The driver provides the most distance of any golf club in the bag or, perhaps more accurately, potential distance. Between shanked drives that dribble along the ground or careen wildly off the fairway, some golfers choose to use their drivers sparingly, despite the potential of this club.
Best Golf Drivers Of 2022
If you cannot control your driver, hitting the ball off the tee can be a source of frustration. No one wants to hear the jeers of your opponents when you pull out a hybrid club or a long iron to use off the tee, sacrificing distance for accuracy.
Fortunately, golf club manufacturers have placed a lot of emphasis on adding new technologies to the driver, attempting to help all levels of golfers achieve more success off the tee. The driver is designed to give you the most distance of any club in your bag, as it has the longest shaft and the smallest angle of loft on the clubface.
Today’s drivers don’t look much like the small-sized, wooden head drivers from many decades ago that were commonly called 1-woods. In fact, the minimal loft of the driver’s clubface and the long length of the club shaft are about the only similarities between older drivers and today’s drivers.
Of late, driver makers have worked to minimize the effect of mis-hits. A right-handed golfer who strikes the ball with a slightly open clubface is likely to slice the shot, sending it far to the right of the target, for example. Off-center mis-hits rob you of distance as well.
We’ve rounded up the best drivers with the latest technology in a variety of price ranges to help you find the one that’s right for your golfing style.
Best Golf Drivers Of 2022
Here are “Best Golf Drivers Of 2022” you can buy:
- Best Golf Drivers Of 2022 – SIM2 Max Driver Taylormade
- PING G425 Driver (FEATURES) – Best Golf Drivers Of 2022
- Callaway Epic Flash/Epic Flash Sub Zero – Best Golf Drivers Of 2022
- Cobra King F9 Speedback – Best Golf Drivers Of 2022
- Mizuno ST190G / ST190 – Best Golf Drivers Of 2022
- Ping G410 Plus / G410 SFT – Best Golf Drivers Of 2022
- TaylorMade M5 / M6 – Best Golf Drivers Of 2022
- Best golf driver overall: Ping G400 Max.
- Best golf driver for fixing a slice: Callaway Rogue Draw.
- Best adjustable golf driver: Wilson C300.
- Best golf driver for swing forgiveness: Cobra King F8.
- Best affordable golf driver: TaylorMade RBZ Black.
- Titleist TS2 / TS3 – Best Golf Drivers Of 2022
SIM2 Max Driver Taylormade – Best Golf Drivers Of 2022
Price: 529.99$ | From: Amazon
Thru-Slot Speed Pocket. Our most flexible Speed Pocket design engineered to maximize ball speeds and produce additional forgiveness on low face strikes.
New Forged Ring Construction. Forged from a lightweight and high strength aluminum that is milled to an exacting shape, it unites a massive rear weight, a full carbon sole, crown and a new milled back cup face.
SIM Inertia Generator. The asymmetric Inertia Generator is designed to provide faster club head speed through advancedgeometry and aerodynamic analytics.
Speed Injected Twist Face. Improves ball speed by calibrating each head to the threshold of the legal speed limit with corrective face curvature also protecting against heel and toe mis-hits.
Split Mass Weighting. Designed to enhance forgiveness while allowing for pinpoint target swing weights during custom assembly.
TaylorMade Stealth Driver
Price: 579.99$ | From: Amazon
- The 60X Carbon Twist Face is encased by a polyurethane cover, featuring a revolutionary new nanotexture technology. The nanotexture cover is used to fine tune launch and spin to optimize total distance regardless of playing conditions.
- TaylorMade Stealth Driver – The weight savings of the 60x Carbon Twist Face has allowed more weight to be positioned low and deep in the head, this will add 15% more MOI compared to Stealth Plus+.
- TaylorMade Stealth Driver – The Inertia Generator remains the foundational source of refined aerodynamic properties. The result is a slippery-fast head shape that aids in swing speed generation on the downswing for golfers at every level.
- Our most flexible Speed Pocket design engineered to maximize ball speeds and produce additional forgiveness on low face strikes.
PING G425 Driver (FEATURES) – Best Golf Drivers Of 2022
The NEW PING G425 Max Driver elevates the moment of inertia (MOI) to PING’s highest level in history and provide golfers the most forgiving driver in golf. To achieve the new performance levels in the G425 Max (9º, 10.5º, 12º lofts), PING engineers combined key technologies from the G400 Max and G410 Plus. The resulting increase in MOI in the 460cc head comes mainly from a 26-gram tungsten movable weight, which is made possible by weight savings attributed to advancements in the driver’s dragonfly crown technology.
The weight can be positioned at distinctive settings over a smaller area than G410 Plus/LST to help shift the centre of gravity lower and farther back without sacrificing performance elsewhere in the design. The CG-shifting weight can be secured in one of three settings — neutral, draw or fade — to influence forgiveness and shot shape for maximum performance. The average MOI increase is 14% across the three weight positions compared to the G410 Plus, with three combinations of weight position and loft exceeding a combined MOI of 10,000 (gm-cm²).
Best Long Distance Driver: Cobra Men’s KING F6 Driver
Get the most distance out of your drives with Cobra’s KING F6. The dual position ‘front-to-back’ CG weight system allows you to dial in your ideal launch and spin conditions. Flip the 10-gram weight to the back of the club to drive higher and get more roll or leave it in the front for a flat, low-spin ball flight. Additionally, eight adjustable loft settings allow you to further manage trajectory for any swing. Completing the package is Cobra’s new, forged 8-1-1 Titanium E9 Face, a variable thickness structure that is light, thin and provides one of the largest sweet spots in the tee box.
The best driver overall – Best Golf Drivers Of 2022
The Ping G400 Max Driver has a large sweet spot that will keep your off-center strikes more on line.
When you’re looking for the latest technology in a golf driver, you’re usually looking for a Ping driver. Ping has been at the forefront of recent upgrades to drivers, leading the change from a forward center of gravity to a rear center of gravity.
Ping’s new designs have been popular enough that many other driver companies have followed its engineering changes. Ping’s latest driver, the G400 Max, makes use of the rear center of gravity design with just enough engineering tweaks to make this driver a tremendous performer. The sharp-looking Ping G400 will deliver amazing performance for many different levels of golfers.
Today’s Golfer says the G400 Max gives you just a bit more forgiveness in your ball strikes than the G400, which is important for players of any experience level. The Golf WRX review likes the slightly smaller head size of the G400 Max versus other drivers and versus previous Ping drivers, as the smaller size allows for slightly faster clubhead speed.
At the top of the Ping G400 Max’s clubface are small raised areas that help to reduce air friction and give you a little more club speed. Even an improvement as small as this can deliver enough of a bump in club speed to give you several more yards on your drive.
Golf a Lot says the G400 Max continues the tradition of high-quality drivers from Ping, giving you just enough improvement over its predecessors to make the G400 the new king of the hill.
The G400 isn’t cheap. So if you’re happy with your current driver, you may want to stick with it. But if you’re unhappy with your current driver — and honestly, who isn’t a lot of the time? — the Ping G400 Max is an amazing piece of golf technology.
Pros: Delivers the length you want from the driver with a more forgiving face for mishits, includes all of the latest technological updates, comes from a well-respected driver manufacturer
Cons: Drivers are expensive and this is no exception, not hugely different from last Ping driver model
Callaway Epic Flash/Epic Flash Sub Zero – Best Golf Drivers Of 2022
Verdict
With the original jailbreak technology plus an AI designed face generating thousands of virtual prototypes resulted in increased ball speed across the meat of the face. The stable head accommodates off-center hits without major loss of direction and distance.
Pros:
- Flash Face Technology for low spin and high MOI
- Jailbreak Technology for faster ball speeds and therefore distance
- Highly forgiving
- Adjustable Perimeter Weighting allows for control and versatility
Cons:
- Some find the crown design distracting
- The sound is not to all golfers liking
New Flash Face technology is as a result of AI technology being put to use to design the new face of the drivers.
The AI simulated in excess of 15000 iterations to set the correct thickness across the face and remain within the trampoline effect parameters as set out by the USGA.
The new technology allowed the thickness reduction from 5/1000 to 2/1000 inch by forging the inside then milling the front pushing the boundaries of legal limits.
The results of the improvements have been proven and the majority of players have seen speed gains of up to 10 MPH while still conforming to regulations.
The increase in ball speed necessitates a stronger face. Epic Flash Face is tempered for strength before being welded onto the head to create the 595C Super Aged Forged Titanium clubhead.
The club retains the original jailbreak technology from the Epic range into the new Flash Face design. The Epic Flash model will suit more players than the Sub Zero.
The Epic Flash Sub Zero driver is more suitable for better players wanting to shape the ball flight than the Epic Flash.
The classic Callaway curved line is set back from the leading edge and the club sits well at address. The head-on the Sub Zero version has a slightly deeper head giving it the impression that it is more forgiving.
The Flash Face is a series of thick and thin swirls that give it the appearance likened to an ear. The Epic Flash is neither round and compact nor stretched and triangular.
The boldness of the head cover design has to be applauded. The crown has thin green and gold stripes on a backdrop of black carbon fiber. At address, you can see the ball framed by two lines of white dots to assist in alignment.
The look is improved by the laser-etched lines together with the five larger rectangles around the sweet spot at the end of the lines. The Callaway Epic Flash Sub Zero driver comes in a smaller more compact head as the standard model without losing any of the features.
The sound of the ball meeting the Flash Face sounds explosive without hurting the more sensitive ears. It will intimidate those playing partners that have a lesser ego though.
It’s in the middle of the sound spectrum between a hollow sound and wooden-bat-solid. The volume and pitch are neither too high nor too low. The sound is explosive without hurting the more sensitive ears.
Generally, there is great audible and sensory feedback through the hands that will speed up the adjustment process when playing with the new driver.
Shafts come standard with a Golf Pride Align grip helping alignment through a raised ridge on the back to help with hand alignment.
Best Pro-Level Driver: TaylorMade Men’s M1 460cc Driver
The M in TaylorMade’s latest driver stands for multi-material, and the company says their proprietary seven-layer carbon composite allows recreational golfers to benefit from the same tech pros get out of professional fitting. That composite makes the crown of the club thin, light and ultra-strong. TaylorMade loads the weight to the sole, lowering the center of gravity for a more efficient power transfer. Translation: M1 adds ball speed to your drivers. The club allows for 25 grams of multi-directional adjustability, so you can dial launch conditions in to fit your swing. The M1 adds the new T-Track System: Up front one 15-gram weight can control draw and fade and in back one 10-gram weight adjusts for high, medium or low launch.
Cobra King F9 Speedback
Verdict
The Cobra is the driver to beat in 2020 is the best value for money driver as it is the least expensive, not cheap, 2020 premium driver.
Through the balance of colors and visuals to appeal to a bigger market than before.
Pros:
- Aerodynamic head
- Low deep CG
- Good speed and distance
- CNC milling allows for consistency across the face
Good adjustability options
Cons:
- Some golfers do not appreciate the feedback and muted sound produced
- Graphics are distracting to some
Cobra’s King F9 Speedback Driver aero package was inspired by supercars that Cobra dubbed “aeroficiency”. The ground-breaking combination of low CG and an aerodynamic head is the first of its kind resulting in more distance from faster clubhead speed and reduces spin.
Aerodynamic enhancements and enhanced rigidity of the carbon crown is achieved through the strategically placed “PWR Ridges maximizing speed and distance.
A reduction in drag is achieved through the use of lightweight polymer crown trips and titanium sole trips positioned relative to the direction of airflow.
The more triangular shape compared to other drivers on the market helps to slide the club through the air. The high placement of weight high on the clubhead causes a loss in distance due to increased spin.
By raising the perimeter skirt and rounding the leading edges to increase speed and stability through drag reduction, Cobra created what they call an “Aeroficient” driver.
The main color on the 2019 range is a yellow and black color scheme with a secondary option called Avalanche color of snow which is not quite pure white.
The sound and feel of the King F9 driver was also a little better too and combined with a good selection of quality shafts you get a club that feels very poised and stable.
Increased ball speed is achieved through the aerodynamic crown and restyled sole.
The best driver for fixing a slice
The Callaway Rogue Draw driver is very effective at reducing the penalty from a slice.
If you’ve never sliced a golf shot … well, you’ve probably never played golf. Few things are as frustrating in the game. Sure, you hate leaving that 4-footer for birdie short, but at least you made two or three great shots to put yourself in that position.
The sliced drive almost always means you’re in huge trouble off the tee, and you’re in for a long, frustrating hole. Callaway’s Rogue Draw driver is good at minimizing the negative effects of a slice.
A slice occurs when the face of the driver doesn’t strike the ball squarely. Instead, the heel of the club face is ahead of the toe, leaving the club “open” and causing the ball to leave the driver’s face with a side spin. For a right-handed golfer, this spin causes the ball to travel violently from left to right as it goes down the fairway, almost certainly leaving you in the rough, trees, or water hazard.
GolfTec says that Callaway increased the moment of inertia (MOI) across a wider section of the driver’s face, giving it a more forgiving ball strike. If you strike the ball off-center with the Rogue Draw, you won’t be penalized as severely as you would be with a less forgiving club face.
The Rogue Draw contains a greater amount of weight in the heel of the club versus the toe, which should slow down the heel and help you square the ball better, according to Golf Magazine.
Today’s Golfer says that although you won’t be able to see the slice-battling technology in the Rogue Draw, the results are clear. Its tests show that you’ll receive seven yards of draw bias versus last year’s Callaway Epic driver, which could mean the difference between being in the rough and being on the edge of the fairway.
The Callaway Rogue Draw driver does exactly what it promises, according to a buyer named Mr. M, making it easier to stay in the fairway off the tee.
There is also a women’s version of the Callaway Rogue Draw driver available for $400.
Pros: Uses extra weight in the heel to encourage a ball strike that’s more square, larger sweet spot on the club face to reduce penalty from mis-hits, looks just like a non-draw-biased driver
Cons: Extremely expensive, won’t fix severe slice problems as well as changing your swing
Mizuno ST190G / ST190
Pros:
- Fast Track Technology for an easy launch
- Quick Switch Adaptor for effortless adjustability
- Good speed and distance
Cons:
- Some find alignment challenging
The most noticeable change from the 2018 model is that the blue color is replaced by black to achieve wider acceptance in a market that is returning to the conservative side.
The polished weave pattern on the crown provides a confident feel. The less pronounced sole utilizing Wave Technology has fewer ridges resulting in a stiffened sole and improved ball speed. Here is a markable improvement in feel from its predecessor and the ST190 with a reduction in the pitch off the face compared to the ST180.
Mizuno’s use of Harmonic Impact Technology results in a fine-tuned solid sound at impact. The improved adjustability with the Fast Track increases the workability of the club allowing for control of spin and direction.
The ST190 is a simpler, weight-back driver with the ST190G being super adjustable with two sliding weight tracks allowing for fine-tuning of spin and shaping shots.
The ST190 retains the distance of its predecessor but creating too much spin. The ST190 Cortech Face is 10% than the rest of the head while retaining the same Forged SP700 titanium for the rest of the head.
Mizuno offers 26 shafts without an upcharge.
The ST190 is a competitive driver in the current premium driver market with the company returning to a dark look rather than the limited appeal of the blue drivers of the previous model. The ST 190 is a competitive driver but by no means a class leader.
Best Bang-For-Your-Buck Driver: Adams Golf Men’s Blue Driver
Want to maximize distance for your hard-earned buck? Right now you can pick up the Adams Golf Blue Driver for less than a Benjamin. You won’t find any adjustable weights, and it doesn’t have an adjustable hosel. But for budget golfers, Blue brings Adams Golf pedigree, an all-titanium head, and a sweet spot the size of a grapefruit. Trying to fix a slice or fade in your swing? This baby is draw biased, meaning the center of gravity is shifted toward the heel to keep the launch angle low and the ball on a draw flight path. Meanwhile, a new Velocity Slot on the sole of the club helps duffers maintain ball speed on miss-hits. Need even more ball speed? Adams adds a 55 gram Aldila Slimtech graphite shaft that is .03 inches narrower than standard shafts for more speed in the air and pow at impact.
Ping G410 Plus / G410 SFT
Pros:
- Great fade correcting
- Good aerodynamics
- Pleasing sound and feel
Cons:
- Some find the driver spins too much
- The Turbulators do not appeal to all golfers
- Face toe screw is distracting for some
Ping is not the golf business rushing into equipment changes that have no benefit to the player. The G410 Plus is the first time that Ping has added movable weights to their drivers.
Ping’s new G410 SFT (Straight Flight Technology) Driver is their most fade correcting driver yet built with a draw bias
Maximized clubhead speed is achieved through a lighter swing weight but allows additional to achieve a square face at impact
The Ping G410 range has a slightly lighter color than the preceding G400 range, which is only really noticeable when placing the clubs alongside each other.
The long white grooved lines on the face (Turbulators) is meant to assist with alignment when addressing the ball.
The aerodynamically shaped crown has more-efficient Turbulator Technology creating less drag during the downswing creating improved clubhead speed and distance. The patented heat-treatment process used by Ping to create the precision forged face creates a thinner and hotter impact are resulting in maximum flexing.
An awesome sound and feel are achieved through the process of forging and the head’s internal geometry. By adding movable weights for the first time, Ping has produces its most workable driver to date.
This fist moveable weight product from Ping is highly recommended for people that are fighting a fade bias and that want to move to a more draw-biased club. It is recommended that the draw bias be set on the G410 Plus.
The best adjustable driver
For golfers who struggle to repeat their swing from round to round, having an adjustable driver like the Wilson Staff C300 can help them dial in the proper club head path based on the way they’re playing that day.
Having an adjustable driver may seem odd to golf purists, but golf clubs that allow you to make slight adjustments to the various parts of the club while you’re on the course are becoming more popular. One of the most interesting adjustable drivers is the Wilson Staff C300 driver.
To start, you can adjust the loft and face angle of the C300 driver by using a twistable cylinder at the hosel of the club (just above the club head). You can change the loft in six different positions between minus-1 and plus-2 degrees with this cylinder.
Additionally, the C300 gives you adjustable weights in the club head. By changing the position of these weights, you can give this Wilson driver a draw bias, a fade bias, or a neutral bias for the ball flight. A draw bias causes the ball to spin slightly to the left, a fade bias spins the ball to the right, and the neutral bias reduces side spin.
You won’t be able to fix significant swing problems by adjusting the position of the weights in the club head, but you will receive slightly different ball paths with changes in the location of these weights.
As Golf Magazine mentions, another interesting design feature is what the manufacturer calls Power Holes, which are filled with urethane and provide a greater flex for the club face at impact, which increases the size of the sweet spot.
The C300 driver has a great looking shape and a rich red color on the top of the club. The C300’s matte finish reduces sun glare, too.
Golfers who have a high swing speed rate will receive the greatest benefit from the Staff C300 driver, according to Golfalot. However, high handicap players with slow swing speeds probably won’t receive much distance benefit from this driver, making it tough to justify its high price point.
Because of the low spin rate this club delivers off the face, golfers will receive extra forgiveness for off-center ball strikes, according to The Hackers Paradise.
With a heavier swing weight than some other Wilson drivers, one buyer named DJ179 says controlling the Staff C300 is an easier process.
Pros: Highly adjustable driver for changing the club face’s loft and weight positioning, red matte finish on the top of the driver reduces glare, slow spin rate delivers forgiveness for off-center ball strikes
Cons: High price point, high handicap players who have slow swing speeds won’t generate extra distance
Best Forgiving Driver: Callaway Big Bertha Fusion Driver
Looking for forgiveness on miss-hits? If you’re not getting that center strike with every swing, think about adding Callaway’s Big Bertha Fusion Driver to the bag, so that you can stay on the fairway. The key is Callaway’s new triaxial carbon in the crown and sole. This strong, lightweight composite shaves weight where you don’t need it, allowing engineers to add weight to the back and perimeter of the club for maximum forgiveness. Completing the package, Callaway’s Speed Step crown technology improves aerodynamics for less drag and higher club head speeds.
Titleist TS2 / TS3
The TS range is a major improvement on the 917 range with increased feel and performance. With TS range, Titleist is back in contention regarding distance whilst continuing to have consistency.
Pros:
- Low drag
- High clubhead speeds and good distance
- Highly forgiving
Cons:
- Some find less control with the longer shaft
The TS2 allows for a straighter higher-launching fairway finder. The TS3 is more for traditionalists that prefer to optimize performance and shape shots.
The weight chamber at the back of the sole allows for an increase or decrease of the head’s weight. This, in turn, assists in choosing the shaft as a result of the changes in MOI and swing weight.
To assist in the effectiveness of the thinner features the Titleist designers streamlined head shape of the TS2 and TS3 drivers by raising the top of the club just behind the leading edge.
This reduced drag by 20% and assisted in achieving swing faster clubhead speeds. An improvement in aerodynamics was furthermore achieved by a steeper chamber between the face and the top of the crown,
The titanium crown is 20% thinner than the 917 drivers and in the process shaved 20% or 1mm of the crown. In terms of the face where 6g was cut of the weight which is a tremendous amount in terms of clubhead weight.
The face is now .35 mm thinner resulting in Titleist’s thinnest ever face. This was achieved through the implementation of Titleist’s Radial VFT (variable face thickness) concept which reduces the weight of the head and with the Speed Chassis system at the heart of unlocking speed.
Titleist drivers have improved 12% in forgiveness over previous drivers as a result of the changes.
This steeper camber from the face to the top of the crown and then a sharper drop off behind that is effectively what improves the aerodynamics. It holds the air closer to the head for longer in the same way these air tripping devices like SpeedSteps and Turbulators do and is just another way of achieving a similar result.
The Speed Chassis lowered and deepened CG more than any previous Titleist drivers. New lighter and longer stock shaft add to the increase in speed gains.
Mitsubishi Chemical Kuro Kage Black Dual Core 50: Lightweight, high launch and spin shaft. Straight Flight Weighting (SFW) reduces fade flight.
Mitsubishi Chemical Tensei AV (Aluminium Vapor) Blue 55: Lightweight, mid-launch/spin shaft that also features SFW technology. The AV stands for, which is a coated weave by the hands that’s tighter, denser, and thinner for control.
Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 60: Low/mid-launch and spin shaft with a higher balance point to optimize the swing weight. An 80-gram shaft is also available at no upcharge.
Project X Even Flow T1100 White 65: Heavy with low launch/spin. An 85-gram shaft is also available at no upcharge.
Runner-Up, Best Forgiving Driver: Callaway Rogue Driver
An improvement on Callaway’s Epic driver, the Rogue includes some new technological advancements that make this their most forgiving driver yet. For starters, the Rogue has a deep head shape with a wider surface area on the face, creating significantly more room for error on off-center hits. The whole thing is made from a triaxial carbon composite that makes the club extremely light and strong, allowing for carefully-engineered weight distribution around the perimeter of the head. This means higher MOI and better stability so you can swing with confidence and preserve the direction of the hit. And speaking of engineering, Callaway has a well-known collaborative history with Boeing that’s especially evident in the Rogue’s design. Some tweaks to the geometry of the leading edge – combined with Callaway’s existing Jailbreak Technology – create incredible head speed. The end result: faster swings and straighter shots, two huge boons to your driving.
The best affordable driver
If you’re looking to save a few bucks, it’s best to go for a more traditional driver like TaylorMade’s RBZ Black.
New-fangled clubs have a lot of components. Built cheaply, they’re just more things to have fall apart, so we recommend you go with something simple by a brand that’s been around for a while if you’re on a budget.
Yes, shelling out upwards of $400 or $500 for a driver can be a painful endeavor. A lot of us forego the driver altogether, perhaps in part because of the cost. If you’re working on transitioning from a three-wood or three-iron, but not quite ready to drop serious scratch on one, you could do far worse — and spend far more — than TaylorMade’s RBZ Black driver. Read more on the finer points of clubs to use at the tee over at The Sandtrap’s forum on the subject.
The RBZ might not have all the finishings of TaylorMade’s pricier clubs, but it does have the stock shaft and the same craftsmanship behind it, and if you’re slicing every other drive off into the woods with this club, you’ll have no one (or thing) to blame but yourself. Sorry, but that’s golf, and this club 460cc clubhead is more than sufficient for tackling even the most doggedly doglegged par five this earth has to offer.
Golf Influence praises TaylorMade’s RBZ Black for being less than half the price of the brand’s other drivers as well as the simplicity of its design and lightweight titanium head.
Nearly 100 Amazon reviews round out to an impressive 4.6/5-star rating, and many of which are lengthy odes to the accuracy and performance of this piece for the price.
Available with all the basic orientations, flex levels, and configurations, this is a simple but sleek stick worth having, either for backup or a first driver.
Pros: Calloway craftsmanship, price
Cons: Slightly heavier than pricier clubs (but still titanium), no fancy bells or whistles (but who needs those anyhow?)
Best Adjustable Driver: Callaway Men’s Big Bertha Alpha 815 Driver
Phil “Lefty” Mickelson has defined the left-handed swing on the PGA Tour for more than two decades, so why not swing with the tech he puts in his bag? Lefty was involved in the design of the Callaway’s Big Bertha Alpha 815, and it’s one of the most adjustable drivers on the market. Callaway has bottomed out the center of gravity in the club, so adjust the Gravity Core weight all the way down to reduce spin or raise it for increased air time and more spin. The club also features a fully adjustable hosel, so you can optimize launch conditions – increase loft by two degrees to get it up fast or dial it down a full one degree when you need to keep it low. With all that weight moved lower, the face is light as ever, leading to higher ball speeds at impact.
The best driver for swing forgiveness
A new design on the face of the Cobra King F8 driver helps mid and high handicap players keep the ball in the fairway more often and forgive mis-hits better than other models.
A redesigned clubface versus previous versions of Cobra King drivers gives the F8 a more forgiving contact point, which will help mid and high handicap golfers keep their drives in the fairway more often.
Cobra’s designers have spent a lot of time designing the clubface on the F8, creating a titanium face that’s 10% lighter than in past versions. According to Golfalot, this helps less experienced golfers generate more swing speed.
One buyer named Jim R says the King F8 provides him with 20-25 yards of distance improvement over his previous driver.
The precise milling and design of the titanium face insert also deliver a slight curvature, which ensures the Cobra driver maintains better exit speed on mis-hits, as well as a better launch trajectory, according to Golf Digest. This helps the mid-to-high handicap golfer gain better distance on mis-hits.
And the milling pattern on the face of the Cobra King F8 looks great, too, which makes this driver enjoyable to carry in the bag and use.
However, as Golf Monthly points out, this pattern on the clubface could be distracting for some players. Additionally, it says the improvements in the F8 versus previous versions will come in better accuracy, rather than in better distance, which some players won’t like.
You can also get a women’s version of the Cobra King F8 driver for $200.
Pros: Thinner and lighter clubface helps the golfer generate more club speed, slight curve to the face of the club delivers more forgiveness for mis-hits, emphasizes accuracy over distance improvements
Cons: High price point, pattern on the milled clubface may be distracting for some golfers
TaylorMade M5 / M6
The M6 is an all-round offering that is one of the easiest drivers to hit currently on the market. The combination of soft looks, stable head, great sound, speed, and forgiveness will suit the majority of mid to high handicap golfers.
Pros:
- Highly forgiving
- Intuitive adjustability
- Impressive ball speeds and distance
Cons:
- Relatively expensive
- No major improvements on earlier versions
TaylorMade introduces new technology named ‘speed injected twist-face’ in the new M6 driver pushing the boundaries at the edge of the Coefficient of restitution (COR) yet staying within the legal limits of speed regulations.
The technological improvements despite, the player still experiences more forgiveness than in previous models.
More ball speed is generated as by a larger sweet spot resulting from the screws in the clubface.
The M6 player would likely:
- Require maximum forgiveness
- Have limited to no need for adjustability
- Be able to work the ball
- Not be overly concerned with spin
TaylorMade M6 Specs:
- 460CC head
- Length: 45.75 inches
- Loft: 9, 10.5, 12 degree
- D3 swing weight
- Adjustable Loft Sleeve
The M6 has a sleeker aerodynamic shape than the M4 before it. The crown consists of a 6 layer carbon fiber sole allowing for weight to be applied elsewhere to improve stability.
With the weight savings, engineers were able to create a sleek, aerodynamic shape inclusive of the new ‘inertia generator.’ The inertia generator houses the additional discretionary weight extremely low and back for maximum forgiveness while lowering the CG compared to previous models.
The M6 has a lower and deeper weight in the sole thanks to a carbon sole. The M5 has a moveable inverted T-track on the sole allowing for a 20 gram movable to be installed. The matte black traditional shaped crown inspires confidence and assists with the easy of alignment.
The sound off the face is more muted than the M4 with a stronger feel through the ball.
There are four key features to the design of Speed Injected Twist Face that allow TaylorMade to maximize ball speed;
- Ultra-thin Titanium face with redesigned Inverted Cone Technology (ICT)
- Reengineered, more-flexible Hammerhead 2.0 slot
- Internal support foam with variable amounts of injected resin
- A proprietary algorithm to tune each head, which is inspected, measured and then tuned for maximum speed and to ensure conformity.
Best Game Improvement Driver: Cobra Men’s Fly Z Driver
There’s a whole segment of the golf club market dubbed “Game Improvement,” but very few clubs will lower your score. Enter the Cobra Fly Z Driver, which moves weight backwards to drive your ball farther. The center of gravity in this innovative driver is lower and farther back than any club out there. The results, per the company, is their longest driver to date. Best of all, you don’t have to be a robot to add distance with the Fly Z Driver, because the low, deep center of gravity forgives off-center hits, and an all-new Forged E9 Zone Face makes for a sweet spot the size of a grapefruit.
What to Look for in a Golf Driver
ADJUSTABLE COMPONENTS OR STANDARD
Unlike traditional clubs, adjustable clubs let you dial down the weight to reduce spin or increase it for more air time—and along with it—more spin. Some clubs go a step further by letting golfers adjust the hosel, too. Figure out what fits your style of play the best.
MATERIAL
What the club is made out of can really affect your game. Lightweight composites and alloys are replacing heavier traditional materials to help improve golfers’ games. So pay attention to what your choice of club is made out of and decide how the weight might affect your play.
FORGIVENESS
When you’re on the course, there’s likely going to be a bad shot or two (it’s the nature of the game, after all). Modern clubs do wonders for forgiveness, meaning they help minimize the results of a bad shot—but, of course, whether you want that help is up to you.
What to look for in a driver
There are a few key features you will want to consider when looking to buy a driver. The most important features for you will depend on how you play. As Golf Digest says, the number of ways to personalize your driver to match your game has never been greater.
Club head size.
Manufacturers measure the size of the driver in the volume of the club head. Golf’s rules limit a club head to 460 cubic centimeters (cc). These clubs give golfers a large sweet spot, minimizing the effect of mis-hits and providing maximum distance.
Club head weight.
Most modern drivers range between 265 and 310 grams in weight of the club head, according to Dick’s Sporting Goods. A lighter driver allows you to generate a higher club head speed, which results in better distance. Stronger players can use a heavier driver without losing club head speed, generating even more distance.
Shaft length.
The maximum length of a driver allowed in golf’s rules is 48 inches. However, most companies will stick with a shaft length between 43 and 46 inches. Shorter shafts are a bit easier to control, but you do have to sacrifice some distance versus a longer shaft.
Club loft. The loft of the driver is the measurement of the angle of the club face when it’s sitting on the ground. A driver with a loft of fewer than 10 degrees will result in lower shots, while greater than 10 degrees of loft gives you a higher arcing shot. Most drivers range from 8 to 12 degrees in loft, according to Ship Sticks. As a general rule, more experienced players can control low loft drivers well, while inexperienced players need a higher loft club to have more success at the expense of some distance.
Center of gravity.
The center of gravity in the driver is the point at which the driver’s weight is balanced. Drivers with a center of gravity toward the back of the club will generate a little more loft with a higher backspin rate, which merges the best benefits of distance and accuracy for the average player.
Adjustability.
Many new drivers allow you to adjust the loft and center of gravity of the club while you’re on the course. You’ll use a twistable collar near the club head to slightly adjust the loft angle of the club face. Some club heads have removable weight slugs that you can move to different positions in the club, changing the center of gravity.
Final Thoughts On Choosing a New Driver in 2020
The reason there are so many drivers is that there is no “one size fits all”. We all have different priorities and needs. A good driver that works well with your swing style and speed is an essential piece of equipment. While all clubs are important, there is a good reason people invest more time, effort and money in their drivers and driving skills. Getting it right is important.
We have presented some of the best golf drivers and there is something for everyone. Consider your needs, your strengths, and weaknesses and select the best one for your game.
The Callaway Epic Flash/Epic Flash Sub Zero stands out as our top pick for the best golf driver for this year. The technology and design of this driver give it forgiveness and distance. It is a pleasure to drive and will help many golfers perform better off the tee.
Source: google.com
