Finding the right driver can be difficult. There are simply too many brands, technologies, and prices to choose from. In this article, we have constructed a list to help you find the best driver for you.
In this article, we have boiled down a list of the 7 best golf drivers for every type of golfer. After hours of thorough testing drivers, we have finally found the best driver for everyone from a beginner to a scratch golfer.
Our Top Picks
Best overall driver – TaylorMade Stealth 2
Editors Choice – Callaway Mavrik 22
Best for distance with forgiveness – Ping G425 Max
Best driver for slicers – King Radspeed Xtreme Draw
Longest draw biased driver – Ping G430 Max
Longest low-spin driver – Titleist TSR3
Best Value – TaylorMade M4
Best overall driver - TaylorMade Stealth 2
Pros:
Forgiving
Long
Great design
Cons:
None
The Taylormade Stealth 2’s newly engineered face builds on the outstanding ball speed and performance that the original 60X Carbon Twist Face optimizes the energy transfer at impact. The new construction features an advanced Inverted Cone Technology version that not only maintains ball speed on foul hits but also provides a more forgiving driver.
The stealth driver weighs in at 24 grams which are 2 grams less than the original stealth and is constructed with a new and extended COR area that provides the driver with a larger sweet spot and better performance across the entire club face. The carbon fiber composite ring also provides a uniform driver head that frees up additional weight for a lighter and more forgiving driver.
Equipped with a lightweight all-carbon head allows the engineers to place weight strategically to optimize forgiveness and launch angle. The Carbon Twist Face is coated with polyurethane which provides revolutionary nanotexture technology. The coating with nanotexture is used to fine-tune both the launch angle and backspin to maximize the total length regardless of your playing conditions. The main reason for maximum aerodynamics is still the Inertia Generator. The result of this is a very fast head shape that contributes to much higher swing speed in the downswing for golfers of all skill levels.
The TaylorMade Stealth 2 is now equipped with a 25-gram rear weight that provides incredibly high resistance to twisting and overall forgiveness. The stealth’s flexible Speed Pocket construction provides the driver with maximum ball speed and additional forgiving properties on thin hits.
Conclusion:
The TaylorMade Stealth 2 maybe is the perfect golf driver for the player that wants a great-looking driver that has the performance to back it up. The twist face technology makes it much easier to hit a longer and straighter golf ball, what more do you need to hear? Try it out for your self and you will also realize how good this driver actually is.
Editors Choice - Callaway Mavrik 22
Pros:
Forgiving
High club speed
Great sound
Cons:
No club wrench included
The Mavrik 22 compared to the previous Mavrik model has been fitted with a classic hitting surface with titanium alloy instead of FS2S titanium, the new hitting surface gives a slightly softer hitting feel and is marginally heavier.
Jailbreak technology remains with two rods that hold the crown together with the sole to make the driver more stable in the ball hit. The club head has an aerodynamic Cyclone shape that reduces air resistance when you swing and means you can swing the club faster and gain more distance.
The aerodynamic cyclone shape, on the 460cc head, provides less air resistance and thus higher club speed. Artificial intelligence has also helped design the sound through a sophisticated internal titanium rib that fine-tunes the sound to make it more comfortable.
Conclusion:
The Mavrik 22 resembles its previous model but it’s a lot better. Overall, it is a gentle driver that suits all types of golfers who want to increase their chances of hitting the fairways more often whilst also increasing ball speed, and who doesn’t want that, right?
Best for distance and forgiveness - Ping G425 Max
Pros:
Great looks
Great sound
Forgiving Driver
Cons:
Not the best for slicers
The Ping G425 Max driver combines the best technologies from both the G400 Max and G410 Plus while adding updated solutions.
At the back of the 460cc clubhead sits a 26-gram heavy removable tungsten weight that you can adjust. By reducing the area where you can shift the weight, the center of gravity is further back than in previous models, leading to increased forgiving properties. The CG weight can be set to one of three settings, neutral, draw, or fade, all to influence ball flight for maximum performance.
To provide increased swing and ball speed, the driver has proven technologies such as turbulators for optimal aerodynamics and the T9S + forged hitting surface for an increased trampoline effect.
Conclusion:
The Ping G425 Max driver has the latest and greatest technology that Ping has to offer. It gives you exactly what you want in this type of driver, great looks and a lot of forgiveness, increased swing and ball speed and you can’t forget the incredible sound it makes on impact. This driver suits the player who wants to find the fairway but at the same time seeks length whilst having slower swing speeds.
Best driver for slicers - King Radspeed Xtreme Draw
Pros:
Great for slicers
Forgiving
High club speed
Cons:
Not great for players that don’t have a problem with slice/draw
The Cobra Radspeed Xtreme Draw driver features an aerodynamic design that cuts through the air for increased swing speed. For the Radspeed series, Cobra has further separated the weights in the club head, which results in more ball speed and forgiving properties.
The Xtreme Draw model has the weight placed toward the heel to straighten out a fade or slice. It also facilitates hitting a draw. Through the precision-milled Infinity Face hitting surface, you get a high trampoline effect even with worse hits. This results in a more ball speed for long and consistent shots.
The T-Bar construction means that it has been possible to split the carbon fiber top into two parts that run from the crown to the sole to optimize weight placement and therefore give more swing speed. This construction provides increased resistance to twists in the ball hit, which makes the driver stable.
Cobra’s MyFly adapter on the driver shaft makes it possible to set the loft/lie in eight different positions.
Conclusion:
The Cobra Radspeed Xtreme Draw is a driver designed to cut through the air to increase your clubhead speed and ball speed. The Xtreme Draw driver is for the player who mainly has a slice miss off the tee and is looking for forgiveness without compromising length or ball speed. So if you are tired of having to get it out of the ruff on every long hole, try it out for yourself and see how much it really helps.
Longest draw-biased driver - Ping G430 Max
Pros:
Forgiving
Long
Adjustable weights
Cons:
Design isn’t for everybody
The Ping G430 Max is built to optimize ball flight and stroke length while maintaining its forgiving properties.
The G430 Max is equipped with a movable weight of 25 grams that can be set in three different positions to affect ball flight by +7 meters in Draw, Neutral, and Fade. Trajectory Tuning 2.0 is an aerodynamic lightweight hosel with eight different positions for the best possible precision and clubhead speed. The lightweight eight-position hosel gives you the ability to adjust the loft to + 1.5° and lie up to 3° to further fine-tune your ball flight.
The G430 is equipped with an optimized forged face in T9S+, A shallower face with variable thickness that is thinner to generate faster ball speed. This leads to Ping’s largest increase in length to date.
Conclusion:
The Ping G430 Max is equipped with the latest and greatest technology that Ping has to offer. Because of the movable weight on the club head, it gives you a great opportunity as a golfer to finetune the driver to your liking especially if you have a slight draw bias shot off the tee. All this while also helping you get the ball up in the air and increase the ball speed, this really is a great driver.
Longest low-spin driver - Titleist TSR3
Pros:
Reduced spin
Lower ball flight
Adjustable
Cons:
The shape of the clubhead isn’t for everybody
The Titleist TSR3 is made of space-grade titanium. That, together with a refined shape of the driver head, generates a high launch angle and a little spin on your shots. The hitting surface is AFT-built in several layers of variable thickness, which means you can get good speed when hitting both in the center and outside, the hitting surface is also equipped with a speed ring that makes the club both stable and hot.
The SureFit hosel allows the player to adjust the loft, lie angle, and whether the head should be closed or open. The TSR is the third generation of Titleist Speed drivers.
The Titleist TSR3 is aimed primarily at high-swing speed golfers who need a driver that generates less spin and a slightly lower ball flight than the TSR2 driver delivers. The Titleist driver has a moveable rear weight in a SureFit groove so you can fine-tune the center of gravity.
Conclusion:
The Titleist TSR3 is built on everything that made the predecessor TSi the most used driver on tour and it even packs even more performance into each head. This is the driver for skilled golfers with consistent ball hitting who are looking for a driver that provides good distance and a low spin count.
Best Value - TaylorMade M4
Pros:
Forgiving
Long
More ball speed
Cons:
Doesn’t include a wrench
The M4 features the revolutionary Twist Face technology in the driver head where the face corrects heel and toe hits focusing on the center of the fairway, resulting in straighter shots, more consistent length, and ball speed.
The Hammerhead groove in the sole provides higher ball speed over a larger portion of the hitting surface and removes unwanted spin. Geocoustic technology provides an explosive sound and allows for a larger and more forgiving hitting surface.
Conclusion:
The TaylorMade M4 although an older model still has the TaylorMade technology to stand a chance against the new kids on the block. With its forgivingness and length as its main qualities, the M4 is a great option for players looking for a driver that won’t break the bank.
Buying guide
11 things to think about before buying a new golf driver
Buying a new golf driver can be difficult for many reasons. That’s why in this buyer’s guide, we are going to help you to locate what you are looking for when buying the best golf driver for you and your desired outcome on the course. Keep these tips and tricks will help you when you are on the lookout for a new driver.
We are going to go through 11 of the most crucial points to find the best golf driver for you.
1. Budget
When looking at a driver or just golf clubs, in general, it is important to find something that suits both your player level and the size of your wallet. There is a wide range of how much a driver will cost. What you can keep in mind is that there are almost always bargains to be had if you can live with a model that is 1 or 2 years older. And we promise, even if there’s a red price tag on the clubs, they can still be really good.
2. Asses your ability
Do you have a typical miss? Does the ball always go in the same direction or are you one of the few who always hit the fairway? Do a mini analysis of your game from the tee and be honest with yourself. The better you know your own game, the greater the opportunities to help you.
3. Outcome
Many say they want to hit longer, straighter, or get more ball speed. But to do that, unfortunately, it also often requires you to spend time on training. However, a driver can be a great help along the way to, for example, remove an unwanted screw or create a feel – which in turn can very well lead to both length and precision. Think about whether there is something specific you want to achieve.
4. You do You
Many people need a lighter and kinder shaft than what they play today! Some people think that if you hit fade or slice, the driver shaft is too soft because your friends say you swing fast. It doesn’t have to be that way at all – and often it’s a swing technique issue. Golfers with lower handicaps sometimes play shafts that are actually wrong, but it is a bit more macho to demonstrate that you have Stiff or X-stiff. And sure, it can mean that some misses get a little better when you hit worse, but your pursuit of optimal length is sacrificed and you will quickly look around for a new driver. A good general tip is to drop the macho style and choose a softer shaft.
5. Ball flight
Manufacturers today have rules to adhere to the current properties and this makes it difficult to produce revolutionary innovations. Nevertheless, the latest models often go a few meters longer than the previous ones. This is because the flight of the ball is more optimized through height and spin. Therefore, the loft is incredibly important. Many golfers today say they hit too high and that the ball does not roll as far as their friends. Then the question is whether it is the carry we are looking for or the total length. What do you want your ballpark to look like and what will the end result be?
6. Feel or Looks
Everyone likes different things. An important part of finding the right driver is that you should enjoy looking at it. It gives you confidence before the shot and you probably dare to swing the club a little more freely and naturally. The feel is also subjective, but what feel do you want in a driver?
7. The shaft
This may be too advanced for some, who just want the shaft to feel “good”. But with the help of different properties, you can make some changes in both safety from the tee and feeling in the shot. Can you put into words what you are looking for? A feeling that the club swings easily or maybe that when you miss, the club does not turn in your hands. These are factors that play a role in the choice of the shaft.
8. Sound
What exactly is “feeling” in a driver? Often it is actually about the sound, which is the very confirmation of a hit. Here, many manufacturers differ considerably from one another. What do you want to hear? A duller sound, or a bit louder and with more bling?
9. Change
Some work hard to get better at golf. Others lose some capacity with age. There are lots of parameters that affect what type of driver you should have and the more honest you are with yourself, the better it will be. Maybe you’re working towards a specific goal with your trainer or your physique has changed since you bought your latest driver.
10. Challange you're favorite brand
Most people often have a favorite brand that they look for exclusively when it’s time to update the bag. But why really? As long as you are not a sponsored tour player, you can instead see it as an opportunity to pick and choose exactly what golf clubs you want. Our tip is to keep an open mind when choosing new irons. Different models perform differently for different players, trust what works for you and don’t focus so much on what is written on the clubs.
11. Used
If you want to get as much out of your golf driver as you possibly can without breaking the bank and can live with the fact that your driver has played a couple of rounds with somebody else. Then maybe buying used can be a great choice for you. By buying used you can get a lot more bang for your buck because you can buy the previous generation’s best driver for a fraction of its original price, and therefore get a lot more for your money.
Summary
Choosing the best golf driver can be very difficult, but does it really have to be? You just have to be true to yourself and to your needs and ask yourself questions like. What’s my budget? How often do I play? What do I want to get out of my driver? You can come a long way with some common sense. The only thing that really matters is how confident you actually feel when you are going to tee off on that par 5.
