Stix Play Golf Club Review: The Ultimate Beginners Set?

This Stix Play review was updated in April 2024 to add a video comparing the Play and Perform Series.

Over the last year, I’ve raved about Stix Clubs.

In fact, I think they represent such a good value for the high to mid-handicap golfer that this is the set I recommend any friends buy when getting into golf.

I’ve know about half a dozen people in Portland personally who have bought them this year, and all have had a great experience.

But in November 2023, Stix took things a step further with the release of their Play Series clubs.

They basically sat down and said “what do we need to do in order to create the absolute perfect “first set” of golf clubs for new golfers?”

And the brand new Play Series is the answer.

First Impressions of the Stix Play Clubs

 

The Play Set comes with 10 clubs:

• Driver
• 3 Wood
• 4 Hybrid
• 6-PW
• 56 degree sand wedge 
• Putter

The reality is brand new golfers don’t need 14 clubs. 

When I golf with my wife she uses maybe 5 clubs on any given round (and that’s being generous).

So while the Stix Perform series is also good for beginners, you’re paying more for extra clubs you realistically aren’t going to need (or use).

The Play set also comes with 4 headcovers, a stand bag, and costs $699.

This is such a killer deal.

For their standard Perform Clubs, if you want a full set and the bag, the retail price is $1199, so getting in for $500 less than that? It’s absolutely perfect for the newer golfer who may not even be sure if they’ll want to take up golfing long-term.

Stix Play Performance and Materials

One thing I think is so cool about these clubs is that they’re a marriage of all the tech and learnings that they’ve developed in the last 5 years of making golf clubs.

Stix recently added the option for Steel shafts in their Perform line of clubs. 

The Play Stix set is a combo of graphite long clubs and steel irons.

The graphite driver and woods are going to provide forgiveness and make hitting those longer clubs easier for the new golfer, while steel irons will help with a consistent swing and keep the cost of the clubs down.

Unlike the standard Stix Clubs which are fully blacked out with black shafts and clubheads, the Play series is chrome across the board for the irons.

I actually really like this.

For as cool as the all-black looks, they do stand out.

You can expect to get some questions from strangers about them when you’re on the course.

If I’m a brand new golfer, I’m not trying to call attention to myself.

So the fact the Play clubs are a little more inconspicuous I think is a very good thing. 

While the putter that comes in the play set has a more narrow grip than the Perform series, the putter head is the same (just a different color).

This is good news, because the Stix putter is one of the highlights of the set, and is comparable to putters costing significantly more.

Should You Buy a Stix Play or Stix Perform Set of Clubs?

I’ve now had the chance to hit the Stix Play clubs, and I’ve gotta say – I was legitimately surprised by how much good they are.

Although, I don’t know why I was surprised. I was surprised by how good the original Stix Perform were, so there shouldn’t have been a doubt that these would be quality as well.

I’ve found them to have less of a draw bias than the Perform series, which I think is likely due to the difference of steel vs graphite.

While mishits with the Play series clubs didn’t always feel great, they flew both further and straighter than I’d expect.

And when you do hit shots well, they feel really good.

They don’t have a hollow feeling like other super-game-improvement clubs. What this means is that even if you’re just starting out and have never golfed, these will be clubs you can grow into.

They’re versatile enough that they’re forgiving for the brand new golfer, but also perform well enough to not get in your way as you get better.

So which ones should you buy?

If you’re brand new to golf, just starting out, and aren’t totally sure if it’s going to stick? Get the Play series.

Seriously, you’re probably only going to use the same 4 or 5 clubs most of the time, so there’s no need to get a full set of 14 clubs. 

Since Stix also sells clubs ala-carte, if you decide you need say a 5 wood, or a 5 iron down the road, you can easily add to your set.

If you’ve already started playing and are looking for your first set of “real clubs,” then it’s worth going for their traditional Perform series.

You’ll be able to customize them a bit more, and truly have a set that’s ready to take you into single digits.

If you’ve been playing for a little while and you’ve got a tendency to slice the ball heavily?

I’d consider the Perform series with graphite shafts.

I’ve never used golf clubs that do such a good job of compensating for my slice than those.

To the point that whenever I play with them, I have to take a few holes to adjust, because my slice legitimately turns into a draw – it’s wild ha.

The Steel Perform clubs still definitely have a draw bias, but I haven’t found the effect to be quite as pronounced. The same goes for the steel Play series as well.

Final Thoughts on the Stix Play Golf Clubs

Overall, I think this is a really exciting addition to the Stix lineup. They performed far better than any other super-beginner friendly clubs I’ve tried. 

Because of this, if you’re dipping your toes into golf for the first time, this is the set I recommend you get.

Oh, and to make this an even better deal, you if you use the Stix discount code “BE50” you’ll save $50 off the Play set, which brings the price down to $649. 

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The Stix Play set is everything the brand new golfer needs to be setup for success.

9.3 Buy em

I've continually been impressed by Stix, and their new 11-club Play series are no different. They're forgiving enough for the brand new golfer, but perform well enough that you can grow into them and not have to buy new clubs as soon as you're able to make solid contact.

The Good

1. Performance is on par with their more expensive
2. Build quality is as good as any of the major brands
3. They're quite simply, just cool looking golf clubs.

The Bad

1. While an improvement over the original Stix headcovers, these newer ones are still not great.
2. Only come in steel shafts and can't adjust sizing
3. Despite the good quality, $699 will still feel expensive for some people

• Presentation 10
• Performance 9
• Price 9
• Personal Affinity 9