Looking for a complete set for senior men is all about the following: the right brand + the right set make up (more hybrids & woods) + the right focus (forgiveness & distance). That’s all that you need. Ideally, you’ll end up with a super forgiving, long set of name brand clubs with multiple hybrids & woods. Easy peazy. As long as you can afford it, of course.
It’s important to note that there are very important differences between men’s and senior men’s golf club sets. For example:
- Men’s golf clubs typically come with regular flex shafts. Senior men’s golf clubs should come in senior flex shafts, which are much “whippier”. Senior flex shafts have more flex & whip at impact, which allows the club to hit the ball at a faster speed. Seniors should always play senior flex shafts, unless they are told otherwise. For example, senior men with fast swing speeds can play regular flex or even stiff flex golf clubs.
- Men’s irons typically come with steel shafts. Senior’s irons should come with graphite shafts. Graphite shafts are far lighter and are far less strain on your joints. Graphite shafts will let you hit the ball harder and with less pain overall. Seniors with fast swing speeds, however, will hit the ball better with steel shafts.
- Men’s golf clubs might only have one hybrid and one fairway wood. Senior sets should have more than one hybrid or more than one fairway wood, at a minimum. Senior golfers are far better off hitting a hybrid instead of long irons, more so than men. Senior men often have trouble getting enough air and distance with their long irons, so senior sets should have multiple hybrids to replace long irons.
- Men’s sets typically have a driver with around 10 degrees of loft. Senior sets typically have a driver with closer to 12 degrees of loft. The higher loft allows seniors to hit the ball higher in the air to maximize distance. Lower loft only helps when a golfer has a fast swing speed to make up for the lower flight.
- Men’s sets can be relatively inexpensive. Senior sets, due to their more expensive graphite shafts, cost slightly more than standard men’s sets. It’s not a huge difference, but it’s still worth mentioning.
The last point discussed price. Senior sets are typically a little more expensive than a standard men’s set. However, there is still a wide range of prices available. If you plan on playing lots of golf, I’d recommend spending more to get a super high quality, lightweight set that will last you for the rest of your life. It’ll cost rouughly $800-1,200, but it will be worth it. If you are unsure of how much golf you will play, I’d recommend going with the set under $500, the Tour Edge Bazooka set.
So, how can we help? Well, allow us to break it down into 3 different sets that we feel are best suited for senior men. We are going to look at the best overall, the best for under $1000, and also the best under $500 so that we can fit into nearly every budget possible. If you don’t have $500 to spend, I’d recommend saving money in the meantime, as sets lower in price than the Tour Edge set are too low quality, or they don’t have what we are looking for (graphite shafts, lightweight heads, etc).
Cobra F-Max Airspeed (Best Overall Golf Clubs for Senior Men)
Unless you are on a tighter budget, I’d highly recommend the Cobra F-Max Airspeed set. The entire set is high quality, premium clubs meant specifically for senior golfers. While most complete sets are meant only for beginner golfers, this set will literally be a great fit for any senior golfer, from super high handicap to low handicap.
Cobra, as a whole, has been the leader in complete sets for seniors for many years now. The F-Max Airspeed set is their latest release, so it’s the highest priced option on the market right now. It’s priced around $1,200 at the time of this writing.
The Cobra Airspeed 2020 complete set is aimed at not only the beginner player, but also those individuals that are looking at trying to make improvements in their game when it comes to more distance and more forgiveness.
Lightest Weight Set on the Market: First off, let’s look at the weight. Senior men are better off with lighter clubs and shafts that allow for greater speed and less drag resulting in the ball sailing through the air, and that is where the Cobra Airspeed 2020 set excels. It’s the lightest weight clubs that they have ever produced, which will result in faster swing speeds. For example, their driver weighs 50 grams less than conventional drivers. Lower weight = faster swings = more distance.
The Cobra F-Max Airspeed set comes in graphite shafts across the board, except for the putter of course. Lighter weight graphite shafts are perfect for senior men looking for more distance and less pain during their round. It’s not that uncommon for people to report that these clubs have been successful at adding in the region of 15 yards to their game, and that’s a healthy difference. The distance increase all depends on what clubs you are currently using, though.
Super Forgiving: It’s not only lightweight, but they are also seriously forgiving in nature. The size of their sweet spot and the low centers of gravity will help bring that ball back into line even when you don’t strike the ball in the heart of the face.
Driver: The driver is perfect for senior men. It is an “offset” driver, which encourages the face to be square at impact. It’s heel weighted, which encourages a draw. It’s made of super lightweight carbon fiber (50 grams lighter than average driver) to encourage more club head speed. It’s got a loft of 11.5 degrees, which will be great for the majority of senior men. And lastly, it has a 460cc head with a huge sweet spot.
2 Woods & 2 Hybrids: As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, the set makeup of a set of senior clubs is very important. The more woods and hybrids, the better! This set has 2 woods (3 & 5 woods) and 2 hybrids (4 and 5 hybrids). The 3 wood has 16 degrees of loft (one degree higher than the average 3 wood), while the 5 wood has 20 degrees. With the woods, they have the same weighted heel as the driver, so you can expect the wood to also help correct a slice. Furthermore, the set has 2 very easy-to-hit hybrids that will better replace your long irons.
Irons & Wedges: The set comes with 6-PW irons and a sand wedge. The longer irons (6 and 7) have more offset than the shorter irons to encourage a square club face at impact and a good impact position. This offset becomes less as you get to the shorter irons, which are always easier to hit in general. The PW and SW combo should cover all of your short game needs. You don’t need to get a gap wedge (to fill the gap between the PW and SW) unless you find that the gap is too large for your liking.
Putter: The Cobra F-Max Airspeed set comes with a pretty standard blade putter. Nothing much more to say, honestly. If you prefer a mallet, you’ll have to buy one separately, but the blade will be fine with 95% of golfers.
Overall, the Cobra F-Max Airspeed men’s set of clubs are the lightest weight clubs on the market. If you want to maximize distance and performance in general, then this is the set for you. If the price is putting you off, then keep on reading! The overall quality, durability, performance, and light construction is why we have listed the Cobra Airspeed 2020 complete set as the best on the market.
Cobra F-Max XL Speed Men’s Senior Flex (Under $1,000)
Moving onto the best set under $1000, we have chosen the Cobra F-Max Superlite. Now, Cobra has built a serious reputation for itself within the market for senior golfers, and this complete set is not going to let you down. They are not only lightweight but also seriously forgiving, and that’s the combination you want to be looking out for. Although this set can be gamed by any level of golfer, beginner and intermediate golfers are definitely the target audience here.
The Cobra F-Max XL Speed complete set is a couple of years old at this point. With the release of the newer Airspeed set, the price of the XL Speed dropped pretty significantly. However, the clubs will perform nearly just as good as the more expensive Airspeed set. When looking for the best value clubs on the market, you always have to look back 2-3 years.
Let’s talk about the differences between the XL Speed (better value) and Airspeed (more expensive).
- First, let’s talk price. The XL Speed set is around $800, while the Airspeed set is around $1,200. That $400 difference can pay for a good bit of golf lessons, which will help you far more than the small difference between the performance of the two.
- Next, let’s talk about weight. Less weight = more speed. The Airspeed is the lightest set on the market. However, Cobra hasn’t mentioned how much of a difference there is between the two. I’m sure it’s only a few grams of weight saved on each club, so the difference is completely marginal.
- Lastly, let’s talk about the main difference: appearance. Yep, that’s right. These two sets are practically the same clubs, but with different names and color schemes. Therefore, it makes far more sense to go with the cheaper set, the XL Speed.
With this set, you get 12 clubs. They include: a driver, 3 and 5 wood, two hybrids, 6 through to 9 irons, pitch and sand wedge, and a putter. Basically, everything you need. Again, exactly the same as the Airspeed set.
Aside from the light weight design, we also love that they tend to have a lower center of gravity, with the weight distribution being pushed more to the rear of the clubs. This results in the ball getting in the air quicker and easier. It’s as simple as that.
Best for: If you want one of the best clubs on the market, but don’t want to spend over $1,000, then the Cobra XL Speed clubs are the ones for you.
Tour Edge Bazooka 370 (Best Under $500)
Tour Edge is a brand that stays pretty low on the radar. They make great value complete sets for all golfers, including senior men.
The Tour Edge Bazooka 370 set comes in senior flex, graphite shafts that are perfect for slower swing speeds. Remember: just because you used to have a fast swing speed doesn’t mean you do anymore (sorry, that sounded super mean).
We also really like the fact that the set has multiple fairway woods. I would have preferred if the 5 iron was exchanged for a 5 hybrid, but that’s not a huge deal. If you prefer irons in place of hybrids, this is a great set for you.
So, onto the best under $500 option, and we have gone for the Tour Edge Bazooka 370 set, and this set does represent real value for money. With this set, you get your driver, a 3 and 5 wood, a 4 hybrid, irons through 5 down to the sand wedge, and also the putter. So, they have you covered for every shot.
The driver has a 460cc head, and the weight has been pushed more to the rear and toe in this model, and this has drastically improved the forgiveness of the driver compared to before. Also, it is extremely light, so you can generate more power through your swing.
With the woods and hybrid, then the woods are oversized to give a bigger sweet spot while the hybrid removes the need for the longer irons and provides significant control over your shots. For the irons, they have increased the size of the face, which also makes it easier to strike the ball more cleanly even if it is off-center, and the clubs just feel well balanced in your hand.
Overall, this set of Tour Edge Bazooka 370 clubs does a good job of covering all of the bases. It might not do anything too spectacular, but for the price it represents real value for money.
Best for: Senior men that want a high quality set of lightweight, senior-flex graphite shafted clubs without breaking the bank!
Overall Verdict
Any of the 3 sets mentioned above are going to be perfect for pretty much any senior male golfer. Even the better value options will surprise you, so don’t assume that you have to spend over $1,000 for a high quality set of clubs for senior men.
So, do you have any personal experience with the sets listed above? How about the brands in general? What do you look for in a complete set? Let us know in the comments below.
