Buying your first set of clubs on a budget

Are package set golf clubs worth buying? This question is one that beginner golfers often ask themselves when getting into the game of golf, and the answer is tricky. As with anything, whether something is worth it comes down to the individual, but in my opinion, it’s not worth buying a package set unless the most important thing to you is convenience. I believe myself and other PGA professionals could find you an amazing full set of golf clubs for well under £1000.

The Package Set

Looking online a package set from a well-known brand such as TaylorMade, Cobra or Callaway will approximately set you back £900 for an 11-piece set (Driver, Fairway, Hybrid, 5-Pw, Sw, Putter & Bag)

This is a good amount of equipment for the money. However, for this exact same amount of money, you could have golf clubs that would perform better, last longer, hold their value better, and make you look like less of a beginner golfer. 

In this blog post I will walk you through how I would buy my first set of golf clubs if i was a beginner golfer, on a budget and wanted to make the game as easy as possible. I will use the price of a package set as the budget and try to find the best value for money equipment.

Here’s what I recommend; 

The first expense will be around £45 - visit a PGA professional for a custom fitting, be upfront, and tell them you are going to buy second-hand clubs based on their recommendation from an online retailer, they might even help you purchase clubs from a site such as Golfclubs4cash or golf bidder. You're paying them for their expertise, opinion and time so they should provide you with honest information on what clubs would suit your swing or where to start. They might even give a few pointers on your swing at the same time!

The budget left £855

Clubs bought: 0

The clubs you buy will vary from what I’m about to outline below because you will be looking for items that suit your game, your height, your swing speed, and much more so use the PGA Pro's recommendations and talk with them before pulling the trigger on what to buy. 

The Driver: 

Maybe the most expensive club in the bag and also the one which will take the most battering at the driving range, with how marketing works it wouldn’t surprise me if this is the club you change first when you feel like you’ve moved on from being a complete beginner. 

I like to get players into something that has some adjustability and also was good when released new, as much as the marketing might suggest otherwise a lot of older drivers can keep up! 

So a good option could be something like a Callaway Big Bertha 2014 driver. With adjustable weighing and a loft sleeve to further dial the product in this would be a great option, and you can pick one up for £75.

Budget left: £780

Clubs bought: 1 

The fairway wood:

Maybe the most pointless club to buy as a beginner golfer, for many these are impossible to hit and you would be better off getting a hybrid rather than a wood! However, if you want a wood in the bag I suggest a 5 wood to kick things off, we need to get something easy to launch as that is the most common problem I see with beginners and fairway woods. 

A good option could be something like a cobra max fairway wood, with a shallow design and a nice bit of offset this will be one of the most user-friendly fairway woods available, and these can be bought for £60! 

Budget left: £720

Clubs bought: 2 

The Hybrid: 

This likely could be your favorite club in the bag, great for off the tee if the driver isn’t working and a great club to nudge the ball down the fairway on longer holes! 

An option could be something like the TaylorMade aero burner 4 hybrid which is hot off the face and a good shape which means off the ground or off the tee it can be used easily. This could be bought for £55! 

Budget left: £655

Clubs bought: 3

The irons:

These might be the thing that changes the most based on what your PGA professional recommends, you want to consider the head design, the length, the lie, the loft & the shaft. Irons in the beginner category haven’t changed massively over the last few years, yes new options can go higher and further but sadly you wouldn’t see these from new package set irons. 

One set of irons that I think is worth its weight in gold is the Adam’s XTD irons, at the time these were amazing and still hold their own today, TaylorMade acquired Adam’s not long after the release of these irons and you can see some modern tech in them if you look closely enough! These are like rocket launchers on sticks and a client bought these as a beginner and used them to get down to below an 18 handicap so they work. These can be bought for around £200 for 4-PW but just make sure the spec is right for you before buying! 

Budget left: £ 455

Clubs bought: 10 

The wedges:

I like to keep it simple with wedges, I recommend getting a 50/52 and then a high-lofted wedge such as a 56 or even a 58-degree wedge. For beginners, I like to look at wedges with wider soles and a bit of a cavity back design an example could be the Cleveland 588 RTX wedge which could be bought for around £35 each / £70 for the pair! To keep the comparisons fair I’ll only budget for 1 wedge but I would recommend both! 

Budget left: £425

Clubs bought: 11

The Putter:

There are so many options of shapes and designs, have a putt with a few before you pull the trigger as you might putt better with a shape that you hadn’t considered. For me, this area is more about personal preference than anything else but if I was buying a putter on a budget I’d look at the Taylormade TP collection, these putters were expensive at the time of release, come in lots of different head shapes, feel great and can be bought for around £95! 

Budget left: £330

Clubs bought: 12 

The golf bag:

This is where I think the package sets do well, golf bags brand new aren’t cheap but they can be bought easily with our remaining budget. 

I’d recommend a carry bag as most carry bags can go on trolleys and taking a trolley bag to a driving range might be one of the most annoying things on the planet to have to do!

To buy this I would go into a store to buy one, they should price match and you can try them out in-store! If however, you want to buy one online I’d look at something by Sun Mountain, they make incredibly high-quality golf bags and they can last for years, with a Quick Look you could get a brand new bag for £130! 

Budget left: £200

Clubs bought: 12 + 1 Bag 

 So that would be a good example of a set of clubs that have cost you £700, saving you over £200 compared to a package set! Buying a set this way gives you high-quality equipment that someone else has already devalued, extra money for lessons or a golf trip in your pocket and leaves you with clubs that have a trade-in value and a life span that is much longer than a package set! Please reach out to a PGA pro before you jump in and buy anything, please try to get fit where you can! 

I hope this has helped. If anyone is getting into the game and wants to undergo this process with me please reach out! I love helping people find 2nd hand bargains and offer fittings in Plymouth, Devon. 

Just to note I am in no way attached to any of the brands, products or sellers I've recommended here, these are just all my own thoughts and opinions.