Is Top Flite a Good Golf Brand? (Average Golfer Perspective)
When I first started playing the game of golf, I couldn’t tell the “good” brands from the “not-so-good” brands. I was pretty much happy using whatever was given to me.
But as I got more familiar and started investing in the sport more and more, I started looking for the best equipment they can afford. On that affordability scale came Top Flite. But is Top Flite a good golf brand?
Top Flite is not used by the cream of the crop on the PGA Tour, but provides some satisfactory gear at affordable prices for casual and learning golfers, but it’s one of the more common brands seen on the links, especially at public courses.
Most golfers who started at a young age played with Top Flite equipment and balls (including myself). So I wanted to get a closer view of what kind of brand Top Flite is today and if it is worth your money.
Let’s dive in.
Do any Pro Golfers use Top Flite?
There are no professional golf players who use Top Flite.
In the past, there have been a couple of professional golfers who have been sponsored by the brand and have worn its apparel, but they did not use Top Flite clubs or balls in professional matches.
This is not so much a condemnation of Top Flite, but rather a result of the company’s purpose.
Top Flite is an OK golf product that specifically creates clubs and balls for beginners, so equipment bearing the Top Flite logo is simply not what professional golfers are looking for. In other words, Top Flite isn’t used by pros, but it’s not really trying to compete at that level in the first place.
Is Top Flite made by Callaway Golf?
Some have in their minds that Top Flite equipment is made by Callaway. This misunderstanding is based on the reality that, for a decade beginning in 2003, Callaway owned Top Flite.
After the purchase, the Top-Flite brand continued to operate the same way it always had with Callaway’s infrastructure and backing.
That doesn’t remotely mean that, during that time period, Top Flite’s equipment was on par with Callaway’s. This wasn’t a Toyota/Lexus situation. In 2012, Callaway decided it no longer wanted the brand and sold it to Dick’s Sporting Goods.
This is another reason Top Flite gear is frequently seen accompanying new and learning golfers.
Dick’s has approximately 850 stores in the United States and has hooked up many a casual golfer with a set of golf clubs.
So, are Top Flite clubs good for a beginner golf player?
Top Flite clubs aren’t just worse versions of the clubs used by more experienced players.
These complete golf club sets have design features that cater to beginning golfers, such as bigger club faces and club heads and lower weight distribution. They are really good as junior golf clubs for the same reasons.
It’s a long shot to say that they give vast artificial advantages to learners, but they are created with some considerations that result in more consistent play.
They punish bad shots a little less and match the strength and durability of any set of clubs. More than anything, they set up golfers with a set of clubs for a great price, as they have always done.
A golf player doesn’t need to go out and get the nicest set of Titleists or Taylor Mades to improve performance develop their abilities.
As of the writing of this post, Dick’s Sporting Goods sells several variations of the Top Flite XL 13-piece set with a bag included for $299.99.
Additionally, a kids’ 9-piece set can be picked up for less than $200.
Golfers may determine after a year or two that they are ready to get more serious and move on from their Top Flites, but the discovery of the game and a decent resale value after a few dozen rounds makes the investment well worth it.
What products does Top-Flite Golf make?
Top Flite makes virtually all the gear a golfer needs to get started. In addition to clubs, Top Flite produces balls, bags, and gloves. In the past, they dabbled in golf apparel, such as hats and polo shirts, but they have pivoted to focusing solely on equipment.
In terms of golf balls, Top Flite has developed different types of balls to accentuate a particular desired result from golf shots.
Currently, their golf balls come in the flagship XL (extra long), as well as Hammer Distance and Control.
Top Flite golf balls can typically be purchased for close to or less than a buck a ball, while iconic brands in golf such as the Titleist Pro V1 are more in the realm of $4-$5 per ball.
How much does it matter what golf ball is used?
With so many options and different price points, how much does the type of golf ball used really matter? After all, making a club seems much more complicated than making a ball, so do the Top Flite balls keep up with those of more expensive brands?
The truth is that the type of golf ball used matters a lot. For one thing, Top Flite makes balls that are optimized for distance rather than spin. Amateur beginner golfers can crank a Top Flite XL ball a long way, but can’t put some of the finesse and technique on it that a nicer ball allows for.
Additionally, the most important thing when learning how to golf is consistency. Using a consistent ball will help a golfer get consistent results.
Mixing things up makes golf confusing. Just as has been suggested concerning clubs, Top Flite golf balls are good to learn with for beginning golfers – if used consistently.
However, golfers looking for more precision and more technical plays will want to invest in nicer golf balls with more precise quality control and optimal features.
For the Price, Not that Bad (Final Thought)
An older golfer I used to play with would always tell me, if you get good with crappy clubs, you will appreciate quality clubs more.
And that is certainly true. When I first got started, my swing was pretty trash, but due to finance concerns, I didn’t have an option. So I forced myself to get good with crappy clubs.
I am not saying I am some amazing golfer, but I much appreciate my Mizuno’s as a recreational golfer than I would have had I started with them from the beginning.
Top Flite clubs can be had at an affordable price, have good manufacturing quality, a large sweet spot, that garners impressive distances. What more can you ask for as a beginner player to the game of golf?
Top Flite clubs are an excellent choice if you are just dabbling and not wanting to sink over $1,000 on a decent set of irons, a driver, and a putter.
With that said, Amazon has some decent prices on Top Flite equipment and apparel (since the pros at least wear Top Flite) Check it out and let me know how they work out.
