The 10 Best Drivers for Distance of 2023

There’s no substitute for out-driving your playing partners. Yes, we love a crafty short game and we putt for dough, but striping drives down the middle really hits us in the feels. GolfLink has put together this list of the 10 best drivers for distance of 2023. All of these drivers have proven results, so which is the best fit for you?

2023’s 10 Best Drivers for Distance

Before we jump in, let's establish that every single driver, whether or not it's on this list, is built for distance. Through testing and additional player feedback, the drivers on this list are even longer than everything else.

Here are GolfLink’s 10 best drivers for distance. All of these drivers are long, but they all have unique characteristics that make them different, meaning some will fit your game much better than others, depending on what you need out of your driver in addition to distance. 

While we know that every driver on this list can churn out insane yardage, we strongly recommend finding out which one (or perhaps it’s a completely different option) yields the best results for your swing. Given every driver’s unique characteristics, and every golfer’s unique swing, plus the soaring costs of new golf equipment, we cannot stress enough how important it is to get fit in order to get the best results for your money.

What Makes Drivers the Best for Distance?

We've established that all drivers are engineered for distance. But what makes one driver longer than another? And just how much distance can you expect to gain by sticking one of the longest drivers in golf in your bag? Here are a few key attributes.

MOI (Moment of Inertia)

Golf club makers are constantly trying to sell you on MOI (moment of inertia), a term that can be found in just about every driver's product description. Maybe it seems like a buzzword, but the science behind MOI is undeniable and a key to a great driver.

MOI, in layman's terms, is a measurement of how forgiving a driver is. The measurement represents how much the driver's head moves and twists just before impact. The more a driver can resist twisting, the higher its MOI rating. Of course, the more your driver head resists twisting into impact, the straighter you'll hit it.

Understanding MOI is great, but the problem is most club-makers don't directly specify the exact MOI measurement of each of their drivers. Instead, they simply brag that it's high, or improved, or higher than another driver in the same family. This makes it difficult to get a head-to-head comparison of all drivers.

Clubhead Size

The maximum driver head size allowed by the USGA is 460cc. Simply put, if you are an amateur golfer with a double-digit handicap, you should play a 460cc driver. These driver's heads provide the most forgiveness and distance available.

Shaft Pairing

A driver can have an infinite amount of technology that claims to make your game better, but you need to make sure you pair the correct shaft with that driver.

A driver head may be a perfect fit, but if it’s paired with a shaft that’s too stiff for your swing, you’ll never see the true benefit. Always try to get fit by a certified club fitter from the manufacturer or at your local golf retailer.

Cobra AeroJet

Do not sleep on AeroJet, Cobra’s 2023 lineup of woods. Cobra has somehow managed to stay under the radar while putting out some of the best drivers of the last few years, including AeroJet. 

It’s no gimmick, the aerodynamics built into the club head really result in increased clubhead speed, which helps you boost your distance without boosting your effort. 

The carbon fiber crown and player-preferred head shape will satisfy the entire spectrum of golfers at address. Inside that club head, Cobra added a suspended weight behind the face which optimizes the Center of Gravity (CG) for more ball speed.

The standard AeroJet includes an adjustable hosel, allowing you to manipulate the loft up or down up to 1.5 degrees. It’s also available in a “Tour Length” edition, which features a shorter shaft with the goal of giving players a more consistent strike off the center of the club face and increasing average distance. Players seeking maximum top-end distance, however, should probably opt for the standard length shaft (45.5 inches).

Pros:

• Maximum club head speed without swinging harder
• Confidence-inspiring look at address with player-preferred shape and carbon fiber crown
• Standard and tour-length shaft options
• Adjustable hosel
• Forgiveness across the club face

Cons:

• No adjustable weighting on standard AeroJet driver

Read More: The Most Forgiving Drivers of 2023 to Hit More Fairways

TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus

TaylorMade tweaked its highly popular lineup of Stealth woods for 2023, bringing the Stealth 2 line to golfers. The Stealth 2 Plus driver adds more forgiveness and higher MOI to the already long Stealth family.

Players with faster swing speeds will get the most benefit from the Stealth 2 Plus. If that’s you, expect to see ball speeds at or around your personal bests with lower-end spin to help you eek out maximum distance. 

The Stealth 2 Plus has a sliding weight track just behind the club face with draw, fade, and neutral settings, along with an adjustable hosel. Players who may not normally fit into a lower-spinning driver can utilize the adjustable loft to add some spin and launch with the Stealth 2 Plus.

Pros:

• Adjustable weight track with neutral, draw or fade bias settings
• Adjustable hosel to help optimize launch and spin for your swing
• Enhanced carbon face to improve ball speed on off-center strikes compared to original Stealth Plus

Cons:

• Could be too low spinning for players with moderate
• Price

Callaway Paradym

Callaway’s Paradym line is brand new for 2023, but once you start peeling back some of the layers inside the Paradym driver, you’ll recognize some familiar Callaway technology. All of it is designed to produce the longest and most forgiving driver with a Callaway badge.

Jailbreak, for example, is not a new term in the Callaway dictionary. However, this newest iteration of the behind-the-face technology is AI-designed and lighter weight, to promote the fastest ball speeds possible. Callaway also utilized AI to design the face with the goal of giving you the tightest dispersion possible.

Despite all that AI in the driver’s head, it’s the simple things that sometimes make the difference. Callaway’s adjustable rear weight is different from the competition because it allows you to utilize any part of the track, as opposed to most, which make you choose from one of three locations.

Pros:

• You can utilize any part of the rear weight track
• Tight dispersion
• Neutral bias

Cons:

• Price

Sub 70 849D

GolfLink recently took a deep dive into Sub 70 Golf and all of the great equipment the direct-to-consumer manufacturer produces. Among the irons, putters, and wedges stands a big stick that undeniably deserves a spot among the best drivers for distance. The Sub 70 849D driver is not only a great deal, but just about any amateur player will enjoy taking their swipes with it.

The first thing you notice about the 849D is its Johnny Cash-like appearance, all black from the crown to the sole. If you’re a simple design kind of person, you’ll love the 849D's aesthetic. The 849D's slight draw-bias is more subtle than other drivers we tested that have the same intent. The driver launches a bit on the high side, but that’s easily adjustable at the hosel to get you into the ideal launch angle of 12 to 15 degrees.

If you know anything about Sub 70, you know that they offer friendlier prices because you can’t find these clubs in mass retail. At $330, this is one of the best driver deals in 2022. If you’re nervous about purchasing from Sub 70 without testing the club, you can demo Sub 70 clubs for essentially the cost of shipping, and your purchase is always protected by a 60-day guarantee. But rest assured that this driver produces the distance and forgiveness you crave.

Pros:

• One of the best value drivers available
• Easy to hit a soft draw off the tee
• Simple adjustability

Cons:

• Not intended for low-handicap players

Wilson Dynapower Carbon

If you want a driver that performs as good as anything else out there, but without spending quite so much money, we urge you to check out the Wilson Dynapower Carbon driver. Actually, we urge you to check out the Dynapower Carbon driver even if you aren’t looking to save a couple hundred dollars.

Wilson offers a Carbon and a Titanium version of its new Dynapower driver, and the Carbon head is the low-spinning, neutral, workable version. 

Using the adjustable sleeve, you can influence your loft, spin and shot shape off the tee.

Before you even take a swing with the Dynapower Carbon driver, you’ll be pleased with the matte carbon crown, which gives the head a sleek look at address. After that first strike, you’ll notice the premium sound and feel of impact. Wilson has really turned some heads in 2023 with Dynapower Carbon’s impressive distance performance.

Pros:

• Great acoustics
• High-end ball speed and distance
• Adjustable hosel
• Lower price than most premium drivers

Cons:

• No weight adjustability
• Left-handed club only available in 9-degree loft

Srixon ZX5 LS Mk II

The best way to get more distance is to have a fast swing, and to get the most out of your fast swing, you need a low spin head. The Srixon ZX5 LS Mk II is one of the lowest spinning drivers of 2023, which helps it crank out crazy distance for high swing speed players.

Srixon moved weight forward in the club head, just behind the face, to help reduce spin. The ZX5 LS Mk II has an adjustable hosel, so you can always add a little loft if your launch and spin characteristics aren’t optimal for you.

Srixon hasn’t jumped on the carbon bandwagon, at least not yet, as the 2023 line of ZX 5 and ZX7 drivers are all titanium. That doesn’t mean they don’t pack the latest technology into their drivers. The ZX5 and ZX7 Mk II drivers utilize Srixon’s Rebound Frame to maximize ball speed. Rebound Frame is Srixon’s club head technology that adds a second flex zone at impact to increase the trampoline effect, and in turn, ball speed and distance.

Pros:

• Rebound frame for increased ball speed and distance
• Adjustable hosel to optimize launch and spin

Cons:

• Not available in a left-handed head

PING G430 MAX

PING is synonymous with forgiveness, but don’t underestimate the top-end distance today’s PING drivers produce. The G430 MAX driver utilizes a 25-gram tungsten weight in the rear of the club head to give you draw, fade, and neutral settings and move your shot shape up to 10 yards in your preferred direction. 

The G430 also gives you adjustability at the hosel, with up to 1.5 degrees of loft adjustability up or down, plus the option of setting it up to 3 degrees flat. 

One feature that makes this PING driver so forgiving and consistent on strikes all across the face is its “Spinsistency” face. Traditionally, shots struck low on the face spin much more while shots struck high spin much less. PING, however, has reduced loft low on the face and added loft high on the face to ensure a more consistent spin profile no matter where you hit it. That means more distance on off-center strikes (forgiveness), and more consistency. Who doesn’t love that?

Pros:

• Improved acoustics compared to G425 due to new rib structure
• Maximum forgiveness, distance, and adjustability
• 25-gram rear weight is more than most competitors offer
• Ample shaft options with no up charge

Cons:

• Ripples and turbulators on the crown may be distracting to some golfers at address

Mizuno ST-Z 230

Mizuno is known for its famous better-players irons, but Mizuno drivers have stepped up in recent years as well. The ST-Z 230 is Mizuno’s latest better players driver offering, with a low spinning, neutral bias head just waiting for you to carve it and shape it whichever way you’d like.

Mizuno is proud to boast its new Cortech Chamber behind the club face, which provides extra ball speed and less spin. Each of those elements individually equates to more distance, and the combination of the two results in a noticeable improvement compared to previous Mizuno drivers.

The adjustable hosel not only offers 4 degrees of loft adjustability, but 3 degrees of lie angle adjustment as well. Overall, there are eight different hosel setting combinations, giving you the ability to dial in the best launch, spin, and shot shape bias for your preferences.

Pros:

• Adjustable hosel up to 4 degrees
• Low spin and neutral bias for ideal workability among better players
• Very appealing at address and great feel at impact

Cons:

• Left-handed head only available in 9.5-degree loft
• No adjustable weighting

Titleist TSR3

Some drivers aim for a blend of distance and forgiveness, but Titleists TSR3 is not one of them. Instead, Titleist rewards players who consistently hit the sweet spot with the most distance possible. 

Titleist’s Speed Ring face, with variable face thickness, doubles down on sweep spot strikes where other companies spread the love across the face. 

Titleist has also improved aerodynamics on the TSR3 compared to the previous generation, the TSi3, with the goal of churning out more club head speed with the same swing.

At address, players will appreciate the shape and the classic-looking all-black club head. Use the adjustable rear weight and adjustable hosel to dial in the best specs for your swing, and fire away.

Pros:

• Huge assortment of stock and upgrade shaft options available
• Better clubhead speed and distance than previous generation
• Highly rewarding sweet spot

Cons:

• Not for players who use the entire club face

PXG 0311 GEN6

PXG has two new drivers in its 2023 lineup, and the 0311 GEN6 is the one you want if you want maximum distance. 

The GEN6 is PXG’s best-performing driver in the company’s relatively short history, and it holds its own against the top competitors while checking in at a lower price than many. In fact, PXG says that from GEN5 to GEN6, there’s about a 9-yard distance gain. That’s significant.

The 0311 GEN6 driver has a carbon fiber crown, classic pear-shaped head, and a deep face, all three of which should appeal to better players. Although, this edition is suitable for any player looking for maximum distance. If you’re seeking some added forgiveness, try the 0311 GEN6 XF (extra forgiveness).

Adjustability in the 0311 GEN6 comes in the form of three movable weights in ports around the perimeter of the sole. Drop the heavy weight into the middle port for maximum MOI, or move it to the heel or toe for a draw or fade bias. The adjustable hosel offers 1.5 degrees of loft adjustment in each direction, plus up to 3 degrees of lie angle adjustment.

Pros:

• Adjustable weights and hosel
• Distance is as good or better than competitors at a better price than most
• Satisfying look at address

Cons:

• Toe strikes appeared to be less forgiving than heel strikes

Going the Distance

Today, more than ever, there are drivers for every type of player. If you seek distance (and let’s face it, that’s all of us), these drivers are the cream of the crop.

Our recommendation is to always be properly fit by a certified club fitter for the best results, don’t just take our word for it.