4 Best Golf Clubs for High Handicappers in 2023

Playing golf is fun but frustrating for a high handicapper looking to improve their game. Thanks to innovation, golf clubs have improved immensely, accelerating the improvement of beginner golfers. With the correct golf clubs, learning golf becomes more enjoyable for high handicappers and improves their game on the greens. 

The best driver overall is the Callaway Rogue ST MAX for high handicappers struggling with swing distance. This club offers the highest MOI in the range with a repositioned CoG for increased loft. The ST Max generates high ball speeds while still offering balance and stability. 

Suppose you already have an excellent driver, such as the Callaway ST Max. In that case, you can consider the following options:

• If you seek the best irons, opt for the Callaway MAX OS (available on Amazon.com), which offers a forgiving tungsten head.
• If you desire a fantastic wedge, look no further than the Callaway Mack Daddy Wedge (available on Amazon.com), with an oversized head without added weight.
• Spider X by TaylorMade (available on Amazon.com) is the best putter on our list and offers adjustable weights and an unbeatable MOI.

Everyone has to spend time learning a sport before they achieve greatness—and it is no different in golf. Luckily, with the help of the best golf club deals, there are several options of golf clubs that will make even the highest handicapper shine (related: mid-handicapper vs high handicapper vs low handicapper). This article will explore the best golf clubs, including affordable options, to help high handicappers look like pros!

Best Driver for High Handicappers: The Callaway Rogue ST MAX

Many high handicappers aren’t masters at striking the ball, so they struggle to get it airborne on long shots. A simple way to remedy this deficiency is using a higher loft driver. 

We’ve chosen the Callaway Rogue ST Max as the best golf driver for high handicappers as it’s solid and lightweight, forgiving user errors, and offers modern aesthetics.

With the highest moment of inertia (MOI) in the Rogue ST range, ST MAX is one of the most sought-after ST drivers. 

The tech incorporated by Callaway Into this driver generates high ball speeds, even from high handicappers with poor swings. The driver’s low center of gravity (CoG)  improves stability, and the crown’s carbon construction enhances the club’s weight distribution. 

On the other hand, ST Max has a couple of downsides: the Speed Cartridge’s shape might not suit all golfers, and the minimal adjustability limits the club’s usage. However, these drawbacks have a negligible effect on the ST MAX’s performance. 

Pros

• Extremely high forgiveness: ST Max has a speed cartridge that improves forgiveness across the club face. Furthermore, the high MOI helps you produce straight and reliable shots regardless of the head’s contact point with the ball. The repositioned CoG increases loft and optimizes forgiveness. 
• Innovative club face: Callaway claims that it uses AI technology to design ST MAX’s club face, and it shows. The clever face facilitates energy transfer between the club head and the ball, improving the efficiency and range of your shots. 
• Adaptability: The Callaway’s adjustable head settings allow you to tune the club depending on your weaknesses or the scenario. For instance, by setting the head to ‘Draw,’ you can minimize the effect of slices and improve the distance of your shots.

Cons

• High price: The benefits of the ST MAX come at a very high price that the average golfer would struggle to afford. However, purchasing the ST MAX is a no-brainer if you have the money. 
• Repellent looks: Occasionally, the trade-off for expert engineering is poor design. The ST MAX is an excellent golf club for a high handicapper, but the club might appear intimidating at address, putting off some golfers.

Best Iron for High Handicappers: The Callaway Rogue ST MAX OS

Callaway’s Rogue ST MAX features again—this time, our focus is on the Callaway Rogue ST MAX OS.

Like Cleveland, the ST MAX has a large head that improves the high handicappers’ chances of hitting a long and straight shot. 

High handicappers should use irons with a large surface area as they are very forgiving on strikes. If possible, the irons should have an enhanced center of gravity, improving the iron’s distance, carry, and loft. 

The standout feature of the ST MAX OS irons is their improved range. The large sweet spot guarantees the ball travels a fair distance even when you strike it poorly. 

Callaway claims the ST MAX OS irons are the fastest they’ve ever produced. The company uses a combination of lightweight materials that enhance the club’s feel and deliver quick hits time after time after time. Therefore, the ST MAX OS irons are perfect for inconsistent high handicappers. 

Pros

• Consistent performance: Consistency is the MAX OS’s greatest asset. Callaway uses tungsten to improve ball speed across the forgiving head. Consequently, every swing, regardless of its quality, produces playable hits.
• Impressive feel: The ST MAX OS provides outstanding feedback to the golfer, helping them judge the quality of the swing and hit. Hits near the heel or toe feel different compared to center strikes. Both strikes will likely produce similar results, but the high handicapper can gauge their improvement thanks to the feedback. 
• Impressive stopping power: As you get closer to the green, lofted shots increase in value as they slow the ball down faster after it lands. The MAX OS can produce such shots even in the hands of a high handicapper, allowing them to keep balls closer to the hole. 

Cons 

• Poor looks: The MAX OS is an impressive golf club, but like the ST MAX, it’s visually unappealing. The club head’s chunky profile can put some players off, but some say the larger-than-average volume instills them with confidence.
• Average workability: The MAX OS’s wide sole limits the club’s workability, impacting the range of shots you can produce. A high handicapper looking for consistent straight shots won’t complain; However, a high handicapper hoping to improve on shot-shaping will struggle with this club. 

Best Wedge for High Handicappers: The Callaway Mack Daddy

Callaway Mack Daddy Wedges should help improve your close-range accuracy. The best wedges for high handicappers easily cut through the surface and get under the ball. This wedge is purpose-built to help improve your striking game.

The Callaway Mack Daddy Wedge offers tons of spin, making it perfect for a high handicapper. Generating spin using a wedge increases the likelihood of an accurate shot as the ball slows down faster on the green. 

The Mack Daddy is light and marvelous to look at, which serves as a morale booster when playing. The Callaway comes with a steel or graphite shaft as an extra perk. Sticking with lightweight graphite is the best choice for a high handicapper. 

Pros

• Confidence-inspiring size: Callaway’s trend of making larger-than-average clubs continues with the Mack Daddy wedges. In some golf clubs, the considerable size can be intimidating, but the Mack Daddy wedge’s size inspires confidence that the club can chip you out of any situation. 
• Excellent spin control: The grooves on Mack Daddy wedges vary with the degree of loft—and allow you to produce awesome lofted shots that slow down faster on the green, setting up easy putts. 
• High forgiveness: The large face of the Mack Daddy has high forgiveness, producing good shots regardless of the contact. 
• Impressive feel: The soft feel of the Callaway Mack Daddy wedges and their stellar performance will motivate you to keep playing. Furthermore, the feedback allows you to gauge your progress and improve your game. 

Cons

• Unsuited to manipulation: The Mack Daddy wedges are good, but the face is not amenable to manipulation. Other specialist wedges offer more grind and bounce options. 

Best Putter for High Handicappers: TaylorMade Spider X 

The Spider X from TaylorMade is the best-looking putter for high handicappers. Fortunately, the Spider X isn’t just about looks—it also offers plenty of performance. This mallet putter is perfect for high handicappers as they have a large head and enhanced centers of gravity, improving the golfer’s accuracy. 

The putter’s design helps the golfer align the ball. Furthermore, it has adjustable weights that you can slide around to find the perfect feel. The heavy club has a high MOI, facilitates straight putts, and allows for user errors.

TaylorMade incorporates pure roll technology on the Spider X, which helps generate topspin on the ball. Topspin stabilizes the ball’s movement and gets the ball rolling quickly. 

Furthermore, topspin reduces the impact of imperfections on the green, increasing the chances of a ball maintaining its intended path. 

Pros

• Excellent aiming assistance: The Spider X’s Truth Path alignment has a white background that’s half a golf ball’s width, creating a seamless visual that assists with aiming. You will sink many balls with the Spider X.
• High forgiveness: The size of Spider X’s head looks unforgiving, but we guarantee it provides plenty of forgiveness. The grooves on the face get the ball rolling faster, increasing the chances of an accurate shot. 

Cons

• Slightly unappealing design: It’s difficult to find issues with the Spider X – that’s how good it is. However, we agree with some commentators that the club’s looks can be slightly unappealing. 

Factors To Consider When Buying High Handicap Golf Clubs

Gone is the era when you had to practice almost ceaselessly to improve your golf handicap. Thanks to advancements in golf club technology, you can make rapid leaps through the handicaps simply by selecting the right equipment. 

When choosing golf clubs for a high handicapper, the factors to consider are the following:

Forgiveness

Forgiveness in golf refers to a club’s ability to hide your in-game weaknesses. Golf clubs with high forgiveness punish mistakes less severely than ‘unforgiving’ golf clubs—they make you look better than you are and help improve your game. 

When using a forgiving golf club, it’s easier to hit faster and straighter shots. Therefore, high forgiveness clubs have earned the moniker ‘game improvement clubs.’ 

Different elements combine to make a golf club forgiving, including the following:

• They generally have bigger heads. An oversized head allows you to achieve distance even when you make inaccurate contact with the golf ball.
• Higher loft angles. Higher loft angles increase height and speed even if your swing is slower than average. 
• Lighter shafts. Lighter shafts allow a more balanced weight distribution to the clubhead without adding unnecessary weight. A weightier club influences swing speed, a typical issue with high-handicap golfers. 

For instance, drivers for high handicappers have ten to twelve degrees of loft to help the golfer hit the ball higher and further. 

Such drivers—like the Callaway Rogue ST MAX—are perfect for handicappers looking to add distance to their shots. 

G9lf Irons have seen a tremendous improvement in forgiveness among golf clubs. A couple of decades back, irons had dime-sized sweet spots, making them frustratingly difficult to use in the hands of high handicappers. 

New-age cavity back irons offer more forgiveness than traditional forged blade irons. Forgiving golf irons have wider sweet spots, producing good shots regardless of the head’s contact with the ball. Furthermore, they are heavier and have a lower center of gravity, resulting in longer and more accurate shots.  

Stiffness

High handicappers and senior golfers often share a weakness: low swing speeds. The remedy is relatively simple—ditching the stiff golf clubs for lighter and more flexible ones. 

Low-handicap players with faster swings prefer stiff clubs for improved control. A high handicapper might feel tempted to copy the professional, which would be a mistake—without a fast swing, you can’t exploit the control advantage of a stiff club. 

Soft clubs compensate for the low swing speeds typical among handicappers by providing more responsiveness and increasing shot distance. Therefore, when buying golf clubs as a high handicapper, ignore the steel shafts and go for graphite. 

Aesthetics

Aesthetics matter little in terms of golf club performance. However, a golf club’s looks psychologically impact the player, and manufacturers have caught on. 

Golf club manufacturers nowadays try to combine functionality with looks. It matters that you perform well and look fabulous while doing it. 

An intimidating golf club can knock you off your game, affecting your concentration and morale. On the other hand, an aesthetically-pleasing golf club can raise your confidence and motivation, improving your results on the course. 

Conclusion: Best Golf Clubs for High Handicappers in 2023

Forgiveness is the key factor when selecting golf clubs for a high handicapper. High forgiveness clubs make a high handicapper’s work easier and the game more enjoyable as they reduce the likelihood of hitting wayward shots. 

With the golf clubs above, you can enjoy learning the game, as there’s a lesser penalty for poor contact with the ball or a bad swing. The best golf clubs for high handicappers make you look better while improving your game. 

Some of the clubs listed above are expensive, but they are worth every penny. They are investments worth making.