Getting a new driver is exciting and can improve your golf game overnight. That is, of course, you pick the right driver for your particular swing and needs.
Believe us, you don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on a driver and not be able to hit it.Â
That kind of betrayal between man and club can be soul-destroying.Â
It’s probably similar to Mufasa’s betrayal when his brother Scar pushed him off the cliff to the herd of wildebeests… not good!
That’s why below we break down the top 7 driver choices on the market today. Important to note that these are the very best out there and are being compared against each other.
So, while one driver might be further down the rankings, it still might be the perfect one for you.
Asses what you need, check them out and striping them down the fairway.
1st – Taylormade Stealth 2 Driver
2nd – Callaway Paradym Driver
3rd – PING G430 Max
4th – Cobra LTDX Driver
5th – Titleist TSR3 Driver
6th – Callaway Rogue ST MAX D Driver
7th – Cobra Aerojet Driver
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Taylormade Stealth 2 Driver
Pros
Cons
Full Review
Starting with the design of this club, Taylormade has really outdone themselves and the Taylormade Stealth 2 looks noticeably better than its predecessor.
The high gloss finish paired with the black and red finishes makes this driver look mean, which is what you want when looking down at your big stick.Â
Let’s talk about the clubface, simply a thing of beauty with a red finish and hexagonal design, making this face one of the best we have ever seen on a driver.
Taylormade has improved this club’s overall sound and feel compared to the original Stealth driver. Shots feel like the explosion of the clubface, even on off-center hits.
Something to note, and one of the reasons for its superb forgiveness and distance, is how much carbon is being used. Almost double from previous years.
This allows for weight to be distributed perfectly for more speed, a better launch, and more distance.
Overall, this driver is great and definitely lives up to the hype.Â
It also comes in a lower spin model – Stealth 2 Plus and the Stealth 2 HD (High Draw) for those of you who need help with their slice.
Callaway Paradym Driver
Pros
Cons
Full Review
Every year, Callaway produces some of the best, if not the best-looking, drivers on the market, and this year is no different.
Callaway went all out on the blue this year and perfectly balanced it with a high-gloss finish on the top and a matte finish around the edges.Â
The club’s sole is well-designed and exactly what you expect from a Callaway driver.
When it comes to the shape, Callaway always does a nice job. This driver is very symmetrical and isn’t too bulky from any angle.
One area I think lets it down from beating the Stealth 2 in terms of appearance is the clubface is slightly underwhelming, which can’t be said for the rest of the clubhead.
In terms of sound and feel, it’s one of the best-sounding drivers on the market. It has a nice pop, and the sound is consistent no matter where on the clubface you hit.
Even on mishits, it has a nice solid feel on impact as the ball pops off the clubface.
Now, onto the club’s performance. This driver is probably the best at handling mishits of any driver on the list. The golf balls never sprayed too much, and the distance is outstanding.
They accomplished this distance and forgiveness by eliminating all titanium, reducing the overall weight by 30-35%, and using AI to design their clubface.
Overall, this club is excellent and is only narrowly beaten by the Stealth 2 due to looks.
Ping G430 Max Driver
Pros
Cons
Full Review
This year’s Ping G430 Max Driver is a thing of beauty. It’s not quite as eye-catching or flashy as the Stealth 2, but it’s what you expect from PING.Â
The classic matte black finish paired with the turbulators along the edge of the driver screams PING. There is a splash of yellow on both the toe and heel of the club- subtle, but it works.
This year, it is particularly round and appears large from front to back. The design makes it appear smaller, but the additional length is there.
Compared to last season’s model, the G425 Max, the clubhead looks more balanced as the G425 favored the club’s heel.
Now, the sound and feel of this club show that PING was listening to its fans, as it is a huge improvement over the G425.Â
The driver makes a more solid impact sound, and the ball feels like it bounces off the clubface rather than colliding with it.
We have little to no complaints about the club’s performance. The ball traveled a long distance and was very forgiving overall.
One unique trait of this driver is how consistent the spin rates remained even on off-center hits. This contributes to the club’s being one of the most forgiving on the list.
Cobra LTDX Driver
Full Review
The LTDx is a breath of fresh air in terms of the usual Cobra driver design and colors, which can sometimes be overwhelming, making it something more traditional golfers would avoid.
However, this driver still looks like a Cobra driver but is definitely toned down. Looking down at the driver, the black matte finish paired with subtle hints of yellow work nicely together.
The majority of the driver’s head is made of carbon fiber, and the sole is well-balanced with technology, weight, and color.
Although the clubhead is a bit more angled towards the back of the head, it’s not to an extreme that it’s off-putting, and some of our team liked the distribution.Â
It made them feel that the club’s weight was lined up perfectly with the center of the face.
Cobra released two color options: the black/yellow one we are reviewing and a red alternative. Personally, I like that the driver comes with options, but the majority of the team found it unnecessary.Â
When you catch it on or near the sweet spot, no driver on this list sounds better than this club in terms of sound and feel.Â
However, the further you stray from the center, the more dull and underwhelming the shots feel or sound.Â
We could definitely hear the difference in sound for mishits, which does not happen with the Callaway Paradym driver.
Now, this driver’s performance was exceptional overall and very forgiving for off-center hits. Although the sound differed, the results didn’t.
This driver is very rewarding for flushed drives, and the introduction of Cobra H.O.T Face design is clearly working as intended.
The ball speed also stayed consistently high, even on mishit shots.
Titleist TSR3 Driver
Pros
Cons
Full Review
The latest TSR3 driver is a classic Titleist driver. It’s sleek and traditional and will appeal to the masses.
It has a glossy black finish, with most of the club branding on the heel and toe.
There is a slight difference with the TSR3 being more compact and not as long from heel to toe as the previous year, but just slightly.
We did like the finish on the face of this driver, although it doesn’t get as many style points as other drivers on the list.
Our team is divided down the middle regarding sound and feel. On solid contact, there appears to be little to no sound, and some of us want a louder thud or thwack after crushing the golf ball.
The feel is as good as you would expect from Titleist, and the ball jumps off the face without feeling like it’s about to cave the clubface in.
When it comes down to performance, they have made some noticeable tweaks based on last year’s driver, which is nice.Â
So what did they change? Well, they have designed this club to be extremely hot on center hits while sacrificing the performance of off-center hits.Â
Although we found the club forgiving, for the most part, it’s very much a club tailored to golfers who consistently strike down the center.
Not so much for an average golfer on the look for some more forgiving drivers.
While this is great for some, it’s advised that most mid-handicappers sway more towards overall forgiveness.
Callaway Rogue ST MAX D Driver
Pros
Cons
Full Review
This may sound controversial, but if you added the Cobra logo to this driver, it would not look out of place in their catalog.
With its matte black finish and hints of yellow along the back edge of the club, it’s a really powerful-looking club.
As a fan of Cobra drivers myself, I found this refreshing, but Callaway is known for producing unique drivers colorwise every year, so only a matter of time before they try Cobra’s signature combo.
It’s only when you flip it over that you realize that it is, in fact, a Callaway design with contrasting uses of black, white, chrome, and even golf on the rear tungsten speed cartridge.
Is it as appealing as its predecessors or the latest Callaway drivers? We would have to say no, but Callaway sets the bar so high for its drivers that not all of them can always hit the mark.
Still a very nice-looking design all the same.
The sound and feel were solid, and our team had no complaints. One small complaint was that you don’t get as solid a feel for shots that hit the sweet spot.
It was difficult to tell if you hit the sweet spot or were slightly off, which could be a good or bad thing depending on what you want from a driver.
But most like to feel an extra kick when making contact with the sweet spot.
Like the Paradym driver, Callaway used their Jailbreak technology and AI to increase the overall forgiveness of the club. Which is something this driver has lots of as well as distance.
This model is also perfect for those suffering from a slice, as it is designed to promote a draw bias, which we love.
Overall, it’s a really good club, but it is just slightly lacking in some areas compared to the top-performing drivers in this list.
Cobra Aerojet Driver
Pros
Cons
Full Review
The Cobra Aerojet driver is not what we’re used to in terms of looks.
Looking down at the top of the driver’s head it is quite nice looking with a glossy black finish, matte black edges, a white line running along the back of the head with some subtle branding.
Overall not bad but then you turn it around and there are no bright colors typically expected from Cobra drivers. Accents of white, blue, and predominantly black.
It reminds us of the Taylormade SIM2 driver, which was a good-looking driver but the majority of our team all agreed that the Cobra LTDx is a better-looking driver.
Still a great-looking club, just not better than its predecessor.
The sound and feel are exactly the same as the Cobra LTDx. Shots in the center of the club feel and sound amazing. When you start to hit off-center, the feeling and sound are noticeably different.
Which isn’t a bad thing necessarily as it becomes easier to identify mishits.
When it comes to distance and forgiveness, the Aerojet is outstanding. We found it to be very forgiving, low-spinning, and very long.
You may have noticed we didn’t dive into the features and tech being used in this driver as much as the others on the list.
There is a reason for this.
Although this is a fantastic driver, overall, we found the Cobra LTDx to perform the same, and it’s a better-looking club, in our opinion.
This means you could save yourself some money and go for the LTDx.
Unless of course, you prefer the design of this club or just like having something new then the Aerojet should be perfect for you.
What To Consider When Buying A New Golf Driver?
Before running out and buying a new driver, you have to ask yourself a few questions and answer them.
These questions will be as follows:
What Is It You’re Not Getting From Your Current Driver?
Is Your Current Driver Worn Out?
Do You Want A Higher/Lower Ball Flight?
Do You Want More Forgiveness?
Answer all these questions, and at least then you will know what it is you’re looking for and not just buying a driver for the heck of it.
You may go test out a driver and see that you hit it further than your current driver, but what if distance wasn’t your issue? What if your slice is the issue?
It makes no sense to search for distance when you really need a draw-biased driver.
There isn’t one driver that can fix everything; some of the best drivers may work for you but not for your friends, and vice versa.
When reading reviews online, pay attention to the pros and cons. Don’t just fall victim to a driver because it looks awesome.
Once you know what you need to fix your game, finding the perfect driver will be easier.
What Is The Best Driver Shaft For A Mid Handicap Golfer?
There is no perfect shaft that will suit all mid-handicap golfers.
Shafts depend on many factors, but mainly the average swing speed of your golf clubs.
Faster swing speeds need stiffer shaft flex, and slower swing speeds need looser flexes.
We have a full article breaking down how to figure out what shaft you need and how to know if the shaft you’re currently using is right for you.