Drivers

A driver is a wooden golf club which is also known as the 1-wood. The driver is the longest club present in a golf bag and it also has a bigger head than other clubs.

The goal of a driver is to get the ball as far as possible towards the green. Because of this reason, drivers are typically used for first strokes from par 3 to par 5s.

The loft angle in a driver starts from 8.5 degrees to 13 degrees.

Drivers with smaller angles are designed to launch the ball on a low trajectory whereas bigger angles promote high trajectory.

Characteristics of a Driver

A driver has the following features or characteristics that make it unique:

• The shafts of a driver are made with graphite.
• It is longer than other kinds of clubs
• The Clubhead is the largest and the hitting area is also pretty huge
• Clubhead size is measured in volumes and it can normally go up to 460cc.

As far as the size of the driver goes, if you are a beginner use a driver with a large volume.  This will let you hit more off-center shots. Skilled players tend to use drivers that are less in volume. Using a lower cc driver will get you better workability in a short-range. If you have accumulated enough skills for a lower cc driver then, you could give it a try.

When to use a Driver?

Drivers are used for making a shot inside the tee box i.e, the shots with a driver will cover more distance.

So, if a tee is far away then, using a driver will lend you a helping hand. A shot on say, Par 4 from the tee box is much more efficient if you are using a driver.

There are some golfers that kind of use iron clubs for tee shots but for beginners, a wooden driver is highly recommended.

How to choose the right drivers?

Selecting a driver because of its look is not a perfect reason to buy it. There are certain factors in place that will help you select the right driver. Most golfers struggle to find the perfect driver but a few things are using which you can find an appropriate driver for your playstyle.

So without wasting time, let us get into it!

Build material

There are many materials from which a driver can be made. Most drivers are made up of steel and they cost a little. On the other hand, there are expensive drivers with fancy material such as composite steel or titanium. The best drivers are titanium drivers with graphite shafts but these cost more money. The reason why they are the best is that they are lightweight. A lightweight driver is generally best for increasing the distance on the shots.

Size

The driver you choose should have the appropriate size. Now, this is a bit tricky because different people have different kinds of build and weight, the size differs accordingly. The drivers' head should have a bigger size though. Bigger head means more reliable shots which in turn increases the speed and distance of the ball.  The selection of the head size normally depends on your skill level. Also, the overall size of the driver depends on your build, weight, and comfort.

Loft and Shaft

Probably the most decisive factor is the loft and the shaft of the drive. The loft is the angle of how high or low you can hit the ball. A higher loft means more distance. If your goal is to slice the ball then you should get a driver with less loft. On the contrary, a hooked shot may need a driver with more loft. The shaft of the driver is another thing altogether.  A driver with a shaft length of 44 inches is ideal. Longer shafts will help you increase the distance on the shot but you will be trading accuracy with distance.

Popular drivers brands

There are many driver brands with their designs and feature set. Here, we will go over some of the most popular ones:

TaylorMade

TaylorMade is one of the best brands in driver manufacturing. There are many good drivers such as the M2, M3, and M4 that come with different features directed towards different needs. The TaylorMade driver comes for all kinds of playstyle, so you can use a TaylorMade driver whether you want to hook, slice, or perform a straight shot.

Callaway

Slicing a ball is a common mistake ( or a smart strategy) in golf. Sometimes you want slice while sometimes you don't. Callaway drivers are the ones to buy if you are looking to minimize the slice. For instance, the Callaway Rogue Draw driver is a very good driver at this and it also comes at an equally reasonable price.

Cobra King

Cobra Drivers are mainly targeted towards beginners so they come with much forgiveness. Also, most cobra drivers are a bit on the pricey side because of the Titanium build and strong shaft. These drivers also provide some pretty good anti slice tech to help out golfers.