Are Old Golf Bags Worth Anything? What To Know
If you’ve been a dedicated golfer for any period, chances are you probably have a mountain of equipment lying around.
Between attire, footwear, spare tees, and protective equipment, there’s no short supply of materials that a good golfer needs. Golf bags, mainly, are both essential and pricey.
If you’d like to avoid being wasteful and maybe even make some money in the process, turn in your old golf bag that’s still in good condition!
For more information about how to go about determining the value of that old bag, you have lying around — and for how to go about selling the one you think is worth something —check out our guide below.
Are Old Golf Bags Worth Anything?
Much like other types of sporting equipment, the worth of an old golf bag depends mainly on how well it’s been taken care of over the years and the quality of the materials.
Bags that are vintage or custom-made tend to be worth a fair amount, simply for their collectors' value. So, if you’ve got a golf bag that’s more appealing as a historical relic than as a bag to still use on the golf course, then it might be a bright idea to explore avenues for antique trading, such as high-end thrift stores or sports collectors.
Brand name bags are the most likely to catch a high price on the used equipment market.
Even if it’s not a brand name, a bag made of authentic leather will have greater value than nylon or polyester.
When sold at auction, some golf bags have sold for tens of thousands of dollars!
Of course, if the brand-name bag is damaged by poor storage and treatment that goes beyond the usual wear and tear, then it probably won’t bring in much money.
Bags made with high-quality materials are only as valuable as their maintenance, so keep the holes, rips, and missing pieces to a minimum.
What Can You Do With Old Golf Bags?
In today’s recycling culture and DIY projects, it’s a shame to think of a perfect golf bag going to waste or sitting in a landfill just because it’s not the newest model.
If you have a bag that you don’t use quite as often as you used to, then there are several alternatives you can pursue that would put that old bag to good use once again.
The first, and probably most obvious, is that you could try to sell it. Depending on its upkeep and quality, you could make a nice little profit off of it to put towards a new bag.
That said, there are other ways to repurpose an old golf bag creatively.
For starters, if your bag isn’t quite nice enough to be used out on the course, but is still capable of lugging equipment, then you could use it for other activity necessities, such as fishing rods, pool sticks, or gardening tools.
Another idea is putting the bag towards some creative interior decor. If you and your family are really into the sport, then a creative lamp or vase made out of a bag could be a nice thematic touch to your home.
If you deem your old golf bag to be of no resale or crafting value at the end of the day, donating to a local school program is yet another option. You get the bag out of storage, and a school athlete gets some otherwise unaffordable equipment.
How to Find the Value of Old Golf Bags?
1. Examine for Wear and Tear:
Since there are usually thousands of pieces of used sports equipment for sale-by-owner on the web, you’ll want to get more exact with your product description.
Before listing, you can probably get a good sense of the quality of your piece just by checking for rips, water damage, and other minor issues.
2. Check out a Value Guide:
If you’re not overly knowledgeable about golf bag brands and features, then a value guide will help you through the research process so you can get a good sense of its value before taking it to a second-hand store or attempting to sell online.
Like a Kelly Blue Book for cars, these guides describe the standardly accepted, PGA determined value of clubs, bags, and other equipment.
3. Locate an Antique Appraiser:
Vintage bags tend to be especially difficult to place in terms of value, as there are historical factors to consider.
It’s next to impossible for an inexperienced vintage dealer to appraise the value of a vintage bag themselves. Find an antique expert to do it for you instead, so you don’t short-change your bag’s worth.
Where Can You Sell Used Golf Bags?
Luckily, selling most used golf bags is a relatively simple process.
There are plenty of sites for advertising used sports equipment, so you can sell it yourself and keep the total resale price.
If you’d instead outsource the listing work to someone else, though, thrift stores, pawnshops, and second-hand sports stores are also a good option. They’ll still give you a competitive market price and get it off your hands and out of your garage immediately, with little effort on your part.
The only complication to this is if you deem your bag to be a vintage piece, in which case you’ll want to explore finding an experienced and specialized sports collector to fetch the highest price.
Conclusion
We suggest that you not despair at the site of an old golf bag taking up space in your garage. No matter the state of your bag, chances are it’s worth something to someone, so it’s definitely worth the effort of exploring resale, recycling, or donation options before tossing it in the trash.
For all you know, you might be sitting on a pretty valuable piece of equipment.
