This Year’s Best Golf Drivers

Jim Furyk’s recent Transitions Championship win at Innisbrook Resort, Tampa Bay will undoubtedly inspire golfers to keep up with their practice. The major difference in your playing abilities may lie with your choice of clubs this season, and that’s why this guide was created. Some of 2010’s best drivers are out, and you really need to take the time in choosing the one driver that will get you closest to the pin. After all, the drive may be the most important hit you make on each hole. Without further adieu, here’s what you need to consider trying out. These clubs are not ranked in any way.

Adams Speedline Fast 10 – Winner of the Golf Digest gold medal award for overall performance, feel, innovation, and demand, the Adams Speedline is so aerodynamically efficient and forgiving, that your buddies will swear you were using a $500 TaylorMade. It retails for $300.

Callaway Diablo Edge: Diablo Edge Tour – Another gold medal winner, this $300 all-titanium driver has a huge club head with Callaway’s traditional cup face, which will help you launch the ball beyond your driving abilities. Despite its conservative look it scored higher marks than the Adams, but brand names aside, it’s all about the feel of the club in your hands. It has been touted to keep your drives straight, avoiding most nasty slices and hooks. Thus, this is a club that you would want to focus on accuracy if you’re not yet at the intermediate level.

TaylorMade R9 460 – This is probably the highest scoring driver in the gold medal category, and at only $300 as compared to the other drivers on this list, it should be the one you buy. It features an adjustable shaft which allows you to change the face angle, and we all know what that means: a fully customizable setup in which you can pre-determine where the ball will go. For instance, rotating the face a degree to the left will make sure that upon impact, the ball will travel to the left. An ingenious idea and a giant leap for the driver industry, this club should be more of a collector’s item than anything.

Ping G15 – A close rival of the TaylorMade R9 460, the Ping G15 has a lighter shaft weight, thus putting more mass into the club head and grip, and that directly translates into DISTANCE. Why? Because it offers a more balanced feel than most other clubs. It feels more natural when you swing, almost as if it were an extension of your body. For $300 this club may do more for your performance than some of the other drivers on this list, that is, if you’re looking to drive the ball as far as you can.

Cobra S2 – Another driver that offers distance options, the Cobra S2 has an adjustable hosel much like the TaylorMade which allows you to customize ball flight. It’s sleek black look scored high marks for being one of the coolest designs, and the only drawback is it’s heavier shaft as compared to other drivers. Some people do better with heavier shafts, so once again it’s all about how it feels in your hands. It also retails for $300.

Nike SQ Machspeed STR8 – Some people are just die-hard Nike fans, so I had to include this club. That’s not to say it isn’t great, however. At $300, it’s so aerodynamic throughout the swing, that it almost feels like the club is doing all the work for you. As the name suggests, it really does keep the ball straight, and about the only oddity one needs to get used to is the square head. If accuracy is your game, then this is definitely the club for you.

Tour Edge Exotics XCG-3 – While not one the more well-known drivers out there, it may be the strongest club head, combining tungsten and carbon. Maybe that’s why it’s the most expensive club in this guide at around $350. For the most part, this driver will benefit you if you are an experienced golfer, because it’s not as forgiving as the other ones mentioned previously. However, even on miss-hits it will launch your ball further than expected, which is why experienced golfers, with a tendency to be off line by a couple degrees will do best with it. There is a high consistency from shot to shot, seems to produce higher spin on the ball, and even the shaft is very sturdy yet flexible.

Source:

Golf.com