Golf can quickly become a costly sport. With amateur golf more popular than ever, prices have risen as supply struggles to keep up with demand. The best drivers, putters and golf bags will always be considerably expensive, but if you’re smart about things high quality golf equipment is available at reasonable prices.
But where do you start? Well firstly, we’d recommend buying a full set, especially if you’re a beginner or relatively new to golf. Choosing individual clubs is just as stressful as it is expensive given how many choices there are to make. Purchasing one of the best cheap golf sets simplifies things—you get everything you need and often at a better price.
The Quick List
Top pick
Strata Men’s Golf Package Set
This great value option from Strata features in a number of different options but, crucially, the irons and driver are incredibly forgiving, whilst the lightweight and spacious carry bag homes everything really nicely.
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Best value
Providing a more premium feel, the Inesis 100 has good quality components and smart, simple looks. Providing excellent value for money, it will suit a wide range of beginner golfers.
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Best bag
MacGregor CG4000 Package Set
A functional set that helps get the ball airborne, the CG4000 Package Set from MacGregor is an excellent model for those wanting to start their golfing journey.
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Best forgiveness
Wilson Prostaff SGI Golf Package Set
The irons in this set were a particular stand out, as chunky top lines produced an incredibly powerful feel and flight at impact. What’s more, the driver and putter provide excellent alignment features.
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Best women’s set
Strata Ultimate Titanium Women’s Set
Like the men’s version above, the Titanium Women’s Set provides ample forgiveness and an eye-catching color scheme. You get a lot in this set, which is why it provides such good value for money.
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Best kid’s set
Cleveland Golf Junior Set
Cleveland have done a great job with this junior set, as the user-friendly clubs and simplistic looks will appeal to junior golfers. Easy to hit, you once again get a lot of product for your money!
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Best Cheap Golf Club Sets 2026Top pick
(Image credit: Dan Parker)
A very reliable golf package set
Specifications
Clubs included: 11
Colors: 2 (Blue/Black; Red/Blue)
Shafts : Steel
Reasons to buy+
Forgiving, high launching irons and driver
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Plenty of distance throughout the entire set
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Lightweight and spacious carry bag
Reasons to avoid-
Putter isn’t very forgiving
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Hybrids fitted with steel shafts meaning launch can be difficult
Kicking things off with our top pick for the best cheap golf sets is a model from Strata. The set includes a driver, fairway wood, two hybrids, 6 iron—pitching wedge, putter and a stand bag. Right out of the box, we found the clubs refreshingly forgiving and easy to hit, all delivering some seriously impressive performance.
In terms of aesthetics, they don’t have the same premium look as some of Callaway’s top-end products, but let’s remember that the criteria here is value. We think this set is a great foundation for newcomers to golf as you can add to the set, specifically in the wedges department, which is where game improvers may want to consider a club or two. You could also improve the putter too, so it’s worth checking out the models on our best cheap putters guide.
In testing, the irons really stood out to us. The top-line was nice and thick to inspire confidence at address and offered ample offset suiting those who tend to slice their irons. We also enjoyed the build quality of the grips and shafts which are akin to a premium set of cavity back irons, whilst the driver is equally forgiving and very appealing to look down on at address.
Best value
(Image credit: Future)
One of the best sets we’ve tested for beginners
Specifications
Clubs included: 10
Colors: 1 (Black)
Shafts: Graphite
Reasons to buy+
Super value for money
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Good quality components
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Simple, smart looks
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Impressive distance and forgiveness
Reasons to avoid-
Bag a little flimsy in places
It’s safe to say we’ve tested a fair few package sets and we think the 10-club set-up of the Inesis 100 is one of the best golf club sets for beginners.
First things first, let’s start with the hybrids, irons and wedges. The hybrid is set at 22-degrees, whilst there is 6-9 iron, as well as a sand wedge and pitching wedge. In testing, we found them to be simple yet effective and we’re were very impressed with the quality of components.
There was plenty of distance and strong ball flight on offer throughout the set. The putter’s fang shaped, compact mallet design offered heaps of alignment assistance. In testing, we felt that it provided a fairly hot feel off the face and it also has a really good grip, but the only slight negative was the bag. We felt it was a little flimsy and, although it’s a lightweight pencil bag, it’s certainly lacking one or two pockets. That being said the price means the value here is undeniably excellent.
Best bag
(Image credit: Future)
An excellent starting point for those starting their golfing journey
Specifications
Clubs included: 10
Colors: 1 (Green/Black)
Shafts: Graphite and steel
Reasons to buy+
Great value
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Everything you need to get started
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Really easy to launch
Reasons to avoid-
Desperately need to add a putter cover
The MacGregor CG4000 set includes a 460cc, 13-degree driver, an 18-degree fairway wood, a 24-degree hybrid as well as a 6-iron through to sand wedge and a putter, with there also being a choice of a stand or cart bag. As you’d expect, these clubs are designed for optimal forgiveness as their thick top lines and large heads provide ample confidence.
In testing, we found the feel and ease of use was great throughout the set. It was also incredibly easy to get airborne too. However, our favorite was definitely the putter which offered excellent forgiveness and we found the Odyssey 2ball style alignment aid very easy to line up. Our only qualm was the lack of headcover which meant it chips very easily.
The bag is of a really high quality to the point where it doesn’t feel like its part of a package set. It is well designed and I think it is a bag you could use further into your progression into the game, when you out-perform the package set clubs and need to upgrade.
Best forgiveness
(Image credit: Future)
Large sweet spots deliver excellent playability and forgiveness
Specifications
Clubs included: 10
Colors: 1 (Red)
Shafts: Graphite and steel
Reasons to buy+
10 clubs and a bag is plenty for those beginning the game
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Drivers, woods and putter offer easy alignment
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Irons perform superbly and provide forgiveness
We couldn’t write this guide without mentioning the Wilson SGI. The set comprises of a total of 10 clubs. There’s a driver, fairway wood, hybrid, 6-9-iron, two wedges, a putter and a bag. For the price, you can understand why this is one of the best package set on the market. There’s also the option of adding four more clubs, which we’d definitely suggest doing if you’ve got the budget.
For the price-point, it’s clear to see why this is considered one of the best package sets on the market and, importantly, there is availability to add four more clubs, which is something we would recommend doing if you are able to.
But what really stood out to us was the irons and the putter. The irons have thick top-lines which inspired confidence at address. Plus, they were also easy to launch and provided impressive distance of a package set. We liked the aesthetics too but the only downside was that no headcover was provided.
We also enjoyed the carry bag. The shoulder straps were comfortable and there were four spacious pockets for your rain gear, golf balls, tees etc. When full, it is still light and if you did want to put it onto a trolley then there would be no issue with that either. All in all, a fantastic set.
Best women’s set
(Image credit: Future)
A visuall impressive package that comes with 16 clubs
Specifications
Clubs included: 16
Colors: 4 (Pink; Purple; Cream; Light Blue)
Shafts: Graphite
Reasons to buy+
Attractive purple, black and white color scheme
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Easy to hit
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Comes in a stylish, practical stand bag
Reasons to avoid-
Not customizable and no left-hand option
–
Irons feel a little head heavy to swing
When it comes to the best women’s golf sets, there are plenty of options available, with the top model being the Ultimate Titanium Women’s Set from Strata. Like the men’s option, it provides users with extremely forgiving clubs that are easy to launch, whilst the amount on offer means there is plenty of value to be had.
Firstly, it is made up of a 12° titanium driver, fairway wood, 4 and 5 hybrid, 6-9 iron, PW, SW and a putter, with the 11 clubs all packaged together in a tidy stand bag. Crucially, all provide ample confidence at address, with the driver, in particular, providing a giant footprint that makes it near impossible to miss at impact.
Tested by our Women’s Golf Editor Alison Root, she felt that the irons in this set were similar to that of the original Callaway Big Bertha irons, with the overall performance exceptional. The only slight negative was the silver finish, which tended to reflect bright sunlight but, aside from that, they were a really impressive set of irons. What’s more, the set comes in a sturdy little stand bag that’s lightweight to lift and evenly distributes the weight across the back.
Best kid’s set
(Image credit: Future)
A high quality aspirational set perfect for any young player growing into the game
Specifications
Clubs: Three sizes; small (three clubs), medium (six clubs), large (seven clubs)
Color: Navy
Shafts: Graphite
Reasons to buy+
Versatile packages available depending on your experience level
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Great aesthetics on clubs and bag
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Lightweight and forgiving clubs
Reasons to avoid-
Clubs do come up a fraction long
Cleveland have a reputation for creating some of the best golf wedges and most forgiving drivers on the market. This Junior Set retains that standard with clubs that are designed with forgiveness and ease of use in mind.
Cleveland offers its junior set in three different sizes—small (three clubs), medium (six clubs) and large (seven clubs). Along with the sizes, there are three metal-woods which feature an 18˚ driver, 22˚ fairway wood and 28˚ hybrid. These lofts are much higher than normal, but that’s a good thing as it helped get the ball airborne much easier.
In addition, there’s also lightweight graphite shafts throughout the set which helped make the clubs fairly easy to swing, whilst the overall look is very premium for the best golf club sets for kids category. On the whole, we think the Cleveland set is a user-friendly, forgiving set that many young golfers will love.
How we test golf clubs
Golf club sets are no exception when it comes to our testing ethos and methodology. We look to use package sets on the golf course because this is the best way to actually see how all of the items included in the package set perform.
(Image credit: Future)
We test each club in the bag, from driver and woods all the way to wedges and putter, across several rounds in different weather conditions to get a real feel for how they perform in different environments.
We’ve been reviewing clubs for decades and know when a good product lands in our hands, using our seasoned experience and knowledge of the game and the equipment to develop an informed opinion free of bias. No manufacturer gets preferential treatment from us, nor can a brand ‘pay’ for a good review. We simply call it how we see it with the aim of giving our readers the best informed buying advice.
Testing Panel
Neil Tappin
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Editor
Neil has worked for Golf Monthly for over 15 years. From his original position as staff writer, he is now the 9th Editor in Golf Monthly’s 112 year history. Between that time he became a leading authority on testing golf equipment producing reviews and videos on golf gear.
Joe has worked in the golf industry for nearly 20 years in a variety of roles. After a successful amateur career being involved in England squads at every age group, Joe completed his PGA degree qualification in 2014 as one of the top ten graduates in his training year and subsequently went on to become Head PGA Professional at Ryder Cup venue The Celtic Manor Resort. He is one of Golf Monthly’s equipment testers and has years of experience and extensive knowledge on all things related to golf gear, including package sets.
Alison Root
Women’s Editor
Alison Root has over 25 years experience working in media, predominantly dedicated to women’s golf. She oversees all women’s equipment testing including women’s package sets, and uses several female writers with years of experience of testing golf clubs – Katie Dawkins and Carly Cummins for example.
How to choose a golf set
1. Who is the set for?
Are you buying this set for yourself? Maybe it’s for a loved one like a wife or sister, maybe a son or daughter. Keep in mind who the set is for because certain options above will only suit certain players. Getting a female a full set of men’s golf clubs is counter productive, and vice versa. Ladies clubs will have less stiffness in the shaft in comparison and it’s the same with children’s sets which will also have shorter shafts to cater for kids.
2. What comes in the set
Not all sets come equal. Some come with 14 clubs, others with a lot less. Most package sets come with a golf bag included whereas others simply deliver you the clubs in a box, meaning you’ll have to source a bag yourself. Depending on your club bag needs, do also check out our guides to the best golf stand bags and best golf cart bags for some inspiration.
3. Quality
It can be easy to be sucked into buying a really poor set of clubs because of an appealing price tag. If you head down to your non golf-specific high street sports store, you’ll likely see a small golf section with a full set on sale at a good price. We would advise to avoid such sets because they’re often poorly made and have issues with cheap materials used for the head, shaft or grip – sometimes even all free. If they aren’t in this guide or our best golf club sets for beginners guide, we’d warn you to stay away. Instead, try and trust brands like Callaway, MacGregor, Wilson and Inesis.
4. Forgiveness
Given you’re looking to purchase a package set, you’re likely either a beginner or still relatively new to golf. That is OK and you’re looking in the right place because lots of package sets are designed with the higher handicapper in mind. Golf is hard, so when starting out it’s important to go for clubs that provide a lot of forgiveness so bad swings aren’t punished as much as they should be. Our guides to the most forgiving irons and most forgiving drivers can also help guide your buying decision.
5. Price
Another key factor to consider is price. The best cheap golf sets we selected above still come in at different price points so it is a case of picking a model that fits your budget.
Package sets are an excellent option for beginner players, but if you’re starting out in the game of golf, you’ll need a few other accessories too if you’re planning on getting out for a full 18 holes! Be sure to also check out our guides to the best golf balls for beginners, best golf gloves and best golf waterproofs.
FAQsShould I buy a golf package set?
It all depends on the context of your golf journey. If you’ve never hit a ball before or have only played a handful of rounds and want to play more golf, then we would say yes, absolutely. Many players fall into the trap of of buying expensive clubs too early on in their careers, so this is a great way to avoid that!
What is included in a golf package set?
Golf package sets tend to include a basic range of clubs and a bag to carry them in. Generally speaking, you’ll need to buy a box of balls and a glove separately. But most manufacturers tend to include a driver, a metal wood, a hybrid, several irons, at least one wedge and a putter in the top spec package sets.
Are golf package sets any good?
Yes! Golf package sets can be an excellent value option for anyone new to the game. They can also be a great option for any junior players starting out on their golfing journey. The best package sets tend to include a set of (usually) forgiving golf clubs that can help players develop their skills, but enjoy playing the game. While we perhaps would advise single figure handicappers to steer clear of them, they are an excellent option for any less experienced player.
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