6 Best Drivers For Beginners (…and 3 to avoid)

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If you’re just getting started then you need a driver that will keep the ball in the fairway and give you respectable distance even when you don’t hit it on the sweet spot.

With this in mind, I took a look at dozens of drivers and I think the best driver for beginners is the Ping G430 Max.

But that’s not the only option out there for you, here’s my breakdown of your best options…

Ping is one of those companies that quietly produces some top-level gear without the advertising fanfare of some of the other companies. The Ping G430 is one of those clubs that you don’t hear much about but should be hard to ignore.

The G430 is an upgrade from the previous G425 which was one of the most forgiving clubs on the market. While it’s not a massive upgrade, Ping did a great job of maintaining all the good things about the G425 and making some small improvements.

According to Ping, the G430 is longer than its predecessor. In my testing, it was, but only by a very small amount (which could have just been attributable to variances in my swing).

That being said, they certainly improved on the sound of the club. The G425 was not a pleasant sound but the G430 has a nice muted crunch that makes you feel good about your strike. This may not directly affect your shot, but it can help the confidence a little.

It has a rear weight (26g) and gives you the option to move the weight to change the club to have either a draw, fade, or neutral bias. This makes it a great option for those of you want a little help controlling the side spin.

One last note for those of you on a budget, since there isn’t a huge difference in performance between the clubs, you could save some money and go for last year’s Ping G425 Max.

When I first tested the new Callaway Paradym I thought maybe the launch monitor was wrong. But after going back to my old driver for a few swings I was able to confirm that this driver was absolutely launching the ball.

I was getting great ball speed and distance numbers, even when I missed the sweet spot. This club and the next pick below really outpaced the rest of them in terms of forgiveness and ball speed on mis-hits.

The only reason this club is in second place is that at $600 MSRP, it may not be the most sensible purchase for most beginners, although they would certainly benefit from it. In addition, I think the Ping G430 Max is just a little more forgiving on mishits even though it doesn’t go as far as the Paradym on well-struck shots.

The Rogue ST Max also comes in a “draw” version for those of you that tend to slice the ball. Generally, I am not a fan of draw bias drivers because I think they encourage bad swing habits, but if you’re a high handicapper with a slice that just wants to have fun on the weekends and not work on improving your swing, then the draw version of this club is the perfect option for you. 

The Callaway Mavrik is a couple years old at this point but still packs some of the best technology on the market that will help beginners make the most of their current swing while allowing them to maximize their potential as they improve.

On the sole of the Callaway Mavrik Max, you have two interchangeable weights that can help with MOI for forgiveness or help with a slice. At one setting it is designed to enhance forgiveness and the other weight placement adds a strong draw bias.

The upside of having this choice, you can regularly flip flop between the two to reflect how your game is going off the tee.

To generate more swing speed you usually need to swing faster. But Mavrik has a design that can help you squeeze out a few more mph without any additional effort.

Just like the Big Bertha B21 before it, the Mavrik Max has a T2C Triaxial Carbon Crown and jailbreak technology. Yet another way that the Mavrik Max helps to generate more swing and ball speed, these features work together to make the club more aerodynamic and help keep ball speed up even on mishits.

The bottom line is that you’re going to get excellent results with the Mavrik without having to spend big bucks for a current model driver.

Perhaps you’re the type of player who is looking to upgrade the driver in your bag, but don’t necessarily want to break the bank to do so.  We would encourage you to consider the Cobra RADSpeed driver.

The RADSpeed XB is the model in the RADSpeed lineup that has a bigger footprint and more weight towards the rear which makes it more forgiving and has a higher launch. It also features an internal weight pad positioned low and back to promote higher launch and straighter ball flights. 

Beginners probably should avoid the “regular” RADSpeed driver as it is less forgiving than the XB.

One thing to be aware of with this club is that it is louder than most. Whether or not you like that is more of a personal preference thing than it is related to actual driver performance. But I have heard some golfers say that a louder sound makes them feel confident hitting the driver and makes them swing smoother because they don’t feel the need to kill it to get that big sound.

Like most of the clubs on this list, this one is also adjustable so you can get a pro to help you dial in the right settings to maximize your distance and help correct some ball flight issues.

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