When starting your golfing journey, it can be very overwhelming trying to find the best place to begin. From choosing golf clubs to finding a great coach, or locating a friendly local club to practice and play, the process can be an expensive endeavor. So where do amateurs first turn their attention to start their journey?
The best place is by finding a good set of clubs that will help you learn how to swing and provide reliable feedback. We have written reviews of seven of the best golf sets for beginners as each set offers the amateur different features that will have them blasting drives down the fairway in no time.
How to Choose a Golf Club Set
A golf club set consists of drivers, woods, irons, wedges, and putters. Each club is important, but for beginning golfers, some are more necessary than others. Irons and wedges are what a good coach will use first to teach an amateur how to build a fundamentally sound swing.
The reason a coach will start with these clubs is that they have the most loft on the clubface. Now, each golf club has a varying degree of loft that allows the golf ball to rise into the air after impact. Even a driver that looks flat on the face has a slight degree of loft to move the ball into the air and down the fairway.
So while it is important to have drivers, woods or hybrids in the beginner golf set you purchase, it is wise to focus on the irons and wedges in each set so you can trim your learning curve.
Beginner golf sets are one-stop shops to have everything you need to hit the course immediately. If your time is limited and you want to focus solely on getting started, then these golf club sets are a perfect place to begin. Many of golf’s top equipment manufacturers have excellent beginner golf sets that are affordable and will remain durable for many years.
Here are reviews of seven of the best beginner golf sets on the market today.
Callaway Men’s Strata Complete Golf Set
One of the highest-grade beginner golf sets available is the Callaway Strata Golf Set. This group of clubs is ready to go straight out of the box providing the high-performance experience you expect from Callaway.
The Strata set is headlined with a driver and fairway wood combo that is made from a Titanium composite. Titanium is one of the lightest metals used in golf equipment to help golfers generate ball-crushing swing speed. The driver has a massive 460cc head and has been designed for the forgiveness that helps beginners on their off-center strikes. The fairway wood has a low profile that reduces drag on the downswing for maximum distance.
The irons and wedges in the Strata set are cavity-backed with perimeter weighting around the clubhead for maximum forgiveness and control. The wide sole on the Strata’s irons and wedges allow the beginning golfer to swing down on the ball to drive the golf ball in the air.
The set is rounded out with a hybrid, mallet putter, and stand bag. For a great golfing experience right from the moment of purchase, the Callaway Strata Golf Set is terrific for beginners.
Wilson Golf Men’s 2017 Ultra Complete Package Set
One of the highest rated super-game improvement golf sets for beginning golfers is the Wilson Ultra Club Set. Starting with three woods, including a driver, fairway, and hybrid, the Ultra set packs a powerful punch that will have you knocking the ball down the fairway farther than you ever have before.
The driver is a 460cc mammoth that uses a low center of gravity to get the ball into the air quickly, so the beginner gets maximum distance. The fairway wood and hybrid are slim and low to the ground so the beginner can get underneath the ball for extended carry.
The irons start at 6-iron and run through a pitching wedge. If there is a complaint with this set, it lies in the fact that there is no sand wedge, but aside from that minor gripe, the irons have a large sweet spot and have a terrific feel at impact.
A blade putter, bag and club covers finish off this inventive and fun golf set for beginners. The Wilson Ultra Golf Set is a great place to begin your golfing journey.
Tour Edge Golf- Bazooka Black Complete Set Bag Graphite/Steel
One of the best-kept secrets in golfing equipment is the high-quality products that Tour Edge produces each year. Their Bazooka Black Set is genuinely one of the best beginning sets for golfers who are not starting from scratch but have decided to dedicate more time to their golfing skills.
With three woods, two hybrids, four irons, two wedges, and a putter, the Tour Edge Bazooka Black set is an incredibly comprehensive set for beginners. For the amateur who has played more than a few rounds but are ready to play with more regularity, the scope of the clubs offered in the Bazooka Black set promise a long and durable shelf life that will last for years.
The Titanium driver has a huge sweet spot that offers maximum distance while the other fairway woods and hybrids provide excellent feel at impact and enhanced forgiveness. A deep center of gravity gives the irons in the Bazooka Black set terrifically high ball flight for a soft landing on greens with outstanding accuracy.
The Tour Edge Bazooka Black golf club set offers significant value for the beginning golfer looking for their first club set.
Wilson 2017 Men’s Profile XD Golf Complete Set Men’s
The Profile XD Club Set from Wilson offers a complete and extensive collection of golf equipment for the beginning golfer who wants upper-tier clubs to begin their process of learning the great game.
A 460cc driver made from Titanium composite utilizes weighting and forgiveness technology for a reliable weapon to drive the ball into the air. A fairway wood and hybrid combo give the beginning golfer options from the fairway and the rough to save your score.
The irons are made from stainless steel and have perimeter weighting that allows Wilson to create an enormous sweet spot that is one of the more forgiving iron groups available in beginner club sets. One of the more popular features of the Profile XD set is that it comes with two wedges. A sand wedge is a great club for beginning golfers to have because the high loft helps to scoop the ball out of heavy rough and deep sand.
The Wilson Profile XD club set is a terrific option for the beginning golfer.
Palm Springs Golf Visa V2 Mens Graphite & Steel Club Set & Stand Bag
One of our favorite golf club sets for beginners is the Palm Springs Visa V2 Club Set. Extremely affordable, the Visa V2 set offers a full array of clubs and irons as well as a sturdy and lightweight stand bag.
For beginning golfers, this Palm Springs set has been built to provide a forgiving and straight experience from the golf clubs. What is unique about this set is that it offers two hybrids that take the place of the 3 and 4-irons. Hybrids are more comfortable to hit and for beginners having them in your bag is a must.
A 460cc driver and 15-degree fairway wood top the club set assisted by six cavity-backed irons. The steel-shafted irons have a low center of gravity that helps with launch angle off the clubface for maximum distance.
A blade putter with a high-quality face insert provides an accurate and dependable roll on the green. For a complete club set that offers additional hybrids, the Palm Springs Visa V2 Club Set is an excellent selection for beginners.
PROSiMMON Golf X9 V2 Golf Clubs Set & Bag
Another option in the affordable beginner golf set category is the PROSiMMON X9 Golf Club Set. The X9 club set is quite attractive for beginning golfers because of the durable construction and high-quality performance. What makes PROSiMMON one of the best equipment manufacturers for beginners is because they produce clubs, like the X9 set, that have large sweet spots that provide forgiveness and outstanding ball speed.
An oversized 460cc driver and 15-degree 3-wood both with graphite shafts installed to increase swing speed lead this club set. Two hybrids with stainless steel shafts take care of your long distance second shots on par-5s with a low center of gravity in the clubheads for superb launch angle.
Irons in the X9 run from 5-iron through pitching wedge. All are cavity-backed with wide soles for quality contact on each strike. A seven-top stand bag rounds out the X9 set, keeping your clubs secure and prolonging their life. For an exceptional set for the beginning golfer, look at the affordable X9 set.
Pinemeadow Golf Men’s Nitrix Pro Set
Gaining a reputation for making sharp looking, yet affordable clubs that are high-performing, the Pinemeadow company has made the Nitrix Golf Club Set for beginning golfers looking to turn heads on the first tee.
The Titanium 460cc driver on the Nitrix set comes with a graphite shaft for a lightweight feel and boosted swing speed while the 3-wood and two hybrids are stellar weapons for high launch and long distance.
The Nitrix Club Set has cavity-backed irons utilizing perimeter-weighting on the heads for a sleek look that packs a punch. The irons on the set run from a 6-iron through a pitching wedge. It is recommended that you add a sand or gap wedge to this set as the additional lofted club will help around the greens.
A fresh and helpful feature on the Nitrix irons is a notch in the back of the club that helps with proper alignment to the center of the clubface.
With a high-quality Anser putter rounding out the set, the Nitrix collection from Pinemeadow is a wonderful option for the beginning golfer.
Conclusion
Beginning golfers should seek out club sets that offer a wide variety of clubs that best fit their game. With an emphasis on locating sets with solid irons and wedges to help lessen the learning curve, beginning golfers will find a ton of options to choose from with these golf club sets.
Golf Club FAQ’S
1) Question: What is a full set of golf clubs?
Answer: A full set of golf clubs can have great variety by using assorted woods, hybrids, irons, wedges, and putter combinations. For PGA golfers, they are only allowed to take a maximum of 14 clubs onto the course during tournament play. Amateurs, however, do not have that restriction if they are playing a casual round at the local club.
Most golfers would say that a full set of golf clubs would typically have a driver, a 3-wood, 5-wood or hybrid, 3-9 irons, pitching wedge, sand wedge and putter. Although this only has 13 clubs total, many amateur golfers also incorporate other clubs such as a gap or lob wedge, longer hybrid-irons to take the place of harder to hit woods and on the rare occasion, an additional putter.
One of the real joys of playing golf is creating the perfect combination of clubs to compliment your game.
2) Question: What golf clubs do I need?
Answer: The golf clubs that should be in your bag are dictated solely by your skill level. If you are in the early stages of learning the game, then most coaches suggest you start small with a group of several higher-lofted clubs such as 7, 8, and 9-irons and a mixture of wedges. The thought process of these coaches is that the higher-lofted clubs will make it easier to get the ball in the air while learning the fundamentals of the swing.
As you progress in your learning, you should feel comfortable to add additional clubs to your bag. However, one of the toughest clubs to learn that many amateurs make the mistake of immediately adding to their bag is the driver. The reason drivers are so difficult for the beginner to hit is because the driver swing is a sweeping motion compared to the downward swing that an iron needs to drive the ball into the air.
3) Question: When do I use certain golf clubs?
Answer: The type of club to use on the course is dictated by the shot you are facing. For example, you wouldn’t use your putter on the tee box because it is not the best club to get the ball down the fairway. On the tee box, it is common to use a driver when the fairway has a long and wide landing area.
For professional golfers, where hitting the ball long is a necessity, you’ll see those golfers use a driver to open the majority of par-4 and par-5 holes.
You’ll find golfers use a variety of clubs around the green. Chipping and pitching onto the green can present obstacles not typically seen in other areas of the course. Many golfers use low-numbered irons such as a 7, 8, or 9-iron to chip the ball onto the green. If the ball is sitting in rough, perhaps next to the green, some golfers will use woods or hybrids so they can slide the club through the grass without the club twisting.
4) Question: How do I arrange golf clubs in my bag?
Answer: The best way to arrange golf clubs in your bag is by placing the clubs in uncluttered areas where they can be quickly withdrawn when needed. Most of the modern golf bags have several sections that keep clubs away from other clubs. Some golfers like to put the clubs in the bag in numerical order or have similar clubs share the same area in the bag. A perfect example of this would be grouping the wedges so it will be easier to see which loft you’d like to use on the shot.
Another reason for arranging your clubs in a specific order is if you happen to lose one on the course, you’ll notice which club is missing immediately because it will not be in its usual area of the bag.
5) Question: How much does a golf club set cost?
Answer: Golf club sets can start for as little as a couple of hundred dollars and climb to a price range that is tens of thousands of dollars based upon the brand and modifications to the club set. For beginners, a few hundred dollars can create a set that will last for several years or until your skill set increases to the point where new equipment is justified.
Manufacturers typically create iron sets that consumers can purchase and then the drivers, woods, and hybrids are sold separately. Golfers can take this process a step further by going to a club-fitting specialist and having the irons tailored to improve lie angle as well as utilize proper shaft flex based upon swing speed.
Advanced golfers can expect to spend over a thousand dollars on a new set of clubs with an emphasis on finding a set that is custom-fit for their game. This price includes fittings for a putter as well as the right golf balls.
6) Question: What is the best brand of golf clubs?
Answer: While most professional golfers have endorsement deals that provide custom-fitted clubs for their game, amateurs must navigate the choppy waters of finding the best brand of clubs to purchase for themselves. The most popular club makers in golf are TaylorMade, Callaway, Ping, Cleveland, Titleist, Cobra, and Mizuno.
Each company produces high-performing drivers, woods, hybrids, irons, wedges, and putters. For the best drivers on the market, golfers lean toward models from TaylorMade and Callaway. If you are looking for the best irons, then Ping and Mizuno are terrific designers of upper-tier cavity backed and blade irons. For the best wedges to place in your bag, then Cleveland and Titleist are the companies to check first on your search. Each company makes incredible putters with Ping and Titleist’s Scotty Cameron line being the go-to models for many golfers.
7) Question: What are golf clubs made of?
Answer: Golf clubs have three distinct pieces as the grip, the shaft, and the clubhead are the integral sections of the golf club. Grips are typically made with rubber while manufacturers create shafts from graphite or stainless steel. Clubheads are formed out of a mixture of titanium, steel or carbon steel.
High-quality grips are crucial to gripping and controlling the golf club. Grips are typically made from leather or rubber and given an assortment of ridges and grooves to improve tackiness for the golfer’s hands.
Shafts are the lifeblood of the golf club. They connect the clubhead to the grip as a bridge that assists with swing speed. Shafts made from graphite are lighter than those made from steel and can boost distance up to ten yards per shot.
Modern clubheads are well-designed with a variety of lightweight metals that combine to make a strong clubface. Manufacturers have emphasized creating club heads with aerodynamic design and finding metals that work to make the heads lightweight improving swing speed.
8) Question: How to get the rust off golf clubs?
Answer: Clubs made with graphite, and stainless steel don’t experience rust buildup as much as those made from carbon steel. If you spot rust, it is vitally important to remove the rust to maintain the health of the clubs.
The opening step is to clean the club thoroughly by first removing all of the debris from the club. Starting with the clubhead and clubface, wipe away all the dirt and impacted mud. You’ll want to move to the grooves on the clubface next, taking a wire brush and scrubbing the dirt until the grooves are free from dirt.
Once the clubhead is entirely free from mud, take a piece of steel wool and gently rub the rusted areas on the club. This process should be more finesse over muscle as you want to work the wool against the steel without scratching the clubhead.
Once the rust is gone, take some metal polish and rub down each clubhead. You’ll need to follow the directions on the bottle of metal polish explicitly to prevent damaging the clubs. When the polish sets, take a soft cloth and wipe down the clubhead.
9) Question: How to keep golf clubs from rusting?
Answer: Golfers who play often or live in wet or damp environments should worry about the long-term effects of rusting on their golf clubs. You want to make sure that whenever you play in wet conditions that you are drying the club immediately after using the club. The worst thing you can do is let water rest on the club.
After a round, make sure to check your clubs for any moisture and remove with a dry towel before storing. It is also vital to place your clubs in an area where humidity won’t affect the equipment. If moisture stays on the club for an extended period of time, then rust will appear. Never be afraid to let your clubs dry outside of the bag to assure that they will dry completely.
10) Question: How often should you replace golf clubs?
Answer: A great rule of thumb is to reassess the quality of your golf clubs every two to three years. If you have maintained your clubs throughout their life with regular replacement of golf grips and by sharpening the grooves, then your clubs should last for a very long time. The downside, however, to keeping your clubs for a lengthy stretch of time is that you cannot take advantage of the latest technology.
It is worth noting that this technology issue is more prevalent with drivers and woods. Manufacturers bring out new bells and whistles often in their yearly showcase drivers, and there is something to be said for buying a new driver that has been fitted and tailored for your game. The bottom line on changing out clubs boils down to how confident you feel in the equipment, especially if there is nothing cosmetic or fundamentally damaged about the golf club.
11) Question: How much does a set of golf clubs weigh?
Answer: Golf clubs weigh on average around 30-35 pounds depending on the weight of the bag and the accessories. Stand bags are typically the lightest bags on the market although there are golf bags designed for walking where the golfer can only take a few golf clubs and balls around the course. The heaviest bags on the market are cart bags and professional bags. These bags can add tens of pounds to your bottom line.
The clubs alone will take account for roughly 70% of the total weight, something to keep in mind when traveling. If your clubs have steel shafts, then expect for that to add a few pounds to your total carrying weight. If you are worried about the weight of your clubs and bag before you head to the course or even when traveling, empty the pockets before you start your trip and only take the necessities. Realize that extra golf balls, umbrellas, and snacks can be purchased at the golf course.
12) Question: How to fly with golf clubs?
Answer: For most golfers, their clubs are a labor of love. Put together over time with care, a golfer’s club set have become their best friend on the course. So when the topic of travel comes up, it is vital to take the necessary steps to protect those precious clubs. Here are a few steps to make sure that your clubs stay safe when flying on a golf trip.
The first step is to find a heavy-duty travel bag. Hardshell bags offer the most protection and can handle the beating of loading and unloading. Next, find a non-stop flight so there will be minimum handling by baggage handlers who may be rough with your clubs. Always make sure to place a few identification tags or stickers on the bag so there won’t be any confusion to the owner of the golf clubs.