Updated December 15, 2022. This article was thoroughly audited by multiple golf experts and coaches for its accuracy. You can read more about our rigorous testing protocol here.
Every golfer wants more distance from their driver, but do they know how to make that dream a reality? While there are several components worth noting, one of the biggest features of the driver that most amateurs overlook is the loft.
The loft angle of the face of the driver is responsible for higher launch, low spin, and optimal trajectory to get the most from your drives.
Some golfers have too much driver loft, while others don’t have enough, so most players ask is: What’s the right amount of loft on your driver?
We’re here to answer all of your questions!
What is the Best Driver Loft for Distance?
The best driver loft typically measures around 10.5 degrees. While more advanced golfers will benefit from using lower lofted drivers and high handicappers will need more loft to produce the carry they are missing, the best driver loft to use for inexperienced golfers is around 10.5 degrees.
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Table of Contents
Why is Driver Loft Important?
Driver loft is so crucial because it determines the launch of your drive. If you hit the golf ball too high, the ball takes a tall arc, sacrificing distance for height. The opposite is true, as too little driver loft can turn the tee shot into a line drive with far less loft than necessary for maximum distance.
With a solid angle of attack, optimal driver loft on your driver will maximize golf ball distance and roll, regardless of your swing speeds. Too much driver loft can kill the potential to reach the distances necessary to shorten second shots.
While there are several essential factors for hitting the longest drives of your golf career, finding the best driver for reaching long distances starts with finding the one with the right driver loft.
Which Driver Should I Use?
Here are the best driver loft for distance:
- Best Low Driver Loft: TaylorMade SIM MAX
- Best Distance: Callaway Mavrik Max
- Best Value: Mazel Titanium Driver
- Best High Driver Loft: TaylorMade M6
- Best Accuracy: Cleveland Launcher HB Turbo
Best Low Loft Drivers
TaylorMade SIM MAX
Best Low Loft Driver
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PROS
- Great distance club with a 9-degree option for moderate shot height
- Improved angle of attack with SIM MAX produces staggering length
- Asymmetrical sole increases power and distance with less loft of the driver
CONS
- No sliding weight to add more customization to your drive
- Hollow sound on off-center strikes, feels less sturdy on mistakes
One of the best low driver loft clubs on the market is the TaylorMade SIM MAX. Featuring a collection of innovative features, the SIM MAX offers an exceptional launch angle, the ability to improve your attack angle, and several loft options with the adjustable sleeve.
The SIM MAX comes with three different driver loft options starting with 9 degrees through 12 degrees, but the sleeve can add or subtract another degree of loft. The driver’s shaft is sturdy and up for hard swingers who drive the ball over 300 yards.
Callaway Mavrik Max
Best Distance Driver
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PROS
- Customizable to create an ideal launch angle off the face
- One of the best drivers for players with 100 mph club speed
- Adjustable loft sleeve takes more loft off the clubface for additional yards
CONS
- Draw-bias weighting makes it a driver for those struggling with slice
- Would work better with sliding weighing along the rear of the sole
From Callaway, the Mavrik Max is another bright spot in their latest line of low driver loft clubs. The Mavrik Max is an exceptional driver with a 9 degrees option that keeps the ball low at impact for long carry and exceptional distance.
This club is ideal for mid handicappers who need forgiveness and tight shot dispersion without losing one mph of speed. A 10.5 degrees option is available for players with a lower attack angle. A tour-level driver, the Mavrik Max is a machine for serious players.
Mazel Titanium Driver
Best Value Driver
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PROS
- Lightweight feel and incredible response at an affordable price
- Low, deep center-of-gravity increases launch angle
- New Aerodynamic head shape boosts loft for higher, longer drives
CONS
- Cheaper feel and appearance, ideal for just budget seeking high handicappers
- Experienced golfers won’t find the responsiveness they demand from the driver
The Mazel Titanium Driver offers a terrific value option for high handicappers and beginning golfers that need more launch angle at impact. The Mazel driver offers reduced drag for clean entry into the golf ball with its redesigned aerodynamic head shape.
Several marvelous features worth noting with the Mazel Titanium include a Speed Channel that minimizes face thickness for boosted ball speed for longer yardage off the tee box. Also, the driver boasts a CNC milled face that manufacturers an incredible spring off the hitting area for high arcing drives.
The driver also features a low, deep center of gravity for higher launch, which is great for golfers that need more consistency and far-reaching carry that translates into the distance.
The Mazel Titanium, a well-made driver, is great for inexperienced players looking for an affordable, high performer off the tee.
Best High Loft Drivers
TaylorMade M6
Best High Loft Driver
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PROS
- Powerful driver with 12 degrees option that offers launch
- Great golf club with a dynamic loft that adjusts based on consistency
- Curved face helps with forgiveness and accuracy
CONS
- Less feel and response on off-center strikes
- Head looks and feels blocky
The TaylorMade M6 is a luxury driver that all weekend warriors needing a high loft club will enjoy. With a smooth attack angle, this driver offers an exceptional launch angle and is one of the best driver loft options on the market.
The high-quality shaft provides a Tour-level strength with the right feel and response. A 10.5 and 12 degrees option is available on the M6, and players can adjust the face forward for more height control.
Cleveland Launcher HB Turbo
Best Accuracy Driver
PROS
- Exceptional distance with the fixed hosel, great for beginners
- Strong clubface creates a powerful impact with the right trajectory at launch
- Several shaft options help match club speed for the best attack angle
CONS
- No customizable features such as loft sleeve or adjustable weighting
- Solid feel but lacks that punch that elite drivers provide
The Cleveland Launcher HB Turbo offers a fixed hosel, great for beginners and high handicappers. With a 10.5 and 12 degrees option, fans of high lofted drivers will find the right golf club for their tee box game.
The Launcher can easily maximize distance with its first-rate stock shaft that produces a great launch angle on your golf ball. If you are looking to increase the success of your attack angle into the tee shot, this driver can accomplish real positive change for your swing.
Who Needs Low Loft Drivers
Fast Swing Speed
For golfers with dramatically high swing speeds, a lower lofted driver can power the ball further than ever before. Increasing carry distance is vital to increasing length, and a driver with 8.5-9.5 degrees is the loft to get to boost yardage.
By lowering the launch of the drives, the high swing speed helps muscle the ball down the fairway. When the lower loft is paired with less spin, the new driver can increase golf ball speed without worrying that the golf ball is headed into the rough.
Experienced Golfers
Long time golfers can also benefit from adding a lower lofted driver to their game, as long as they maintain a positive attack angle to the ball and hold moderate club speed. A flatter plane provides numerous benefits for these golfers, including offering a measure of distance with accuracy.
While experienced golfers might have clubhead speed that dips below 100 mph, they can still reach extended distances on the course with the right golf equipment. Adding a distance ball and a lower loft of the driver will fine-tune the trajectory of the drive without losing precious yardage.
A higher loft degree driver can send shots far too high, suffocating the distance that most golfers at this skill level need to post low scores.
One-Plane Players
With Bryson DeChambeau taking over the PGA Tour with his enormous muscles and equally huge driving distance, the push to find a lower lofted driver has become popular among amateurs. DeChambeau plays with a 5.5-degree driver on tour, but his incredible swing speed gives him the advantage of playing a driver with that reduced launch.
DeChambeau uses his one-plane swinging path to create a positive attack angle on the ball, despite the severe loft on the club. Since most amateurs play with a two-plane approach, the lower lofts available on most drivers can help a golfer switch from two to one-plane.
Who Needs High Loft Drivers
Beginners
A beginning golfer will typically display a slower swinging speed of around 80 mph. The ball will not travel as far since the clubhead speed is slower than most golfers. A golfer needs a higher loft on their driver’s clubhead to increase distance.
Finding a driver that has a 12-degree loft or higher is a great place to begin to add more carry to your drives.
High Handicappers
For golfers that find their handicap hovering around 18 or more, a driving wood with a lower center of gravity can help improve the attack angle of the club and allow the player to hit the ball with lesser spin loft and more carry.
Since these golfers have experience playing the game, just a few equipment tweaks can help maximize their distance and open a new measure of success to their overall skill level.
Senior Golfers
Since senior golfers need to maintain their club speed and increase their launch to successfully hit long drives, a high loft driver can increase the launch angle off the clubface. A senior player can maximize their impact on the golf ball with enhanced trajectory, resulting in increased yardage.
Another aspect of a high loft driver for senior golfers that can help increase success is finding the right shaft flex for the club to match clubhead speed.
Women Golfers
An increase in loft angle for women golfers can benefit their game by adding more carry and forward roll after the ball hits the fairway. On the tee box, the right driver can revolutionize the game of a female golfer, so finding higher lofts and the correct shaft for their driver can offer the right combination to hit the best drives of their golfing journey.
The best loft for women golfers with an average ball speed is around 10.5-13 degrees. This clubface loft will reduce spin, increase launch angle, and improve attack angle for increased yards from the tee.
Frequently Asked Questions
What degree driver hits the farthest?
Distance is created by swing speed, but the total yardage of a drive is also determined by the loft of the driver’s face.
The lower the degree of the driver’s face, the farther the ball will travel for golfers with high swing speeds. For slower swingers, the face needs more loft to create additional carry.
How much does 1 degree of loft affect distance drivers?
One degree can affect the distance of a drive-by up to 20 yards. With a tall arc, a drive won’t travel as far for golfers with high swing speeds, but for high handicappers with slower swings, a higher degree of loft can create more length.
Does more loft on the driver mean more distance?
No, more loft does not mean more distance. For a professional golfer with an elite swing speed, more loft would create a taller shot arc that would actually rob distance. For slower swingers, more loft can help produce additional carry that translates into more yardage.
Should I use a 10.5 or 9.5 driver?
When choosing between the two lofts, you should consider your swing speed and overall distance. The last thing that golfers want to experience on the golf course is drives that fly too high, creating a tall arc rather than a flatter, more moderate shot shape that maximizes distance.
For golfers struggling to consistently hit their drives, the higher loft of 10.5 degrees will help create the shot shape needed to increase carry and extend the length of the drives.
Conclusion
The TaylorMade SIM MAX is the best distance driver for golfers seeking a low loft club for the tee box. With an adjustable hosel and 9-degree option, golfers can solve their loft problems with the simple turn of a wrench.
For low handicappers, the SIM MAX driver offers minimal sidespin, even with a higher loft setting. Beginners and high handicappers will find they can place the driver’s loft lower to extend carry and lengthen their distance.
Although you may need to set aside some time to find the right combination of settings for your optimal drive, the design, performance, and construction of the TaylorMade SIM MAX will ultimately make it worthwhile regardless of your skill level.