This is our review of the most forgiving drivers in 2023.
I’m an avid golfer, 8ish handicap on my way to a 2 (been a 5.6) and frequent tester of golf clubs and equipment since 2015.
Note: I’m currently testing 2023 driver versions from the major manufacturers and will have those reviews up in the next 2-4 weeks.
My feeling is that unless you are an elite driver of the golf ball, forgiveness or getting the ball in play with a decent shot at the green should be your #1 priority. Thus, it is mine.
So, I’m a low handicap that accepts any and all help off the tee I can get.
In this review of the most forgiving drivers for golfers of all skill levels, we discuss, benefits and features of each, our recommendations, and we share any discounts we’ve scared up.
Our #1 Recommendation for 2023: The Callaway Paradym X Driver
- Premium Distance & Forgiveness
- Excellent Sound & Feel
- Best Looking Driver of the Year(s)
- Nada
Rest of the Most Forgiving Drivers in 2023
- Taylormade Stealth 2Â (Best All Around)
- Cobra LTDx Max (1st Runner-Up)
- Cobra LTDx
- PING G430 Max
- PING G425 Max
- Callaway Rogue ST Max
- Taylormade SIM2
Most Forgiving Drivers Reviewed
#1 Callaway Paradym X
- Premium Distance & Forgiveness
- Excellent Sound & Feel
- Best Looking Driver of the Year(s)
- Nada
The new Paradym X driver is our new #1 recommendation for most forgiving drivers.
What we like:
- Largest sweet spot in the Callaway driver lineup.
- Superb distance on center contact and great distance with minor mishits.
- Superb sound & feel (just like the Paradym)
- THE best looking driver I’ve seen in years (also just like he Paradym).
The Paradym X is the Paradym but with more distance away from the sweet spot. I really enjoy playing and hitting the Paradym. But, I enjoy the Paradym X even more because it’s a touch more forgiving.
I hit some truly great and beautiful drives with the Paradym X during my round with it. I think it’s an exceptional driver for those of us who are mediocre off the tee.
Customer Reviews: 97% of reviewers would recommend to a friend. (I have no idea what the 3% were smoking)
Recommendation: Premium driver and premium forgiveness at a premium price. Needs to be on your list to test if you’re in the market.
#2 Taylormade Stealth 2
- Superb Sound & Feel
- Solid, Long & Forgiving
- Great looking driver
- Pricey
The Taylormade Stealth 2 Driver is #1 Recommendation for mid handicap golfers for a few reasons.
- Superb distance and most forgiving driver tested in 2023.
- Superb sound & feel. Nice improvement over last year’s Stealth.
- Improved cosmetics. They’ve gone from a flat finish to gloss and it works well.
- I love the muted sound on impact.
I’m still an inconsistent driver – this year more than last – but I was able to connect on quite a few drives with the Stealth 2 on the course. (Not so much on the range or on my practice mat.)
Good swings and solid contact yield bombs. Mediocre swings will still get you good distance and a good shot into the green. All you can ask of a driver.
Taylormade made actual improvements with the Stealth 2 line of drivers. That’s not something I can say often. Good on them.
Most negative reviews center around quality control – The head – or pieces of the head – are just breaking. Specifically, the red carbon ring that goes around the rear of the sole.
- I’ve seen no sign of this.
- I’ve had mine a couple of months and it’s in perfect condition. I’ll keep an eye out and report back here on what I see.
Customer Reviews: 95.28% would recommend to a friend. Average 4.7 rating out of 5 from 331 reviews.
Recommendation: Premium driver at a premium price. Needs to be on your list to test if you’re in the market.
#3 Cobra LTDx Max
- Exceptional Distance & Forgiveness
- Best Sound & Feel
- Now at a Bargain Price
- Nada
The Cobra LTDx Max driver remains our #1 Recommendation for most forgiving drivers tested for a few reasons.
- Easier to hit than any driver I’ve tested.
- Beaucoup distance & forgiveness all over the face.
- Best in class feel and sound.
- Specializes in keeping your marginal swings in play.
The Cobra LTDx is an awesome driver. The Cobra LTDx Max is that, but even more forgiving.
- They both excel in forgiveness but also have great feel, great sound, & distance.
The LTDx Max made me look like a good driver – which is not easy.
Customer Reviews: 23 reviews with a 4.8 average rating on cobragolf.com. (I concur)
Recommendation: MUST test. You will like. Guaranteed you won’t return it because of performance.
#4 Cobra LTDx
- Long & Forgiving as any
- Superb Feel & Sound
- Playable by any handicap
- Large head may turn off some low single digit handicaps
The Cobra LTDx driver remains our Runner Up for most forgiving driver for a couple of reasons.
- Easy to hit.
- It’s long and forgiving.
- Best in class feel and sound.
The Cobra LTDx was a large surprise for me. I’d never hit a Cobra driver before and didn’t know quite what to expect. Now I do. Great feel, great sound, excellent forgiveness and distance.
I’m a mediocre driver – as I’ve said countless times on this website. My driving became a weapon with the LTDx in my hands. I don’t know how else to put it.
The graphics and looks of the club don’t quite match it’s elite performance. That’s my only gripe.
Customer Reviews: 27 reviews and 27 5-star reviews at cobragolf.com. (I concur)
Recommendation: The LTDx needs to be on your list of drivers to test if you’re in the market. Guaranteed you won’t return it because of performance.
#5 Ping G430 Max
- Long & Forgiving
- Premium Looks
- Improved Sound & Feel
- Nada
The Ping G430 Max driver is as forgiving as the G425 Max we tested in June of 2022, but with improved sound and feel and a better shaft selection. Oh, it looks a lot better too.
Time and again, the G430 Max converted my mediocre swings into drives either in the fairway or just off the fairway with a good or reasonable shot into the green.
This is ALL I want from my driver. Especially early in the year. The G430 is a driver I would own if I was in the market.
Customer Reviews: Early days, but all 5 reviews at pinggolf.com are 5 stars for the G430 Max.
Recommendation: Any golfer that wants less stress off the tee should give the Ping G430 Max a try. It works hard to keep you playable with a nice boost in distance.
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#6 Ping G425 Max
New & Used Clubs Available
Get 8% off from Global Golf with Code: GolferGeek
- Great for mediocre drivers (like me)
- Long & Forgiving
- Med-high penetrating ball flight
- Not the best-looking driver of 2022
The G425 Max driver is on our list for best beginner & high-handicap drivers for a couple reasons.
- As forgiving as our Editor’s Pick
- Springy face and beaucoup distance
- Good feel & sound
Ping’s been making great drivers for a while, but I hadn’t put my hands on one in years. The G400 & G410 are well-known to be great drivers and I’d heard and read nothing but good things about the G425 Max.
All the great things were validated on the first swing. Long high draw down the middle and it felt great coming off the face. I hit a bunch of good drivers during my round and I could see myself owning the G425 Max, no problem.
My biggest gripe is the looks are pretty plain for a premium driver and I couldn’t get a shaft close to my specs.
Customer Reviews: 96% of reviewers would recommend the G425 Max. It has 225 reviews and an average rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars.
Recommendation: If you need help with your driving (like me), you gotta give the Ping G425 Max driver a try.
Get 8%off from Global Golf with Code: GolferGeek
#7 Callaway Rogue ST Max
- Long & Forgiving
- Premium Looks
- Great Sound & Feel
- Pricey
- Not a big improvement over Epic Max
The Callaway Rogue ST Max is an excellent driver and makes our list for a couple reasons
- Easy to hit and works hard to keep drives playable
- Plenty long with loads of forgiveness
- Nice sound and solid feel on impact
- Best looking of the 2022 bunch
Callaway has produced killer drivers since the intro of the original Rouge in 2018 or so. The Rogue ST Max has a lot of that DNA, but is more forgiving, easier to hit, and longer.
I hit a ton of rockets during testing and dispersion was outstanding for me. Not normally my strong-suit.
You don’t need center contact for good results. I consistently hit off-center shots towards the toe and got more than enough distance and a shot at the green. That’s all I ask of a driver.
Customer Reviews: 96% of reviewers recommend the Rogue ST Max.
Recommendation: Put this one on your list to test if you’re in the market.
#8 Taylormade SIM2
- Long & Forgiving
- Great Sound & Feel
- Nada
The Taylormade SIM2 driver made our list of best beginner drivers for a couple reasons
- It is so, so easy to hit
- It’s long and forgiving
- It feels great and sounds better
- You’ll start seeing pretty good deals now that the STEALTH is out.
The Taylormade SIM2 is an outstanding driver and performed exceptionally well for me. I hit tons of solid drivers with it and would gladly own this driver if I was in the market.
Taylormade drivers live up to the hype and more. I don’t believe you can find a bad one these days.
Customer Reviews: 99% of reviewers would recommend the SIM2. It’s got 342 reviews and an average rating of 4.8 out of 5.
Recommendation: Buy this driver in a heartbeat if you can get your specs or close to them.
FAQs
How To Choose The Best Driver for high handicap & beginner golfers
There’s one performance characteristic beginners and high handicaps should place as their top priority when choosing their best driver…Forgiveness
- Not distance
- Not shaping shots
- Not trajectory (though this plays a part in forgiveness)
Golf is a miserable game if you are constantly hitting from the junk or re-teeing because of lost golf balls. Even the best drivers for high handicappers won’t prevent this for you 100%, but there is help out there. Why not take advantage of it?
I’m more of a low-handicap and I still play plenty from the junk and lose more golf balls from the tee than I’d like to admit. Forgiveness is definitely a factor when I’m selecting a driver.
Which Brand of Golf Driver Should I Choose?
All the major brands produce excellent drivers for beginners and every handicap level. Titleist used to be the exception but they’ve been producing drivers for beginners and handicap golfers for a few years now.
I personally trust the major brands such as Taylormade, Callaway, Titleist, Ping, etc. They all have a long-established track record of quality clubs.
Callaway produced the best drivers for beginners and all handicaps for a long time, then Taylormade came along around 2006-2007 and started producing the best drivers in the game. I think it’s a real competition again with Callaway coming on strong
I played Callaway for years and I’m now playing Taylormade. I wager I could easily choose another brand that fits my eye and be fine. All comes down to preference in the end.
What degree driver should beginners use?
Higher loft = more forgiveness. The best drivers for beginners will have lofts of 11,12, or 13 degrees for higher launch. Especially since many beginners or handicap golfers hit down on their drivers creating extra spin and inconsistent launch angle.
With modern driver design, it also equals more distance- up to a point.
Higher loft = increased backspin and decreased sidespin. This makes it a touch harder to slice your drives out of play.
Of course, increased loft also means getting the golf ball airborne easier. Which remember…is job one for a beginner or high handicap golfers driver.
How To Pick The Best Shaft For Your Driver
In general…
Most beginners and high-handicappers have slower swing speeds, so should be looking for a little more flex.
There’s no governing body that monitors the accuracy of the stated flex on a given shaft, so here’s where a little testing will help.
With time and testing, you’ll learn the equipment of the different manufacturers and you will get a sense of what works for you.
In times past you also had to choose between a metal and a graphite shaft. Metal shafted drivers are pretty much gone forever and you’d be hard-pressed to find a driver without a graphite shaft.
**In my review of mid-handicap drivers I give a little better treatment of swing-speed and shaft options.
- A weaker flex shaft will favor slower swing speed
- A stiffer flex shaft will favor faster swing speed
Here’s my brief guide on swing speed and shaft flex. The last two will apply to the beginner or high handicapper…usually.
- Swing your driver over 105 mph? You can probably start thinking about an X-stiff shaft.
- Swing your driver in the 95 – 105 mph range? A stock stiff shaft will likely work fine for you.
- Swing your driver 80 – 90ish mph? A regular shaft is likely your best bet.
- Swing your driver < 80 mph? A Senior flex shaft should do the trick.
Clubhead speed is only one of the factors used to decide which shaft you should be using. This is a very basic and general guide to shaft selection, but I think this is more than adequate for the beginner or high-handicap golfer.
Should a Beginner get a Professional Fitting for their driver?
The vast, vast, vast majority of recreational golfers do NOT get a professional fitting…and enjoy the game just fine.
Here are my thoughts: Not gospel, by any means and feel free to disagree.
- TRUE BEGINNER: DO NOT get fit for clubs. DO get lessons–>Buy something with a regular shaft off the rack. You have no idea what you are doing in your golf swing and the swing you have now is not the swing you need to get fit for.
- HIGH HANDICAPPER (Been playing for a couple or few years and want to get a lot better): Get Lessons 1st!
- HIGH HANDICAPPER (Been playing for a while and just looking for a little help and more enjoyment from playing): Don’t get fit.
I’m competitive and always looking to improve, so I got fit for my driver and my irons years ago.
Verdict on the Most Forgiving Drivers in 2023
The new most forgiving driver we’ve tested is the Callaway Paradym X.
My #1 suggestion is to test before you buy. Either at your local golf store or take advantage of Global Golf’s Utry trial program. I use it and recommend it.
Thanks for checking out our review. Check back often as we test new drivers for 2023 and beyond.
- Premium Distance & Forgiveness
- Excellent Sound & Feel
- Best Looking Driver of the Year(s)
- Nada
