It’s no secret that Taylor Made builds (unofficially) the best golf drivers that money can buy.
For years they have claimed this title, and their numbers don’t lie.
Looking at all the driver stats on the PGA Tour, you will see the majority using Taylor Made drivers. These are guys who can play any golf club in the world, and they choose Taylor Made.
While that’s all fine and dandy that the rich guys get the best clubs for free, how does that help you?
With more and more products available, it’s hard to identify which one will help YOUR drives.
Most will benefit from Sim 2. But Taylor Made now has viable options for different levels of skill.
We took an in-depth look at all the drivers Taylor Made produced and narrowed it down to these five. There is something for everyone here.
I have also included the best driver you have never heard of. This “mini” driver may surprise you, but it truly deserves to be on this list with the best of the best.
Keep reading to see which driver is going to get your drives flying far and straight.
No Time? Here’s Our Rundown!
- Carbon Fiber Sole to reduce weight and add aerodynamic properties
- Strong forged aluminum outer frame
- Speed Injected Twist Face Technology
- Excellent use of carbon fiber
- Easily shape the golf ball in any direction
- Hammerhead slot for added distance and forgiveness
- Draw bias weighting to produce fewer slices
- Aluminum forged frame to maintain stability
- Carbon fiber sole reduces weight and increases clubhead speed
- Deep face design for forgiveness and distance
- Great use of carbon to reduce weight
- Built with twist face technology
- Excellent ball control
- Great for tight and short golf courses
- Heavier weight to control your swing tempo
In-Depth Reviews Of The Best TaylorMade Drivers
We have compared all the attributes of all the new TaylorMade drivers. We then narrowed them down to these top 5 best TaylorMade drivers. No matter what kind of player you are, one of these drivers will improve your game.
TaylorMade Sim 2 — Best Overall
This is the TaylorMade driver that Tiger Woods, Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy, Jason Day, and many others use. As world-class players who can use any driver they want to, it’s no coincidence that they all choose this one.
When it comes to drivers, Taylor Made is always staying one step ahead of other companies. And this one is clear evidence of that.
TaylorMade Drivers Use Materials No One Else Does
The first thing to note about this golf club is the use of carbon.
No other company uses carbon fiber as much as TM, and it seems to be something we will see more of in the future.
While many companies use carbon fiber in the crown, TM has constructed the entire sole from it. Of course, this saves a lot of weight. You can increase your ball speed immediately after getting this club.
Carbon Improves Your Club Head Speed In Many Ways
The carbon fiber sole is also used to streamline the head more as well. Carbon can be easily shaped to force more air past the clubhead throughout your swing. This added aerodynamic feature is one of the breakthroughs TM has invented.
Secondly, they have also incorporated aluminum as well.
Also, not a very common material used in drivers, which may be changing because of this club. Aluminum is super light and still very strong. If you look at the back of the clubhead, you will see a blue line: the aluminum.
It’s used to maintain clubhead strength. With that, they can concentrate the weight further back and behind the clubface.
One Of The Largest Sweet Spots Ever Created For Low-Handicappers
This change has made the sweet spot much bigger. Which is one of the few things that Taylor Made’s competitors were better at. Now you have a low-handicap driver with a large sweet spot.
Pair it with their wildly successful speed injected twist face technology and you have not only the best Taylor Made driver but arguably the best driver ever built…EVER.`
TaylorMade M6 — Best For Low-Handicappers
For those looking for more control and shot shaping abilities, then the M6 will be the best TaylorMade driver for you.
It’s designed with a very traditional look to it when at address. This neutral setup allows skilled players to work the ball in either direction. You also have full control over the trajectory as well.
It doesn’t look as big as other drivers, who also give great maneuverability. The confidence and control you get with this driver will feel like a 3-wood but with driver power.
The Most Innovative TaylorMade Driver On The Market
Taylor Made has taken the same approach to design drivers as F1 has done with their race cars. TM is analyzing and deconstructing every part of the driver to try and optimize every square millimeter. Anything to save weight or to add power, and it’s leading them to some interesting discoveries.
The use of carbon is now making its way into a lot of drivers.
Taylor Made is taking this to the extreme, though, and using it more than others. They have implemented it in the crown to lower the center of gravity and to reduce weight.
More Control And More Power
With this combo, you will get an optimal launch angle no matter where you make contact on the face. The reduced weight will also help you maximize ball speed.
Swinging faster can lead to errant shots, but with the lower CG, this problem won’t apply to you.
Another contributing factor to the overall forgiveness is the hammerhead slot. TM first introduced a variation of this speed pocket technology in the RBZ fairway woods. It worked so well they started putting it in drivers.
Another Feature That Is Unique To Taylor Made Drivers
This hammerhead slot allows the face to flex more on off-center strikes.
When you do hit it square it’s this hammerhead slot will maximize ball speed. Get ready to hit the longest drives of your life with this golf club.
Make good use of the adjustable loft sleeve as well. Small adjustments are easy with this system. If you’re a skilled player, you can get their perfect loft dialed into the half-degree.
This kind of attention to detail is what gets you more distance. You’ll also see a large rollout once your tee shot hits the ground.
TaylorMade Sim 2 Max D — Best For High-Handicappers
Taylor Made has also been focusing on trying to help a wider range of golfers. To do this, they started their “D” line of golf drivers back in 2017.
“D” drivers have design features that assist golfers who are still working on their swing. If you still have some inconsistencies, that’s ok.
The number one hurdle that high-handicappers must overcome is curing a slice. This problem is most common as it is easy to leave the clubface open and put a lot of unwanted side spin on the ball.
The Taylor Made Sim Max D driver prevents that from happening.
What Does The “D” Stand For?
The “D” stands for draw. The TaylorMade driver is set up to produce draws as much as possible, even on less than desirable swings.
They do this by adding weight to the heel of the club. More weight works to slow the heel down so the toe can rotate quicker and square up by the time you reach your impact point. While a lot of drivers use this technique, none are using it as well as TM.
How Taylor Made Is Adding Their Own Spin
Most aerodynamic drivers with draw bias weighting have to sacrifice forgiveness. This is because adding weight to the heel reduces the size of the sweet spot. Taylor Made has re-worked the driver head with an adjusted asymmetrical inertia generator.
In layman’s terms, that means they shifted the weight to counterbalance the heel weighting. By doing so, they kept the same forgiveness that you have in the TaylorMade Sim Max driver.
This is in part due to the aluminum outer frame. Aluminum is new to the driver world, and they use it very effectively here. It maintains the stability of the club head for more distance but also reduces the overall weight. You can maintain or increase your swing speed despite the addition of weight in the heel.
Same Great Attributes Of The Best TaylorMade Drivers
This TaylorMade driver also takes advantage of a new carbon fiber sole that reduces weight yet again. It also has an aerodynamic head design that allows air to pass by the club head more quickly. Less drag keeps it from slowing down, so you get a faster ball speed.
This is a huge step for TaylorMade drivers as not only are they starting to help high-handicappers, but it seems they are doing it very well. If you’re a high-handicapper, who tends to produce slices more often than you’d like, then this is the solution.
Related: Most Forgiving Drivers On The Market Related: Best Drivers For High Handicappers
TaylorMade M Gloire — Best For Slow Swing Speeds
If you have been playing golf for years and seem to be losing more and more clubhead speed, then TaylorMade Golf has got you covered.
This TaylorMade driver has been available in Asian markets for more than 5 years, and now it is gaining popularity states-side.
It features many great things that other TaylorMade drivers have but with a few tweaks to get the most out of it at slower swing speeds.
A Deep Face Produces Deep Drives
First of all, it features a deeper face than other TaylorMade drivers. This extra depth allows for maximum forgiveness, so you don’t have to worry about hitting the sweet spot as much.
The added depth also helps with distance. It creates a trampoline effect on the face to get a faster ball speed. While you sacrifice some feel and ability to work the ball, the forgiveness gained will more than make up for it.
Modified Features From Other TaylorMade Drivers
This club also makes great use of carbon fiber as well. You can see it used throughout to reduce weight and increase your swing speed and ball speed.
It is not as abundantly used on the sole to make room for a special hammerhead slot.
This speed pocket technology has been enlarged for this club to add more distance to your drives. It allows the head to become more springy and less rigid at impact. A larger speed pocket, in combination with the already springy deep face, and you can hit some monster drives.
This feature works wonders on your drives. They have been using it to stay ahead of all other companies since its introduction on the RocketBallz fairway woods. The extra distance you gain will be noticeable on the golf course.
Weight-Saving Changes On Every Aspect
The last change they made to ensure the most distance possible is with the hosel. The M Gloire is a non-adjustable club which is rare these days. It makes good sense here because an adjustable loft sleeve is heavy and sometimes looks bulky at address.
Take that away, and they have reduced weight yet again. This club makes a slower swing speed, not so slow after all.
Related: Best Drivers For Seniors
TaylorMade 300 Mini Driver — Best For Control And Workability
A driver like this is hard to come by these days. Not every company produces a mini driver because that’s not what people want.
If you are looking for something smaller and want to get back to the roots of golf, then this is it.
More Than One Use For This TaylorMade Driver
Use this TaylorMade driver on short and tight golf courses to keep your golf ball under full control. A smaller club head promotes a smoother swing. It encourages you to slow down and focus on rhythm and tempo rather than brute strength.
You don’t have to use it on the course at all if you don’t want to. Some players may elect to use this as a training tool. If you can hit the sweet spot on this club, switching back to your normal 450+CC golf driver will be a breeze.
You can also use this TaylorMade driver without a tee.
Yes, that seems like a crazy idea these days since no one ever does it, but this driver can do it.
Completely Different Design Than Other TaylorMade Drivers
This driver features a sole that resembles Taylor Made’s old fairway woods called V-Steel. This unique sole plate is designed to improve the club’s interaction with the turf. In short, it was designed to be hit off the ground and from varying lies.
Taylor Made drivers that feature a carbon sole are not meant for that. Carbon is not as resistant to scratching as stainless steel.
The available lofts also suggest that TM wants you to hit this off the deck. It’s only available in 11.5° and 13.5° lofts.
Choosing The Right Loft Is Key
Yes, those are high lofts, but the design accommodates this. Only in the last 20 years have driver lofts been around 10°. That is due to the use of titanium to make drivers bigger, lighter, and stronger. Titanium is still used in this mini driver, just not as much.
You can also knock the loft down a bit by using the adjustable loft sleeve. This will allow you to bring your 11.5° down to 10°. This may help you hit some stinging tee shots, but it won’t be easy to get decent air time if you’re not using a tee.
Related: Best Small-Head Drivers
Buyer’s Guide
Here are some tips for buying the best Taylor Made driver for YOU.
Be Honest About What You Need
Advanced drivers are expensive pieces of golf equipment. You only use it on 14 holes, yet it’s the most expensive club in your bag. You want to make sure you are getting the most out of your TaylorMade driver and that it’s helping to improve your score.
Taylor Made is now a full-service company that has a product for all skill levels. Your higher-handicap players may be upset to learn that the best TaylorMade driver for you may not be the same one used on tour.
For mid-handicap players, you’ll benefit more from a club that has “max” in its title, like the TaylorMade Sim Max driver. Even though you are not their target audience.
Low-handicappers should be wary of their stats. Just because you are a low-handicapper doesn’t mean you should be using a stiff shaft with an 8.5° loft.
Take note of the things you do well with your driver and what you need to improve. Then choose one of the TaylorMade drivers that match those attributes.
Shaft
The right shaft can be tricky. For 80% of you, a regular flex shaft will be perfect. As you improve and learn more about your swing, you can look into getting a custom shaft to highlight your strengths.
Here is a recommendation of shaft type compared to your current swing speed;
A- Flex – 85 mph swing speed and under
Regular Flex – 86 mph – 95 mph
Stiff Flex – 96 mph and up
Your shaft can affect your ball flight as well, depending on where its kick point is. A high kick point will lower the ball flight and vice versa. Most stock shafts have a mid-kick point. If you get to choose, do a quick bit of research to find out which shaft will help the most.
If ball direction is of grave concern to you, then seek a shaft with high torque and high weight. Torque refers to how much the shaft twists during your swing. The higher the torque, the less twisting you get. This will sacrifice some distance, but it will encourage straighter shots.
Higher weight also keeps your ball straight as it will subconsciously add rhythm to your swing. Think about how a grandfather clock pendulum swings. It keeps its rhythm due to the weight that hangs down. This is a great mental image to keep you in control of your swing.
Loft
Choosing the perfect loft is easy. Get at least a half-degree more than you think you should.
Everyone always wants a low loft because all the pros have it, and it sounds cool. In reality, with most forgiving drivers these days, the added loft will help.
Drivers have a deep face that causes the ball to come off quite low. The trampoline effect only provides power and not any kind of launch angle. For that, we use weights and loft.
You would always rather have a ball flight that is too high rather than too low. Yes, a nice stinger that skims along the fairway is phenomenal, but they are harder to come by than you think. While a ballooning shot is not ideal, you have a much larger margin of error with those types of shots.
You rarely have to go under obstacles with a driver, so added loft and a high launch angle are your friends and great driver features.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best TaylorMade driver?
The best Taylor Made driver is the Sim 2. It’s the best TaylorMade Sim driver and the best out of all the drivers. It’s the most popular on the PGA Tour and other professional tours worldwide.
They have used science and innovation better than anyone to create a one-of-a-kind driver. This is the cutting edge of golf driver technology, and you will notice a difference with this TaylorMade Sim Driver.
What is the most forgiving TaylorMade driver?
The most forgiving Taylor Made driver is the Sim 2 Max D. This is great for high handicap golfers for two main reasons. First, it has added weight in the heel to encourage more draws and a lot fewer slices.
Second, the weight is shifted back compared to the Sim 2 to compensate for off-center strikes. Taylor Made is not known for high handicap drivers, but this one will change all that.
What does “Max” mean in driver names?
The word “max” is usually about the level of forgiveness a club has. Club companies use this to attract higher handicap golfers. It sounds better than outright saying it’s for high handicap golfers.
The biggest difference will be where the weight is. In max clubs, the weight is far from the clubface to create a larger sweet spot. A larger sweet spot is what makes your off-center strikes not so bad.
Do I need an adjustable driver?
No, you do not need an adjustable driver. The adjustable loft sleeve and weight adjustments are useful if you plan on keeping your driver for years. As you improve, your swing may change, and thus being able to make minor adjustments to your club will help.
If you’re already an avid player with a developed swing, you will not take advantage of this feature. You will adjust it once when you first get it to your optimal settings and then keep it there.
What is speed injected twist face technology?
This is one of the key features used in all the best TaylorMade drivers. It is a process that starts by making the face so thin that it’s illegal by the rules of golf. Then each face is injected with a quick hardening resin to bring it just under the legal limit.
This is done for every face that TM makes. This speed injection process provides maximum ball speed and makes any driver the fastest and straightest driver.
Conclusion
You don’t have to be a low handicapper to take advantage of the advanced technology that Taylor Made offers. Although the Sim 2 is the best overall, it may not be the best for YOU.
If it’s not the Sim 2, then one of these TaylorMade drivers is perfect for you.
You will hit more fairways with a faster ball speed and straighter shots.
It’s always nice getting a new driver and then busting a few drivers past your friends when you couldn’t before. A new driver will strike fear in the hearts of your playing competitors. I say take every advantage you can out there.
Have fun and hit ‘em straight.
