Donnay Golf Clubs Reviewed – Are They Any Good?

Donnay Golf Clubs Reviewed – Are They Any Good?

If you’re looking to save money on golf gear then Donnay is a brand you should familiarize yourself with.

Donnay is much more popular in Europe than it is in the States which is probably why most golfers Stateside never heard of the brand.

They don’t have a bunch of high profile endorsements and they don’t spend millions of advertising. But if you’re a beginner or high handicapper, Donnay golf clubs may hold some value for you. In the following brand review we will be taking a look at some of their best clubs.

A Brief History of Donnay Golf

It’s possible that Donnay Golf is a part of the Donnay Sports company.

If so, Donnay Sports was founded in 1910 by Emile Donnay. The company started out in Belgium and specialized in wooden tennis rackets.

Since then, the company has been acquired by the Frasers Group and has expanded its production line with golf clubs.

Do They Still Make Clubs?

Although the Donnay brand is still used by the Frasers Group for a wide variety of products, the Donnay company itself is defunct.

It went bankrupt in 1988 and was sold to various groups and investors.

Donnay Pro One Golf Clubs Review

The Donnay Pro One Golf Clubs consists of a driver, 3-wood, 5-wood, irons 4-PW and a putter.

All of the clubs are oversized to give high handicappers more forgiveness. The set also includes a cart bag.

Selling Points

• Affordable
• Good for beginners
• Cavity back irons

Performance

The woods in this golf club set are big. If you have trouble with your swing accuracy, you will like the looks of the Donnay Pro One woods. The sweet spot is wide so you get a lot of forgiveness from heel to toe. I didn’t mis-hit very much with these woods – even on my first few swings.

The irons have a cavity back design so a lot of mass is pushed to the perimeter. The face profiles are also deep so if you have a tendency to hit thin shots, theDonnay Pro One irons will probably help with that.

The soles aren’t insanely wide; but wide enough to help prevent digging. The launch is high which is a definite bonus as you get to the wedges. The wedges don’t provide a ton of spin but I was still able to hit effective flop shots due to the high launch alone.

The putter has a clean Anser-style profile and looks very nice overall. I liked the fluid feel in my follow through with this putter but the forward roll was delayed a little. Still, this is a better putter than you will find in most beginner golf club sets.

Who is it for?

The Donnay Pro One Golf Club set is a good choice for high handicappers looking for a great deal of forgiveness. The woods and the long irons are easy to use. The short irons will also help you land more greens.

Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Very forgiving
• High-launching irons
• The putter feels smooth

Cons:

• The woods dent easily

Overall Score: 96/100

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Donnay Challenger Irons Review

The Donnay Challenger iron set includes irons 3-PW and a sand wedge.

They come stock with steel shafts and Donnay soft grips.

Selling Points

• Cavity back design
• Deep cavity undercut
• Rounded toe in the scoring irons

What Handicap is it for?

The Donnay Challenger iron set would be a solid choice if you’re in the 18-25 handicap range. Their best quality is forgiveness so if that’s what you’re after in your irons, give this set a look.

Performance

I noticed that the CG of this set gets progressively deeper and lower. The soles get wider as you get to the scoring irons so that probably accounts for the shift in CG. But it is peculiar because it’s usually the long irons that have the deepest CG.

In any case, the Donnay Challenger irons have deep cavity backs. I mean, you could serve your cat’s milk out of these irons. So they are very forgiving outside of the sweet spot. My toe and heel mis-hits weren’t picking up a ton of spin or losing a lot of ball speed. Likewise, my thin shots were still launching relatively high and going further than they had any business going.

The scoring irons have a rounded toe profile that helps eliminate toe-side mis-hits. It also allows for a bit more distance control around the green when you’re taking half or three-quarter swings.

The only thing I didn’t like was the launch control in the short irons. I was having to work the ball down as best I could to keep some of my shots out of the trees. Other than that, I was impressed with both the forgiveness and control of these irons.

Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Good stopping power
• The long irons are forgiving
• Progressive CG

Cons:

• It’s a bit difficult to control launch

Overall Score: 97/100

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Donnay Evolution Golf Clubs

I was able to get my hands on and test the Donnay Evolution driver and irons.

The Donnay Evolution driver is made of titanium and has a fairly compact profile. The Donnay Evolution irons have a cavity back design with moderate soles and top lines.

Selling Points

• Affordable
• Carbon graphite shafts
• Good distance

What Handicap Are They for?

After testing the Donnay Evolution, I would say they are decent for high handicappers; but probably ideal for mid handicappers. They aren’t oversized like the other Donnay golf clubs I tested for this review and the irons have workability that mid handicappers will be able to exploit.

Performance

The titanium Donnay Evolution driver has a sleek look at address. It’s not oversized and it frames the ball very well. I was getting fairly low launch out of it too. My launch angles lived in the 10-13 degree range for the duration of my testing.

Spin was also fairly low – within the 2200 and 2300 RPM range. So for me, this was a good driver. I was averaging a carry distance of 252.7 yards with the Donnay Evolution driver. But I can imagine this driver being a bit troublesome for 20+ handicappers.

The irons are also better for mid handicappers. While the blade length is objectively long, the top line and soles are on the thin side. They aren’t butter knives by any means but they definitely favor players who can make consistent contact.

I was able to fade and draw the ball with these irons; but they don’t feel very soft at impact. They have a solid feel; but when you mis-hit, you can feel it in your forearms.

Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Workable irons
• The driver looks good behind the ball
• Good clubs for mid handicappers

Cons:

• Irons feel a bit harsh

Overall Score: 97/100

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Is Donnay A Good Brand? – Final Thoughts

It’s too bad that Donnay went bankrupt because they actually made some pretty good clubs.

Now, you are essentially relegated to buying used Donnay clubs. But Donnay is a good brand because they make decent clubs for both mid and high handicappers. If you can find some in good condition they are a great value.