Japan Is A Treasure Trove Of Used Clubs

Shopping for used golf clubs is always a treasure hunt, whether you're browsing in person, on a local online marketplace, or hunting down clubs on the other side of the world. As Forest Gump once said, "Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you're gonna get."

And thats exactly what it feels like to shop online (in my case eBay) for used clubs in Japan, because if you know what to look for and have some basic knowledge of the brands there, plus ones that aren't around any longer - you can find some of the most outrageous deals of your life.

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Japan is a golf-crazy country, and beyond the brands we have here in North America, it also has a lot of exclusive JDM (Japan Domestic Market) products that are only sold there.

So, once clubs hit the used market online, it can be easy to find deals since the overall market for these exclusive brands is smaller outside of the country. And (at least at the moment), the dollar is also valued a lot higher than the Yen, meaning the exchange rate gets you even more bang for your buck.

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This is how I recently bought my used set of TourStage X Blade 901s. Sure they're from the early 2000s, but considering that a forged blade is still a forged blade (as long as the blade shape and sole works for your swing), why not search out the funky stuff.

Fun tech fact: The Tour Stage X-Blade 901, was one of the first irons to utilize a co-forging process to embed titanium into the muscle of the blade. This is common place now with TaylorMade, Bettinardi, and even Maxfli using this process with various materials in their irons to improve feel and forgiveness—but 20 years ago it was truly cutting edge.

If you happen to be on eBay, and you happen to be looking for clubs from Japan, I would suggest starting with forged irons from the previously mentioned brands - my preferred choice is Tour Stage.

These irons were all generally forged and built in Japan, and thanks to the forging process are easy to bend and adjust to spec - which is important when buying used clubs. If you're looking at a particular model, a quick Google search will deliver the stock specs and any other info you might be curious about to help you find the category that fits you best: blade, smaller cavity back, pocket cavity, and more game improvement.

Be aware that based on demographics most sets are sold 5-PW rather than the North American standard of 4-PW, so be sure to pay attention to listings. And as far as shipping is concerned it's fast and relatively inexpensive (in some cases free and built into the price) - for example by irons arrive direct from Japan in 5 days including a weekend.

So if you're looking to add to your golf club collection, seeking our unusual goodies, or just building an inexpensive set that might also get your playing partners asking a few questions, look no further than to Japan for all your used gear needs.