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Some golfers will tell you that the most important shot you need to make is the drive. With a well-calculated swing, you stand the chance to bring your ball closer to the hole and reduce your number of shots to clock in under par. In some cases, the drive will determine the fate of your success at a specific hole. If that first shot doesn’t take you where you need to go, you can pretty much kiss your birdie dreams goodbye.
For as important as the drive might be, not every golfer will find it too easy to achieve. That’s why driving ranges have become so popular - because players need to practice that highly technical swing. Now, before you scrutinize your skill, it’s equally important that you consider your gear. What many don’t realize is that the easiest drivers to hit can max out your chances of getting that coveted hole-in-one.
A vast majority of golfers will tell you that the driver is the hardest to hit - over approach shots and putting. But why is that exactly? All things considered, there are quite a number of factors that come into play when hitting a driver. And because many of these elements are out of your control, it becomes easy to see why the long shot can be such a challenging stroke to tame.
Compare your driver with the gentle putter. Once you’re on the green within a couple yards of dunking your golf ball, you’ll find that the process of putting can be easier to control. The slow swing speed and calculated directions allow simple estimation. Not only that, the decreased velocity also means that you’re in better control of where your golf ball goes.
In contrast to a putter, the driver requires full swing speed. During the wind up down to impact, there’s hardly any time for you to really fine-tune your strike. It doesn’t matter how much you estimated the shot before you actually made it - the slightest change in your body mechanics can severely alter the course that your golf ball takes from the tee.
Distance adds to the burden of achieving the perfect drive. For casual players, the average distance of a typical drive is roughly around 205 yards - and that’s a long way to go. For professionals, a drive can be as much as 320 yards. With your target several hundred yards away, visibility and distance estimation might not be the most accurate.
Another thing to consider is the direction of the shot. A ton of things could go wrong between your wind up and the strike itself. Hitting the ball anywhere else except dead square on your club face could result to a mishit that might bring your golf ball far from where it needs to be.
After you make the hit, there are a world’s worth of forces that work on your golf ball. Wind direction, drag, air resistance, and even altitude all have an impact on how your ball travels. So on top of the challenge of achieving the perfect swing off the tee and calculating the distance and direction, there’s the added burden of accounting for all the different elements that might work on your golf ball.
Now that we’ve established why drivers are so hard to hit, it’s time to discuss the qualities of a club that make that process a little easier. The most forgiving driver will neutralize some of the elements that make long shots so complicated, giving you better chances of maximizing distance and going the right direction even if you don’t necessarily hit the golf ball perfectly.
DESCRIPTION | OVERVIEW |
|---|---|
Club Head Size | The USGA Equipment rules state that the biggest driver clubhead allowed for tournament gaming is 460cc. More often, you'll find two main types of drivers based on clubhead size - these are 440cc and 460cc. For players looking for something a little more forgiving, 460cc should be the way to go. |
Club Face Size | The larger your driver's face, the more room it has to accommodate the ball. The most forgiving drivers tend to have much bigger club faces, expanding the sweet spot so you have more chances of hitting the ball at just the right area. Club face has a lot to do with club head size. In general, larger club faces are directly proportional with the size of the head itself. |
Moment of Inertia | Used to refer to the potential of a driver to twist or turn during impact. Moment of inertia is an important factor in buying an easy driver. High MOI means that even when you hit the ball off center, your driver isn't likely to twist, producing a straighter shot despite being mishit. |
Center of Gravity | This can move around depending on the club head's design. For a more forgiving club, lower CG's towards the back of the club head prove to be far more accommodating of poorly calculated shots. That is, even if you don't hit the ball dead center, drivers with CG's low and back will produce a reasonably forgiving launch. |
Loft | Referring to the angle of the club face in relation to the ground, an easy driver should have a higher loft angle. This makes it possible to launch the ball into the air even without the power or accurate impact on the face. The trade-off however is that these clubs have the tendency to produce more spin. |
Shaft Length | Can change drastically, but it depends on more than just your own height. If you're not quite used to driving just yet, a club that's a little on the short side (around 45-46 inches) should be right up your alley. Bringing your hands closer to the ground, a shorter driver minimizes your distance from the ball and thus improves your control and accuracy. |
The Cobra King F8 Driver touts clear-cut engineering that incorporates a range of features to improve your driving capacity. The machine milled face grips your ball at impact and releases it as you rise through the tail-end of the swing. This creates more lift, forcing your ball through the air with higher speed and greater distance.
All around the club face, Aero Strips reduce drag on the head, allowing maximum speed during the downswing phase. Its center of gravity - located lower and deeper in the head - was intended to produce higher trajectories for a more forgiving strike. But to match your specific needs, the CG on the club can be adjusted to two different settings. This moves the center of gravity so you can fine-tune your trajectory and distance depending on the situation.
Touting an engineered face curvature that corrects off-center shots, the TaylorMade M6 Driver makes it almost impossible to miss the sweet spot. The Twist Face design effectively reduces side spin, resulting to a straighter travel that lowers the impact of spin on ball direction. All of this - combined with a sleek aerodynamic club head silhouette - promises to increase your swing speed and accuracy.
Speed Injected with tuning resin, the TaylorMade M6 Drivers are individually tested and calibrated for fast, accurate, yet forgiving performance. And to make it even easier to hit the perfect drive, these clubs incorporate a lower, deeper center of gravity that launches your ball up and forward more consistently regardless of your shot.
Having earned a place in the golfing arsenal of beginners and seniors, the Cleveland Launcher HB Driver is among the most forgiving drivers you’ll find. Its carefully engineered silhouette was designed to cut through air, running smoothly through the downswing for maximum speed and power. The Launcher Cup-Face flexes ever so slightly into a gentle convex surface, bringing the ball to the center of the face in case you hit slightly biased to the left or right.
Its center of gravity, located deep and low within the head, scoops up your ball and throws it towards your target to give you height and distance even if you’re not a power hitter. And of course, this gives the club a high moment of inertia that keeps the face square and dead on as it transfers its energy from the head to the ball.
If you’re not achieving the distance and accuracy you want when you hit with a driver, then maybe you’re using the wrong one. The easiest drivers to hit let you produce relatively efficient shots even if you’re not the most skilled at precision. These clubs were designed to adapt to a player’s potential weaknesses, helping you drive your ball far even by augmenting the issues of your stroke.
So before you pay for those expensive driving classes, take some time to think about your equipment. You’d be surprised just how far a well-suited driver will take you and your ball.
