Let’s face it, most of us don’t get to practice as much as we would like, if at all in many cases. Because of this, we need a little help from our drivers, a little forgiveness when we aren’t at our most physically coordinated. Fortunately, the golf equipment space has us covered and there are plenty of options out there that can offer us that leeway.
I have tested hundreds of the best drivers, and some of my absolute favorites of the past few years, in terms of the most forgiving drivers, are currently on offer!
Callaway Paradym X Driver
With the original Paradym family, Callaway completely reimagined how a driver is built from the ground up. The Paradym Construction featured an industry-first 360 Carbon Chassis that eliminates titanium from the body, allowing Callaway to push weight and stability to the limit.
One of my favorite features of the original Paradym family was the brilliantly dull acoustics. A really low-pitched and subtle thud is apparent at strike and I can’t get enough of it.
The Paradym X model is built for a high launch with high MOI, along with a generously stretched profile at address. This model is best suited for golfers seeking extreme forgiveness and a slight draw bias from their driver. If you are looking for playability at an affordable price, then this could be what you are looking for.
Ping G425 Max Driver
Up until the release of the G430 Max 10K this year, I would have said this was Ping's most forgiving and playable driver of all time, which is praise indeed, as they’ve made some gems over the years.
The impressive MOI in the 460cc head comes mainly from a 26-gram tungsten movable weight, which is made possible by weight savings on the crown. The CG-shifting weight can be secured in one of three settings - neutral, draw, or fade - to influence forgiveness and shot shape and it genuinely works.
It is a little louder and more high-pitched than some other drivers on the market, which won’t be to everyone's taste, but the performance renders that slight negative almost irrelevant. Ping makes some of the most robust and high-performing drivers money can buy and this most definitely fits into that category. Available for under $400, I think this represents some great value and is certainly worth a look.
Titleist TSR1 Driver
Here’s one for the more moderate swingers amongst you. The Titleist TSR1 was specifically designed for players with swing speeds under 90mph, which is roughly a third of all golfers. It features a super lightweight construction and a really deep CG to boost that all-important MOI reading.
I actually forced this into the hands of my Dad who fits the sub-90mph speed demographic and I haven’t been able to wrestle it off him since! Anyone who I have spoken to about their usage of the TSR1 highlights just how little work it is to swing and also how stable it is from shots struck off the heel and toe.
Slightly less of a dramatic reduction than some of the other drivers selected here at 25% of its RRP, but I have a personal connection with this one and still feel it’s a great deal.
Cleveland Launcher XL2 Driver
I have tested an awful lot of drivers over the past 12 months and somewhat surprisingly, the Launcher XL 2 has actually produced the third fastest ball speed for me of everything, behind only the TaylorMade Qi10 and the Ping G430 Max 10K.
One reason for this might be the counterbalancing work Cleveland has done and the overall lighter weight of the driver helping to increase clubhead speed. Cleveland has continued on with its 'Action Mass CB', which is essentially an 8-gram counterweight in the butt of the club that reduces the overall swing weight of the driver and, depending on your swing dynamics, can actually increase club head speed.
I found this to be an exceptionally stable driver through impact on all sorts of strikes and - as you might expect from the name - it is one of the easiest drivers to launch that you could imagine. There is a lot of performance to be had for under $350…
TaylorMade Stealth Driver
An old friend that I am happy to see again! The Stealth driver saw the beginning of the ‘carbonwood’ era that TaylorMade is still operating in currently. The OG of carbon faces and that vibrant red! While the color was a little divisive, the performance was and still is beyond question.
The muted impact sound still holds up a couple of years on and the standard model was exceptionally forgiving in my testing sessions. One of the lower spinning “forgiving” options, there are plenty of loft choices and TaylorMade's loft sleeve to help you tune it into your specific requirements. With current TaylorMade options being sold for upwards of $600, this is a great option for the shrewd purchaser to get nearly identical performance for around half the price!
