Best Golf Club Sets 2026: Our experts pick the best models for men and women

If you’re relatively new to golf but have decided that it’s the game for you, then choosing your first set of clubs is an exciting, but perhaps daunting, prospect. While you can opt to build your bag over time, handpicking from the best golf drivers and golf irons, this can be a costly process and one that is better suited to experienced players who know exactly what they’re looking for. A more affordable alternative is to go for one of the best golf club sets, which make for an ideal starter kit.

The best golf club sets will typically comprise 9-12 clubs, including a putter, as well as a bag to carry them in. In essence, enough for you to be able to play and practice the game; you can always add a club or two, such as one of the best hybrids, as your game improves.

All of the premium brands offer such sets, meaning you can go down this route and still end up with a bag of clubs that looks the business and is designed to provide plenty of help for beginners, but with enough growing room for you as your skills develop. We’ve tested numerous of these sets and have compiled a list of the best performers here with the aim of helping you find the right set for your game.

WATCH: Sam De'Ath and Joe Ferguson talk through the best golf club sets money can buy

The Quick List

Best Golf Club Sets - Best Package Sets

Top pick

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The XR set from Callaway gets our nod as the top pick in this guide for its blend of aesthetics and ease of use. It’s one of the pricer sets we’ve tested but still represents good value given the quality of the clubs in question.

So what’s in the bag? You get a 10.5˚ driver, 3-wood and 4-hybrid, then its 5-iron to pitching wedge, followed by a gap wedge, a 55˚ sand wedge, a putter and a bag. It’s a sensible set that has all you need to tee it up immediately.

The first thing we noticed was just how aesthetically pleasing the clubs are. They have the premium look of Callaway’s more expensive offerings, with the driver and woods featuring a matte black crown that oozes class alongside a confidence-inspiring shape. That’s echoed in the irons, which at address have plenty of offset and a generous topline and blade length, all trademarks of an effective game-improvement iron, and the putter, which looks high-end and comes with some handy alignment marks.

Fortunately, the clubs performed just as well as they looked. Through the entire set, we found them easy to launch even with a slower swing speed, which is just what the newer player is looking for and helps to breed confidence.

• Read our full Callaway XR Package Set Review

Best for versatility

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The Wildcat set from PXG has been put together with plenty of thought, helping to make it truly versatile. It makes for a good option for new players who know they have been bitten by the golfing bug and will likely want to add to their set as their game develops.

There are 9 clubs here. You get a Wildcat driver, fairway wood and hybrid. All sit at the user-friendly end of the spectrum, with the driver specs of 16 degrees loft and a 44 inch shaft highlighting this perfectly. These are clubs that are designed to be easy to hit and to make the game a lot more fun in the process.

The irons (7-SW) follow suit and use PXG’s proprietary XCOR2 polymer core system, which removes mass from the center of the club to make them more forgiving when you don’t hit the ball quite as you had wished.

In some sets, the putter seems like an afterthought, but not here. The Black Hawk putter features a mallet design, with a milled aerospace-grade aluminum body, and a stainless steel rear weight plate, boosting the MOI for maximum stability.

In practice we found that it all works. The driver is one of the easier clubs to get airborne even with a slower swing speed, and beginners will likely be met with a ball flight of their dreams. They are equally easy to launch, aided by a low CG and generously wide sole, as well as lighter swing weight.

• Read our full PXG Wildcat Package Set Review

Best mass appeal

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The RBZ SpeedLite is another premium-looking set of clubs. You get 12 in total: a driver, two fairway woods, two hybrids, six irons and a putter plus a bag. It makes for a comprehensive set that really looks the business. From both an aesthetics and composition standpoint these would suit the majority of mid-handicappers, meaning that for a beginner you’re investing in a set you can grow into.

This is clearly demonstrated at address. The driver and woods have a confidence-inspiring shape but one that’s delivered with a clean and classy grey crown. The irons offer a generous enough topline and offset without appearing overly chunky, while the wedge and mallet putter are compact offerings that are refined enough for better players, while still being perfectly user-friendly for newbies.

During testing, every club proved to be easy to launch and forgiving enough when we didn’t find the center of the club face. Expect a high ball flight, aided by a shafts designed for slower swing speeds, and a decent feel of the clubface even on toe and heel strikes.

The set is let down somewhat by the bag. It’s a little flimsy and might just be the first item you’ll want to upgrade.

• Read our full TaylorMade RBZ SpeedLite Package Set Review

Best set choice

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The 11-piece Strata set comprises a driver, fairway wood, two hybrids, 6 iron to pitching wedge, putter and a stand bag, with a price tag that makes them genuinely good value for money.

Visually the clubs have plenty of appeal from a playing perspective.. At address they all inspire confidence, with the driver showing plenty of face depth and loft, while the irons come with that tried-and-tested combination for high-handicappers of a generous amount of offset and a nice, thick topline. The result is a set of clubs that’s very user friendly. We found them easy to hit across the bag, with a high ball flight that seems ideally suited to the target audience.

The bag is surprisingly good given the price point. It’s well-designed with dividers and ample pocket space, although it isn’t waterproof. The putter is slightly less impressive however. It’s basic in appearance and with no milling or insert on the face it doesn't produce the best feel, especially on off-center hits which are firm and a tad harsh. There’s no head cover either, making it more susceptible to damage.

Still, this shouldn’t detract too much from what is a fun package that’s well-suited to the beginner golfer who’s shopping on a budget.

• Read our full Strata Men's Golf Package Set Review

Best for approach play

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The best Callaway drivers and best Callaway irons are some of the best looking clubs that money can buy. So perhaps it should come of no surprise that the Mavrik set also delivers on this front. Unlike some sets aimed at the less experienced player, these are clean and understated in their looks.

A 9-club set, you get a driver, 3-wood, 4 and 5 hybrids, 6-iron through to sand wedge, a putter, and a stand bag. All of the clubs are designed with beginners in mind, with the design and tech aimed at delivering clubs that are both easy to hit and forgiving on off-center strikes.

The driver, 3-wood and hybrids all demonstrate these attributes with aplomb. The driver has a generous sweet spot and is nicely stable though impact, combining to produce strong ball speeds even on toe and heel strikes. The 3-wood and hybrids follow suit, with a lively feel off the face and an easy launch even when matched with slower swing speeds.

It’s the irons that are the real star of the set, however. They are equally forgiving, with a nice high ball flight that will appeal to any beginner, all delivered with a lovey feel off the face. The putter is worthy of mention, too. The blade-style White Hot Pro 1 was regarded as one of the best putters back in the day, and it’s a nice addition to a set like this.

Last but not least is the stand bag. Callaway hasn’t scrimped here, with the double straps and extra padding making for a comfortable walking experience.

• Read our full Callaway Mavrik Package Set Review

Best value for money

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While there are many sets in this guide that represent good value for money, the TE-400 package gets the nod, making it a great choice for any beginner golfer who doesn’t want to spend a fortune on their first set of clubs.

That value starts with the number of clubs. You get 12: a driver, 3 and 5-wood, 4 and 5-hybrid, as well as 6-iron to sand wedge and a putter. It makes for a comprehensive set, with a couple of spaces left should you want to spend the money you saved on an extra wedge or two.

While the look of the clubs won’t win any prizes, it’s the performance that really matters. And it’s here that they shine. The driver was a real standout during our testing, performing well above our expectations. In general, all of the clubs were easy to hit, with a nice high launch and plenty of forgiveness when we didn’t find the center of the face - all attributes that should appeal to anyone who’s new to the game.

• Read our full Tour Edge TE-400 Package Set Review

Best for adjustability

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It’s not often that you get a driver with an adjustable hosel in a complete set, but that’s exactly what’s on offer with the RBZ package from TaylorMade.

Unsurprisingly it makes the driver the headline act here, with the aforementioned hosel allowing you to dial in the loft and face angle to suit your swing and desired ball flight. It also means you;ve invested in a club that can grow with your game.

But there’s plenty of other highlights too in this 9-club set. Like the driver, the 3-wood and hybrid are easy to hit and come with bags of forgiveness, both delivering a nice, soft ball flight that will appeal to newer players. The irons follow suit, with the generous cavity-back design making for a large sweet spot that translates to a nice high launch even on mis-hits.

The putter is impressive, too. It’s from the brand’s iconic Spider range, and features a splitback design that aids alignment, while the high MOI means it’s just as forgiving as the driver, woods and irons in this set. It’s finished off with a Pure Roll inset that delivers a nice, soft feel on the greens.

• Read our full TaylorMade RBZ Package Set Review

Best for intermediate golfers

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Not all of the best golf club sets are aimed at beginners. And the Stix Nicklaus is one such set. The composition and design of the clubs make it an ideal choice for a player with a little more experience who’s ready to upgrade their beginner set but doesn’t want to go down the road of buying individual clubs and a set of irons just yet.

This is exemplified by the irons. Unlike many sets in this guide, they will appeal to the eye of the intermediate golfer, with the slimmer topline and shooter blade length resulting in something akin to a distance player's iron rather than a super game-improvement offering, typified by a thick topline and tons of offset.

The driver impressed us during our testing, giving us plenty of feedback and a nice high launch angle. It’s a little less forcing then some of the other drivers in this guide, but again that plays to this set being a good match for players with plenty of rounds under their belt.

• Read our full Stix Nicklaus Essentials Package Set Review

Best forgiveness

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Most new golfers aren’t yet adept at finding the center of the clubface with any kind of regularity. It;s a skill that can prove elusive to more experienced players too, so when you;re starting out you need to find a set of clubs that are designed to be forgiving on mishits. And this Prostaff set from Wilsom are just that.

The 10-club set comprises driver, fairway wood, hybrid, 6-9-iron, two wedges, a putter and a bag and is really fine-tuned to help the inexperienced player have more fun. The irons typify this, designed to get the ball in the air easily while not overly punishing off-center strikes. In testing we loved the large sweet spot, which combines with the generous length, topline and offset to create an iron that promotes confidence at address and then delivers through in the strike.

The sand wedge is another example of this set’s DNA. Escaping from the sand can be daunting for the beginner, and an inappropriately designed wedge can exacerbate matters greatly. Here you get a nice wide sole with plenty of bounce, helping players to get through the sand without digging excessively.

• Read our full Wilson Prostaff SGI Package Set Review

Best for looks

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If looks matter to you as much as performance, then the Vice Boost set should appeal. Like the rest of the brand’s equipment, it’s premium looking, with slick graphics, interesting details and clean looking club design.

The set features 9 clubs and a super light stand bag, which is easy to carry and has plenty of pockets for all your round essentials. Naturally for Vice, it looks the part too.

The quality across the set is impressive, resulting in drivers, woods and irons that have the classy looks of clubs you’d expect to see in the bags of better, more experienced players. The driver is a real standout, performing better than we expected, and one that can be kept in the bag even as the player improves. Distance output, feel and forgiveness were all good, and were mirrored in the 4-hybrid.

The irons are pretty basic in appearance and will appeal to those who appreciate an uncluttered aesthetic. Vitally though they have the performance characteristics which should suit the new golfer, namely a thick tip line and generous offset that builds confidence at address and a nice high ball flight.

As for the putter, it’s another highlight. It’s a milled wide blade offering that looks as good as it performs. The alignment aid and line work in unison to help you get set up correctly, while the feel of the face is pleasantly soft. Like the driver, this is a club that can remain a gamer after you’ve upgraded some of the other clubs in the set.

• Read our full Vice Boost Starter Set Review

Best women's set

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The Ultimate package from Strata is our best women’s set, and gets the vote thanks to its comprehensive composition and impressive performance.

For beginners, it’s an almost ideal set, with a 12° driver, fairway wood, 4 and 5 hybrid, 6-9 iron, pitching wedge, sand wedge and a putter, all housed in a nice stand bag. The blade putter is the only question mark, with a more stable and forcing mallet-head design perhaps being a better match for those who are new to the game.

Aesthetically, all the clubs meet the eye test. There’s a genuinely premium look to the woods and irons, although the glossy chrome finish of the latter did reflect the sunlight a little too much for our liking.

But how did they perform? The driver and fairway wood were both easy to hit and delivered plenty of distance, with the levels of forgiveness you’d hope for in a beginners set. The wide sole of the irons made for an excellent turf interaction, and the overall head design is reminiscent of Callaway’s iconic Big Bertha irons. Like the Big Berthas of old these proved equally easy to hit.

• Read our full Strata Women's Package Set Review

Best premium women's

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We would describe the Callaway Reva as the Aston Martin of women's package sets. It has been engineered for premium performance, it's positively luxurious in looks and everything is made from high-quality components. Basically the Reva has been put together to give the woman golfer everything needed from tee-to-green, and while not exclusively aimed at the new golfer, it is perfect for anybody who is relatively new to the game.

You get a driver, three wood, 5 and 6 hybrids, 7-9 iron, a pitching and sand wedge and a putter, as well as a lovely cart bag and five headcovers. When we tested this set we particularly loved the driver performance. It launched high with a nice ball flight and also had a nice, powerful feel. The big circular target-style sweet spot on the face is so inviting as you feel like its impossible to miss. The three-wood and hybrids continued this theme as well, which will certainly appeal to golfers who struggle in this area.

As for the irons, they are large, cavity backs that have been designed to offer forgiveness on mis-hits. Our testing seemed to confirm this, as they felt effortlessly light to swing thanks to the stability and forgiveness on offer. In our view the main thing that makes this one of the best women’s golf sets is that the putter is fantastic and unlike anything you would normally find in a package set. The fang design, coupled with the Stroke Lab shaft technology, helps with tempo and consistency and we absolutely loved it, especially in the blue finish.

• Read our full Callaway REVA Ladies Package Set Review

Best value women's

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A thoughtfully designed set of the best beginner golf clubs for ladies clubs should make the game a little easier and more enjoyable as a result. And this set from Macgregor is testimony to that.

Featuring 9 clubs and a bag, it has a composition that’s ideally suited to new players, with a driver, fairway wood, hybrid, 7-SW irons and putter. The club’s specs are also helpful. The driver has 13-degrees of loft and the 3-wood has 18 degrees of loft making it easier to get both of them airborne, while the irons have a confidence-inspring visual with a large footprint, generous topline and plenty of offset.

The putter too is sensibly sourced. It’s a variation of Odyssey's 2-ball design, which makes it really easy to line up. Given that many new players struggle with alignment and starting their ball on their desired target line, it’s a good addition to the bag.

• Read our full MacGregor CG4000 Ladies Package Set Review

How we test golf clubs

At Golf Monthly we pride ourselves in our testing and reviews as our process has been fine tuned over more than a decade of testing thousands of the best (and the worst...) golf equipment - from clubs and bags to rangefinders and launch monitors, if you see it on the shelf in your local pro shop or golf store, chances are we've reviewed it. Golf clubs sets are no exception for our testing ethos and methodology.

Depending on which set we are testing, our review process is typically separated into two parts - indoor and outdoor testing. When testing beginner sets like the MacGregor CG4000, we only test them on the golf course due to their design being catered to those with less experience in the game, but sets that are designed for more competent players are tested both on one of the best golf launch monitors to help us understand performance through the data on offer before we try them on the course.

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In terms of our outdoor testing, we aim to try out each club set across multiple days across multiple golf courses to put them through the most thorough test possible. Testing in different conditions as well as on different courses helps us understand the level of performance more, leading to a fairer and more informative review for our readers.

Our reviews are also conducted by golfers, for golfers. We feel we have a commitment to our readership to provide informative, factually based, bias-free reviews so you can make the best purchases to suit your golf game. It has never been more important to do so considering the increase in the price of playing golf in recent years. We stress that no brand gets preferential treatment, nor can a manufacturer 'buy' a good review - we simply call it how we see it based on our testing ethos, extensive knowledge of golf equipment and passion for the game.

How to choose a golf set

What comes in the set

Not all sets are the same. Some come with all 14 clubs, from driver and the way to putter. Most also include a golf bag, but not all. If browsing online, be sure to check how many clubs the set you are looking at includes as some might only provide as many as eight clubs. If you're beginning to play the sport, eight may be all you need - when I was a kid my package set only had seven clubs and as I grew older I slowly filled out the gaps in my golf bag. Make sure to double check before your order arrives at your front door to avoid disapointment.

Forgiveness

We don't want to jump to conclusions but we imagine the reason you're considering a package set is because you're relatively new to the game of golf. That's absolutely fine, but it's also important to know what you want from a golf club. Some premium models focus on distance, others workability. What we want to focus on here is forgiveness because you'll almost certainly not be hitting the center of the clubface every time you swing. Often package sets are designed to give the maximum amount of forgiveness possible for the newbie or higher handicap in an attempt to make a very difficult sport that little bit easier. Keep this in mind during your search.

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Quality

If you look on Amazon for example, you'll find hundreds of package sets across a range of price points. Some feel too good to be true - that's likely because they aren't very good. We'd recommend keeping it within the constrains of the brands we have listed in this guides - this is because we have tested these products and know that these brands can be relied upon for created good quality golf clubs. The last thing you want to do is pay hundreds for a set of rubbish clubs that give you very little forgiveness and distance, only for you to want to replace them after six months.

Budget

Everyone has a budget. If you're lucky enough, your budget is unlimited, but we know that only applies to a minority of people reading this guide. Having a smaller budget will rule out a few options listed in this buying guide but that is OK, there is still plenty of value to be had on the lower side of the price scale. Also, if you're only starting to play the game, blowing over $1000 on a set is frankly unnecessary. Try your best to find a sweet spot between good value and performance.

FAQs

What clubs come in a full package set?

This can vary depending on the set you have gone for but usually see package sets come with a driver, some kind of wood or hybrid, a set of irons (which often goes from roughly five-iron down to sand wedge) and a putter. Most also come with a golf bag as well which is something to think about when you are purchasing.

What type of players would golf package sets be good for?

Overall we think package sets are good for those players who are perhaps new to the game and want to tick off as many club boxes as possible with one purchase. As we have shown above, many package sets come from high-quality brands which means you can get good golf clubs that perform as you would want without having to buy each club individually. We also think package sets are good for kids as well.

For more buying advice on golf gear, take a look at our guides on the best cheap golf club sets, and best golf shoes.