Best Drivers for High Handicappers 2024

As a high handicapper, finding the right golf driver can be a challenging task. Fortunately, there are several top brands offering specialised drivers in 2024 to help golfers improve their game.

In this article, we will be taking a closer look at some of the best golf drivers for high handicappers from trusted brands in the industry. These include the Ping G430 Max 10K driver, Titleist TSR1 driver, Callaway Big Bertha driver, Wilson Dynapwr driver, Cobra DarkSpeed X driver, Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max D driver, PXG 0211 driver and Cleveland Launcher XL driver.

Each driver is designed with unique features to help high handicappers achieve greater distance, accuracy, and overall performance on the course. 

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Best Drivers For High Handicappers 2024

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Reviewed by Hannah Holden

Visually, this is Ping’s largest profile driver ever. That doesn’t mean the volume of the driver has increased, but rather, the shaping has been stretched for more forgiveness.

The 10k name in this driver is all about the forgiveness story. It refers to something called the MOI of the driver, which has come in at over 10,000g-cm². Basically, this is a measurement of how forgiving the club head is. MOI stands for moment of inertia, and it is all about how much the club head twists when you hit the ball out of the toe or the heel.

Ping has added a heavier back weight (28 grams) and a lighter Carbonfly Wrap Crown, which allows more weight on the back and perimeter of the club to drive up that MOI and give you more forgiveness.

The real difference, though between the G430 Max and the 10k is with the off-centre strikes. I actually felt I struck the ball worse with the 10k model, but still managed to get better data, which is definitely a win.

Importantly, this driver doesn’t just deliver forgiveness. I also got great club head and ball speed data, giving this a real all-around package. Definitely a club for amateur golfers to give a try this season!

PROS

• Extremely Forgiving
• Good Ball Speeds
• Flys high

CONS

• The slightly bigger club head may not suit everyone’s eye.

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• Read the full Ping G430 Max 10k Driver Review

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RRP: £599

Right-handed lofts: 9°, 10.5° & 12°

Left-handed lofts: 9°, 10.5° & 12°

Stock shafts: PING Alta CB (counter-balanced) Black 55 (SR, R, S), PING Alta Quick 35/45 (HL build only)

More information: Ping Website

Reviewed by Jack Backhouse

 I hit a few more shots with it and was really impressed with how easy it was to hit and how effortlessly I was able to get the ball in the air higher than I ever have. The first shaft I tried was the TSR1 specific shaft which is only 40g, and I loved it. The ball was spinning way too much to be optimal, but I didn’t want to stop using it as it was just so much fun.

The TSR1 is 40g lighter than any of the other TSR drivers, with weight savings in the head shaft and grip. This will allow players to move the club quicker and hit it further. It also has the lowest and furthest back centre of gravity, which provides a high launch and maximum forgiveness.

Overall this is a great addition to the TSR line-up; it will help slower players hit it higher and further whilst also helping low-spin players enjoy hitting driver more often. It won’t be for everyone, but it will help many golfers enjoy their games more.

PROS

• High launching
• Super light
• Really forgiving

CONS

• Not the best option for high-spin players

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• Read the full Titleist TSR1 driver review

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RRP: £529

Right-handed lofts: 9°, 10°, 12°

Left-handed lofts: 10° (9° and 12° custom only)

Titleist featured shafts: Mitsubishi MMT SpeedMesh 40 (Men’s) and 35 (Ladies)

More information: Titleist website

Reviewed by Jack Backhouse

The 2023 Big Bertha edition is big. The elongated crown has a generous profile and is a completely different shape from the Paradym models, which have been a huge success already this year. Putting it behind the ball gives you confidence.

I absolutely loved hitting this driver. I love the lightweight design, the draw bias, and just how easy the club felt to hit. I personally find some of the low-spin ‘good players’ drivers don’t have the same feel from the face as the more forgiving drivers do. I don’t like that harsh, fast feeling as It just makes me feel like I am going to toe the ball straight left, which is not a good thought when you are standing over the ball!

The Big Bertha has a big weight on the sole that’s close to the heel, which makes the driver draw biased. This may mean the driver might not suit hookers of the ball, but it’s really going to help those golfers who suffer with a slice.

I genuinely feel like I could put this in the bag, and it would help my game. It may not be the driver that fitters want me to play, but at the end of the day, golfers need help from the club. Yes, long distances on the driving range are nice, but I need fairways out on the golf course, and I believe the Callaway Big Bertha 2023 driver will deliver that for me.

PROS

• High launching
• Super light
• Really forgiving

CONS

• Not sure there are any!

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• Read the full Callaway Big Bertha 2023 driver review

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RRP: £499

Right-handed lofts: 9°, 10.5°, 12°

Left-handed lofts: 10°, 9° 

Featured shafts: There are too many shaft options to count!

More information: Callaway Website

Reviewed by Jack Backhouse

Straight away, the shaping is very different; it’s now much more pear-shaped than before and looks solid behind the ball. The red detailing is subtle but frames the head nicely. The head feels quite light in the swing, which encourages you to swing hard, which I really like.

On average, I carried this 262.4 yards, with my longest at 271. This is exceedingly long as I tested this club on a frosty morning at -2 degrees, so I wasn’t expecting much in terms of distance and speed.

The 156.4 mph average ball speed is pretty good, with my fastest at 162.6 mph probably one of the fasted ball speeds I’ve seen on test this year, so huge props to Wilson for that.

We can thank artificial intelligence for this impressive speed. Wilson, like many other brands this year, have enlisted the help of computers and A.I. to run thousands of calculations to produce a club face with variable thickness to maximise ball speeds.

Forgiveness is a huge factor when it comes to picking the right driver, and this has to be one of the most forgiving out available at the moment. It is also incredibly adjustable, which we didn’t see in last year’s driver, but this is a huge win for golfers who can now really customise their shot shape.

PROS

• Smaller, more classic shape
• Very forgiving
• Centred hits gave very competitive ball speeds compared to more expensive drivers
• Will suit slower swing speeds

CONS

• Non-centred centre of gravity won’t suit players who hook the ball

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• Read the full Wilson Dynapwr driver review

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RRP: £370

Lofts: 9˚, 10.5˚, 13˚

Featured shafts: Fujkura Ventus Blue & Project X HZRDUS Smoke Red RD

More information: Wilson Website

Reviewed by Hannah Holden

The Max driver has the largest profile in the Qi10 range, but it still looks great behind the golf ball and is likely more confidence-inspiring for the majority of golfers. I love the new infinity carbon fibre crown and how seamless the top of the club looks behind the golf ball.

I was really impressed with the high ball flight I got with this and the consistency of the flight. My ‘worst shot’ dispersion-wise finished only thirteen yards from my target, and from left to right, my dispersion was only 25 yards wide, which is absolutely insane. I’m not sure I have ever hit a driver so straight with a variety of strikes.

This driver is going to make an impact in the golf market this year. It offers serious levels of forgiveness that could improve the game of all golfers, from high handicappers to tour pros and it is going to be a serious contender for going in my bag this year.

PROS

• Confidence Inspiring Design
• Extreme Forgiveness
• High Launch

CONS

• None

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• Read the full TaylorMade Qi10 Max Driver Review

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RRP: £449

Shafts: Fujikura Speeder NX TCS 50 (S, R, A) and Mitsubishi Diamana T+ 60 (X, S, R) 

Lofts: 9°, 10.5° & 12°

The Qi10 Max also comes in a women’s version at 10.5° and 12.0° lofts with Fujikura Speeder NX TCS 40 shaft. A lightweight High & Light (HL) version of the Qi10 Max both at 10.5° and 12.0° lofts, will be available in custom. 

More information: TaylorMade Website

Reviewed By Hannah Holden

I really like the fact that although this is Cobra’s most forgiving driver model it doesn’t look too big behind the ball, yet is still confidence-inspiring. It’s a big win for Cobra in the looks category this year.

This driver is called Max for a reason, Cobra is aiming to deliver maximum forgiveness, maximum height, and maximum draw bias.

The back of the driver features a 12g weight that can be positioned at the heel of the club for the most draw bias or at the rear for a more neutral option. During my testing, I kept this at the back as I don’t need excessive amounts of help hitting a draw. I was seriously impressed with the results in terms of dispersion and consistency.

My average carry distance ended up at 229.8 yards, which I was really happy with. I really liked the fact my carry distance was very consistent across all three models in the Darkspeed range, which meant you could pick the best model based on ball flight, spin and shot shape rather than simply going for the model that flys the furthest.

PROS

• Easy to hit
• Great dispersion
• High launch
• Good balance of speed and forgiveness

CONS

• Not everyone needs draw bias

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• Read the full Cobra DarkSpeed Max driver review

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RRP: £429

Stock Shafts: Project X Hzrdus CB Red (A and R flex) | UST Mamiya LIN-Q M40X Red (R and S flex)

Grip: Lampkin Crossline

Lofts: 9°, 10.5° & 12°

More information: Cobra Website

Reviewed By Paul Miller

Straight away, I loved how the club sat behind the ball. I just wanted to hit it and see how it performed.

The club face is an AI Smart Face and offers something new to golfers, whereby it uses real player data to develop and provide golfers with a number of sweet spots on the club face. I would say that if you are looking to hit a controlled draw, this club definitely helps.

Overall, I was really impressed with this driver’s performance. When you are over the ball, you just want to hit it, and so it gives you confidence before you even hit the ball. Though I tend to play mainly with a fade, I was impressed with the results when trying to hit a draw. I felt the ball was under control and would be happy to use this when finding the fairway – be it with a fade or a draw.

Developing a driver with the new AI Smart Face is definitely an exciting move by Callaway, and though it is pricy, it will definitely provide you with control and consistency off the tee.

PROS

• Consistency
• Sits great on the eye
• Great for those wishing to draw the ball

CONS

• Premium price point

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• Read the full Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max D Driver Review

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RRP: £569

Shafts: Project X Cypher 2.0 | 40 G (LGT) | D2
MCA Tensei AV Blue | 50 G (REG | STF) | D3 & 60 G (STF ) | D4

Lofts: 9°, 10.5° & 12°

More information: Callaway website

Reviewed by Jack Backhouse

The Cleveland Launcher XL has a huge footprint and looks humongous behind the ball. The clever face design makes you feel like the hitting area of the club is big as well, which gives you the confidence you don’t need perfect swings all of the time.

The Launcher XL driver has a couple of features that result in high long drives. The first is 2 rebound frames that flex on impact which gives more ball speed. The other is that because the head is so big, they can move the centre of gravity lower and deeper to give a higher launch and low spin.

I also must talk about how forgiving the Cleveland Launcher XL driver is. Those recorded shots in my Flightscope were certainly not all out of the centre of the face and there really wasn’t much drop-off in distance. This forgiveness is probably down to the size of the head and the massive MOI it provides.

This is in to make the club feel more balanced and give more control to the player. It made the club feel heavier, which may be why my club head speed wasn’t as high as normal. There is also a Cleveland Launcher XL Lite driver available in the line if you do feel like you want something lighter.

PROS

• Huge sweet spot
• impressively long
• Great adjustability

CONS

• The elongated head could be off-putting if you’re used to something more traditionally shaped

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• Read the full Cleveland Launcher XL driver review

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RRP: £309

Lofts: 9°, 10.5°, 12°

Shafts: Project X Cypher 50 Shaft – A, R, S

More information: Cleveland Website

After more driver best of? Check out our Best Drivers, Best Drivers for Low-Spin and Best Drivers For Mid Handicappers!

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Best Drivers For High Handicappers 2024

High handicappers need drivers that cater to their specific needs and physical abilities, and choosing the right driver can make a significant difference in their game.

With top brands like Titleist, Ping, Wilson, Cobra, Callaway, and Cleveland offering specialised golf drivers for high handicappers in 2024, there are plenty of options to consider. With features like lightweight designs, adjustable weighting, and improved aerodynamics, these golf drivers can help high handicappers achieve greater distance and accuracy on the course.

Consider your own preferences and skill level to determine which driver is the right fit for you and get ready to enjoy improved performance and greater confidence on the course. 

How do we test drivers?

At National Club Golfer we are passionate about producing accurate and thorough reviews and make sure our testing process is rigorous so we get a good understanding of how each club performs.

Each driver is hit with TP5 golf balls to allow us to collect launch monitor data with our in-house TrackMan and Flightscope. After this it is time to head out onto the golf course and test the clubs in practice and competition play. We do this across a variety of golf clubs in our base of Yorkshire.

What is important when buying a new driver?

When buying a new driver it is important to know what you want from that club to help you improve.

Most people are looking for more distance, each driver model is optimised for different things. Depending on your swing and your impact conditions, you may not actually hit the model that is advertised as the longest, the furthest. So if you want more distance it is always worth giving different models a hit before you make a decision.

For most golfers, especially high handicappers, something that is more forgiving is going to yield the best performance. Most forgiving golf drivers have a slightly bigger club head with perimeter weighting for high MOI. They also have a center of gravity that is further back to help players get more height on their shots.

Do you want something that is draw bias? There are so many models out there to help with slice correction, it would be silly not to take a look if you see your ball disappearing into the right trees too often. A closed face and draw bias weighting can get you hitting straighter shots in no time at all.

Don’t forget about the shaft either. Getting the correct shaft can help dial in your spin, launch angle and can also give you some extra distance. Having a club fitting or trying different options with your local pro can really improve the performance of your new driver.

How To Use A Golf Driver

Driving the ball well is one of the most difficult skills in golf to master, but it’s a vital ingredient to improving your golf and being a good player. After the basics of tee the ball up high enough, widening your stance and moving the ball forward in your stance, how do you go about improving?

Check out this video where Equipment Editor Hannah Holden and PGA Professional Jack Backhouse go through some drills you can do to start getting better.

How To Draw The Ball In Golf With a Driver

Learning to draw the ball and fixing your slice makes driving the golf ball a lot further, as not only will you hit it a lot further, but you will be able to control your ball better in the wind and on doglegs.

Hannah and Jack have made a useful video to help you understand why the ball is not drawing, and what to work on to get it drawing properly, which you can check out HERE