Best driver/s for a beginner?

I've started dragging one of my friends to the range and he is now starting to enjoy himself. We were talking yesterday evening about him buying equipment and he asked me what driver was best for a beginner. I told him I would go for the max club head size (460), high loft (11.5-12) and a relatively flexible shaft. I also told him to get the shaft length around 44. Have any of you guys got any ideas for specific models? I remember Cleveland did a Hi-Bore Monster XLS (I think that's what it was called!) that seemed pretty forgiving for a beginner. ...CM

Got to see your fren's swing b4 can make any recommendations. beginners doesn't mean have to play hi loft, soft flex and short length drivers.

Excellent point Abadan. His sequencing isn't bad and his club head speed is quite slow at the moment - only been playing for a couple of months now. He hits it relatively cleanly (although not consistently) and he needs something that is going to inspire confidence!

I advised on the higher loft based on the advice I was given when I first started playing when my club head speed was slower. I think he would struggle to get anything under 10.5 degrees nicely lofted....

Taylormade burner 2007 model or Ping G15 or TM supertri

All can be found relatively cheap at Joe's place. Have fun.

dun think there is any 44 inch stock shaft unless the previous owner cut it.

Whenever I have friends wanna start this sport, I will go to Creative Golf to grab some cheap stuff for them. They usually give up half way so no point buying brand new. Haha. The budget corner outside of the shop should have some goodies for your requirement. There is a Titleist 905 with NV Green 55R shaft for $50. This may suits your friend.

Hope it helps.

Slow swing speed then i'd recommend a longer shaft. 45.5 -46". Softer flex will also help launch the ball higher. Many heads to choose from. What's his budget? maybe he can consider one that has an adjustable loft. most of them can go up to 12 degrees. then as he improves, he can drop the loft and just change shaft.

if your friend is an absolute beginner, i rather he not buy any driver....

im saying this cos i was once a beginner as well and like your friend, i want whatever clubs i wanna put in my bag regardless of my proficieny level...

cos of this, i believe my game was setback for a good half year for my insistence to hit driver off the tee...

imagine waking up 5am in the morning to go JB and had an awful round, cos always searching for balls, then have to punch through trees and do all kinds of hero shots...terrible feeling

why torture oneself with your money and feel lousy after the game... why cant i have a good time with my kakis, making small talk, talk about work, about women, about life, things that bonds friendship

but u wont be able to do all this if u are constantly looking for wayward balls, i also believe u wont have the mood to make small talk as well...

my enlightment came when a wise senior golfer came to talk good sense into me, taught me about enjoying the game more if i work hard on consistency, dun matter how far i hit but if hit every shot straight, i will appreaciate the 4-5hrs of my time on the golf course...

thus i hope to pass some of this wisdom to you.... be realistic about your game, hit those shots you are confident with cos this game is all about confidence

dun ruin your quality time with your friends with shots u are not capable of...

then when is a good time for that driver?

this game, like other game, is progressive... more time u spent working on your game, u will be rewarded

took me about a year to find my consistency before i brought the big dog to the course... then i make my kakis paid back my tuition fees  that i have generously donated to them... with interest of course

jmho..... just sharing cos i know how tempting it is to hit it long and straight

but hor... i always tell my kakis

not scared u hit long, only scared u more zhun...

not scared u zhun, only scared u more heng....

Thanks Slinger - I genuinely appreciate your post. Some really good pearls of wisdom in there.

Before he goes anywhere near the course he wants a few lessons from a pro and he wants to feel comfortable with what he's doing. Personally I see no harm in getting some practice with the driver on the range and he may even choose to leave it at home for when he hits the course. Pretty sure Tiger has won comps when he has shelved the driver....

It's maybe not be an essential piece of the arsenal but if you're a confidence player (like me) then it can really aid a good round. A nicely striped drive on the first sets me up a dream for the remaining round

The master has spoken.. kekeke.

Makes a lot of sense. If your fren takes lessons for beginners, chances are, he won't get to touch his woods till the last few lessons. work with the irons first and get the swing mechanics and fundamentals right first b4 moving onto the big stick.

abadan wrote:

The master has spoken.. kekeke.

Makes a lot of sense. If your fren takes lessons for beginners, chances are, he won't get to touch his woods till the last few lessons. work with the irons first and get the swing mechanics and fundamentals right first b4 moving onto the big stick.

Nowadays, heng also no use.. you need to be sibeh heng to be near their standard....

blee67 wrote:

abadan wrote:

The master has spoken.. kekeke.

Makes a lot of sense. If your fren takes lessons for beginners, chances are, he won't get to touch his woods till the last few lessons. work with the irons first and get the swing mechanics and fundamentals right first b4 moving onto the big stick.

Nowadays, heng also no use.. you need to be sibeh heng to be near their standard....

Scare only when u zhun and heng.....like that i need this service

If u r zhun n heng then dun need to play golf already la, go wack havoc in MBS and RWS...

Bro Blee...When play with him, we're not flightmates, we'll become spectators!!  

Bro Slinger, when will I have to honor to get to watch you play again?

abadan wrote:

Bro Blee...When play with him, we're not flightmates, we'll become spectators!!  

Bro Slinger, when will I have to honor to get to watch you play again?

Ya boy......

G30！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！

Bet the G30 is retailing for $500+ right?

Why don't you ask around for friends who don't play anymore and borrow their clubs? Most of my friends started off this way, using a borrowed set from friends who have given up golf, or have no time to play anymore. Once he has decided to take it up seriously and with a bit more experience under the belt then he can go look for a set to buy?

Else golfsite.sg has some good bargains on cheap sets sometimes.

Trick question.... 
The best driver for a beginner is not a driver... But a fairway wood (no shame if he / she tees off with a hybrid even)

pocketace wrote:

Trick question.... 
The best driver for a beginner is not a driver... But a fairway wood (no shame if he / she tees off with a hybrid even)

My US colleague who is a single handicapper still uses his 3 wood to tee off.. he usually leaves the driver in the bag and says its the worst club in his bag

Ping. There's a certain simplicity about them.

I'd also recommend the older Adams (9064) or Cleveland Classic drivers. All good!

As long as can hit its good

enwee wrote:

As long as can hit its good

Absolutely! What is good for others may not be good for you and vice versa ...

when i start playing golf, I used a RBZ and found that it is very suitable for me as a beginner.

golftraveller wrote:

when i start playing golf, I used a RBZ and found that it is very suitable for me as a beginner.

Looking at your WITB, you must be a strong hitter, huh?

Haha.. Beginners dont need to buy la.. I have an old callaway 10* driver sitting in my storeroom (cannot remember the model; could be 2007-9 model) to give away .. just let me know if your friend wants to try it, happy to help out a fellow beginner