13 Best Golf Clubs for Beginners – Ranked & Reviewed [2024]

With golf soaring in popularity, I’m getting more and more beginners asking me which set of golf clubs are best for them.

To help answer that, I’ve broken my top recommendations out into 3 categories: budget, mid-range, and premium golf sets. But first, here are some guardrails I recommend you consider when thinking about this purchase…

Buying Used vs. New Clubs:

• Opt for new clubs for guaranteed performance and consistency.
• Used clubs may have unpredictable performance due to past usage.

Club Fittings:

• While not mandatory, it’s highly recommended to get fitted.
• Fitting helps understand the impact of lofts, shaft flexes, weights, and lengths on your swing.

Budget for Beginners:

• Spend between $400 to $800 for a comprehensive set.
• Below $400 may get you fewer clubs, and above $1,000 offers fewer options.

Club Recommendations for Your Bag:

• Carry a driver, 5-wood, 4 and 5 hybrid, 6-9 irons, pitching and sand wedge, and a putter.
• This setup balances distance and control, with specialized clubs for green play.

Besides revealing the best picks for men, women, seniors, and juniors, I’ve provided a list of what to consider when purchasing beginner sets (which you can read after my list of recommendations). Now let’s get into the list…

 

Best Budget Clubs for Beginners

1. Wilson Ultra Complete Package

Pros

• Forgiving golf clubs
• Affordable
• High launch
• The golf bag includes ample pockets for storage space
• Options are available for regular and tall golfers

Cons

• No sand wedge in the set
• Large loft gap between the fairway wood and 5 hybrid.

The Wilson Ultra Complete Package is a 9-club set designed to offer beginners maximum forgiveness on all shots. My only gripe with the golf set is the lack of a sand wedge, which is common in a complete set for beginners.

An enlarged 460 cc titanium driver contains an expansive sweet spot, which preserves ball speed and lowers spin. In addition, I felt the 3-wood and 5-hybrid delivered clean turf interaction and launched consistently high off the tee and the deck.

As is the norm for beginner golf sets, the longest iron is a 6-iron, while the weakest is a 9-iron. All the irons are equipped with perimeter weighting, which widens the sweet spot to preserve ball speed and spin on all shots.

Wilson opted for the pitching wedge as the only short-game club, proving an easy launching tool. However, chipping with a pitching wedge is challenging, and I suggest acquiring your own sand wedge.

The putter carries a traditional blade design, but Wilson reinforced it with heel-to-toe weighting for maximum stability. Finally, the clubs are housed in a quality carry bag, which fits on a cart or comfortably around your shoulders.

 

2. Wilson Profile SGI

Pros

• Affordable
• The set includes a sand wedge
• Super forgiving
• High launching clubs
• Options for seniors and tall golfers

Cons

• Lacks a 3-wood
• No long irons in the set

The second set of Wilson beginner golf clubs is the Profile SGI range, which I find ideal for senior golfers. The golf clubs lightweight construction with aerodynamic clubheads and flexible shafts help slower swing speeds boost performance.

Wilson opted for the standard woods, hybrids, and long iron setup, settling for a driver, 5 wood, and 5-hybrid at the top of the bag. The hybrid club snags the spot of any long irons, providing greater accuracy and elevated launches from the fairway and rough.

Next, a 6-iron kicks off the irons section of the set and runs down to a 9-iron, packed with perimeter weighting. These irons combat excessive mishits and encourage a straight and high shot for improved accuracy and a soft landing.

A pitching wedge is included to promote a smoother transition from short irons to wedges. In addition, Wilson opted for a high-launching sand wedge to enhance your greenside play. Furthermore, a stable blade design putter boosts MOI to promote straighter putts and consistent roll.

Finally, the Wilson Profile SGI range is offered in a comfy, lightweight carry bag, including headcovers for your woods and hybrid.

 

3. Tour Edge HL-Junior

Pros

• Affordable set
• Forgiving golf clubs
• Promotes elevated launch
• The set includes a sand wedge
• Lightweight, comfortable carry bag

Cons

• The set only includes 3 irons
• A limited selection of golf clubs

The Tour Edge HL-J Junior golf set is worth exploring if you are trying to get your youngster into golf. Tour Edge built this highly forgiving juniors set to get youngsters consistently airborne and traveling.

The top end of the set contains a 350 cc driver with enhanced MOI to reinforce stability and promote a square clubface at impact. This helps juniors minimize wayward strikes to enjoy more time in play and fewer lost balls from the tee.

Next, a 3-wood and a hybrid possess incredibly low CG to encourage an effortless launch for added carry distance. Moreover, they threw in three irons, including a 7 and 8 iron combo, 9 and pitching wedge, and a sole sand wedge.

I appreciate the winged mallet putter head design, which offered incredible resistance to twisting. It also carried a large sweet spot, enabling me to maintain ball speed and topspin on off-center hits. Finally, a lightweight carry bag makes it simple to navigate the links for your young one.

 

4. Precise M5

Pros

• Affordable
• Suits golfers excessing 6.1”
• Long, forgiving driver and fairway wood
• Includes long irons
• Ample storage space

Cons

• A sand wedge is not included
• The shaft lengths do not suit shorter or average-height golfers.

Taller golfers may find standard beginner golf club sets too short for your stature and instead demand lengthened shafts. The Precise M5 set of golf clubs offers beginners between 6.1” and 6.4” an affordable, forgiving, and a consistent option to get you started.

Overall, I find the M5 a well-balanced set that plugs holes created by excessive loft differences. A 460 cc driver is the strongest lofted club and delivers incredible forgiveness and explosive ball speed across the clubface.

Next, the baton is passed to a low CG fairway wood with minimal turf interaction for a higher launch from any lie. The 3-wood is supported by an equally forgiving and high launching 21-degree 4-hybrid, which leads you into the long and mid irons.

Unlike many beginner golf club sets, the M5 features a 5-iron, often substituted for hybrids. The irons run through to a 9-iron before closing the set with a pitching wedge and mallet putter.

Lastly, Precise golf stores the clubs in an easy-to-carry stand bag, which carries ample pocket space to keep your equipment and accessories.

 

5. Wilson Golf Profile SGI Women’s Set

Pros

• Forgiving set
• Affordable
• Includes a sand wedge
• The golf bag is spacious to store all your accessories and equipment
• Easy, high-launching golf clubs.

Cons

• Large loft gap between the driver and 5-wood
• The cart bag is slightly heavy and uncomfortable to carry

Closing out our budget section of beginner sets is the Wilson Profile SGI, which is our top entry-level pick for women. Whether tall, petite, or regular, this complete golf set works for your size.

Like other beginner sets, a forgiving driver is the longest club in your bag and is built with a high MOI profile and enlarged sweet spot. Wilson then skipped the 3-wood and threw an easy launching 5-wood into the mix before graduating to the hybrids.

A 5-hybrid with low CG and clean turf interaction bridges the gap between your fairway wood and mid-irons, prompting consistent length and launch. As usual, a 6-iron is the least lofted iron in the set and runs through to a 9-iron.

Next, Wilson engineers added a pitching and sand wedge to enhance your greenside play. Whether you need to hit a bunker, flop, or chip shots, you have the relevant tools to get it done. Finally, an attractive white, black, and light green cart bag houses your clubs.

 

Best Mid-Range Clubs for Beginners

1. Wilson Magnolia Ladies Golf Set

Pros

• Spacious cart bag
• High-launching hybrids replace long irons
• Forgiving cavity back irons
• Flexible graphite shafts
• Helps accelerate swing speed

Cons

• The face balanced-putter is not ideal for heavily arched strokes
• Some golfers may prefer the lower launch of long irons

Wilson constructed the Magnolia set for the higher handicap ladies searching for a hint of acceleration in their swing. The lightweight, navy cart bag also looks appealing on a push trolley and sports four oversized pockets where you can keep everything you need for a round.

Moving on from the bag, you notice a host of clubs with headcovers, as Wilson included a driver, 5-wood, and a 4, 5, and 6-hybrid. The setup is ideal for slower-swinging high handicappers looking to hit straighter and launch higher.

Given the prominence of hybrids, the set is short on irons. A 7 is your lowest lofted iron, and the golf set follows sequence until the weaker 9.

When my higher handicap partner played the irons, she felt the cavity backs provided superior forgiveness because of the ease of launch and accuracy. Unlike men’s beginner sets, these irons carry graphite shafts, which are light, flexible, and boost swing speed.

Closing out the bag is a lenient pitching wedge, followed by a high-spinning sand wedge. Finally, a fang mallet provides incredible stability on all strokes for a square face at contact and consistent roll.

 

2. Callaway Strata 12-Piece Set

Pros

• Affordable
• Forgiving clubs
• Lightweight carry bag
• Available in a 9, 11, 12, 14, and 16-piece set.
• High launching clubs

Cons

• The putter feels super firm
• The color of the bag fades relatively fast

The Callaway Strata 16-piece set is a reliable construction featuring forgiving, high-launching golf clubs for beginners. Although it offers all the tools needed to traverse the links, the short clubs are not the best feeling on the market. However, they do the trick for beginners.

Unlike Strata sets with fewer clubs, Callaway added an additional wedge and hybrid in the 16-piece model. That leaves you with a 4-hybrid to bridge the gap between your fairway woods and a 5-hybrid. Plus, you have a sand wedge to simplify bunker and chip shots.

I purchased the ladies edition for my wife in 2022. They delivered insane forgiveness and proved perfect for helping her develop her game.

The men’s Strata 16-piece set is much the same, bar shaft length and flex. The driver is a 460 cc lightweight design with an aerodynamic head and expanded sweet spot. The irons carry perimeter weighting for forgiveness across the clubface.

I find the 3-wood and 5-hybrids are also incredibly easy to launch, and their high moment of inertia (MOI) profile helps beginners hit straighter. One downside is the 10.5-degree gap left between the 3-wood and 5-hybrid. However, for beginner golfers, this is not a train smash.

Although I have seen sets advertised with a mallet putter, I have only encountered setups with a blade design. This works well for me, but the plumber’s hosel construction best suits slightly arched strokes. Finally, the clubs are housed in a comfortable and easy-to-carry stand bag.

 

3. Callaway XJ Junior Set

Pros

• Well-balanced setup covering all bases
• Highly forgiving clubs
• Made for teenagers
• Forgiving golf clubs
• Lightweight carry bag

Cons

• The shorter shaft lengths may not suit taller teenagers
• More expensive than other junior beginner golf club sets

The Callaway XJ Junior set is an excellent idea for older youngsters. A few irons and a fairway wood will not cut it for them. They need a broader selection to increase distance and accuracy to lower strokes in the months and years ahead.

10 clubs make up our best mid-range set for juniors, spearheaded by a fast, powerful titanium driver. The fairway wood sits at 23 degrees, effectively a weak 5-wood or strong 7-wood.

A 27-degree hybrid transitions the young one seamlessly into the mid-irons, generating increased launch and direct flight. This trend continues with the cavity back mid-irons that contain a wide sweet spot for maximum forgiveness.

Your wedges comprise a pitching and sand wedge to enable juniors to play short full shots, chips, flops, bunker, and bumps and runs. The versatility around the green helps them garner control and enhance their short-game results.

The mallet putter resisted rotation during the stroke to help youngsters start their ball on line and preserve topspin and ball speed on all strikes. Lastly, a lightweight white and gray carry bag is cushioned and protects a child’s shoulders while they navigate the links.

 

4. Tour Edge Bazooka 470

Pros

• Robust selection of long-game and short-game clubs
• High-launching woods, hybrids, and irons
• Option of a cart or stand bag
• Super forgiving
• Stylish black and yellow finish on the golf clubs

Cons

• Slower swing speeds may find the 10.5-degree driver too strong
• Slow swing speeds might find the steel shafts too stiff and heavy

Tour Edge features again on this list, but this time, with a set geared towards beginner seniors and adult males. The Bazooka 470 is a robust set that is superbly balanced to cover every element of your long, mid, and short game.

Out of all the best golf club sets for beginners, it bridges loft gaps better, ensuring every aspect of your game is covered. The set kicks-off with a 460 cc Titanium Powered driver and is supported by a high launching, forgiving and crisp turf interacting 3 and 5 wood.

The woods provide a clean transition into the hybrids, of which you have a 4 and 5 construction. I found these hybrids a breeze to strike and get airborne, and the offset nature fought slices for improved accuracy off the tee and on approach.

Next, I moved on to the irons, greeted by a 6 to 9-iron with cavity backs, perimeter weighting, and expanded sweet spots. Like the hybrids, these irons launched high and landed softly.

I appreciated the presence of a sand and pitching wedge, which allowed me to play an array of short game shots. Granted, they were not the highest spinning wedges I have struck, but they do the trick for amateurs.

Finally, the set is capped off by a stable, high MOI fang mallet putter and the option of a black and yellow stand or cart bag.

 

5. Cobra Fly XL Complete Set

Pros

• Explosive golf clubs accelerate ball speed
• They promote an elevated launch
• Encourage straighter shots
• The best putter in all beginner golf club sets
• Includes a quality cart bag

Cons

• No adjustable hosel on the driver or fairway woods
• Some golfers may prefer long irons over hybrids

The Cobra Fly XL earns its stripes as the longest golf club set for beginners thanks to its explosive clubfaces, elevated launch, and forgiveness. Plus, these clubs feature increased MOI to promote straighter golf shots off the tee and on approach shots.

Like every beginner set, the Fly XL has an oversized driver sporting an expanded sweet spot. The added surface area gives you room to play with on mishits, and you will still enjoy adequate ball speed and low spin.

The driver is complimented by a 3 and 5-wood which boosts impeccable turf interaction to glide across the fairway and rough. In addition, a low and deep CG produces an effortless high launch for maximum carry distance.

A 4 and 5 hybrid follow the fairway woods lead and continue to send your ball high and long. These clubs are also offset and promote greater accuracy. Cobra engineers then switched to a selection of mid-irons, starting with a 6 and running down to a 9.

The pitching and sand wedge was consistent and highly forgiving for shorter clubs. I felt the latter had a versatile sole, enabling me to open my clubface effortlessly and get under the ball. Finally, the putter was incredible, with a milled face prompting a super soft feel and a clean roll.

 

Best Premium Clubs for Beginners

1. TaylorMade RBZ Speedlite

Pros

• Well-rounded set composition
• Woods and hybrids produce clean turf interaction
• Encourages a high, long golf shot
• Versatile sand wedge sole
• Pure rolling putter

Cons

• Expensive for beginner sets
• The cart bag is not comfortable to carry

TaylorMade pulled through for beginners searching for quality game improvement technology in a fully kitted-out set. The ten-club golf set combines a balanced selection of long, mid, and short clubs with an attractive cart bag.

The 460 cc RBZ driver delivered impressive pace off the clubface for a high, long launch and optimal yardage. The 3-wood followed suit possessing a super flexible clubface and extremely low CG, promoting higher golf shots on all strikes.

I found the hybrids easy to launch and as forgiving as the fairway woods. Moreover, their clean turf interaction encouraged the sole to glide swiftly across the fairway and rough for a clean strike.

There were no surprises when I saw the cavity abc construction on the 6, 7, 8, and 9-iron, and they launched high and forgave as intended. A pitching and sand wedge helped me play a range of short game shots, while the versatile sole grind on my sand wedge was ideal for slops, chips, and bunker shots.

Finally, a stable, mallet putter contains TaylorMade’s Pure Roll technology to prevent skidding off the face. As a result, you produce superior distance control.

 

2. Callaway Reva Complete Set

Pros

• Premium quality clubs
• Generates rapid ball speed
• Accelerates clubhead velocity
• Forgiving golf clubs
• Spacious and structured cart bag

Cons

• High-end price tag
• Carries fewer clubs than other sets

The Callaway Reva set is a premium setup for ladies with deep pockets who desire quality over quantity. The 8-piece set consists of 6 clubs,  enough to get you around the golf course at the start.

However, it does lack a few clubs, which may prove costly as your game improves. The Reva set makes up for the lack of clubs in the golf set with a fast, long, forgiving driver and 5-wood.

The ladies who graciously tested the Reva for me explained that each launch was effortless and super lenient. In addition, the rapid material covering the clubface produced exceptional launch, carry, and total distance on long, full-swing strikes.

Like other beginner sets, the irons carry a cavity back construction, equipping it with vital perimeter weighting. The only downside is that a 7 and 9 iron are your only irons. Plus, it lacks a pitching wedge, leaving you with a sand wedge to play all your short-game shots.

Besides my complaints, the Stroke Lab putter is a pleasant addition to the set. My volunteers reported a soft feel, consistent roll, and minimal face rotation for increased accuracy.

 

3. PXG 0211 Z Set

Pros

• Well rounded set
• Highly forgiving hybrid irons
• Soft feeling, smooth rolling putter
• Slick, lightweight carry bag
• Generates consistent ball speed

Cons

• Most expensive beginners golf club set
• The hybrid irons produce a chunky profile

The PXG 0211 Z Set closes out our review of the best golf clubs for beginners as the most expensive complete golf set. Every club in the golf set is coated with a black finish which fights glare, and besides their looks, they are forgiving, consistent, and feel fantastic.

Admittedly, it is slightly lean on the long clubs compared to other complete sets. However, beginners can survive with a driver, 4-wood, and 5-hybrid setup. It is not perfect, but it supplies exceptional forgiveness, accuracy, and distance in your golf game.

These are perfect for newbies because the irons carry a far more lenient hybrid design. As a result, your clubs produce superior MOI to resist twisting during your swing for improved accuracy.

Next, your pitching and sand wedge carries the same structure, eradicating feedback but enhancing consistency. In addition, a Hellcat blade putter with a milled face and Runway Reticle alignment aid caps off the set.

Finally, the golf clubs are housed in a slick, lightweight carry-stand bag which is comfortable to lug around for 18 holes.

 

What to Look for in a Good Club Set as a Beginner

Budget

Although most golf sets feature in the entry-level to medium range, there are also options at the top of the market. If you are on a strict budget, try the budget aisle, and consider brands such as Wilson or Strata.

A budget golf set is also a good idea if you are not fully committed to the game and want to test the waters. However, if you are adamant that golf is a long-term sport, you could purchase a mid-range or high-end set.

More expensive sets often contain an extensive selection of clubs to cover you from tee to green. However, spending top dollar on a beginner set is not always wise, as you may not own it for long before you need a more advanced setup.

I recommend saving on a beginner set to splurge on your next set when you are a mid-handicapper.

Set Composition

Set composition refers to the clubs you carry in your golf set. Most sets feature a driver, fairway wood, a hybrid, a few irons, a wedge, and a putter. However, that set may leave some loft gaps, which wreak havoc for your game and force you to hit half swings on approach shots.

I recommend looking for a set with a driver, 3-wood, 5-wood, 4 and 5-hybrid, 6 to 9-iron, pitching, sand wedge, and a putter. A setup like this plugs loft gaps and ensures you have every golf club you need to navigate from tee to green.

The fewer clubs you opt for, the more economical your set will be. However, it leaves beginners needing to get creative when they do not have the ideal club for the distance.

High Launch

Beginner golfers often struggle to get their golf ball airborne consistently for optimal carry and total distance. The solution is to find golf clubs with a low center of gravity (CG), which prompts your ball, high and long.

Although this is especially beneficial with long clubs, I recommend finding mid and short irons that offer the same results.

Enhanced Moment of Inertia (MOI)

Besides consistent launch, accuracy is a challenge for beginner golfers who often mishit their ball. Mishits are prompted by inaccurate ball striking or a closed or open clubface at contact. A higher MOI profile helps golfers resist twisting to promote a square face at impact and a straight shot.

If your golf clubs produce less MOI than necessary, your club face twists, and you struggle to square it at impact. As a result, you are likely to deliver erratic shots.

Bag

Beginner golf sets are either housed in a cart or stand bag. A carry bag is the best option if you walk the golf course. However, if you operate a golf cart or push trolley, your best choice is a cart bag.