There is no greater feeling than catching a drive right out of the centre of the clubface and watching it sail off into the distance towards the short grass.
The game of golf has become more and more about driving the golf ball not only long, but straight and equipment companies have engaged in something of an arms race to produce models for every player from Tour pro to weekend hacker to produce their best drives.
With so many options from every company, we assembled a team of testers of varying handicaps, swing types and club preferences to run through as many options as possible from the current offerings to shed some light on what works for who.
And, in doing so, perhaps it will help you find your own new driver that will have you hitting it past your regular playing partners and shooting lower scores in 2023.
THE MODELS TESTED
In an exercise like this there are endless options to put through the testing process and we set out to run a wide variety of models from various brands for a one stop driver test.
We tested:
• Callaway Paradym range
• Cobra AeroJet range
• PING G430 range
• Srixon ZX MKII range
• TaylorMade Stealth2 range
• Titleist TSR range
• Tour Edge Exotics E722
• Wilson Staff Dynapower Carbon
A thank you to Drummond Golf at Stanmore, Sydney, and franchise owner Craig Delaney for the use of their Big Swing simulators to conduct the testing.
THE TESTERS
Low handicap power player
A low single figure golfer who plays at least once a week, this tester averages around 270 metres with each drive.
Single figure handicap finesse player
This tester carries a handicap of eight and plays regularly with an average driver of 245 metres.
Mid handicap straight driver
Playing to a handicap fluctuating between 12-15, this tester is a very straight driver of the golf ball who plays every week and averages 220 metres off the tee.
High handicap player chasing distance
Our final tester averages 200 metres with each drive and is a couple-of-times a month golfer who can struggle with a slicing ball flight on their bad drives.
CALLAWAY PARADYM
RRP: $1,069.99
Low single-figure handicap
Looks like there is very little loft on the face compared with other drivers I tested. It offered a slightly firmer feel at impact, which I didn’t mind that feeling. Standing over the ball, the club was balanced in my hands and I had a feeling like I could really swing hard at the ball. Watching some of the other testers, my higher ball speed didn’t experience as big of a jump, but I had more luck with the Triple Diamond version that also appealed more to my eye.
Single-figure handicap
Feels a bit softer off the face and is closer to my preferred impact sensation, and I really liked the sound. I had more speed off the clubface than any of the other drivers and was my favourite of the bunch. I even managed an extra 20 metres carry on my best drive of the test and felt I could swing freely. My typical left miss was also minimised. My desired driver ball flight is a tight draw and that was the stock flight with this driver.
Mid-handicap
The Paradym went further than most of the other drivers I tested and consistently so. It sits well behind the ball, and I felt I could go after the ball a little more with this club. The confidence inspiring look at address was terrific and I liked how the face looks a little shallower, which is something I tend to seek out in a driver having been more accustomed to smaller heads for much of my golfing life.
High-handicap
This club looked good at set-up and felt really nice off the face. Absolutely loved the sound! Noticed a higher ball flight in my first two drives that got the ball carrying further in the air without losing any roll and even managed to get my carry distance consistently over 200 metres. Didn’t miss any drives… Flight, result and distance was super consistent. All around it was great!
COBRA AEROJET
RRP: $899
Low single-figure handicap
Drives felt hot off the clubface. Hit some drives off the toe and they still performed. I like the look of the Aerojet at address, especially with all the carbon on the clubhead which has the look of a fancy sportscar. While I didn’t particularly like the head shape, when considering the driver as a whole I like it all around. Not really a wow factor club for me but a solid all-round performer.
Single-figure handicap
I loved the feel off the face of the Aerojet, which was, for mine, similar to the Callaway Paradym. It’s got a classic look, and reminded me of a number of Cobra drivers I had used as a younger player, which certainly helped my confidence in hitting this club. I really liked the slightly lower trajectory and tighter shot shape and, for me, this was right up with the longest drivers in the group.
Mid-handicap
I like this driver. It was well balanced, with a swing weight that seemed to fit well with my preference both at address and for my tempo. The Aerojet felt similar off the clubface to the other models I enjoyed hitting. The Aerojet was forgiving with a slightly higher ball flight than some of the other drivers, which produced consistent distance. It is a fairly classic shape at address, which I liked.
High Handicap
I was a little surprised with this driver. To me, it felt light in the hands and initially I didn’t have high hopes for the Aerojet. However, I liked the sound off the face and the flight was really consistent, as was the distance even when I missed the centre of the clubface. This driver was a real eye-opener for me on the day.
PING G430
RRP: $995 (Max & SFT); $1,050 (LST).
Low single-figure handicap
The G430 looks bigger behind the ball than some of the other drivers I tested, with a longer head from heel-to-toe. I really don’t mind this one … it felt very easy to hit, while my shot dispersion was really good and flight and distance was consistent. The LST model kept the ball flight down and looked a little smaller to my eye, which is more my style of driver.
Single-figure handicap
Drives felt good off the clubface, with a bit of a louder sound at impact compared with other drivers I tested. I noticed the feel of my mis-hits a little more with this driver and took a little while to get it dialled in, but my good shots were similar with others and managed to get a couple of drives out there, which were close to my best of the day.
Mid-handicap
This was a very forgiving driver and was very consistent in both accuracy and distance on almost every drive I hit. I struck shots all across the face early in my time with the Ping drivers and still experienced similar results time and again with the Max model.
High-handicap
The feel was typical of a Ping driver, which is something I am very familiar with. As soon as I put this driver down behind the ball, I felt comfortable with the look. Taking easier swings with the G430, I found my best drives of the day in terms of carry, total distance and accuracy.
SRIXON ZX MKII
RRP: $749
www.srixon.com.au
Low single-figure handicap
This was a surprisingly strong performer for me having not had much experience with Srixon clubs, particularly drivers. I am a fan of Japanese equipment and this driver range is certainly true to the history of performance without too much over the top in terms of looks from some of my favourite brands. The ZX7 was certainly the one for me in terms of shape and performance.
Single-figure handicap
Another very solid driver offering that, although it didn’t stand out from the crowd with any numbers that dropped my jaw, it held its own. It had a really solid feel off the clubface that I liked and had a nice high, low-spin flight that stayed straight.
Mid-handicap
The ZX5 is my sort of shape and the simplicity of the look appealed to me. The ball flight was good, as was the feel that was nicely in the middle of all the drivers tested. The ZX5 and ZX7 models are, in my opinion, certainly an improvement on some older Srixon drivers I have tried.
High-handicap
This driver performed well and lived up to expectations. It felt like I got some good pop off the face at impact and the ball flight was straight to even an occasional draw, which is my desired shot shape that I often struggle to produce. Distance and forgiveness were on par with a lot of the others and while I have tended towards other brands in the past, I would definitely consider it if I was in the market for a new driver.
TAYLORMADE STEALTH2
RRP: $1,019 (Stealth2 & Stealth2 HD); $1,119 (Stealth2 Plus).
www.taylormadegolf.com.au
Low single-figure handicap
This driver felt nice off the face, with quite a soft sensation at impact.
I found with the standard model in its standard set-up, the ball went a bit more left than I would normally hit my current driver and other newer models I have tried. Certainly easy to look at behind the ball, with a compact head design although I find the red off the face busy to my eye. Despite the occasional left shot, the dispersion in terms of distance and direction overall was very impressive.
Single-figure handicap
The feel of the Stealth2 was pretty similar to my current (but older) TaylorMade drivers, although the sound is a more muted because of the carbon face. Early on, I struggled to consistently find the middle of the clubface and was a little surprised by how much feedback there was from the strike location given the face is so different to any other driver I have hit before. The forgiveness of the Stealth2 was really the standout feature. Mis-hits were still strong and getting out to 250 metres, which is where I would hit a good drive with my current driver.
Mid-handicap
The forgiveness of the Stealth2 was the biggest feature for me here. Bad swings and strikes still came back on line and I had a good deal of confidence it was always going to take off on a good flight. Didn’t love the red colouring look but the feel was solid if not a stand out performer across all the drivers.
High-handicap
I was expecting it to feel very different to other drivers because of the carbon face, but it felt good at impact. It was, however, on the loud side compared to the driver I currently use, yet it wasn’t a bad sound and every shot I hit with this driver found the fairway. Even slight mis-hits didn’t veer far off line.
TITLEIST TSR
RRP: $899; $1,199 (premium shaft).
www.titleist.com.au
Low single-figure handicap
The height and shape of the clubface really appealed to me and I got the sense I could hit different shots with this, as opposed to some of the other drivers that I felt I was restricted to one shot shape. A low draw as well as a higher flighted fade were more easily achieved with this driver. This driver was really impressive.
Single-figure handicap
The TSR carries the classic Titleist driver shape, which is really appealing and looked great at address. It didn’t feel hard at impact, if anything the feeling was quite soft for me. This was probably my favourite of all the drivers tested – ball flight was consistently good, was easy to control and, for me, it generated the most ball speed, consistently, ahead of any of the other drivers.
Mid-handicap
I wanted to like this one and I did. It is easily the best looking clubhead of the bunch in my opinion. There is technology in there that made a difference but it is hidden and without some of the bells and whistles of some of the other drivers we tested. That said, the TSR2 still looks a little big for my taste, but the TSR3 and definitely the TSR4 had less of that issue.
High-handicap
Couldn’t help like everything about the look and feel. It appeared smaller at address than some of the other drivers, which surprisingly didn’t deter me from swinging freely even though I tend to seek out more forgiving looking driver. Pretty simply, I liked it. It was much easier to hit than I thought it was going to be and probably the most forgiving Titleist driver I have ever hit and it didn’t give up anything when it came to distance.
TOUR EDGE EXOTICS E722
RRP: $699
www.drummondgolf.com.au
Low single-figure handicap
This driver performed much better than I thought it would. It feels like there is a lot of mass directly behind the ball that almost just extends off the clubface. Didn’t actually hit it further than other drivers but felt like it was taking off at impact. I kind of like this club, for the price it is a really solid performer.
Single-figure handicap
This driver is surprisingly good and liked it even more when I found out it was $400 cheaper than some of the other drivers tested and performed just as well. It had a better ball flight than some of the bigger-named models. It was really forgiving, a little loud, but overall it impressed.
Mid-handicap
This driver felt heavy in the head and sat a little closed at address. The ball came out a bit higher off the clubface and I could sense a lot more spin that was confirmed by the launch monitor. Not the kind of thing I would typically look at for myself, but there was enough to like about this at the price.
High-handicap
For the price point it performed fairly well. After falling in love with one of the other models this was my next point of call. It was a tough act to follow but still an impressive all-round driver.
WILSON DYNAPOWER CARBON
RRP: $499
www.wilson.com
Low single-figure handicap
I quite liked the look of this driver at address. Shots don’t feel like they’re taking off at impact but drives still performed admirably in terms of distance and carry compared with other drivers.
Single-figure handicap
Right in the middle of the road performance wise and feel for me. Slightly harder feel to the others off the clubface, and while not a standout performer, this was a good honest club. It’s a club you would let date your daughter!
Mid-handicap
The Wilson driver was perhaps not quite as forgiving as others in the test, with some of my off-centre strikes really dropping in distance and accuracy. But my good strikes held up though, and it looks quite good … a nice, simple driver.
High-handicap
The Wilson Staff driver was a nice solid option. The ball flew strongly on the good strikes, but it was not as forgiving as some of the other bigger name drivers. I liked how it looked at address and wouldn’t have an issue putting it in play although it wouldn’t be my first choice of all the drivers we tested.
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