Maybe you can relate to this…
You’re on the first tee, and you have the honor.
Your playing partners are right there, of course, joined by the starter and the group playing behind you. Beyond them is a busy patio filled with more golfers who are all staring at you.
Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to grab the best driver for high handicappers and stripe your tee shot right down the middle of the fairway in front of everyone?
You only hit your driver 14 times throughout a round, yet it has a huge impact on your score and mentality. Hitting fairways means hitting more greens in regulation which means lower scores.
Thankfully we can solve this issue with one club. (Too bad the rest of that game isn’t this easy).
Beginners and high handicappers need to hit more fairways and get closer to the green to reduce their margin of error. That is what’s going to make you a low handicapper.
These drivers have been pre-approved to reduce your handicap and increase your confidence.
You won’t see the big brand names at the top because we have honestly rated these drivers specifically for beginners and high handicappers.
We value performance over reputation.
Read on for the best golf drivers made for high handicappers.
Best Driver For High Handicapper – Rundown
Best Overall
Rating
It’s not one of the biggest names in golf, but this line of drivers has been finding fairways for high handicappers since 2009. That’s so long ago that Anthony Kim was still playing on tour.
Best Breakthrough
Rating
This is a great driver for long-time high handicap golfers who are looking for that one thing to finally push them over the edge and lose the title of “high handicap golfer.”
Most
Forgiving
Rating
If you want to hit a draw or a fade from time to time, the T300 is a great golf club to have in your bag. They have a slightly smaller sweet spot than others in our review but feel fantastic when you hit them well.
Most
Nostalgic
Rating
The Big Bertha B21 Irons were designed specifically with forgiveness in mind. If your iron game is inconsistent, these are the best cavity back irons that you can find.
Best
Technology
Rating
This driver perfectly combines distance, control, and style. Cobra always knows how to get people excited, and I am very excited about this driver. It has all the ingredients needed to remove you from the high handicappers club.
Best
Value
Rating
Nothing feels better than beating a low handicap player with equipment they have never heard of. You may not be familiar with this driver, but I can attest that for beginners and high handicappers, this will be your new best friend.
Most
Improved
Rating
The Mavrik line of drivers is great for mid- handicappers, but the Mavrik Max is ideal for golfers with a higher handicap. It adds a little extra cushion for where you need it and helps you keep the ball in front of you, as they say.
Best For Beginners
Rating
The Mavrik line of drivers is great for mid- handicappers, but the Mavrik Max is ideal for golfers with a higher handicap. It adds a little extra cushion for where you need it and helps you keep the ball in front of you, as they say.
Best For
Distance
Rating
The Mavrik line of drivers is great for mid- handicappers, but the Mavrik Max is ideal for golfers with a higher handicap. It adds a little extra cushion for where you need it and helps you keep the ball in front of you, as they say.
Best Driver For High Handicapper & Beginner – Reviews
Here are the Best Drivers For High Handicappers & Beginners on the market:
- Best Overall: Clevelan Launcher HB Turbo
- Best Breakthrough: Mizuno ST-Z
- Most Forgiving: Ping G425 Max
- Most Nostalgic: Callaway Big Bertha B21
- Best Technology: Cobra RadSpeed
- Best Value: Tour Edge Hot Launch E521
- Most Improved: Callaway Mavrik
- Best For Beginners: Cobra F-Max Offset
- Best For Distance: TaylorMade Sim 2 Max
Cleveland Launcher HB Turbo — Best Overall
This is the best driver for beginners and high handicappers overall, period.
It’s not one of the biggest names in golf, but this line of drivers has been finding fairways for high handicappers since 2009. That’s so long ago that Anthony Kim was still playing on tour.
The Driver That No One Knows About
The HB Turbo driver is one of those golf clubs you don’t want to like, but you can’t deny how GOOD it feels once you hit it.
It has to do with how different the head is shaped.
The high-bore crown increases the flex of the face and gives it great springy-ness, like a trampoline. It uses cup face technology (see buyers guide), which is common – but Cleveland takes it to an extreme here, which gives it that amazing feel and a higher ball speed.
Cleveland Does What Other Companies Won’t
This latest model of the Launcher is the best looking of them all as well. It has a black matte finish that dampens the glare with pizazz. It also gives it a futuristic and rugged look, especially in contrast to the white ball.
This Cleveland driver perfect for slow swing speeds to really capitalize on centered hits. Part of that can be attributed to the unique hosel. Other golf drivers provide adjustability through the hosel, but those mechanisms add weight.
Cleveland has gone the opposite direction and eliminated all extra weight as a high-performance F1 race car would.
Mizuno ST-Z — Best Breakthrough Performance
This is a great driver for long-time high handicap golfers who are looking for that one thing to finally push them over the edge and lose the title of “high handicap golfer.”
It has all the bells and whistles of a tour styled driver, but under the hood, it’s still built to help you keep the ball in play off every tee box.
The Driver That Thinks It’s For The Pros
The design and overall look of this driver ALONE has that low handicap feel to it. What’s that old saying; Dress for the job you want, not the one you have.
This driver will be with you for years because it is equipped with a Quick Switch adjuster (adjustable loft sleeve). You can adjust the loft of this new driver by up to 4 degrees. As you progress and start to improve, your driver can advance with you.
Also useful on those windy days when you want to ensure the ball remains at a low trajectory.
Great Low-Spin Driver
So much of this driver’s power comes from its face. It controls the spin of the golf ball based on your swing speed (even if it is a slower swing speed). This corrects off-center shots and provides maximum distance and ball speeds to all shots.
It’s constructed with high-strength forged beta titanium, which really improves your shots when you make contact a little low on the face. Kinda like hitting a line drive in baseball, just a few feet over the pitcher’s head.
Ping G425 Max — Most Forgiving
There’s something about the sound of a well-struck golf ball off a Ping driver that lets everyone know you just crushed one.
Ping drivers are the most popular drivers for beginners and high handicappers and have been for many years. The clubhead design has changed a lot over the years, but one thing that hasn’t is the signature sound all ping drivers make, and this one has it.
Tour-Inspired Features
High handicap golfers love this new Ping driver for its 3 setting feature. This is just like the ones you will see on tour-inspired drivers. It gives you the ability to customize the angle of the face to your swing (or however you’re swinging that particular day).
Set it to either draw, neutral, or fade, and the face will adjust to correct for whatever your dominant shot shape is. If you naturally fade the ball – like so many beginners and high handicappers do – then set it to a draw bias and watch it straighten right out.
Go Ahead And Try To Lose Distance With This Driver. We Dare You.
This is one of the most forgiving drivers over the past decade. If you struggle to hit the sweet spot, then this golf driver was built for you. Off-center contact still gets you a lot of distance, so only you and the club will know the truth.
With such high but still legal MOI (moment of inertia – see buyers guide), this club reduces twisting like no other. They have also added a 26g weight deep in the back of the club head to increase the launch angle.
This keeps the clubhead stable through impact and keeps your ball in the second cut instead of someone’s backyard.
Callaway Big Bertha B21 — Most Nostalgic
This is the first big-name company on the list, but it’s for the Big Bertha part and not the Callaway part. Big Bertha has been helping high handicap golfers and beginner golfers for over 20 years and was one of the first drivers to focus specifically on this niche.
This is their best Big Bertha ever which is great for high handicappers and beginners who need more distance. Big Bertha is meant for big distance; they don’t call her BIG for nothing.
Hitting it further is a given with this driver. You will notice more distance as soon as you start using it. Their design and construction just gives you a little extra ball speed to carry it out there an extra 10 yards or so compared to your current driver.
New Features On This Model
It’s very lightweight so that you can swing with confidence (just like on the driving range). The opti-fit hosel is one of the lightest of its kind and saves a ton of weight. It’s also adjustable, so you can optimize it to achieve a consistent ball flight.
If you want to soften your fade and straighten it out, set the hosel to close the face.
It is also constructed with added weight in the heel to naturally encourage those piercing baby draws right down the middle with some huge roll-out yards.
Cobra Rad Speed XB — Most Advanced Technology
This driver perfectly combines distance, control, and style. Cobra always knows how to get people excited, and I am very excited about this driver. It has all the ingredients needed to remove you from the high handicappers club.
For years Cobra has been a game improvement golf club company, and only recently have they crossed over to gain tour notoriety. Making drivers for high handicappers is what they specialize in. This is the best golf driver for players who want more than just forgiveness.
A First Among All Drivers For High Handicappers
Cobra is the first driver to have an entirely milled clubface. What this means for you is maximum ball speed and straighter shots. Let me explain.
The rules state that a clubface must be a certain thickness. Cobra has found a loophole by using the minimum thickness and then milling it, thus making it thinner overall but still staying within the rules.
A thinner clubface means more bounce and flexibility to increase ball speed which adds MAJOR distance. But because of the flexibility in the face and CUP face technology (see buyers guide) also keeps the ball straighter. Just because you’re a high handicap golfer doesn’t mean you can’t hit bombs!
Nothing Is Normal About This Forgiving Driver
If you pull back the curtain and look at what really makes this golf driver special, then experts will point to its T-bar chassis. This technique moves weight to the front of the clubhead to reduce spin on the ball. This is made possible because of the cup face design and milling mentioned above.
To counterbalance the club and keep MOI high, the rear weight is positioned at the deepest part of the clubhead, far from the face. This also contributes to straighter ball flight even if you miss the sweet spot. Isn’t technology great!
Tour Edge Hot Launch E521 Golf Drivers — Best Value
Nothing feels better than beating a low handicap player with equipment they have never heard of. You may not be familiar with this driver, but I can attest that for beginners and high handicappers, this will be your new best friend.
Keep your ball in play and hit more fairways with this forgiving driver. It performs just as well as any other drivers that the big brand name corporations make. They utilize a lot of the same techniques as high-profile clubs but have broken it down into a simple-to-use, good old-fashioned budget driver.
Just Like All The Famous Drivers
This club has one of the highest MOIs that is legally allowed in the game of golf. It’s probably the most forgiving driver on the entire list because of it. The club twisting is so minimal that even your off-center hits will find the edge of the fairway and give you a look at the green.
To add to that, the center of gravity is very low, so launching the ball on a favorable trajectory is made easy. Combining high MOI and low center of gravity is nothing new, but focusing on these two components has made this driver a must-try.
Longer And Straighter Without The High Cost
The driver head uses cup face technology as well. This is used to add forgiveness to the sweet spot and make the clubface very lively. Cup face tech is used on many other big-name game improvement drivers to help reduce the effects of off-center hits. Now you don’t need a high-profile driver to get the same results.
If you are looking for a new driver that will perform and will improve your score but won’t cost you a month’s rent, then this is the one.
Callaway Mavrik Max — Most Improved
The Mavrik line of drivers is great for mid- handicappers, but the Mavrik Max is ideal for golfers with a higher handicap. It adds a little extra cushion for where you need it and helps you keep the ball in front of you, as they say.
Inspired by the Big Bertha but utilizing today’s technology, this driver lives in the fairway.
Loaded With New Technology
A special flash face process will increase ball speeds across all areas of the clubface. So no matter where you make contact, your distance won’t suffer.
The two internal jailbreak bars that connect the sole to the crown are the lightest you can get and scientifically positioned to contribute to increasing your ball speed.
The crown itself is made from carbon fiber to also reduce weight while not sacrificing strength.
This alone gives this lightweight driver an advantage over most drivers and will keep your ball in the short stuff where it belongs.
This Driver Is Ahead Of YOUR Time
Even when you become a mid-low handicapper, this is one of the best drivers to keep with you. Its loft angle is adjustable, so as your swing changes, you can customize this golf club to really fine-tune your drives.
It comes with 2 adjustable weights that are interchangeable between the heel and the back center of the head.
This will come in handy if you try to optimize your ball flight into either a cut or a draw as you improve.
The durability is top-notch as well since Callaway started using FS2S titanium. This type of titanium is 6 grams lighter (which is a lot in the driver world) but still just as strong as regular titanium.
Callaway uses some new kind of titanium here, which is one of the good things about going with a big brand-name golf club company.
Cobra FMax 20 Offset — Best Driver For Beginners
As the second Cobra driver on this list, I included it because it is perfect for beginner golfers. If you are just starting out but already know that you love golf, get this great driver.
I know how enjoyable it is to get a new driver instead of someone else’s hand-me-downs or some club made by a company you have never heard of.
This cobra driver was made to hit fairways and also instill tons of confidence.
Protection From The Dreaded Slice
As a beginner, you may have or still struggle with slicing. The built-in offset of this driver will alleviate that pressure so you can start hitting more greens in regulation.
The offset is quite prominent as well, so with this anti-slide technology and a bit of practice, you could be hitting draws sooner than you think.
It also has extra weight in the heel to promote even more draw bias trajectory. The weight in the heel slows the heel down so the toe can square up at impact.
A square clubface at impact means long and straight drives without having to go through years of practice.
With this driver, you can focus more on your short game and not worry so much about finding fairways.
No Unnecessary Extras
This is also a very lightweight driver to increase clubhead speed easily as your confidence grows.
Cobra has made one of the best golf drivers here that focuses squarely on the basic needs of beginner golfers trying to improve their game.
There are no added features or any extra frills that other club companies use to elicit more sales.
This driver was specifically designed with beginners and high handicappers in mind, and it shows out there where it counts, on the tee box.
TaylorMade Sim 2 Max — Best For Distance
Taylor Made makes some of the best golf drivers for the best golfers on the planet. You are not one of those players (sorry). So why waste time and money with their golf clubs right now?
This driver is made for high handicap players and to try and get Taylor Made into that demographic. It utilizes all the same technology and inspiration from its very successful tour drivers but with incredible forgiveness.
Get this driver if you want more distance, more forgiveness, and a part of the Taylor Made family.
Trademark TaylorMade Technology
The SIM 2 Max has a much larger face than the original SIM. The increased surface area is going to give the clubface more bounce and thus longer drives.
It also features TaylorMade’s proprietary Speed Pocket technology and the much beloved Twist Face technology and their speed injection technology for added distance and forgiveness.
Why wouldn’t the SIM have that too, then you ask? Great question.
The larger the face, the less control the player has, especially at higher swing speeds. A professional uses a smaller clubface so they can work the ball in different directions.
They don’t need the most forgiving driver because thousands of hours of practice allows them to hit the sweet spot consistently.
Further contributing to forgiveness in the SIM 2 Max is the position of the back weight. It’s way back. This creates stability across the clubface and keeps it from twisting.
When you hit a shot off the toe, it pushes the face open…unless you have a 24g weight strategically placed in the back of the clubhead.
This gives it a slight draw bias.
The added weight also gives you more lift on the ball to launch it at a higher angle. A higher launch angle means longer carries. Longer carries mean happy golfers.
Buyer’s Guide
Looking for the best driver to suit your golf game when you’re a high handicapper is much different than for lower handicap players.
Your needs are very different, and the specs of the driver are critical. If you are still learning the game, this guide will show you what you should look for in a driver for high-handicappers.
There’s also a handy glossary so you can learn about the science and technology that goes into making the best drivers for high handicappers.
Getting The Proper Loft
The loft of the club is what gets the ball in the air. Lofts on drivers vary anywhere from 7° up to 12°.
Look for a driver with a higher loft that’s no less than 10°. In most cases, you will want more loft as this will help improve the results of your mis-hits.
At this stage in your golf career, you want a high launch on the ball. Higher loft will give you more carry distance.
While it may reduce your roll once it lands, this is a small price to pay to get your ball out there. You won’t be hitting balloon shots yet; that comes with higher clubhead speed.
Many of the best drivers have adjustable loft, so you can experiment with it a little bit. Order the 10.5° driver and get your friend to adjust it up to 12° without telling you so you can objectively test the different lofts.
I think you will be surprised to find out the 12° performs best when egos are set aside.
Shaft
We didn’t address shafts at all since this article is directed at beginners and high handicappers. The shafts that come in all these drivers are very lightweight, so you can control your swing.
The lightweight also contributes to flexibility which will be at maximum level. More flex gives your driver a little extra kick at impact to propel your ball a little further, even at slower swing speeds.
Don’t try swing at your maximum swing speed; use the club. It’s there to help.
As you improve, you can optimize and test other shafts while still using the same head that you have fallen in love with.
Experiment with different kick points before you start upping the weight. The kick point is the area of the shaft that bends the most. A lower kick point can greatly reduce spin, which in turn will add distance.
For now, stick to the shaft that comes with the driver, as those shafts are designed and weighted specifically for each driver.
Forgiveness
We can all use a little forgiveness every now and then. These clubs all have maximum forgiveness. This is gained by moving the CG (center of gravity) lower and away from the face.
It can also be created by making the face larger. Low handicap golfers do not require this because their skill allows them to hit the sweet spot more often.
The downside of more forgiveness is less workability. It reduces spin.
To work the ball left or right, the golfer wants to add spin. This is very difficult to do with a large clubface and low CG.
Glossary
CG – Center of gravity refers to where the most weight is placed within the clubhead. Manufacturers move this around to manipulate the ball flight and the location of the sweet spot.
MOI – Moment of inertia is a fancy way of saying the clubface twists on off-center hits. If you have a high MOI, then your club resists twisting very well. This may not benefit low handicap players who want to control the face angle to produce varying shots (think Bubba Watson).
CUP Face – This technique of attaching the clubface to the head is perfect for increasing the size of the sweet spot. The clubface is “stretched” over the driver’s head and welded on from there. Very common among high handicap drivers and visible to the naked eye.
COR – The coefficient of restitution is used to measure how much of the driver’s energy is being transferred into the ball. In a perfect world, this number would be 1 or 100. But rules limit it to .83 to keep driver companies from going too far.
Offset – This term refers to how the shaft is connected to the head. The shaft is set slightly ahead of the club face and is anti slice technology in its simplest form.
Frequently Asked Question
While I hopefully answered most of the questions about the best driver for high handicappers and beginners, you might you a few more questions left. Here the most frequently asked ones.
What Are The Most Forgiving Golf Drivers For High Handicapper?
If you’re looking for the most forgiving driver in our line-up, try the Ping G425 Max. It performs the best on off-center strikes and offers tons of forgiveness for high handicappers.
What Is The Easiest Driver To Hit For A High Handicapper?
That’s hard to say; It depends quite a bit on what you’re struggling with. If you want to find the perfect driver for your game, I recommend you to visit a pro and let him suggest what you need to look out for in a driver.
If you’re a slicer of the golf ball, try a draw-biased driver; if you struggle with distance, try a game improvement driver like the Ping or TaylorMade ones.
What Makes The Best Golf Drivers For Beginners And High Handicappers?
High-handicappers most likely struggle with consistency off the tee. You don’t necessarily need to hit the ball far to score well, but you need a consent tee shot that finds the fairway more often than not.
The ideal driver for high handicappers will be forgiving, have shot correcting technology, increase your distance while producing straighter ball flights.
All of the drivers in our review will make a great fit for beginner and high-handicappers!
What Loft Driver Should A High Handicap Use
See our Loft guide above. Most beginners will do well with having 10.5-12 degrees of loft on their driver.
Conclusion
This is an exciting time in your golf career as it will be the last time you search for an article with the title of “best driver for high handicapper.”
Getting your driver taken care of is a huge burden off your shoulders since any golf course is much easier when you’re playing it from the middle of the fairway.
At the end of the day, the best driver for high handicappers is the driver that stops a beginner golfer from being a high handicapper. Pick one of the best drivers that suit your swing speed and personal preferences.
Do this, and you will find yourself in the fairway more, hitting more greens in regulation and making more birdies. There are other aspects of the game that need your attention now.
Have fun and hit ’em straight.
