As a PGA Professional of 15 years and someone who has worked in golf since 1996, I have always made it my mission to help others enjoy the game of golf as much as possible. That mission has brought me to outlets such as Curated so I can draw from my years of experience to help an even broader audience enjoy the game.

It is very common for me to get asked questions by golfers that revolve around equipment. Some of the most common questions revolve around the driver. What driver is best for me? Should I upgrade my driver? What driver is the most forgiving? What driver can give me the most distance? These and many more are things that get thrown my way regularly.

Today, I will address the question: How much should I spend on a driver?

Four Key Points to Consider

Some of the key points you should consider when asking the question, how much should you spend on a driver, include the following:

• What is the main reason you are looking for a driver?
• If a new driver is part of the solution to helping you become a better driver, what features are you looking for most?
• If a new driver is part of the solution to helping you become a better driver, what is your budget?

Let's look at each of these points and help you decide whether you need a driver, your choices, and, ultimately, how much you should spend on one.

What Is the Main Reason You Are Looking for a Driver?

First and foremost, you must identify the reasons that brought you to look for a new driver potentially. You should narrow down your initial list to three reasons. From there, consider which of those three reasons is most important to you.

• Do you need more distance?
• Do you need more forgiveness?
• Do you need something that will help you with a slice?

Many reasons could have brought you to the point where you are asking why you are looking for a driver. Ultimately, you will need to identify what is most important. You can move on to the next question only after that answer.

If a New Driver Is Part of the Solution to Helping You Become a Better Driver, What Features Are You Looking for Most?

Drivers today offer many different benefits. Additionally, as you start to research those, you must consider two components of the club: the clubhead and the shaft.

Driver heads today often offer the following benefits:

• Unique head shaping is another way manufacturers help golfers get more forgiveness and potential distance enhancement. Take Callaway Golf, for example. Using AI and running hundreds of advanced simulations, they can design driver clubheads of different shapes, designs, and sizes to help optimize results for countless swings.
  • Through their simulations and advanced intelligence, Callaway’s Paradym X Driver offers a uniquely shaped driver with maximum forgiveness. This is only one example of today's driver clubhead technology.

• Adjustability has proven to be one of the greatest advancements in golf club design. Most major manufacturers offer weight, loft, and lie adjustable driver heads. This can give a golfer customization that they can do for themselves at the click of a wrench.
  • The TaylorMade’s Stealth 2 Plus+ Driver is among the most highly rated drivers. It offers loft and lie adjustability and a sliding weight track behind the clubface with 15 grams of weight that golfers can move around to help with shot shaping.

• The number of shaft options available today is almost unthinkable. There is a shaft for any and every golfer that tees it up. Shaft weight, flex, kickpoint options, and length are things to consider when choosing a driver to help your game.
• Lightweight heads made of materials like Carbon Fiber, which is lighter than stainless steel and titanium. When you can take weight away from the head in some areas, you can redirect it to other areas of the head, allowing for more forgiveness and potential speed.
  • One of the lightest drivers on the market is the XXIO 12, with the head weighing only 199 grams. This is just one example of many great lightweight drivers that exist today.

If a New Driver Is Part of the Solution to Helping You Become a Better Driver, What Is Your Budget?

We have now arrived at the question of budget. When you arrive at this final question, which will help you ultimately decide how much you should spend on a driver, you should know a few options that exist for you.

Previous year's models are an option, and will be cheaper. However, they will typically only offer previous year technology.

Each time a manufacturer introduces a new model, there are more advantageous aspects to that club. Make sure to research the differences in one model year to the next as you look at what to spend.

Knowing this can help you as you make a decision. If buying the newest year’s model is not something you can swing (no pun intended), then a previous year model could potentially work.

The newest, latest, and greatest drivers can be expensive. They can run you anywhere from $300 and up to $700 or more. Previous-year models can save you hundreds of dollars. They are still very quality options in most cases.

Considering the Key Points and Where to Go From Here

Hopefully, you have gained insight into how much you should spend on a driver by considering the four key points above. As always, if you ever need more individual advice or recommendations, you can contact a Curated Golf Expert to help you.