Most Forgiving Golf Driver 2021
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Having a forgiving driver can mean the difference between landing in the fairway 80% of the time and landing in the fairway 50% of the time. It can also make a significant difference in distance on hits that don't hit the sweet spot of the club head perfectly.
So, what makes a driver more forgiving? A huge sweet spot. The larger the sweet spot, the more forgiving the club. The sweet spot is the place on the club head that will result in the longest, straightest shot if you hit the golf ball there.
Unfortunately, larger sweet spots don't produce as long of distances as smaller sweet spots. This is because on smaller sweet spots, you are able to channel all of the potential energy into a smaller spot, which results in more power being transferred to the ball.
A forgiving driver will make it so you can get the maximum distance and straightness out of shots that weren't hit perfectly on the sweet spot. This is especially important for beginners and high handicappers, who usually are working on getting more consistent with ball strikes. More advanced drivers will offer a smaller sweet spot, and even slight mishits could end up out of bounds.
There are so many drivers out there, and almost all of them are 460cc (the maximum size allowed by PGA rules). So how can you tell which ones have the biggest sweet spots and are the most forgiving? We've got you covered.
We tested more than 15 drivers designed for high handicap and beginner golfers. Below you will find the results of our tests and our top recommendations.
Most Forgiving Drivers Reviews
Our Pick for Top Forgiving Golf Driver
Cleveland Golf Launcher XL Driver
Review
Cleveland Golf is certainly not the biggest name in the world of golf drivers. But they have a very loyal following and are still well represented in the PGA.
One reason many people love Cleveland drivers is how forgiving they are. They also provide really nice ball trajectory.
You won't find all of the adjustable features so prominent in some of the most expensive drivers in the Launcher XL. But what you will find is an enormous sweet spot on the club face. And if you want forgiveness, this will be infinitely more beneficial than any number of adjustable features.
The Launcher XL Driver has had the metal in the club head completely redistributed so that as much of the metal as possible would sit as far back and as far to the bottom of the head as possible.
This center of gravity that is extremely low and far back, allows the ball to launch into the air, regardless of where on the club face the ball was hit.
Put another way, a lot of mishits that ordinarily would just scoot along the ground will get up and actually get some good distance. We found that heel shots and toe shots that would have ended up horribly with other drivers ended up as decent drives.
Remember how bigger sweet spots result in shorter distances? While the Launcher XL wasn't as long as some of the longest drivers out there, it really surprised us as a forgiving driver. It was easily the longest driver among the most forgiving drivers. This means you get the best of both worlds: amazing forgiveness and really good distance. Good distance, optimal forgiveness, and great height is why the Cleveland Golf Launcher XL is our pick for most forgiving driver.
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Best Forgiving Driver for Skill Advancement
TaylorMade M3
Review
The TaylorMade M3 was made famous by being the driver of choice for Tiger Woods. Not that it needed the help. TaylorMade has been one of the biggest names in drivers for a long time, and the M3 is right at the top of their best offerings.
The M3 is loaded with technology. You'll find both titanium and carbon fiber on the head as well as a fully adjustable hosel (where the shaft connects to the club head) and weights.
While we wouldn't normally recommend a driver with this much advanced technology for those seeking forgiveness, we were able to configure the M3 to be surprisingly forgiving.
The adjustable weights, when moved all the way to the back, increase the forgiveness by shifting the center of gravity to the rear of the head.
If you naturally hit a draw or a slice, you can also adjust the weights towards the toe or the heel of the club head to offset it. Making these adjustments resulted in quite a bit of forgiveness.
We noticed that when configured for maximum forgiveness, the Callaway M3 driver wasn't as long as some drivers built just for forgiveness. That said, when configured for distance, the M3 is about as long a driver as you can find. This means this driver can give you the forgiveness you seek now (albeit with less distance), but it can also give you the distance you will surely seek when you become more consistent.
For those of you who love things with extra bells and whistles, the M3 has 'em. If you want a driver that will give you good forgiveness now, but will also grow with you and give you very good distance later, the TaylorMade M3 golf driver is the best tool for the job. The M3 is our pick for most forgiving driver that will grow with you as you advance your skillset.
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Driver that is Most Forgiving for Slice Hitters
Cobra Men's F-Max Offset Driver
Review
The most common ailment amongst golfers is undoubtedly a slice. The dreaded slice is probably the single biggest culprit for lost golf balls. If you are a habitual slicer, you know how frustrating it is. The Cobra F-Max Offset driver is specifically designed for you!
The F-Max Offset, as its name suggests, features a club head that is offset. That is, the club head is slightly rotated in to offset the cause of a slice: an open face at impact.
The idea is you won't have to adjust your swing in anyway. By using the Cobra F-Max Offset, your slice will be eliminated by the offset club head.
This driver sets out to correct a slice, and it succeeds in a big way. Even when we attempted to hit an exaggerated slice, we were barely able to get it to fade.
Not only is this club designed to offset a slice, it's also designed to be very forgiving for a slicer. An extra heel weight makes it even more difficult to open the club face, which is why even producing a slight fade was difficult.
As is typical of Cobra drivers, this driver is light and the distance was great – left nothing to be desired. If you struggle with a slice and want a club that will minimize your slice while offering great distance, this is the driver for you.
The Cobra Men's F-Max Offset golf driver is our choice for most forgiving drivers for golfers with a slice. **If you slice sometimes and pull/hook other times, do not get this club. This club is exclusively designed for a slice!
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Golf Budget Pick for Forgiving Driver
Tour Edge Hot Launch E522
Review
Tour Edge is a well-known name in the industry for high-quality fairway woods. They've also been building up a reputation as of late for high-quality drivers.
The Tour Edge is, quite honestly, relatively plain, lacking the flash and features of some of our other top picks. However, don't let the plain look fool you. It fooled us at first, until we got to testing it.
The Tour Edge E522 attempted to create a club face that is essentially one, giant sweet spot. And they did a decent job. The toe really did offer maximum forgiveness. When we hit toe shots, we were pleased with the distance and direction, as well as the feel.
Good feel off of what is essentially a mishit is very rare! We didn't find the same level of forgiveness on heel mishits, but there was still good forgiveness there.
The E522 isn't as glamorous as the other drivers on our list of top picks. But it's not just on our list because of its price either. It easily holds its own as a legitimately forgiving golf driver. We proudly endorse the Tour Edge Hot Launch E522 as our top pick for budget friendly forgiving golf driver.
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FAQ
In our opinion, the easiest golf driver to hit is the Cleveland Golf Launcher HB driver. We found it to be the most forgiving driver of all of the drivers we tested.
This is a really great question! If you scroll up this page, you will find our answer. Hint: Check out our review of the Cleveland Golf Launcher HB golf driver.
High handicap and beginner golfers should be looking for a driver with maximum forgiveness. As you focus on ball striking and consistency, a forgiving driver will help you achieve better shots as you inevitably struggle with hitting in the center of the club face (the sweet spot). The most forgiving driver in our opinion, and the best golf driver for high handicappers and beginners is the Cleveland Golf Launcher HB.