Whenever you pay over $500 for a driver, you should always take a test drive and see what the best driver is, for your skill level. Many vendors offer a "demo day" where you can test-drive drivers and find the best driver for you.
These tips come from PGA master professional Brad Clayton, a great source for tips on choosing the golf clubs that are right for you.
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and we can see that there are some excellent Chinese counterfeits of the best drivers. Experts recommend that you should never buy a golf driver unless you know and trust the provenance. The China knock-offs are so good that they can fool many pros, and they don't have the same power as the "real" best drivers.
“Callaway, Cleveland, Nike and Acushnet (parent company of the Titleist, Cobra and FootJoy brands) are among the companies who have suffered from the boom in fake clubs and although it's reckoned that 60 per-cent of the world's genuine golf clubs are made in China, millions of poor quality copies also originate from there.”
As for the characteristics of “the best” golf driver, for me the best was the club that allowed me to hit the longest, straightest and most consistent distance. The new square-head drivers also are forgiving and will straighten out a bad shot, a very important feature for me!
The characteristics of the best driver fall along two dimensions:
Forgiveness – Some of the new drivers actually correct a bad swing, and my Callaway Fti has definitively straightened out my accidental fades.
Sweet spot size – To a beginner, the larger the sweet spot, the better the driver. I get a consistent 30-50 yaers more with a Callaway 460 or Fti, amazing technology.
For example, the Callaway Fti has a giant sweet spot, the size of a silver dollar:
After spending days test-driving drivers, I found that the best driver for me was the Callaway Fti. This club has amazing craftsmanship, a titanium milk jug with extreme engineering and exceptional distance and accuracy.
I also liked the Callaway 460 driver, and in the simulator at the golf store, I consistently hit straighter drives with the Callaway drivers.
I also chose the Callaway Fti because it will be with me for years. They say in golf, “Marry your driver, date your putter”, and I wanted a driver that will continue to work as I improve my game.
The Callaway products are superb, with noticeable craftsmanship, and I adore my Big Bertha irons and my Callaway fairway woods.
Me, I appreciate fine craftsmanship of the best Callaway drivers, and their drivers are engineered to be both long and very forgiving.
Again, your definition of “the best driver” may be different, but make sure to test drive the Callaway products.