- Bryson Bujak
- March 16, 2023
- No Comments
Nobody wants to start off every hole trekking through the rough or searching in the woods for your golf ball. It makes your life miserable whenever you’re out on the golf course.
Hitting the ball into the fairway off the tee box always boosts your confidence and enables you to be aggressive in your approach shots.
This is why a reliable and forgiving driver is necessary, especially if you’re a beginner golfer or high handicapper. Everyone has their mishits, but a quality golf driver will help make these shots less severe and save you some money on lost golf balls.
If you’re a high handicap golfer looking for a driver that will provide forgiveness off the tee, this blog has just what you’re in search of.
Table of Contents
What are key qualities of a driver?
Poor shots are often a result of attempting to overcompensate in your swing. This is why it is important to find a driver that offers you the components you need to swing comfortably and confidently.
Some key features you should look for as a high handicapper are:
1. High launch angle
A high launch angle helps you get the ball off the tee and fly through the air. This allows you to trust the club and relieves the stress of trying to do so yourself, so using a 12 degree driver will offer you the best ball flight. Finding yourself a high launching driver is the first step in the process for looking for a
2. Low spin
It’s a great feeling getting so much spin on a wedge that the golf ball checks back towards the hole, but it’s a not-so-great feeling when your driver gets so much spin it goes high and wide of the fairway. A golf driver that produces low spin means it reduces the chance of a ball slicing and hooking in the wrong direction and increases your distance.
3. Regular shaft stiffness
Tour pros have incredibly fast swing speeds, which is why they use stiff shafts. Beginners and high handicappers have much slower swing speeds, which means their golf clubs should have regular shaft flex.
A shaft that is too stiff will result in mishits and set back your progression rather than help it. Thankfully just about every golf club designed has a regular shaft flex option, so this shouldn’t hold you back from picking out the driver that’s best for you.
4. High MOI
A driver with a higher MOI is ideal because this provides forgiveness on mishits. This means that if you miss the sweet spot or have the club face opened or closed, the club head won’t twist as much and it’ll produce a “better” mishit.
Top Drivers for Beginners and High Handicap Golfers
PING G430 Max
Loft: 9, 10.5, 12
Adjustable Hosel: Yes
The PING G425 Max driver offered supreme forgiveness and distance, and the new G430 Max driver does just the same. This will undoubtedly be one of the best drivers for beginners and high handicappers in 2023.
To begin, PING designed a new T9S+ forged face, which generates great ball speed. They utilized variable face thickness to create a shallower and more flexible face, which makes this a very forgiving driver.
The face of the G430 Max driver also has a decreasing loft system towards the sole of the club, which regulates spin to produce maximum distance. The PING G430 also has increased aesthetics with new clubhead technology that provides great feel and sound.
Another great feature of this PING driver is the adjustable weights on the back of the club. You can rotate a 25g tungsten weight across three different section on the back of the clubhead, helping you find your preferred ball flight.
This is also great for high handicap golfers because if you have a slice or hook, you can adjust the weight to counter you’re usually ball flight. This will provide even more forgiveness, something everyone’s golf game can use.
Overall, the PING G430 Max driver is competing as the best driver for high handicappers and beginners, especially those with a slower swing speed. This club will greatly help increase your swing speed and clubhead speed, helping you find more distance with forgiveness for straighter shots.
TaylorMade Stealth 2 HD
Lofts: 9, 10.5, 12
Adjustable Hosel: Yes
When TaylorMade released the Stealth driver back in 2022, it revolutionized the way drivers were created. They put a carbon face on their drivers, something which has never been done before.
Well, it seems to be working great as the Stealth 2 HD driver has even more carbon. One of the biggest benefits of a carbon clubface is the reduced weight. Not only does it make the club lighter and grant faster speeds, it also allows for repositioning of some weight on the clubhead to optimize your stats.
The Stealth 2 HD driver has a lower CG, which provides stability throughout the swing as well as more forgiveness. This club is great for beginners and high handicappers especially due to the draw bias.
Some of the best drivers for beginners or high handicap golfers will have a draw bias, which provides maximum forgiveness on slices. Slicing with a golf club is the most common issue, so being able to eliminate this shot will produce better results.
This is typically achieved through the use of more weight near the heel of the club, essentially pulling the club towards you on the down swing.
Because of the flight bias, I would not consider this club the most forgiving driver, but it is definitely competing for best golf driver for slices.
Cleveland LAUNCHER XL
Lofts: 9, 10.5, 12
Adjustable Hosel: Yes
The Cleveland LAUNCHER XL driver is a driver that doesn’t come to mind for most people, but this doesn’t mean it can’t keep up with the most well known drivers on the market.
It has an adjustable hosel, a useful feature for most golfers that allows them to change the flight bias and loft. Despite the volume of the club head remaining at 460cc, it appears oversized, and this also gives a massive sweet spot on the face.
Cleveland also prides themself on making this design their highest MOI driver to date. As we know, the higher the MOI, the more forgiving the club is. This also makes it a valid choice as a driver for beginners along with high handicap golfers.
The Launcher XL golf driver also incorporates a large sum of weight that is set lower and deeper in the driver head, which results in a higher launch, allowing you to watch your golf balls soar through the sky.
Two unique features of this club are the double flex zones and Action Mass CB. Incorporating a second flex zone into the club results in a high ball speed on every shot, and this leads to wonderful distance.
The clever use of 8g of weight at the top of the grip is a key feature of this club, which delivers outstanding balance, something every players dreams of.
There is no doubt that the Cleveland LAUNCHER XL is a great game improvement driver and deserves its spot as one of the top drivers for high handicappers.
Titleist TSR2
Lofts: 8, 9, 10, 11
Adjustable Hosel: Yes
The Titliest TSR2 is a great driver for high handicappers, as it promotes fast ball speeds with high launch and low spin.
Compared to the TSi2, this driver has better aerodynamics, which is where a lot of the ball speed will come from.While reshaping the clubhead, Titleist also reshaped the toe, creating a better angle at address to boost your confidence.
Another speed boost is given to golfers with the repositioning of the CG. The TSR2 has a low and forward center of gravity, which will create even more ball speed at impact. This feature also promotes a high launch off of the tee, as well as lowering the spin rate.
While a low CG will definitely provide forgiveness, the clubface of the Titleist TSR2 driver is what will help you keep the ball straighter. This driver includes a multi-level variable face thickness design across the whole face.
This will essentially provide you with complete forgiveness across the entire face. Titleist has not been known for producing the most forgiving drivers on the market, but the TSR2 is sure to promise you more distance and straighter drives.
Callaway Paradym X
Lofts: 9, 10.5, 12
Adjustable Hosel: Yes
The Callaway Paradym X driver is another great driver for beginners and high handicappers. While TaylorMade might’ve been the first to introduce a carbon face, Callaway has achieved a fully carbon chassis. This means that the driver has a carbon crown, carbon sole, but still has a titanium clubface.
By using a carbon chassis, Callaway has reached nearly 50% in weight savings when compared to the Rogue ST Max driver. This will drastically help with swing speed and clubhead speed, especially for slower swing speeds.
Similar to the TaylorMade Stealth 2 HD, the weight savings from this club allowed Callaway to better position some weight for more distance and forgiveness. By placing the weight in the rear of the club, the Paradym X driver has a higher MOI and lower CG.
Both of these features combined will result in better control, higher launch, and lower spin. This will certainly add more distance to your drives, along with maximum ball speed.
Callaway has also introduced new designs to their Jailbreak A.I. and A.I. designed face. The Jailbreak system has also been made 1/3 lighter than previous models, which will add more stability and help increase clubhead speed.
The Paradym X driver is one of the best golf drivers for high handicappers who are seeking maximum ball speed, as the new face cup and titanium face add even more speed. For slow or moderate swing speeds, being able to gain some ball speed will drastically increase your distance.
Higher ball speeds will keep your ball in the air for longer, helping to increase carry distance. Additionally, it’ll up the roll out of your tee shots, putting an extra 10-15 yards on every drive.
So, while the Callaway Paradym X is a great driver for beginners and high handicappers, it specifically targets slower swing speed players. By combining the numerous speed-boosting features with a slight draw bias, this is one of the hottest golf drivers for high handicap golfers and new golfers alike.
Wilson 2022 Launch Pad
Lofts: 9, 10.5, 13
Adjustable Hosel: No
The Wilson 2022 Launch Pad driver is another great option for beginners. This driver has a built-in draw bias, which will help eliminate aggravating slices.
In addition, A.I. technology was able to design a clubface that will provide consistent ball speed everywhere on every hit, which will help increase distance as well.
The 2022 Launch Pad driver is also much lighter than other drivers, so you’re clubhead speed will increase massively. Many high handicappers have moderate swing speeds, so having a lighter club will help speed up your golf swing for better golf ball speed.
The driver loft option are also slightly different, with the highest of the three having 13 degrees of loft rather than 12 degrees.
Most beginners and high handicappers struggle to launch the ball high enough due to the lack of loft on golf drivers, so having this extra degree can prove to be very helpful. In addition, the Wilson 2022 Launch Pad driver is significantly cheaper than other drivers.
The Launch Pad driver has proven to be one of the best golf drivers for high handicappers who have a low or average swing speed, all the while saving you a couple hundred dollars when compared to other golf clubs.
Mizuno ST-X 230
Lofts: 9, 10.5, 12
Adjustable Hosel: Yes
Mizuno has always been known for producing clubs with incredible sound and speed, as well as forgiveness. The ST-X 230 is an exceptional driver for high handicappers that gives you the distance and speed needed to lower your scores.
This golf driver includes a draw bias like many other drivers for beginners and high handicappers. By placing more weight near the hosel of the club, the ST-x 230 will help correct your golf swing and remove the slice from your shots.
This Mizuno driver also has higher spin, which may cost you some distance. However, more spin will result in a higher launch angle, so you’ll be able to get the ball up in the air with ease.
One downside to this driver is the compact profile. A smaller, more compact clubhead will subsequently have a smaller sweet spot, so it may make it slightly more difficult to hit consistent shots.
However, the draw bias and launch of this driver will provide great benefits to any golfer who decides to use it.
Cobra AEROJET Max
Lofts: 9, 10.5, 12
Adjustable Hosel: Yes
The Cobra AEROJET lineup was released in 2023, and the Max design is certainly the most forgiving of the three variations.
First of all, the AEROJET Max driver has improved aerodynamics over the LTDx Max, providing faster clubhead speeds. Cobra truly focused on redesigning their clubhead for this driver, and it promises increased speeds all around.
The Cobra AEROJET Max driver also has two adjustable weights near the heel and back of the club. These weights are interchangeable to increase or decrease the draw bias, allowing you to fine tune the club for the ball flight you’re seeking.
These weights also help to provide more stability and forgiveness, helping you hit the shot you want every time. They also aid in getting the ball high in the air, and compared to the AEROJET and AEROJET LS, the Max driver has slightly more spin.
Callaway Rogue ST MAX
Lofts: 9, 10.5, 12
Adjustables Hosel: Yes
Here we have the Callaway Rogue ST MAX driver, a part of Callaway’s new line of clubs. Out of the four variations available, this driver is suited the best for high handicap golfers.
It has tremendous forgiveness, along with a slight draw bias. This means that the club is designed to shape shots as a draw rather than neutral/fade.
Callaway has introduced a tungsten speed cartridge at the bottom of the club, near the back. The use of this 26g weight in the Rogue ST MAX allows for increased speed on mishits, and generates a high MOI that makes the golf driver even more forgiving.
This club also has incredible stability, thanks to Callaway’s jailbreak speed frame. The new and improved frame provides stability vertically and horizontally, and a stable swing leads to better speed and contact.
The newly designed club face reduces spin, adding more forgiveness and distance onto this golf driver.
By constructing the club with a titanium unibody and sections of carbon, Callaway reduced the weight of the club to provide stability and a low center of gravity.
The features of this driver produce a high MOI, another critical component for golfers looking for a forgiving driver.
The Callaway Rogue ST MAX driver is undoubtedly a great option for high handicappers. It’s sibling, the Rogue ST MAX D, is a contender for best driver for beginners, proving that this lineup of Callaway drivers are top notch.
Cobra LTDx MAX
Lofts: 9, 10.5, 12
Adjustable Hosel: Yes
Cobra Golf has been known for delivering incredibly forgiving drivers, and they have done it again. Not only is this club great for high handicappers, it is also a competitor for the best driver for beginners.
They offer the standard loft options and have added an adjustable weight near the heel to help combat slices.
A new and improved CNC milled infinity face wraps around the leading edge of the clubface to enable maximum forgiveness and better ball speeds.
By using machine learning, Cobra designed HOT (highly optimized topology) face technology that also helps with ball speeds.
Cobra have also incorporated more carbon into this driver, which makes the clubhead lighter, a benefit that players with a moderate swing speed can take full advantage of.
Since Cobra was able to reduce a substantial amount of weight, they were able to redistribute it strategically.
By using PWR-COR technology, they positioned these weight savings at the bottom of the club and extremely close to the face. This reduces the spin rate while simultaneously generating faster ball speeds.
In addition, the LTDx MAX golf driver has two adjustable weights (10g and 3g) which can be positioned in the heel or in the back.
If you put the heavier weight in the back of the club it’ll have a neutral flight, but if it is set in the heel it creates a draw bias.
This instantly makes it one of the best drivers for beginners, as well as a solid choice for high handicappers.
TaylorMade Stealth
Lofts: 9, 10.5, 12
Adjustables Hosel: Yes
The TaylorMade Stealth driver is another great option for beginners and high handicappers. This driver features 9, 10.5, and 12 degrees of loft, a 460cc clubhead, and increased MOI.
While other drivers still have a titanium clubface, TaylorMade replaced theirs with carbon, redefining modern drivers. They are steering away from previous models, and thanks to this design, the golf driver is lighter and delivers a faster swing speed and an increased ball speed.
This makes it a great driver for picking up the slack if you have lower swing speeds, which is common amongst beginner golfers. It also results in their largest clubface to date, providing golfers with a larger sweet spot. It has drastically decreased the weight of the club, allowing you to optimize your club head speed.
Combine that with a polyurethane face cover, the classic twist face, and the famous thru slot speed pocket and this driver offers impressive launch and spin statistics to help you off the tee box. Although it doesn’t have a sliding weight track like the Stealth+, this is a solid contender for the best golf driver of 2022.
If you would like to read more about this driver and the entire lineup of TaylorMade Stealth driver, check out the TaylorMade Stealth Driver Reviews.
PING G425 Max
Lofts: 9, 10.5, 12
Adjustable Hosel: Yes
The PING G425 MAX is a variation of PING’s G425 line of clubs. This new driver has a tremendous MOI that promotes maximum forgiveness if the sweet spot is missed.
PING made this possible through the use of a 26 gram tungsten weight which you can fine tune to fit your swing. A sleek design that increases aerodynamics help increase your ball speed and swing speed.
Another feature that makes this golf club one of the best golf drivers is its structure. Since the crown uses Ti 8-1-1 material, PING managed to reduce the weight of the crown.
This allowed them to repurpose the weight, and using dragonfly technology they successfully placed it in the back of the club. The
It also has a 460cc club head that provides a large clubface. An adjustable hosel comes standard in most drivers now, and the G425 drivers have this feature. This allows players to create higher loft, or lower it too. It comes with 9, 10.5, or 12 degrees of loft.
Beginner golfers and high handicappers should be considering this driver as it is one of the best released of this year.
If you’d like to learn more about this driver, check out our PING G425 Driver Reviews.
Conclusion
Finding the right driver is so important for beginners and high handicappers. Using a club that is too advanced for your skill level will only cause you more problems, and your scores will be going up rather than down.
Just remember, when looking for a new driver make sure it has:
High launch angle
Low spin
Regular shaft stiffness
High MOI
All of these features will help you get the ball up in the air while increasing your speed and distance off the tee. The combination of all these will also grant you tons of forgiveness, helping keep your shots straights even on the worst of mishits.
In addition to using one of these drivers, make sure you continue to practice regularly if you want to see the best results. If the pros still practice, then all high handicap golfers and beginners should too.
A professional fitting will be able to offer you insight into what new driver would benefit you the most personally. However, if you already know what you’re looking for, these golf drivers are made perfectly for high handicappers.
FAQs
1. What is the easiest driver to hit for a high handicapper?
The easiest driver for high handicappers to hit is the PING G430 Max, although there are tons of great alternatives. The G430 Max provides players with maximum ball speed and distance, which is something so many high handicap golfers struggle with.
This golf driver also has an adjustable weight on the back, allowing you to set a flight bias that suits your golf swing. Overall, this PING driver compliments beginners and high handicappers well with the increased speed and forgiveness it has to offer.
2. What degree driver is best for high handicap?
High handicappers typically struggle to launch the ball, causing them to lose greater amounts of distance. To fix this, using a 10.5 or 12 degree driver could really help your performance.
A club with this much loft will make it much easier to get the ball up in the air with a proper ball flight. You’ll be able to work on your swing and gain some consistency, and once you’ve achieved this you can think about decreasing your loft.
3. What is the longest driver for high handicapper?
At Golfer’s Destination, we’ve chosen the Callaway Paradym X driver to be the longest for high handicappers. The fully carbon chassis significantly reduces the weight of the club, making this Callaway driver extremely light.
A lighter club results in more swing speed, which helps to increase your ball speed. Therefore, the Callaway Paradym X driver will give you maximum distance due to the unreal speed it produces.
4. What is the easiest golf driver to hit straight?
As for the easiest golf driver to hit straight, we’ve chosen the Cobra LTDx Max driver. Just about any Cobra driver will always find itself competing to be the best driver for beginners due to their ability to provide forgiveness, making it much easier to hit the golf ball straight off the tee.
This driver may not be the newest on the market, but it will definitely give you the elevated forgiveness you’re in search of.
Bryson Bujak
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