The Best Golf Clubs For The Money (2021 Buyer’s Guide)

If you don’t have the time or interest to learn about the intricacies of selecting a driver, woods, an iron set, wedges, and a putter, you can look into a complete set like the Callaway Strata. 

It’s like buying a complete tool kit – you get all the basics and then you can customize it to your liking once you’ve had some time to learn.

The Callaway Strata set has an especially nice touch in that it includes a 4- and 5-hybrid instead of long irons. 

Long irons are the most challenging clubs to hit. They’re so difficult that even many pros have stopped using them and opt for hybrids instead. 

I always recommend that beginners skip long irons and start off with hybrids. It makes golf more fun and reduces the learning curve.

My biggest issue with the set is the putter. The face is inconsistent to the point that two putts hit with the same pace of stroke wind up rolling different distances. 

It gets the job done well enough, but it’s the first piece of this set that I’d recommend upgrading when you have the time and budget space.

It’s nice that it comes with a golf bag, though it seems like the bag might wear out more quickly than the clubs. The zippers feel a little cheap, so be careful with them. 

It’s good enough to get you hooked on the game, and once you’re hooked, you’ll know exactly what components you’d like to upgrade.

The main accolades for the set belong to the cavity-backed irons. Although they lean a little heavy, these game-improvement irons provide a strong approach to the golf ball with outstanding lift and marvelous distance. On shots from inside 150 yards, the set delivers high spin for shot-stopping power into the green. The set comes with five irons, starting with a 6-iron and running through a pitching wedge.

Rounding out the set is a mallet-style putter that minimizes twisting through the impact zone for smooth, straight putts. The putter also offers a large alignment guide, roughly the width of the ball, along the top of the head for easy visualization of the upcoming effort to the cup.

All of the clubs are held together in a first-rate stand bag with sturdy pop-out legs to anchor and balance the bag.

An impressive set for players looking to save money, the Ram Golf Accubar Complete Set is well worth your consideration.

Another worthwhile feature on the SIM2 MAX is the 24-gram tungsten weight on the rear of the head. Placed low along the sole, the weight maximizes the MOI for minimal twisting. The tungsten weight also increases launch and reduces side spin for straighter drives that find the fairway with more regularity.

An aerodynamic head also allows the SIM2 MAX to move smoothly through the air with reduced drag. The rounded sole works in unison with the crown to maximize club speed to the golf ball. 

The driver’s Speed Injected Twist Face also boosts ball speed with the curvature of the face redirecting the drive toward the target line with maximum velocity. Even on shots that leak toward the toe, the SIM2 MAX powers the ball down the fairway with strength.

A Split Mass Weighting is another new feature on the revamped driver. The TPS weight, located toward the sole of the club, weighs 16 grams helping increase forgiveness while minimizing the side spin that causes slices and hooks.

Great for mid and low handicappers, the TaylorMade SIM2 MAX driver is the best driver on the market, easily helping players power the golf ball with better consistency and accuracy.

The low center-of-gravity cannot be understated either as it helps lift the ball when sitting on the fairway. Even if you like teeing off with your fairway wood, the SIM MAX will continue to provide exceptional launch and distance.

The Thru-Slot Speed Pocket remains a standout in all TaylorMade clubs and here in the SIM MAX, the feature helps maintain speed on off-center hits. If your shot finds its way toward the toe, the Speed Pocket keeps the shot straight with dazzling velocity.

The best feature of the SIM MAX is the Twist Face Technology. The curved face on this fairway wood might look a little strange at first glance, but we can assure you that the shape actually helps you on off-center strikes.

Instead of watching the ball go off-target, the Twist Face redirects the ball toward the target with minimal side spin for straighter shotmaking.

Great for mid and low handicappers, the TaylorMade SIM MAX produces wonderful performance along with its lower cost for outstanding value that will last for many years to come.

A back/heel weighting design also helps reduce the slice that plagues too many beginning golfers and high handicappers. The weight helps close the face of the FMax 20, returning it back to square for straighter shotmaking, even if you use the fairway wood on the tee box.

The weighting works in concert with the club’s offset hosel to further reduce the side spin that causes slicing. The offset allows golfers to get a clear look at the golf ball at address, also helping with alignment for clear targeting on the hole’s layout.

One of the big reasons why the FMax 20 increases swing speed is because the shaft is 5 gram lighter than the previous versions, allowing golfers to dial up the MPHs for maximum distance. 

The fairway wood comes in three different loft options, starting with a 3-wood at 15 degrees, a 5-wood at 20 degrees, and finally, a 7-wood at 23 degrees.

For inexperienced golfers, the Cobra FMax 20 can minimize the wayward shots that blow up a scorecard, instead providing better reliability from the fairway.

You can get a gap wedge, sand wedge and lob wedge for about the same price as you’d normally pay for a single wedge.

Of course, wedges are only as good as the shots they produce. Fortunately, the Wilson Harmonized wedge is a very useful club. 

The club head is on the heavy side, which I found helped with both greenside chipping and with sand shots.

I could write an entire article — heck, maybe even a whole book — about hitting good sand shots. But it boils down to this: use the “bounce” of the wedge to slide the club through the sand below the ball. The sand then propels the ball up onto the green.

On a greenside bunker shot, the clubface never actually touches the ball — just the sand. With a light clubhead, it may glance off the sand and contact the ball, sending it rocketing over the green and guaranteeing double bogey or worse. 

But with a nice heavy clubhead, it slides through the sand and pops the ball up to the green. 

The stock grip is a bit cheap feeling and the chrome coating of the wedge wears off fairly quickly, but the performance at this price level means the Wilson Harmonized wedge merits the distinction of our top wedge for the money.

Inside 100 yards, these wedges deliver a consistent ball flight with nice spin. Regardless of what wedge you choose to execute your shot from the fairway, you’ll find symmetry with each club. 

From the rough and sand, the Lazrus wedges really shine. Not only do they smooth cut through those obstacles to provide clean contact on the golf ball, but the deep grooves impart high rates of spin for shot-stopping power on the putting surface.

On shorter pitch shots, we were pleasantly surprised by how the Lazrus allowed us to be aggressive in tight spaces. After a round or two with these wedges, you’ll find that your confidence grows because these clubs can deliver the shot you need regardless of the situation.

The Lazrus set offers a raw look that is all the rage with professional golfers, so even though these wedges are available at a great price, it won’t look like you are playing with budget clubs.

The Lazrus Premium Forged Wedges are a wonderfully capable three club set for a very affordable price that is sure to lower your scores and impress your playing partners.

The putter also has a clear alignment guide along the rear of the flatstick that makes visualization easy. Using the company’s 2135 technology, Cleveland has created a system that allows golfers to see the line from any angle, whether you are standing over the putt or slightly behind.

From a critical standpoint, the softness of the putter might be a turn off for golfers that like a firmer feel, but the benefits of using this flatstick, if you are having a hard time keep the ball on-line, are undeniable.

Perhaps the most impressive detail about the putter is the price. For the cost of a wedge, you can have one of the best tour-level putters on the market. When you factor in its reasonable price point and reliability, the TFI 2135 was an easy choice for most cost-effective putter.

The Cleveland TFI 2135 is a wonderfully made putter that shines through with fine craftsmanship, and even better performance.

However, Spider putters start at about $300 and go on up from there, so they’re not going to fit into every golfer’s budget. You could play 15 rounds of golf at my local muni for $300! 

Ray Cook Golf offers this Silver Ray SR500 putter at a much friendlier price, and it performs surprisingly well. 

One issue I had right out of the box was that the grip was installed improperly, causing the putter face to be slightly closed. So I did have to replace the grip right off the bat. A putter grip is about $20-25, so even with that factored in, the Silver Ray is still quite a bargain.

The bottom line is that it did make putts. It wasn’t always pretty, it didn’t always feel fantastic, but the ball got rolling on the proper line. That’s the main goal on the putting green, isn’t it?

Distance control was pretty good, though I felt like putts hit out on the toe lost more distance than heel strikes. 

The paint chips off the clubface very easily, and eventually started coming off of the alignment aids on top of the putter. This is a pretty easy fix: just apply some nail polish into the grooves and wipe the excess off. Dry overnight and it’s good to go.

These minor quibbles are to be expected at this price point. The important question is whether the putts go in, and the SR500 excelled at turning good strokes into made putts.