Premium quality for a not so premium price: Wilson PlayerFit Complete Golf Set Review

How have Wilson managed to stand out in a crowded market with the PlayerFit Club Set?

The words “premium” and “beginner” might feel like an odd combination in the context of a golf club set, but having thoroughly tested the Wilson PlayerFit set it’s clear why spending slightly more at first represents good value for money later on.

This set comes with a 10.5° driver, a fairway wood, two hybrids, irons (6-PW), a sand wedge, and a putter – everything you need when new to the sport, shy of some balls and tees, essentially.

But look closer and you’ll find some surprising features. A titanium driver, a milled putter, and a blade-style sand wedge. This is a set aimed at longevity of use, years after the first swing – forgiving enough for complete newbies but with enough to keep game improvers satisfied too.

Initial thoughts

The bag and clubs look absolutely brilliant and – to my eyes – not like a beginner’s package set at all. While obviously a positive this inevitably leads to my kit writing cheques my skill level currently can’t cash – lifting it from my boot in front of golfers I don’t know feels a bit like turning up to a triathlon on Chris Froome’s TT bike. Less self-consciously though, it’s great to have a bit of headroom here. This isn’t a disposable set I’ll become embarrassed to use and scrap for something that looks and performs better a year into the game.

In particular, the bag is very impressive. Everything from the neatness of the stitching to the smoothness of the zips means it feels built to last. There are plenty of pockets to store things too, including a thermally lined section for cold drinks, and a commodious ball pocket – which is useful when you lose as many as me.

The matching head covers look and feel high-quality (so much so that I don’t like putting them down on wet ground) and feature the same black and blue colorway of the bag, for a very cohesive aesthetic. I do think the “PlayerFit” branding is a bit disingenuous on a club set that hasn’t been fitted to me personally, and this adds to the cheque-writing problem described above.

That premium feel extends to the clubs, in particular the graphite-shafted woods, which look very sleek and feature a very stealthy black finish. This hasn’t marked up yet, which is reassuring for a beginner like me, who can’t always guarantee contact with the ball and not the ground. The irons have a stainless-steel shaft and head size that inspires confidence, but I’ll get into that in more detail below.

Equally reassuring is the year’s warranty on the graphite shafts and grips, which is useful for a beginner with a somewhat unsympathetic swing. The grips used also feel brilliant, with a rougher texture under my left thumb to help with hand placement consistency and a soft, thick rubber elsewhere. I suspect I’ll want something with less material between my hand and the shaft as my skill level improves but for now, they are very comfortable to use and resist wear and tear very well.

The set itself

Driver

While this set comes with a seemingly punchy price tag, it’s easy to spend a similar amount of money on a driver alone, so it’s a nice touch that the driver in this bag feels so premium. It has all of the features you want as a beginner (ease of use, forgiving head) and none you don’t need (adjustable weights, low-spin face, etc).

All of the woods look great behind the ball but particularly this driver, which has plenty of volume and an attractively round shape. The titanium face is a very dark grey, while on the rest of the woods, it’s silver. This means there’s less contrast between the top of the club and the face, so the driver features a useful blue marker and converging gradient lines to help line it up and visualize the loft.

Something of a theme in this set is that the clubs are really forgiving when you make minor errors, but will usually give you a usable shot even when you get it significantly wrong – the drop-off in performance in relation to your own consistency is quite lenient. This encourages improvement rather than punishing mistakes, and the driver is the best example of that. When you get it right the ball absolutely flies off the face, and it’s still pretty good even if you don’t.

The noise it makes on strike is potentially a bit divisive because it is quite loud, but personally, I like the instant feedback this gives when you’ve hit the ball well. Similarly, the level of flex in the shaft – TG’s Rob Jerram said it was too soft for him to hit consistently, but this is unlikely to be an issue for the lower clubhead speed hitters it’s designed for (like me).

More powerfully built beginners may soon reach the limit of this shaft’s rigidity, but there’s so little else to criticize with this club it’d be an easy and sensible upgrade to swap it out if and when it becomes a problem.

Fairway wood

Probably the club I’ve used the least in this bag, simply because the hybrids are easier to hit off the fairway, and my drive isn’t long enough to necessitate using a shorter wood off the tee. That said, when I have used it on my first shot, the 3 wood has been impressively consistent.

This is something of a surprise because compared with the driver it offers up much less metal behind the ball, with a shallower head that can be a bit intimidating to a beginner.

Its inclusion in the bag is something of an aspirational for me – it’s a club I’m looking forward to using more as my game improves, and this is a great example of the room to grow into what this set offers.

Hybrids

Similar in design to the #3 wood, the mostly-black heads feature a contrasting silver face but are easier to hit off the deck and play much more like an iron than a wood, so I’m glad there are a couple of options in terms of loft.

That’s a nice touch but again something that absolute beginners may not feel the benefit of immediately. For example, I can often hit better and further results with the #5 hybrid than the #4 hybrid, simply because it’s easier and more consistent to use.

Regardless of that, the hybrids are my go-to clubs when I need distance off the fairway, particularly from the rough simply because they are so playable.

Irons

Decently stiff steel shafts and weighty heads give the irons in this bag a great feel but also promote a smooth swing. I can hit the same distances all day long with these irons, which is hugely reassuring when lining up for a tricky approach shot.

The 6-PW set feature cavity backs with a neat carbon fiber detail and flash of blue trim, while the sand wedge is a blade-style club, which you wouldn’t necessarily expect to see in a beginner’s bag.

But I love the look of this club, and the way it performs – while the cavity-backed heads are more forgiving at full swing, the bladed sand wedge offers an amazing feel when chipping onto the green or escaping a bunker, and the mirrored finish adds a bit of classic style. I love using it so much, that it almost makes up for finding myself in the sand.

Putter

Another area where the PlayerFit set offers a level up from rivals, the putter doesn’t look anything like you’d expect to find in a set like this, thanks to a milled face and mallet-style head.

Both features conspire to provide a very smooth-swinging and forgiving putter, which feels hugely balanced in the hands and thanks to its extra weight, leads to a straighter follow-through.

I’ve found it has a usefully large sweet spot, and like the rest of the clubs, this isn’t surrounded by a knife-edge of misery on either side. Get it slightly wrong and there’s still a good chance the ball will go roughly where you want it to.

And it’s easy to get it right, thanks to high contrast white on black alignment markers, one in the center of the club and two on the fangs for placement outside of the ball.

Final verdict

Beginners to golf come with a range of different budgets and while we’d never recommend spending a fortune on a sport you’re not sure convinced you’re going to enjoy, a club set like this from Wilson that offers decent development headroom is a can be a shrewd purchase.

You’re not paying for a load of features you won’t appreciate until you’re a single-digit handicapper (and likely playing with an entirely different set of clubs), but rather a set that is forgiving off the bat, but also built for game improvement.

The premium feel that makes this set stand out is most obvious in the long and short game – the driver and the sand wedge/putter – and less so in the middle. The irons and hybrids are great but on a similar level to what you’ll find in rival sets.

That’s far from a criticism though, because thanks to those touches, this is a beginner set that doesn’t make you look or feel like a beginner. It flatters small mistakes without enabling them. In a sport that’s as much about the mental game as the physical one, that’s a huge asset.

Also consider

The Wilson PlayerFit is a superb club set but if it’s not quite what you’re after then there are some great alternatives out there. The Cleveland CG club set and Stix Golf Perform club set are great options for a similar budget, both sets are focused on game improvement and offer superb club choice.

About the author

Will Shreeve-Peacock – Golf Equipment Writer

Will is an expert in golf shoes, GPS watches, rangefinders, and training aids.

He has a degree in journalism from Sheffield Hallam University and four years’ experience working in golf retail with American Golf where he was trained by a host of the big-name manufacturers.

A six-handicapper, Will has played golf for more than a decade and is a member at Burghley Park Golf Club in Stamford, Lincolnshire.

Wilson PlayerFit Complete Package Set

RRP: £699.99 / $799.99 RRP

Set Includes: 10 clubs

Hand: RH/LH

Shaft Material: Steel and Graphite

Shaft flex: Stiff/Regular

Headcovers: Yes

Bag Included: Yes

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