The most forgiving driver 2012

As far as choosing between the two models goes, some might recommend simply going by putting and short game feel while other fitters might strongly suggest a launch monitor session to ensure launch angles and spin rates properly fit your game. While Evnroll putters are truly outstanding products that should be ideal for elite level players, the reality is Tour usage is often based on money, and a fair number of Tour players have contracts that mandate the use of a putter. There are also a number of incentive programs out there that allow players to get paid if they finish high enough with the right brand of flatstick.

The unique design increases surface contact area due to smaller grooves in the heel and toe to make those putts go a similar distance as center hits due to wider grooves that slow roll speed. To go along with the unique groove design is a fairly wide selection of clubheads, all of which are CNC milled from solid blocks of stainless steel or aluminum.

To begin when searching for the most forgiving driver, be aware that each manufacturer has unique technologies and design philosophies that they combine to produce the best product or product line possible. This club is aimed at the amateur golfer, and we feel that this is the best option out of several drivers all bearing the TS moniker. It has a thinner titanium crown with better weight distribution for people still trying to master their swing, while it has a larger profile than you will find on either the TS1 or TS3.

This does mean you can expect it to be far more forgiving than other models, and then the loft angles will also allow you to better control the trajectory. Mishits seems to fly incredibly far and straight, even when I could tell I missed the center of the clubface by a big margin.

This model comes with three loft, 9 degrees, In general, slower swing speeds should stay closer to the 12 degrees of loft, while faster club head speeds should stick with 9. The only other thing to report is that this club does come with its own draw bias, but this is something that can be adjusted thanks to that moveable weight. Finally, we have the Cobra King Speedzone Xtreme , and we must stress that you get the Xtreme version over any others out there by Cobra.

Cobra is a super underrated brand when it comes to drivers, but the Xtreme model truly hit the nail on the head when it comes to a super-straight driver. An oversized head compared to the standard Speedzone driver , a weight back and low on the club head, and an adjustable loft sleeve all combine to result in a driver focused on hitting straight drives.

At this point, we like to introduce a better value option. All of the 5 options that we just talked about are simply far more expensive than we would like. Remember: this website is all about finding the best value clubs on the market.

Typically, that will mean older models, as opposed to the new ones that we just discussed. So, to save you some money, at least compared to the drivers above, we recommend the Ping G from back in The release of the Ping G that we talked about earlier resulted in a price drop of the older model G Practically the same club with a different design, if we are being honest.

The Ping G has a huge face, is seriously forgiving, and the center of gravity is sent more to the back of the head. When it was initially launched onto the market, it was widely viewed as being one of the most forgiving drivers on the market, and that still stands true today.

While you may be tempted into only focusing on the yardage that a driver can offer, we advise you to look beyond that for just one second. Instead, having a driver that helps keep things straight and aimed more at the fairway is going to completely change your game. With their forward center of gravity, they were helping golfers optimize their launch conditions beyond their wildest dreams: crazy high launch, ridiculously low spin.

Many in the business, including myself, had one of these drivers and spent many launch monitor sessions trying to figure out how to get more distance from these high knuckleballs. The bad news was that forward-CG drivers, by nature, were really unforgiving. Bad shots were really short and crooked. Its CG was located as low and as rearward in the driver head as possible, which he said would offer the best of both worlds: optimized launch conditions on good shots, as well as the best possible forgiveness on bad shots.

Building the perfect driver was a long way off and still is , but Jertson was excited where Ping had landed with the G When it was released , the driver was a powerful testament to his vision. Its rear-CG design created great distance on good and bad shots, and it was also a very straight driver. The G30 sold incredibly well and, as a result, the industry mostly shifted away from forward-CG drivers.

The company shrunk the size of its new G drivers in a climate where full-size drivers have become the norm. Despite their slimmer frames, however, the G drivers are actually more forgiving than the G drivers which were even more forgiving than the G The drivers have the lowest, most rearward CG of any Ping drivers ever, and their smaller size is said to improve their aerodynamics so golfers can swing them fractionally faster.

I hit five shots with each driver on Trackman IV, and to ensure as much of an apples-to-apples comparison as possible, I tested each driver head with the same shaft. Each driver head was adjusted to the same loft, or as close as possible. The G LST had a loft of 10 degrees, and it was adjusted to 9.

Improvements generally come in the form of improved head shaping, a better feel, or enhanced adjustability. That led to a significant improvement in distance. With my swing speed and ball speed staying about the same, I added an average of 7. I saw an average of a 1. The result was an average of 6. It was the longest and straightest driver I hit in the test.

One way to explain the improved launch conditions is that I hit the G drivers more consistently. Is that its slightly enhanced forgiveness shining through?

Maybe, maybe not. To me, the changes Ping made to the look and feel of the driver were just as important as the performance difference I saw on Trackman. For that reason, I felt more confident with the G drivers in my hands.

I was sold on the looks alone. I also preferred the sound of the G drivers to the G drivers. Looks and feel are subjective, of course, but to me the improvement was night and day. I do want readers to keep in mind that this was a one-person test and I hit a limited amount of balls. I also want to address the weaknesses of the G drivers. A bigger deal for some golfers might be the G crowns. Maybe the improved forgiveness will show up on a launch monitor or on the course.

What determines the best driver on the market; is it the opinion of professional club fitters, professional golfers or testing results from a group of amateurs? At GolfWRX, we believe all three sources can lead golfers to an answer. Being a website founded by passionate golfers with a mission to serve passionate golfers, though, we place a special emphasis on the opinions of our GolfWRX Members — the most knowledgeable group of golfers on the planet.

No other group of golfers in the world tests golf clubs as frequently or as extensively as GolfWRX Members. So who better to poll to get an initial indication of the best performing drivers so far in ? You can see the results below as of the first three weeks of voting , as well as quotes we pulled from GolfWRX Members about the drivers from our forum.

Stay tuned! As this list indicates, however, some drivers are working better than others this year. Happy Testing! Driver: Srixon ZX5 9. Connect with us. Share Tweet. Your Reaction?