The Golf Driver is the longest golf club in your bag in more ways than one, (Except if you use a Long Broomstick Putter).  The Driver is long in both length of club and distance of shot.  You will probably only use this club off the tee on a par 5 or a long par 4 hole.

The head is also larger than any golf club in your bag, usually around 460cc.  Most golfers will carry a matching #3 Fairway Wood and possibly a #5 Fairway Wood.  Although, with the advent of the Hybrid Iron many golfers are opting out of the 5 wood and are carrying a hybrid club.

The Golf Driver comes in several lofts ranging from 4 all the way to 16 degrees.  Usually you will choose your loft based on how fast you swing.  The slower you swing the higher the loft and vice versa. Competitive Distance participants will choose lofts between 4 and 7 degrees.  Touring Pro’s will usually choose a loft range between 8 and 9 degrees, while the average male golfer and strong woman golfer will go for 10 or 11 degrees.  Seniors and most women will opt for 14+ degrees loft.  Most Pro’s and better golfers might have several different loft drivers for different occasions.  For Example, you might usually carry a 10.5 loft driver but when you get to the course it is extremely windy, if you have a lower loft driver with you, you might opt for that so the ball does not fly as high and get caught up in the wind.  Should I have more than one driver with different lofts?  That all depends on your golfing ability.  If you are new to the game or only play once in a while, I would say no.  But, if you are a good golfer and play often, then you might want to consider it.

“Let the Big Dog Eat”  Like I said earlier, the Golf Driver is the longest club in the bag.  It is quite common to see 300+ yard drives nowadays, but it is also common to see these drives end up in less than perfect lies, such as the woods, or the deep stuff.  Because the Shaft length on the driver is quite long, they average 45″, it is sometimes difficult to control the ball flight.  Even the pro’s will send it into the woods when trying to get a few extra yards out of a drive.  Smart golfers, if they have a couple of stroke lead in a tournament and only a few holes to play, will more often than not opt for a lesser club. Most of the time you will see these pro’s go to the #3 Fairway Wood on a par 5 just to make sure it stays on the Fairway.

The Golf Driver can be your best friend, but it will usually be broken over your knee.

Be sure to check out our Meet the Clubs #2 golf article, where we discuss the Fairway Woods.