Best Beginner Golf Clubs For Ladies 2024

If you are a newcomer to the game then golf can be quite daunting. Very daunting in fact. In addition to trying to figure out how to actually play the game, the new golfer is also faced with a bewildering choice of golf equipment. The sheer volume of products on the shelf, not to mention the technological jargon that accompanies them is an absolute minefield even for some who have played the game for a while. For a newcomer it can be mind blowing.

Someone who is new to the game cannot be expected to know what are the best golf clubs to buy, which is why we have compiled this guide to help give you a clearer idea of the different women's starter clubs available and what you should expect to spend to get them.

The first thing to stress is you must not fall into the trap of looking at the clubs used by the professionals and thinking "they must be good, I'll get those". They might be the best clubs money can buy but they won't be the best for you. In fact they may be the worst! Beginner golfers need clubs aimed at beginner golfers, not ones designed for the best ball strikers in the world.

Clubs for beginners, or for ladies with a slow to moderate swing speed, are usually designed with a lightweight graphite shaft, large heads, low and deep weighting for a high MOI and a face with a large sweet spot. This is designed with the goal of making it as easy as possible for players to get the ball in the air and to provide as much forgiveness as possible. New golfers are going to miss the middle of the face quite often but forgiving clubs are designed to minimize the damage from mis-hits and to give even a poor strike a chance of making it into the air.

A beginner set will provide the new golfer with all the clubs they need to get going. As set usually consists of a driver, fairway woods, a hybrid, irons and a putter. These sets are the way to go for a new golfer because they are usually excellent value and you won't need to spend lots of money until you are sure that golf is for you. If you play regularly and your game is improving, you can always upgrade to a better set, assuming your budget allows it. You will probably then move on to purchasing individual clubs rather than a package set. At this point you might want to be custom-fit to really start to get the best out of your equipment, but that isn't something beginners need to concern themselves with, as their swing will change significantly in the early stages.

At Golf Monthly our female staff members test a whole range of women's golf clubs, and while there are so many women's starter clubs and beginner sets to choose from, this guide, as well our others offering advice on the best drivers, fairway woods, irons and putters will help ladies to kickstart their game before taking it to the next level.

Alison Root

Alison Root has over 25 years experience working in media, predominantly dedicated to women's golf. She is a respected voice across all areas of the game and has tested many women's golf clubs in the past.

The Quick List

Best Beginner Golf Clubs For Ladies

Top set

This 16-piece offering comes from a brand with a rich history producing golf equipment. The set contains everything a new golfer could possibly need and comprises of a 12° driver, fairway wood, 4 and 5 hybrid, 6-9 iron, PW, SW and a putter, all housed in a very neat stand bag.

Aesthetically this set reminded us of the Callaway Big Bertha irons. They look great and we loved the glossy chrome finish. In our testing we really enjoyed what this set had to offer. The driver gave us plenty of assistance in getting tee shots to fly high and straight, which is a big thing for a new golfer as the driver can be the most difficult club in the bag to hit if its the wrong one for your skill level. Moving down the bag and the irons were easy to hit and delivered excellent distance and forgiveness off the fairway.

The putter is a blade style which is not necessarily ideal for beginners, who may benefit from a more forgiving mallet design, but as far as beginner set putters go we must say we liked the sleek aesthetic and the handy alignment line. If the putter isn't to your taste though don't let that put you off buying the set, as considering that the whole set costs little more than you might pay for a brand new driver, you could easily upgrade to one of the best women's putters while still not spending too much overall. This is easily one of the best golf sets for beginners out there and we highly recommend it.

• Read our full Strata Women's Package Set Review

Best premium set

This set is aimed at women of various skill levels who are looking to increase their distance and consistency, and therefore also their enjoyment of the game. It's suitable for beginners as well as the mid-high handicap player who just wants a nice set without the hassle of shopping for individual clubs. The set consists of a driver, 3-wood, 5 and 6 hybrids, 7-9 irons, a pitching and sand wedge, a putter, plus a nice cart bag as well as matching headcovers.

Our tester was especially enamored with the driver, which delivered a high launch and ball flight with a powerful, pleasing feel. Something else that stood out was the big circular target-style sweet spot on the face looks which makes you feel like it's impossible to miss.

As for the irons, the large, oversized cavity backs are designed to help on mishits and that was what we experienced. They are certainly forgiving, while also being effortlessly easy to hit. Ideally we would have liked specialist wedges to have been included, but that's nit-picking and the clubs in this set do the job well enough for a simple pitch or chip shot, especially for a beginner who hasn't yet mastered a variety of chip shots. A more experienced player will probably want to add their own lob wedge or sand wedge though.

While we liked the driver and the irons, undoubtedly the thing that makes this one of the best women's golf sets is the putter, which is much better than you would normally find in a package set. It features the Stroke Lab shaft which is used by some of the best players in the world. It is designed to improve tempo and consistency in your stroke, so it may help the beginner golfer improve on the greens.

The set is available in blue and black (right hand only) and in left-handed too, and if you want to upgrade parts of the set at a later date you can buy individual Reva clubs too, such as the Callaway Big Bertha Reva Women's driver, as well as Callaway Reva golf balls.

• Read our full Callaway Reva Ladies Package Set Review

Best beginner set

Designed specifically for the female golfer just starting out in the game, the Cleveland Bloom comes with a driver, 5-wood, hybrid, SW-7-iron, and a putter plus a cart golf bag with a detachable pouch that really highlights the standout black/pink color scheme. Given the price and everything that comes with it, this set represents exceptional value in our view.

Our main conclusion based on our testing is that this set is ideal for the new golfer, who generally have difficulty getting the ball airborne. This set is designed to really help in that regard. The driver has 14 degrees of loft which makes it very easy to get up in the air, while we found that the deep face on the 5-wood helped achieve good height from fairway shots.

Our tester was most impressed by the 5 hybrid which delivered consistent high-flying shots from a variety of lies. Hybrids are a new golfers best friend as they are extremely versatile and much easier to hit than longer irons. In fact, irons can be the most difficult clubs in the bag for the new golfer as you don't have the reassurance of hitting from a tee. Forgiveness is key for beginners when it comes to irons and the cavity back irons in this set delivered bags of forgiveness thanks to the big sweet spot. We liked the 56-degree wedge which performs well out of sand and provides a nice option for chipping around the greens, while completing the set is a mallet-shaped putter, which has been designed to help new golfers strike consistent, smooth rolling putts.

• Read our full Cleveland Bloom Ladies Package Set Review

Best looking set

Wilson are one of the leading brands when it comes to affordable package sets and they produce of the best options out there in both the junior and women's market. One of our favorites in the women's market is the Magnolia set which comes with a choice of a stylish cart or carry bag to hold a driver, 3-wood, 4, 5, 6 hybrid, 7-SW irons and a putter.

As tends to be the case with Wilson, there is excellent value to be had without any compromising on quality. The set is all about forgiveness and helping the new golfer (or high handicap player) get the ball up in the air even when the strike isn't necessarily the best. The driver is high lofted with an oversized head to promote that all-important confidence on the tee, while we found that the oversize heads and clever weighting of the irons provides a really high level of forgiveness on off-center hits.

Our tester was very impressed with the overall results right throughout the bag. These clubs are very easy to launch right throughout the bag, with the compact head and versatility of the hybrids being a particular highlight. Those hybrids really came into their own when playing from the rough, which is an area of the game that can be extremely tough for beginners. Interestingly, this set also includes a bespoke wedge, which is quite unusual in package sets. For us this is definitely a welcome addition for short game shots and should help the new golfer quickly learn some different shots around the green to improve their short game. Completing the set is a mallet-shaped putter with a prominent alignment line to provide valuable assistance in getting putts started on the right line.

• Read our full Wilson Magnolia Ladies Set Review

Best driver

Perhaps you already have some clubs to get started with but are looking to add a specialist driver to your bag? If so then the powerful, easy to launch Ping G Le3 driver is an excellent option. The Le3 is part of the third generation of G Le clubs, which continues to be a highly popular range for women with slow to moderate swing speeds, which tends to apply to most beginners.

There have been several upgrades to the G Le2. Technological advancements meant that Ping was able to introduce a clever weighting system to promote a lower and slightly heel side centre of gravity, the purpose of which is to provide greater forgiveness. The driver has a standard 11.5 degree loft but that can be adjusted +/- 1.5 to dial in to your own specific needs, so for example, the golfer who needs help getting the ball up in the air can go with a 13 degree setting.

Ping always get the aesthetics right so it's never easy to improve on the previous model, but we would say that the navy with gold accents is a really nice look and perhaps the best we've seen in this series so far.

We've seen with the best Ping drivers in recent years that the large head has angled ridges on the crown. These are not just for show, there's a practical purpose too as they improve airflow to help deliver faster ball speeds. An added benefit is that we think they also frame the ball nicely and promote confidence at address.

In our testing we were easily able to stay in control of our drives throughout the swing even though this is quite a lightweight driver. It required little effort to get the ball off the tee and up in the air quickly so that will really help the beginner as well as the slower swinger. We also noted that the forgiveness levels were high when we mishit slightly.

• Read our full Ping G Le3 Driver Review

Best wide appeal

TaylorMade’s Kalea Premier range will suit a wide range of playing styles and is designed to help women golfers hit shots effortlessly while providing maximum forgiveness. It certainly delivered on that promise and we were hugely impressed with this driver in testing. In fact, we would go as far as to say that this is one of the best golf drivers for women that TaylorMade has ever produced.

It has a standard 12.5 degree loft and is 10g lighter than its predecessor, the Kalea 3 driver. Unsurprisingly, our tester was really able to notice this and was really struck by how lightweight it felt. The weight saved in the head can be redistributed elsewhere, and in this case there is a 22-gram steel back weight which encourages high launch. Additionally, TaylorMade’s patented ‘Twist Face’ technology serves to straighten out mishits so you are getting a high, straight flight with plenty of forgiveness.

We found the grip to be nice and tacky, making it ideally suited for women with smaller hands. In terms of the aesthetics, we love the deep dark blue clubhead color which looks super premium with the shimmery finish that is complemented by white edging lines. These lines serve a duel purpose as they really helped our tester to focus her eye on aiming the club correctly. Overall this driver was very easy to swing and delivered excellent results, so we are confident that it will help women with slower swing speeds to gain that extra bit of distance we're all striving for.

• Read our full TaylorMade Kalea Premier Women's Driver Review

Best confidence booster

Callaway designed this driver to provide the assistance that allows women to hit their tee shots further while also finding the fairway more often. The brand has achieved this by engineering a large clubhead with internal draw bias weighting. This means longer drives and greater accuracy, especially for golfers who slice (which is the majority of beginners).

The Big Bertha Reva has some high end tech, including Callaway’s Jailbreak technology which makes the clubface more efficient through the utilization of two internal bars which stiffen the head to allow the face to flex more. More forgiveness comes from a lightweight crown which allows weight to be redistributed elsewhere in the clubhead for higher MOI.

The big advantage from this advanced clubface design is that it provides a more expansive hitting area which promotes faster ball speeds. In other words, it's very forgiving so women will still drive the ball a long way even if they miss the centre of the face. When you factor all of this into the equation and add it to the impressive showing this driver showed in our testing, it was an absolute no-brainer to include this on the beginner guide list.

• Read our full Callaway Women's Big Bertha Reva Driver review

Best iron

As with the driver mentioned above - and indeed all other clubs in Ping’s G Le 3 family - these irons are suitable for women with a slow to moderate swing speed, with the iron/hybrid combo solution allowing golfers with slower swing speeds to create the ideal set make-up with optimal gapping

At the top-end of the bag, the 5-iron has been replaced with a hybrid and, in testing, the forgiveness was the stand-out as the ball flight was still strong on off-center strikes. What's more, the ball was very easy to get airborne, as the lightweight nature meant we could swing hard and confidently.

Along with the performance, the color scheme of navy with a sliver of gold and silver was very pleasing to our eye and, finally, another nice bonus of this set is that the updated design of the sand wedge will provide a big confidence booster for women who struggle to play out of bunkers.

• Read our full Ping G Le3 Irons Review

Most lightweight

If you are just starting out in the game we would recommend the Cobra Air-X women’s irons as a great option to consider. To begin with, they have been designed to be lightweight and easy to swing, while also offering good forgiveness on off-center hits.

Starting with the performance and, positively, the distance produced by these irons was extremely impressive! The Air-X does have stronger lofts, a 7-iron is akin to 6-iron, but it doesn't affect the performance, as they produced a great towering flight. Also, in testing, we found that the offset design of these cavity-back irons made it easy to square the clubface, which will help those who slice the ball, whilst the size of the head helps to deliver consistently straight shots

Aesthetically, we think these are one of the more attractive irons for women on the market. There is a soft sheen to the finish while the subtle splashes of pink on the back of the head make for a more feminine touch.

• Read our full Cobra Air-X Women’s Irons Review

Best distance

While the look of the noticeably wider sole of these cavity back irons won’t appeal to everyone, for women with a slow to moderate swing speed it’s worth considering performance over looks. That's not to say the looks are bad, though, far from it in fact, as the large offset heads cannot help but fill you with confidence at address, whilst the blue and black color scheme adds a pop of color.

In testing, we were impressed with the feel and was also able to confirm that the sound of the Big Bertha Reva irons matches that solid sensation thanks to the use of urethane microspheres that absorb unwanted vibration.

As mentioned, the soles are noticeably wider and have been designed with a significant amount of tungsten weighting to promote a deep center of gravity. There's also Callaway’s Flash Face Cup technology, which encourages and maintains ball speed whilst launching the ball easily with lower spin.

• Read our full Callaway Big Bertha Reva Irons Review

Best putter

TaylorMade's incredibly successful Spider X putter has had a refresh, as a new colorway finishing process means the result is something special!

Firstly, the Hydro Blast has a smoother and very premium-looking finish and, thanks to the high-pressure application of water to the aluminum body, it is very durable. In the older models they tended to scratch easily but, with the Spider X, it remained in mint condition throughout our time testing it.

In terms of the tech, TaylorMade has placed two tungsten weights on the rear edges of the putter to increase the MOI. Another handy addition is the reduction of twisting in the face, with a Pure Roll insert providing a smooth feel and plenty of stability.

• Read our full TaylorMade Spider X Hydro Blast Putter Review

Best large mallet

The Odyssey White Hot Versa 12 S putter makes its way into the list as it offers plenty of help for the inexperienced golfer. For example, it features the brand's patented Versa alignment, which has been created following feedback from short game coach Phil Kenyon, as well as a number of the world's top professionals. It also has a bold black and white contrast head, which we felt really assisted in aiming the face correctly at address and made it easier to keep an eye on where it was pointing throughout the stroke.

Aesthetically, the Versa 12 S certainly delivers and our testing showed it to have a premium feel too, with the urethane material and White Hot insert delivering a pleasing sound and weighty feel that makes the face very stable.

The mid-sized footprint also fills the void between blade and mallet perfectly, although the unusual shape won’t suit everyone’s taste. As stated already, putting is very much down to personal preference, but the bigger head gave us a greater awareness of where putts were being struck.

• Read our full Odyssey White Hot Versa 12 S Putter Review

How we test golf clubs

When it comes to product testing, our reviews and buyers' guides are built upon a rigorous testing procedure as well as the knowledge and experience of the test team.

For women's clubs our testing is conducted by several writers, chief among which are Carly Frost, Katie Dawkins and Alison Root. All three are golfers with many years of testing and reviewing golf equipment. The testing process usually begins by attending product launches where we will speak to manufacturer's in order to get a better understanding of the technology. Then we hit the golf clubs indoors, usually at Foresight Sports where we test the products with best golf balls on a launch monitor.

Next up is outdoor testing which usually takes place at West Hill Golf Club, a course in Surrey with top-notch practice facilities. The ultimate aim is to be as insightful and honest as possible in our reviews and it is therefore important to state that no manufacturer can buy a good review. Our team tells it how it is and will speak honestly based on their experience of a product. We want to try and find the best golf clubs on the market and give you some insight on them and that requires being thorough and transparent.

How to choose golf clubs

What are the things you need to consider when trying to buy women's golf clubs? We have taken a look at some of the factors below...

Clubheads

Clubheads come in a variety of designs and colors, partly to suit a golfer’s ability but also to offer pleasing and confidence-boosting aesthetics when players address the ball. As such it is worth taking note of what you like the look and feel of when hitting shots, as well as how they look in the bag which may not be important for performance but we all like to have nice things, right?

Shafts

Women generally have slower swing speeds which means they are better suited to clubs that are fitted with a soft flex graphite shaft. This lightweight material enables an effortless swing with increased clubhead speed, and subsequently more distance. Those players with faster swing speeds may want steel-shafted clubs in the irons.

Loft

Each golf club has a different loft angle. To put simply, a club with a lower loft like a driver, will send the ball on a gentle climb with greater distance, whereas the ball will travel far steeper off the clubface of a pitching wedge.

Driver lofts vary between 8-14 degrees and a loft should be selected based on your clubhead speed. Most women’s drivers are designed with a higher loft between 11-12 degrees or more, to suit slower swing speeds (90mph and lower) for easy launch. Stronger players that can generate a faster clubhead speed (100mph and above) will suit a driver with a loft of 10 degrees or less.

Budget

Obviously budget is a key factor to consider when buying golf clubs, but even more so for beginners who are likely to quickly 'outgrow' their clubs as their skill level improves. At every level, and in every type of golf club, there are different price points so it is a case of working out how much you are willing to spend. Indeed, one other way to ensure value, and to cross off all your clubs in one swoop, is the package set which have become very popular of late. This is why we created guides on the best golf club sets for beginners, and best golf club sets.

Grip

Do not underestimate the importance of having the right size grip. If a grip is too small then you are likely to grip the club too tightly, causing tension to build in your arms and shoulders, which in turn prevents you from generating maximum clubhead speed. A grip that is too large has the opposite effect. With less hand action, this will encourage the clubhead to open at impact and exaggerate a slice. The easiest way to determine the size of your grip is to measure your hands.

Custom Fitting

Above all else and whatever your ability, a custom fitting session is strongly recommended. It is a misconception that the service, which is offered by a number of manufacturers, is just for elite players and professionals. For beginners, custom fitting should be considered as part of the learning process to boost confidence and help maximize potential.

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