Callaway Strata Women’s Golf Set Review

My wife wanted to start golfing so I decided to get her the Strata complete set that came with most of what she’d need. It’s one of the most popular sets out there and I didn’t want to spend a fortune in case she didn’t like it.

Golf can be an expensive game. In my opinion, the average player (especially beginners) won’t benefit from buying top-of-the-line gear. Buying a budget-friendly complete set is probably the way to go.

She’s used the Strata clubs for well over a year now and has also hit some more expensive clubs. I’ll get into the differences she noticed, key things to know, and if it’s something I’d even recommend.


In This Review

Product Details | Intro | Looks & Feel | Performance | Bottom Line | Alternatives


Callaway Strata Golf Set Product Details

Clubs: Loft (Length)Driver: 10.5 (44″)
Wood: 18 (41.50″)
Hybrid: 26 (37.25″)
7 Iron: 32 (36″)
9 Iron: 40 (35″)
SW: 54 (34″)
Putter: 3 (34″)
Shaft FlexLadies
ShaftGraphite
HeadcoversYes
BagYes (Carry)
*Specs for 11 piece set (7 clubs, 3 headcovers, 1 bag). Other sets have more or less clubs.

The Intro

If you’re brand new to golf, getting a complete set is probably the way to go (if you know you’ll continue playing). Rather than piecing everything together and trying to figure out which clubs to buy, that’s all done with a single purchase.

You might be able to build a used set for cheaper, but they’ll probably be older clubs that might have been well-used. When you buy a complete set, you can get something pretty decent for a reasonable price.

The 11 piece set comes with everything you need to get started. What I like is that you get both a hybrid and fairway wood. This way you can try them both to see if you prefer one over the other.

The good thing about the Strata set is that it’s made by Callaway. They’re one of the most popular golf companies so the clubs should be pretty solid.

The Looks & Feel

If you compare these clubs to something expensive you’ll tell right away that they don’t look as premium. Considering the price, that’s expected and is the case for pretty much all complete sets.

The driver, wood, and hybrid are all standard sizes. I’d say they’re slightly heavier than most premium ladies clubs. My wife actually prefers this.

The clubs are a bit closed at address (draw bias). All this means is that it’ll be easier to close the face of the club at impact and should stop you from hitting a slice.

The irons and wedges are cavity backs, which improves forgiveness. This is what a beginner or high handicap golfer should be using.

The putter is pretty much as basic as it comes. It’s just a traditional blade putter with no face insert/texture. I’d say it’s the worst part of the set.

The Performance

It’s important to keep in mind that these clubs probably won’t perform as well as a premium set. At the start, it doesn’t really matter what clubs you use because you’ll make inconsistent contact with the ball.

As you start getting better, you want to make sure the clubs perform well enough. They should feel comfortable to hold and swing and give you some pretty solid results.

My wife has the Strata set and a friend of ours has a $3000 set of XXIO clubs that we were comparing. Overall, the XXIO set did perform better but it was nowhere close to being worth the cost, especially for a beginner.

The main differences we noticed between them were that the XXIO set was lighter and the shaft was whippier. In most cases, this is good for slower swing speeds.

As for the results, the differences weren’t that noticeable for her. They might be for a low to mid handicap, but not at this point. The XXIO was a bit longer on average. Both were similar in terms of forgiveness.

I’d say that’s a pretty big win for the Strata set.

That said, there were 2 things we didn’t like about the Strata set. The good news is that it can be easily fixed (and is something I’d probably recommend).

The first con is the wedge (sand wedge). It performed really well for full shots but not so much with chipping around the green and in bunkers.

Since the wedge is pretty chunky, it makes it tough to get under the ball and have it pop up. It often bounced off the ground or sand and resulted in topped shots.

To solve this, I’d recommend getting a traditional wedge to add to the bag. Use the Strata sand wedge for full shots and then the new one for chipping.

The second con is the putter. It’s not as big of a deal as the wedge but it is probably worth upgrading in the future. The face of the putter is just a solid piece of metal, which is very firm. The ball tends to come off the face hot, which impacts distance control.

The Bottom Line

After using the Strata set for well over a year, I can confidently say it’s a solid place to start. If you’re a beginner golfer or someone who’s on a tight budget, it’s a good set to look at.

From what I’ve seen, it’s the best set under $400 (at the time of writing this).

If you’re just a casual golfer, the set comes with everything you need. If you’re a bit more serious, you might want to add a better wedge and putter.

If you have any questions or want to share your experience with the Strata set, be sure to leave a comment below.

Where To Buy

Check the current price on Amazon

The Alternative

Even though the Strata set is a solid option, it’s not going to be for everyone. Maybe you’re a bit better and are ready for an upgrade. Maybe you know you’ll be playing a lot, have the money, and want something you can grow into.

One option that might be worth checking out is the complete set from Stix Golf. They’re a newer company that makes some good stuff for a reasonable price.

I don’t have experience with the full set but I use their wedges and putter myself and really like them. If you just want to buy a set that comes with everything you need, it could be the way to go.

You can learn more about the Stix set and get a 10% discount HERE.


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Jon is the main product tester at Out Of Bounds Golf and has been in the golf world for 10+ years. He has personally tested over 100 products, from balls to clubs to bags. He started this website for the average player, to help make the game a little easier to understand.

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