The driver is one of the most important parts of the golfer’s bag.
There is no game of golf possible without it. But ironically enough, the first hit in golf (teeing or driving off the tee) is one of the most difficult to master.
If you are a beginner yourself, then you must have had problems with achieving the wanted distance or keeping the ball flight straight.
No doubt that your skills need improving but choosing the best driver for beginners is equally as important.
In This Article
In this article, we are going to focus on the main considerations you might have as a beginner to improve your drive and have your ball flying straight off the tee.
We will start with a buyer’s guide where we look at the best drivers on the market for beginners. Then, we will consider the main factors in making your decision about the best golf set for you, including some other pieces of equipment which can up your game.
Our aim of this buyer’s guide is to help you fight gravity and send your drives further and straighter than ever before!
Looking for the best driver for beginners? Check our top 9 Rankings!
1. TaylorMade 2017 M2 Men’s Driver 460cc
This club is designed to enable club face expansion for added forgiveness & externalized sound rib. It is perfect for beginners / high handicappers that want more forgiveness & massive distance.
Deeper, more active speed pocket that is3x more active than the original to increase flexion & forgiveness across the clubface & generate high launch / low spin shots. This will help Beginner golfers achieve massive distance.
A 460cc clubhead& a lightweight aluminum loft sleeve that allows Beginner players to adjust loft by +/- 2 degrees to achieve their preferred ball flight.
A CG placement that is even lower & deeper than it was in the original M2, which help Beginners creates high launch, low spin, & enhanced stability at impact.
This golf club also includes a head cover.
Overall, this is an excellent driver for beginner golfers. It is a very forgiving driver, and allows golfers to generate a great launch speed and launch angle.
2. TaylorMade Men’s R15 460 Black Driver
BEST FOR: BEGINNERS WHO TEND TO SLICE
Designed with new Front Track system. This driver performs like a Speed Pocket & has new sliding split weights that help Beginners provide unmatched fine tuning.
The center of Gravity (CG) is lower & more forward which will help Beginners promote higher launch & lower spin.
New sliding split weights: heel for draw, toe for fade, split that helpsbeginner golfers to get maximum stability.
This driver has the new Fujikura Speeder 57 Evolution shaft, and theLamkinUTx grip.
This driver also includes a head cover.
3. TaylorMade Men’s RBZ Black Driver
Beginner golfers will get incredible performance (optimize launch & trajectory, maximum distance & smooth feel, improve alignment) with the TaylorMade RBZ Black driver .
The 460cc Titanium head with an adjustable loft sleeve will help beginners optimize launch & trajectory.
Premium matrix White tie 55 shaft will help beginner golfers get maximum distance &provides a smooth feel.
Speed pocket performance for high launch & low spin willhelp beginners get more distance.
This golf club Includes a head cover.
Overall, the design of this club is excellent for beginners. This will fit right into your golf club set to give you the full arsenal to improve your skills.
4. Cobra Men’s KING F6 Driver
BEST FOR: MAXIMIZE DISTANCE THROUGH DIALING
This driver is designed as the most forgiving adjustable driver with CG tuning. This club is best for beginner golfers/ high handicappers that want to maximize distance through dialing in theirideal launch & spin conditions.
Eight easily adjustable loft settings to manage trajectory & fine tune launch conditions that help Beginners maximize distance on any course & for any swing.
The KING F6 also offers 2 distinct CG settings that impact spin:
- The front setting that helps beginner golfers in getting a lower ball flight with more roll.
- The back setting that helps beginners in achieving a higher ball flight with more carry.
This golf club also includes a head cover.
Overall, another great beginner club if you are looking for something that is adjustable with dialing technology.
5. TaylorMade M4 Draw Type Driver
BEST FOR: Beginners who need draw bias to eliminate a slice off the tee
Designed with draw bias to create a new generation of straight distance and extreme forgiveness. This driver is best for beginner golfers who need draw bias to eliminate a slice off the tee.
Twist Face Technology introduces a new curvature that reduces side spin by altering the loft in areas of common mis-hits to help beginners find the fairway.
Draw-biased design moves 41 grams of weight toward the heel and alters the two-tone crown to enhance a beginner golfer’s ability to avoid hitting right off the tee.
The flexible center slot increases ball speed on low shots and lowers unwanted spin.
This driver also includes a headcover.
Overall, this driver has many features aimed specifically at eliminating slice. Driving the ball straight is one of the biggest challenges of most beginner golfers, and this driver is ideal in helping them to tackle this issue head on.
6. TaylorMade Men’s M1 460cc Driver
BEST FOR: INCREDIBLE DISTANCE
Designed for incredible distance & feel with customization options that allow beginner golfers to set up their drivers with the same precision that Tour players would seek in a driver.
Lightweight crown which allows additional weight to be utilized on the bottom of the club to help beginners achieve preferred trajectory & ball flight.
Lofts: 8.5º, 9.5º, 10.5 º, 12º.
3 stock shafts: -High Launch (Fujikura Pro 60) -Mid Launch (Mitsubishi KuraKageTini Silver 60) -Low Launch (Aldila Rogue Silver 70)
Head cover also included.
Overall, this is a great driver if you are looking for several options which allow for great distance. If you are a beginner who wants to see the ball flying off the tee, then this driver would make a great choice.
7. TaylorMade Men’s AeroBurner 2016 Driver
BEST FOR: FASTER CLUB SPEED
The TaylorMade Men’s AeroBurnerDriver is designed for faster club speed. The club increases the size of the sweet spot and the flex helps beginner golfers in achieving maximum distance.
Raised center crown keeps airflow attached longer and reduces drag. This is great in getting a nice, smooth swing.
Available lofts: 9.5A, 10.5A, HL (15A)
Includes a headcover.
8. Callaway Men’s X2 Hot Driver
BEST FOR: MORE BALL SPEED
Callaway Men’s X2 Hot is a brilliant driver for beginners that want MORE BALL SPEED on shots hit on the center of the face and on off-center shots as well.
With the Hyper Speed Face feature, as the name suggests, it will add to the speed of the ball and the overall distance of your hits.
The new advanced adjustable hosel technology will allow fine adjustments of the loft angle,making it ultra-versatile for every swing angle and power.
Extra light graphite shaft lets you retain control even with the variation of the highest loft.
A variation with incredible 13.5 degrees of loft to send those balls flying in a perfectly straight trajectory.
This model has internal club weights that can help with starter mistakes such as hooks or slices.
Compared to the last year’s model, the shaft is upgraded, the face is thinner, and the forgivenessis improved. This means your swings will be improved with X2 Hot Driver
9. Callaway Men’s Big Bertha Alpha 815 Driver
BEST FOR: POWER & BALANCE
With this club, your swing will get improved significantly, making it a perfect driver for a beginner. The Big Bertha driver is a popular choice among many golfers, and for good reason.
Its price might be a bit high if you’re starting out as a golf player, but the quality and the specter of possibilities that it brings, alongside the power and balance, is remarkable.
The R*MOTO technology features sequences of inner struts that connect the face to the crown and sole, which provides better stiffness in the clubhead face while achieving a thinner structure.
Performance Lightweight Premium Shaft made from particular graphite achieves lightness and sturdiness at the same time.
Optifit Technology has the option of placing the club head in eight different lofts and lie angles.
Big Bertha Alpha 815 Driver is the latest from this popular series of clubs from Callaway. This model continues the famous line of products and goes one step beyond.
The Big Bertha is one of the most popular drivers on the market. Although it is popular among more experienced golfers, its wealth of features will also make it more than acceptable for beginners.
If you are a senior and want to find more about senior golf clubs , please check best golf clubs for senior , & best driver for senior.
What to keep in mind when purchasing a driver?
In recent years we were all witnesses to an unprecedented influence that the technology is having on golf. Every day manufacturers are inventing new ways to improve the game for both professionals and beginners. The technology has changed clubs drastically in everything from driver to putter.
There are indeed certain factors that remain the same, and those are the things you need to keep in mind when buying a driver. We have narrowed it down to three essentials: Shaft material, size and shape of the club head and the loft.
By being familiar with each of these elements of a driver, you will understand how each effects a driver’s performance. Then, you can take these factors and compare them to your own needs when it comes to a driver. The key is picking the driver that best matches your skill set, and improves the areas that you are most set on improving.
Shaft Material
As you might imagine, the shaft is a very important component in a driver. It can determine many things about your swing – including swing speed, power, moment of inertia, level of control, and more. Let’s take a look at some different types of shafts to see which would be most appropriate for beginner golfers.
VIa: amazon.com
Via: amazon.com
Steel Shafts
Steel can be considered a basic material when it comes to shafts. Generally speaking, they are more resistant and tougher than other materials and are often less expensive.
Steel shafts are predominantly used for control and accuracy rather than distance so they should not be the first option for drivers especially when it comes to beginners.
If you would like to make the same distance as, per say, with a graphite shaft, you would need to generate a much higher velocity swing.
Therefore, depending on what you are looking for, this is probably not the best option for beginners.
Graphite Shafts
Graphite is simply put the best option for novices in golf since its light weight and allows you to bring more power to your swing, therefore increasing the distance.
Graphite has also proven to be very popular with lady golfers and seniors, weighing between 50-85 grams only.
Professionals are also using graphite shafts because the material itself allows a variety of flexes and their ability can make up for lack of control.
On the downside, graphite shafts require a lot more looking after than steel and tend to be more expensive. So if you are willing to make the investment, this might be the best choice for improving your golf game.
Nanofuse Shafts
The latest word of technology when it comes to shaft material, nanofuse shafts are actually a combination of the previous two materials.
By fusing metal and carbon fibers, you can get the best of both worlds.
It is said that this material has durability and precision of steel but lightness of a graphite shaft.
However, nanofuse shafts are yet to be globally tested, especially with the professional community.
Their price is expected to be the highest, but we are yet to see if it will prove itself on the golf course.
Size and shape of the club head
Size
via adrielmichaud.com
Club head size (measured in cubic centimeters – cc) is a major factor, namely for new and average players. USGA legal limit is 460cc, so most of the drivers that you can find in stores have the volume between 440 and 460cc.
The larger the size of the club head, the easier it gets to achieve a decent, straight hit.
The greater area of impact increases the power of your shot thus increasing the distance.
Moreover, large club heads are more “forgiving” of the angle and don’t involve as much twisting.
Smaller heads are mainly reserved for players that have a solid, secure swing, so that they don’t have to worry about power.
It is, in fact, the smaller heads that allow them to have more control and extended air time of the ball.
Shape
via golfdriver.com
The USGA has a set of rules and regulations for the shape of a driver’s head, but certain aspects have made room for variations.
There are four distinct types of driver’s heads: round head, pear head, extended back head and the square head.
To keep things simple, the main difference is the bulge on the surface that is not hitting the ball so you will find a difference in control rather than power.
However, the bulge that is actually hitting the ball is crucial and manufacturers have made slight differences in their club heads.
Too much bulge and you will get more spin, and the ball might sway off the target, the same way too little of a bulge will decrease power as the ball won’t be getting enough momentum.
Loft
The loft is perhaps the most important thing for drivers. It is the angle of the club head face and has a significant impact on the course and distance of the golf ball.
Drivers have the lowest loft by design, while the wedges have the highest loft. As you can imagine, higher angles of loft generate a higher trajectory for the ball.
For a driver, the angle is between 7 and 12 degrees.
The one-digit loft on a driver does give you precision and handling but requires a substantial amount of swing speed to cover distances.
Professionals generate 115 mph in their swing, while the average male player can only generate 85 mph.
If you are a beginner, that number could even go lower, so it is very recommendable to use a driver with more loft. This will help to increase your power.
Therefore, it comes as no surprise that novice players have a tendency of using their 3-wood off the tee to acquire enough distance in their hit.
The reason why professional golfers don’t use higher lofted drivers is actually because of their swing.
With having such power in their swing, they would get too much backspin and less distance with 12 degrees of loft driver.
Your best bet as a beginner would be to assume that your swing velocity is somewhere around 75 mph. Therefore, getting as much loft as you can on your driver would come as highly recommendable.
Golf swing training aids for improving a beginner’s swing to get better results
Swinging a golf club properly is essential to improving your score. Having the proper tools and the right mentality when approaching your shot will make your experience with the game more successful and enjoyable.
Here are the best swing training aids for improving your score.
SKLZ Gold Flex – Golf Training Aid for Strength and Tempo Training
The SKLZ Gold Flex Trainer is a great tool to perfect your swing so you can get the score you want. This trainer is excellent for players who want to improve swing tempo, strength, and flexibility.
Use it when warming up before a game and get a low-impact stretch for easier mobility.
This tool is very easy to use. Simply ‘swing’ the gold flex back and forth continually without stopping at the impact position.
The extra flex in the shaft helps lengthen your swing, giving you more power and better control.
Accessories to help beginner golfers get better result
While you’re using the best driver for beginners / high handicappers to get the best result, it’s a great idea to use extra accessories to get even better scores.
PUMA Men’s Ignite Pwradapt Leather Golf Shoe
Designed to offer sophisticated style & help beginner golfers feel crazy comfort with a premium leather upper combined with a mesh hybrid bootie lining for excellent fit.
Ultra-premium, full-grain leather upper provides soft feel. These shoes help golfers feel confident on the green.
Ultra-thin TPU frame encases the EVA midsole for lightweight strength and durability, increased flexibility and superior traction.
This shoe is 2 Year Waterproof.
TaylorMade Golf 2017 TM Stand Golf Bag 5.0
The TaylorMade 5.0 stand bag is designed to provide ample storage for all your golfing needs. It helps beginner golfers feel comfortable when carrying around their clubs.
The automatic, anti-slit stand system with non-slip foot pads provide convenience and security.
This golf bag is extremely light, and has a comfort shoulder strap system.
Conclusion
We hope you have enjoyed our buyer’s guide for the best golf drivers for beginners. As you can see, there are many factors which determine what will make a great driver for beginners. Take the time to evaluate what it is you want out of a golf club, and then try to match this with our choices above.
We are confident you will make a choice that will have you driving the ball better than ever before.
Good article, can you explain on some drivers the club adjustment is marked R and L