10 best golf drivers for maximum impact off the tee

Best: Overall

Rating: 10/10

By using both aluminium and titanium in the head design, TaylorMade has saved on weight, while still retaining titanium’s powerful properties at the face of the club, which is where the weight is. The manufacturer has bucked the trend for moveable weights in this driver to generate the right amount of inertia through the golf ball on contact, increasing ball speed and lowering the spin in the air.

Due to the weighting, there’s bags of what the designer boffins call MOI – “moment of inertia” – which means that the club head doesn’t twist through the air as much, producing a more forgiving club overall. Combine this with a 12 per cent bigger face than its predecessor and you can see why all our testers loved the club and why it was such an outstanding performer for all handicaps at a brilliant price point.

Best: For consistency

Rating: 9/10

Straight out of the bag, we noticed how lightweight this exposed carbon fibre club was, which translated to an easy swing and the difference it made to the length of our drives. It was very forgiving, in that even when we hit off centre we still managed to find the fairway, thanks to a tall club face that seemed to gobble up the ball on impact. If it’s increased drive yardage that you’re after, then the larger sweet spot will mean that you’re more likely to hit longer, more often.

Best: For fairway accuracy

Rating: 8/10

This is known as a low-spin driver and is perfect for golfers who are after plenty of carry in their tee shots. However, there’s not always much forgiveness in a low-spin club, so it will optimise speed and distance when you connect sweetly with the ball, but will be less kind when you don’t.

Nonetheless, the epic max LS is still very forgiving and won’t punish you for a lapse of concentration or a poor swing, making it an excellent choice for mid handicappers who adopt a more straightforward approach to getting to the hole and really like to pinpoint their position on the fairway.

Best: For tailoring your tee shot

Rating: 9/10

This club has been around for a while now, but we (and many other part-time golfers) still rate it highly. The 16g tungsten weight on the back of the head, which alters the centre of gravity, can be positioned according to what kind of drive you want to produce – draw, neutral or fade. This customisation increases your chances of landing on the fairway without impacting on the overall forgiveness of the club, which other manufacturers of moving weight drivers have struggled with.

There is also an improvement from the G400, as there is very little wastage when it comes to transferring the energy from the swing, through the club head to the waiting ball.

Best: For slice sufferers

Rating: 8/10

If you are one of those golfers who often mis-hits the ball from left to right off the tee (one of the most common problems for everyday hitters) then you might find that this driver can help. It’s specially engineered and weighted to dampen down the problem.

We’re often found in the rough to the right of the fairway, but the G425 SFT did begin to dial in our swing so that it stayed truer. For those who are true believers that you drive for show, this was one of the loudest clubs on impact. So, if you like to be the centre of attention (and prove to your playing partners that you’ve mastered your slice), then this club could be your new best friend and will really help you keep balls out of the right-hand rough.

Best: For forgiveness

Rating: 7/10

This Japanese manufacturer, increasingly populating many tour pros’ bags, has produced another weight-adjustable driver and was the kindest on test. The club delivers plenty of confidence on address and, as you look down the shaft at the ball, you can see a deep, glossy black head. It almost seem like a throwback compared with some of the other more futuristic sticks that we tested.

However, don’t let looks deceive you, as there’s plenty going on with a 9g weight and two 3g weights to mess around with, which you can use for customisation and intention out on the course. When we pushed most of the weight to the back, this translated to some real power and a satisfying sound from the tee that delivered good accuracy on the fairway.

Best: For low handicappers

Rating: 7/10

This update has all the ball speed and high ball-launching characteristics that we enjoyed from the popular TS3, but it also adds an extra dose of forgiveness. Having said that, if you don’t consistently find the middle of the club face on your drives, then maybe this isn’t the club for you.

If you do, then you’ll be rewarded with some real power and distance. The five-position weighing system can really fine tune a lower handicapper’s drive into the right line on the fairway, eliminating fade so that the ball stays dead straight and on target.

Best: For power players

Rating: 8/10

The well-priced stick from Mizuno keeps spin to a minimum. Shots don’t look like they’re being launched into outer space at the expense of distance and good fairway placement. There’s no moveable weight, but if you pack plenty of power into your drives then this is a very forgiving club that can provide impressive amounts of carry and ball speed to maximise the effort you’re putting in. This will help you not to tire as your round continues, so your back-nine drives can feel as fresh as your front nine.

Best: For higher hitting

Rating: 7/10

If you often hit low (which we do) then this other offering from Titleist could be your new best friend. It consistently managed to get the ball up and over with a satisfyingly stable flight that deposited in areas of the fairway that we were actually aiming for. If you keep missing the middle of the driver face (which we also do), then this club offers lots of forgiveness and is an excellent choice to regain your confidence off the tee and start hitting consistently again.

Best: For versatility

Rating: 7/10

Thanks to the moveable weight, we found that the epic max could be set up to either be very forgiving off the tee with a nice high launch, or to help out anyone (particularly beginners) who are suffering with slice. With some weight tweaking, the epic max can help you to square the clubface on impact so that you don’t send the ball toward the rough and can keep it on the fairway more often.

We also found that it didn’t sacrifice too much distance when it did this and so didn’t fall into the category of a club that corrects one aspect of your game, but gives you something else to worry about at the same time. This makes it a very good club for a new player.