Most used club companies focus on one thing: move equipment, move on. GolfRoots is not one of them. In fact, founder Benjamin Stromberg will tell you straight up that selling clubs is necessary at least interesting part of what they do.
“We don’t want to be just another used club company. We want to be a golf company that sells used clubs. Clubs are the means, golf is the destination.”
that Only the mindset puts GolfRoots in a different lane. Yes, they move a ton of pre-owned equipment. Yes, they have created real space in the second hand market. But at its core, GolfRoots is a service organization: a guide for beginners, a valuable port for experienced golfers, and a community builder in an industry that desperately needs more of all three.
And it all started with two students in their parents’ garage.
Chapter One: A garage hustle with serious intentions
Most of us have old clubs gathering dust. Stromberg had the same thing, but he turned it into a business.
“It started my senior year of college with a few clubs I had sitting around the garage… I sent friends and neighbors clubs because I didn’t have the money, sold them, reinvested them and did that over and over again. That’s how the business started.”
What started as a few listings on Facebook Marketplace is now a team of 20 people shipping gear nationwide. But the most interesting part? GolfRoots is not limited by demand. It is limited by inventory. Golfers love what they offer. They just can’t buy clubs fast enough.
Their resource model is smart.
- Commercial events in private clubs
- Partner/OEM channels
- Direct consumer purchases
At a GolfRoots Trade-In event, a club member drops off old equipment with a GolfRoots team member and receives store credit. GolfRoots pays the pro shop for that loan, collects the inventory and ships everything to the central hub.
“It creates incremental sales at zero cost to the club, we get inventory and the member cleans out the garage.”
Victory for the club. Win for the golfer. Win for GolfRoots. This triangle is basically the blueprint for how this company works.
Mission: Remove barriers, build belonging
The GolfRoots logo features three roots, symbolizing the three barriers that Stromberg believes block players from entering and staying in the game.
- Equipment cost
- Confusion about equipment, rules and etiquette
- Feel like you don’t belong in golf
They attack all three with the same level of intent.
1. Cost: Premium equipment at fair prices
GolfRoots offers curated used equipment and premium previous generation clubs at prices that would make even the most frugal golfer wince in approval. They also build complete sets of clubs, offering pre-made, high-quality options at all budgets.
And they are not sold. They don’t guard the gate. They don’t force “newest = best”.
“The older TaylorMade and Callaway sell out so quickly. You can still play with older equipment and get similar results,” says Stromberg.
If you’re a bargain hawk, you’ll fit right in here.
2. Education: Help golfers feel safe
Their content is not “here’s the new release”. It is…
- Here’s what matters.
- Here’s what it doesn’t have.
- Here’s what your money’s worth.
- And here’s how to enjoy golf without thinking too much about equipment.
“We create educational content so people understand the rules, etiquette and equipment, and we try to build a community by making it fun and accessible.”
3. Community: Helping people who belong
The company partners with “welcoming, chill, as-serious-as-you-want-to-be” spaces like Golf Ranch to host events that take the pressure off newcomers.
“We want to be a guide, especially for new players,” Stromberg points out. “With our ‘Root Sets’ we call and check … It doesn’t have to be transactional. It has to be transformational.”
In a sport that can be intimidating, someone calls you to ask how the golf is going? This is different. This matters.
A club experience best used from start to finish
GolfRoots refuses to sell through eBay or major marketplaces. Not because they can’t, but because they don’t want to relinquish control of the experience.
“Controlling the experience is how we set ourselves apart. If demand generation was our problem, we’d be selling everywhere.”
This check allows those who
- Inspect each club
- Clean, photograph and rate constantly
- Send quickly
- Stick to what they sell
- Interact directly with the customer if things go wrong and especially when things go well
Golfers who can afford it all still come to them for one reason: BS-free value.
Why GolfRoots Matters in a Growing Resale Market
The used club market is exploding. But most platforms fall into one of two categories.
- Aggregates with big boxes – large volume, inconsistent quality
- Peer-to-peer applications — buyer beware, good luck with returns
GolfRoots sits between the two.
- More reliable than random markets
- More personal and education-focused than big box resellers
- More mission driven than both
Their model fills a void for beginners AND experienced players chasing the best bang for their buck.
OEMs should also pay attention.
“We do so much free marketing for them – teaching people about the brand and the clubs – and we introduce younger players to their equipment, building brand loyalty early on.”
Translation: the resale world is not a threat; it’s a pipeline.
Innovation where the market says no
When ball manufacturers would not accommodate lower prices for game growth initiatives, GolfRoots built its own solution.
A three-piece polyurethane ball for $24.99 a dozen, $18.99 bulk. An even more affordable subscription model and revised bulk pricing are coming soon.
“Are they the best ball on the market?” asks Stromberg. “Absolutely not. Are they good? 100 percent.”
Next are the oysters: three models priced under $100. These paws are designed to be used with their Just The Roots Set players and complete sets and will also be available for individual purchase.
The message is clear: if the industry won’t help beginners play better golf for less, GolfRoots will.
A culture that had to be broken to grow
Stromberg openly admits he had to change.
“We had a bad culture at one point. I was micromanaging. . . . We rebuilt with people who were the right fit and I stepped down.”
Today, the company is built around “intrapreneurs”: people who experiment, build and solve problems without the need for rigid playbooks.
What golf really needs right now
The GolfRoots story is bigger than reselling.
It’s a story about access.
About the service.
To help golfers stay in the game, not just enter.
About building a business model that matches the growth of the sport instead of squeezing it.
“Our mission is to make the game more accessible and sustainable… We are a golf company and the goal is to help people belong.”
In a world where so much of golf can seem transactional, GolfRoots is a reminder that golf can also be transformative.
And for players looking for great gear, fair prices and real guidance? This is a company worth supporting.
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