ClubsToHire

What ClubsToHire does

ClubsToHire, founded in 2010 by Irish entrepreneur Tony Judge, is the world's largest golf club rental business, offering traveling golfers the ability to book premium golf club sets online and collect them at airports, hotels, or golf courses across 27 destinations in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. The company operates a hybrid B2C model, generating 95% of sales through direct online bookings and 5% via trade agents and tour operators, with company-owned depots at flagship hubs (Faro, Malaga, Palma, Alicante, Barcelona) supplemented by local handler and partner networks elsewhere. The underlying platform combines an online booking system (WordPress/SitePress Multilingual CMS) with payment processing via Realex Payments and a damage/loss waiver product (Gold Cover Protection), supported by a membership loyalty program and franchise licensing in six European countries.

The business operates on a usage-based rental model with weekly pricing ranging from €40-€90 per set depending on destination, with supplementary revenue from Gold Cover Protection (€10/£10 per rental), gift vouchers (€50-€500 denominations, 5-year validity), franchise fees (initial investment from £5,000 plus rental stock, with projected franchise revenues of £25,000-£100,000+ after two years), and a partner pre-owned equipment platform (Clubstosell.com). Inventory comprises 2,000+ premium club sets from Callaway, TaylorMade, Ping, PXG, Cobra, Mizuno, Wilson, and Titleist, refreshed annually. The company has serviced 700,000+ golfers since inception, holds 58,000 active members, drives 300,000 annual unique website visits, and maintains a 4.8 Trustpilot rating. The company is privately held, profitable, debt-free, and bootstrapped without external venture capital.

Name

ClubsToHire

Legal name

GolfClubstoHire Limited

Website

https://clubstohire.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ClubsToHire is the world's largest golf club rental business, founded in 2010 in Dublin, serving traveling golfers at 27 global destinations with 2,000+ premium club sets from major OEMs, operating via direct online bookings, franchise licensing, and company-owned depots.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Golf Club Rental

NAICS

Recreational Goods Rental (532284)

SIC

Services-Equipment Rental & Leasing, Nec (7359)

akta.pro primary industry

Golf Clubs & Club Fitting Retail (CRAMAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Golf Bags, Carts & Travel Gear Retail (CRAMAGAC), Golf Clearance, Used & Trade-In Retail (CRAMAGAL)

Keywords

• Golf club rental
• Sports equipment rental
• Golf tourism services
• Travel golf clubs
• Rental franchise network

Headquarters

HQ city

Dublin

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Golf Club Rentals: Core revenue stream from renting golf club sets to traveling golfers. Pricing varies by location from €40-€90 per set per week, with additional charges for single-set bookings (€10 supplement at most locations), extended rental periods, and delivery/collection services. Minimum rental is 1 day, maximum is 6 weeks. The company has been profitable and operates without debt.
2. Franchise Fees and Royalties: Initial franchise investment starting from £5,000 plus rental stock, with expected annual franchise revenues of £25,000-£100,000+ after 2 years. Franchise model offers turnkey business with brand, systems, training, and marketing support.
3. Gold Cover Protection: Optional damage/loss waiver priced at €10/£10 per set per rental, providing reduced liability for damage and lost/stolen equipment.
4. Gift Vouchers: Gift vouchers sold in denominations of €50, €75, €100, €150, €200, and €500, valid for 5 years from purchase.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

ClubsToHire rents premium sets of golf clubs (driver, woods, hybrids, irons, bag, putter) to traveling golfers, allowing them to book online and collect equipment at airports, hotels, or golf courses across 27 worldwide destinations. The service is priced weekly (from approximately €40-€90 per set) with flexible rental periods from one day to six weeks, supplemented by Gold Cover Protection, gift vouchers, a membership loyalty program, and franchise operations.

Product overview

Clubs to Hire operates as a B2C golf club rental marketplace with both online booking platform and physical locations. The core offering is the golf club rental service spanning 27 destinations worldwide with over 2,000 rental sets from brands including Callaway, TaylorMade, Ping, Cobra, PXG, Mizuno, Wilson, Srixon, and Lynx. The business model combines an e-commerce booking platform with membership loyalty program, and extends to franchise operations, pre-owned equipment sales via Clubstosell.com, and gift voucher products. Additional services include Gold Cover Protection (damage/loss waiver), group booking discounts, and delivery/collection logistics at airports, hotels, and golf courses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Golf Club Rental Service The primary service: worldwide golf club rental at 27 destinations across Europe, Asia, and Africa. Customers book online and collect or receive delivery of premium golf club sets at airports, hotels, or golf courses. Sets include clubs from leading brands such as TaylorMade, Callaway, Ping, Cobra, PXG, Mizuno, Wilson, and Lynx.
• Membership Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Save golfers €900,000 on airline excess baggage charges
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Realex PaymentscoreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party payment processing provider operating a vault system for secure payment card storage. Customer payment card details are held by Realex Payments vault system rather than stored by ClubsToHire directly. ClubsToHire has self-certified compliance with PCI council standards.
• McGuirks GolfcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized collection point partnership for golf club rental in Ireland. Locations include Cork, Donegal/Letterkenny, Kerry/Tralee, and Limerick. Golf club rental sets must be collected and returned at McGuirks Golf shops at these locations.
• IAGTOminorOthersGlobal Golf Tourism Association membership, shown on website footer as part of industry partnerships.
• Golf Course OperatorscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnerships with golf courses, resorts, and hotels for club delivery services. Includes delivery to accommodations, golf courses, and resort locations across all 27 destinations.
• Golf Tour OperatorsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTrade partnerships with golf tour operators and travel agents who book on behalf of traveling golfers. Accounts for 5% of company sales.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• American Golf: Large UK golf retailer with multi-channel sales, club-fitting, and rental/trial services; broader sporting-goods retailer but overlaps with ClubsToHire on equipment access and the UK/Irish golf consumer.
• GolfNow: Global tee-time booking platform owned by NBC Sports; a broader incumbent in golf travel commerce that captures golfer trip-planning demand which ClubsToHire also targets through its destination content and SEO.
• Premier Golf: UK golf retailer and tee-time aggregator carrying premium OEM equipment; broader retail/booking platform that competes for share of golfer equipment spend adjacent to ClubsToHire's rental offering.

Emerging players

• Golf Travel Hub / Local Club Rental Operators: Smaller regional club-rental and golf-travel concierge operators serving individual destinations (e.g., Costa del Sol, Algarve); niche overlap with ClubsToHire's local-handler/JV model but lacking its global scale.
• Topgolf: Global golf entertainment and tech-enabled driving-range concept; competes more for golfer time and discretionary spend than equipment access, but shapes the broader golf participation landscape ClubsToHire serves.

Direct peers

• Your Golf Travel: UK golf holiday package operator serving European destinations with tee times, hotels, and equipment coordination; directly overlaps ClubsToHire's traveling-golfer segment and distribution geographies.
• Ship Sticks: Ship Sticks ships golfers' personal clubs door-to-door rather than renting at destination; directly competes for the same "skip airline baggage hassle" use case as ClubsToHire but solves it via logistics rather than rental inventory.
• Carr Golf: Ireland-based premium golf tour operator that bundles accommodations, tee times, and on-trip services including equipment provision; comparable Irish base and overlapping golf-travel customer with ClubsToHire.
• Golfbreaks: UK-headquartered golf travel package company offering tee times, hotels, and ancillary services to European and global golf destinations; competes for the same traveling-golfer wallet and often bundles club-rental add-ons similar to ClubsToHire's offering.

Others

• Clubstosell.com (ClubsToHire affiliate): ClubsToHire's own pre-owned club resale platform; not a true peer but illustrates the company's adjacent ecosystem play and competes indirectly with second-hand golf retailers like eBay Golf and GlobalGolf.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/clubs2hire
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCFPqa3ZVL_r-qDOgM4R9d3Q
• Facebookfacebook.com/clubstohire

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ClubsToHire