The Best Drivers Of 2017 – Read Our Picks!

After a host of recent launches, we showcase the best drivers of 2017 looking to earn a spot in your golf bag for the coming season.

The Best Drivers 2017

Buying a new driver is an exciting prospect but it can also be a daunting one. With so much different technology on offer from every manufacturer, it can be almost impossible to know where to start.

For 2017, custom fitting and moveable weights are strong and common themes. This adjustability helps golfers adjust launch, spin and shot shape and is relatively intuitive. Combine this with adjustable loft on the hosel and you’ve got endless combinations to get the most from your latest purchase.

Be honest with yourself about what you want to get from it – do you want more distance? Do you want to find more fairways? Do you want to change your slice into a draw? Some drivers may even be able to provide a little bit of everything, but you’ll only find this out by seeking the advice of your pro and getting custom fitted.

Don’t be surprised to have to pay a little more for a new driver in 2017 compared to last year, as the weakening pound against the dollar has forced brands to up their RRPs more than they’d have liked. Here are the best drivers of 2017…

 

2017 TaylorMade M1

The new TaylorMade M1 driver uses 43 per cent more carbon fibre, saving extra that paved the way for a longer rear track and a 2g heavier sliding weight. This creates 64 per cent more CG movement for even more variation in launch and spin. It has even more settings to maximise launch, spin and shot shape. It has a larger profile at address with a shallower face than the previous version.

RRP: £479. TaylorMade M1 driver review

Titleist 917

As well as improved Active Recoil Channel 2.0 and Radial Speed Face 2.0 comes SureFit CG, a weight port in the back of the head that allows the swing weight, launch, spin and shot shape to be dialed in even further. It is positioned at a 30-degree angle to clubface, to keep spin levels low when in the fade position while maintaining forgiveness.

RRP £450. Titleist 917 driver review

Callaway Great Big Bertha Epic

New Jailbreak technology comprises two ultra-light (3g), strong, parallel titanium bars connecting the crown and sole behind the face to reduce their deflection, allowing the face to take more of the load created at impact for faster ball speeds. It comes in standard GBB Epic, with a 27-gram sliding weight in the back of the sole to adjust shot shape, or the lower spinning Sub Zero model, which has 2g and 12g interchangeable sole weights to dial in launch and spin as well as change forgiveness levels.

RRP: £469. Callaway Great Big Bertha Epic drivers review

Ping G

A new weight saving on the crown called Dragon Fly technology has allowed Ping to move the CG lower and further back to increase launch and forgiveness. Crown turbulators and a Vortec on the back of the clubhead reduces aerodynamic drag for increased clubhead speed. It also comes in low spin LS Tec and draw-biased SF Tec versions, all with adjustable loft by +/- one degree.

RRP £349. Ping G driver review

 

Cobra King F7

Three weights settings on the sole provide high launch and spin, low launch and spin as well as an additional draw setting. It comes as a standard King F7 or King F7+, which features lower loft options, but both come in either black, grey or blue colour options. Cobra Connect technology in the grip allows drives to be tracked through a smartphone app.

RRP £279. Cobra King F7 drivers review

The Best Drivers 2017 continues….

Mizuno JPX900

Two 8g weights can be placed in a choice of three Fast Tracks on the sole to alter launch and spin. Loft can be adjusted via the Quick Switch hosel while face angle can also be opened or closed via an additional weight on the sole. It has a larger, more confidence-inspiring head than the Mizuno JPX850 model it replaces and a reconfigured clubface said to be more forgiving on off-centre hits.

RRP £399

 

Srixon Z565

The Srixon Z565 driver replaces the Z545 driver and features a new Power Wave Sole to increase both launch angle and forgiveness. This is essentially a multi-step design that allows the lower portion of the face to bend more, increasing distance across the face. A Stretch Flex Cup Face has also been added, extending further around the crown and sole to create a larger sweetspot. Slight draw bias will help serial slicers achieve a straighter flight.

RRP £325. Srixon Z565 driver review

Callaway Big Bertha Fusion

An Exo-Cage made from aerospace-grade titanium has been paired with a crown and sole made from special triaxial carbon to produce Callaway’s most forgiving driver to date. Engineers have relocated 35g inside the Big Bertha Fusion clubhead where it can optimise the centre of gravity (CG) and increase the MOI by 17 per cent compared to the XR16 driver. The deeper shaping of the head from front to back creates even higher resistance to twisting. The Speed Step on the crown improves air flow over the club head for more speed and to increase the potential for accuracy even further, it comes in an accuracy-focused 44.5” or distance orientated 45.5” shaft length options.

RRP £369. Callaway Big Bertha Fusion driver review

 

2017 TaylorMade M2

The new M2 driver features a recessed, ‘Geocoustic’ sole that saves weight and improves performance. Just like in M1, using the new lower density 9-1-1 Titanium body and six-layer carbon composite crown allowed for 25g of discretionary mass to be relocated low and back in the sole of the club. Together, these increase forgiveness without sacrificing low CG, a hot trajectory or aerodynamic performance. Now comes in a D-Type version with extra draw bias for serial slicers.

RRP £369. TaylorMade M2 driver review

Wilson Staff Triton DVD

Triton is the fruit of the Golf Channel’s unique Driver vs. Driver contest, which offered aspiring equipment designers a $500,000 cash prize and the chance for their concept to be brought to market. The eventual winner features two interchangeable sole plates – one titanium, and the other a lighter carbon fibre. Three additional sole weights help dial in launch and spin, assisted further by an adjustable six-way Fast Fit loft sleeve. After minor technical issues with the USGA over the sole plates, a modified version with a DVD logo on the sole signifies a conforming driver.

RRP: £349

Yonex Ezone Elite

Complimenting the Z-Force driver into 2017 is the Ezone Elite driver, a super game improvement model aimed at high handicappers, senior and lady golfers in the mid-price bracket. Key to the improvement in performance is upgraded Octaforce technology, whereby octagonal sections of the crown and clubface have been made thinner. This saves weight that is then repositioned to make the clubs more forgiving, but also move the CG lower and deeper for lower spin and higher launch. A light yet low torque M60 shaft helps increase clubhead speed for improved energy transfer.

RRP £199

Click here to see all the latest gear reviews for 2017

Lynx Black Cat

 

 

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