In this article, we review the best golf drivers that high handicappers love. As always, we present to you an unbiased review based on our expertise.

We have also tried to answer some of the questions you might have regarding choosing the best golf driver for you as a beginner or high handicapper.

You might also want to check out our other articles in the beginner series. For example, we have previously reviewed the best golf clubs sets for beginners and the best golf balls for beginners. These additional articles will help you as a beginner golfer to compare the best golf equipment for you.

At a glance

How To Choose The Best Golf Drivers for High Handicappers

As a beginner golfer or a high handicapper, you will need to select the correct driver to get the best tee shot. To choose the right golf driver for you, you need to select the best driver based on many factors.

1. Forgiveness – the best golf drivers, should have high forgiveness for you as a beginner golfer. Forgiveness means how the golf club reduces the effect of poor swings that are often at an angle. The higher your handicap, the more forgiveness you will need from your golf clubs.
2. Loft – Loft in golf means the angle of the golf club’s face. The loft is essential in controlling the golf ball’s trajectory and the distance that you get. Most PGA golfers use drivers with lofts of between 8.5 and 10 degrees. Some even carry higher.  As a beginner golfer, choose a driver with a suitable loft, which is often between the same range as PGA pro golfers.
3. Price – As a golfer with a high handicap, choosing the best-priced golf driver might be the easy way out. However, we advise that you choose between the value you get from the club and the price you pay for it.
4. Distance – you will need to choose the right golf driver for you depending on the distance between you and the target you are aiming for,

Best Overall Golf Driver for High Handicappers: Callaway Golf 2021 Epic Max Driver

What is the Callaway Golf 2021 Epic Max Driver?

The Callaway Epic Max Golf Driver is an excellent golf driver for high handicappers. It offers high forgiveness thanks to its engineering. This driver also comes with Callaway’s Jailbreak Speed Frame to help deliver higher stability and trajectory, thus allowing you get more lift and distance on every swing.

Its flash face optimizes the speed that you get while reducing spin.

It is made of carbon material thus is lightweight compared to other drivers made of titanium. This reduced weight also provides more forgiveness.

The features of the Callaway Golf 2021 Epic Max Driver are:

• It comes with a range of configurations – 9, 10.5, and 12 degrees
• 460cc head size offering a large enough sweet spot for your swing
• It comes with different shaft options – ladies, regular, stiff, and light.
• Velvet grip that gives a great feel
• It also comes in left and right-hand orientation

Why do I recommend the Callaway Golf 2021 Epic Max Driver as the Best Driver for Beginners?

The Callaway Golf Epic Max Driver is a high-quality golf club designed for distance and speed. It is our recommendation for the best golf drivers for high handicappers. Many beginner golfers report that they get increased distance straight off their first shot when they use this club. This means the club delivers on its promise of distance.

It also offers excellent forgiveness for you, thus reducing the spin rate and providing a much straighter flight for your golf ball.

Best Alternative Golf Driver for High Handicappers: TaylorMade SiM 2 Max Driver

What is the TaylorMade SiM 2 Max Driver?

The TaylorMade SiM 2 Max Driver is designed with aerodynamics in mind. It is simply one of the best golf drivers for high handicappers. The driver is lightweight, thanks to its graphite shaft. The combination of its lightness and aerodynamic design means that it delivers more speed and distance.

In terms of forgiveness, this club is also great. It comes with a large sweet spot thanks to its 460cc head and reduced weight to help promote a straighter trajectory and reduced spin.

The features of the TaylorMade SiM 2 Max Driver are:

• Available in both right and left-hand orientations
• It comes in a variety of shaft flex options – regular, stiff, ladies, senior, and extra stiff
• Available in three loft configurations – 9, 10.5, and 12 degrees

Why do I recommend the TaylorMade SiM 2 Max Driver as the best alternative golf driver for beginners?

The TaylorMade SiM 2 Max Driver is perfect for golfers with a high handicap. It provides increased distances with lots of forgiveness. Therefore, with every swing, you will have reduced spin.

Best Budget Golf Driver for High Handicappers: Cobra Golf 2021 Men’s Radspeed Driver

What is the Cobra Golf 2021 Men’s Radspeed Driver?

The Cobra Golf 2021 Men’s Radspeed Driver is a perfect option for beginner golfers under $500. It offers increased speed and forgiveness thanks to the Cobra Radial Weighting Technology.

The golf club offers a lightweight design that offers optimal speed, longer distance, and reduced spin.

Here are the features of the Cobra Golf 2021 Men’s Radspeed Driver:

• It comes in both right and left-hand orientations.
• Unique shaft options ranging from the Fujikura Motore XF1 to the XF3, and with also a graphite shaft option
• It comes in two loft configurations – 9 and 10.5 degrees
• The shaft flexibility options are stiff, regular, and extra stiff.
• 460cc size offering a more prominent sweet spot

Why do I recommend the Cobra Golf 2021 Men’s Radspeed Driver as the best budget golf driver for beginners?

The 2021 version of Cobra’s Radspeed golf driver is easily the best budget golf driver for high handicappers. It is lightweight and allows you to get a higher launch and reduced spin. This also delivers greater distance off the tee. So if you are looking for a great golf driver for you as a beginner, one that provides quality without compromising on delivery, this is an excellent option for you.

Best Golf Driver for High Handicappers Under $350: Cleveland Golf Launcher Turbo Driver

What is the Cleveland Golf Launcher Turbo Driver?

The Cleveland Golf Launcher Turbo Driver is the perfect golf driver for beginner golfers looking to keep their banks smiling. It comes with a graphite shaft that provides lower weight allowing increased ball speed and distance.

The driver has a higher sweet spot delivering more power in every swing.

The features of the Cleveland Golf Launcher Turbo Driver are:

• It is available in both right and left-hand orientation
• Lightweight graphite shaft
• It is available in 3 different shaft flex options – regular, stiff, and senior
• It comes in 3 different loft options – 9, 10.5, and 12 degrees.

Why do I recommend the Cleveland Golf Launcher Turbo Driver as the best golf driver for beginners under $350?

As a great option for the best golf drivers for high handicappers, the Cleveland Golf Launcher Turbo Driver won’t break the bank. However, it costs almost half what other premium golf drivers cost, and it delivers pretty well. Most golfers get 10 to 20 yards gained in the distance, and it has a large sweet spot and some decent forgiveness. This is one of the best golf drivers for the money.

Best Golf Driver for High Handicappers Under $150: MAZEL Titanium Golf Driver

What is the MAZEL Titanium Golf Driver?

The MAZEL Titanium Golf Driver has a 460cc large head and comes with a graphite shaft. This shaft is lightweight, delivering faster swing speed and greater distance. It is one of the most decent golf drivers for high handicappers.

Since this is a significantly low-priced driver, there is not much to say about it. However, here are some of the features of the MAZEL Titanium Golf Driver:

• Available in regular, stiff, and middle shaft options
• It only comes with a right hand orientation
• Lightweight graphite shaft
• Two loft options – 9.5 and 10.5 degrees

Why do I recommend the MAZEL Titanium Golf Driver as the best golf driver for high handicappers under $150?

Other than the price, which is ridiculously low and reachable for many, this driver also delivers on some great qualities. It is a decent driver but cannot compare to the $500 driver options. However, it gives some proper distance, forgiveness, and increased speed.

Frequently Asked Questions around the Best Golf Drivers for Beginners or High Handicappers

Is a 9.5 or 10.5-degree driver better?

The driver’s loft is the angle of the club’s face as it relates to the shaft. The only club with a lower loft than the driver is the putter.

Drivers are designed with lofts of between 8 and 12 degrees, but the most commonly used are 9.5 and 10.5-degree lofts.

As a beginner golfer or a high handicapper, the higher the loft, the better. Therefore, a 10.5-degree loft is better for high handicappers.

This brings us to our next question, which is whether to use a 10.5 or 12-degree driver.

Should I get a 10.5 or 12-degree driver?

The 10.5-degree loft is the one used by most high handicappers. It is also generally used by many PGA golfers. While a 12-degree driver offers higher launch, increased distance, and reduced spin, it does have some drawbacks.

For example, the 12-degree loft is less effective for golfers with high swing speeds, often above 110mph (177kph). With such high swing speeds, the golfer often does not need the reduced spin since their speed is extremely high. So the 12-degree loft may be overkill.

For golfers with slower swing speeds, the 12-degree driver might work for them. However, in most cases, even for slow swingers, this is just too much loft.

Is a 9-degree driver hard to hit?

The quick answer to this question is… NO. While the 9-degree driver has a lower loft than the 10.5 which is the most driver loft, it is still very beneficial.

The rule of thumb is that higher handicap golfers should use higher driver lofts. The reverse is also true where lower handicap golfers can use lower lofts.

With the right swing speed, lower handicap golfers can safely play with a 9-degree driver. However, the same would not apply for higher handicap golfers or lower swing speeds who will struggle to use a 9-degree driver.

What degree driver do most pros use?

Choosing the most suitable loft will help you get more distance and speed. For example, most PGA tour golfers use drivers with lofts of between 8.5 and 10.5-degrees.

Each PGA Tour golfer often has their preferred loft, and this depends on their swing speed. As a beginner golfer or one with a high handicap, you would also need to know your swing speed to know which loft would work best for you.

How much difference does 1 degree of loft in a driver make?

A half a degree of loft on your golf club creates a 1-yard difference in distance. Therefore, a 1-degree difference in the loft can increase or reduce your distance by up to 2 yards. Most golfers agree with this general rule of thumb.

With this in mind, it is crucial to choose the best drivers for you as a high handicapper, and we have reviewed some of the best options in this article.