Your driver is arguably the most important club in your bag. At GolfWRX, to determine the 2022 best driver, we have again compiled an expert panel of fitters to help you find out which of the 2022 drivers is best for your game.

We continue to exist in an era of not just maximizing distance but also minimizing the penalty of common misses for each player with the driver. This is why, now more than ever, custom fitting is essential to help you see results on every swing you make. We believe the best way to find your personal best driver is to work with a professional fitter using a launch monitor.

The difficult part is many golfers don’t have easy access to fitters, launch monitors, and club builders — so at GolfWRX, in addition to breaking down the best options across three swing speed ranges, we’re also presenting the most forgiving drivers for the player who preferences forgiveness above all else (meet our fitters here).

Most forgiving driver of 2022

Ping G425 Max

Ping G425 Max sole

The G425 Max has the highest MOI (a measurement of forgiveness) on the market, and its 460 cc head features a 26-gram moveable tungsten weight in the rear to help golfers dial in ball flight bias. This extra mass is also how the weight track can offer less movement on the exterior of the head while still creating the same level of movement inside the head to create a draw and fade bias compared to previous generations. It also comes in a multitude of lofts that can be further adjusted with the trajectory tuning hosel.

For the full technology breakdown, check out our 2021 Ping G425 driver launch piece.

Fitter Notes

• If you want a big, stable, forgiving driver that’s going to allow you to quickly and easily reduce dispersion, the G425 Max is going to make golf feel a lot easier.
• The big fitting and consumer benefit of the Ping G425 Max is how much you can get out of this head depending on the player. It used to be that drivers geared for moderate clubhead speeds sat really closed and generally only came in higher lofts. With the Max, you get all kinds of loft options and it sits really square-to-open depending on the adapter setting.
• The one thing to keep in mind is the G425 Max has one of the heaviest driver heads on the market, so it can start to feel a bit heavy for certain players depending on the shaft that’s being tested—but all of the Ping stock shafts are counterbalanced to help with this. With that in mind, you can custom order the CG shifter in various weights to make sure you are dialed in.
• This driver is the undefeated king of stability. If you aren’t a range rat and want to just enjoy your time on the golf course, this one is for you.
• For any golfer on the lowest end of the swing speed spectrum, you HAVE to try this driver with the stock Ping Alta. It’s only 40 grams and just wants to launch the ball up as fast as possible.
• If you want a draw-biased driver now and a neutral or fade-biased driver later, the functionality engineered into this head will give you just that thanks to the CG shifter and adjustable hosel. If you arent working with the adjustment features of the G425 Max you are 100 percent missing out.

GolfWRX member jbole267: “Ping G425 Max with 4 grams hot melt was much better than TSi3. Best strikes were very similar, however, anything not on the button ping was automatic and sound is much better than I was expecting. It’s amazing and will be hard to beat.”

Callaway Rogue ST Max LS

Callaway engineers added new technology and more extreme weighting to the original Rogue framework to produce the Rogue ST (Speed Tuned) line, which Callaway is calling its fastest, most stable drivers ever.

The low-spin offering in the Rogue ST lineup, Rogue ST Max LS is a more workable, lower spin head designed to produce a more neutral ball flight and stronger trajectory. Only mid-to-low handicap players need apply.

For the full technology breakdown, check out our Callaway Rogue ST Max LS launch piece.

Fitter notes

• The spin is a little lower, and the ball speed off the face is a little bit faster than the drivers before it.
• It is a little more neutral than the Max head, so it allows me to go both ways with the cog settings. The high swing speed players I work with like to take out one side of the course, and having a driver that is more neutral and low spin allows me to go both ways.
• It just works for a lot of players. It’s a forgiving driver that looks good and fits the spin profile for the better player. But it can go all the way down to higher handicaps that create a lot of spin. Forgiving enough for a wide range of players.
• There is a lot of tech that is really unseen. From a performance standpoint, especially on mishits, it is just holding its line better with launch and spin conditions. The thing I am most surprised with is mishits low on the face; they are still holding a ton of ball speed.
• I was pretty surprised there’s still good forgiveness there. Callaway has the forgiveness factor married with the speed. You get away with the mishits with the Rogue.
• Offers good, consistent launch with really good spin numbers.

GolfWRX member Kyle M: “My son had a fitting yesterday – he went through the Stealth +, Cobra, Titleist, and Mizuno and then hit the Rogue ST Max LS – That head with a Tensei 1K Pro White 60X was amazing for him.  Consistent smash in the 1.47-1.50 range.  And it sounds amazing if I do say so myself.”

TaylorMade Stealth

The TaylorMade Stealth driver began as a code-named project, the origins of which go back 20 years. The show-stopping feature of the new 2022 TaylorMade Stealth driver is its centerpiece technology: a carbon fiber face. For TaylorMade engineers, the conversion to carbon was aimed at one thing: more ball speed. Carbon Twist Face weight savings allow more weight to be positioned low and deep in the head. More spin and 15 percent more MOI compared to Stealth Plus.

For the full technology breakdown, check out our Stealth launch piece.

Fitter notes

• At the end of the day, it has to perform, and it does. The ballspeed and the distance off of it puts it as high, or the highest, in our store of all the new drivers.
• Generally, the faster you swing, you are going to generate a little more spin, and I see a little more consistency with that. It is a good driver for someone who needs to knock off a couple of hundred RPM of spin no matter the clubhead speed.
• The biggest thing we have seen this year from Stealth is really fast ball speed off mishits. Hitting it off the heel, toe, low, or high, there is a big increase around the face compared to SIM2. The spin doesn’t jump or increase like it used to. Ball speed consistency is really good, and it is going to work for all swing speeds because your misses are going to be closer.
• The carbon face is a big talking point, and most players don’t mind the red face. Players are really surprised by the sound and feel of it since it really mimics previous titanium drivers. I have seen players pick up clubhead speed as well.
• It is always going to be a little more forgiving without the sliding weight in there, and it also offers a little softer feel. The Stealth fits a lot of people. The face technology and the Twist Face go hand-in-hand to help a lot with controlling spin and reducing the gear effect.

GolfWRX member King_Carey: “I’ve had the driver in play for three weeks now (down in Oz). 10.5 stealth and put in my Fujikura pro stiff 60 tour spec shaft. It’s a great driver, consistent on mis-hits and as others mentioned, launches high and has the ability to every now and then send them wayyyy out there.”

Cobra LTDx Max

The LTDx Max driver combines stability with draw-bias into one driver, both individually achievable using the moveable weight system.

The new addition features a slightly oversized 460cc profile to help provide excellent distance and forgiveness with a back weight setting and an added weight positioned in the heel that affords golfers additional draw-bias to help square the face for more accurate results.

For the full technology breakdown, check out our LTDx launch piece.

Fitter notes

• As aesthetics go, in terms of graphics and the beauty of the wood, it is the most beautiful wood we have in the store. After initial testing, for us, it is the best Cobra driver in the store, without a doubt.
• We had guys that wanted the LS, but they couldn’t turn it over, and it was super low spin. They hit the Max, and the spin rates just didn’t differentiate. Still really low spin, but they can turn it over. It is allowing those players to turn it over, but it isn’t going to overspin, which is great.
• They literally need to just get in more golfer’s hands to try it because it will win out.

GolfWRX member mbl42465: “Cobra is going to sell a lot of these. Look good, sound good, perform great and a little cheaper than the competition.”

Cobra LTDx

Described by the company as a driver “unicorn”, the LTDx driver is the very first to combine zero CGna and a high MOI at 5200.

The driver features a slightly oversized 460cc clubhead that is constructed with the balance of internal weighting in design to deliver the fastest ball speeds with slow spin and maximum distance.

For the full technology breakdown, check out our LTDx launch piece.

Fitter notes

• It is fast. It is stable. The blending of stability and ball speed is just outstanding. Did a fitting where the player’s first few swings were the one-handed follow-through, and he wasn’t swinging well. I showed him that the shots were 15yds longer and only 5yds offline.
• It is in the middle of the line for Cobra, but it is very forgiving and on the lower spin side. I thought RadSpeed was a good driver, but LTDx is a big step up.
• It fits a broad range of people with a lot of adjustability. The biggest improvement has to be ball speed, especially on the mishits.

Read Best Driver of 2022 (three swing speed ranges) here and join the discussion in the forums.