Buying a new driver isn’t a panacea. It won’t eliminate all your golf swings flaws or cut your golf handicap. Only hard work will do that. But a new driver can help you hit the ball longer and straighter, setting you up for shorter approach shots. Hitting shorter approach shots means you’ll hit more greens regulation and shoot lower golf scores. So, if you’re looking to buy yourself a present this year, a new driver isn’t a bad choice.
But buying a new driver can be a challenge—especially if you’re new to the game. Ideally, you should go to an independent club fitter that can provide an exact fitting. If you prefer buying a driver off the shelf, find a golf equipment store with knowledgeable pro shop attendants. They can help you choose a driver that best fits both your budget and your golf swing.
Choice Depends on Golf Swing
What you buy depends on the type of golfer you are and your swing. If you’re a better golfer with a polished swing, you’ll probably want different features than improvers or beginners with less polished swings do. Below we take a brief look at the seven key variables you need to keep in mind when buying a new driver:
1. Head size — If you’re an improver or a beginner, consider drivers with clubhead sizes of 460 ccs—the largest available. These clubheads feature bigger, deeper faces, lower back sides, and higher moment of inertia (or resistance to twist). That makes them more forgiving. If you’re a better player, you can consider drivers with clubhead sizes of either 420 or 440 ccs. These clubheads feature less weight around the perimeter, making them better at maneuvering the ball in the air.
2. Head shape — Improvers and beginners should consider squared-headed drivers, even though they’re no longer in style These drivers have the weight back in the corners of their heads, which increase their moment of inertia for a squarer at impact. That means more fairways hit and lower scores. Better players can consider drivers with a more traditional head shapes.
3. Head color — Drivers with colored crowns can make a difference. A driver with either a white or a red crown provides a deeper contrast with the ground than a driver with a black crown. The contrast can help you ensure that the clubhead is square at address. That’s an advantage no matter what kind of player you are, but especially for beginners and improvers.
4. Loft — This variable is less a consideration now that we have adjustable clubheads. But better players can user clubheads with lower lofts, such as 9 and 10 degrees. These clubheads impart less backspin and more sidespin at impact for hitting draws and fades. Beginners and improvers should consider clubheads with higher lofts, such as 13 and 14 degrees. These clubheads impart more backspin and less sidespin at impact for straighter shots. Clubhead lofts range from 8 to 13 degrees.
5. Adjustability — Having a driver with a clubhead you can adjust is great. You can tailor the clubhead’s loft to fit a course and/or how you’re playing that day. But most golfers—including better players—almost never adjust the loft. So, think carefully before investing money in this feature. We don’t recommend adjustable drivers for beginners and improvers.
6. Shafts —Improvers and beginners should consider graphite shafts with more flexibility than graphite shafts with less flexibility. So, should senior players. Flexibility boosts swing speed. Better golfers should also consider buying drivers with graphite shafts, but they can think about drivers with steel shafts if they achieve swing speeds over 100. If you’re a better player with a swing speed under 100, stick with a graphite shaft with more flexibility.
7. Family Affair — Try to buy a driver with the same make and model of club as your 3-wood and 5-wood. Keeping everything in the same family ensures consistency of ballflight and accuracy of your long game—whether you’re hitting from the tee box or the fairway.
With so much noise out there, buying a new driver can get confusing. But keeping the golf tips we provided above in mind will make it easier.
The trick is buying a driver that fits your golf swing and your golf game. Having this type of driver will help you not only shoot lower scores but also reduce your golf handicap. It might even help you break 80.
