Buying advice for Golf Drivers

Shop for Golf Drivers Your golf driver can be one of the greatest and most enjoyable clubs you strike with on the course. Today’s golf drivers are easier than ever to hit, but you should never think this means they are all the same.

At GolfOnline we stock a comprehensive collection of golf drivers suited to players of all abilities. From amateurs to seasoned golfers, you’ll be able to find the driver to best match your style and level of play here. We carry drivers from all the top brands, including Callaway, TaylorMade, Cobra, Titleist, Mizuno and Wilson Staff. With different head shapes, sizes, lofts and flexes to give you the ultimate choice when trying to improve your strike off the tee.

New Technology
The latest clubs have larger heads, anything up to a maximum of 460cc, giving you a larger sweet spot than ever before and allowing for a greater margin of error. This helps to give you a better chance of pinging it straight down the fairway every time.

Square drivers can help with your accuracy when driving off the tee thanks to the fact they increase moment of inertia (MOI). This increases resistance to twisting during the shot, which results in a straight drive even if you don't quite catch the ball flush with the club face.

Adjustable Technology
Modern drivers offer you more flexibility and greater variety with your shot. Many of the best golf drivers from the top brands now feature movable weight and head technology. This allows you to change the trajectory of your drives by adjusting the weight in the head of the club or the angle of the club face.

New Materials
The majority of the best golf drivers available today are made from titanium and/or carbon composites, which are a lot lighter than steel. These materials mean that golf drivers have very thin faces which, when they strike the ball, produce a 'trampoline effect.' The face 'gives' slightly when it impacts the ball, before restoring itself in a fraction of a second and launching the ball straight and true down the centre of the fairway.

Slicing/Fading
Every golfer’s swing is unique. Each player can impart a certain spin on the ball, with the vast majority slicing or fading the ball slightly. You can easily adjust to this as a player, but the best golf drivers may make the change for you.

Some clubs are weighted inside the club head, which helps to keep the face closed when impacting the ball.

A draw is often desired by right-handed golfers, as it helps the ball move right to left, giving you a better chance of finding the fairway comfortably. Players that want a more pronounced draw can purchase 'draw enhanced' golf drivers from GolfOnline to get the effect they need.

No matter your ability or budget, GolfOnline has the golf driver for you. Shop the latest ranges as well as heavily discounted lines, available now at GolfOnline. If for any reason you require more assistance with your purchase, please get in touch with a member of the GolfOnline team who can help you further. Looking for something more custom? Our expert team can book you in for a custom fit appointment where we will look at every aspect of your swing and advise you on the perfect golf driver for your game.

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Set a budget

It is very hard to recommend a driver to someone who does not have a budget. Drivers can range from around £50 to over £400 pounds and in very general terms, more money = more quality.

Obviously there is a reason why some drivers cost £50 and some cost £400, the difference is generally the way the club is manufactured and the technology behind the club. For example the £400 driver will have far more technology in the head and the shaft than a club retailing at £50. If you are a beginner golfer you will see large improvements with an expensive driver, but you may also see the same improvements with a less expensive one.

You can buy a very high quality driver for £75 to £100 and excellent ones for £150-£200. Past this price you do see improvements but you are also paying for the brand. Try to stick to your budget, and if you are tempted to splash out and spend loads on a driver, make sure that it suits your swing and is fitted to you!

Rather than spend loads on a top driver, you may find that a cheaper club head fitted with a quality shaft would benefit you more. Always visit our clearance or special offer pages as you may find that you can get better value for your money on these pages.

What Should I Look For In A Driver?

As the years go on and manufacturers try to gain a larger share of the lucrative golf market, the competition gets fiercer and fiercer. Each new season sees more and more outrageous designs which promise to be the next big thing. Although there are usually improvements in drivers every year, try not to get blown away by the marketing terminology.

A few technologies are suited to beginner and high handicap golfer like:

Weighting promoting a draw. Weighting in the heel of the club reduces the effect of slice shots. Likewise, if you struggle with a pronounced hook, you could look into other models with moveable weight technology and concentrate the weighting to the toe.

High MOI reduces the energy lost when you hit toward the edge of the club, resulting in good distance on mis-hits.

Low CG gives the ball a nice and high ball flight, usually giving extra distance to high handicap players. Most drivers offer drivers like this now, however you could look into moveable weight drivers where you can customise this. Choose a large headed driver, but make sure that the head and shaft are made of quality materials. Offset reduces the effect of slices.

What Shaft Do I Need?

The main consideration after deciding on a driver head is the type of shaft. They come in various amounts of flex, from a bendy ladies or senior flex, through to a stiff or extra stiff flex. When you swing the club the shaft bends relative to the speed that you swing the club.

If you choose a shaft with too much flex for your swing then you will find yourself hitting shots less consistently and accurately. If you have a shaft that is too stiff you could be losing out on distance. Another thing you may want to consider is the kick point of the shaft. If you have a naturally low trajectory shot, you may want to buy a low kick point shaft that will increase the height. Conversely you could try a high kick point shaft if you hit the ball too high.

Many companies do not specify the kick point of their shafts but in this case the shaft is probably a mid kick point. Do not worry too much about kick point if you are a mid to high handicap player. Check out some of the drivers we offer with different shaft options, as they can vastly affect the performance of the driver and are often worth investing in. Also be aware of the length of the shaft. It is no coincidence that as driver distance has increased in recent years, so has the length of the driver shafts.

Longer shafts mean longer distance, but only when the ball is struck from the sweetspot. While you may hit longer drives once in a while, the driver is more difficult to control and so you will probably hit fewer shots from the sweetspot! Many people could actually improve average distance by using a shorter shaft. The industry standard is a 45 inch driver, while many professional players actually use shorter drivers!

What Loft Do I Need?

The amount of loft a driver has determines the launch angle of the ball and, to a large extent, the trajectory of the shot.

The lower the loft is, the more sidespin it imparts on the ball, which you should note if you have trouble slicing (or hooking) the ball. Some players get caught in the trap of thinking that a lower lofted driver (8 degree or 9.5 degree) means more roll, and therefore more distance.

People also think that higher lofted drivers are for beginners and seniors. The reality is that in the vast majority of cases, higher lofted drivers will benefit you by giving you a greater carry distance and less side spin. If you struggle for distance and have a slow swing, you should opt for a driver with a loft over 12 degrees.

If you have an average swing speed and hit the ball around 200-240 yards with your driver, you should try a loft of 10.5-12 degrees. Faster swings will benefit from lower lofts than this.

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