Best Golf Clubs for Beginners 2024
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Our pick of the best beginner golf clubs for men, ladies, and children in 2024.
Starting out in any sport can be a daunting prospect but golf, especially, can leave new players totally lost. There are so many equipment options, it is easy to drown in a sea of information.
However we have selected our favorite starter sets in the following categories (click on the link to jump straight to that sections):
Buying your first set of golf clubs as a beginner is an exciting time, but it can also be an overwhelming and daunting experience.
There are thousands of different golf clubs to choose from, all with different names and promising different things.
Don’t be intimidated by the huge selection of golf clubs available, and definitely don’t panic about the hefty price tags on some of them. Yes, you can easily spend thousands on a set of golf clubs, but there’s absolutely no need to do that – and certainly not as a beginner.
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One of the best ways to kit yourself out with some beginner-friendly golf clubs is to buy a package set.
These starter kits are aimed at beginners and contain golf clubs that aren’t necessarily the absolute best available, but give you everything you need to play the game, for a much lower price than buying each club individually. For context, some of these beginner golf sets are under £300, whereas a driver alone from one of the top brands can be upwards of £450, and well over £1,000 for a set of irons. All of the beginner sets we’ve selected include a bag, too, so that’s one less thing to worry about.
EXPLAINED: How we test golf equipment
How many clubs do I need?
The maximum number of clubs a golfer is allowed to carry is 14, but don’t feel you need to have that many. As a beginner, somewhere between six and 10 clubs will be plenty.
What makes a good golf club for a beginner?
Golf clubs that are most suitable for beginners are designed to be more forgiving, which means your shots won’t be as severely punished when you don’t quite hit them properly.
The irons will typically have larger than average heads, and may look relatively thick and chunky. This extra mass is designed to help you get the ball in the air and travelling in vaguely the right direction. Beginners are best advised to steer well clear of compact little blades that offer little to no assistance on anything but well-struck shots.
The driver, woods and hybrids in beginner sets will likely all be matching designs and colours, which is good, as it makes it easier to get used to hitting them. Most complete sets come with headcovers for the woods; if yours don’t, it’s a good idea to buy some to prevent scratches and dings caused by your clubs rattling around in your bag.
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How much should I spend on golf clubs for a beginner?
Everyone’s budget is different. If you want to spend thousands on the latest and greatest golf clubs and have the money to do so, then go for it! But, as a beginner, you really won’t notice much difference between a set that cost a few hundred versus a set that cost ten times as much.
For most people, it’s a much better idea to spend less on the clubs and invest the money in lessons from a good golf coach. You’ll also want to have money left over for green fees or a golf club membership so you can actually get out and develop your skills with your new clubs.
– Just so you know, whilst we may receive a commission or other compensation from the links on this page, we never allow this to influence product selections.
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Best Beginner Golf Clubs for Men
These package sets will see you from beginner golfer through to intermediate…
The clubs and matching bag come in choice of colours: red, black, or blue.
The Ben Sayers clubs themselves are everything you need to go from complete beginner to intermediate golfer.
We particularly like the fact the driver shaft is 45″. Many drivers now are closer to 46″. The difference may not sound like much, but the slightly shorter shaft will make it easier to control for beginner golfers and help them find the middle of the club face more often.
Ben Sayers also offer a six-piece and an eight-piece set, and offer the 11-piece set in 1″ longer than standard for the taller golfer.
| Number of clubs: | 11 |
The woods all feature graphite shafts, whereas the irons are steel shafts.
The putter is a blade design, which may not be the ideal for beginners, many of whom would find it easier to use a mallet.
The bag features all the pockets you need, plus a detachable hood to keep your clubs dry when it’s raining.
Wilson are one of the most well-established brands in golf and, for under £300, this set provides fantastic value.
| Number of clubs: | 10 |
The clubs themselves have been designed to be as beginner-friendly as possible, with helpful alignment aids and plenty of technology to make them easy to hit and forgiving on mishits.
The bag is lightweight and water resistant.
| Number of clubs: | 11 |
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Cobra are a top brand, played by the likes of Rickie Fowler, Bryson DeChambeau, Lexi Thompson, and Gary Woodland.
The beginner-friendly clubs in this Cobra set feature an oversized design, which will help mitigate the poorly struck shots you’re bound to hit as a beginner golfer.
Be aware that the set comes with a cart bag, so you’ll need a golf trolley to make the best use of it.
| Number of clubs: | 10 |
The Callaway Rogue set comes with a driver, 3-wood, 4-hybrid, and 5-iron through to sand wedge. Callaway Rogue clubs are renowned for offering maximum distance, which will appeal to most beginner golfers.
Unlike most package sets, there’s no bag included, so you’ll need to buy that separately.
There’s a choice of regular or stiff shafts, which is great, as not all beginners have slow swing speeds and may find the regular shafts common in beginner sets too flexible.
The Odyssey O-Works #1 Putter that’s included is absolutely top notch and, assuming you like it, there’s no reason you’d ever need to replace it, even when your golf progresses far beyond beginner level.
| Number of clubs: | 11 |
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Best Beginner Golf Clubs for Ladies
The best beginner golf clubs for ladies will tend to be shorter than the men’s versions, have a higher lofted driver, and often contain more fairway woods and hybrids as ladies tend to favour them over long irons.
There’s a 13° driver, fairway wood, hybrid, five irons, and a mallet style putter.
The clubs have been specifically designed for beginner golfers or those who have had an extended period away from the game, so they’re easy to hit and very forgiving.
With a matching cart bag included, all you need to add is some golf balls and tees and you’re ready to hit the course.
| Number of clubs: | 9 |
The clubs themselves have been designed to be as beginner-friendly as possible, with helpful alignment aids and plenty of technology to make them easy to hit and forgiving on mishits.
The cart bag is lightweight and water resistant.
| Number of clubs: | 11 |
There’s a 13° driver, 3-wood, two hybrids, six irons and then a half-mallet style putter.
Headcovers are included, as is a matching cart bag.
| Number of clubs: | 11 |
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Best Beginner Golf Clubs for Children
Kids will quickly outgrow their golf clubs so it’s not worth spending a fortune on a beginner set that may only last them a year or two. Also, unless they’re going to be using a trolley, 14 clubs is a lot for a child to carry, so a half-set is the best solution.
The set contains a driver, hybrid, 7-iron, pitching wedge and half-mallet style putter.
The carry bag is included, along with matching headcovers for the woods and putter.
Benross have carved something of a niche for themselves in creating good quality golf equipment that’s considerably cheaper than the top brands, and they’ve carried that across to their junior sets.
| Number of clubs: | 5 |
Every aspect of the design is focused around helping kids generate the maximum speed to get the ball in the air and flying as far as possible. The shafts are lightweight and the driver features plenty of loft, which is helpful as kids can’t typically generate the same club head speed as fully grown adults.
The seven-piece set contains a driver, fairway wood, hybrid, 7-iron, 9-iron, sand wedge, and putter. A matching stand bag and headcovers for the woods are also included.
There are cheaper options available, but Callaway are one of the leading brands in premium golf equipment, used by the likes of Jon Rahm, Xander Schauffele, Henrik Stenson, and Georgia Hall.
| Number of clubs: | 7 (There’s also a girls’ six-piece set available in shorter lengths for £279.) |
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