Choosing your first set of golf clubs can be tricky. There are so many options on the market it can give anybody a headache trying to narrow down which ones could be right for your game. We have put together a guide featuring the best golf clubs for beginners. This information will make your buying process much less stressful.
Callaway Strata Packaged Sets (Best Beginner Golf Clubs Overall)
Cobra Men’s F8-S (Best Premium Beginners Golf Clubs)
Prosimmon Golf X9 (Best Value Beginner Golf Clubs)
Cobra Airspeed Complete Golf Set (Best Beginner Golf Clubs for Senior )
Wilson Deep Red Tour (Best Beginner Golf Clubs for Younger/Stronger Players)
Wilson Women’s Complete Golf Set (Best Beginners Golf Clubs for Women)
Check GlobalGolf For Other Beginner Club Sets
Buying Guide
There are a few critical factors to consider when you purchase a new set of beginner golf clubs. Here are the most important.
Set Makeup
Most beginner golf clubs are sold as a complete set. The full set of clubs gives the beginner the best chance at finding consistency across their entire set. Look for a set that has a mix of woods, hybrids, irons, and wedges. Sets that only have irons or only have hybrids will not be diverse enough to suit the needs of a beginner trying to learn their way.
Shaft Flex
Beginner sets usually come in a men’s regular shaft. The regular shaft seems to be a good fit for most golfers who are just starting and do not have their full clubhead speed just yet. The regular flex shaft is excellent unless you are a very fast swinging athletic player. If that is the case, the stiff shaft should be a better choice. Seniors can look for the senior shaft option to fit the needs of their golf game.
Shaft Material
The golf shafts are going to be either graphite or steel. Beginners should only play golf with drivers, woods, and hybrids that are graphite shafts. It is acceptable for a beginner to use steel or graphite in the irons. Steel shafts may not fly as far, but they are going to be more accurate usually. For players that are not very strong and want more distance, the graphite shaft will be the better choice.
Product Recommendations
Best Overall: Callaway Strata Packaged Sets
The Strata packaged sets are created by Callaway, which is partly why they are at the top of our list. Callaway is one of the top companies in the game, and they know exactly what golfers need to succeed on the course.
The Strata sets come in several different sizes so they can appeal to any level of beginner. If you are very serious about the game or just ready to try your hand at the game, the Strata is a perfect choice. Each set has a mix of hybrids, woods, and irons, making this an ideal set makeup for a beginner to learn the game. The putter included with the Strata beginner golf clubs is a mallet design made for easy alignment and maximum forgiveness. The short game tools included with the Strata sets will get beginners off to a great start.
Best Premium: Cobra Men’s F8-S
If you are serious about the game of golf, then you may want to look into the Cobra F8-S complete set. This is a set of clubs that will take you from the beginning stages of the game to the mid-level golf. As you improve, the Cobra Men’s F8-S will work with you and help you reach all of your golfing goals.
One of the things we love most about this set is the ability to put in the putter and sand wedge of your choice. This Cobra set comes with nine golf clubs. You will get a higher-performing 10.5 degree 460 cc driver, a three fairway, a four hybrid, and the 5-PW in irons.
This is an ideal set of makeup for a beginner. The clubs have a low center of gravity and will be easy to launch in the air.
Best Value: Prosimmon Golf X9
If you are new to the game of golf, you will soon realize that golf is an expensive sport. Not only does it cost quite a bit of money to play golf, but it’s going to be quite costly to purchase the equipment that you need.
When you look at entire sets of golf clubs, the numbers add up fast. Luckily there are options like this Prosimmon Golf X9 that comes with a full set of clubs for a very low price. You will get a 460cc driver, three wood, two hybrids, and 5-PW as well. The only thing you will have to add at some point is a sand wedge.
The cart bag that comes with the Prosimmon is an excellent choice as well, and it has full-length dividers to help protect your golf clubs. If you are not sure golf is your sport and you don’t want to break the bank on a brand new set, these are the perfect beginner golf clubs to try.
Best For Senior: Cobra Airspeed Complete Golf Set
The Cobra Airspeed Complete Golf Set is a premium option, and the pricing is a bit higher than some other options on the market, but this is a set that will last you ten or more years. The Airspeed is all about distance, forgiveness, and performance. Each club is designed specifically with the senior golfer in mind.
The Cobra Airspeed is a full set of clubs to have irons, hybrids, fairways, and a high performing driver. These clubs are also so individually, but you will get the best pricing if you purchase them as a set. If you are a senior that is new to the game but serious about it, this is the club for you.
Best For Younger/Stronger Player: Wilson Deep Red Tour
Some beginner golf clubs are made for the weaker, slower swinging, new golfer. If you have some athletic ability and club head speed, you need something built for this type of player. Wilson makes an entire series of beginner golf clubs, but the Wilson Deep Red Tour is the best suited for the faster swing speed golfer. The Wilson Deep Red comes with a 460cc club head and is very forgiving.
The 431 stainless steel irons have a low center of gravity and can easily get up in the air. We love that the Wilson comes with a lightweight carry bag that is also a stand bag. If you like to walk and play the golf course, you will enjoy this set.
The Wilson beginner golf sets will take you from the beginner stages to the more advanced middle handicap stage of golf. The short game tools that they provide are high quality and capable of getting you in the hole much faster.
Best For Women: Wilson Women’s Complete Golf Set
There are many excellent golf sets geared toward the new women golfer. The reason we chose Wilson’s Women’s Complete golf set is that it is one of the best beginner golf club sets, but it also works well as a woman’s game progresses. This is a set that could last five to ten years.
The Wilson Women’s Complete Set is very lightweight, and it helps women to get higher swing and golf ball speeds. You will love the lightweight stand bag that comes with the Wilson set and the fact that you can also purchase these in a petite size.
Women do not need a set with fourteen clubs in their bag when they are a new player, and this Wilson set gives the perfect combination of the fairway, irons, and hybrids to suit the needs of a beginner woman golfer.
Putting Together Your Own Beginner Golf Set
If you don’t want a complete set of golf clubs, you must put one together with the individual components. This process seems like it may be a daunting task, but if you break it down into categories, it gets much easier.
Driver
A golfer needs a driver in their bag to hit their first shot on the par-four and par-five holes. Drivers are going to go further than any other club in your bag. They are hit off of a tee, and they are usually one of the most expensive clubs in a golfers bag.
Best Golf Driver for A Beginner: TaylorMade SIM 2 Max Draw
The TaylorMade SIM 2 Max Draw Driver has the distance, forgiveness, and adjustability that a beginner needs in a golf driver.
Read our full article on the best drivers for beginners and high handicappers.
Fairway Wood
Fairway woods are used on long holes to advance the golf ball towards the hole. Beginners can put either one or two fairway woods in the bag, usually a three wood, a five wood, or both. Fairway woods can also be hit off a low tee.
Best Fairway Wood For A Beginner: TaylorMade M6 Fairway Wood
The TaylorMade M6 Fairway Wood is built for lots of distance and tons of golf ball speed. Beginners will have no trouble launching the ball from a very tight fairway lie with the M6 in their hands.
Hybrid
A hybrid golf club is a mix between a fairway wood and an iron. The hybrid clubs are great for getting the golf ball out of the rough, and they will replace the long irons in your golf bag. Beginners should aim to put one or two hybrids in their bags.
Best Hybrid For A Beginner: Callaway Big Bertha B21 Hybrid
The Callaway Big Bertha hybrid is a new release, and it is a bit expensive; however, it has the best performance when it comes to distance, launch, and forgiveness as well.
Irons
The golf irons will make up the majority of your golf set. The beginner should have at least five or six irons in their bag, and they should be forgiving and cavity back in design.
Best Golf Irons For A Beginner: Cobra Speedzone Irons
Cobra Speedzone irons have a low center of gravity and tremendous feel. Beginners will feel confident that they can hit the golf ball straight, long, and up in the air with the Speedzone irons.
Wedges
Some iron sets will come with wedges, but golfers need to add wedges to their set most of the time. The sand wedge is usually about 56 degrees of loft and a lob wedge around 60 degrees of loft. Both are important clubs for a beginner to carry.
Best Golf Wedges For A Beginner: Mack Daddy CB Wedges
The Callaway Mack Daddy CB Wedge is brand new to the market, it is a wedge cavity back wedges that will allow golfers lots of forgiveness but plenty of spin around the greens.
Read our full article on the best wedges for high handicappers.
Putter
The putter is the most important club in the bag. Beginners need to spend lots of time learning to putt. Improving your putting is the quickest way to get better at golf. Most beginners will go with a mallet putter head because it is typically more forgiving.
Best Putter For Beginner: Odyssey Stroke Lab Triple Track
The Odyssey Stroke Lab is a great feeling putter that also offers lots of help when it comes to alignment. The three lines on the top of the club head will give golfers an easy way to make sure their shot is headed towards the hole.
FAQ
Here are a few questions that beginner golfers tend to have when they are purchasing their first set of golf clubs.
How many golf clubs do I need to start with?
Truly a beginner golfer only needs a driver, an iron, and a putter. As you begin to improve, you will add in more golf clubs to your set but in the beginning, all the clubs will likely go the same distance. You will notice that most of the beginner sets on the market will have about eight to ten clubs in them. The USGA limit is 14 golf clubs for any golf bag.
You do not need 14 clubs as a new player. Chances are most of your favorite clubs will be used over and over again. You are better off spending less money and adding clubs in as you improve.
Should beginners use Hybrids?
All beginners should learn how to use hybrid golf clubs. Hybrids are a great choice because they can easily hit out of the rough, are easy to launch, and generally very long hitting. If you are new to the game, this is a combination of features that you will need. Beginners should not be using long irons at all; they are too difficult and inconsistent to hit.
How long do beginner golf clubs last?
A beginner’s golf set of clubs could last a lifetime, depending on the seriousness of the golfer that is playing. For the most part, people will use a beginner set of golf clubs for three to five years before they are ready to switch to something built more for the mid-level golfer. This is important to keep in mind to spend an appropriate amount of money on your first set of golf clubs.
To make sure your golf clubs last as long as possible, it is import to regularly clean their clubhead and grip, as well as to store them in a dry and cool place. For more tips on how to care for your golf clubs read our guide here.
Are beginner golf clubs forgiving?
Beginners’ golf clubs are made to be very forgiving. They will give you lots of easy launch and plenty of distance as well. Sometimes beginners make the mistake of choosing an old set of golf clubs from a relative as the beginner set. This is not a great choice because it will very likely not be as forgiving as beginner golf clubs. The beginner golf clubs are built specifically with the higher handicapper golfer in mind.
Conclusion
Hopefully, our insight into the best beginner golf clubs has helped you narrow down your decision. The Callaway Strata still stands out as the top option for a few particular reasons. The first reason is that the Strata is available in several different set makeups. Some golfers take up the game to become the next club champion, and others want to play golf once a month on a Saturday.
Callaway realizes this and gives options for both of these types of players when it comes to both pricing and the build of the set. The Callaway Strata is also very easy to launch, and it comes with a standard regular flex shaft that the beginner golfer truly needs.
The other products that we reviewed are high quality and stand out in their specific categories, but the Strata is the only one that offers the range of options that beginners need.
Best of all, the Callaway Strata golf clubs are very reasonably priced, and if this is the set that lasts you the next four or so years and takes you from the beginner stage to the “golfer” stage of the game, this will be money very well spent.
