Find the most forgiving driver for you!
Are you playing of a high handicap and struggling of the tee? sick and tired of searching for the most forgiving driver?. Well look no further, we’ve done the searching for you! give a read of this post and your bound the find the right driver for you to give you that ultimate forgiveness!
You might be of the view that golf is an incredibly unforgiving game. Well I’ve got some news for you, your right!. The funny thing is no matter how much you improve over the years, you’ll come to the sudden realization that this game never ever becomes easy. There will always be something in your game your not happy with or something that needs improving.
However, there is something you can do that will have an immediate impact on your game. Any guesses? Putting a more forgiving driver in your bag!. In fact having more forgiving clubs in all areas, but today were going to focus on the big stick.
There are people out there, who argue its all about the golfer and that a simple equipment change wont fix anything. Let me tell you why there wrong.
How To Ensure Optimal Driver Forgiveness
In recent years, there has been an incredible surge in technological advancements regarding golf equipment. Nowadays golf club manufacturers take into account all golfers and there different playing abilities.
In todays world every level of golfer can find a driver that meets their distinctive needs. There are a 3/4 main things you should take into account when searching for a more forgiving driver.
Key features for driver forgiveness
- 460CC HEAD – this size allows for maximum forgiveness and a larger sweet spot. (the largest driver head allowed legally)
- DRIVER LOFT- the lower the loft the harder a driver is to hit and harder it is to get the ball air bound. Hence less forgiving, here you should be looking for a driver with 10-12 degrees of loft.
- OFFSET DRIVER FACE- (for slicers of the ball only) The face on these drivers is set marginally further behind the shaft compared to a standard driver. Offset drivers allow slicers of the golf ball more time to square the club up at impact, translating into straighter shots.
- High Performing MOI- (Moment of inertia) this is a measurement of how much resistance the driver has to clubface twisting. the more resistance and less twisting the more forgiving a driver will be.
All of the drivers listed below have a 460CC head and have also built the reputation of being the most forgiving drivers in the world. We would recommend that if you buy any of these products to stick to at least 10 degrees of loft.
The Overall Most Forgiving Driver -Taylormade Sim Max
Features
- Comfortable look and alignment
- Higher MOI than any other SIM driver
- 460CC Head
- Injected speed face technology
- Sole design allows for less aerodynamic drag
- Twist face technology & Inertia generator
- Adjustable Loft
- Also available in SIM MAX D (draw bias)
Taylormade Sim Max Driver
We rated the Taylormade Sim Max driver as our overall most forgiving driver and for good reason. In recent years Taylormade have dominated the driver market, constantly seeking to improve their latest models with innovative and technological advancements. The Sim Max driver epitomizes these advancements.
SIM stands for shape in motion, the name given to it due to its aerodynamic sole design, this allows for reduced drag coming into the impact position. the speed injected face on the Sim Max allows for optimized face flexion which means maximum distance. You might be thinking, yeah these features sound great but what is it that really makes this driver so forgiving?. Its the positioning of the inertia generator, this provides more weight at the back of the driver allowing for higher launch angles and incomparable forgiveness.
The Taylormade Sim Max driver is also available in a draw bias form called the Sim max D. This driver is for all those slicers out there! we discuss this driver in more detail further down our list. The Taylormade Sim Max driver is no doubt the most forgiving driver currently out there, However as you probably guessed this driver has quite the price tag. Buying one new is going to set you back somewhere between 430 and 500 dollars. If this kind of price range isn’t right for you, we got you covered! Our next driver recommendations are our favorite budget options.
Best Budget Options
As we all know golf is an expensive game. Yes equipment matters but there are so many golf club manufacturers nowadays that make really good products. While the Sim Max is our stand out most forgiving driver, the following two drivers are also really good options. These drivers offer very similar forgiving features but with lower price tags!.
Most Forgiving Driver (Budget Option No1 )- Cobra King Speedzone Xtreme
Cobra King Speedzone Xtreme, credit Amazon
Features
- 460 CC Head
- CNC Milled face
- Speedback Weighting
- High MOI (highest MOI of any Cobra driver)
- Speedback Aero Design allows for greater speed
- Fixed 17gram Tungsten Weight at driver rear
- 6gram Interchangeable Weight on sole
- Adjustable loft (1.5 either way)
Cobra King Speedzone Xtreme
Cobra have always been a brand synonymous with hitting the ball absolute miles!!. This is largely as a result of the times when John Daly was at his best in which he played with cobra clubs. I mean, who can forget the way he used to hit the ball of the tee and if your too young to remember you better familiars yourself!.
Cobra to this day are still leaders in driver manufacturing and have released some very impressive drivers in recent years. But the King Speedzone Xtreme is tailor made for those higher handicaps out there seeking greater forgiveness. Lets run through some of its features that create this amazing forgiveness.
What really makes the Speedzone Xtreme so forgiving is a mixture of two things. Its the larger shape profile which has more weight in the perimeter and the 17 gram tungsten weight positioned at the rear of the head. Both this features combine to allow for a very high MOI, this results in those slightly off center hits going straighter and longer than the norm. The Speedback aero design and Speedback weighting also allow for greater speed and launch angles. The Speedzone Xtreme also offers the feature of adjustable lofts, allowing 1.5 degrees of change in either direction.
Best Driver for Slicers (Budget Option 2) – Taylormade M6 D Type
Features
- 460 CC Head
- 46Gram Inertia Generator
- Speed Injected Face Technology
- Draw Bias Design
- Aerodynamic Design
- Twist Face Technology
- High performing MOI
Taylormade M6 D Type
The Taylormade M6 D Type driver is our recommendation for all golfers searching for a more forgiving driver, that will also straighten out their slice. Of Course, this driver is also available in a non draw bias form, but our attention here is focused on straightening out that slice. You don’t see many high handicappers that hit a soft draw now do you? in fact the strong majority will struggle with a slice off the tee. Straightening out that ball flight will improve accuracy, hence providing more forgiveness.
Although the older model, the Taylormade M6 D Type also has a lot of the great features the Taylormade Sim boasts. Some of the key features being the 46gram inertia generator and twist face technology, which allow for greater launch angles and a high performing MOI.
What is really cool in this design is that Taylormade have gone about another way of providing a draw bias, rather then designing an offset driver. The face is slightly closed but the design on the crown make it look square and there is also an internal weighting in the heel of the driver. This is great for people who don’t like the appearance of an offset driver, these two features allow for the face to square up quicker through impact. Seen as the M6 range of drivers were released in 2019, you should be expecting to pay somewhere in the mid 300s. If you have a higher budget, check out some of the other draw bias drivers that made our list.
Most Forgiving Drivers- Other Great Options
Ok, so far we have highlighted our overall best option and our budget options in the search for the most forgiving driver. If at this point your still unsure of which driver best suits you, not to worry. Below, we have included our other driver recommendations that also provide great forgiveness!.
Forgiving Driver Option 1 (Launcher HB Turbo)
Features
- 460 CC Head
- Turbo Charged Cup Face (increased ball speed)
- Aerodynamic Design
- Ultralight Hosel (redistributes weight for more solid hitting)
- HiBore Crown Technology
- High Performing MOI
Cleveland Golf Launcher HB Turbo
Id imagine that like me when you think of Cleveland the last thing that comes to mind is a super forgiving driver. Historically Cleveland have been known for their top of the range wedges, they even discontinued their other club offerings for a few years. However, in recent years Cleveland have returned with a vengeance and the Launcher HB Turbo might be their best offering yet.
The Launcher HB Turbo has a really nice look and feel and the black carbon design makes it quite easy on the eye. The 3 nubs on the crown of the driver designed primarily for aerodynamic purposes allow for extra clubhead speed but also provide easy alignment. Turbocharged cup face technology allows for a smoother energy transfer which results in greater ball speed and increased forgiveness. Another key feature in this driver is the ultralight hosel, this allows for the majority of the weight to be redistributed in the lower-back part of the head. this allows for higher launch angles and overall more solid hitting.
The Launcher HB Turbo driver truly has been designed with high handicaps in mind. It is an ultra forgiving driver with all the key features to ensure you get more consistency off the tee. Best of all this driver wont break the bank! you should expect to pay anywhere in the mid-low 300s.
Forgiving Driver Option 2 (Mizuno ST200)
Features
- 460CC Head
- Cortech Design
- Carbon Composite Crown
- Forged Beta Titanium Face
- Adjustable loft
- Wave Sole Technology
- High Performing MOI
Mizuno ST200
Mizuno is a brand that is mostly known for their irons, in particular their knife like blades. Of course blade irons are not for the every day golfer, however, the Mizuno ST200 is just that. Mizuno have always upheld the highest quality when designing clubs and the ST200 is no different. Only difference here is that it was created exactly for the every day golfer seeking more forgiveness, rather then the ultra elite golfer. Saying that, they really did optimize this driver for incredible forgiveness, so lets look a some of its features.
first things first, the clubface is made with a beta titanium. This offers a stronger and more explosive connection. The carbon composite crown is ultralight, which allows weight to be transferred lower within the clubhead. Meaning higher launch angles. Wave technology in the sole of the head allows for optimal forgiveness when striking is off center. What really allows for high MOI levels is the 11.6 gram weight located on the sole of the head, this reduces spin rates, meaning less curvature on mishits.
All and all a really good creation by Mizuno which caters to higher handicappers seeking improved forgiveness. No doubt this driver can compete with the best of them in the field of forgiveness. Maybe not ideal for the budget conscious golfer as your looking at about 400$. However when comparing to other brands of similar quality its really quite good!.
Forgiving Driver Option 3 (Taylormade Sim Max D)
Features
- 460CC Head
- Speed Injected Technology
- Twist Face Technology & Inertia Generator
- Larger Face profile (compared to Sim Max)
- Draw Bias (internal heel weight)
- Sole Design (less aerodynamic drag)
- Adjustable Loft
Taylormade Sim Max D Driver
The reason this driver is so far down on our driver recommendation list is not because of quality. Simply only because we have recommended the Sim Max as our overall most forgiving driver and the two are virtually the same minus a few features. These features are of course what allows for the draw-bias. At the same the Sim Max D driver is purpose built for a reason otherwise and a good reason at that. So lets look at the features and see what the main differences between the two.
On Appearance some may fail to see the difference between the two. However the Sim Max D actually has a larger club face, in fact 18% larger!. This has been cleverly designed using smart graphics on the driver edge in a way that its not noticeable. It boasts all the same great features such as twist face & speed injected technology, inertia generator, aerodynamic sole design and adjustable loft options. All of which are what add to a high performing MOI and overall forgiveness.
What makes it different is its draw bias, this has been done by adding an internal weight to the heel as well as a smart design element. this is a divergent topline masking which makes the driver face appear more open, this helps the golfer feel like they have to close the face more at impact. The combination of these two features is what helps slicers of the golf ball straighten out their flight.
FAQS
Which Driver is the best value? while the saying “you get what you pay for” is true, each driver on this list is of value it just depends which one fits into your budget.
Is the Sim Max D better for me then the regular Sim Max if I slice the ball? this depends on how big a slice you hit and how disruptive it is to your game. If its more of a fade than a slice and its your go too shot maybe stick with the regular Sim Max. If your slice is killing your game and causing you to lose serious distance, the Sim Max D is probably better for you, as it will somewhat neutralize it.