This is our review of the best
I’m an avid golfer, an 8ish handicap on my way to a 2 (been a 5.6), and frequent tester of golf clubs and equipment since 2015.
We’ve just begun our driver testing for 2024
In this best
Our Top 2 Recommendations for 2024
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Editor's Pick
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Best for Mediocre Drivers
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Primary Rating:
5.0
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Primary Rating:
5.0
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Pros:
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Pros:
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Cons:
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Cons:
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- Long & Forgiving
- Superb Sound & Feel
- Superb Playability
- Premium Looks
- Price
- Exceptional Forgiveness & Distance
- Great Sound & Feel
- Highest Launch & Trajectory
- Premium Looks
- Price
Full List (Updated for 2024)
- Taylormade Qi10 (Best Overall)
- Taylormade Qi10 Max (Most Forgiving)
- Taylormade Stealth 2 Plus (Best for Low Handicaps)
- Taylormade Stealth
- Taylormade Stealth 2 HD
- Taylormade Stealth HD
- Taylormade Stealth Plus
- Taylormade SIM2 Max (Best Value)
Driver Reviews
Taylormade Qi10 Driver
- Long & Forgiving
- Superb Sound & Feel
- Premium Looks
- Not a significant upgrade over the Stealth 2
The Taylormade Qi10 is our new #1 Recommendation.
What we like:
- The best combination of playability, forgiveness, and distance.
- Improved sound & feel over the Stealth 2.
- Premium looks.
What we don’t like:
- Still not a fan of paying $600 for a driver.
Testing was done by Wes, former club fitter and current scratch golfer and equipment nerd.
Wes found the hitting experience much improved over the Stealth 2 (a club he does not like).
He strongly preferred the sound and feel of the Qi10, and he found it more forgiving, too – by just a smidge.
Customer Reviews: 97 % would recommend it to a friend. Average 4.7 rating out of 75 reviews.
Bottom line – Premium driver at a premium price. Needs to be on your list to test if you’re in the market.
Taylormade Qi10 Max Driver
- Exceptional Forgiveness & Distance
- Great Sound & Feel
- Premium Looks
- Great Launch & Trajectory
- Not a significant upgrade over Stealth 2 drivers
We picked Taylormade Qi10 Max as our favorite for added forgiveness and help hitting the ball higher.
What we like:
- Superb forgiveness and distance across the face.
- Excellent feel and sound.
- Premium cosmetics and looks great at address.
- Launches your golf ball quickly and carries on a nice high trajectory.
What we don’t like:
- Still not in love with $600 drivers.
Our expert tester Wes, put the Qi10 Max through its paces and came away more than impressed. Center contact was heavenly, as you would expect. But, the Qi10 really makes it money when you miss the sweet spot.
Heel and toe strikes lose maybe 5 yards or so – basically, nothing when talking about a driver. Even Wes’s funkiest swings left his drives just off the fairway.
The Qi10 Max delivers on its promise. All we ask for from a driver…especially at $600.
Customer Reviews: Average rating of 4.7 out of 51 reviews at taylormadegolf.com.
- The 4-star reviews didn’t offer any complaints and were complimentary.
- The less than 4-star reviews basically said they haven’t noticed a big improvement over whatever they had before.
Recommendation: Give this driver a try if you consistently struggle with contact off the tee, regardless of handicap. You’ll likely have found your next driver.
Taylormade Stealth 2 Driver
- Superb Sound & Feel
- Solid, Long & Forgiving
- Great looking driver
- Pricey
The Taylormade Stealth 2 Driver is a former #1 Recommendation.
What we like:
- Superb distance and most forgiving driver tested in 2023.
- Superb sound & feel. Nice improvement over last year’s Stealth.
- Improved cosmetics. They’ve gone from a flat finish to gloss and it works well.
- I love the muted sound on impact.
What we don’t like:
- Still not a fan of paying $600 for a driver.
I’m still an inconsistent driver – this year more than last – but I was able to connect on quite a few drives with the Stealth 2 on the course. (Not so much on the range or on my practice mat.)
Good swings and solid contact yield bombs. Mediocre swings will still get you good distance and a good shot into the green. All you can ask of a driver.
Taylormade made actual improvements with the Stealth 2 line of drivers. That’s not something I can say often. Good on them.
Most negative reviews center around quality control – The head – or pieces of the head – are just breaking. Specifically, the red carbon ring that goes around the rear of the sole.
- I’ve seen no sign of this.
- I’ve had mine a couple of months and it’s in perfect condition. I’ll keep an eye out and report back here on what I see.
Customer Reviews: 95.28% would recommend to a friend. Average 4.7 rating out of 5 from 331 reviews.
Bottom line – Premium driver at a premium price. Needs to be on your list to test if you’re in the market.
Taylormade Stealth 2 Plus Driver
- Excellent Sound & Feel
- Long & Forgiving
- Much improved Looks
- Price
The Taylormade Stealth 2 Plus Driver is my most used driver over the last year or so.
What we like:
- Premium sound and feel. The original Stealth Plus had good sound and feel, the Stealth 2 Plus is better.
- Updated cosmetics for a more premium look. The blacks and reds really pop now.
- Even better distance and playability on mishits.
What we don’t like:
- Price tag.
The Stealth 2 Plus is in my regular rotation of drivers. Often, driving is the best part of my game these days. Never thought I’d type those words. It’s not that I make center contact all the time or make great swings.
It’s that mediocre swings aren’t punished and I still end up with good distance and a shot into the green. Which is all I want from my driver.
Customer Reviews: 90% would recommend to a friend. Average 4.7 rating out of 5 from 782 reviews.
- There seem to be some quality control issues with the heads breaking. This hasn’t been my experience.
Bottom line – This driver fits most golfers and has improved in sound, feel, cosmetics, and maybe a little distance over last year’s Stealth Plus.
Taylormade Stealth 2 HD Driver
- Superb Sound & Feel
- Superb Distance & Forgiveness
- Premium Looks
- Nada
The
What we like:
- Superb sound & feel. Improved over last year’s HD.
- Better paint job. The black and red colors are glossy instead of flat, which gives a more premium look.
What we don’t like:
- Nothing.
I rate performance the same as last year’s Stealth HD. It gets the nod because of the 2 reasons listed above.
Sound/ Feel (A) Excellent. Nice improvement.
Distance (A) Still great, and all you need.
Forgiveness (A) Ample forgiveness, the most forgiving of the Stealth 2 line of drivers.
Flight / Playability (A) Decent swings yield medium-high to high ball flight with no ballooning.
Customer Reviews: 95% would recommend to a friend. Average 4.8 rating out of 5 from 194 reviews.
Bottom line – An excellent driver that earned it’s premium price. I wouldn’t necessarily upgrade over last year’s Stealth HD.
Taylormade Stealth Driver
- Stellar Feel & Sound
- Tons of Forgiveness & Distance
- Looks great behind the ball
- Playable by any handicap
- Nada
The Stealth remains an awesome driver and was my every day driver for quite a while.
What we like:
- It’s forgiving all over the face. I was minimally punished for off-center contact.
- It keeps marginal swings playable for better looks at the green.
- I consistently carried the ball as for or farther than I have in years.
- I love the muted sound on impact.
What we don’t like:
- Nada.
I’m an inconsistent driver most days (though I’ve been working on this… Hard). And I never hit standard-length drivers. The Stealth and most modern drivers weigh in at 45.75 inches out of the box. (My driver is cut down to 44.25 inches so I can control it better.)
Still, I was able to hit a ton of good drives on the range and on the course with the Stealth for a couple reasons: 1) My hard work is paying off. 2) This is a great driver that rewards decent swings.
It’s one of the easiest drivers to hit I’ve ever tested.
I’m not an advocate for forking out this much for a driver. But if you’re gonna do it, the Stealth is a worthy investment.
Customer Reviews: 94% would recommend to a friend. Average 4.8 rating out of 5 from 511 reviews.
Bottom Line – Last year’s Editor’s Pick. Now on sale. Still worth a look.
Taylormade Stealth HD Driver
- Excellent Distance
- Great Sound & Feel
- Max Forgiveness
- Great Looking
- Pricey
I found the Stealth HD driver supremely easy to hit on the range and especially on the course.
Good and great swings were rewarded with killer distance and good shots into the green. But, the HD makes its money on mishits.
The HD worked hard to keep my drives in play almost regardless of how badly I swung.
All Stealth drivers are forgiving, but the HD may be the most forgiving of them all. Any handicap can play this driver with pride.
Sound/ Feel (A) Great muted sound on contact, similar to the SIM2. The face feels a bit softer because of the polyurethane and carbon layer design.
Distance (A) Excellent distance. (My average numbers in the table below this section)
Forgiveness (A) A lot. Only my worst swings kept me from advancing the ball toward the green.
Flight (A) Good swings resulted in medium-high to high draws or slight pushes.
Customer Reviews: 97% would recommend the Stealth HD to a friend. Average 4.9 rating out of 5 from 194 reviews.
Bottom line – Nothing not to like about the Stealth HD. Try it, you’ll see.
Taylormade Stealth Plus Driver
- Excellent Distance
- Great Sound & Feel
- Very Forgiving
- Great Looking
- Pricey
I hit the STealth Plus like I hit all Stealth drivers – well.
I know it’s made for elite drivers and tour pros, but it’s got all the forgiveness we average golfers need plus all the attributes better golfers look for. (Guess that’s where the “plus” comes from)
Great and good swings got great results and marginal swings got good or better-than-I-deserved results. I could easily put this one in play and driving isn’t my strength.
It’s great for most golfers and/or you like/need to move sole weights around to optimize ball flight and shape.
Carry Yards | Ball Speed | Swing Speed | Smash Factor | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Stealth Plus | 272 | 156.5 | 106 | 1.47 |
Sound/ Feel (A) Great muted sound on contact, similar to the SIM2. The face feels a bit softer because of the polyurethane and carbon layer design.
Distance (A) Excellent distance. see above
Forgiveness (A) Great (like all Stealths)
Flight (A) Great – Same as other Stealths
Customer Reviews: 96% would recommend the Stealth HD to a friend. Average 4.8 rating out of 5 from 642 reviews.
Bottom line – Playable by most average golfers, but has a little something extra for better golfers.
Taylormade SIM2 Driver
- Long & Forgiving
- Great Sound & Feel
- Nada
The Taylormade SIM2 remains on our list for best
- It is so, so easy to hit
- It’s long and forgiving
- It feels great and sounds better
- You’ll start seeing pretty good deals now that the STEALTH is out.
The Taylormade SIM2 is an outstanding driver and performed exceptionally well for me. I hit tons of solid drivers with it and would gladly own this driver if I was in the market.
Taylormade drivers live up to the hype and more. I don’t believe you can find a bad one these days.
Customer Reviews: 99% of reviewers would recommend the SIM2. It’s got 342 reviews and an average rating of 4.8 out of 5.
Recommendation: Buy this driver in a heartbeat if you can get your specs or close to them.
Bottom line – Playable by most average golfers, but has a little something extra for better golfers.
Verdict
All current
So, I could/would happily play any of them.
Our #1 suggestion is to test before you buy. Either at your local golf store or take advantage of Global Golf’s Utry trial program. I use it and recommend it.
Thanks for checking out my review of the best
|
Editor's Pick
|
Best for Mediocre Drivers
|
|
Primary Rating:
5.0
|
Primary Rating:
5.0
|
|
Pros:
|
Pros:
|
|
Cons:
|
Cons:
|
- Long & Forgiving
- Superb Sound & Feel
- Superb Playability
- Premium Looks
- Price
- Exceptional Forgiveness & Distance
- Great Sound & Feel
- Highest Launch & Trajectory
- Premium Looks
- Price
