Who makes the best golf driver?

With each company pouring millions of dollars into research to find the next greatest thing in improving their customer’s game off the tee, it can be difficult to decipher the technical jargon into what driver makes the most sense for a particular golfer.

However, beyond the fancy technological terms used to describe why each driver holds the ultimate key to longer, straighter drives, there still is no replacement for the experience one gathers from their own personal rounds.

In my 20 years of playing golf, I have dabbled in a wide range of drivers, from Nike to Adams to Callaway to Cleveland.  Simply put, there is not a top brand out there that I have not at least given a test run on the range.

In my life-long pursuit of better scores, it is often the driver that puts me in the biggest trouble early in my rounds.  These poor shots have often forced me to hack out of heavy rough or hit a second shot off the tee, which takes par out of the question and puts the potential big number right in front of my face.

As a result of these struggles, I came to the conclusion that with my swing, as is the case with many other mid to high handicap golfers, it was all about narrowing my margin of error off the tee.

So what driver best fits this category?

For myself, it was finding a driver that has a weight distribution that allowed me to get down through the ball the easiest. Focusing on a driver with the right weight distribution technology made this feat even more possible even when my swings elicited an immediate grimace of pain on my face.

What to look for in technological terms

According to a recent article by Golf Digest, professionals have in recent years continued to increase the loft of their drivers to generate straighter and longer shots off the tee.

So why the sudden change in ball flight?  The easiest answer to this question is the advanced driver technology that has been released in recent years, focusing on customized weight distribution and loft/lie adjustments to cater to a golfer’s unique swing.

Looking at some of the new technology out there, such as TaylorMade’s Sliding Weight Technology, and Callaway’s Optifit Technology, there are numerous gadgets that will allow a golfer to swing with more customized confidence.

However, it is important to not rush into a driver decision without knowing exactly what customization options will best fit your game.

After the research has been completed, many golfers may find that the best technology for them is not in the newest and so called greatest innovations.  Instead, a driver that dates back a few technological cycles may not only have the most positive impact on their game, but may also have the least impact on their wallet, especially if they are able to find a quality used driver that still looks and performs like new.