Best Golf Drivers For Beginners 2025 - the 7 best models for those starting to play the game

There are many difficulties facing someone who is new to the game of golf. As well as the complexities of actually learning to play such a difficult game, a new golfer also has to navigate the minefield of choosing equipment from the bewilderingly huge array of options available. Perhaps the most confusing decision comes when trying to choose the right driver, as the choices on offer are vast, with so many brands making so many models, and even those models often have three or five different head shapes to choose between.

WATCH: Joe Ferguson tests and compares the leading drivers on the market in 2025

It's easy to choose the wrong option so there are some things the new golfer needs to be aware when buying a new driver. As a general rule beginner golfers, and indeed many higher handicap players, need as much help as possible when it comes to hitting the ball off the tee, so finding one of the most forgiving drivers is a good starting point. While the golf driver is arguably the most fun club in the bag to use, it is also one of the most difficult to master consistently. If you've borrowed a buddies, or rented one at the driving range, you'll know how satisfying a feeling it is when it goes right, but you will also have experienced how frustrating it can be to do that consistently.

A new golfer does not have the same requirements as a low handicap player or professional, so having the same equipment makes no sense. New golfers need a driver that is suited to their specific needs, which is usually something to help them get the ball in the air easier, further, and straighter. Again, this is usually the case for golfers with high handicaps as well.

This leads us to the following guide, with every model tried and tested! What's more, we would also recommend taking a look at our guides on the best high handicap drivers and the best golf drivers for distance.

The Quick List

Best Golf Drivers For Beginners 2025

Top pick

The Cobra DS-ADAPT MAX-K is perfect for beginners thanks to it producing over 10k of MOI. What does that mean? The acronym MOI means 'Moment of Inertia' and in a golfing context this is a measurement of a clubs stability and resistance to twisting. Clubs with a high MOI mean it twists less on off-centre strikes which helps you retain ball speed which therefore helps distance and dispersion because the face isn't as open or closed at impact. As you would expect, the most forgiving drivers have the highest MOI, something we want in abundance when choosing the right driver for a beginner.

The MAX-K features a slightly oversized profile (460cc), and the highest MOI of the DS-ADAPT family models. The head is a lovely shape and size, promoting a subtle feeling of confidence at address before you pull the trigger.

I loved the FutureFit33 adjustable shaft adapter, allowing players to really dial in their driver to suit their playing characteristics by decoupling lie and angle and loft. If you don't really know what your doing in relation to fine-tuning your club, ask your pro what setting would be best to you. A couple of tweaks of the hosel can lead to a driver that launches higher and easier, a common problem beginners face off the tee.

• Read our full Cobra DS-ADAPT MAX-K Driver Review

Best draw bias

The most user-friendly of the Elyte family, the 'X' should be a serious consideration for higher-handicap players looking a fresh driver option in the bag for 2025. Arguably the best driver for an easy, high launch of the 2025 range, I think many golfers will also love the predominant draw bias too and will suit beginners down to the ground.

The style of the sole will divide opinion but I don't think there is any debate about how good this driver looks from above at the address position, thanks in part to the new ‘Thermoforged’ carbon crown designed to enable fast club head speeds and facilitate optimal launch and spin outputs.

There is adjustability on offer here too thanks to the 13g weight in the head that can be tweaked to customize the ball flight to your liking. The feel, like previous Callaway drivers, is solid and robust but pleasant. This will be a popular driver for golfers across a range of handicaps in 2025 but should definitely be considered by beginners.

• Read our full Callaway Elyte X Driver Review

Best value

If you're a player who doesn't need a flashy name or branded club in your bag, listen up.

The combination of ball speed, adjustability, looks, and feel on offer here with the Tour Edge Exotics E725 is exceptional given the price point. Looks-wise it can compete with any other driver on this list, looking premium thanks to the carbon-fibre finish. The head shape is also appealing to the eye, sitting nice and square behind the ball at address. It is much more rounded than pear shaped which I really liked, and the playing profile is strong.

There is a load of forgiveness built into the head of this driver which will suit those only beginner their golfing careers. This is up there with the TaylorMade Qi35 Max in terms of forgiveness levels for me, you can almost feel the head self-correcting through strikes on any heel or toe hits. I also loved the feel and acoustics as well, which is an area more budget-friendly models tend to compromise, but Tour Edge has nailed it here.

When you consider this driver is $200 less than most on this list, this was a close contender for the top pick in this guide.

• Read our full Tour Edge Exotics E725 Driver review

Best high launch

Mizuno say this is its most stable driver ever, which makes it an ideal choice for the golfer that needs help with consistency of strike. The technology is designed to aid forgiveness and increase MOI. This has been achieved by lowering the profile of the ST-Max head to accommodate spreading, increasing the overall footprint of the driver head whilst remaining within the maximum permitted 460cc head size. All of this has allowed weight to be added in more extreme locations to increase MOI.

Aesthetically this is one of the nicest looking drivers on the market. The premium-looking head has an expanded CoreTech Chamber and 54 grams of back-weighting which makes for a stylish looking sole. The club looks great at address too as the face sits nice and square, while and the large footprint really does inspire confidence over the ball.

In testing we noted that the spin rate was high, so it isn't good for high spin players as it will balloon up into the air. It is something that will greatly benefit the beginner golfer, however, as it will increase height which is an area where new golfers often struggle. The most notable aspect of our testing was accuracy, as I hit 89% of fairways. It certainly isn't the best golf driver for distance but it will keep you in play and get the ball up in the air.

• Read our full Mizuno ST-Max 230 Driver Review

Best shelf appeal

The most stable and forgiving driver in the TaylorMade Qi35 family, the 'Max' driver boasts stunning looks and a spin profile that will suit players of all abilities.

When I tested the Qi10 last year, I found the spin levels were way too high, leading to high handicappers and beginners losing a decent amount of distance from the tee. This has now been fixed thanks to the lower CG, achieved by placed a 34g weight at the back of the head to stabilize the club through impact.

The dispersion rate of this driver during testing was incredible, with mishit shots not venturing too far off line from both back to front and side to side. This driver particularly suits those with slower swing speeds because what you will lose in spin rate, you gain in high launch. It looks great, sounds great and feels even better, making this a really great option for the beginner who wants a premium driver in the bag.

• Read our full TaylorMade Qi35 Max Driver Review

Best tech

The most user friendly driver of the Ping G440 family is the SFT, promoting a strong draw bias to suit those player who struggle with a slice off the tee. It's also dead easy to launch which will mean yardage gains for lots of higher handicappers.

Much like the Callaway Elyte X, the design of the sole of the club will not suit everyone's eye, but in my humble opinion how the sole of the club looks shouldn't really matter as we don't see it during our swing. Instead, we see the top of the club head which, thanks to the new carbonfly crown, looks terrific and premium.

The draw bias on offer here is terrific. Lots of beginners struggle with the dreaded slice - the boomerang left to right shape that can haunt higher handicaps. The technology in this driver is catered to prevent this miss and after testing I'd estimate the draw bias has increased by around 15-20% from the G430 here, a significant and impressive achievement. This is without doubt one of the best drivers from slicers in 2025 and another cracking option for a beginner looking a nice new premium driver.

• Read our full Ping G440 SFT Driver Review

Best at address

As you can tell if you've read this far into the guide, we're all about looking for user-friendly golf clubs to help beginners as much as possible and in the Titleist GT range it is the GT2 that takes that title.

Not only does it offer the highest MOI, but the speed has not been sacrificed to achieve this. Certainly, picking up the clubhead, you will realize how lightweight it really is and how much technology is in the club.

Without getting too technical, the forgiveness comes partly from the new Proprietary Matrix Polymer in the crown section which also helps give this driver excellent sound and feel. The GT2 also boasts increased levels of forgiveness, particularly in shots out of the bottom of heel of the driver. You may not be getting the same levels of forgiveness as some of the other options on this list but it doesn't mean the GT2 shouldn't be a consideration for beginners.

Of course I should finally mention the looks because the classic Titleist aesthetic remains here and those golfers who want a great-looking head to look down on will find this hard to beat in my opinion.

• Read our full Titleist GT2 Driver Review

Specifications table

How we test

Here at Golf Monthly we take product testing for both reviews and buying guides very seriously. Testing is done by a team that is packed with knowledge and experience and by testing so many products we can build up our content to help you the consumer to make a more informed decision when it comes to picking your next driver. All our testers are passionate when it comes to golf and come from a variety of backgrounds, whether they are ex pros or high handicappers, they all bring a different knowledge and understanding when it comes to golf.

Our driver testing is headed up by Staff Writer Joe Ferguson, a PGA Professional who has worked in the golf industry for nearly 20 years. Joe is ably assisted by technical editor Joel Tadman, and both Joe and Joel have been testing golf clubs for many years and are able to efficiently test the vast majority of the biggest product releases and convey the pros and cons eloquently.

Now it is worth acknowledging that both Joe and Joel are proficient players so you may question why they are commenting on the best models for beginner golfers. But it is precisely because they are proficient and are experts in the field that they can give this advise. Both players understand what beginner golfers need when trying to find a driver and are able to able to test for factors like forgiveness because they can consistently strike the head in areas towards the heel and toe, to see how the driver performs. These are the areas beginners and high handicap players strike the ball most often, and being able to test performance in these areas requires consistency.

Speaking more generally about our process, for most new club releases, especially drivers, we will usually attend product launches to speak with the manufacturers in order to build an understanding of the equipment we are testing. Once we get hold of the gear and begin testing, the first step is usually indoor testing using premium balls and launch monitors to get valuable data. This allows us to compare data on the day to see how these clubs stack up against each other as well as their competitors.

We then move on to the all-important outdoor testing, this could be on the range, or the course, and often both. Which ever it is, it is important to get these drivers out into the elements and get some real-world feedback on how they react on the course and when in real conditions.

How to choose

Given the significant cost involved, when it comes to investing in a driver there are a few important things to take into consideration before purchasing, especially at the beginner level, where you want something to help your game.

Are you looking for more distance, something to correct a slice, or something that could find more fairways? Do have a specific budget you need to work to, or a brand that you prefer? One thing we would recommend is getting a fitting from a trained fitter, however, if you know what you need and you are informed enough then you should be fine, especially if you get to try the product before you buy it.

If you are reading this, you are likely a beginner or shopping for a beginner, so first and foremost we would advise you to go for something forgiving. Some drivers that tend to be long-distance drivers can be unforgiving a detrimental on off-center strikes, and beginners tend to not hit the ball especially far anyway and won't benefit from a driver that is designed for distance. Forgiveness is the way to go, while draw bias drivers are also excellent options for beginners. We have a guide on the most forgiving drivers that will help you if you are stuck for ideas, as well as one for the best drivers for slicers.

FAQs

Glossary

MOI - The acronym MOI means 'Moment of Inertia' and in a golfing context this is a measurement of a clubs stability and resistance to twisting.

CG - CG stands for centre of gravity and in golf it is used in terms of equipment. In equipment, CG is often described as low, back, high and so on. What this means is the CG location in terms of its placement within the club-head which is measured and calculated by balancing the club-head in a variety of ways (face, sole or pretty much anywhere). The CG within the club head is the intersection of all these measured balance points.

Dispersion - Put simply, dispersion refers to the spread of golf shots a player hits. For example a player with a tight dispersion will have shots that cluster close together, these tend to be very good players. A wide dispersion tends to be more common for higher handicap players and beginners because they aren't as consistent.

Loft - Loft refers to the angle of the clubface in relation to the ground. Drivers tend to have lower lofts which allows us to hit the ball further, whereas wedges have high lofts which allow us to hit the ball higher.

Adjustable hosel - The hosel itself is the area of the club where the shaft meets the clubhead, and these days this tends to be adjustable. This allows golfers to alter factors like loft, lie and face angle. This is most prevalent on drivers.

Crown - The crown is the top surface of the clubhead.

Toe - The toe is the area of the clubface furthest away from the golfer.

Heel - The heel is where the shaft meets the clubhead, much like your leg meets your ankle.