Golf Driver Buying Guide: Loft, Forgiveness & Fixing a Slice (2026)
Better Birdies · Reviewed for 2026
The driver is the most expensive club in the bag and the one most golfers buy wrong. Here's what actually changes your tee shots, and what's just marketing.
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More loft is usually the right answer
Plenty of amateurs play 9 or 9.5 degrees because that's what the long hitters on TV use. Unless you're swinging well over 100 mph and hitting up on the ball, that's costing you distance. More loft launches the ball higher and, on off-center strikes, tends to keep it straighter.
For most recreational swings, 10.5 to 12 degrees is the productive range. If your misses balloon into the sky with a lot of spin, that's usually a strike or angle-of-attack problem rather than too much loft — worth a lesson before it's worth a new club.
Forgiveness, draw bias and the slice
'Forgiveness' means weight pushed to the perimeter of the head so mishits twist the face less and lose less ball speed and direction. Game-improvement drivers lean into this, and it's the single most useful property for a mid-to-high handicap.
Draw-biased and offset heads shift weight toward the heel to help the face square up, which can take some of the curve off a slice. Be honest about what that does: it reduces the miss, it doesn't cure it. A slice comes from the face being open to your swing path, and equipment can only lean against that. An adjustable hosel is genuinely useful here — you can add loft and close the face without buying anything new.
Shaft flex and length beat head model
Most stock drivers ship at 45.5 to 46 inches because longer shafts test well for maximum clubhead speed. Out on the course, a shaft an inch shorter often produces more center-face contact — and center contact beats swing speed every time. If you're spraying tee shots, try choking down an inch before you shop.
Flex should follow your actual swing speed, not your ego: most golfers under 95 mph are better off in regular or senior flex than stiff. A shaft that's too stiff feels harsh and launches low. If you buy one thing on a launch monitor, make it the shaft.