Given the addictive nature of the game, we never outgrow the challenge, joy, and frustration that golf provides. However, at some point, nature will find a way to slow us down and force us to change the way we play.
For most golfers, after the age of 50, swing speed is the first thing to go.
But, all other factors aside, swing speed equals distance.
Does losing some of your club head speed means that your days of reaching those par 4s in two are behind you?
Absolutely not! If PGA Pro Martin Kaymer is anything to go by, your senior golfer years may be your best ones.
A slightly slower swing merely means that you’ll have to change your approach and adapt your golf equipment accordingly. This review will help you find the best golf driver for seniors to make up for the lost swing speeds.
Let’s dive in!
The Best Drivers for Seniors are:
At a glance: Out top picks of best drivers for slow swing speed
Senior Drivers Buying Guide
Benefits of Senior Club Technology
As we get older, we lose flexibility, range of motion, and strength. No matter how healthy and active you might be, this is an inescapable fact of aging.
The problem is that this loss in flexibility and muscle strength means slower swing speeds and lower distance off-the-tee for your golf swing.
Not coincidentally, this becomes especially noticeable around the age of 50, the precise age pros are eligible for the senior tour.
Fortunately, thanks to the technological advances in golf club design and manufacturing, there are solutions available to those golfers who have experienced a drop in swing speed and ball distance off the tee with age.
There’s been quite an improvement in the materials, development, testing methods, and technological advances that drive golf equipment production over the past decade.
Keep in mind that seniors make up a significant percentage of active golfers. It shouldn’t surprise you that a good portion of these efforts was explicitly targeted at this part of the market.
Moreover, it would be silly not to use this to your advantage as a senior golfer:
Getting equipment – including golf drivers – that suit your swing speed and overall performance could improve your swing, ball flight, and distance with far less effort. Plus, it’s going to make the golf experience that much more enjoyable.
As a matter of fact, there are similar solutions for anyone searching for the best golf club for seniors – not just the driver.
What to Look for in a Driver for Senior Golfers?
If the primary reason for losing driving distance is the reduction in clubhead speed, the obvious remedy is to find a driver that can increase it.
In that sense, for seniors, the best driver for golf is one that maximizes off-the-tee distance, is relatively forgiving, and offers a higher launch angle to compensate for the loss of swing speed.
But as with most other things in life, it’s not as simple as it sounds:
The clubhead itself is significant and plays a role in providing a larger sweet spot and regaining some of that speed at contact with the golf ball. However, it’s the driver’s shaft that does most of the legwork here.
Using professional golfers as an example, most players on tour use either stiff shafts or tour shafts on their drivers since they have yet to experience any significant loss of flexibility or strength.
In other words, generating substantial club head speed is not an issue for tour pros, so they opt for stiffer driver shafts to reduce the club head’s whipping action in their swing for added control.
It’s not until the pros start entering the ranks of the senior tour that we see an influx of more flexible shafts.
Very few of us hit the ball like the pros; it would be silly to presume otherwise. But the biology behind the loss of swing speed – along with the physics involved in regaining some of it – is a constant, no matter the player’s caliber.
We all get older, lose some physical prowess on the course – and ultimately rely on club technology to counteract that loss.
Again, while the focus is mostly on the shaft, there are many more factors to consider when making that final choice and adding a new driver to your existing golf equipment.
Here’s a quick overview of things that can make a genuine difference in your performance:
- Adjustability
- Forgiveness
- Driver’s head size
- Loft
- Weight
- Center of gravity
Graphite makes the Difference
When it comes to shaft materials, you have two options that are further grouped by flex levels:
You’ll find that most shafts are either made of steel or graphite. Steel rules the portion of the market that deals with irons, wedges, and putters, and graphite is reserved for fairways, drivers, and hybrids.
Next, these are split into multiple categories based on flex, with the most common options being Extra Stiff, Stiff, Regular, Light – suitable for seniors – and Women’s.
Keep in mind that, just because a driver is labeled as “suitable for seniors,” it doesn’t mean it will function the way you expect.
As a matter of fact, it’s essential to pay attention to the details when looking for a driver – and the many options available on the market – as not all graphite options are created equally. Picking the right flex is just as important, if not more, as choosing the right material for your driver’s shaft.
Steel Shafts
Those new to golf may not be aware of this, but there was a time when you could find steel shafts not only in irons, putters, and wedges but in drivers, too.
It’s not that steel shafts don’t have their benefits, because they do. Lower to mid-handicap players can appreciate the added feel, workability, and control that steel brings to the table.
However, over the years, as testing proved that even the best golf players benefit from graphite shafts, woods, hybrids, and drivers slowly but surely transitioned to this carbon fiber material.
Graphite Shafts
Graphite is known to absorb some of the impact vibrations; amateur golfers can experience an occasional mis-hit or two, and graphite can lessen the “sting.”
What’s more, this material can have some effect on club head speed simply because it’s naturally lighter than steel. Fundamental physics tells us the lighter material allows the player to exert more force than its heavier counterpart.
However, it’s the flexibility of the graphite that differentiates the various graphite shafts from one another.
Plus, you have to consider how the weight is distributed across the golf club. Seniors will generally benefit from having a bit more weight higher in the grip, rather than on the driver’s end.
Club Shaft: Critical Factors
As pointed out already, for most seniors, the end goal is increasing swing speed. And again, even if your mind is set on getting graphite golf drivers, it’s essential to consider a few factors when choosing between the different graphite shafts available on the market.
The three key characteristics to understand – and keep in mind – are flex, kick point, and length.
Here’s why:
Variations in the flex, length, and kick point will all influence the ball speed and, ultimately, distance and accuracy off the tee.
Shaft Flex
The amount of flex – determined by the graphite’s rigidity – is arguably the single most important criterion here. How much the shaft will bend when subjected to force due to your swing plays a massive role in the ball trajectory, speed, and distance.
Some shafts offer minimal bending and are best suited for faster swing speeds, while others bend quite a bit – and are designed for slower swings, as seen in senior golfers.
Higher shaft flexibility can provide leverage to your swing that you wouldn’t get otherwise. Alternatively, the stiffer the composite, the less flex it offers, resulting in lower club speed and distance.
That also holds true for female players:
For example, when you look at our selection of women’s golf clubs sets for beginners, you will often find more flexible composites.
Although tempting to maximize the flexibility for higher ball speed, remember the increase in club whip through contact with the ball will also make your drives more prone to hooks and slices.
So, proceed with caution and aim to get the flex level that’s appropriate for your swing.
Drivers for senior golfers should strike that balance and provide both speed and control over the ball. More often than not, too much or too little flex – especially when it doesn’t match your swing – leads to undesirable results.
Shaft Length
The length of the driver shaft also has an impact on club head speed, although to a much lesser extent. It mostly comes down to physics:
The longer length of the club yields additional centrifugal force since the head follows the swing’s circular path.
If you’re confident that the issue here isn’t your ability to hit the sweet spot, but you still struggle with achieving the same distances, a longer shaft might be worth considering. The increase in length can do wonders for your swing speed.
Just as with the flexibility, however, longer shafts make it harder to control your drives, and it might take some time to find that sweet spot again. There’s no right or wrong here; it’s about finding what works for your swing speed and style.
Before buying your new driver, sample shaft lengths of 43 to 45 inches on the range to see how the differences affect your control and feel.
This video further explains the process of ideal club fitting.
Kick Point
The third and final factor is the shaft’s kick point or, simply put, the fulcrum of the shaft where the most flexing occurs during the golf swing. You may even hear some golfers refer to the kick point as the bend or flex point.
Now, you don’t need to get the engineering behind kick points or how they’re built into the club shaft. However, you must understand how its location on the shaft plays into the ball’s trajectory:
- Low kick points located at the bottom portion of the shaft result in a higher launch angle.
- High kick points, which typically sit near the top of the shaft, will result in a lower launch angle.
- Mid kick points fall somewhere in between the two and amount to a moderate launch angle.
For senior golfers, a lower kick point is usually preferred because it creates a higher ball trajectory on drives, alleviating the low, sluggish shots that typically accompany a loss in swing speed.
The key takeaway here is:
When deciding on the most appropriate shaft type for your new driver, take the different flex, length, and kick point choices into account.
Don’t drive yourself mad with all the variations to choose from, though. Getting your swing analyzed to look for the combination that best suits you can go a long way in making those decisions for you.
Each manufacturer also offers a stock option on their drivers that uses the most common flex, length, and kick point choices. Although every player is different, there’s a good chance that those selections of stock drivers will work well.
This video will give you a brief synopsis of the differences between steel and graphite shafts and the recommended uses for each.
Best Driver For Senior Golfers: Frequently Asked Questions
What loft driver should a senior use?
A loft angle of 12 degrees is recommended for senior golfers. That depends on multiple factors, including swing speed and the individual golfer’s performance level, though. Most seniors will find a suitable loft angle somewhere in the range of 10.5 to 14 degrees.
Choosing the wrong driver loft – the angle between the face and shaft – can cost a senior golfer both distance and accuracy. Keep in mind that, with slower swing speeds, typically experienced by seniors, achieving a higher launch angle is the primary goal for maintaining distance.
What is the longest driver for seniors?
Most male golfers are seen wielding 45 to 48-inch drivers, while women most often opt for 44-inch shaft length. Golf rules limit the maximum shaft length at 48 inches – not including putters, of course.
This regulation aside, the answer boils down to control:
Sure, the longer the driver’s shaft, the higher the potential of generating better swing speed. In terms of adding more power to your swing – something senior golfers could benefit from – it might be worth giving a slightly longer driver a try.
At the same time, longer shafts take some getting used to and can compromise your control of the golf ball.
What is the average swing speed of a senior golfer?
The average swing speeds of a senior golfer is around 70 to 80 miles per hour.
For non-professional golfers, both men and women, the average swing speeds are over 90 miles per hour. But as we pointed out numerous times before, once you reach your 50s, swing speed goes down significantly.
All golfers would love to add a few extra yards to their shots, but once your swing speed starts to decrease – as is the case with most senior golfers – your distance is the first to suffer. There’s a direct correlation between the driving distance and clubhead speed.
Our Top Picks for Best Driver for Seniors with slow swing speed in 2021
PRODUCT
- Excellent weight adjustment options allowing fine-grained control of spin, height, and roll
- Very good flex
- Fantastic build quality
- Excellent balance between speed and forgiveness
- Adjustable weights to adapt the driver to your liking
- Durable, light material with outstanding build quality
- Simple adjustments to suit your driving style
- Excellent performance regarding forgiveness and face area
- Ideal for maximizing distance
- Extremely simple and functional, no bells and whistles, but easy to play
- Very good price
- Very smooth of the tee
- Simple, elegant and very responsive
- Great balance between forgiveness and a high trajectory drives
- Excellent flex shaft
5 Best Drivers for Seniors in 2021
1. Cobra King F7
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Pros
- Excellent Weight adjustment options allowing fine-grained control of spin, height, and roll
- Very good flex
- Fantastic build quality
Cons
- Adjustments not flexible enough to correct offset
Description
Touting a vast head customization level yet in a simple and straightforward manner, Cobra’s redesigned King F7 driver is a highly impressive club for senior golfers willing to take advantage of its weight technology.
King F7 uses three separate and interchangeable weights in the club’s head to allow the player to alter the center of gravity according to their personal needs. What’s more, the adjustable loft settings – also available in the King F8 driver – help further manage the ball trajectory.
Tweaking the weight system can generate additional spin, height, and roll, depending on how they are aligned. Finding the driver’s head’s ideal balance can help senior players achieve higher ball flight trajectory, aiding distance and accuracy that can sometimes be lost with slower swing speeds.
Cobra also offers the Fujikura Pro 60 senior shaft with the King F7 to provide the additional flex seniors value off the tee.
Cobra, as a company, was in intensive care not so long ago. However, drivers for seniors, like the King F7 – or even the King F8 driver – show they are back and ready to retake their position towards the golfing world’s top.
Verdict
The Cobra King F7 Driver is our choice of the best driver for senior golfers if you want to go for maximum distance. The combination of forgiveness, great distance, and adjustability options bundled at a fair price makes this easy-to-hit, fun-to-play driver a worthy addition to any seniors’ golf equipment.
2. Callaway GBB Epic Driver
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Pros
- Excellent balance between high launch, speed, low spin, and forgiveness
- Adjustable weights to adapt the driver to your liking once needed
- Durable, light material with the outstanding build quality
Cons
- Not ideal if you’re on a tighter budget
Description
The newest driver from one of golf’s biggest names features new head and shaft designs to help golfers turn their potential into scoring results.
Callaway’s GBB Epic uses their new Jailbreak face technology to maximize the sweet spot, providing additional forgiveness through the low spin design – all without sacrificing distance and accuracy.
What’s more, Callaway consulted with leading aerodynamic experts to lower the drag coefficient on the head as it approaches the bottom of the swing, thus increasing ball speed and distance.
The layered carbon shells within the head also increase speed by reducing weight. Simultaneously, the adjustable perimeter weights allow the player to find the balance that best suits their swing.
Although the graphite shafts come in a variety of choices, the Diamana Green M+ shaft is recommended for seniors experiencing slower swing speeds. The added shaft length and lighter weight help senior golfers increase their driving distance without sacrificing control.
The new GBB Epic is a remarkable driver and worthy latest entrant to their outstanding line of Big Bertha clubs.
Verdict
The Callaway GBB Epic Driver is an excellent choice for ambitious senior golfers with a high handicap. Its innovative high launch, low spin technology changes how the head and face behave at impact, promoting more speed across a larger face and increasing average distance. Also, it’s easy to play and offers more advanced adjustment options once you need them.
3. TaylorMade M2
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Pros
- Simple adjustments to suit your driving style
- Great performance regarding forgiveness and face area
- Ideal for maximizing distance
Cons
- Futuristic sound on impact may be disturbing to some
- Potentially difficult to use left-handed due to the clubhead’s shape
Description
When choosing between Taylor Made’s two centerpiece drivers, the M1 and M2, personal preference regarding driver customization levels is the determining factor for most golfers, including seniors.
The M1 is an excellent driver, albeit somewhat complicated to use with all of the different head adjustments it offers. The M2, on the other hand, shines with its relative simplicity – in comparison to the M1 – and outstanding performance.
With a redesigned face for the previous model, employing advanced geometric shaping principles to maximize distance and forgiveness, the M2 feels alive at impact.
Despite sounding like something from a science fiction novel, Taylor Made has also integrated Geocoustic technology to utilize sound waves to increase performance. Moreover, it comes with a three times more flexible speed pocket.
The head’s overall shape and balance create a natural tendency for the right-handed player to put a slight draw on drives, ideal for maximizing distance.
All that effort and technology that went into the head’s design is then coupled with the Fujikura Pro 50 flex shaft. Senior golfers looking for superior distance and feel off the tee will appreciate the Taylor Made M2 driver’s impressive performance and simplicity.
The M2 is worthy of every accolade it receives.
Verdict
The TaylorMade M2 Driver combines excellent golf technology features to ensure improved ball speed and distance and controllable shots. That’s coupled with extensive adjustability options and superb build quality, making it easy to recommend as the best driver in golf for mid-handicap seniors.
4. Adams Men's Blue
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Pros
- Extremely simple and functional
- Very good price
- Very smooth of the tee
Cons
- No advanced adjustment options
Description
Our next pick in the 5 best drivers for seniors round-up comes from one of the smallest – and, quite possibly, least known – brands on our list. Still, there’s no way that this driver will take a back seat to any of its competitors.
The Adams Men’s Blue driver is most similar to the Ping G as it revels in its simplicity and extreme functionality.
It feels comfortable in your hands and is smooth throughout the swing – and, most importantly, doesn’t fall behind in terms of technologies that push all these drivers:
Adams boasts its design breakthroughs like the Velocity Slot Technology – or, simply put, a speed pocket – for improved flex and ball speed. Furthermore, the low-and-back weight distribution lowers the center of gravity, ensuring a better ball flight trajectory.
All of these features are useful to senior golfers. However, it’s Adams’ SlimTech shaft that shines with a nice balance of additional flex for enhanced speed and easier launch as one of the best driver shafts for seniors.
Collectively, Adams calls these features their Easy Launch System – and for a good reason. While little, if anything, about driving the ball is easy, the Adams Men’s Blue makes it smooth and rewarding, even for senior golfers.
Verdict
The Adams Men’s Blue Driver may be less popular than the drivers you’ve seen so far, but that can be advantageous. Sure, it doesn’t pack as many options as other golf drivers for seniors, but it’s easy to hit, forgiving, and uncomplicated. Plus, you don’t have to pay a brand premium, making it an easy recommendation for the best value driver for seniors.
5. Ping Men's G
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Pros
- Simple, elegant, and very responsive
- Great balance between forgiveness and a high ball trajectory drives
- Excellent flex shaft
Cons
- Busy Crown of the tee
- Not the most adjustable game improvement driver
Description
As strange as it might sound, Ping engineers studied a dragonfly’s flying mechanics to design the heads in their G series of drivers.
Focusing on reducing drag around the clubhead as it accelerates towards the ball, the lightweight titanium construction is designed to minimize weight and maximize efficiency.
The results are nothing short of impressive. Ping has created a series of golf clubs that are simple, elegant, and extremely responsive at the tee.
Among the three different drivers in the series, the base G Standard model is the most appropriate for most senior golfers. It boasts a larger sweet spot for extra forgiveness and a natural tendency to produce a higher dynamic launch angle and improved ball trajectory.
It also offers its proprietary TFC 80D Lite flex shaft for further increasing clubhead speed and distance. Ping has long been known for its innovative and straightforward designs that translate to lower scores and better performance on the course.
The Men’s G Standard is no exception and an attractive choice for senior golfers looking to regain some of that ball distance with each swing.
Verdict
The Ping Men’s G Driver only offers limited adjustment features but delivers off the tee nonetheless. It is easy to hit, designed to help generate greater distance and very forgiving thanks to a large sweet spot. Overall, it can bring you much joy – especially if you’ve just started your golf journey.
Conclusion and Editors Choice
All five drivers we talked about today would make an exceptional addition to any senior golfer’s equipment.
But what golf driver is the best for distance, speed, and forgiveness that senior golfers require?
The Cobra King F7 is a clear choice as the ultimate driver for addressing slow swing speed. More succinctly, the F7 is the best golf driver for seniors, period.
Again, each of the reviewed clubs has a unique benefit to offer to the senior golfer.
Still, Cobra Golf seems to have gathered features found throughout the class and pulled them together into the exceptional combination:
An impactful, efficient, and forgiving club that is the Cobra King F7.
The science behind the club head’s design packs plenty of punch – with an adjustable loft and center of gravity, and a larger sweet spot – and is generally an excellent selling point for the F7.
There’s no denying that this club is a powerful tool that belongs in any senior’s golf bag, especially if they’re looking to regain some distance and trajectory.