Callaway Strata Vs Top Flight XL Golf Club Sets Review And Comparison 2023
When it comes to beginner golf club sets, there are plenty of options to chose from and a lot of them should be avoided if at all possible.
Few beginner sets stand out as much as the Callaway Strata with their epic game improvement performance, sterling reputation and it’s thousands of 5 star reviews online.
Top Flight are no stranger to golf either and this beginner set by the trusted brands may have enough performance, quality and value to turn a few heads away from the Strata set.
Callaway Strata Set Overview
The Callaway strata is a legendary set of clubs for a fair price and have all the attributes of a set tailored to those just starting the game.
The Callaway Strata are game improvement clubs and they come in a 12 piece, 14 piece and 16 piece set. We recommend the 14 and the 16 as the 12 piece comes without a sand wedge which is usually essential.
The Driver, Woods and Hybrid have rear low weighting for high launching strikes, the sweet spots are huge and the clubs are thick for distance.
The cavity back irons have perimeter weighting for a large sweet spot and they also continue the trend of large sweet spots.
The club set is complete by a good quality cart bag, headcovers for the long clubs and a standard blade putter.
The irons have steel shafts and are aimed at average swingspeeds. Overall a great quality set for an excellent price.
Top Flight Xl Golf Set
The Top Flight Xl are probably the lesser known of the 2 sets but they are also highly rated online and come at a beginner friendly price tag.
You can pick up the Top Flight Set for around $300 bucks and you get a good array of good quality clubs that are very neatly designed.
The clubs are certainly aimed at beginners with the large, game improvement features we usually see in beginner sets.
Low weighting in the driver, woods and hybrids promotes higher, longer shots and the large sweet spots offering a good deal of forgiveness.
Nice quality cavity back irons with good turf interaction are enough to offer using easy launching and consistent approach shots.
Overall, the Strata clubs are a little more durable and higher performing but they also cost a bit more.
If you are on a budget, the Top Flight XL set are a good option to get around the course as a beginner.
Top Flight XL Golf Club Set
Category: Beginner/High Handicapper Set
Callaway Strata Complete Golf Club Set
Category – Beginners Golf Club Set
Top Flight XL – What’s in the Bag?
The Top Flight XL Golf Club set includes the following clubs:
Driver, 3 wood, #4 hybrid, #5 hybrid, irons 6-9, pitching wedge, putter, 2 head covers and a stand bag.
Callaway Strata – Whats In The Bag
The Callaway Strata Set come with 3 different packages:
12 Piece: Driver, 3 Wood, 5 Hybrid, 6 -9 Irons, PW, Putter
14 Piece: Driver, 3 Wood, 5 Hybrid, 6 -9 Irons, PW, SW, Putter, 3 Head Covers
16 Piece: Driver, 3 Wood, 4 & 5 Hybrid, 6 -9 Irons, PW, SW, Putter, 4 Head Covers
Top Flight XL – First Impressions & Club Breakdowns
When you unbox the Top Flight XL set, you will not be able to tell that you just bought beginner clubs, such is the quality.
Not only do they look like a premium set; they have the features of a premium set as well. The Top Flight XL’s deliver where beginners need the most help.
Driver
The driver sports a multi-material design.
The face is made of lightweight but resilient titanium for explosive ball speeds off the tee.
It features an oversized 460CC head and rear weighting to help keep the center of gravity down.
3 Wood
The 3 wood is also weighted low and to the rear of the head to produce high arcing shots.
This is a great fairway wood to accurately place shots on the fairway. The shorter crown height is also a nice touch because it increases MOI and forgiveness.
Hybrids
The hybrids also feature a squat crown that gives them the looks, feel and accuracy of some of the longer irons that have been omitted from this set.
You get a #4 and #5 hybrid which, is enough to provide the gap coverage you need with tight shot dispersion.
Irons
Picking up right where the hybrids left off are the irons.
You get irons 6-9 and they are packed with forgiveness feature.
First of all, they are perimeter weighted to increase MOI. Secondly, they feature wide soles to smooth out turf interaction.
Pitching Wedge
The pitching wedge feels very nice in the hands and features a strong loft to get you up and onto jealously guarded greens.
Putter
Last is the mallet-style putter.
While not the most advanced putter you will come across, it has a nice balance and clear alignment marker.
Callaway Strata – First Impressions & Club Breakdowns
After seeing the 1000’s of positive reviews online, I was looking forward to getting my heads on the clubs and getting them out on the driving range for a test run was high on the list of priorities.
You can immediately tell that the clubs are good quality when you take them out of the bag. The clubs feel light to hold and the shafts are solid but do have a bit of flex.
Driver
The driver stands out initially with the large titanium head and massive sweet spot. The club is long accurate and forgiving.
3 Wood
The 3 Wood also has a large sweet spot and is a dream to hit off the fairway. These clubs are built for distance and if you have a slower swing speed, the 3 Wood can also be excellent off the tee.
Hybrids
With the 14 piece set, you get the 5 hybrid which is the perfect club for when you veer to the left or right of the fairway. If you want an extra hybrid that can close any distance gaps and replace some irons shots, go with the 16 piece set.
Irons
The irons are game improvement with thick soles, built for distance and they interact well with the turf making them easy to get in the air and towards the green.
Wedges
The pitching wedge is nice to hit and the lack of a Sand Wedge in the 12 piece set makes the 14 piece a must have for most beginners in my book.
Putter
No complaints with the putter, they haven’t tried to reinvent the wheel, it’s a simple blade putter with a solid shaft that gets the job done with visual alignment included.
Shafts
The shafts in all of the clubs with the Strata set are Steel but you have a choice between regular and stiff flex. There is also a ladies set with ladies flex available.
The clubs are built for forgiveness AND distance, so if you have an average to faster swing speed, Strata can be an excellent option.
Top Flight XL Selling Points
- Titanium composite driver
- Very affordable
- Comes with 2 hybrids
- Includes a stand bag
- Fairway wood provides nice launch angle
- The driver and 3 wood come with graphite shafts
Top Flight XL Cons
- No 4 and 5 irons
- No Sand wedge
- The hybrids have steel shafts
- Irons don’t play very long
Callaway Strata Set – Selling Points
- Forgiving Clubs Built For Distance
- Everything You Need At An Excellent Price
- Game Improvement Irons For Distance And Forgiveness
- Durable Set Of Clubs
- Great Value For Money
Callaway Strata Cons
- No Sand Wedge in 12 piece set
- Doesnt suit seniors or slow swing speeds.
Who is the Top Flight XL for?
The Top Flight XL Golf Club set was meant for beginners – plain and simple.
If you need an affordable set that will help with distance and provide decent forgiveness, this is the set for you.
The set comes outfitted with graphite shafts in the driver and 3 wood and steel shafts in the rest of the set.
Distance: 93/100
Accuracy: 92/100
Forgiveness: 92/100
Control and Feel: 88/100
Value: 93/100
Overall Score: 91/100
Check Out More Reviews Here:
Who Is The Strata Set For
The Strata set is for beginners. The clubs get rave reviews but it is important to keep in mind that they are not going to compete with a premium $400 driver or $6oo set of irons when it comes to performance.
What you are getting here is a perfectly good quality and durable set that offers plenty of performance to high handicappers for a competitive price.
Distance: 94/100
Accuracy: 94/100
Forgiveness: 95/100
Feel And Control: 90/100
Value: 98/100
Overall Score: 96/100
Check Out More Reviews Here:
Aidan Lehane here, I’m a Mid-low handicap golfer who has made tremendous progress in breaking 90 in just over 1 year of playing golf seriously.
I get out to the course or range as often as possible and review all the equipment I’ve come across on this blog.
