 19."

The only other time a top seed has lost the event was when Tiger Woods lost in 2002.

The absence of Woods and compatriot Phil Mickelson in the 64-man field paved the way for McGowan's entry, as he inherited a spot despite not being ranked in the top 64 in the world.

It was a good, day, too for Japanese teenager Ryo Ishikawa, who produced a brilliant finish to win his first round clash.

The 18-year-old was among 32 players to advance to the second round at Dove Mountain.

"I was very nervous but first hole birdie start gave me a good experience and confidence," Ishikawa said after winning the final three holes to beat Australian Michael Sim 2-up.

Ishikawa is already a superstar at home, where he won the money title last year, and he showed why with a clutch performance down the stretch.

After winning the 16th with a par, he hit a brilliant bunker shot from 170 yards for a tap-in birdie at the par-four 17th, and then secured victory with another birdie at the last.

"Ryo?s a fantastic player. I think he can go all the way," said the vanquished Sim.

Stricker was philosophical in defeat

"That?s just the nature of the event," he said. "We both played really well and didn?t give each other many holes out there. But he started putting it really good coming in and obviously made a great putt to end the match."

In another upset, 57th seed Jeev Milkha Singh eliminated eighth-seeded Irishman Padraig Harrington 3 and 1.

"In match play, it all comes down to who holes more putts and I was lucky enough to do that," said Singh, of India.

Added Harrington: "He out-putted me. I putted badly (and) he putted well.

"I?m more than happy with how I played. In 72-hole stroke play, I?d still be in the tournament."

Defending champion Geoff Ogilvy did it easily, beating Swede Noren Alexander 7 and 5.

The event continues Thursday with 16 matches.

Last year Woods chose this event to make his return in the wake of knee surgery.

Although the embattled world number one isn't here, he made presence felt Wednesday as his agent announced he would meet a select group of media on Friday in Florida - his first public appearance since a November 27 car crash that led to revelations of marital infidelity.

"I don?t know what he?s going to talk about," British Open champion Stewart Cink said after winning his match. "I think this is maybe the beginning of the comeback process for him.

"It will be good to see Tiger?s face again and see that he?s actually out there somewhere."

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FoxSports.com To Launch Animated Golf Series (WebProNews)

Posted: 18 Feb 2010 09:49 AM PST

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FoxSports.com has partnered with Skadaddle Media on a new animated online golf series called "Of Course."

"Of Course" is set to debut on FoxSports.com on March 1, 2010. The series was written and produced by Skadaddle Media co-founders Todd Lieman and Jon Wank.

 The Flash-based series of five-minute webisodes offers a humorous look into what four men, who are friends talk about while on the golf course. "Of Course" will have a new webisode every other Monday on FoxSports.com.

Like traditional television programs, "Of Course" will spotlight and follow story lines specifically designed for each cast member, and introduce additional characters on an impromptu or recurring basis.  In the weeks between the series, Skadaddle Media will create 30-60 second video diary scenes, similar to those on reality shows.

"Of Course" has a Facebook fan page with nearly 1,700 fans since it launched a few weeks ago. It's also on Twitter with over 200 followers.

One unusual aspect of the series is that "Of Course" is recorded live and on location during actual rounds of golf played at Eagle Falls Golf Course in Palm Springs Valley, California.

"Although Of Course is designed to be funny, controversial, and entertaining, the real charm and appeal of the series lie in true-to-life undercurrents and those blink-and-you'll-miss-them moments of intimacy that consistently pervade the golf course experience - from the characters' interactions and relationships with women, to their wagers, smack talk, joking, cigar smoking, and alcohol consumption," said Lieman.
 

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