8 Best Golf Clubs for Beginners: Top Picks & Buying Tips

So you have decided to take up the game of golf. This is supposed to be an exciting and fun time in your life. Unfortunately, if you have started the golf club search, you are probably already very overwhelmed.

Purchasing golf clubs is overwhelming, even for low handicap golfers. 

We are here to offer some suggestions for the best golf clubs for beginners and to give you some insight as to how to choose the right set for your needs.

Our Best Golf Clubs for Beginners in 2024




Why Is A Golf Set Ideal For Beginners?

Beginner golfers do not need to worry about trying to piece together a complete set of golf clubs for their needs. The complete golf set offers perfectly loft gapped clubs at a fair price. For a person that is looking to start the game this is by far the most affordable and smartest choice for a beginner player. The functionality of a beginner golf set is all that players need to develop a lifelong passion for the game.

Best Golf Club Set for Beginners: Strata Ultimate 16 Piece Complete Set



PROS

  • Great price
  • Forgiving but plenty of distance
  • Perfect set makeup
  • High performing hybrids
  • Great lightweight golf bag

CONS

  • Not available in shaft options

There is no question for us that the Strata sits at the top of this list. Callaway Golf designs the Strata Golf Ultimate 16 Piece Complete Set, and it gives the beginner and high handicapper all of the most essential features that they need in their game.

For starters, the Strata comes with a Driver, 3 wood, 4 and 5 hybrid, 6-9 iron, PW, SW, and a beginners putter. This is truly an ideal set makeup for the new golfer.

You always want to have a mix of hybrids, woods, and irons in a beginner set. Once the new golfer decides what feels best for their game, they can always add a few more clubs back in.

The Strata set is all about increasing forgiveness and performance without decreasing distance. You can still hit some tremendous yardage with these golf clubs.

Our favorite part of the set is the high performing hybrids. Hybrids have become known as being the easier clubs to hit in the bag, and these Strata choices are no exception. They have a low center of gravity and work just as well out of the rough as they do out of the fairway.

We love that the Strata Ultimate includes a sand wedge. There is a slightly less expensive Strata set that does not include the sand wedge, but this is a club that you are going to want in your bag. A sand wedge will make greenside shots much more productive than a pitching wedge can do alone.

The Callaway Strata comes with a lightweight stand bag perfect for walking the golf course. Beginners will learn how to hit the ball straight real quick when walking from one shot to the next!




Best Alternative #1: Wilson Golf Profile Platinum Complete Set



PROS

  • Quality components
  • Easy to launch
  • Plenty of distance
  • Nice golf bag

CONS

  • Not quite as forgiving as number one choice

Falling just shy of the first place spot is the Wilson Golf Profile Platinum Package Set. The Wilson Golf Set is not going to be quite as forgiving, and it costs just a little bit more, but there is a reason it grabbed our number two spot. 

When you purchase a set of beginner golf clubs, you probably have a general idea of how committed to the game you are going to be. If you are planning on sticking with this for a while, Wilson will be a great choice. The clubs have a little more performance than forgiveness, and you will want this as you improve. 

The Wilson driver features a black PVD finish that will reduce glare and look great as well in the bag. In addition to the driver, you also get a 5 wood, 5 hybrid, 6-SW, and a putter.

We love the combination of having both a wood and hybrid to hit. You may need to bulk the set up with another wood and another hybrid at some point, but this is a great start. 

The face on all of these golf clubs is both hot and thin. Through the years, golf manufacturers have realized that the thinner the face, the better initial ball speed you can get out of a golf club. We were impressed with the distances that this so-called beginner set produces. 

Suppose you struggle at all with getting the ball in the air (which is very common for a beginner golfer) then the Wilson will have your back. You can get plenty of launch and control the ball the way you need to.

If you want an excellent set for a beginner but want to be able to play shots that make you look like you have been playing this game forever, the Wilson is a great choice.




Best Alternative #2: Tour Edge Golf Bazooka 470 Black Complete Set



PROS

  • Full set makeup
  • Lightweight golf bag
  • Steel or graphite options
  • Easy to hit but great feel as well

CONS

  • Might not be great for a very fast swinging player

Next on our list is the Tour Edge Bazooka 470. This set is going to be similar to the Wilson in that it offers high-quality components that will take you from the beginner stage to the mid handicapper stage with ease.

If you don’t want to purchase a beginner set and are purchasing a new set next year, you will love the Tour Edge 470.

The Bazooka 470 is a full set with a great mix of irons, wedges, woods, and hybrids. You can get this in an all graphite option or a steel/graphite option. The steel graphite option will have irons that are steel, and the rest of the clubs will be graphite. Depending on your swing speed, it is nice to have this choice.

The flex of both the steel and the graphite set is going to be a uniflex. The uniflex option is supposed to be a flex that works for most players. It is very close to a regular golf shaft.

However, many people with slightly faster swing speeds have also had luck with the 470 Black.

Another thing about this set that pulls it all together is the golf bag. You can get either a stand or cart bag in the 470, and they are color coordinating with the golf clubs themselves.

If you are particular about how you look on the golf course, you will like the Tour Edge options quite a bit.

Read our Tour Edge Bazooka review.




Best Golf Clubs For Senior Beginners: Wilson SGI Complete Golf Set



PROS

  • Great option for seniors
  • Senior shaft is easy to hit
  • High performing hybrid
  • Low center of gravity irons

CONS

  • May need to add more hybrids in the long term

Many golfers don’t get the change to take up the game until they become a senior. Golf is a time commitment, and it often cannot be a sport of choice until someone has time to add a hobby to their life. Fortunately, several golf club manufacturers (like Wilson and Cobra) have created some great options for seniors

One of the things to keep in mind about complete golf sets for seniors is that the clubs are going to all have graphite shafts. Seniors need graphite shafts to get all the distance they can get.

You will also see that most golf set makeups for seniors will not include a 5 iron. They will include more hybrids and fewer irons overall. 

The Wilson SGI senior set is a great value, and it comes with large and forgiving clubheads and slightly oversized grips as well. You will also notice that the club probably has a bit more offset than other beginner and high handicapper options on the market. 

The driver that comes with this senior beginner golf set has some extra loft to help you get the ball in the air off the tee. Many seniors are using a three wood as a driver because of the difficulty of hitting a driver. With a little extra loft you may be able to get some of your distance back. 

Another great feature with the Wilson set is the fact that you get the high performing and top rated sand wedges as well. There is no reason that seniors need to fall behind when it comes to chipping and putting.

This sand wedge is easy to launch, has a large sweet spot, and can help you get the ball up and down from anywhere around the green. 




Best Golf Clubs For The Serious Beginner: Tour Edge 2020 Hot Launch 3 OS to-Go



PROS

  • Triple combo set
  • High spin wedge
  • Easy to hit putter

CONS

  • A little more expensive than other choices

Tour Edge is very well known for making a great golf set of clubs. They offer a variety of options for golfers of all playing types. We love this brand new release the Hot Launch 3 OS for a beginner or a high handicapper.

Every part of this set is designed to help make golf more relaxed and more enjoyable. The clubs come with a regular flex shaft that will fit a wide range of players.

The only downside to these clubs is that they cost a little more money than other choices. However, they are still some of the best value golf sets you can find.

This Tour Edge set is what they call a Triple Combo. This is because in addition to the driver, fairway woods, and hybrids Tour Edge also includes some irons woods. An iron wood is not a typical golf club that other manufacturers produce.

The iron wood is a combination of an iron clubhead and a hybrid clubhead. It has a large sweet spot and is much easier to launch than a traditional iron. With the popularity of hybrid irons, this set is a great choice for a beginner who needs extra forgiveness and help with their golf clubs.

The Tour Edge clubs are a bit offset as well, so they will help when it comes to slicing the ball if that is a concern for a high handicapper or a beginner. Overall the quality on this set makes them a really great choice for the money.




Best Premium Golf Clubs for Beginners: Cobra Golf 2020 Airspeed Complete Set



PROS

  • Premium high-quality golf bag
  • Comes with 3 wood, 5 wood, and 2 hybrids
  • Great feel on all clubs
  • High performing putter
  • Lightweight and large sweet spot

CONS

  • Premium pricing

If budget is not an issue for you, then the Men’s Airspeed Complete set are some of the best clubs in golf for the beginner. This set comes with a driver, 3 wood, 5 wood, 4 Hybrid, 5 hybrid, 6-PW, SW, Putter and a premium golf bag.

This will undoubtedly be our highest priced set on the list, but when you consider the benefits and the quality you may be pleasantly surprised.

If you can’t tell by the name of the set, the Airspeed is all about getting more ball speed. Beginners and high handicappers traditionally struggle with getting enough distance. This is a set of clubs that have taken every measure to be longer and faster as well.

The Airspeed has a light grip, a light shaft, carbon in the club head, all the things necessary to get you more distance in all areas of your game.

The irons have a low center of gravity and plenty of launch. If height on the golf shot is a problem, then the Airspeed is an excellent choice.

The blade putter is a traditional design with a machined face. You will get an incredible feel with the Airspeed set, and that is really where you see the difference when it comes to a more expensive set vs the cheaper set.




Best Low Budget Golf Cubs For Beginner: Aspire X1 Complete Golf Set



PROS

  • Great pricing
  • Comes with a fairway wood
  • Lightweight stand bag

CONS

  • Not the greatest feel
  • Does not come with a SW

If our favorite premium choice has you scared, try not to fear. There are plenty of lower priced clubs for golf on the market. The Aspire X1 is a relatively new complete golf set design. You will notice that this set comes with a driver, fairway wood, hybrid, 6-PW, putter, and a stand bag

The only real issue we have with this set of clubs is that it does not come with a sand wedge. The sand wedge is an excellent addition for when you are working on your short game. Luckily, with this set price, you can probably add a sand wedge in for a small cost and still have room left in your budget. 

All of the clubs in this beginner’s set are going to be graphite, which will help to increase swing speed and distance for the beginner golf player.

You will not get the same feel or performance from a set like this then you will get from a $1000 set, but you certainly get a great value for the price you pay. 




Best For Distance: TaylorMade RBZ Speedlite



PROS

  • 460 cc titanium head
  • Higher MOI
  • Impressive wedge for scoring

CONS

  • Pricing is quite a bit higher than other options

TaylorMade has not always been known for its complete set of options. For many years TaylorMade only made a complete set that was going to work for female golfers. With the new addition of the TaylorMade RBZ Speedlite, there are now high performing options for men as well. 

The great thing about the TaylorMade Speedlite is that it is made of premium components. 

The clubs are lighter in weight, have a higher launch, and will spin and react better than other golf clubs on the market. 

When you think about the individual components of the TaylorMade RBZ Speedlite, you will have to consider that the pricing on these would be considerably higher if they were sold as individual components. 

To get great TaylorMade golf club sets, you are probably going to spend over $2000. When you consider this, the TaylorMade RBZ Speedlite is a great deal. Lower center of gravity, high launch, and some of the longest distance on the market make the TaylorMade RBZ Speedlite an excellent option for golfers.




What to Look For when Buying Golf Clubs for Beginners?

Choosing a set of golf clubs for a beginner or a high handicapper can be overwhelming. Everything sounds as though it is going to be ultra forgiving and ultra helpful for your game.

How can you possibly narrow down what makes the most sense and what is just marketing lingo? That is where we come in.

In this beginner golfer buying guide, you will get all the information you need to make sure you get the best golf set for you.

What Golf Clubs Make Up A Set For Beginners

There are specific features about each of the golf clubs in a set that you should be looking for as a beginner golfer. Some of the best clubs are not the best for beginners.

We have broken down some of the most important keywords to consider when looking at each of the individual golf clubs in the set that you purchase.

Driver

A beginner driver should be high loft so that you get the most forgiveness that you need. The extra loft makes the club naturally easier to hit.

It’s a well-known fact that beginners are going to miss the center of the clubface quite often. Choosing a driver with a large sweet spot will certainly help make sure the misses are not bad.

  • High lofted
  • Large sweet spot
  • Graphite shaft
  • High moment of inertia
  • Lightweight

Check out our guide on Best Drivers For Beginners & High Handicappers.

Fairway Woods

A beginner’s set usually comes with one and sometimes two fairway woods. A fairway wood can be a great choice to hit off the tee until you get a bit more comfortable with your driver.

Fairway woods for beginners are usually very lightweight and have a larger profile clubhead. As players improve, they will want smaller, more compact club heads.

A beginner should keep in mind that the more loft a golf club has, the easier it will be to hit. The 3 wood is generally a more difficult club to hit than a 5 wood. If you struggle with your fairway woods in the beginning, it may just take a bit of time to get used to hitting them off the fairway.

  • Large clubhead
  • Lightweight
  • Higher loft is easier to hit
  • Graphite shafts
  • Make sure the set includes at least one

Check out our guide on Best Fairway Woods For Beginners & High Handicappers.

Hybrids

Your hybrid will be your best friend as a beginner. Most people used to say that the 7 iron was their favorite club in the bag, but the hybrids have certainly started to take the place of the favorite club.

The reason a hybrid is so important in the sets for beginners is that it can be used out of the rough, from the fairway, and even from a tee. Replacing long irons with hybrids is not just a smart choice; it should be the only choice for a beginner.

Some golf club sets come with several hybrids, and some come with just one. We highly recommend making sure that you have at least one hybrid with your set, and you can always add more in should you need to at some point.

  • Easy to hit from rough or fairway
  • Try to choose a set that has several included
  • Lots of launch
  • Soft landing
  • Plenty of distance
  • Replace all the long irons with hybrids for beginners

Check out our guide on Best Hybrid Golf Clubs For High Handicappers & Beginners.

Irons

Beginners really only need a few irons in their bags. If you ended up with a seven, eight, nine, and pitching wedge, that would be plenty. The irons should be cavity back, perimeter weighted, and most likely, it will also be best to have a club that is a graphite shaft.

It takes a little bit of time for beginners to get good at hitting irons. You must hit down and through an iron shot and take a little bit of a divot to hit it accurately. Unfortunately, this seems like a foreign concept and takes a bit of time.

Luckily the irons included in most of the beginner’s clubs are going to have plenty of forgiveness and distance as well.

  • Look for a low center of gravity
  • High launch
  • Don’t try long irons
  • Graphite shafts may be best for beginners
  • Cavity back irons should be chosen

Check out our guide on Best Irons for Beginners & High Handicappers.

Wedges

A wedge is a scoring club. Beginners will quickly realize that if you can’t perform with your wedges, you will not be able to score well. Since the Wedge is so important, you must make sure that the clubs you choose come with the proper equipment.

There are four basic wedges in golf.

There are no beginner complete golf sets on the market that will carry all of these wedges. You won’t need to have every single one in your bag to succeed however, it is important to at least have something with medium loft and something with high loft.

The high-lofted clubs can help you get out of the bunker or get the ball up quickly and back down on the green without very much roll.

Unfortunately, some of the clubs for beginners come with only the pitching wedge and no other wedges. We highly recommend putting another wedge in your bag at some point.

Check out our guide on Best Wedges for Beginners & High Handicappers.

Putter

The two main types of putters are blade putters and mallet putters. All clubs for beginners will come with different types of putters. Traditionally speaking, the mallet type is going to be the best for beginners because it’s easier to learn how to manage speed. This is why beginners should think about the Odyssey Stroke Lab black putter, which is one of the best mallet putters on the market.

Another reason that the mallet is usually one of the better golf clubs for beginners is because of its easy alignment.

Alignment is difficult when you first start playing golf because you are standing parallel to your target and not directly in front of it. A puter that has great alignment lines is best for the higher handicapper and beginner.

  • Choose something with easy alignment
  • Make sure it is the right length (or cut it down)
  • Mallet tends to be more forgiving
  • Blades are better on faster greens

Check out our guide on Best Putters for Beginners & High Handicappers.

What To Look For When Buying Golf Clubs For Beginners? 

When you look at golf clubs for beginners, there are some specific features and functionality that you should consider purchasing. The most important thing is to find a golf club set that fits your needs specifically. If you have products that work for your game, you can become a great overall player.

Shafts

Now that we broke down each individual club for you let’s start talking a bit more about golf club shafts. The shaft that is in your club is going to make all the difference when it comes to performance.

There are several different golf club flexes and two main golf club materials. This can be a bit confusing for beginners until they understand how these components work.

Shaft Material

The two primary shaft materials are graphite and steel. A steel shaft is going to be heavier, and it will also deliver a bit more accuracy than a graphite shaft. The graphite shafts will be lighter, so you will be able to hit it quite a bit further.

Some people believe that graphite shafts are more forgiving, but this is not always the case. In the sense that graphite shafts are lightweight and easier to swing around, they are more forgiving. However, because of their flexibility, they do allow more room for error.

If you are a beginner or high handicapper that has quite a bit of club head speed, you should be using a steel shaft. If you are a beginner that struggles to get distance and speed, then graphite is a perfect choice.

Shaft Flex

For men’s golf clubs, there are three main shaft flexes. You will be able to choose between stiff, regular, and senior. The only problem that you will run into when it comes to clubs for beginners is that most sets are only offered in the “uniflex shaft.”

Uniflex is an option that was created just for these beginners’ complete golf sets. It is designed to be a shaft that will work for a wide range of swing speed golfers, and it has a good amount of flexibility. A uniflex is going to be most closely related to a regular golf shaft.

Price

The price of beginners’ clubs is going to vary considerably. Some of the best clubs for golf are not going to always be the most expensive ones. In our reviews, the most costly set was the Cobra Airspeed, considering all the clubs included in this set are very high quality you would probably spend well over $2000 to put a set like this together.

Purchasing a set of clubs is much more economical than trying to piece a set together. You get the best value because manufacturers want to put together a complete golf set that fits your need for performance and value.

You should expect to get at least three to five years out of a beginner golf set. When you start shooting some lower scores, you will notice you feel a need to upgrade things like the driver and then the putter. You may feel as though the irons do not have enough distance or performance, and most likely, you will want to add a hybrid as well.

Cart or Carry Bag

When you purchase a complete golf set, it will either come with a stand bag or a cart bag. A stand bag can sometimes also be called a carry bag. These are best used when you want something lightweight, and you plan to walk while playing golf.

If you take a cart every time you go to play, then the cart bag will be best, as it will have the most storage for you. The cart bags used to be very heavy and cumbersome, but they have made some strides in recent years, and they are not that difficult to lift anymore.

Either the cart or the carry bag can be a good option; you just want to avoid the cart bag if you do a lot of walking.

Set Makeup

Although we touched on this a bit when we spoke about the individual clubs, it’s essential to mention what goes into a set. You want to make sure that the option you choose has the correct set makeup to help you grow from a beginner to an intermediate player.

Of course, you will need the basics like a driver and putter and a few irons. When it comes to the fairway wood and the hybrid, things aren’t always quite as clear.

You will want to make sure you have at least one hybrid in your golf bag, but preferably two. A hybrid will be a versatile and important golf club for a new player or a golfer who struggles with higher scores.

If the set that you fall in love with only has one hybrid, you can always add another without much trouble. If the hybrid does not match your other clubs exactly, that will not cause an issue. Just make sure that you check the degrees on the club and purchase one that is a different degree.

Some new golfers want a hybrid that will replace the 5 iron and 6 iron; others just need one for the 5 iron. It may take you a little while to get used to the set makeup that works best for you, and that is entirely acceptable. You will notice that most of the sets on the market are not full 14 club sets, so you will have room to add a few clubs.

Club Head Size

A beginner needs a large club head in order to be able to succeed. The larger club head makes it easier for beginners to make contact with the center of the club head. When beginner players can focus on this large sweet spot they are going to have a much easier time seeing early success on the golf course. 

Quality 

The quality of the beginner golf set is often reflected in the price. However, it is crucial to find a good deal on a golf set. Something that is incredibly cheap is probably not going to last very long. The more money you spend, the better the quality will be and the longer the clubs will work for your game. 

Appearance

Make sure that you like the look of the clubs that you purchase. Golf clubs can look quite different from one set to another. The overall look of the club head and the coloring of the golf club can really make the appearance stand out and change. You should look at your golf clubs and feel as though they give you confidence in your game. 

Forgiveness

All beginner golf club sets are made to be forgiving. Playing with a forgiving set of golf clubs makes the game more fun and will help beginners become mid handicap golfers and even low handicap golfers at some point. Key words to look for when it comes to forgiveness are offset, low CG, high launch, large sweet spot and draw bias.

Frequently Asked Questions

Buying a set of beginner golf clubs can be a big decision. You will need to ensure that you have everything you need to give yourself the best chance at this game. Here are some questions to consider before making your final purchase. 

What to Avoid when Buying Golf Clubs for Beginners?

Beginner golfers need to ensure that they are not buying a low quality set just to get involved in the game. These lower quality sets will often not last very long, and they may even make learning the game harder. Instead, spend a bit of extra money and give yourself a chance to become a great golfer. 

Why do I need Golf Clubs specific to beginners?

Beginner golf clubs are going to be higher launching and more forgiving. In addition, beginner golf clubs can help give golfers more distance on their shots. Essentially beginner golf clubs help players to have the best chance to succeed. 

Can women use the same golf sets as men?

Women golfers can use the same golf sets as men as long as they are tall enough and strong enough to have good results with the set. Most men’s clubs are about one inch longer than women’s clubs, and they can be a bit more difficult to swing. 

Which brands are the best for beginner golf clubs?

The Callaway Strata brand is the best for beginner golf clubs. However, Cobra and Wilson also make some impressive products that stand out for consumers. 

How often should I upgrade my clubs? 

Typically players need to consider upgrading their golf clubs every five to seven years. Depending on the type of clubs that you bought initially, sometimes you can wait up to ten years before upgrading. Every five years or so, there is a major shift in technology, and you could be leaving some performance on the table by not upgrading. 

What is a normal budget for beginner golf clubs?

The normal budget for beginner golf clubs is around $500 for a complete set. There are plenty of sets that are lower than this and others that will double the price, but if you want a basic set to go learn the game, that $500 mark is about right.

Conclusion

This guide is packed with information about the best golf clubs for beginners. We gave you our favorite choices, and we helped you figure out which ones make the most sense for your game. Now it’s up to you to head out there and get on the golf course.

If you are done searching and feel like you are ready to go ahead with some clubs for beginners, we highly recommend the Callaway Strata.

The Callaway Strata gives you everything you need for a fair price and will leave you with the ability to hit some amazing shots for years to come. There is no questioning how this Strata became the best selling option for beginners and high handicappers.

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