Callaway Strata Vs Top Flight XL – What’s The Better Golf Club Set

Top Flight

Getting started with the game of golf isn’t easy. It takes a lot of time, effort and patience. And that isn’t even taking into account the time, effort and research that needs to go into selecting your gear in the first place. Every golfer needs to start with a good set of clubs but which one should you choose?

When you are just learning the game, you may be tempted to buy clubs individually or as you need them. But that can be a very expensive route to take. It may be better and more cost-effective to start with a complete set and supplement it as your game needs.

After all, there are some great starter sets out there that can more or less grow with you as your game evolves. Today we will be looking at a couple of golf club sets that were designed and marketed for beginners. They both offer good value but which is better? Let’s find out.

The Callaway Strata Set

Strata Main Image

Callaway is a trusted name in golf clubs and golf gear in general. They make some of the most coveted clubs in the game. So with the Callaway Strata set, they intended to manufacture clubs that would help novices develop their game quickly.

The standard Callaway Strata set is a full 9 club set. But you can get them in larger 14 and 16 piece sizes if you like. This is an affordable set that was designed for golfing neophytes. In our personal experience with these clubs, they are more wieldy right out of the box.

This means that even beginners will be able to pick these clubs up and start playing the game the way it was meant to be played.

The Top Flight XL Set

Top Flight XL Clubs 2

The Top Flight XL set is another golf club set that was manufactured with beginners in mind. It is a complete set of 10 clubs which have been designed to be very forgiving.

In our experience with these clubs, we found them to be very versatile even for players who are already reasonably familiar with the game.

We found them in a few different colors: black, red and a navy blue/green hybrid. Of course, this is also an affordable set that gives players old and young what they will really need on the course.

What You Get With The Callaway Strata Set

Strata Golf Clubs

As stated earlier, the Callaway Strata set comes with 12 clubs. You get a driver, a 3 wood, a 5 wood hybrid, 8 irons, putter and a pitching wedge. You also get head covers for the irons and a lightweight stand bag.

The bag has 5 zippered compartments with a cooler pocket to store cold beverages and snacks. It features a backpack style shoulder strap and a rain hood.

What you Get with the Top Flight XL Set

Top Flight XL Golf Clubs

With the Top Flight XL Set you get a driver, a 3 wood, 4 through 9 irons, pitching wedge and putter. The bag is divided 6 ways at the top so that your club heads don’t bang into each other when you’re carrying them.

You also get padded shoulder straps and 5 zipper compartments including an oversized garment pocket. The bag also features an umbrella holder. With the Top Flight XL Set, you also get head covers for the driver and wood.

Composition Comparison

The Callaway Strata set features a driver with a titanium head and a graphite shaft. It is 460CC’s so it is a good size for beginners. The 6-PW irons are cavity backed and made of stainless steel. The putter is mallet-style and weighted nicely which, again, is beneficial for beginners.

Even the fairway wood is enlarged to give the player a broader sweet spot to work with and instill more confidence.

The Top Flight XL Set also features a composite titanium, 460CC driver head. The 4-PW irons are also cavity backed and made of stainless steel. The 4 and 5 irons however are hybrids. And all the clubs save for the putter feature graphite shafts.

The putter is also mallet style but it does come with alignment cutouts to help with aim.

Performance Comparison

The drivers of these two sets performed almost identically. They have the same basic design and composition. That being said, the Callaway driver had a better loft degree at 10.5”.

The Irons of the Top Flight XL Set were perimeter weighted which felt nicer than the Callaway irons and provided more forgiveness. As far as chipping goes, again, we liked the wedge of the Top Flight XL Set. It was easier to get good angles with.

The putters of both these sets were almost identical to us. But again, we could see how a novice would benefit more from the Top Flight XL Set since its putter has alignment cutouts.

Price Comparison

These two sets are pretty much the same in terms of price. You can expect to pay about $200 for the Top Flight XL Set and around $196 for the Callaway Strata set.

Callaway Strata Pros & Cons

Callaway Strata Golf Clubs

Pros:

  • Graphite shafts
  • Forgiving driver
  • Comes in both left handed and right handed sets
  • Trusted brand name
  • Oversized hybrids
  • Includes insulated cooler pouch

Cons:

  • Clubs aren’t very durable
  • No sand wedge
  • Only 9 clubs
  • Driver doesn’t give good feedback

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Top Flight XL Pros & Cons

Top Flight XL Clubs

Pros:

  • Includes an additional iron
  • Comes in multiple colors
  • The irons felt better
  • Umbrella holder
  • Bag weighs only 4lbs
  • Alignment marks for the putter

Cons:

  • No left hand set
  • More expensive
  • The driver scratches easily
  • Hybrids aren’t as effective

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Which set is Better?

Judging on performance, we have to say the Top Flight XL Set was actually better. The irons were more accurate and it is really good for beginners to learn how to use their irons effectively. All in all, we think the Top Flight XL Set would be more beneficial for beginners.

The Top Flight XL Set is the winner in today’s club battle so give them a try if you need a good beginner set!

***WINNER***

Top Flight XL Golf Clubs

Top Flight XL Clubs

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