The Best Golf drivers for beginners [ Updated 2023]
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What are the best drivers in 2023 for beginners and high handicappers?
Are you tired of struggling with your drives as a beginner golfer? Look no further! Our expert reviews have narrowed down the best golf drivers for beginners.
From forgiving club faces to maximum distance technology, we’ve got you covered.
Get ready to elevate your game with these game-changing drivers.
As the driver is the club that the majority of beginner and high-handicap golfers struggle with the most, we’ve selected the best options that offer plenty of forgiveness.
The driver has the longest shaft, is swung the fastest, and should hit the ball further than any other golf club in your bag.
While no two golfers are alike, most newcomers struggle with slicing their driver and/or not getting enough launch angle to maximise distance.
🌐Check out the comprehensive Blog ⛳️Golf Equipment Buying Guide: Everything You Need To Know To Purchase
Playing at the professional level and then coaching to some extent has undoubtedly provided me with a more comprehensive view and understanding of how golf drivers work.
Believe me when I say that the best drivers for beginners and high handicappers, no matter how sparkly and shiny they are, will not completely eliminate your swing and/or distance issues.
High Handicappers: Golfers who have a handicap of 18 or higher are considered high handicappers and are less proficient than low handicappers. Heavy handicappers could have trouble with their shots' consistency, accuracy, and distance. They can, however, enhance their performance and reduce their handicap with coaching and practice.
I’m not trying to discourage you from purchasing a brand new driver; rather, a good golf driver, even if not all-problem-solving, one that is well-suited to your particular swing speed, makes the goal of improving your long-game performance much, much easier.
And now for some truly exceptional suggestions from golfers with a slow swing speed and/or a high handicap.
The Best Drivers for Beginners
When buying golf equipment for beginners, it’s important to consider their skill level, budget, and personal preferences.
A basic set should include a driver, fairway woods, irons, wedges, and a putter. Look for forgiving clubs with a game improvement design. Don’t overspend on equipment until they show improvement in their game.
- Callaway Golf 2021 Epic MAX Driver – The Overall Golf Driver for Beginners
- Callaway Big Bertha B21 Driver-The BEST Golf Driver FOR Beginners( Editor’s Pick)
- Cleveland Golf Launcher Turbo-The BEST Golf Driver FOR SENIOR BEGINNER Golfer
- TaylorMade SIM Max Draw Driver-The BEST Golf Driver FOR FIXING A SLICE
- Cobra Speedzone Driver-The BEST ADJUSTABLE Golf Driver for Beginner golfers.
- Pinemeadow Golf PGX Offset Driver-The BEST AFFORDABLE & Budget Friendly Golf Driver for Beginner Golfer
- Callaway Epic Flash Star Driver– The best premium Quality Golf Driver for Beginner
- Callaway Golf Epic Max Driver-The BEST Golf Driver FOR DISTANCE
- Callaway Big Bertha B21-the BEST Golf Driver FOR FORGIVENESS
What are the Best Golf drivers for beginners
Callaway Epix Max is the driver to buy if you want adjustability and performance across the clubface. Its progressive playability is ideal for beginners learning the ins and outs of the game of golf. Because of the addition of Artificial Intelligence, you know this Callaway driver (the most recent 2021 model) is designed for speed.
Key Features:
Engineered for speed, with an A.I.-designed Jailbreak SpeedFrame + Flash Face and a high MAX forgiveness for newcomers.
Callaway Big Bertha B21 Driver The tagline for Callaway's Big Bertha golf club, "DISTANCE - Any Way You Swing It," couldn't be more accurate. And it does what it claims to do: it's 10-15 yards further and also straighter.
Choosing a higher loft (12.5 degrees), as you should because of your high handicap, and the offset design (of the offset model, of course) can help you eliminate the frequent slices that are hurting your game.
The clubface is designed with AI to maximise ball speed, which also helps launch the ball higher with less spin. Because huge cuts must be strictly avoided, and a higher launch must be constantly obtained, for longer carry.
- Lighter and more forgiving than previously
- With a high launch and low spin, slicing and missing are no longer options.
- More accurate drives with a larger clubhead (draw-biased).
- limited feedback at impact
Callaway Golf 2020 Mavrik Max Driver The only reason a friend of mine decided to convert from the Callaway Big Bertha (reviewed above) to the Callaway Mavrik Max was because he had been using the Big Bertha for so long that he needed a new one.
Concerning Callaway As for the sweet spot being consistently easy to hit with this driver, Mavrik Max gave his unqualified assent. Also, you may change the driver's loft to make it a draw if that's what you like.
If you're just starting out and want to enhance your driving distance with every swing, the Mavrik Max from Callaway's Mavrik line is your best bet.
Because of the variable clubface thickness, which works to improve both distance and accuracy. You can now confidently take off-center shots without worry.
- A lighter clubface is better for speed and forgiveness.
- Ball velocity can also be increased with the use of jailbreak technology.
- The impact sound is deep and comforting (natural metallic)
- Inclusion of a wrench for loft adjustments
- Unsuitable for all swing styles
- Doesn’t completely eliminate slices
Cobra Golf 2021 Radspeed Draw Driver Radspeed is part of the Cobra brand, which is well-known for its highly customizable golf clubs. You can adjust the lie and loft angle of your Cobra Radspeed clubs to suit your slow swing speed.
When the centre of gravity (CG) of the driver is lowered, everything about the club, from ball speed and forgiveness to launch and ball flight, is altered, making it ideal for golfers with a high handicap or just starting out.
And what about the BIG misses that, despite your best efforts, you still manage to hit? Cobra has included a CNC-milled infinity clubface for those off-center or low-face strikes. This golf driver is so forgiving that you can hit it with almost the full face, so even your most off-center strokes will still land in the fairway.
- Because of where the bulk is concentrated, acceleration is guaranteed.
- Because of the increased milled/hitting surface, mis-hit drives are a thing of the past.
- Forgiveness is increased by using a thinner, lighter carbon crown.
- Strong defence against slicing combined with heavy draw weight.
- Very modern design – not quite easy to get used to beginners
After just one swing with the Cleveland Launcher Turbo, you'll know it's built to crush your every golf swing movement.
Straight down the fairway - that's the kind of driving performance you're likely to get with this ground-breaking Cleveland creation. Finally, 260 yards is not the most unrealistic goal to achieve!
The golf club's response and feel are also impressive, given how much easier they make it for you, a beginner and/or high handicapper, to hit the ball with significant success.
Key Features:
More speed and distance with the Turbocharged Cup Face, deep weighting, and counter-balanced shaft.
- Larger impact surface = more distance
- Launch performance can be improved by positioning the CG low.
- a hosel that is incredibly light and a shaft that is counterbalanced (enhanced forgiveness)
- An excessively loud and high-pitched sound upon impact
- The inability to alter the loft is disappointing.
Whatever You Need to Know About Drivers for Novices and Low-Handicappers
The purpose of a golf driver is to increase swing speed, which in turn increases ball carry distance and keeps shots on target even when struck off-centre.
With a driver, you’ll know you’ve made the right decision if the ball is effortlessly launched into the air and then rolled down the fairway. However, this is only the case when the sweet spot is increased, which is to say when the clubhead size is increased.
When it comes to LONG drives, I think it’s equally important to have a clubhead with minimal drag. In addition to a larger clubhead, a greater loft can assist you hit all these targets (more on clubhead size and loft below).
Forgiveness
True forgiveness emerges from long, precise driving. When selecting a forgiving golf driver, look for one that has a large sweet spot, minimal sidespin, and allows you to make solid contact with the ball.
Therefore, it is not too significant if the golf ball and the sweet spot of your golf club do not make contact (frequently produced mis-hits are indeed forgiven).
I’m going to explain forgiveness in simple terms to make sure you understand it. By doing so, I intend to convey a clearer picture of what it means when a driver forgives you.
The USGA’s maximum allowable clubhead size for a driver is 460cc.
The larger the golf club’s head, the larger the sweet spot, and the more room there is for the ball to land. The nett result is a greater effective range. If your swing speed is below average, you shouldn’t even consider a clubhead size smaller than 460cc.
Shaft
Even the club shaft is segmented into three pieces now…
To begin with, shaft flex
You can choose from Regular, Stiff, and Xtra Stiff shaft flexes, as well as Senior and Ladies variants.
The Regular is more malleable than the Stiff and Xtra Stiff, and the Senior is more malleable than the Regular.
Now, if you set the stiffness to “extremely firm,” your launch angle will be shortened and your shots will be deflected to the right.
That’s something that only seasoned golfers with a quick swing speed can flip around and use to their advantage. When you’re just getting started, or if you’re a high handicapper with a slower swing, Regular is the way to go.
You need to realise that the shaft MUST flex to its full capacity for a slow swing speed in order to achieve the desired results in terms of trajectory and distance.
The Shaft’s Composition
The same idea applies to the shaft material (greater flex for slower swing speed). When compared to heavier steel shafts, which are often only used by tour professionals, graphite ones make swinging the golf club considerably simpler.
Proportional Measurement of the Shaft
Now let’s talk about the shaft’s length: Is it wise to get a longer shaft simply because it provides more reach?
Yes, that’s the case, but the longer length also means you have less command. Another drawback is that a longer shaft makes it harder to strike the sweet spot.
It is recommended that men use a driver with a 45-inch shaft and that women use a shaft that is 44 inches in length.
Loft
More backspin and less sidespin result from a loft angle of 10.5 degrees or greater. This incredibly forgiving combination is what allows the golf ball to rise so quickly, making it easy to locate the fairway.
Conversely, a lower loft encourages sidespin and reduces backspin, which is undesirable for novices.
Other options include drivers with adjustable loft (often between 9 and 13 degrees), which also produce the desired results.
Value
Even if you go out and buy the BEST golf driver on the market, that is no guarantee that you have made the proper choice.
For the simple reason that the “best” golf driver is, in reality, a piece of high-end, premium equipment designed with experts in mind. Since you are a beginner and/or a high handicapper, there is no need in shelling out the extra cash for a club that you won’t be able to use effectively.
If you want to increase your chances of hitting fairways, it’s better to go for a driver that’s easy to hit.
MOI, CG, and Launch (all linked together!)
If you wish to learn even more about MOI than is presented here, I highly recommend doing so.
The clubhead will automatically twist more in response to a miss-hit. Thus, the accuracy and velocity of the ball suffer. The moment of inertia (MOI) increases when this clubhead is resistant to twisting.
Because of this, even swings that aren’t perfectly in the sweet spot might result in longer, more accurate drives.
However, what exactly is it that decides the MOI score? It’s the golf club’s CG, or centre of gravity (the spot where the club’s weight is most evenly distributed).
Mounted angular momentum (MOI) is maximised when the centre of gravity (CG) is placed towards the rear. By extension, a higher launch angle means a longer, more direct shot.
FAQs
Do I Need a Special Golf Driver if I’m Just Starting Out?
Finding the most lenient driver should be your top priority. As no other variety will make up for your sluggish swing pace, you’ll need this one. The driver with the most forgiveness is one that has a large clubhead, a flexible shaft, a high loft, a high backspin, and a low centre of gravity.
It’s important to know how many drivers you need.
According to USGA regulations, a golfer may only carry 14 clubs. Professional golfers typically bring two drivers to every tournament. If that’s the case, a single driver is all you need to get started. If this driver is also adjustable, then it will fulfil both functions with relative ease.
Is it necessary for me to get a new golf driver?
Most incidents of intimidation involve drivers. It’s notably more challenging to strike because of their increased length, which also increases the distance covered. To that end, a novice or high handicapper’s choice of a fairway wood or hybrid is very understandable.
However, newer drivers are considerably simpler to attack, even if you make mistakes yourself. That being said, a high-quality golf driver is essential if the club’s design puts you on edge (slow swing speed, high handicap, and other such common causes of mis-hits).
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