Best Driver Over the last 5 Years

Single digit handicap that is looking to play more after taking a few years off due to work. I currently use a Titleist 910D2 with the RIP Phenom shaft and while I love the look and consistency it gives, I am sure I'm leaving yards on the table by using a 10 year old club. Wanted to get your opinion on the best driver over the last 5 years that I might be able to find a deal on. I prefer a traditional look and a shallower face and I suppose I could get used to Ping's turbulators. I know Cobra and Mizuno have put out very good products but please enlighten me on some other top performers.

Best can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people but the G400/G400 Max would probably be the driver that would cover the biggest area under the bell curve. A great all-rounder.

Long, forgiving, if you can get past the turbulators a nice shape.

I’ve really love my Epic Flash.

G400 Max

F9 is getting kinda cheap right now as well.

TM M2

So everybody is just going to relate what driver they are using these days because they feel that is the best. There isn't a same best driver for everybody, because there are so many different swings amongst golfers.

I'm still gaming the M2 hard to beat

Epic Flash SubZero, best driver I've played in years.

Every time he hits a Ping G series driver, they feel dead as a rock and he is left wondering wtf! So it is rather a personal preference as he is sure they are terrific sticks.

The nicest new driver he’s hit has been the Callaway Mavrik, even though he prefers 430-440cc heads.

Back in the day it seemed everyone had the M2. The g400 max is the most forgiving driver I've ever hit.

2016 M2 for me, although the Mavrik SZ Triple Diamond has my attention.

Cobra F8 or F9.

I gamed Cally's for a long time, and if I could have found a D917 on sale I may have gone with it (I just always seem to like titliest feel)....BUT...

Any driver from 2015 forward is going to perform for you. You are likely going to see minimal difference relating to the club-head....a lot will be shaft and swing...kind of like how all golf balls whether 2-piece, 3-piece, 4-piece, or 5-piece all should go about the same distance off driver (2-5 yard difference), performance from the modern heads will be similar. QC is a thing, so there is that, but I base my decisions off of sound and feel.

COBRA F8/F9 are far and away the best sounding drivers out there...especially if your coming form the old(er) titliest...Now before everyone jumps in and says "to each there own!"...In almost ALL other categories, I completely agree, but here, on this issues, opinions be darned...mine is right and if you disagree, than in this case, you are simply wrong. If after you've made a perfect driver swing, and you prefer to hear the sound of a beer keg being hit by a clown with a baseball bat, then you and I my friend, need to have a serious conversation about your life choices....

+25 points for anyone that recognized the slipknot reference....(an additional 25 if you can name the song to which I am thinking of)....

ok, back to our normally scheduled programming where we are all entitled to our own opinion and what is good for me, may not be good for you... :)

Its obviously a debateable subject. However I will say the F9 is a damn good driver. Put the heavy weight in the back and this driver is so forgiving and plenty long. Put the heavy weight forward and this thing is a low spin bomber but a little less forgiving.

G400 Max for sure.

Beer keg hit by a clown...yep, that's Slipknot alright. As far as the song, Clown pretty much bangs kegs on every song doesn't he? If I had to choose, would the song you're referring to be "Left Behind" or "Wait and Bleed"?

I'm really partial to my new Taylormade M6 with a hzrdus smoke black shaft. I had a 2016 M2 that I traded in on an M4, and wish I never did. The M4 for me was horrible, the face felt dead. I've tried a lot of ping drivers, I don't get along with them. They go left for me, something about the way I hold them makes me come ott.

lol, I should have made it worth 100 pts because it is so subjective...while both of those are certainly contenders, they are not what I was thinking of. The song I am thinking of "pronounces" the keg hit mores-so than any other song in the mix/structure of the song, (IMO)...I am a drummer though, so having the back-beat so pronounced certainly would stick out to me....it is a single, and it was a fairly popular single...

I would also say the 2016 M2. I have a tour issue head and it keeps up with anything else that I've tried.

I've been playing the Cobra Zl Encore since it came out. I've tried out many drivers over the years since then and the ZL Encore stayed in the bag until......The Cobra F9 is da bomb for me.

I might be in the minority..... I get better numbers and spin with my 2007 Burner.

I will say im also in the g400 max camp but it is the exact opposite of a shallow head.

I know you said you want a cheaper head but the best performer with a shallow head I have seen in a while is the SIM

It really is different for each of us. My M4, with Tensei blue, is probably one of the best drivers I've ever hit, now I've also got a TS2 with the hzrdus smoke black and it's right up there, not sure if better yet or not. They both are very good drivers for me. I personally can't get a Cally driver to work for me but I love my Epic 15*.

Most everyone will have their own answer based on their liking. I'm no different. The combination of head and shaft will make or break a driver, or any club. For me the TM M3 440cc driver has been the best I've tried the past 5 years (demo or purchase). I have a Graphite Design Tour AD DI 6S shaft in mine. It's been a terrific driver.

M3 460 and g400max, in my opinion

G400Max or G410

Honestly, they are all really good. Some definite benefits in maxing out stability while maintaining speed has been added (or marketed) with more premium shaft options and upgrades available. Some key tech to look at:

Jail Break Technology - Callaway Rougue/Epic/Flash

Twist Face - Taylor Made M3/M4/M5/M6/SIMs

Moveable Weight Tech - Many have this

For me the best tech is the loft sleeve for fine tuning the lie angle and get the toe relationship dynamically set up properly. You re going to have to go and hit a few to get feels and then really have that particular stock dialed in to max out results. Good luck and its the best time to get the right one, thats for sure.

G400 Max.

I had a driver fitting in the fall of 2018 and compared the Taylormade M3, Callaway Rogue Subzero, Ping G400, and Cobra F8 drivers. The M3 and Rogue were clearly the longest - they felt like absolute rocket launchers compared to my dated Taylormade R5. Twistface is a real game changer, especially for high-toe strikes. The Rogue felt trampoline-like when struck well. However I was really looking for an all-black profile and the choice came down to the G400 and F8. The G400 had the best side spin numbers for me and drives stayed online better than the others, including the G400LST. I decided to sacrifice 10 yards of distance for accuracy and looks and went with the G400 with a 75g HZRDUS yellow shaft. I love the performance of this driver, as well as the blacked-out look.

These are mostly under $300 now, so you should definitely be able to find a significant performance upgrade at a reasonable price.

Titleist 915 D4.