Last Updated on January 27, 2024 by Matt Greene
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Best Beginner Golf Clubs in 2024

Complete Golf Sets for Beginners

If you're looking for an all in one solution and don't need to think about it besides getting some balls and tees, the complete golf sets are perfect for you. My sister and my friend B-Dog on my Youtube videos started golf with complete sets and my sister still plays hers after 6 years!

Wilson Profile Men's Complete Set

Callaway Strata Golf Set

Prosimmon Golf X9 V2 +1

Drivers for beginner golfers

As a beginner you will love the confidence you get from a big driver head (460cc) with a big wide face to hit the ball with.

The big head gives us more forgiveness since there is more surface area to make contact with the golf ball.

To give us even more forgiveness, a beginner driver should have 11° to 14° degrees of loft. This will get the ball airborne and stay in the air longer. The higher loft also makes it easier to hit it straighter by giving us more backspin.

A a new golfer, you should try find used equipment where possible.

Understand golf club terminology

As a beginner or new golfer, you will encounter some jargon and golf lingo. It can get complicated and confusing when you read words you don't understand so here is a basic rundown of the terms you will see in golf club reviews. 

• Adjustable – Some fairway woods and drivers and hybrids come with a wrench to adjust the club. You can make the ball go higher or lower bu adjusting the club when you unscrew the head from the shaft and place it in different settings.  
• Bounce – When you put a sand wedge on the ground, the sole touches the ground (the bottom point) but the leading edge is raised above that bottom point. The angle between the bottom point and the leading edge is the bounce. 
• Center of gravity (COG) - The is the exact spot on the clubhead where all balance points intersect. The placement of thecenter of gravity can make the ball go higher or lower. 
• Draw Bias –Some golf clubs are designed to eliminate a slice or fade by specially designing the club to turn the ball right to left. The manufacturers place weights in certain parts of the club to adjust the tendency of the ball to go right or left.
• Fade or Slice - When you hit a ball and it moves left and then moves even further to the right, very far away from where you intended.
• Forgiveness – We talk about more forgiveness in a club when you do not hit the ball perfectly but the club helps you get a better result than you expect from the bad hit. 
• Hook - When you hit a ball and it moves left and goes further left
• Loft – The angle between the golf club face and the ground at address. More loft produces higher shots. Lower loft produces lower shots.
• Length – This is the length of the golf club including the shaft and where it enters into the club head.
• Offset - This is where the leading edge of the club is set behind the shaft, not in line with the shaft. This helps to square the club face for new golfers and also promote right to left ball flight. 
• Perimeter Weighting –  Manufacturers make a cavity in the back of the iron and move that excess material onto the perimeter of the club to make the perimeter stiffer but the club face more flexible for more distance and forgiveness. 

What Clubs Should a Beginner Carry?

Above we said the best clubs for beginners are forgiving, but let's dig deeper into what forgiving means. 

• Forgiving clubs have offset heads - the face is a little bit behind the shaft to allow the face to be square at impact

Clubs to Avoid as a Beginner

Blade irons

Blade golf clubs from Jack Nicklaus days as well as modern blades are strictly for players who can hit the center of the club face 7 out of 10 times or more. 

The back of the club is solid and gives the look of a knife blade.

The sweet spot is tiny and missing it results in actual physical pain throughout your hands and arms.

Let's go easy on ourselves in the beginning of our golf journey and play the most forgiving irons around. 

Any wedge above 58 degrees of loft

The amount of skill needed to use the 60 degree wedge is very high.

It's a technical club that will take hours and hours of practice to get right. The 56 or 58 degree wedge is all you will need for a very long time in golf. Levae the low wedge 60 degree for the scratch players and pros.

The Easiest Clubs from the Fairway for Beginners

Generally beginners have longer shots into the greens while learning the game. Long irons are probably the most difficult club in the bag for new players to master. 

Fairway woods and hybrids take their place and are extremely easy to hit and forgiving because they have more mass behind them to get the ball airborne and going straight than irons.

Luckily manufacturers are targeting the beginner and higher handicap group of players with awesome fairway woods and hybrid clubs. They take the place of 2, 3, 4 and even 5 irons in the set, making mid to long distance approaches easier than ever.

But don't think these clubs are only for long approaches. You can also use these clubs and SHOULD use these clubs to get the ball in the fairway off the tee when starting out at golf. It's satisfying hitting one big bomb drive per round, but shooting a good score is far more satisfying after the round by playing conservatively with fairway woods and hybrids off the tee.

Check out our fairway wood and hybrid guides for high handicappers for some ideas on suitable clubs.

The Most Fun Irons for New Golfers

There are a few buzzwords you hear in the golf world when researching clubs. Super Game Improvement and Game Improvement are two popular ones at the moment.

The basic idea behind a Super Game Improvement iron is that it is aimed at rapidly improving your game as a beginner or high handicapper by using the most forgiving technologies available. Check our guide for the best clubs for beginners.

Technology used to produce forgiving iron golf clubs for beginners

• Cavity back: they hollow out the back of the club to make the face thinner and in turn causing the ball to rebound quicker and travel a longer distance
• Perimeter weighting: They take that hollowed out material in the cavity back an distribute the weight all the way around the outside edge at the back of the club to give more weight behind all your shots regardless of where you hit it on the face.
• Wide soles with low center of gravity: These prevent digging into the earth and instead make the club glide over the turf to get under the ball and produce a much higher ball flight.

The Best Putter for Beginner Golfers

The Best Sand Wedge for Beginner Golfers

Beginner sets often don't come with a sand wedge and you might like to have one for escaping the bunkers. In fact, I'd say if your set doesn't have one, you must get one to have some fun chipping and pitching onto the greens.

We're looking for sand wedges that give us a lot of forgiveness. Big bounce and a wide sole is essential for a forgiving sand wedge. The best type of sand wedge for a beginner is one with 56° to 58° of loft with a minimum of 10° of bounce.

Check out our Wedges for Beginners article to learn more about bounce and wide soles and forgiving wedges. I've found only the best for your game.

The verdict: Best Golf Clubs for Beginners 

The best golf club set for beginners is the Wilson Profile Men's Set. It has everything you will need in terms of clubs to gets started in the game, and will last you for many years and rounds of gold due its quality. 

You can build your own set with some good choices, either with individual irons one at a time, settling on a partial set to play the game with or go for a new set of irons from a good manufacturer. As a beginner, you want to invest in a set that will make golf fun immediately and easier on you. 

The beginner sets are good value but will one day need to be upgraded. You might be tempted to buy what the pros are playing because you see them on TV. They are some of the best golfers in the world and beginners should be starting off really easy and simple to gain confidence to move through the ranks.You may one day be a professional. But let's start off at the right spot.

Last Updated on February 4, 2024 by Matt Greene
*Read our review guidelines.

You hit more greens and you spin the ball back like a pro using the right wedge. 

And if you don't hit the green, don't worry: your wedge is the weapon to chip your ball close to the hole.

Either way, we're saving strokes all day.

You're unstoppable. Women will want to be with you, men will want to be you.  I'm going to show you the best wedges for high handicappers because my team and I tested everything out there. 

Cleveland Golf Smart Sole 4 Wedges

Most forgiving golf wedge

Cleveland Golf makes the best wedges for high handicappers in general but they designed the Smart Sole with high handicappers in mind.

Why the Cleveland Smart Sole 4 series is my top recommendation high handicappers:

Three wedges made for specific purposes:

1. C wedge is 42° and made for Chipping.  
2. S wedge is 58° and is made for Sand and lob shots
3. G wedge is 50° which is the Gap between the S and C wedges 

C wedge: The C wedge has a loft of 42°and has been designed for playing around the green but can be used just as effectively from 125 yards with a full swing. I found that if I hit the ball from inside 125 yards, there will be a lot of roll, so you can hit the C wedge but anticipate where it can bounce before the green without rolling into a hazard.

S wedge: The Smart Sole S wedge is made to help you out of the bunker in one shot with almost no effort. I found that the very WIDE sole of the club skims the sand perfectly. I did not need to use special bunker technique to get out of the sand -the club did all the work. The face has 58° of loft, so there isn't much need to open the face on the bunker shot. Remarkable.

G wedge: The G wedge at 50° is the between club for more chipping precision and a bit of a shorter full shot than the 42° club. .

You can find me using both C and S wedge in this video on my Youtube channel. 

With the large sole of the club, you're going to glide through tall grass and fairways alike. Around the green, you will not hit the ground before the ball or skull the ball across the green. 

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Wilson Harmonized Golf Wedge

Best value for money wedge for beginners

These Wilson Harmonized wedges are the best traditional looking wedges for beginners especially because you can get a set at a low price.

Harmonized wedges will help you get the consistent gapping between your wedges if you get a set of them, and you'll be hitting consistent distances from 120 yards down to 70 yards. The set comes in Pitching Wedge, Gap Wedge, Sand Wedge and Lob Wedge.

It makes sense to get a couple of these wedges if you're new to the game or on a budget. I guarantee you will not play the Wilson harmonized when you drop into the mid handicap range because you will upgrade to more premium models but these are excellent starter wedges. 

You'll get a good feel for how a traditional wedge feels and works. Practice chipping, bunkers and pitch shots and when you do upgrade one day, you'll have great skill to take advantage of the premium wedges. 

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Cleveland CBX Fullface 2

Best sand wedge for high handicappers

The Cleveland CBX Full Face wedges 2 are extra forgiving for high handicappers because the grooves extend the entire face. You can hit the ball anywhere on the face of the club and get a good result.

Keep in mind, these wedges come in a so many lofts: 50, 52, 54, 56, 58 and 60 degrees. It can get confusing but I would begin with the 56 degree and once you have played with it for a while, you will know what to add next. I would avoid getting too many at one time but after you've played the 56 degree, I bet your next club will be a 50 or 52 degree. You can ignore the 60 degree for a long time. 

CBX 2 Full Face is very playable for high handicappers because of the full face grooves plus two more factors:

The first forgiveness factor is the sole design. On the 50 and 52 degree clubs, the sole makes it easier to hit full shots. The c-shaped sole on the 54, 56 and 60 degree wedges have extra bounce and a shaved sole toward the heel for easier chipping, bunker and pitch shots so you can hit the ground before the ball a little, and get a good result. 

The second forgiveness factor is that the wedge is cavity back. Cavity back golf clubs are easier to hit than blade style. 

If you hit the ground before the ball a lot, these wedges are for you. You will never have to replace the Cleveland CBX 2 Full Face wedges in your bag, because they are both premium and forgiving. 

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PING Glide 4.0 Wedge

A wedge to keep in the bag for a long time

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Square Strike Wedges

The very best wedges for chipping if you duff your chips

Square Strike wedges are short-game savers. I've seen 5 friends completely transform their chipping and pitching with them.

The way to use these wedges is to learn the bump and run technique. After a while of playing these, you grow in confidence and are able to get into "normal" wedges again. Square Strike can be both a permanent solution as well as a temporary confidence building club.

The struggles for a lot of golfers is the chipping and these are legal for tournament play and help the average person with a problem. They will teach you the basics of a bump and run shot which is the essential chipping shot for golf. You can see my video on Youtube about the style of chipping you need to use these clubs. 

Forget the high lobbed shots and try the lower shot with the Square Strike around the greens for more reliable and more predictable shots. It's incredibly difficult to predict the launch and spin of high lofted wedges for beginners and high handicappers. Square strikes show you that.

The Square Strike 45 degree will be the best option for bump and run chips, but for some help with pitch shots and lob shots, the 55 and 60 degree options are available too. You can use them all in every chipping, pitching and bunker situation. 

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Callaway Mack Daddy CB Wedge

The Callaway Mack Daddy CB is a forgiving cavity back wedge which suits high handicappers and beginners. 

Full face grooves on the 56 degree face mean you can hit the ball all over the face and get sufficient backspin. Callaway have included a pre-worn leading edge to stop any digging when you hit the turf. Behind the leading edge, is a very wide sole even down to the 52 degree wedge,

Wide soles on the bottom of the club will help to skim the wedge through the ground and give a beginner and high handicapper a lot of confidence to make solid contact and also get out of bunkers easily. 

The grip provided on the CB wedge is longer than normal grips so that you can grip down for short game shots without gripping the steel shaft. 

Callaway Mack Daddy CB wedges range from 46 degrees all the way up to 60 degrees loft, with increments of 2 degrees. You can create a set of wedges that suit your style from the Callaway Mack Daddy CB range for total consistency. 

For forgiveness and accuracy, it's hard to beat a Mack Daddy CB. They are quite pricey thoug.

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High handicap and beginner wedge info guide

What factors make good wedges for high handicappers?

What is bounce on a wedge?

How does bounce make a wedge forgiving?

Bounce causes the bottom of the clubs sole to hit the turf and 'bounce' the club back off the ground instead of digging into the ground. If you hit the ground before the ball on your pitch or chip shot, the bounce of the club helps you to still make good contact.

If you hit behind the ball, the bounce will skim and pop the club toward the ball, ensuring you make contact. For 90% of golfers, the sand wedge from a bunker for example, should have a lot of bounce to literally bounce off the surface of the sand and float the ball out on a pillow of sand. 

When we start golf we all hit a lot of fat shots (hitting ground before the ball). If your SW has too little bounce, it will dig into the ground on a fat shot and your ball will go a few feet or yards in front of you.

If the wedge has more bounce, it will literally bounce off the earth and make good contact, sending the ball to your target. This will help your shots inside 100 yards.

The verdict: Best wedges for high handicappers

Last Updated on January 2, 2024 by Matt Greene
*Read our review guidelines.

PING G430 Max

Easiest driver to hit for anyone

Ping G430 Max is the easily the most forgiving driver on the market.

Our experience with the G430 Max:

• We both liked that even if you don't see the ball launch, when you do find it in flight, it's going long and straight
• We have both played Ping drivers for 5 years and the forgiveness all over the face was as expected - amazing
• We loved the dull thud sound that the driver makes - like a cannon
• We don't care about colors on the sole but the same muted colors on the crown avoid making you distracted

Peter had been playing and testing the G425 Max since July 2022, but has upgraded to the G430 Max after testing this driver on the course and in the Trackman. 

He is hitting the same distance as his G425 max, but he is getting more roll out from the G430 Max and less fade on his shots. 

There is no better driver on the market to make your bad shots better. This is the most stress-free driver you can hit. Most importantly, it straightens out anyone's ball fight.

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Srixon ZX5 Mk II

Premium quality driver specifically for moderate swing speeds

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Cleveland Launcher XL Lite

Reasons to buy

Cons

Cobra LTDx Max 

The Cobra LTDx Max driver is especially forgiving for high handicappers and beginners because:

1. The LTDx launches easily and flies high, but with minimal shape
2. You can hit the ball all over the face: toe, heel, high and it will fly long

Cobra made the LTDx Max more forgiving than the LTDx which itself is a very forgiving driver. 

What Peter and I did was try and hit as badly as we could. We tried to hit big slices and decelerated swings and we even tried hitting down on the ball to see what would happen. It was almost impossible to hit a terrible shot. The driver fights to keep your ball on track. 

Since the Cobra F9, we have been big fans of Cobra and the LTDx is one of the most forgiving drivers you can find in the world. 

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Mizuno ST-X 230

Most forgiving on slice shots

Out of the 2 new Mizuno drivers, ST-X 230 and the STZ 230, ST-X  is the more draw-biased driver, which will benefit higher handicappers off the tee.

Our experience with the ST-X 230:

• Like the Ping G430 and the Cleveland Launcher XL Lite, the face sits nice and square but still pulls the ball right to left
• We noticed an increase in ball speed of 2-3 mph over the previous model, the STX220 hitting 10 shots with each
• For Peter, the driver reduced his fade by 4 yards 
• For Matt, the driver encouraged more of his standard right to left shot

The Mizuno STX230 is a forgiving club for any golfer who struggles to launch the ball and suffers with a big slice, or wants to hit more right to left shots. 

Reasons to buy

TaylorMade Stealth 2

Most forgiving Taylormade driver available

The Taylormade Stealth 2 Driver is an upgrade to the Stealth original and it's an even more forgiving driver than ever.

Our experience with the Stealth 2:

• One of the most forgiving drivers we tested
• Solid wooden cracking sound at impact which is an improvement on the prior Stealth model
• The driver feels like it swings more along the target line for Matt - difficult to put into words but feels stable all the way through

Peter and Matt are both dodgy with the driver in hand but the Stealth 2 really performed well on the course. We were able to keep the ball in play easily and Peter found a longer carry than other drivers every now and then.

Peter swings at around 90 mph and noticed a slightly higher carry that seemed to keep the ball in the air for 1 more second than normal with the Stealth 2 than. He was too inconsistent compared to his G430 Max though but places the Stealth 2 in 2nd place for him.

The Stealth 2 is a driver that anyone can play from low handicappers to high handicappers and beginners. The build and the feel is as solid as their SIM designs which we loved. It's a great all-round driver full of forgiveness.

What makes a driver forgiving?

Ideal Specifications for Forgiving Drivers

Forgiveness

What makes a driver forgiving?

The Correct Driver Shaft for Your Swing Speed

The Verdict

Last Updated on January 27, 2024 by Matt Greene
*Read our review guidelines.

Best Golf Balls for High Swing Speeds 2024

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Titleist Pro V1

The best ball in golf reserved for high confidence and skill

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High swing speed golf balls

What compression golf ball should I use?

High compression golf balls are important to complement your high swing speed. Generally 100mph swing speed or more should match up with a golf ball compression of more than 90 and probably more than 100 compression.

1. High compression golf balls are firmer with harder cores.
2. High compression golf balls compress slower so a faster swing is needed to fully compress the ball.
3. High compression golf balls maximize your distance potential at higher swing speeds.
4. Firmer cores and ball compressions over 90 are often mostly in Tour golf balls.

Best golf ball for mid handicap with high swing speed

I recommend that you play off a solid 15 handicap or less to benefit from using the balls on this list. That means you might only lose 1 ball per round.

Anything above a 15 handicap is an average score of 90+ and you'll need to sharpen up to benefit greatly from the softer covers and price of the golf balls.

I would suggest harnessing the power of your swing first. Learn to swing smoother and control the speed. If you're swinging fast and not scoring in the low 80s regularly, then the swing speed is irrelevant. Control the ball first, then add speed and once your scores come down, use more premium balls

If you are swinging it well over 100 mph swing speeds and losing golf balls left and right, I would suggest you're hitting the ball too hard. Start with softer shots and play cheaper balls until you're not losing them. 

How does a fast swing speed affect the golf ball?

Golf balls spin because of the revolutions put on the ball by the speed of the swing and the angle of attack from the club face. Often, fast swingers of the club impart a lot more spin than average swings. Hitting a golf ball above a 100 mph swing speed can create excess spin on golf balls that cause the balls to rip back too far on approaches or fly way too high into the air. The extra spin might make the ball balloon and land short. 

The key is to have your swing under control and learn to harness your power and hold back sometimes to produce the result you want. This is a much more valuable skill than merely the ball you use.

On drives, with the correct angle of attack and loft on your driver, you will have a lot less spin on the ball. Urethane balls will spin more, while surlyn covered balls spin less. If your angle of attack is too steep or you flip the ball with your hands, every ball will spin more and shoot up into the air. 

Why do the long drive competitors hit 2-piece balls?

The long-drive competitions are sponsored by manufacturers so their balls will be used in the competitions. Of course, they want to maximize the distance the long drivers are hitting so they use the hardest, longest golf ball focusing purely on distance. If your focus is solely distance, and nothing else on the golf course, this will suit you.

Golf is a game played on the course though so we factored in the need for spin and touch and approach shots. If you do choose a distance golf ball, you'll need to adjust your chipping and pitching to allow more roll out as the distance balls are not designed to bite or stop on the greens very easily.

Conclusion