How to Build Your Own Golf Clubs and Save Hundreds

Most direct-to-consumer golf club brands offer the opportunity to purchase heads only, and you’ll love the savings you see compared to purchasing assembled clubs. 

If you like the shafts you already have, buying heads only and putting them on your current shafts is a great way to save a bundle on an otherwise brand new set of sticks. Throw new grips on there for a completely new feel at half to a third of the cost you’d otherwise spend.

Even if you do assemble entirely new clubs, shaft, ferrules, and all, you’ll save a bunch of money.

If you’re shopping for the whole shebang, I’ve had the best luck with The GolfWorks. They offer all the components and tools you need and are very responsive to questions, whether you’re a novice or an experienced builder.

One of the fun parts about building your own golf clubs is the opportunity to tinker with different specs that you may have a hard time finding off the rack. However, that’s also potentially the most dangerous part of building your own clubs.

When you were a kid, did you ever mix every flavor of soda in your cup at a fast food restaurant, and wonder why nobody had invented that “flavor” before? The people who engineer golf clubs for a living are pretty smart. If you can’t find a specific and unorthodox spec, it could be because it just doesn’t work, not because nobody has thought of it before. 

When I built my 3-wood, my goals were simple. Build it as close to my 5-wood length and swingweight as possible, hit it at least 15 yards farther than that 5-wood, and more accurately than my driver. In order to get the swingweight spot on, I settled for a quarter-inch longer than my 5-wood, and everything else worked out as I’d hoped.

Get fit, or at least have a session on a launch monitor to learn your swing speed, shot shape tendencies, spin rates, and launch and descent angles. Figure out what your priorities are, what specific improvement you’d like to see, and how the components and specs you select can help. 

When you’re choosing your components, consider your goals and work backwards from there. Are you chasing distance, accuracy, or consistency? 

Figure out what your current club or set is doing right that you want to keep (shaft flex or loft structure, for example), and what you’d like to improve (forgiveness, workability, distance, etc.).

In addition to flex, most shaft models will describe the trajectory you can expect it to produce, which, can help you build a set tailored to your goals. 

Speaking of shafts, you’ll also want to pay close attention to the shaft weight. Iron shafts alone can range from 80 grams or less up to 130 grams, and weight impacts feel, trajectory, swingweight, swingspeed and ball striking.

You can also use the shaft weight, club head weight, and grip weight to calculate swing weight, at least to get a ballpark figure.

There’s more to selecting components than buying heads and shafts. You need to make sure the shafts and heads you buy fit together. It would be too easy to have one tip size that fits all club heads, so instead, here are the sizes you’re most likely to come across:

• .355” Tapered: Common in irons
• .370” Parallel: Also common in irons
• .335”: Standard for woods and drivers
• Hybrids: Could require any of the above; double-check the specs

Mix your two-part epoxy and use a mixing stick, toothpick, or golf tee to coat the inside of the hosel with epoxy. 

Next, put a thin layer of epoxy on the tip of the shaft and slide the ferrule down the shaft. This will smear some epoxy under the ferrule and prevent it from sliding up the shaft over time.

Then, ensure the tip has a thin, consistent layer of epoxy and slide the head into place. 

Make sure the tip of the shaft goes all the way into the hosel and, holding the head of the club, gently tap the butt on the ground to make sure it’s fully secure.

Using a paper towel and a little grip solvent, wipe down the hosel and ferrule to clear away all excess epoxy from that joint.

Once the epoxy is dry, you’re clear to put a couple finishing touches on the head side. This includes any loft or lie adjustments you want to make, and lastly, turning down the ferrule.

Once your club is assembled and finished, it’s time to install the grip. If you’ve never installed grips before, we have a complete how-to guide on that process, but it’s more or less as simple as putting grip tape on, adding solvent to the grip and the tape, and sliding the grip on in the proper alignment.

There are a million variables that will play into your final costs, but ballparking it, you can expect to save roughly 50% on golf clubs that you build yourself compared to buying off the rack from one of the major OEMs. 

If you’re able to use the shafts you already have, you can save a lot more than that. The same goes for folks who already have the supplies and tools needed.

Here’s a more detailed breakdown of what you could expect to pay for off-the-rack clubs from a retailer compared to building clubs yourself.

There are some pretty enticing reasons to build your own golf clubs. You can save a lot of money, build a set tailored to your game, and find a new hobby. Who knows, you might even end up with your own side business if you build a good set and start beating your playing partners on the course.

However, there’s also risk involved in building your clubs. You could invest hundreds only to make a costly mistake along the way or end up with a set that seemed good on paper but doesn’t produce the results you wanted. 

Club building is not for everyone, but for players who like tinkering, want to save money on clubs, or are curious about assembling their own equipment, it’s a fantastic DIY project that can end up helping your game. I know from experience.