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After recently reviewing Mizuno, Tour Edge and PXG, we were then tasked with the question, Are Top Flite Golf Clubs Good? In this article, our golf expert provides key details before you buy.
Top Flite is not a commonly discussed brand, but they manufacture highly accessible and affordable clubs for the average golfer. In this post, I introduce you to the brand and explore the question of whether Top Flite golf clubs are good and who should play them.
After reading this review, you will know what clubs Top Flite produces, the price range, and their effectiveness. Plus, I reveal why the affordability and forgiveness are worth exploring for beginners on a tight budget.
The Top Flite Golf Manufacturer Story
As a junior, the only fresh sleeve of golf balls on offer were Top Flite and their XL counterparts. At the time, Top Flite was owned and operated by Spalding and was dedicated to crafting long-distance golf balls. While they also worked on game-improvement golf clubs, the brand was better renowned for its affordable golf balls.
However, I found their clubs were light, easy to swing, and provided exceptional forgiveness and a high launch. In addition, the golf clubs carried an entry-level price tag that suited players on a budget.
Despite the popularity of Top Flite brand towards the end of the last millennium, the Y2K era led to tough times for their parent company. Spalding put Top Flite up for sale, and after a bidding war between TaylorMade and Callaway Golf, the latter took ownership for $175 million.
Callaway was most interested in Top Flite golf balls intellectual property and Chicopee Production Facility. This led to Ely Callaway’s people putting Top Flite clubs on the back burner.
Callaway remained owners of Top Flite from 2003 to 2012 when they decided to sell the brand to Dick’s Sporting Goods. Although Callaway Golf still manufactures Top Flite golf equipment, it is predominantly sold by Dick’s and its subsidiaries like Golf Galaxy.
Tour Pros That Use Top Flite Golf Clubs
No PGA tour professional golfers currently use Top Flite equipment, as the brand targets amateurs. However, they previously announced the sponsorship of Hank Kuehne and Ricky Barnes in 2004.
4 Things That Make Top Flight a Good Golf Brand
Given the lower profile of Top Flite, they do not typically feature alongside Callaway, TaylorMade, Titleist, and other legacy brands. However, they are unique golf clubs that punch above their weight in various categories.
1. Entry Level Prices
The Top Flite brand produces and sells incredibly affordable golf clubs that compete with the lowest-priced items on the market. They are ideal for beginners, seniors, or weekend warriors unready to fork out a fortune for a set of clubs.
In my experience, few clubs execute the level of Top Flite in the entry-level category. Despite their budget-friendly price tag, they perform optimally, launch high, fly consistently, and produce welcome distance and accuracy.
2. Forgiving Equipment
Although Top Flite golf clubs are exceptionally affordable, they pack sufficient game-improvement technology to enhance forgiveness. The lightweight construction of Top Flite clubs makes it easier to accelerate club head speed.
In addition, the oversized golf club heads feature enlarged sweet spots delivering consistent speed and controlled spin across the surface. This helps beginners get the ball airborne on every shot, boosting carry and total distance.
3. Golf Equipment For Men, Ladies, Juniors
The next feature that makes Top Flite brand worthwhile is their portfolio of options for men, ladies, and junior clubs. The brand covers every golfer in your family, giving your bank balance breathing room when you want to acquire multiple sets simultaneously.
4. Built For Beginners
The final difference between Top Flite golf clubs and their competitors is their design for beginners. These golf clubs simplify acceleration on the downswing, carry a low and deep center of gravity (CG), and sport wider sweet spots for forgiveness across the surface.
Besides their forgiving, easy-launching nature, the affordability of their products is perfect for a player just getting into golf. You can kit yourself out with a full set without breaking the bank and regretting your decision later.
Cons Of Top Flite Golf Clubs
Durability
You get what you pay for with Top Flite golf clubs, they offer an attractive, entry-level price for beginners and weekend warriors. They are not the most durable golf clubs around and suffer from reduced longevity. However, infrequent golfers unable to justify purchasing premium clubs will suit Top Flite fine.
No Returns
The second downside of Top Flite golf clubs is the inability to return damaged equipment. Since Dick’s Sporting Goods and its subsidiaries predominantly stock the brands, they can dictate the rules.
The Best-Selling Top Flite Golf Clubs
Top Flite 2022 Gamer Driver
est $ 149
Top Flite Driver
Our Top Flite gamer driver is the best-selling big stick from Dick’s Sporting Goods brand for its affordability, design, and forgiveness. I especially appreciated the lighter swing weight, which helped me accelerate into impact, and its high launching design.
The Deeper Speed Channel stood out as the key performer, thanks to its clubface flexibility on all shots. I found it boosted my energy transfer into impact, helping me impart explosive velocity onto the golf ball.
Next, the low and deep CG position simplified getting my golf ball airborne and increasing carry and total distance. Plus, the increased moment of inertia (MOI) helped me stabilize the clubface at contact to preserve ball speed and minimize spin.
The Top Flite Gamer Driver is crafted in a 9.5 and 10.5-degree profile and lacks an adjustable hosel.
⛳️ Related: Best Drivers to Increase Distance
PROS
- Affordable drivers
- High launching
- Expanded sweet spot for forgiveness across the clubface
- Flexible clubface
- Increased MOI boosts stability
CONS
- No adjustable hosel
- No 12-degree loft option for slower swing speed
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Top Flite Gamer Hybrid
est $ 119
Top Flite Hybrid
Offset, style, forgiveness, and towering launch, make up the bulk of the qualities of the Gamer hybrid. In addition, I appreciated the clean turf interaction, aerodynamic club head, and lightweight construction, which helped me accelerate my club head speed and boost energy transfer into contact.
Like the other Gamer series clubs, the hybrid sports a pleasant black and blue finish, which looks attractive and minimizes glare. I found it carried excessive offset for my liking but made it easier to square my clubface at contact and combat slice ball flight for straighter shots.
Next, I felt the shallow head design and deeper speed channel aided my clubface to enhance energy transfer and enlarge the sweet spot. I preserved ball speed and controlled spin on all shots for an elevated launch and optimal carry distance.
Lastly, Top Flite crafted the Gamer hybrid in a 3 and 4 hybrid profile to help you transition from the fairway woods to the irons.
⛳️ Related: Top Golf Hybrid Golf Clubs
PROS
- Super affordable golf club
- Combats slice
- Maximizes energy transfer
- Expanded sweet spot
- Glare resistant finish
CONS
- The offset reduced my ability to shape shots
- Only available in 2 loft profiles
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Top Flite XL Ladies Complete Golf Club Set
est $ 349.99
Top Flite Ladies
Top Flite only crafts iron sets for juniors, with men and ladies settling for the convenience of a complete golf club set.
The Top Flite XL 12 women’s clubs earns our top pick for Top Flite ladies golf club complete sets and consists of a driver, fairway wood, hybrid, 4 irons, a wedge, and a putter with graphite shafts.
High handicap ladies will welcome the oversize club head design that provides an increased surface area to catch your ball. The larger club head sports a wider sweet spot, which I felt did well to preserve ball speed and lower spin on heel and toe mishits.
Next, the fairway wood and hybrid produced clean turf interaction and a flexible clubface to boost energy transfer at contact. The outcome was a towering launch from the rough and fairway to improve my carry distance on approach.
The golf club set is light on irons, with a 6-iron being the strongest option in the set, while there is only one wedge. I feel this is the weakest point of the set, as one wedge is insufficient to optimize your greenside play.
Finally, a forgiving, consistent mallet putter delivers a smooth and consistent roll on the dance floor, and a 6-way top stand bag houses your clubs. The lightweight stand bags are offered in mint, purple, and aqua to spruce up your appearance on the links.
⛳️ Related: Best Senior Ladies Golf Clubs
PROS
- Affordable complete golf club sets
- Forgiving golf clubs
- High-launching woods and irons
- Lightweight stand bag included with the Top Flite Golf Club Set
CONS
- The golf club set only carries one wedge
- Not suited to mid and low-handicap ladies
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Top Flite Gamer Wedge
est $ 59.99
Top Flite Wedge
The Gamer is our top wedge from Top Flite, owing to its clean turf interaction, ample spin revolutions, and classic appearance. I also found it relatively easy to open my clubface to get under the ball in the bunker and on flop shots.
Most importantly, Top Flite applied efficient CNC-milled grooves to the clubface to bolster my revolutions. The grooves caught the cover of my golf ball and kept it on the clubface for longer, imparting optimal spin and encouraging a hop and stop landing.
Continuing the trend of affordable golf clubs, the Gamer is among the best-priced wedges you can find. So economical are their products that you can actually pick up a set of 3 wedges for less than the price of a single legacy brand wedge.
The Gamer wedge does not offer multiple sole grind options, which I feel is better for beginners and high handicappers. However, the existing sole grind did well to prevent the club head from digging into the ground.
The Top Flite brand built the Gamer wedge in 3 loft profiles, covering your gap, sand, and lob wedge needs.
| Wedge | Loft | Bounce |
| Gap | 52° | 10° |
| Sand | 56° | 10° |
| Lob | 60° | 8° |
⛳️ Related: Top Golf Wedges
PROS
- Entry-level price tag
- Available in 3 loft profiles
- Generates ample spin
- Prompts clean turf interaction
- Classic blade design with steel shafts
CONS
- No alternative sole grinds
- I struggled with glare at address
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Top Flite Gamer Alignment Putter
est $ 69.99
Top Flite Putter
Our review of Top Flite golf clubs closes with the preferred flat stick offering from the brand. The Gamer Alignment putter won us over for its affordability, consistent roll, soft feel, and striking alignment aid.
In my experience, the mallet putter packed a significant quantity of MOI to improve the stability of the putter at contact. Plus, I noticed the face balance design and MOI combined to help me square the putter at impact and get my ball on the desired line.
I welcomed the feel of the Gamer putter on every strike, as it was pleasantly soft, owing to the urethane insert. It drowned vibrations on off-center hits to protect my palms and marginally lowered the audio for an exceptional experience.
In addition, I produced consistently clean, smooth rolling putts with minimal skid, thanks to its Face Insert micro-groove pattern. Finally, I managed with the double bend hosel, best suited to straight back and through strokes. However, my slightly arched stroked still managed to control the flat stick sufficiently.
Top Flite also makes a Gamer blade putter if that’s more suited to your putting technique.
⛳️ Related: Top Golf Putters to Improve Your Short Game
PROS
- Entry level price
- Mallet putter that softens each touch
- Generates a clean, smooth roll
- High MOI profile for greater forgiveness
- Bold single-line alignment aid.
CONS
- Not suited to golfers with heavily arched strokes
- The futuristic design may not appeal to traditionalists
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How Do Top Flite Clubs Compare Against Other Top Brands?
Top Flite clubs are incredibly affordable, easy-swinging, forgiving models built for beginners and high handicappers. They do not possess the quantity of game improvement technology found in equipment from premium brands. Nevertheless, Top Flite golf clubs are simple and effective.
It is not a brand that professionals or low handicappers will flock to given the superior levels of leniency in their clubs. In addition, it is typically sold through Dick’s Sporting Goods and its subsidiaries and not in the traditional channels used by legacy brands.
Why Are Top Flite Clubs Relatively Unheard Of?
The Top Flite brand is relatively unheard of by newer golfers because they are predominantly sold through Dick’s Sporting Goods and its subsidiaries like Global Golf. Top Flite does not sponsor any tour pros, and you will struggle to find their clubs on the shelves of your average golf retailer.
However, those of us old enough to remember will hold fond memories of a time when Top Flite was one of the major players in the golf equipment industry. The Top Flite brand in some markets is more well-known for its golf balls, golf gear, and golf bags.
Final Thoughts: Are Top Flite Golf Clubs Good?
At the outset of this review, I was determined to answer the question, are Top Flite golf clubs good, and I have my findings. Although there are more popular models from premium brands, I feel Top Flite golf clubs are good for high handicappers, beginner golfers, and weekend warriors.
However, you get what you pay for, and they carry a budget price tag for a reason. They are not the most durable golf clubs but serve a purpose for part-time players, beginners, and bargain hunters.
The bargain golf clubs are light, fast, forgiving, long, and accurate. A higher offset in the woods, hybrids, and irons helps players combat slices and produce straighter shots. Additionally, an enlarged sweet spot preserves ball speed and contains spin.
Although I enjoyed swinging every club listed above, my overall favorite was the Gamer Fairway Wood. It provided clean turf interaction, was easy to launch, and generated impressive carry distance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Top Flite a good golf brand?
When it comes down to answering the question, are top flight good golf clubs, the answer depends on what type of golfer you are. Top Flite is a good brand for low-cost, budget golf clubs best suited for beginner golfers or weekend warriors.
