I Expected The Worst From This £150 Package Set But It Pleasantly Surprised Me On The Course

Package sets can vary greatly in terms of price and quality. They can also differ in terms of the level of golfer they are aimed at. I’ve tested some of the absolute best package sets this year including two high end offerings from Callaway - the XR Package Set and the Mavrik Set, and it’s fair to say that the Inesis First Golf Kit is not in the same class.

You’d expect that, as it comes in almost a thousand pound cheaper than those premium sets (£149.99), but it also serves an entirely different purpose to most package sets.

Some sets are aimed at the enthusiastic beginner, others are aimed at the golfer who has been playing for a while and is now wanting to upgrade their gear to a full set. This offering from Inesis, however, is very much for the brand new golfer who isn’t sure whether they will stick with it and therefore wants to see how things go before spending a lot of cash.

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Splashing out a grand on a full set only to discover after a few months that this isn’t the game for you isn’t a great idea, unless of course you don’t mind wasting your money. If, however, you quite like the idea of taking up golf but don’t want to spend too much until you’re sure you’re in it for the long haul, this set is an interesting option.

Because of the affordable price point, it's certainly in the conversation when it comes to the best cheap package sets, but intriguingly it also makes for an ideal gift for a friend or relative that is keen on giving golf a go. A half set of clubs and a bag for less than the cost of some premium wedges makes this a very interesting option.

It’s important to point out that is only a half set, which helps to keep the price down while still providing the basics required to get out on the course. The set consists of a bag, driver, hybrid, two irons, a wedge and a putter, and for a brand new golfer that is more than sufficient. For example, you get a 7-iron and a 9-iron, but a complete novice doesn’t need an 6 or 8-iron because they won’t be striking the ball consistently enough to see any real difference. Gapping isn’t an issue for someone just starting out so a half set is just fine.

This is very much a set that any keen golfer will grow out of quickly, but the low price point reflects that. It’s not a set for the long haul, it’s something that will get you started until you are ready to upgrade to something to take you to the next level.

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The driver is basic, but given that the best drivers often retail at five times the cost of this entire set, that’s to be expected. It might actually be the cheapest driver I’ve ever hit, but all things considered it was pretty good. It’s 14° of loft which is higher than most standard drivers but that’s perfect for this set’s target market. The priority for beginners is getting the ball into the air. That’s the hardest thing for a new golfer, so any help doing that is a good thing.

It’s a loud and not particularly pleasant sound, especially at the range when there’s often an echo. On the course though it was actually quite fun to hit shots with as it went very high and arrow straight, albeit a lot shorter than I’d normally be used to.

The hybrid was quite nice to hit and other than the putter this will probably be the most used club in the bag for the new golfer. Fairway woods and longer irons can be difficult to hit so including a single hybrid instead makes sense, as even a modest length par 5 is going to take several shots to reach for a beginner.

The graphite shafted irons are also very easy to get airborne and I found them to be quite forgiving considering the price point. The sand wedge is very similar and it performed especially well out of bunkers. It was a little clunky around the greens on pitch shots but that won’t matter to the level of golfer who will be using this set as at that stage of their golfing journey they aren’t going to have too much variety to their short game.

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The fang shaped putter looks very basic even by modest package set standards. There’s no face milling, the grip is very thin, branding is minimal to say the least and to be honest I had very little expectations of it. Yet the performance was actually pretty good. It feels quite heavy in the hands but I like that in a putter. The roll was nice and the feel was surprisingly soft. A better grip would have been nice but the idea is to keep the cost down so I get it.

On this note, I do appreciate Inesis opting to go with a mallet putter as it's a bugbear of mine when a beginner set comes with a blade putter instead. Even many of the top players in the world have realised that mallets give them a bit more forgiveness, so if Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy need help, it seems like a no brainer to give a beginner something that will be easier to use.

The bag and head covers are also basic and the bag isn’t the sturdiest. It probably wouldn’t handle a full set, but it isn’t designed to do that. While it won't be making any shortlists for the best stand bags, it’s very lightweight and therefore easy to carry. For what it costs, I would say it’s excellent value, much like the entire set.

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All in all this a great option for anyone thinking about giving golf a try. It's very well thought out and everything about it is designed to make the game easier for the golfer taking their first steps in the game. The high loft of the driver, the inclusion of a hybrid rather than fairway wood and a user-friendly putter design all point to the consideration Inesis has put into making this half set affordable but also effective.

For a brand new golfer I'm struggling to see any real downside here. If after a few months you decide golf isn’t for you, or if you’ve been well and truly bitten by the bug and want to invest in a full set or something more premium, you’ll have had your money’s worth from this set and can either pass it on to someone else or sell it and recoup some of your outlay.