Kick Start Your Game With The Most Forgiving Drivers

A golfer’s driver is their jump starter and tone-setter for the game. Even for someone just getting into the habit of playing golf.

So choosing the right driver is key to consistent drives. For the best performance, the driver most suited to your swing is the best option.

To get you started, we’ve reviewed the most forgiving golf drivers:

• Callaway Epic Flash Driver
• Cobra F-Max Superlite Offset Driver
• TaylorMade AeroBurner Driver
• Tour Edge HL3 Driver
• Callaway Big Bertha Alpha 815 Driver

Boost Your Game With Practice and a Forgiving Driver

Of course, you should practice your swing and accuracy regularly. But there’s absolutely nothing wrong with a little assistance from your equipment. And that’s where forgiveness comes in.

If you think your stroke isn’t up to scratch, take some time to work on it and combine your new-found skills with a forgiving driver.

Not sure if your swing really hits the sweet spot? Check this helpful video for tips and tricks.

What to Look for in a Forgiving Driver

Forgiveness in a driver is how well it allows you to swing naturally without being affected by its weight. It should also maintain good performance even with an off-center shot. That is, be forgiving of less than perfect swings.

Forgiving drivers are also designed to work well with slower swing speeds. For this reason, they are favored by golfers with high handicaps.

There are several elements that contribute to forgiving drivers. Let’s take a look at each now.

Head Size

Perhaps the most noticeable thing about clubs, head size is an important factor in a driver’s level of forgiveness. A larger head not only increases your chance of teeing off with success but also hitting with more strength.

As such, you should select a driver with as large a head as possible. The maximum size a driver’s head comes in is 460 cubic centimeters (460 cc). Additionally, some heads come with alignment arrows marked on them to make it easier for you to swing and hit with accuracy.

Loft

Loft degree is the measure by which a clubhead’s face is tilted from vertical. Loft determines how high a ball goes when it’s hit. In drivers, loft is generally lower than in other clubs.

This low angle is what makes them great for long-distance shots. However, a slightly higher loft makes for a more forgiving driver.

For the most forgiving drivers, choose loft degrees that are higher than average, usually 10 or 12 degrees.

Face Angle

This is a measure of the clubhead’s tilt from the horizontal. It comes in three categories: closed, square, and open.

A closed angle makes the face point slightly inward, a square angle makes the face flat, and an open angle points a little outward. Face angles affect the ball’s trajectory.

Closed angles are the most forgiving. That inward tilting allows the clubhead to make contact with the ball in a square orientation, which improves aim. For maximum forgiveness, find a driver with a closed face angle.

Shaft

The shaft’s influence on a driver’s forgiveness comes down to several things including flexibility, length, and weight.

As a general rule, the higher the flexibility, the more forgiving the. The increased flexibility adds power to the swing since the club acts almost like a whip. It also makes for a higher moment of inertia. This allows you to do well even when you miss the sweet spot.

Shafts come in five categories of flex: extra stiff, stiff, regular, senior, and lady. This usually depends on the material used in the shaft; usually steel, titanium, or graphite.

The shaft’s length and weight are also important. Lightweight shafts have a lower center of gravity, closer to the head. These are easier to swing with, which makes them more forgiving.

As for length, while it ultimately depends on your height and arm length, shorter lengths may allow you more control over the ball.

Budget

Price matters. You don’t want to spend too much on a driver that you won’t use often. Nor should you want to buy something cheap made with poor quality materials.

Decide how invested in golf you are before you buy something at the top-end of the scale.

Now that we’ve looked over the important things to consider, let’s do a review of the five most forgiving golf drivers. Then we’ll find out which one stands out from all the rest.

Callaway Golf 2019 Epic Flash Driver

A revolutionary design by Callaway, the Epic Flash Driver features new technology Callaway calls “Flash Face.” The face is designed with the express purpose of giving the ball more speed.

It also features a jailbreak internal stiffening mechanism that stabilizes both the head’s crown and sole. This should allow more impact load to be imparted to the face, hence increasing the ball’s speed.

Additionally, the head is constructed using a lighter-than-usual triaxial carbon fabric, which is tightly weaved. The idea is that the lightness increases the head’s moment of inertia and makes the driver more forgiving on off-center shots.

Moreover, the driver comes with an adjustable perimeter weighting which allows you greater control over the ball’s flight.

Pros

• AI face design
• Increased moment of inertia
• Crown and sole are highly stable
• Adjustable perimeter weighting
• Available at loft degrees up to 12

Cons

• Paint defects and face markings from ball contact have been noted

Cobra Golf Men’s 2019 F-Max Superlite Offset Driver

Designed with ease in mind, the Cobra’s F-Max Superlite Offset Driver is made with a lighter shaft, grip, and clubhead. The ultra-lightweight design makes it forgiving of those with slower swing speeds.

It features a forged titanium face insert with variable thickness and a larger sweet spot.

Moreover, the clubhead is slightly oversized with internal weight pads strategically placed in specific spots towards the heel. This helps decrease the potential for hooks and slices.

In addition, it comes with an alignment design to help you position the head in a square set-up. And an offset hosel design which helps correct the swing by delivering a square face angle on impact.

Pros

• Excellent value for the features
• The club is super lightweight
• Design aids alignment
• Corrects rightward shots

Cons

• Only available with a loft degree of 10.5  

TaylorMade Men’s AeroBurner Driver

Engineered for the purpose of speed, the AeroBurner Driver comes with a new kind of design: a raised center crown and a fin in the hosel. This reduces the clubhead’s aerodynamic drag, making it hit the ball at a higher speed.

SpeedPocket technology increases the sweet spot area and reduces spin. Just in case you miss hitting the ball dead front and center. It also comes with a lightweight shaft and a grip specifically designed to increase swing speed.

We like that the head features a little graphic that aids aligning it with the ground accurately.

Pros

• Made specifically for speed
• Reduces aerodynamic drag
• Reduces spin
• Has an alignment-aid graphic
• Generous sweet spot

Cons

• Some issues noted with durability

Tour Edge Golf-Hot Launch HL3 Driver

Manufactured with forgiveness in mind, the HL3 Driver comes with a titanium clubhead. This head features a face cup design that ensures maximum forgiveness for off-center hits. The face isn’t uniform in thickness, which also helps compensate for worky strokes.

Behind the face is a power channel that increases the ball’s speed and adds more forgiveness for the impacts that happen on the lower side.

Additionally, it features a rear sole weight which increases the depth of the club’s center of gravity. This final feature makes it forgiving of poorly aimed shots.

Pros

• Larger face area for a greater chance of good shots
• Variable face thickness to correct off-center shots 
• Low center of gravity provides more forgiveness
• Power channel amplifies the ball’s speed

Cons

• Only available with loft degrees up to 10.5

Callaway Men’s Big Bertha Alpha 815 Driver

A new category of drivers according to Callaway, the Big Bertha Driver provides maximum distance with low spin and high forgiveness. This happens via its forged composite crown, which reduces weight, and its adjustable center of gravity.

The club’s face uses R-MOTO technology to keep it light, stable, and allow for maximum power on impact.

It also comes with adjustable weights so you can set the driver to a neutral, draw, or fade bias. The hosel is adjustable to several loft and lie angles.

Pros

• Very adjustable club
• Club’s face is sturdier and lighter in weight
• Does not cause high spin 
• Available in loft degrees up to 12
• Quality engineering and top-level materials used in construction

Cons

• Working the adjustable mechanisms can be challenging

Conclusion

Now that we’ve examined the most forgiving drivers, it’s time to reveal the best. For us, the Cobra Golf Men’s 2019 F-Max Superlite Offset Driver is the clear winner for most forgiving driver.

The reasons for this are numerous. Firstly, it comes at a fair price point which means everyone can access this driver. It’s also lightweight for easy handling and the clubhead design provides a larger sweet spot and helps correct off-center shots.

We also like the markings that aid alignment and the clever hosel design. The latter helps restore face angle to the square position upon ball impact.

Do you have any thoughts on the forgiving drivers we reviewed? If so, we’d love to hear from you so leave us a comment below!