Best Drivers For High Handicappers 2024 – For Distance And Forgiveness
2024 has arrived and that means a whole host of new drivers for golfers to choose from.
The top manufacturers have not let the side down in early 2024 and we have a number of excellent options to choose from.
Whether your struggle with a slice, consistency or ball speed, we have got you covered with today’s list and it is worth noting that AI is making these drivers much better than the long sticks that came before them.
At A Glance:
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Best Overall Option: Callaway Paradym AI Smoke Max
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Best Premium Option: Ping G430 10k Max
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Best For A Slice: Taylormade QI10 Max
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Best For Distance: Cobra Darkspeed Max
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Best Budget Option: PXG 0311 Black Ops Driver
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Best Titleist: Titleist TSR2
Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max Driver
The Paradym Ai Smoke Max is a perfect driver for high handicappers and just about any other golfer as well to be fair.
Ai has done a great job on this club and the Ai Smart face is extended right out to the edges of the club leading a much tighter dispersion rate.
You get a sliding weight track to set the club up exactly as you wish and you should see good distance gains with the Ai Smoke Max.
“The Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max was instantly light and fast.”
I fell into a groove with it pretty quickly and found that I could use the entire expanse of the face and still find the fairway.
In fact, I had to work pretty hard to hit the ball heavy or thin enough to produce a significant decrease in ball speed.
The launch was pretty much where I like it: in the 10.5-12 degree window. And I found that I could work it just a bit lower or higher without much effort.
The performance of the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max has me really excited about what the entire Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke line and how to technology carries over between the range.
Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max Selling Points
- Sliding track weight
- Full carbon filter chassis
- Internal titanium bracing
- AI-designed face
- Lightweight performance
Distance: 98/100
Accuracy: 95/100
Forgiveness: 96/100
Feel & Control: 94/100
Overall Score: 98/100
Ping G430 Max 10k Driver
This driver has got more MOI than the 23 G430 max and it makes a big difference.
We found this driver to be longer and straighter than the 2023 model and it has a tighter dispersion.
Confidence inspiring at address for High Handicappers.
My first impression of the Ping G430 Max 10k was that it was massive.
In fact, I would say that it looks bigger than the most recent Big Bertha drivers and that’s saying a lot. It still has the “turbulators” on the crown that purportedly improve aerodynamics so if you’re a fan of that sort of finned look, you’ll like the looks of the Ping G430 Max 10k driver.
There was never a time during my testing where I felt that I had to play coy with this driver. Despite its size it still feels light – probably due to the carbon fiber crown panel – so I was swinging it as firm as possible every single time.
The adjustable hosel allows you to tweak loft and lie but I didn’t need to mess with that feature very much. That’s because the Ping G430 Max 10k naturally plays straight and produces a mid/high launch window (14° launch angle on average).
Ping G430 Max 10k Driver Selling Points,
- Infinity carbon crown
- Third generation Carbon Twist Face construction
- Through Speed Pocket
- Higher MOI than previous Stealth models
- Multi-material construction
- Optimized head shape
- 10,000+ MOI rating
Distance: 97/100
Accuracy: 98/100
Forgiveness: 98/100
Feel & Control: 95/100
Overall Score: 97/100
Taylormade Qi10 Driver
If you are suffering from a slice or simply want some extra distance. The Taylormade QI10 max is about as long and forgiving as it gets.
The Qi10 has some serious slice-busting tech and we were even drawing the ball at times during testing, instead of my customary draw.
In 20 Words or Less
The Taylormade Qi10 driver combines accuracy with forgiveness. It looks great behind the ball and in the bag.
Taylormade Qi10 Driver – First Impressions
“I liked the depth of the face and the look of the crown right away.”
I could tell that this was going to be a very “user-friendly” driver and I was right. In fact, I had to open up my stance quite a bit to get a true mis-hit out of this thing. It’s very easy to find the sweet spot and even when you miss it, you aren’t punished nearly as much as you may deserve.
While the Taylormade Qi10 driver didn’t play quite as long as say, the new Callaway Paradym Smoke Ai Max, the dispersion was tight which is, I believe, more important for beginners and high handicappers. After all, distance will always follow accuracy – the inverse of that statement is not always true.
In any case, I loved the way the Taylormade Qi10 driver helped me produce favorable lies whether I was warmed up or not.
Taylormade Qi10 Driver Selling Points
- Infinity carbon crown
- Third generation Carbon Twist Face construction
- Through Speed Pocket
- Higher MOI than previous Stealth models
- Multi-material construction
- Optimized head shape
Distance: 96/100
Accuracy: 98/100
Forgiveness: 98/100
Feel & Control: 96/100
Overall Score: 97/100
Cobra Darkspeed Max Driver
Cobra has gotten a name for producing high-performing drivers that sometimes go unnoticed but not anymore.
The Darkspeed Max is an exceptionally long driver, one of the longest we have tested to date.
It also looks massive at address and is super forgiving.
“The Cobra Darkspeed really impressed me with how low the spin figures were.”
This garnered me good carry distance and excellent rollout. The Cobra Darkspeed felt really fast right away and I was surprised at how light it felt given the relatively large footprint.
It seems that Cobra really did gain something by working with aerospace engineers because by some modern magic, they have made a large, forgiving driver that is light and doesn’t impart insane spin on the ball.
A lot of the low spin has to do with the PWR bridge weight which is positioned low and more forward in the head than any previous Cobra driver.
The forward positioning helps to mute the spin – otherwise this driver would probably produce 2600+ RPMs.
My feeling after testing was that this would be a really good driver for high handicappers who need to produce more favorable lies and get every hole started off right.
The dispersion was very tight and if you need the extra forgiveness, you can just slap the heavy weight in the rear position. So the Cobra Darkspeed Max is versatile as well.
Cobra Darkspeed Max Driver Selling Points
- AI-designed HOT face
- Low and forward POWER bridge weight
- Adjustable rear and heel weights
- Designed with aerospace engineers
- Larger PWRSHELL face
- Free Arccos smart sensors
Distance: 96/100
Accuracy: 98/100
Forgiveness: 97/100
Feel & Control: 97/100
Overall Score: 97/100
PXG 0311 Black Ops Driver
PXG has come a long way in a relatively short time and the 0311 Black Ops driver is another excellent addition.
This one is long and straight with a tight dispersion. Its got a high ball flight and more spin.
This is a great option for high handicappers.
“I was first blown away with the dispersion.”
I hit a variety of shots (fat, thin, draws etc.) during my testing and after all was said and done, my average off-line divergence was just 11.4 yards.
I was blown away by the fact that no matter how I was swinging this driver, it was still producing very favorable lies.
Again, this was with the standard weight configuration (2.5g weights up front and the 12.5g weight in the back.
So I can only imagine what my dispersion would look like if I had moved the front weights up to 5 grams. But I digress.
The PXG 0311 Black Ops driver has an exceptionally solid feel thanks in part to the AMF (Advanced Material Face) face design but also because of the natural frequency optimization.
This is a design that the PXG engineers used to finetune the inherent vibration patterns on the club head – resulting in a pleasing frequency and inhibition of vibration.
And you can really feel the high MOI at play. For the uninitiated, high MOI essentially translates to tight dispersion because it keeps the head and face from deflecting or warping.
This minimizes cut spin which keeps the ball on-line.
PXG 0311 Black Ops Selling Points
- Advanced Material Face
- Natural frequency optimization
- Three movable weight ports
- Carbon fiber crown and sole
- Robotic face polishing
- High launching
- Low spin
- Many custom shaft options
Distance: 96/100
Accuracy: 98/100
Forgiveness: 98/100
Feel & Control: 97/100
Overall Score: 98/100
The Titleist TSR2 Driver
Titleist is number 1 in the golf world.
If you want the very best, check out the TSR2 and thank me later.
The first thing to notice about this club is head shaping. Titleist have gone for a more classic look in the most stable and forgiving offering in the TSR Range.
That means a Boat Trail at the trailing edge of the club and a rounder smooth curvature that Titleist Traditionalists will love, it looks like a Titleist driver.
All the frills have been removed from the sole of the club and the result again is more minimalist and clean.
Multi Plateau Variable Face Thickness allows this club to be extremely consistent in regard to ball speed and direction. It’s got an incredibly thin face in the middle with strategically thicker areas to the side.
This results in consistent ball speed and flight path when hit in common miss locations on the face.
This ensures that the TSR2 is the ‘Max’ version of this series and will suit players who struggle to hit the sweet spot every time.
This driver produces more club head speed, ball speed, and carry distance than the TSi2. It also has less spin, a lower launch angle, and more consistency resulting in an excellent new driver overall for Titleist.
The club has plenty of options for adjustments too, you can adjust the lie and loft independently with the club lofts running from 8 degrees to 11.
The TSR2 is certainly an upgrade on the TSi2 for us and is a club that will suit both tour and amateur players this season.
Titleist TSR2 Driver Selling Points
- More Aerodynamic Head
- Faster Swing Speeds
- Lower Spin And Launch Angle
- Optimised Speed, Stability And Consistency
- Aerospace Grade Titanium
- Confidence Inspiring VFT Face
Distance: 95/100
Accuracy: 98/100
Forgiveness: 95/100
Feel & Control: 96/100
Overall Score: 97/100
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Aidan Lehane here, I’m a Mid-low handicap golfer who has made tremendous progress in breaking 90 in just over 1 year of playing golf seriously.
I get out to the course or range as often as possible and review all the equipment I’ve come across on this blog.
