I used starter clubs until level 90. I was at Master tier for about 20 levels by then.
At level 90, I bought the Taylormade set. Within a couple of weeks, I was promoted to Tour Master. Within a month-and-a-half, I was promoted to Legend.
Clubs matter. Balls matter a little too. Overall, equipment matters. Equipment makes you hit further and makes the balls stop faster on the green. Equipment reduces your meter speed.
Also, some players set up Country Club tourneys from the closest tees to lower their scoring average.
But skill matters a lot too. Plenty of people with the equipment I have are at much lower tiers. Once you have decent equipment, it's almost all about skill.
A lot of the top tier players write down the exact yardages and other statistics so that they can calculate every single shot. For example, an Excel spreadsheet.
So my suggestions: upgrade your equipment first. Then see what you can do to improve your skill.