TaylorMade RBZ Speedlite Package Set vs Callaway XR Package Set: Our Head to Head Verdict

TaylorMade RBZ Speedlite Package Set vs Callaway XR Package Set: Our Head to Head Verdict

Golf can be pretty daunting to new players and the vast array of different clubs on offer can be overwhelming to someone new to the game, but a package set  simplifies things and offers all the basics that you need to play the sport. 

In a basic package set, you will usually find a driver, a fairway wood or two, a number of irons and wedges and also a putter. Included with the clubs will be a bag, which meaning you are more or less ready to get out onto the course or range to play the game as soon as you pick it up.

Package sets remove a lot of the difficult decision making involved in choosing your clubs, but you still need to decide which set to go for. They are becoming increasingly popular as more people take up the sport, and the wide range of package sets on offer make this perhaps the best time ever for new players taking up golf. 

Prices roughly start at the $300 mark, with some of the best golf club sets going up to the $1000 mark and beyond. Along with cost, there are also factors like quality, the number of clubs provided and aesthetics of the set that need to be taken into consideration.

Below, we take a look at two of the best golf club sets that are available on the market, with the TaylorMade RBZ SpeedLite Package Set and the Callaway XR Package Set offering players two fantastic options at two slightly different price points.

What is this set made up of?

The TaylorMade RBZ SpeedLite offers a 12-club line-up that includes a driver, two fairway woods, two hybrids, 6-iron to sand wedge and a putter. Along with the clubs, you also receive a trolley/cart bag style option with a single carry strap which, although it won't rival the best golf trolley bags, still offers plenty of storage room and a smart, modern look.

The Callaway package set offers a slightly different range of clubs, with 12 included in the set: a driver, 3-wood, 4-hybrid, 5-iron to PW, gap wedge, 55˚ SW and a putter. The well thought out gapping and performance of these clubs earned it a place in our 2023 Editor's Choice awards. You’ll also get a bag with 7-way divider, that can be used on a cart, a push cart, or can just carry.

Looks

Firstly, whatever your skill level, every golfer wants something with a smart, aspirational look. TaylorMade has a strong track record in this department and the looks have clearly been carefully considered here.

The irons feature toplines that are thick enough to inspire confidence at address without being too clunky and uninviting. The grey finish on the crown of the woods combines with a small flash of green - they look superb. At the other end of the bag, the sand wedge and putter are slightly more compact, with a refined, premium look.

When it comes to the looks and aesthetic, it’s no big surprise that the Callaway set comes with the premium look you’d expect from the brand. The woods feature matte black crowns and look generous behind the ball, all with a sleek, aspirational aesthetic much like other Callaway clubs.

At address, the driver sits a little closed, making it designed to suit a broad range of golfers. That the Callaway XR is a good quality, premium package set is also clear as soon as you see the irons. The shape is unmistakably Callaway - there is a fairly rounded toe area and the topline is thick enough to inspire confidence without being too bulky and uninviting.  

The putter, an Odyssey DFX #7 with a very simple black and white color combination, again features a generous head size and still has that aspirational look. And the bag is a smart-looking grey, blue and red colorway. 

Feel

TaylorMade is known for producing some of the best golf drivers on the market, with the Stealth 2 ranked amongst the best drivers for distance. Although the driver in the set doesn't quite have the quality of the top models, it certainly performs and feels very solid.

It is also a similar story in the irons department, with the feel off the face remaining consistently solid. Whilst they might not feel as smooth out of the middle as some of the best golf irons on the market, the feel doesn’t fall away too much when you don’t hit the very centre of the face. 

At the bottom end of the bag, we were really impressed by the feel from the face of the compact mallet putter. Admittedly we were using a premium golf ball but even so, the feel was firm and yet fairly responsive.

The Callaway set lived up to its price point. You'd expect them to feel nice when you strike them well and they didn't disappoint. The driver was easy to flight and did not feel like your typical package set driver. The irons look and feel like a premium club. I hit a series of mid iron shots on the range and found them incredibly consistent.

Another impressive performer is the putter. It is an Odyssey DFX #7 with a very simple black and white color combination. What I love most about the putter is, again, how generous the head size is. There is plenty of alignment help to be had and yet the putter retains an aspirational look. I also love the feel from the soft grip that’s been used here. 

Performance

Despite testing the TaylorMade RBZ SpeedLite in the wrong shaft spec (we were testing the regular flex RBZ shaft as opposed to something more towards the stiffer end of the spectrum), we were impressed by the performance on offer. Throughout the set, all the clubs were easy to launch and were very forgiving. 

A notable point was how generous the hybrids look at address - there is plenty of room between heel and toe - which can really help players in an area of the bag that is notoriously hard to master. 

The last factor was that the ball flight was on the high side, but a stiffer shaft option would have almost certainly helped resolve this. As a result, we lost a little carry distance (three yards in the 7-iron and 15 yards in the driver) versus our custom fitted clubs. However, for those golfers looking to get the ball up and away with a smooth swing, the regular shaft version we tested should certainly do the job.

Having tested a range of package sets over the last year, driver is the part of the bag where performance can be a little patchy. Even in the best golf club sets for beginners, the woods can sometimes feel a little dull and lifeless. That’s not the case here with the Callaway XR. 

The driver sits a little closed at address and whilst that’s not necessarily right for me, in designing a set to suit a broad spectrum of golfers, Callaway has done exactly the right thing here. It was easy to flight and I was able to hit a consistent draw. Whilst the distance on offer wouldn’t be quite up there with my Ping G430 LST driver, it wasn’t too far behind.

We also found the 3-wood and hybrids felt confidence-inspiring behind the ball, and are well suited to players with slower clubhead speeds. Distance was also a strong suit of the Callaway irons, including the 30˚ 7-iron, which is around the average for the modern iron. We were also hugely impressed with the putter - generous head size and soft grip gave a fantastic sense of feel. 

It may not directly relate to your performance, but the bag in the Callaway XR package set is also worth a mention: 7-way divider offers protection for your clubs, and while it may be slightly flimsier than some of the best golf stand bags it, it was one of the best we’ve seen from a package. 

Which one should you choose?

Choose the TaylorMade RBZ Speedlite Package Set if…

- You are looking for a well-recognized brand that won't break the bank
- You are wanting solid performing clubs that offer forgiveness
- You are looking for clubs that are easy to launch 

Choose the Callaway XR Package Set if…

- Budget is not your concern when getting started 
- You want stylish-looking clubs that are reasonably forgiving 
- You’re looking for a set with a wider range of wedges