Good drivers for high handicap

As some of you know that have frequented the clubs section, i am upgrading my whole bag since i am serious about learning the game and need clubs much better than the junk i've inherited over the years.

So, right now i am using a Dunlop Linear Force 10.5* (i know, no laughing). It's just bad.

I am a high handicap, so i am looking for something with a lot of forgiveness and something that is smooth. I'm 6'2'', 220lbs, so i cn generate a lot of power myself, but i still want something thats hot off the face b/c the number one thing i need to work on it "effortless power", not "powerless effort".

Any suggestions? I'm looking at something used, not new.

Try swinging some of the Ping's

I have heard those are forgiving

I have struggled with the driver for 35 years. Last year I finally broke down and took lessons. I went through TM R11, Ping G10 and finally settled on TM RBZ. It's stupid easy to hit.

cant spend that kind of money right now on a driver. wish i could. any other suggestions?

i also dont know my swing speed, i can take a trip to PGA superstore and get the cameras to read it though.

If you went to any "big box" golf store and told them exactly what you wrote in your first post above, and said you were only interested in used equipment, you would have no trouble finding a driver that would work just fine. Have them suggest several drivers, and have them put you on a launch monitor to see which one gives you the best ball flight.

i'll do that next weekend when i have a chance and hit a few. thanks

Check around and see if anyone is selling their demo drivers. I paid $100 for the R11 and $150 for the RBZ (both demos).

Read all the other responses, then go get fitted.  There is no way to choose a driver for someone else.  You need to hit a ton of drivers.  Different shafts, different heads, different tee heights, different balls - until you find a combination that you feel really comfortable with.  Comfort and mental clarity are the most important thing, and buying some driver you heard is good isn't good enough.  Go get fitted.

For example, I hit the ball pretty far these days (not always the case) - hitting one a laser-verified 292 this past Saturday.  I use a 42" driver with a senior flex shaft that is 13*.  I tried hitting a 9.0* burner 2.0 with a stiff shaft (something you'd "expect" me to hit well given my swing speed and handicap) and lost about 35 yards.  I tee it up low and hit down on it, so my functional loft at impact is probably significantly lower than 13*.

Its all about what feels good to you and what gives you confidence standing on the tee.  It should feel right when you get in your stance and waggle it - right length, loft, and weight.  You have to get pretty lucky to just find that.

If you can't get fitted, I am a huge fan of "self-fitting" with the callaway imix system.  For a while, I hit a 11.5* Razr Hawk imix.  If you get an imix head on callaway preowned (get an FT - like $45-50) you can find really cheap imix shafts on ebay - you can try 4 or 5 for the price of a "new" driver.

The number one thing I've found with driver is the confidence to make an accelerating, non-tenative swing into the ball hard - and you get that from hitting alot of drivers till you find one that speaks to you.

You could get a used Callaway Diablo Octane off their pre-owned site for $125.  Probably would almost look new.

John;

I love read alot about equipment and enjoyed your comments. I just got my 910 D2 10.5 fitted to a 44" custom stiff shaft by a Top 100 fitter. I like the length better however I'm still not consistent. To increase my length and decrease the spin the fitter change the head setting to 9.75 deg and 2 deg. closed!!! My AOA is -1deg, 91-92 ss and I still think I would be better off for confidence and in the fairway more to go with a higher loft and softer shaft.

I'm 63 and my handicap has gone up to the current 22, much do to the driver. Length should not be my main concern right now.

I'd go with the Nike Sumo 5900.  Great club that you should be able to find for pretty cheap.

I can not agree more with uttexas, I have been playing the Nickent 4DX evolver the past two years. For the price their at now you can't beat it.

Ditto on the Nickent Evolver.  I think that www.rockbottomgolf.com has only 12.5 degrees loft remaining, though.

As a relatively newer player with a high handicap, I wouldn't worry too much about spending the money to get fitted, especially for a driver, where the only info they'll give you that will actually affect your game at this point is whether to get regular or stiff flex, something you can obviously figure out very easily yourself if you measure your swing speed.

I'd just recommend going to the store near you with the biggest used club selection and simulators to try the clubs in.  For me that's a Roger Dunn store, and they have a huge used section, with 100% money back within 90 days, no questions, even on used clubs, and solid simulators.  Just take a bunch of clubs within your price range and with the right flex and hit them.  You can easily get a very good driver in solid condition from a couple years ago for less than $150, and usually (at my shop anyway) there are a few under $100 that are solid too.

As far as personal opinions, after breaking one years ago and then cycling through a number of other drivers I never hit nearly as well, I went out and found an R7 Quad in excellent condition with a new shaft on it.  You can get one of those, even with a new shaft, on ebay easily for less than $100.

Some people don't read good.

Check out the G10 or the TM R9. Both really easy to hit. Also consider the R7 if you can find one in good shape.

It may not be an extremely popular choice, but the mizuno driver in my signature (which was a hand-me-down from my father-in-law) is incredibly forgiving.  I think you can get them on ebay for ~$100.  My friend just got a brand new RBZ driver, and I hit both my mizuno and his RBZ for one hole and I drove my mizuno dead straight about 20 yards further and the RBZ had a little fade which took the distance off.  As a high handicap, forgiveness probably equates to distance, as I lose A TON of distance if I hit a fade with my driver (fade = 180-220 yards, straight =230-250 yards, draw=250-270).  I am also getting to be able to draw on demand with this driver, so it is "workable" if that is something you are interested in (I almost always try to hit a draw off the tee, now, because I couldn't hook it if I tried, and it almost eliminates the nasty fades/slices).  I will say that about 30% of my draw attempts end up in dead straight shots, but that is because my natural swing leads to a fade and I'm sure it is not the driver's fault.

John;

I'm curious how you got to the driver you ended up with? Did a fitter have test shafts or drivers in the 42" length? How did you keep the swing weight up on this; heavy shaft, weight in the head?