Golfers age. Muscles get weaker. Swings get slower. Ball goes shorter. Clubs feel heavy after the turn. What’s one way to combat these problems? Use lighter clubs!
When you use lightweight clubs, your swing picks up speed. Sure, you might lose a little bit of consistency, but you probably weren’t that consistent to begin with! Sorry, not sorry. Here’s what we are looking for in a lightweight set of clubs for seniors:
- Obviously light-weight materials: that includes lighter club heads, lighter shafts, and even lighter grips. The lighter the club, the faster you can swing.
- Forgiving, high launch design: being lightweight simply isn’t enough. Senior golfers (actually, most golfers) will benefit from forgiving, high launch club head designs. That means lots of perimeter weighting and a low center of gravity (weight low on the clubhead) to launch the ball high off the club face.
- Lightweight, senior flex, graphite shafts: graphite shafts are far lighter than steel shafts. However, we are looking for super lightweight graphite shafts that come in senior flex. These are “whippier” and allow you to swing faster than other graphite shafts.
Quick note: complete sets are typically purchased by beginners. However, brands are starting to release far higher quality complete sets, so even mid to low handicap golfers can benefit from buying a complete set now.
In this article, I want to talk about the three lightest sets of complete clubs for men on the market. Typically, these are going to be the best fit for seniors that have noticed a loss in distance over the years.
Highest Quality: Cobra F-Max Airspeed Complete Set
In my opinion, the Cobra F-Max Airspeed set is the lightest, most forgiving complete set for senior golfers. Cobra has been my go-to recommendation for complete sets for the past 3 years or so. They simply make the highest quality complete sets for a wide range of golfers. No, they aren’t cheap. But they will last you forever. It should 100% be the last set of clubs that you ever have to buy – no matter your age.
These clubs are all an upgrade from the previous model (Cobra F-Max Superlite). That’s right: the Airspeed are even lighter than the SUPERLITE set. On average, they knocked off 15 grams of each club from a combination of the club heads, shafts, and grips.
- Offset Driver: It comes with two driver options: a 10º regular flex shaft and an 11.5º, lighter senior flex shaft. Go with the 11.5º option due to its lighter weight. The offset makes a great impact position easier to achieve. It’s one of the lightest drivers that you can purchase for a senior man.
- Fairway Woods (3 wood and 5 wood): having two fairway woods is great for seniors that tend to hit them more often than younger golfers.
- Hybrids (4H, 5H): same as with the fairway woods, seniors benefit from having multiple hybrids instead of difficult-to-hit long irons.
- Irons (6, 7, 8, 9, PW and SW): lots of perimeter weighting and a low center of gravity to make the ball travel high and far with plenty of forgiveness.
- Blade Putter: I kinda wish it came with a mallet putter, but it’s personal preference anyway.
- Cart Bag: Cart bags are great for those that always ride (or push their cart) and want more storage room.
If I were in your shoes (looking for a lightweight complete set of golf clubs for senior men), this is no doubt the complete set that I would buy. Buy once – cry once. You’ll end up with an incredible set of clubs that will never need to be upgraded.
Pros:
- Highest quality option on the market
- Best combination of lightweight & forgiving design & price
Cons:
- Too expensive for many budget-focused golfers. You might want to go with the previous model (F-Max Superlite) to save some money, but they are a little bit heavier.
- I wish the putter was an easier-to-align mallet putter
Lower Priced Option: Wilson Ultra 2021 Complete Set
If you want a more budget-friendly option for a lightweight complete set, then look no further than the Wilson Ultra 2021 complete set. Just make sure you are going for the graphite shaft option. It’s about 1/4 the price of the other complete sets. However, the quality isn’t quite as high as you would expect.
I’d recommend this set for newer, senior golfers that want to start the game off with a lightweight set before investing too much money. Because you may find that you don’t love golf as much as you thought you would!
Wilson, although not as popular of a brand as it once was, is known for their lightweight clubs. They made the list of the lightest drivers and lightest iron sets on the market, so it should be no surprise to see them on this list, too.
Pros:
- Great low-priced entry into the game for seniors looking for a lightweight set of golf clubs
- Can often times be picked up at your local sporting goods store today, instead of having to wait to be shipped to your house
Cons:
- Only one fairway wood and one hybrid (I’d recommend two of each if you can afford it)
- Look and feel a little cheap (because they are)
Best Value: Cobra XL Speed Men’s Complete Set
If you want the best value (not the highest priced, but not the lowest), then consider an older model complete set of Cobra clubs. For example, the older Cobra XL Speed (with graphite shafts) are far less expensive than the Cobra F-Max Airspeed clubs, but nearly just as light.
The XL Speed line is two series older than the Airspeed line. Although the XL Speed clubs are a little heavier than the Airspeed clubs, the difference isn’t too significant. The XL Speed clubs are about 20g heavier than the Airspeed. Other than the weight difference, the sets are nearly identical.
If you can afford the Airspeed clubs, go with them. If you can’t then I’d recommend the XL Speed over the cheaper Wilson complete set. However, everyone is in a different financial position.
Pros:
- Just as forgiving and easy to launch as the more expensive Airspeed
- Best overall value compared to the other club sets. It’s always better financially to go with a slightly older model.
Cons:
- A little heavier than the Airspeed clubs (about 20g heavier with each club)
- Still much more expensive than the Wilson complete set
