Best golf gifts: 5 game-changing drivers for every golfer in your life
TaylorMade's forgiving SIM2 Max driver is a worthy option if your consistency needs some work.
Andrew Tursky/GOLF.com
Happy holidays from GOLF.com, your ultimate gift guide source for all of the golfers in your life (or yourself, of course). This season, we’ve done the legwork for you — finding all of the best items and deals. All you have to do is scroll down! For more gift ideas, check out our main gift guide or visit our Pro Shop.
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The driver remains the ultimate Christmas gift for every golfer. With a plethora of options, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. You could just buy the golfer in your life a driver based on brand — or you could actually get them one that checks some necessary boxes. Do they miss it all over the face? There’s a driver for that. Lacking some pop off the tee? Don’t worry, there’s a driver for that, too. Need some launch and spin? Yep, there’s a model with their name on it.
Before you make the purchase, check out the drivers below to get an idea of what’s currently on the market, and the benefits they provide to the golfer in your life.
Ample forgiveness (TaylorMade SIM2 Max)
TaylorMade SIM2 Max
Our take: Asked to describe the look of SIM2, our testers labeled them “futuristic,” “modern” and “fast.” And who can argue when there’s all that new-age carbon on the sole? While the drivers carry on the original SIM (Shape in Motion) name that excelled in 2020, the company has made a few big changes. One initially skeptical GOLF tester took notice of the improvements: “I tried to hit the original SIM last year, but this new one feels a million times more solid.”
The details: TaylorMade combined proven technologies from recent years (TwistFace, Inertia Generator, speed-injected faces, thru-slots, carbon crowns) with all-new designs to make the drivers more forgiving. Most notably, a new sole plate is made entirely of carbon composite to save weight, and there’s a blue aluminum back ring that connects the rear sole to the crown. The pieces work together to drive weight back for better performance on mishits.
Kill a slice (Ping G425 SFT)
Ping G425 SFT
Our take: Some drivers offer flashy distance while others provide sturdy stability. Ping’s G425, however, checked both boxes for our testers. In his first time hitting the Turbulator-crowned driver, one GOLF tester called it “wife material” due to its alluring speed and forgiveness. “All my mishits went straight,” another said. Players also found the impact sound to sing a deep, booming note.
The details: By combining tech from previous releases, Ping says it has designed its most forgiving and highest-launching driver. For golfers with a slice, Ping offers the draw-biased G425 SFT with a fixed 23-gram tungsten back weight that moves CG toward the heel; Ping says this design creates approximately 25 yards of draw bias compared to its G425 Max model.
Gain ball speed (Callaway Epic Speed)
Callaway Epic Speed
Our take: Golfers have come to expect a lot from the Epic name, specifically more speed, distance, forgiveness and stability. Testers found all three Epic models to be up to the challenge, heaping praise on everything from the feel at impact to the impressive Tour-quality sound. “I put it through its paces and it never let me down,” said one tester.
The details: The latest game-changing tech from Callaway is a Jailbreak A.I. Speed frame that consists of a red-hot Flash Face SS21 and new internal structure that not only stiffens the head vertically but also provides horizontal stability. It all adds up to eye-popping ball speed gains. Epic Speed’s aerodynamic construction reduces drag for more speed.
Launch it high (Cobra RadSpeed XB)
Cobra RadSpeed XB
Our take: With a hammer-like sound and impressive feel, RadSpeed delivered in a big way during GOLF’s ClubTest. As one tester raved, “I love the aesthetic. There’s some slight carbon fiber you can see in the back, and you can’t go wrong with matte black. Feels great, looks great.” This was the general consensus with Cobra’s latest big stick. In addition to noticing lower spin and a more penetrating flight (thanks to a reimagined adjustable sole weighting system), the CNC-milled face offers sneaky alignment assistance, framing the ball at address. It’s easy to see why this neon-yellow-and-black beauty is the driver of choice for U.S. Open winner Bryson DeChambeau and Rickie Fowler.
The details: Cobra is known to push the boundaries with game-changing technologies. This year is no different. In addition to a new age CNC infinity milled face and carbon-fiber crown, Cobra also reimagined its sole weighting system. The OEM used tenets from a popular engineering formula called the Radius of Gyration (“Rad” stands for “radius”) to spread the weights in the sole of the drivers farther to the front and the back of the head for desired performance enhancements throughout the lineup. The XB version is made for golfers who need a bit more height and forgiveness on their drives. That’s why Cobra designed the driver with weights positioned in the rear of the head to get CG further back. The XB driver has 20 grams of weight positioned back (14 grams of fixed weight and 6 grams of adjustable weight) with 8 grams of fixed weight up front.
Shed unwanted spin (Titleist TSi4)
Titleist TSi4
Our take: We can’t get over how amazing the face on the TSi drivers looks, feels and performs. Said an excited tester: “It’s a bit bubbly looking, but the ball flies hot off the clubface.” Said another: “It’s the number-one driver that I’ve tried.” Those are high praises for Titleist, considering the challenge it faced in creating a driver with a clubface made from an incredibly unique, aerospace-grade titanium.
The details: The red-hot ATI 425 face (the material was originally developed for military applications, including tank and body armor) features multi-dimensional stability for a tighter spin range between shots hit away from the center of percussion. Other improvements include an aerodynamic package that reduces drag for speed and carefully positioned weights to optimize launch. Titleist designed the TSi4 with the lowest and most forward CG in the TSi family of drivers. Measuring 430cc, compared to the 460cc sizes in the other offerings, the heads have small pear shapes that traditionalists prefer.
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