Best Golf Clubs for Beginners
Here I want to talk about the best golf clubs for beginners. The clubs presented below are men’s golf clubs, from drivers to irons to complete sets (we’ll take a look at women’s clubs in an upcoming article). Please bookmark this page since it will consistently be updated as new golf clubs come to the market.
For quick navigation, use the handy table of contents below to jump to the section of this page that discusses the exact type of clubs you are most interested in.
Best Golf Clubs For Beginners – Table of Contents
Drivers – An Overview
A good driver for a beginning golfer is one that is forgiving (i.e. easy-to-hit). For drivers, forgiveness is usually directly related to the size of the sweet spot, which stems from the ‘size’ in cubic centimeters of the club head. The most popular – and most appropriate size driver for the beginning golfer – is a 460cc driver. In addition, drivers with a little more loft are generally preferred for less experienced golfers and for the slower swing speeds typical of beginners. A good rule of thumb is to shoot for a minimum loft of 10.5 degrees if you are new to the game or have a slower swing speed. Golfweek has a great article with recommendations for driver lofts based on a golfer’s swing speed.
Best Drivers for Beginners
Item | Description | |
---|---|---|
|
Model: Callaway XR 16 Overview: This driver is known for its extreme forgiveness and high Moment of Inertia (MOI). The Moment of Inertia is a driver’s resistance to twisting and counteracts any mis-hits at impact. When combined with the aerodynamic head design, the high MOI and low, deep Center of Gravity (CG) of the XR16 provide a driver that is favored by beginners for its lightweight feel, forgiving nature and consistent ball flight. Club Face: 8-1-1 Titanium Shaft Material: Graphite Loft: 9, 10.5, 13 degrees
|
|
|
Model: Cobra King F7 Overview: The Extreme Carbon Fiber crown of the Cobra King F7 driver reduces the weight of the crown by 20% allowing for more weighting to be adjusted lower into the club. The Cobra King F7 Driver is an excellent choice due to its adjustability. You can adjust just about anything in this driver from the loft to the weighting. This club also comes with Cobra Connect a digital golf swing analyzer integrated into the grip. Club Face: Titanium Shaft Material: Graphite Loft: 8 distinct loft adjustments
|
|
|
Model: TaylorMade RBZ Overview: The TaylorMade RBZ Driver with its 460cc oversized titanium head and adjustable sleeve loft settings is a great choice for newer golfers, as well as seniors. This driver is known for its speed pocket, high launch trajectory, and resistance to spin, which produces longer distances, high ball flight, and good roll out. Club Face: Titanium Shaft Material: Graphite Loft: 9.5, 10, 12.5 degrees (adjustable)
|
|
|
Model: Cobra Fly-Z Overview: The Speed Channel Face design of the Fly-Z driver thins the face to produce more speed due to less aerodynamic resistance. SmartPad Technology delivers a square face at address regardless of loft setting. The result is an extremely forgiving driver. Possibly the most forgiving driver to hit the market in the last few years, the Cobra Fly-Z is hands-down an excellent choice for beginners and high-handicappers. Club Face: Titanium Shaft Material: Graphite Loft: 9.0, 9.5, 10.5, 11.5, 12 degrees (adjustable)
|
|
|
Model: TaylorMade AeroBurner Overview: The AeroBurner Driver from TaylorMade may just be the perfect club for beginners with its newly designed aerodynamic shape complete with a shallow-face raised center crown and updated hosel fin. This club uses an extremely high tensile strength face material: Ni CO 300 Super alloy. This club is constructed with an enhanced Matrix Speed RUL Z 60 Shaft and TM Speed grip. Club Face: Ni CO 300 Super alloy Shaft Material: Graphite Loft: 9.5, 10.5, 12 degrees
|
Fairway Woods – An Overview
When it comes to hitting longer shots into the green, fairway woods are an excellent alternative to long irons for beginners or relatively inexperienced golfers. In general, fairway woods will provide the distances necessary to reach the green in two – even from as far out as 200 yards.
These types of clubs also have additional loft for getting the golf ball up in the air faster than a driver. This loft will also minimize horizontal roll, which is something you want when trying to get the ball to stop on the green. In addition, fairway woods are more forgiving than the long irons (such as the 3, 4, and 5 irons) and somewhat easier to hit for novices. Also be sure to check out my list of the easiest fairway woods to hit off the deck.
Beginners should focus on carrying a 3-wood and a 5-wood in their bag. These clubs are long enough that they can replace the driver for many off-the-tee shots, as well.
Best Fairway Woods for Beginners
Item | Description | |
---|---|---|
|
Model: TaylorMade M4 3-Wood Overview: The M4 3-Wood from TaylorMade is an excellent club for beginners. Its patented Speed pocket creates more ball speed across the club face for added distance and extreme forgiveness. Split-weight mass pads provide for an increased MOI and equal weight distribution. This club is an excellent fairway wood for beginners to carry in their bags. It can be used for hitting longer shots into the greens from the fairway and it can also be used as a driver alternative for tee shots on tight holes. Club Face: Titanium Shaft Material: Graphite Loft: High loft 15 degrees
|
|
|
Model: Callaway Epic Flash 3-Wood Overview: Flash Face Technology creates a new fairway wood face design that promotes increased ball speed for longer distance. Forged 455 Carpenter steel construction combines with Face Cup technology to deliver faster ball speed across the club face and increased distance with on center- and off-center hits. New OptiFit Hosel is shorter and lighter, and the saved weight is used to reposition the center of gravity (CG) for easy launch and high, long-carrying flight. Club Face: Carpenter Steel Shaft Material: Multiple Premium Grade Shafts Available Loft: 15 degrees standard (adjustable)
|
|
|
Model: Callaway XR16 PRO 3-Wood Overview: From the same family of clubs as the XR16 Driver above, the Callaway XR16 Pro Fairway Wood may just be the perfect club for beginners who need an easy-to-hit fairway wood. The PRO version of the XR16 is bigger, more forgiving and easier to hit than its predecessor. This club has a very high MOI, low center of Gravity, and the highest COR (springlike effect) in a fairway wood. Club Face: Carpenter Steel Shaft Material: Graphite Loft: 15 degrees
|
|
|
Model: Callaway Rogue 3 Wood Overview: Similar to the Callaway Rogue Driver – which won BGST’s Best In Show Award for Easiest to Hit Driver of 2018 for Beginners – the highly advanced head design of the Rogue 3-Wood provides an extreme aerodynamic design. Jailbreak technology creates a dynamic reaction at impact making the golf ball literally jump off the club face. The result is very fast ball speed and increased distance. This is a great club for any level of golfer. Club Face: Titanium Shaft Material: Graphite Loft: 15 degrees
|
|
|
Model: Cobra Golf Speedzone Fairway Overview: New hollow split rails put a modern twist on the traditional baffler technology, for higher launch and more ball speed. The new CNC milled Infinity club face, 12 gram heel weight, titanium speed chassis and carbon crown, lower the center of gravity and give the club a very high Moment of Inertia (MOI) – the perfect combination – in a fairway wood that provides ultimate distance without having to sacrifice forgiveness. Club Face: Cobra Infinity Shaft Material: Multiple Premium Grade Shafts Available Loft: 3w (14.5* degrees), 5w (18.5*), 7w (22.5*) (adjustable)
|
Irons – An Overview
When it comes to irons, the most forgiving irons have a large cavity back design. The larger the back cavity, the more weight is placed around the edges of the clubface (and therefore the larger the sweet spot). Having a larger sweet spot allows the beginning golfer to hit the ball off-center and still achieve good distance and ball flight.
The opposite of this type of design would be the ‘blade’ design that is popular among professional golfers. Beginners generally want to stay away from bladed clubs. In addition, golf irons that have a very low center-of-gravity (CG) provide the maximum momentum at the bottom of the swing – even without a lot of power being generated by the person swinging the club (which is good for novices since beginning golfers generally have slower swing speeds).
Combining a large cavity back design with a very low center-of-gravity (CG) provides the best of both worlds for the novice golfer.
Best Irons for Beginners
Item | Description | |
---|---|---|
Model: TaylorMade SIM MAX OS Irons Overview: Revolutionary Speed Bridge technology strategically supports the topline of the iron to unlock explosive distance and forgiveness, with improved sound and feel. The TaylorMade SIM MAX OS Irons come in several different club configuration sets (4-PW, 5-PW + SW, etc), and feature wide sole geometry, a lightweight fluted hosel, 360* undercut and an ultra-thin club face – shifting mass from high in the club head down into the bottom of the sole – for a low, rear weighted center of gravity (CG) resulting in high, penetrating ball flights. Shaft Material: Steel Additionally, check out one of the best selling iron sets on the market, – featuring the same technology and innovations from TaylorMade – the TaylorMade M6 Iron set.
|
||
|
Model: Callaway X-Series Irons Overview: The X-Series Iron set from Callaway is truly the next level when it comes to hitting longer, straighter iron shots. Consisting of the 4 Iron through Pitching Wedge and including a Sand Wedge, the X-Series Irons are designed with a deep undercut cavity for maximum flex at impact, which provides extreme forgiveness. Ultra-low CG creates high launch angles, that help beginners get the ball in the air quickly and easily. Shaft Material: Steel Additionally, check out the X HOT Iron Set, featuring Callaway’s latest technology and innovations for this series.
|
|
|
Model: Mazel Same Length Irons Overview: Not a name many beginning and even more experienced golfers are that familiar with, Mazel Golf makes an excellent golf iron set for beginners and seniors. What sets these clubs apart is that they are all the SAME LENGTH, hence the name. The single length provides consistent weight and feel for every shot – good for beginners who are working on developing their swing. This set consists of 9 pieces, including a 4-Iron through Sand Wedge, and is extremely affordable. Shaft Material: Steel
|
|
Model: Callaway Rogue Irons Overview: Coming in at a slightly higher price point, the Rogue Iron set from Callaway is an ideal set of golf clubs for the beginner or intermediate golfer who knows they want to take their game to the next level. The Rogue Iron set consists of a 5-Iron through Pitching Wedge and lets the golfer choose the type of shaft material he or she is more comfortable with. This set is not just for the novice, but also appropriate for the very serious player. Shaft Material: Synergy 60G (Graphite) or True Temper XP95 Steeples Steel (Steel) Additionally, check out the Mavrik Iron Set, featuring Callaway’s latest technology and innovations for this series.
|
||
|
Model: Wilson Staff D200 Irons Overview: The Wilson Staff D200 Irons are a very affordable iron set consisting of a 5-Iron through Gap Wedge – all with SPEED SOLE TECHNOLOGY. This technology creates a thin face-to-sole transition that allows the iron face to flex, especially towards the sole where most golf ball impact occurs. The result is extreme distance from each of these clubs. The D200 Irons from Wilson are a high-end set of golf irons, without the high-end price tag. Shaft Material: Steel Additionally, check out the latest technology and innovations from Wilson, showcased in the D7 Iron Set.
|
Wedges- An Overview
Most professional golfers carry multiple wedges of varying degrees of loft. The most common of these are wedges between 47 degrees and 65 degrees. For beginners, I recommend only two wedges. These include your typical pitching wedge (47 degrees – 54 degrees) for shots from about 120 yards and closer, and a Sand Wedge (56 degrees – 62 degrees) for use during bunker shots, but also around the greens for short chips.
Best Wedges for Beginners
Putters – An Overview
There are a few different styles of putter pf which beginners need to be aware. The two main types of putters are blade style putters and mallet style putters. Blade style putters are those with the smaller, thinner head, while the mallet style of putter has a larger, wider head.
Either style may be appropriate for the beginning golfer. It all comes down to the type of swing path a golfer has, as well as personal preference. In general, the best way to choose the best putter for a beginning golfer is to start by analyzing swing path. Golftec has an excellent article about choosing the best putter based of your swing path. I highly recommend reading it before choosing which putter to buy.
Best Putters for Beginners Golfers
Full Golf Club Sets – An Overview
When it comes to comparing the best golf club sets for beginners, it’s important to consider the number of clubs that are included with the set, as well as what the price point is. You can usually get an entire set of golf clubs, including the bag, for less than it would cost to put the set together one club at a time. Below you can check out my tops picks for full sets for men, however, if you are looking for women’s sets please read my new article on the 5 Best Golf Club Sets for Petite Ladies (New)
Best Full Golf Club Sets for Beginners
Item | Description | |
---|---|---|
|
Model: Callaway Strata Golf Club Set Overview: The Callaway Strata golf club set for men is a 12 piece set of clubs that is priced for the beginning golfer, but made with the same quality materials as Callaway’s higher-end clubs. Shaft Material: Steel Set Contains: Driver, 3W, 5W, 5H, 4 – 9 Irons, PW, SW, Putter, bag Callaway also offers an Ultimate 16 Piece Strata Golf Club Set in the same series.
|
|
|
Model: Wilson Golf WGGC43000 Ultra Golf Club Set Overview: This complete beginner’s golf club set from Wilson Golf offers an enhanced game improvement design that focuses on clubs that are ideal for generating more distance. The WGGC43000 Ultra titanium matrix driver has a 460cc club head uses hot face technology and a low center of gravity to launch the ball off the tee. Shaft Material: Steel Set Contains: Driver, 3W, 5W, 6 – 9 Irons, PW, Putter, bag
|
|
|
Model: Pinemeadow PGX Golf Club Set Overview: This Pinemeadow PGX Beginner’s Golf Club Set is extremely affordable. The titanium alloy driver is well-suited to the beginning golfer with its oversized 460cc club head and large sweet spot. The irons also feature a wide sole design that provides optimal launch and spin. Part of the reason for the excellent price is that this set of clubs doesn’t include a putter or a golf bag. Shaft Material: Steel Set Contains: Driver, 3W, 4H, 5 – 9 Irons, PW. No Putter. No Bag.
|
|
Model: Cobra Golf Airspeed Golf Club Set Overview: This set of golf clubs from Cobra Golf, known as the Airspeed set is the most high-end and complete golf club set for beginners on our list. The clubs in the set are all very lightweight and the rear CG weighting delivers low spin, mid-high launch angles and higher MOI for incredible distance and forgiveness. Consisting of 12 pieces, this set of clubs is for the beginning golfer who knows he wants to take the game seriously. Shaft Material: Drivers, Hybrids (Graphite) / Irons, Putter (Steel) Set Contains: Driver, 3W, 5W, 4H, 5H, 6-PW, SW, Putter, Bag.
|
||
|
Model: Precise M5 Men’s Complete Golf Club Set Overview: The Precise Top Line M5 Golf Club Set includes 10 pieces. The titanium M5 460cc driver with its oversized head is the most appropriate size for the beginner. Shaft Material: Woods (100% Graphite)/Irons (True Temper Steel) Set Contains: Driver, Fairway Wood, Hybrid, 5-9 Irons, PW, Putter, Self-stand bag
|
Choosing the Best Golf Clubs for Beginners – A Buyer’s Guide
Let’s talk about how I arrived at the recommendations above because I want you to be able to understand my process so that you can use it or tweak it whenever you are comparing different clubs or making a buying decision. I believe that when evaluating the best golf clubs for a beginning golfer, there are five essential items that make a club more suited to this particular group.
The 5 essential criteria to evaluate when buying golf clubs for any beginning golfer are that the club must be:
- Easy to hit (i.e. more forgiving)
- Perfectly balanced (to achieve excellent swing tempo)
- Have a large sweet spot (so mis-hits aren’t too troubling)
- Durable (since those new to golf may ground their clubs often)
- Reasonably priced (since beginners may not want to invest a lot of money on a set of clubs)
I used these criteria above to separate my choices of best golf clubs for beginners into the following categories of clubs: Drivers, Fairway Woods, Irons, Wedges, Putters, and Complete Sets – as you can see from the items and their descriptions above.
Here I want to examine each criteria separately to see what features or aspects of each golf club provide that particular quality.
Forgiveness – High MOI
Forgiveness in a golf club means that a golfer doesn’t have to always hit the ball perfectly and the shot will still be okay. How does this work? Clubs that have a high Moment of Inertia (MOI) are generally considered more forgiving. MOI is a measure of a golf club’s resistance to twisting. When a beginner uses a club with a high MOI and makes less than perfect contact with the golf ball, this club will not twist as much as a club with a lower Moment of Inertia so the mis-hit will not be as pronounced.
Newer drivers, woods and irons are designed to have a higher MOI. When selecting clubs for this guide, I made sure that all of the drivers, fairway woods, and irons had reasonably high Moments of Inertia (MOI). If you do end up buying one of the clubs or complete sets above, you can rest assured that the MOI of these clubs was on the high side.
Balance
How a golf club is weighted – that is, where the distribution of weight is located – can have a massive effect on how well-balanced the club is. Balance is extremely important to the novice golfer because a well-balanced golf club will make it easier to develop a good swing tempo.
The Center of Gravity (CG) is the area of the golf club through which all of the weight is balanced. For golf clubs, it’s generally somewhere very near the center of the club head. It can be higher or lower and can be manipulated by the user in some of the newer, customizable drivers. In general, the lower and more centered the CG of a golf club is, the better the balance. For the drivers, woods, and irons above most have a very low CG. Some of the drivers allow the golfer to move the weighting a little.
Sweet Spot
The sweet spot of a golf club is the area on the club face that the golfer should try to hit the ball with on every swing. Drivers with larger-sized heads generally have larger sweet spots. That’s why I recommend a driver with a 460cc club head for beginners. Some of the newer clubs, especially, irons use something called perimeter weighting – whereby material is removed from the center of the club head and distributed around the outer edges of the club. This creates a larger sweet spot in clubs like irons. It also enhances balance and can have an effect on the CG of the club. You’ll notice a lot of the irons sets I recommend above have perimeter weighting.
Durability
This is exactly what you think it is. Durability is how tough a golf club is. Basically, how much of a beating can the club endure. Durability depends on the material the club is made from and how well the parts of the club are put together. Most of the clubs presented in this buyer’s guide for beginning golfers are constructed from steel or graphite. The majority of the drivers have some type of titanium head. Steel shafts are generally more durable than graphite, but graphite flexes more and that can be beneficial for beginners who mostly have slower swing speeds. The manufacturers of these clubs are all excellent companies with excellent track records so quality is assured.
Price
Just because a golfer is new to the game doesn’t mean that he or she has to sacrifice when it comes to selecting the best clubs. There is a price point for every level of golfer and I tried to provide a wide assortment of clubs from the manufacturers to the price points. The price you pay for an individual club or complete set really depends on your budget.
What should a beginner expect to pay for a complete golf club set?
Complete golf club sets for beginners can range anywhere from just under $200 up to $1200. While that is a wide range, the higher-priced sets are generally complete sets consisting of 12 or 13 pieces and a golf bag. At the more affordable end, the sets sometimes only include 8 or 9 pieces, often without a putter and these sets sometimes do not include a bag, either.
What clubs should a beginner carry?
Beginners should carry – at a bare minimum – a Driver, 5 Wood, 4 – 9 Irons, Pitching Wedge, Sand Wedge and a Putter. Maybe a new golfer can get away without a driver for a while by using a 5 Wood for his or her tee shots and by starting out on shorter golf courses where not having the long club (driver) won’t be too much of a detriment.
Conclusion
So, while all golf clubs of the same type that I have listed above may look alike, it is important to consider those features that make a club more suited for beginners. By concentrating on the criteria I’ve discussed: Forgiveness, Balance, Center-of-Gravity (CG), Durability, and Price you will be able to make a much more informed decision when selecting the most appropriate golf clubs for the beginning golfer in your life….
OR
You could just save yourself the trouble and take one of my recommendations above
🙂
Happy Golfing!
Thanks for this guide. I was looking to buy myself some new golf clubs and your post not only highlighted some of the newest golf clubs available, it also provided enough detail about what features to look for when deciding which golf clubs would be best for a beginner like me.
Hi Ralph!
I’m glad you found my buyer’s guide on the Best Golf Clubs for Beginners useful. I really tried to highlight some of the newest and most versatile golf clubs for the beginning to intermediate golfer.
Great golf club guide! As a beginner myself I was looking for something like this before buying myself a new set of golf clubs.
Hi Frank,
Thank you for the compliment! Please let me know which set of clubs you decide to buy and how you like them. It’s always nice to get some feedback from my readers who end up buying or using the golf clubs I recommend here. Hope to hear from you soon.
Happy Golfing!