Ask any mid-handicapper what the crucial golf short is, and the answer you’ll likely get is the drive. The best golf drivers for mid-handicappers are needed to ensure the hole is started correctly.
The game can get challenging if no driver is heading to the target ad setting the approach from the fairway.
Unfortunately, many golf drivers are on the market today, some of which don’t meet the required standards. But you need not worry. We’ve curated a list of top drivers for mid-handicappers to make your choice easier.
Our pick of top-rated golf drivers for mid handicappers
For good reasons, the TaylorMade Stealth Driver is our top golf driver. With a 60-layer carbon face, this driver is lighter than that titanium. This means it’s more forgiving and transfers more energy to the ball. It also provides better ball speed.
The new 60-carbon layer twist face also contributes to more distance, distinguishing the TaylorMade Stealth Driver from other drivers as the most perfect when it comes to speed. The driver is compelling and provides consistent ball speeds whenever you use it. That explains why both mid-handicap golfers and high-handicap players can use it.
Five best golf drivers for mid handicappers reviews
There are many golf drivers for mid-handicappers on the market today. However, most of them do not meet industry standards. When buying your driver, consider whether the vendor is reputable.
To give you an easy time, we’ve reviewed the top 5 best golf drivers for mid-handicappers.
PXG 2022 0211 Driver with Graphite Shafts for Left or Right-Handed Golfers
Many mid-handicappers love the PXG 2022 0211 Driver because it has a low center of gravity. This, coupled with its high MOI design, ensures consistent dispersion. This driver is quite affordable compared to other drivers. It is durable because it has a titanium (Ti811) body, a titanium (Ti412) face, an internal TPE insert, and a carbon-fiber crown.
It’s 45 inches long and has an adjustable hosel. The driver is available in 12, 10.5, and 9 degrees, so you can choose the one you feel comfortable with. The titanium alloy on its hitting area is more flexible than many drivers. It also has a high yield strength, making it durable and sturdy.
If you are a golfer, you’ll be able to flex more at every impact and even produce a high ball speed without worrying about breaking. This makes it even more suitable for use on your face.
Its multi-material crown blends well with the titanium over its toe and heel area, making it lighter than the other drivers made purely from titanium. At its bottom, a pair of rails fan outward from behind.
The rails make the club’s bottom stiffer, which improves the club’s feel and sound. It also provides the PXG 2022 0211 Driver with a place where more weight is positioned for more forgiveness and higher launch.
The PXG 2022 0211 Driver is custom-built by hand to provide confidence off the tee. It has an excellent balance of ball speed and distance, giving you all the freedom you need while golfing. The driver is made with all golfers in mind, with a professionally versatile head design. It boasts a precision weight technology that utilizes one weight port to support optimum and exceptional forgiveness and trajectory.
The multi-material finish on this driver makes it look stylish. The shape of its head is a little smaller than some drivers, which can sometimes put you off. But you’ll get used to it as you continue using it.
The Callaway Golf Epic Speed Driver has changed the golfing industry forever, mainly because of its simple equation, creating a powerful impact on its performance and technology. Callaway is not just manufacturing drivers; the company frames the future of accuracy and speed.
This driver is among the greatest and latest drivers from Callaway. On matters of performance, it’s better than many drivers because of its flexibility and design. That explains why it is highly priced. The manufacturer’s idea here is to create something you can benefit from as a mid-handicapper.
At impact, this tool will ensure you have the MOI, power, and stability you need.
The Jailbreak technology this driver uses ensures it has horizontal and vertical stability on its head face. The Jailbreak Speed Frame is AI designed to improve its stability in the torsional and horizontal directions. The driver’s Flash Face is also AI-designed and professionally engineered to maximize the Jailbreak Speed Frame. This promotes fast speeds across expansive areas.
One thing you’ll love most about this driver is its aerodynamic head which is designed using advanced technology to reduce drag to promote higher head speed. The diver has a flat crown and tall ribbon, both designed for a more aerodynamic and precise shape that can help you generate more speed for your swing.
The proprietor’s Triaxial carbon covers a large area of the toe and crown, which makes this driver 16g lighter than the titanium crown. The engineers who designed this river have redistributed the saved weight to enhance forgiveness.
Pros
Accurate and precise driver
Advanced use of AI (artificial intelligence)
The crown is made of triaxial carbon, making it lightweight
Advanced aerodynamic golf head
Cons
Highly-priced – cost hard to justify
TaylorMade SIM MAX Driver, Fujikura Ventus Blue 6 Shaft
The TaylorMade SIM MAX Driver has a modern shape with Inertia Generator and an aerodynamic asymmetric sole that provides faster clubhead speed for more distance and ball speed. Its rear weight improves forgiveness because it creates a higher MOI. This revolutionary driver will make your life easier because it utilizes Speed Injected technology to optimize its C.O.R., where you mostly hit it while playing golf.
The technology optimizes ball speed across the driver’s face because it calibrates the heads to the legal speed considered as the threshold legal speed limit.
The features you’ll love most on this driver are its Twist Face, adjustable loft, and Speed Pocket technology. If your swing speed is average, you’ll be able to get a longer distance off-tee. The Twist Face technology utilizes a corrective face angle that will help you overcome your tendency to mis-hits, producing straight shots while getting a large face that boosts your confidence.
The TaylorMade SIM MAX Driver’s multi-material construction comprising steel, titanium, and carbon creates a head in which the weight is accurately positioned in the driver’s head for high MOI and ultra-low CG. The driver’s two-degree loft sleeve provides personalization and adjustability that optimizes the club for the face angle and trajectory you prefer.
Pros
It’s quite affordable
Best for slow swing speeds
Two-degree loft sleeve
Very high MOI
Cons
No adjustable weights, though it has an adjustable hosel
The TaylorMade Stealth Driver is in the family of Stealth HD and Stealth Plus. This is a group of new golf drivers produced by metal wood specialists. The TaylorMade Stealth Driver is unique because it has a fresh red face, comprising 60 layers of carbon, a fast in this industry.
This is something the proprietor has worked on for almost two decades. Since carbon is lighter than titanium, it will allow you to transfer energy more efficiently. It also improves ball speed by bringing the trampoline effect off the driver’s cube face.
The novel 60-layer Carbon Twist Face on this driver has contributed to more distance distinguishing this driver as the most perfect for speed. More so because of its shape. The polyurethane cover on the Carbon Twist Face features a revolutionary nanotexture technology that fine-tunes spin and launches to optimize the distance covered, no matter the playing conditions.
The Stealth driver’s acoustics also help get the job done, and you’ll love how the frame handles the ball. It quickly adds distance to the game, to the envy of your playing opponents. This driver is suitable for mid-handicap golfers and can be used by high-handicappers who do not depend exclusively on the driver’s forgiveness and want low spins.
The Callaway Golf 2022 Rogue ST Max Driver is among the top drivers on the market today. It’s best for ball speed, thanks to its Jailbreak Technology. Not only does this technology increase ball speed and forgiveness, but it also increases distance. It also boasts the X-Face VFT technology that boosts the moment of inertia.
The driver has a Triaxial Carbon Crown that will help you keep forgiveness as you hit the ball off-center. This club is lightweight, making it feel smooth as you take a full swing as you go for a long drive. The manufacturer implemented the Boeing Aero Package technology on the club head to optimize its speed and the effect of Speed Step, thus producing a higher level of comfort when you hit drives.
This drive offers up to 12 weight options and brand configurations for its shaft. It’s also available in three lofts: 13.5, 10.5, and 9 degrees. This driver is among the most stable and fastest drivers you can get in the market today. With a novel structure comprising the Tungsten Speed Cartridge, this driver keeps its weight down and provides depth in its head. This works toward increasing the speed while hitting off-center and provides a high MOI for better forgiveness.
Pros
Most forgiving, thanks to its Triaxial Carbon Crown
Swings smoothly because of the Boeing Aero Package
The Jailbreak technology used to increase the distance
Cons
Only available for men
Not adjustable
What to look for while buying the best golf drivers for mid handicappers
Golf drivers for mid-handicappers are designed differently. They come in different shapes, sizes, weights, and even quality. So, before you buy any driver, find out if its features suit your needs. Some of the factors to consider when buying golf drivers for mid-handicappers include:
Forgiveness
A driver with high forgiveness is best if you aren’t confident enough in your swings though you have an excellent mid handicap. Forgiveness will help support you as you play so you can feel comfortable. High forgiveness works well for mid-handicap golf players. Without forgiveness, you may slice your drives, costing you some shots as you play.
Pricing
Pricing is perhaps the most crucial factor when buying golf drivers for mid-handicappers. If you want a high-quality driver, you must be prepared to dig deeper into your pocket. Most beginner drivers are cheap, and for this reason, they don’t last long.
However, when buying a driver, consider the features you want so you don’t have to overspend. Work within your budget and try to get what you want. Whatever decision you make, never go for cheap drivers because they’ll cost you more in the long run.
Loft
As you might already know, having the highest loft doesn’t mean you’ll get the most significant distance. This is particularly the case when there’s an improvement in your handicap. That explains why you should choose a driver whose loft is adjustable. As you improve in singing your golf, you can choose to adjust the loft downwards to improve your distance off the tee.
Distance
Like many golfers, you’ll be most interested in a driver that complements your efforts. A driver incorporating distance in its specifications would be your best option because it will improve your swing speed as a mid-handicapper.
This is most important if you feel that distance is what can provide you with a competitive advantage rather than accuracy. It’s best to go for a faster swing speed without compromising your off-tee accuracy.
Shaft
As a mid-handicapper golf player, you can choose between a regular or flex shaft for your driver. You need to understand that these shaft combinations are today more complicated than they used to be. The shaft of your choice should have the right weight and the correct kick point for your preferred swing.
The only way to test a golf shaft’s performance is by using a launch monitor to custom a fitting. Alternatively, you can buy a paunch monitor that you can use to collect data whenever you need it.
Draw Bias
If you are a fan of slicing the ball, a draw-bias driver is one of the top golf drivers you should go for. But if slicing the ball isn’t your cup of tea, you better avoid the draw-bias structure. On the other hand, if you occasionally struggle with ball slices, you better look for an adjustable driver so you can set your driver to the design you like.
Adjustability
The funny thing about golf drivers is that their preferences may change with time. That’s why you need an adjustable driver that you can easily change to suit your current needs. The preferences change because your skills may improve with time. The good news is that most drivers are adjustable. The only thing you can’t adjust in a driver is its weight. So you need to consider weight before you pick a driver.
Head size
The size of club heads on different drivers varies. Some drivers have big heads with a large sweet spot to make it easier and more comfortable to hit a driver. Some have small clubheads, and some players claim to have lower confidence.
Head Size
Different drivers have different size clubheads. Many are similar, featuring large clubheads with massive sweet spots so golfers can feel confident when hitting drivers. Having a more prominent sweet spot enables golfers to mishit their shots off to the edge of the face and still have a desirable result.
Swing Speed
Your swing speed plays a significant role in deciding which type of golf driver to buy. If your swing speed is low, choose a lightweight driver so you can feel comfortable swinging it and even swing it faster. A heavy driver may lower your swing speed and make you hit shorter drives.
On the other hand, if you have high swing speed, you’ll feel more comfortable using a heavier or more oversized clubhead. Using a driver with a stiffer flex shaft would also be advantageous to help you gain more control.
Materials
Gone are when manufacturers used metal woods or persimmon woods made of steel. Today, carbon or titanium are used to make driver’s heads. Titanium has become the most popular material for making gold driver heads because it’s durable, light, and strong.
While using titanium or composite material, manufacturers can make lightweight 460cc drivers. This means you can swing your club faster, hitting the ball further and with high precision because of the large sweet spot on the driver’s face. Carbon can also reduce the overall weight of a driver when used on the rear section or the crown of the club head.
FAQ
What is the most accessible driver to hit a mid-handicapper?
The most accessible driver for mid-handicappers is a highly forgiving one. The drivers discussed in this guide are all great for mid-handicappers.
What is considered a mid-handicap in golf?
Deciding mid handicap in golfing is a subjective topic. However, it’s generally accepted that a mid-handicapper holds a handicap of 10-20 while playing. A mid-handicapper can shoot in the range of 7 over to 18-over.
A mid-handicapper can shoot at about 80 and sometimes at 90. These golfers are considered to be above average compared to many golfers because they are people who are probably getting lots of bogeys but will shoot some pars and the odd birdie.
Is it worth buying a new golf driver?
As a golf enthusiast, you understand there’s nothing as exciting as unwrapping a brand-new golf driver. They are worthy purchases. First, if you are a new golfer, you’ll need a more forgiving driver, but as your skis develop, you can upgrade your drive. Alternatively, you can purchase an adjustable driver, so you can adjust it to fit your new skills and needs.
What is a respectable handicap?
Although considered subjective, a respectable golf handicap is considered to be around 20 by most club golfers. On the other hand, golfers consider a handicap of below ten as good.
Does a driver lose distance over time?
Yes. Drivers do lose their distance over time. Fortunately, you can significantly reduce that time frame if you are a pro. The Metal or materials used in making drivers suffer from fatigue, wear and tear from constantly hitting the golf ball several times.
Wrapping up
Your search for the best golf drivers for mid-handicappers ends today. We’ve reviewed the best golf drivers for 2022 to make your choice easier. Choosing a golf driver is a personal choice, depending on individual needs.
But you should consider the factors discussed to help you get the best driver. Remember that the golf driver you choose will depend on your swing. When it comes to drivers, there’s no one-size-fits-all rule.
