Drivers

clubhead and with so many options available nowadays, it can feel somewhat intimidating when buying one for the first time. As this is a basic guide aimed more at the novice golfer, I won't be going into too much detail here but rest assured, I will be doing more in depth look at the different choices available
for the more established players in a blog article  Let's have a look at the main things to consider when buying your first golf driver. 

Loft
The loft is the angle of the face that determines how high a ball will launch. The loft of a driver will usually range between 8 degrees and 13.5 degrees and as a basic rule of thumb the higher the loft of the driver, the higher trajectory the ball will fly on. The most popular lofts are 9-degrees and 10.5 degrees and with today’s technology, it is possible on most drivers to adjust the loft, making it much easier to set your driver up perfectly after you have bought it. With the torque wrench supplied you can often adjust the loft up or down by 2 degrees in a matter of seconds.
Shaft Flex
The flex of the shaft determines how and where the shaft bends as you swing the club. Choosing the right shaft flex on your golf driver is crucial to producing the correct ball flight. The basic flexes offered are Ladies, Senior or Light, Regular, Stiff and Extra Stiff. Generally, the slower your swing speed is the more flex you need in the shaft to produce the best results.
Weight Positioning
Drivers will often come with moveable weights on the clubhead itself. For golfers looking to cure a slice (left to right curve for a right hander) the weights can be moved more into the heel of the club. Conversely, if it is a hook that plagues you (right to left curve) then the weights can be moved more towards the toe. Positioning a sliding weight further forward in the head increases the club’s potential for distance, as this moves the centre of gravity forwards and imparts less backspin on the ball. Be warned though, moving the weight forward also makes a driver much less forgiving, and shots struck off centre will be punished more severely.
Centre Of Gravity
As mentioned above, the positioning of the centre of gravity on a golf driver can dramatically affect ball flight. A lower and further forward centre of gravity will produce lower spinning drives and would be suitable for the golfer who is has plenty of speed and a high overall flight. If you hit drives with a ball flight that appears to float rather than penetrate this could be an excellent option for you. The further back the centre of gravity is the higher the ball will spin. This can be used by the golfer whose golf ball never properly gets airborne and appears to fall out of the sky before it should. This also makes the club more forgiving and is an excellent choice for less accomplished ball strikers and players who lack speed.
Head Size & Profile
Most drivers nowadays are built to the maximum 460cc allowed within the rules of golf with only a select few being made at 440cc. The smaller-headed ones are specialised clubs that have very low spinning characteristics are aimed at the better ball-strikers. If you are fairly new to the game, you should always look at the 460cc heads. Not all 460cc heads look the same though and manufacturers will present drivers that look quite different at address by changing their profile. The drivers that are generally the easiest to hit will have a more squashed profile at address and can look positively huge when behind the ball. These styles of drivers instil more confidence at address just through sheer size. The drivers that appear more compact at address have deeper faces and will usually offer lower spinning characteristics. Again, these drivers are aimed at the low-to-mid-handicap player as they will be less forgiving.

If you are just starting out playing this wonderful game, then obviously price can be a consideration. If you want to test the waters to see if you like the game before splashing out on the latest and greatest new driver, then a good option is to buy a golf driver that is perhaps from the season before. Often here at Scottsdale Golf, we will have some superb offers on golf drivers from the major manufacturers that have been released over the last few seasons. These kinds of offers are perfect for early on in your golfing life, as you will still get an excellent quality club but at a lower price. 

Of course, there are established players that change their golf driver every year, as new technology is introduced that allows them to hit longer and straighter drives. Technology does move quickly in golf, as the manufacturers spend millions on research & development, looking for an innovation that can make their company's next driver the best on the market. As you would expect, we also have comprehensive stocks of all the latest and greatest new golf drivers, so whatever you are looking for, you can find it with us.