In the modern game of golf, the driver is quite possibly the most important club in the bag. So what is the best driver of 2019? What is the 2019 longest driver, the 2019 most forgiving driver, and the best overall driver in the game for 2019 and 2020?

Our expert panel of 13 top-ranked club fitters will tell you all of that in three different swing speed categories to give you the best answer in your search for the best golf driver.

2019 has undoubtedly been one of the best years for drivers ever. OEMs now are taking the previous generation’s winning recipes and pushing the science of structure, materials, and processing to move minute grams to optimize the MOI and CG to provide the slightest improvements. Lowering spin, generating max speed over larger areas of the face while maximizing MOI has been the trick. With so many great models to choose from, selecting the best driver of 2019 is no simple task.

While a driver that is the longest during a fitting might not hold up under pressure of tournament play, a great fitter will recognize that balance between distance and forgiveness. Ultimately, the best way to get it right and find your personal best golf driver of 2019 is to work with a professional fitter and find the one that works for you. The hard part is a lot of people don’t have easy access to fitters, launch monitors, and club builders—so as GolfWRX, we have done a lot of the work for you.

best driver 2020

We consulted leading fitters in the industry and compiled our results anonymously. The methodology is simple: We want to give you the tools to go out and find what works best for you, with recommendations for your swing speed, with feedback from the people that work every single day to help golfers get peak performance out of there equipment.

Best driver of 2019: Meet the fitters

Nick Sherburne: Founder: Club Champion
Craig Allen: Golf Performance Manager, Sea Island Performance Center
Scott Felix: Owner, Felix Club Works
Ryan Johnson: Club Fitter, Carls Golfland
Brent Norton: VP Golf Shop Operations, Miles of Golf
Ken Morton Jr: Owner Dir. Retail & Marketing, Haggin Oaks Golf Super Shop
Tim Briand: SVP Customer Experience, True Spec Golf
Matthew Sim: Director of Operations, Modern Golf
Joe Kwok: Owner, Joe Kwok Golf
Ian Fraser: CEO & Founder, Tour Experience Golf
Shawn Zawodni: Fitter, Miles of Golf
Dominic Chom: Fitter, Miles of Golf
Ben Giunta: Owner, The Tour Van

Best driver of 2019: The categories

We have broken it down into four total categories. Three are swing speed-based and the other forgiveness.

The reason for this format is that every golfer fits into one of these categories regardless of age, handicap, or gender.

Even before starting the process of building the survey, we reached out to our trusted fitters to discuss how THEY sort through the endless head combinations available to golfers. Time after time, swing speed and forgiveness were the highest-ranked choices, after that it comes down to adjustability to fit individual players and their trends. We then worked internally to craft a survey that allowed the fitters to be HONEST…we want the truth just as much as you do, and to prevent anyone from feeling they couldn’t be, we allowed all of the results and quotes to remain anonymous unless otherwise stated.

We can’t thank the fitters enough for their time, and we hope that if you are still looking for that best driver for 2019, we can help you find it!

Your GolfWRX best drivers of 2019

Below are the four categories for 2019 best drivers. In addition, we have great quotes from our fitter panel for each winner. Why was it so good? You’ll find out with specific comments from the best fitters in the industry.

Now for the winners!

Best driver for swing speed at 106 mph and above

1. Callaway Epic Flash Sub Zero: This driver has been a hit since its initial release. Sporting a face designed with the help Artificial Intelligence, the Epic Flash offers a lot of adjustability in both CG and loft settings.
   From the fitters: “Great ball speed and low spin, it’s also anti-left which players at these speeds typically like”…”The Sub Zero Jailbreak has a very consistent ball flight while managing spin at this higher high speed. The adjustable hosel and weight track make it easy to dial players in.”
2. TaylorMade M5: When you have one of the most adjustable drivers on the market today, it’s hard to not to get dialed in. With technologies like Speed Injected TwistFace, and multi-material head construction, the M5 is a contender for almost any player.
   From the fitters: “This driver has been good at high speeds. Also, with most high-speed players spin control is a key factor in performance—the M5 delivers that”…”TaylorMade’s ability to make the driver as close to the limit as they can has set this head up for success. We have seen great numbers in fittings with the M5”
3. Titleist TS3: The Titleist Speed Project has ushered in a new era for performance in Titleist metal woods across the board. As part of the TS Family, the TS3 has offered big gains for players that have made the switch and our fitters tend to agree.
   From the fitters: “Fastest ball speed we have tested and spin control”…”Fairly forgiving, very low spin, and one of the fastest club heads on the market. Combo of hosel and weight settings make this driver easy to fit to most golfers.”
4. Ping G410 LST: Launched a little while after the original G410 Plus and STF models, Ping took its time with the LST (Low Spin Technology), because from their own admission, it was difficult beating the G400 LST. For those who waited, Ping has delivered exactly what they promised with this driver.
   From the fitters: “Fast, forgiving, and very stable—what more could you want?”…”Most forgiving low-spin head on the market. Very fast. Movable weight has been a huge addition for Ping.”
5. Cobra F9 Speedback:  Who doesn’t like a fastback? Whether it be a car or a driver. The Cobra F9 has been a huge success for the company this year. With improved aerodynamics, thanks to a redesigned head geometry, along with a multi-material constructed body and a milled face make, this club is built for speed, just as the name suggests.
   From the fitters: “Cobra has done a great job all around with the F9, from sound, aesthetics, to results, Cobra has hit a home run with this one.”…”Very versatile, accurate, and LONG!!”

Read all the chatter in the forums here.

Best drivers for swing speed from 105 mph to 95 mph

1. Callaway Epic Flash: Just like its lower spinning brother, the Epic Flash was the highest-rated driver in the category. Utilizing the same Flash Face technology and Jailbreak, but in a more forgiving body, Callaway is proving Artificial Intelligence in club design is here to stay.
   From the fitters: “The Epic Flash produces the fastest Ball speeds in this speed category and for most players it also the straightest.”…”Awesome ball speed, sound, and forgiveness. Its speed is what makes it my number 1”
2. Ping G410 Plus: A forgiveness monster! The G410 Plus is one of the most forgiving drivers on the market, and with an all-around-performance design, it’s no surprise to find it here.
   From the fitters: “Ping has been one of the easiest and honest drivers out that fits the most golfer in this category. The G410 Plus has several hosel positions to help face angle, loft, and lie. The weight cog helps dial in that last little bit to optimize flight.”… “One word: forgiveness!”
3. TaylorMade M6: Injected Speed, but without the additional considerations of movable weights. By saving weight from the tracks and the weights themselves, the M6 pushes more mass low to create a very stable lower-spinning head.
   From the fitters: “TaylorMade M6 has a great look at address while having great sound and feel. I have had more success with this driver over the M5. It is more forgiving and produces very reliable shots off the tee.”…”Good ball speed with mid/low spin”
4. Titleist TS2: Another driver from the Titleist Speed Project has found its way into the top 5. The TS2 is proof of what can be accomplished when a company goes back to the drawing board to re-engineer and maximize performance.
   From the fitters: “Great ball speed with great forgiveness”…”For players on the lower end of the spin spectrum, this is a great option. Best ball speed from a Titleist product in many years.”
5. Cobra F9 Speedback: Same driver, different category. This really shows how well this product has been designed to help golfers across multiple swing speeds.
   From the fitters: “Very neutral and versatile, fast ball speeds, good stability”…”If this driver has one tiny negative, I wish forgiveness was slightly better but the speed is so great it makes up for it”

Read all the chatter in the forums here.

Best drivers for swing speed at 94 mph and below

1. Callaway Epic Flash: There is an obvious trend here. This is the third time a driver in the Epic Flash (Family) has taken the top spot in a swing speed category—there is definitely something in that Flash Face!
   From the fitters: “Again, very efficient energy transfer off the face and straight. Slightly lighter nominal head weight allows me to modify the head as needed”…”King of drivers for 2019 in my opinion, tons of speed for all levels and great forgiveness.”
2. Ping G410 SFT: SFT stands for Straight Flight Technology. For players on the lower end of the speed spectrum, closing the clubface and creating spin to keep the ball in the air to carry further can be a bit more difficult. The G410 SFT helps with all of those fitting issues.
   From the fitters: “Great speed, not as good as Epic Flash, but the forgiveness makes it my obvious number two” …”Still a great driver that fits players of all speeds and is super easy to hit.”
3. TaylorMade M6 D-Type: Everything from the M6, but with a twist (and not just Twist Face), the M6 D-Type has a CG located a lot closer to the heel to produce 20 additional yards of draw bias for those that tend to fade the ball.
   From the fitters: “Good club for this speed with so many struggling with right miss”…”Very forgiving and draw biased without a closed face—something a lot of players hate the look of”
4. Titleist TS1: Titleist took the TS frame and made it even faster with the TS1. Lightening the entire club from head to grip, allowing players looking for every opportunity to gain speed to do so with the driver.
   From the fitters: “Titleist is back in the game! This driver has great speed and great forgiveness.”…”Super lightweight and easy to launch, this driver was built for players in this swing speed range”
5. XXIO Prime Driver: SPEED: It’s what XXIO Prime woods deliver. Although one of the most expensive drivers available, the XXIO truly delivers on the promise to get more speed.
   From the fitters: “Ball speed monster… nothing produces a faster ball speed for lower clubhead speeds.”…” Really good driver; works magic for players with slower tempos”

Read all the chatter in the forums here.

Most forgiving driver/straightest driver

This one has some interesting results based on the way fitters interpreted the question—some were looking at curvature reduction generally for players that slice the ball, while others were looking at overall dispersion and total MOI (Moment of Inertia), which leads to shots hit around the face to fly straighter. Either way, regardless of your miss, these drivers will help you hit more fairways.

1. Ping G410 Plus: I feel like I’ve heard this one before—the Ping G410 Plus is a forgiveness monster! Extremely high MOI produces consistent results all over the face. Add to it the adjustability to help with player misses and you have a fairway finder.
   From the fitters: “The forgiveness on this driver all over the face is the best!”…”Ping hands down for several years now have been producing drivers that let players get away with a lot of mishits, but delivering straight shots.”
2. Titleist TS2: The Speed Project is delivering more than just speed. Its classic shape appeals to a lot of players and its lower CG also appeals to those looking to find the short grass more often.
   From the fitters: “Sleeper! Never in 20 years have I thought of Titleist as a straight driver. TS1 and TS2 are straight.”
3. PXG 0811 XF Gen 2: The Gen 2 woods from PXG are true performers across all categories. Thanks to its extremely high MOI, the XF has proven itself to be one of straightest on the market.
   From the fitters: “This driver is a sleeper, first Gen wasn’t that easy to hit and lead to more offline shots in my fits, Gen 2 XF fully hits the mark.”…”Depending on the player’s tendency—if we need to use a driver to reduce their normal shot shape the 0811 is fantastic”
4. TaylorMade M6 D-Type: To no surprise, the D-Type is back! Any time a driver can use a lot of discretionary mass to move CG closer to the heel and produce a draw bias, it will make its way into a lot of bags.
   From the fitters: “I’ve done a lot of fits this season and the M6 has been super forgiving and offers very repeatable dispersion shot after shot.”
5. Callaway Epic Flash: It doesn’t have the highest MOI in this category, but thanks to a ton of adjustability, fitters can really dial this club in for almost any player—that leads to tighter shot patterns.
   From the fitters: “All the adjustability helps with control”…”The Flash Face lets players have more forgiveness across the face which really improves ball speeds on those mishit shots—Great all-around driver.”

Read all the chatter in the forums here.

Conclusion

The fitters consulted for this piece have accumulated data from thousands of fittings with golfers just like you. From beginners to tour players, their feedback and information can’t be undervalued.

Now it’s your turn: Everybody swings the club differently and everybody has their own experience. We want to hear from you. What driver are you using? What did you switch from? What performance gains did you find in your own game? Share your experience to help others.

Read all the comments or make your own in the discussion thread in the forums here.