We’re Finding the Best Starter Golf Clubs for Men

Going through the most popular choices for those who are just starting out in the sport

It can be intimidating stepping into a new hobby, especially one as renowned as golf. The sport has been around for hundreds and hundreds of years, starting out in Scotland in the 15th century, then making its way to America “between 1650 and 1660, particularly in upstate New York.” Now with over 15,000 courses located all over the United States, countless prestigious tournaments, a spot in the Olympics, and world-record breaking holders making a name for themselves, golf has never been more popular.

All of this being said, we get that trying to figure out where to start in your own golf journey is overwhelming. Luckily we’re here to help you with finding the best starter golf clubs for men- (we also have an article for the best starter golf clubs for women as this sport is for everyone). We’re going to be taking a look at what researchers have deemed to be the best equipment when you’re just stepping onto the greens for the first time. But first we have to quickly go over what’s going to be in your golf bag so you can get a handle on what is what and what’s going to be your best friend while you’re swinging away.

• Let’s Learn: What’s in your golf bag
• The best starter golf clubs for men
• Where you can get reliable golf clubs

A golf bag is to the clubs like a sheath is to a sword.

Let’s Learn: What’s in your Golf Bag

Unlike sports like basketball and football, golf is a sport that comes with your own version of tools and each club is meant for specific types of swings. Whether it’s your first hit in the round or you’re trying to get it out of the sand, it’s important to know what each club in your bag is designed for so let’s quickly learn what you’ll need to shop for.

Starting with the club you’ll be pulling out of the bag first…

?️The Driver (and friends):

When you need to make your ball go the distance, the driver is going to be your best friend. They are the club you’ll hit with when you need to go far and gain some much-needed ground. They are almost always the club you’ll hit with first when you head to the next hole.

“Woods” is a name you’ll hear when looking up a picture of a complete set of clubs and they are sort of like drivers, but not quite the same. The name “woods” comes from the fact that this particular club was originally made of all wood, now with our technology it isn’t so much the case. Woods are also used to gain distance, maybe if you hit off the tee and still need to cover ground, they also have more curvature to help play from turf or light rough. 

While a hybrid is going to take aspects from both woods and irons- (which we will cover next) and combine them, making the name apt. They are a great “middle-ground” pick, they can hit far and get you out of some rough territories, but won’t cover as much distance as a woods or driver will do. They can replace long irons and will get you closer to the hole though and that’s what matters. 

Between picking whether to get a woods or hybrid for your first starter set we’d definitely go with a hybrid, they are easier to hit and easier to use.

?️Irons:

Irons are usually made from “17-4 or 431 grade stainless steel,” according to golfclub-technology, which means you won’t need to replace them as frequently as you would other clubs, if at all, during your time in the sport. These bad boys are best at getting your ball onto the fairway closer to the hole, and can be used to get your ball out from rougher terrain so you can then switch to your putter.

But before we move onto putters, we gotta make sure that when we do get into rough terrain we have all the ways to get out, and the best club to use for that is…

?️Wedges:

We don’t like pulling them out but we do when our ball has made its way in either the sands, deep rough, or some other tough terrain. You’re going to be wedging your ball out by hitting hard and quick so you can forget you ever were there in the first place.

?️Putters:

Putters are the main squeeze, the club a golfer relies on the most to go from being happy to being ecstatic. They are for when the hole is in spitting distance, when you’re ready to line-up your shot and go for broke to try and get on par.

The Best Starter Golf Clubs for Men

We know what’s going to be in our bag, now it’s all about finding the right clubs to get started with. It’s almost always recommended by any seasoned player to get used golf clubs before you buy new when you’re first starting out as used clubs are generally just as reliable as new, especially for certain clubs like irons, hybrids, and woods. There are of course “starter sets” out there and we will recommend one since they are relatively budget-friendly, but we definitely are on the team of “go used” until you feel comfortable around the greens to eventually invest in getting professionally fitted. Here’s a look at what we like best:

The Callaway Strata Starter Set

An affordable set of clubs that’ll give you a good feel for the game. Image courtesy of: Walmart.

The Callaway Strata Right-Hand Men's 12-Piece Complete Golf Club Set, Graphite, Regular available at many retailers not just Walmart for a gasp-worthy $499.99 is our pick for a starter set. We know golf isn’t cheap, you probably are quite aware of that doing research, so finding this golden goose was a great feeling. We needed a set that stays in a new golfer’s budget but doesn’t wear like a “cheaper” set would do and this is exactly that. 

This set comes with a Driver, 3 Wood, 5 Hybrid, 6-9 Irons, Pitching Wedge, Putter, Stand Bag, and two headcovers. It’s functional, reviews from buyers seem to be pretty positive, some mention a slight alignment issue but nothing return worthy, and the driver deserves a shout-out for packing quite the punch.

For a Driver: the Ping G430 MAX

A well-rounded pick for a best starter driver.

This is a club many blogs and golf enthusiasts alike recommend as their top pick for a beginner driver. It’s by-far the most user-friendly and is very forgiving, which means you'll get closer to the fairways when you hit with this rather than some other drivers that’s for sure. Here is one available on our own storepage:

This is the Ping G430 Max 3 Fairway Wood 15* Alta CB 65g Regular Graphite Mens RH HC which was $308.43 and is now $307.99. This club is pre-owned, has very small marks from play, and is in excellent condition. Here are the specs:

• Men's Right-Handed
• Loft: 15 Degrees (3 Wood) (Adjustable - Adjustment Tool NOT Included)
• Club Length at address: 42.50"
• Shaft Flex: Regular
• Shaft Material: Graphite
• Shaft Brand: Ping
• Shaft Model: Alta CB
• Shaft Weight: 65g
• Brand new Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 Standard Grip 
• Headcover IS included

Overall Condition: Used - Grade: 9 (Excellent Quality)

For a Hybrid: Ping G410

One you’ll never want to get rid of.

As we covered in our “let’s learn” section, we are going to recommend a hybrid over a wood because they are a lot more beginner friendly, and there’s one hybrid that has lots of love in the community: the Ping G410. It hits great and sounds even better, you’ll feel like butter (in the best way) with this thing. Here is one on our store’s page: 

This is the Ping G410 4 Hybrid 22* Alta CB 70g Regular Graphite Mens RH which was $196.99 and is now $128.99. This club is pre-owned, has been hit with, and has marks on it from normal use, but is overall in good condition. Here are the specs:

• Men's Right-Handed
• Loft: 22 Degrees (4 Hybrid) (Adjustable - Adjustment Tool NOT Included) 
• Club Length at address: 39.25”
• Shaft Flex: Regular
• Shaft Material: Graphite
• Shaft Brand: TaylorMade
• Shaft Model: Alta CB
• Shaft Weight: 70g
• Golf Pride Tour Velvet Standard Grip in Good condition
• Headcover not included

Overall Condition: Used - Grade: 8 (Good Quality)

You definitely don’t need a full iron set when you’re first starting out, we say go with one and then slowly expand your set the longer you play. An iron we like and tell all our friends to get is…

For Irons: Mizuno JPX 921 Hot Metal

You won’t need another iron for years.

There are so many single iron(s) and iron sets out there to choose from, so picking the right one, especially when you’re first beginning can be tricky. We personally love the Mizuno Hot Metals, they will last you a good long while and are great for those who have a high handicap.  Here is one on our store’s page: 

This is the Mizuno JPX 921 Hot Metal Single 9 Iron Precision Rifle 6.5 Extra Stiff RH which was $123.26 and is now $122.99. This club is pre-owned, has been hit with, and has marks on it from normal use, but is overall in good condition. Here are the specs:

• Men's Right-Handed
• Iron: #9
• Club Length at address: 36.00"
• Shaft Flex: Extra Stiff
• Shaft Material: Steel
• Shaft Brand: Project X
• Shaft Model: Precision Rifle 6.5
•  WINN Dri-Tac Midsize Grip in Fair condition 

Overall Condition: Used - Grade: 8 (Good Quality)

For Wedges: Kirkland Signature Set

Save some money and get your ball out of the “situations.” Image courtesy of: Costco.

When you think about shopping for golf, you don’t think to go to Costco, but many in the community will tell you when you first starting out and looking for wedges to go there because of the Kirkland Signature 3-Piece Golf Wedge Set for $169.99 online. These guys have thousands of 4 to 5 star reviews and are a great starter set for a wedges’ purpose.

For Putter(s): Cleveland Huntington Beach Soft

A putter that never loses quality and never loses style.

The line-up of Cleveland Huntington Beach putters are a universal favorite, the stability at address will have you feeling good about your chances to get the ball into the hole in less strokes than you initially thought. Here is one from our store’s page:

This is the Cleveland Huntington Beach Soft 11 Putter 35" Mens RH which was $129.99 and is now $97.99. This club is pre-owned, has been hit with, and has marks on it from normal use, but is overall in good condition. Here are the specs:

• Men's Right-Handed
• Club Length at address: 35.00"
• Shaft Flex: Putter
• Shaft Material: Steel
• Shaft Brand: Cleveland
• Shaft Model: Stock
• Head Shape: Mallet
• Golf Pride Pro Only Standard Grip in Good condition 
• Headcover not included

Overall Condition: Used - Grade: 8 (Good Quality)

About Stick Hawk

Our story is a simple one, what started out as a side-venture in the highs and lows of selling shoes on eBay, has now turned around to be a business with 20 full-time employees, a 15,000 square foot warehouse, and relationships with private golf courses all over the U.S. At StickHawk you can make your putting dreams come true as we sell quality drivers, fairway woods, hybrids, iron sets, single irons, wedges, putters, complete club sets for those who need the basics to play today, and accessories.

We want to match you with the golf club(s) of your dreams. You can take our “Club Decider Quiz,” which is clickable on the bottom right hand side of our website, and it will help you decide the exact right make and models you need to feel good while you’re on the course. 

One aspect, amongst many, that makes us stand out from the crowd is our fast and reliable shipping. There’s no need to worry about finding the right club and then not getting it in time to go on the greens. We want you to get out and play just as much as you do, that’s why we offer free shipping on all domestic orders, (unless you choose expedited shipping at checkout).

Find your used golf clubs here at Stick Hawk!

We hope you’ve enjoyed reading all about finding the best starter golf clubs for men and now that you’re ready to go out onto the greens we wish you good luck and score par.