So, how do you pick your new driver? Read all the reviews? Looked at the results on the most popular forums? Golf Digest Equipment Hot List? Well here is how we suggest you do it.
2024 Callaway Paradym AI Smoke
Driver Performance
First of all, NO manufacturer makes a bad driver. And, the testing at the manufacturing plants ensure that the quality of the drivers being shipped are all at peak performance. You should expect all drivers to produce peak smash factors of 1.49-1.50 if you hit them in the high toe quadrant. In our testing in 2024, the best performing drivers in terms of overall performance are the Callaway Paradym AI Smoke, Cobra Dark Speed X, Mizuno ST-G, Ping G 430 Max, TaylorMade Qi 10 Max, and Titleist TSR2. As you know, we only test these heads with shafts that match our golfers swing dynamics. So, rest assured, you WILL perform better with one of these heads with the right shaft.
Qi10 Driver
Distance, Accuracy or Consistency?
The first question we ask in a driver fitting is what you want from your driver? Distance? Accuracy? Consistency? And you can only pick one! I would say the most common answer is Consistency. If you are relatively inconsistent in your delivery of the club to the ball (path, face angle, attack angle, face contact-heel or toe), you should choose/test a very forgiving head like the G430 Max, Callaway Paradym AI Smoke Max, and Taylor Made Qi 10 Max. Now, accuracy and consistency can be improved with the correct shaft choice, which is what we do! So, fitting a driver shaft goes hand-in-hand with picking the proper head. If you want more distance, you should consider the lowest spin option as long as it performs well.
If you are a stronger player, driver club speed over 105 mph, you should be looking at not only (potentially) lower lofted heads but maybe a heavier shaft like 70-79 grams. That said, we have had great luck with long hitters with lighter shafts from AutoFlex, Brava and Free Flex. Again, consistency is the key. hitting bombs is great but they have to be in bounds!!
Mizuno STG 2024
Look, Sound and Feel
This is all up to the golfer. If the club doesn’t look good, feel good or sound good, it will probably not perform very well. Some golfers like a matte finish on the club (Ping, Srixon, Cobra) while others like the glossy finish (Titleist, Taylor Made). To some, the composite look is good but could be distracting (Callaway, Mizuno, Tour Edge). And sound is VERY important, especially on a driver. Almost all companies are striving for a driver that has a good solid sound at impact. There are still some heads that have a distinct sound and that is for the golfer to decide!
How We Fit Your Driver
In all of our fittings, we start with several (3-5) drivers our golfers would like to try and then we select 3-4 shafts based upon our recommendations from our BGF Fitting System. We take your first selection of driver head and find the best shaft. Maybe we end up with two that are very close. From there, we switch heads and determine the head and shaft combination that gives our golfers the best distance with the tightest shot dispersion. If you want to keep your current head, we can definitely use that as an option. Again, it is all about giving our golfers the optimum distance, accuracy and consistency!
Dan Sueltz
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