It’s that time of year again…what’s new in drivers for this coming season…. Time for the golf gurus to show us how they have reinvented the wheel (again). What if your driver is worn out, or maybe just tired. Perhaps the romance is over. If any of these are true, then it is time to check out what is new as far as the best golf drivers of all time.
Choosing The Best Golf Drivers Of All Time
The single most important thing to consider when choosing a driver is your ability to hit the ball with the sweet spot of the club. Manufacturers have gone to great lengths to make their drivers more forgiving, but, in reality, a mishit will not go as far, and will be off line. So, with this in mind, here are a few things to keep in mind when choosing the best golf drivers of all time.
Club Head Size (is it forgiving)
A lower handicap player can perhaps look at a smaller head, however, most seniors should opt for a larger head size.
Loft
The key here is to choose a loft that will maximize height while reducing spin. We know this sounds contradictory, but it is possible. A launch monitor can give you all this information. The golf ball you use also contributes to this. Rule of thumb is, lower lofted drivers produce more spin
Shaft Options Including Length
Most high end drivers will offer up shafts, some at no extra charge. Shaft weights vary between 45 and 75 grams
Adjustable Or Not…
If adjustability is important to you, there are many options out there that offer this. The best thing to do is only buy an adjustable driver if you have a swing that is repeatable. Otherwise, these adjustments can serve to confuse you
Trajectory (kick point)
This information is readily available from most club and shaft manufacturers, but, however, we would caution most golfers in regards to how to use this information. We would suggest that you work with a certified club fitter to digest information such as this
Overall Weight Of The Club And Swing Weight
The first thing we would do is to take your existing driver and have it weighed for overall weight and swing weight. Then, swing a few demo drivers, pick one that feels good and have it weighed, not only for overall weight, but also for swing weight.
Compare those two weights to your old club. It could be that your old driver is a weight that is not right for you. Keep in mind that three things affect the overall club weight; grip, shaft and club head. Where the weight is distributed will determine your swing weight.
The Best Drivers Of All Time For Older Golfers
Now that you have all this information, what do you do with it? Let’s take a look at some of the best drivers for older golfers for this season. We will do a men’s and ladies section for each manufacturer.
Taylor Made Drivers: Best Golf Drivers Of All Time
Men’s TaylorMade M1
The M1 has a 7 layer revolutionary composite crown that is both thin and light.
This weight savings allowed Taylor Made to give golfers an amazing 25 grams of weight to use in “multi directional adjustability” in their T-Track system.
This is Taylor Made’s longest driver ever, as stated in many testimonials PGA Tour professionals such as Jason Day.
Other PGA players using the M1 are; Ryan Palmer and Martin Kaymer.
Specifications:
- Available in RH and LH
- Lofts available are 8.5, 9.5, 10.5 and 12 degrees
- Club head is 460cc
- 3 aftermarket shafts are available; high launch (Fujikura Pro 60), a mid launch (Mitsubishi KuraKage TiNi Silver 60) and a low launch (Aldila Rogue Silver 70), 45.5 inches long as standard
- Flexes available are light (seniors), regular, stiff and x-stiff
- D4 swing weight can be changed on request
- A choice of 460cc and 430cc clubhead
The 12 position sleeve also gives an additional 4 degrees (+/- 2 degrees) of loft flexibility. The M1 offers 3 aftermarket shafts as well. As we mentioned earlier, this adjustable driver is best suited to the older golfer that is confident in his/her swing being somewhat repeatable. A custom fitting is recommended.
Mens TaylorMade M2
M2 is made of the same material as the M1, however the weight savings allowed Taylor Made to lower the CG (center of gravity).
This low CG makes this driver one of the longest on the market, and worth being mentioned as one of the best golf drivers of all time.
Specifications:
- Available in RH and LH (HL not available in LH)
- Lofts available are 9.5, 10.5 degrees and HL (High Launch)
- Club head is 460cc
- 3 aftermarket shafts are available; high launch (Fujikura Pro 60), a mid launch (Fujikura Pro 50), in addition to the TM Reax 45 (Standard offer), 45.75 inches long as standard.
- Flexes available are light (seniors), regular, stiff and x-stiff
- D3 swing weight can be changed on request
This club also has an enlarged sweet spot making it very forgiving. The 12 position sleeve also gives an additional 4 degrees (+/- 2 degrees) of loft flexibility. Although this driver is geared towards recreational golfers, we would have no problem recommending it for more accomplished players.
PGA Tour players such as Dustin Johnson and Sergio Garcia have recently switched to this driver from the M1.
TaylorMade M2 Ladies
The M2 is also available for ladies. All the characteristics of the Men’s version are standard for the Ladies club.
Specifications:
- Available in RH only
- Lofts available are 10.5 degrees and HL (High Launch)
- Club head is 460cc
- TM Reax 45, 44.5 inches long as standardC9 swing weight can be changed on request
- LPGA players that have put the M2 in their bag are; Jessica Korda, Paula Creamer, Natalie Gulbis and Anna Nordqvist.
Cobra Drivers: Best Golf Drivers Of All Time
Men’s Cobra King F6
The King is back. After a prolonged absence, the King series of Cobra drivers has been resurrected.
It seems like a lifetime ago that Cobra emerged on the scene with Greg Norman as their staff professional. This driver epitomizes Cobra’s slogan, “We are cool stuff that works”. From the speed channel designed to minimize loss of ball speed on.
From the speed channel designed to minimize loss of ball speed on off center hits, to the MyFly8 adjustable hosel that can alter lofts from 9 to 12 degrees, this club delivers as promised.
From a feel standpoint, the club has achieved a lighter and thinner crown, which allows for a full 10 gram weight on the sole, fixed in two positions (front and back) to optimize trajectory and ball spin. If you want a lower launch, the weight should be placed in the front, and conversely, back if you want a higher launch angle.
If you want a lower launch, the weight should be placed in the front, and conversely, back if you want a higher launch angle.
Specifications:
- Available in RH and LH
- Lofts available are 9, 9.5, 10.5, 11.5 and 12 degrees
- Club head is 460cc, colors available-black, white and blue
- The standard shaft is Matrix Red Tie 60Q4, 45.25 inches long
- Flexes available are light (seniors), regular, stiff and x-stiff
- D4 swing weight can be changed on request
Ladies Cobra King F6
All the same characteristics of the men’s club are made available in the ladies as well.
Specifications:
- Available in RH and LH
- Lofts available are 10, 10.5, 11.5, 12.5 and 13 degrees
- Club head is 460cc, colors available
- The standard shaft is Matrix Red Tie 50Q4, 44.5 inches long
- Ladies flex only
- C7 swing weight can be changed on request
Callaway Drivers: Best Golf Drivers Of All Time
Callaway Men’s XR16
Callaway describes their XR16 as “Forgiveness Meets Fast”. No NASA aeronautical engineers here…just Boeing ones. How did they make this a faster club?
According to Callaway, “By pinpointing the size and placement of our reengineered Speed Step to save weight and add more speed”. It sounds like a lot of tech-speak.
What we are talking about here is, just as in the previous reviews, is lowering of the CG (Center of Gravity) and developing a more forgiving sweet spot distributing the weight more efficiently.
The OptiFit hosel allows for loft adjustments of 3 degrees (1 degree down and 2 degrees up) on all head configurations.
PGA Tour professionals using the XR16 driver include: Patrick Reed, Phil Mickelson and Henrik Stenson.
Specifications:
- Available in RH and LH
- Lofts available are 9, 10.5and 13 degrees (13 degree is available in LH custom only)
- Club head is 460cc
- The standard shaft is a Mitsubishi Bassara 52
- Many upshafts available at no charge
- C8 swing weight can be changed on request
Callaway Ladies XR16
Callaway has always been one to offer most of their products in ladies models. And before we go any further, though, if you’ve read this far, you must be really passionate about Golf, so why not utilize this to your advantage to connect with other like-minded people on platforms like Twitch? Oh, and don’t worry about making the correct connections—the Streamoz team will take care of that!
LPGA Tour professionals using the XR16 driver include: Lydia Ko, Morgan Pressl and Sandra Gal.
Specifications:
- Available in RH and LH
- Lofts available are 10.5 (RH only) and 13.5 degrees -clubhead is 460cc
- The standard shaft is a Fujikura Speeder Evolution 565 Red, 44.75 inches long
- Many upshafts are available at no charge
- D3 swing weight can be changed on request
Adams Drivers: Best Golf Drivers Of All Time
Adams Men’s Blue
The Adams Blue System extends beyond the driver. It is, simply put, a design that “launches the ball easily into the air”, as Adams puts it. How does Adams explain this?
The sole slot, and it’s Variable Slot Technology, allows the golfer to attain more shaft flex ( utilizing a .320” tip instead of the typical .350” tip) resulting in higher launch angle and faster ball speed.
Just as the previous manufacturers, Adams is lowering the CG (Center of Gravity) and moving it further back. Again, this maximizes launch angle while reducing spin. Another characteristic of Adams drivers is that they seem to be an easy club to enhance a draw bias.
If what you want is a lighter club that is easy to hit and gets up in the air in a hurry, then you will love the Adams Blue. This club may not have the high performance and feedback of some of the others reviewed in this article.
Specifications:
- Available in RH and LH
- Lofts available are 9.5, 10.5 and 12 degrees (12 degree is not available in LH)
- Club head is 460cc
- The standard shaft is a Aldila Slimtech-45.5 inches in length
- Shaft flexes available-light, regular and stiff
Adams Ladies Blue
Adams is another manufacturer that is particularly “Lady Friendly”, with it’s lighter weight and ease of swing capabilities.
The Blue is a driver that is just plain “Easy to Hit”. This makes it very popular with beginners as well as novice golfers.
Specifications:
- Available in RH only
- Only available in a 12 degree loft
- Club head is 460cc
- The standard shaft is a Aldila Slimtech 45, ladies flex
- Length is 44.5 inches
Ping Drivers: Best Golf Drivers Of All Time
Men’s Ping G
Ping decided that the high numbers was getting too confusing, so they simplified their G model completely.
Ping’s dragonfly-like design on the crown was inspired an approach called “biomimicry”. What this does from a design standpoint is to make certain sections of the crown ultra thin and, you guessed it, lighter as well.
Tour player Bubba Watson has gained 2 MPH swing speed and 4 MPH ball speed with the G driver. That equates to 10 extra yards for him.
You can still adjust the loft of this driver +/- 1 degree using their Trajectory Tuning 2.0 hosel sleeve. In layman’s terms, it means you still have the ability to change the loft of this driver.
The weight savings was then lower and farther back in the cavity to lower the CG (Center of Gravity). Vortec Technology (cavity or dent at the back of the club head), turbulators (angled ridges on the crown) and a strong T9S (titanium that has a high strength to weight ratio) face makes this the longest, most forgiving driver Ping has ever made.
PGA Tour players such as Bubba Watson, Hunter Mahan and Louis Oosthuizen use this driver.
Specifications:
- Available in RH and LH
- Lofts available are 9 and 10.5
- Club head is 460cc
- Alta 55 shaft is stock-other shafts available at an upcharge-45.75 inches in length is standard
- Flexes available are light (seniors), regular, stiff and x-stiff
- D3 swing weight can be changed on request
Ping Ladies Rhapsody
Dating back to Ping founder, Karsten Solheim, Ping has led the way in participating and growing women’s golf in the world.
Look no further than the ladies version of the Ryder Cup, aptly named the Solheim Cup. However, Ping does not have a new ladies driver.
Their Rhapsody remains their offering for ladies. Crown turbulators are used on the Rhapsody just as they are in the Men’s G driver.
Lofts are adjustable +/- 1 degree and it has a heel-weighting system to help get the clubface square at impact.
The Rhapsody is designed for slower swing speeds, and is able to utilize their technology to maximize distance and forgiveness.
Specifications:
- Available in RH and LH
- 12 degree loft only offered
- Club head is 460cc
- ULT 220D shaft is stock-other shafts available at any charge-45 inches in length is standard
- C7 swing weight can be changed on request
These are just some of the golf drivers for seniors on the golf market (with the exception of the Ping Rhapsody). A trip to your local golf store, or to most any golf course pro shop, will allow you to see (and hopefully try) some of these clubs. As a professional club fitter, we would encourage you to take advantage of this no charge service. Properly fit clubs, combined with a well-maintained practice regimen, should help improve your game.
5 Best Golf Drivers Of All Time For Seniors
It may surprise you that the top 5 best drivers are not necessarily the top 5 best drivers for senior golfers over 50 and senior golfers. With whichever driver you choose, you need to focus on the driver that maximizes your carry for your particular swing speed.best golf drivers for senior golfers and slow swing speeds
If you choose a driver that is optimized to maximize distance for high swing speeds, chances are the ball will launch too low when you hit it and you will lose a lot of carry distance.
For instance, the Nike Covert Driver is a beast of a driver for golfers with high swing speeds, but it performed well below the pack for golfers with swing speeds of less than 100 mph.
In addition, if you are a golfer over 50, you need to look at more than the brand to get a driver that will maximize your distance.
The Best Driver Specifications for Golfers Over 50
Loft
One of the most important aspects of selecting the correct driver is picking the best loft. The top drivers all come in lofts of 8 degrees all the way up to 14 degrees.
If you have a swing speed less than 90 MPH, you shouldn’t be hitting a driver with less than 12 degrees of loft!
Shaft
If you have a swing speed less than 90 MPH, you shouldn’t be hitting a driver with less than 12 degrees of loft! If your swing speed is less than 80 mph, choose a loft around 14 degrees to maximize your distance. Loft really matters!
If your swing speed is less than 100 MPH, you can maximize your distance choosing a shaft weight of 50-65 grams. Any heavier than this, and you will be using a lot of excess muscles to get the golf club going. Using additional muscles leads to poor consistency.
You can use a regular shaft if your driver swing speed is above 90 mph, but once it drops below that, you should consider using a senior shaft for accuracy and added distance.
Top 5 Golf Drivers for Senior Golfers and Lower Swing Speeds
Taylormade SLDR
Not only was the Taylormade driver the best driver for raw distance, but was also very impressive in the category of shot control and forgiveness. Overall, this may be the best (legal)golf driver that has ever been created.
TaylorMade blew away the second best competitor nearly 2%. That may seem small but could add up the difference between hitting a choked down 9 iron and hitting a wedge into the green. That is significant!
Specifications:
- Available in LH and RH
- Shaft is Fujikura Speeder 57 Graphite
- Flex: regular to X- stiff
- Loft 12 degrees to 14 degrees
- 250 plus different loft / weight customisation settings
- Creates shots with high launch and low spin
- Movable weight shifts driver CG
TaylorMade JetSpeed Golf Driver
You would think, as we did, that you could get the same distance from the non-adjustable, and less expensive version, the JetSpeed driver. But we would be wrong. The JetSpeed fell well short of the SLDR driver. You will be disappointed if you try and save money on this one!
Afraid of taking a risk on this driver? Forget about it! Taylormade is offering a 100% money back guarantee if you are not satisfied with the driver. That means you no longer have to decide on the range, you can play with this driver before you decide if you want to keep it.
Specifications:
- Low and forward CG for faster ball speed
- 46 inch long shaft
- Matrix Velox T 49 shaft
- Available in stiff or regular shaft
Callaway X2 Hot
Following in the steps of the Callaway X Hot (which we own and love), the X2 Hot is a top-notch driver if you are looking for added distance with a swing speed slower than 100mph.
The X2 Hot does not get the same attention as the company’s flashier, more expensive models. But the results speak for themselves. If you have a slower swing speed, the X2 Hot beats the other Callaway models, hands down!
Specifications:
- Available in LH and RH
- Premium Graphite shaft
- Flex: regular, senior and stiff flex
- Loft: 9 degrees to 13.5 degrees
- All titanium driver
- Improved head shape and construction
- Adjustable hosel (+2° or -1°)
Ping G25 Driver Graphite Regular Driver
Does this look familiar? That’s because this driver was on our list of top drivers for senior golfers last year! Although the Ping did not upgrade the G25 for a reason, it still rocks.
Compared to the Taylormade SLDR, the Ping driver comes off of the face with slightly more speed and more spin. More spin means a higher ball flight so you do not have to increase the loft to get the same ball flight.
The super genius physics minded analysts will try and convince you that more backspin will reduce side spin and, thus, give you better control. Although there is some controversy around that point, the Ping 25 did significantly outperform the TaylorMade SLDR in forgiveness.
Specifications:
- Available in RH
- Graphite TFC 189 shaft
- 10.5°, 10.5°, 10.5° and 12° settings
- Flex: regular
- Adjustable hosel
PowerBilt AFO
And here is the big surprise! Out of nowhere, PowerBilt comes out with a driver that outperforms the biggest names in golf, placing it among the best drivers of all time. If you like to root for the little guy, and want to save some cash, this is a fantastic driver choice with results that will knock your socks off.
We have no idea how nitrogen improves ball speed…maybe it’s a gimmick. All we know is this driver is powerful, with substantial MOI to keep your golf ball in the fairway.
Specifications:
- Available in RH
- Ultra light Graphite 40 inch shaft
- Flex: regular and senior
- Loft 20 degrees
- Compressed nitrogen technology for swing speeds of 70 to 104 mph
Cleveland Golf Men’s 588 Custom Driver
Cleveland Golf’s Altitude series is a driver specifically designed for golfers with moderate to slower swing speeds.
The Altitude is a very lightweight driver with weighting positioned to increase your launch angle and carry. It also comes in a 12 degree loft which is the ideal loft for golfers with slower swing speeds to achieve maximum distance.
Specifications:
- Available in LH and RH
- Graphite shaft
- Flex: senior , stiff and X-stiff
- Loft; 9 degrees to 10.5 degrees
- Adjustable hosel with 12 settings
- Adjustable CG
- 460cc titanium head
Runner Up: Best Drivers For Older Golfers
The Adams Golf Men’s Speedline Super S Driver comes set as a 10.5-degree driver and is adjustable up or down 1 degree. A 4 th setting, 10.5F, flattens the lie.
The Adams Speedline head measures 460 cubic centimeters and the club is fitted with a 46-inch Matrix Radix shaft that weighs about 50 grams.
Specifications:
- Available in LH and RH
- 46 inch Matrix Radix Graphite shaft
- Flex: regular and stiff
- Velocity Slot Technology
