Being tall has a number of advantages and then there are a few disadvantages. When it comes to sport this becomes even more apparent, particularly when it comes to the game of golf. In this best driver for the taller golfer review, we’ll take a look at the drivers best suited for the taller golfer so you can play with the right clubs for your height and start improving.
Having the Wrong Clubs is a Challenge
Unfortunately, most golfers end up with a standard set of clubs and adapt their style to suit the clubs they have. This obviously creates a few challenges and the tall golfer will make use of a number of adaptations to their swing to compensate for the too short clubs which will inevitably lead to problems and bad habits. Apart from bad habits, it can also lead to back strain and knee issues.
Despite the great benefit of getting clubs professionally fitted, surprisingly few golfers take advantage of this.
Shaft Length
Yes, many drivers come with a choice of shaft length but it is not as simple as just getting a longer shaft because you are a tall golfer. Various other factors need to be taken into consideration. Just as all average height golfers have unique needs, so to do the taller golfers.
When looking at shaft length, one has to consider not just the total height of the golfer but also the individual length of the arms, the legs, as well as the torso. The natural stance or stoop of the golfer also has to be taken into consideration. So yes, shaft length is important for the taller golfer but it poses a few challenges.
Firstly, a standard weight head becomes too heavy to swing smoothly and comfortably. The greater the distance between the hands and the head increases the swing-weight exponentially. Secondly, a longer shaft leads the driver to feel off balance and leads to poor control.
Shaft Flexibility
Due to the increased length of the shaft, a flexible shaft will not work and will give very poor control. If a longer shaft is chosen, ensure a stiff or extra stiff shaft is selected.
Lie Angle
Also important is the lie angle. Taller golfers tend to address the ball in a more upright stance and therefore the lie needs to be adjusted accordingly. Failure to do so will result in poor direction.
Head Weight
As explained above, a longer shaft will require an ultra-light head.
Forgiveness
As there is some compromise in control with the longer shaft, the bigger the sweet spot, the better. This will afford the taller golfer some margin of error when the ball is not struck dead center.
Take Time Selecting Your Driver
Because so many factors come into play, no single rule dictates that a certain height individual should select a specific length of shaft. Remember that the longer shaft means that you are compromising on control and the ability to hit the ball in the center with consistency. One will have to find a balance between a shaft length that is comfortable for your height while still allowing you enough control to swing effectively and hit the ball accurately.
Once you have acquired a driver with a longer shaft, you are going to have to unlearn the bad habits you might have picked up along the way. Take the time and effort to learn how to use your new driver effectively, it will be worth it.
The maximum shaft length allowed is 48 inches while most drivers come standard at between 43 and 46 inches. One can generally select or be fitted for a longer shaft, just bear the above advice in mind.
Best Driver for the Taller Golfer Comparison Table
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Callaway Golf Men’s Rogue Driver |
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Cobra King F9 Speedback Driver |
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TaylorMade Men’s RBZ Golf Driver |
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Best Driver for the Taller Golfer Review
With the above advice in mind, we have only focused on drivers for the taller golfer. Despite their height, taller golfers have the same requirements as your average golfer. They want to hit the ball a good distance with consistent accuracy and they might need some sort of game improvement technology to assist them with a hook or slice, a slow swing speed, or any other frustrations they may have.
Tall golfers also range from beginners to advanced players with a range of handicaps. There are also young tall golfers and older tall golfers so there are numerous factors to consider when evaluating your choices. Many of the drivers we have reviewed in the past will be suitable to the taller golfer, according to their needs and style.
We are going to look at clubs that meet the requirements needed for taller golfers and one will have to consider finding the perfect balance of driver length and control that we discussed above.
1. TaylorMade M6 Driver
Our Rating:
Just like with all its predecessors, a lot of research and development went into the design of the M6 and they have ensured that everything works perfectly well together. This highly sophisticated driver has all the attributes and adjustability a taller golfer would require, albeit with an annoying limitation in that you need the proprietary wrench to do anything.
TOne of the three key talking point about the M6 is what TaylorMade call Speed Injection. What this is, in a nutshell, is the practice of injecting resin behind the face after milling it. The idea here is to stiffen the face and bring it back under legal limit, but doing so to sacrifice as little flexibility as little as possible. In turn, this enables the driver to be as forgiving as possible and give you overall straighter shots.
The other two things are the Twist Face (bigger sweet spot, more forgiveness) and Hammerhead (even more forgiveness and higher ball speed). All three work in concert to give overall more distance and straighter shots for taller golfers.
One of the more interesting things to note here, in addition to the adjustable sleeve, is that the stock shaft comes in at 45.75 inches, which is a bit on the long side, but it’s exactly what qualifies it for our list of top golf drivers for tall golfers. Again, the shaft length is not a crucial parameter, but there is a trend to be noticed when discussing this topic. For reference, in case you are a novice, the standard length for a graphite shaft is about an inch shy of this number.
As for adjustability, the M6 possesses the proprietary TaylorMade loft sleeve (with a matching wrench). This allows you to somewhat fine tune this driver through 12 loft settings to work with your swing speed and style, maximizing your strengths and downplaying any weaknesses. You will need to invest some time in experimenting with the various settings to get the maximum advantage from this technology.
This all being said, if you don’t need the extra ball speed, but still want to game a TaylorMade, you can still opt for the M4. Keep in mind, though, that it may be hard to find.
Pros
- Serious distance and plenty of forgiveness
- Many agree it has pleasant aesthetics
Cons
- Not the cheapest driver on the market
- Could use a bit more options for adjustability
For a more detailed review of the TaylorMade M6 Driver, click here.
2. Callaway Golf Men’s Rogue Driver
Our Rating:
If you’re a tall golfer looking for a forgiving driver, then the Callaway Men’s Rogue Driver may just be the thing for you. This club is available in three different flavours – plain Rogue (high ball speed), Rogue D (draw bias) and Rogue Sub Zero (low spin), each geared towards addressing a particular problem.
The key feature that recommends the Rogue to such a great number of players, tall folks included, is Callaway’s Jailbreak technology. For the uninitiated, this is the company’s way to stiffen and lighten the head by connecting the crown and the sole via two titanium bars. What this does is allow for greater ball speeds on impact. Moreover, coupled with the VFT tech (Variable Face Thickness), Jailbreak enables increased speed even on mishits.
In addition to this, the Triaxial Carbon Crown makes the head light and strong, shaving off a bit of weight even further, which makes it an excellent driver for taller players. This weight is then redistributed towards the heel, building up on the MOI and making an even more forgiving driver.
There’s just so much to talk about the technology here that’s it’s best left for a full review.
Pros
- Looks great at address
- Extremely forgiving
- Comes with an adjustable neck
Cons
- One of the more expensive drivers
- For more adjustability, you should check out their Epic series
For a more detailed review of the Callaway Men’s Rogue Driver, click here.
3. Cobra King F9 Driver
Our Rating:
The Cobra King F9 ticks all the boxes in terms of adjustability and game improvement technology. The adjustments are also very straightforward and easy to operate and understand.
One of the main features is the adjustable hosel that Cobra have branded the MyFly. This piece of tech will give you a range of 8 loft options across three available (9°, 10.5° and 12°) models. This means, in essence, that the F9 should suit a wide variety of handicaps, going from Tour to double-digits.
The CNC milled face sports variable thickness across the face, the idea being to tighten shot dispersion on mishits, especially those low on the heel and high on the toe. This clubface design, named E9, maximizes power transfer and ball speed giving you maximum distance off the tee while still providing plenty of forgiveness.
There are eight shaft options available, ranging from lite to extra stiff according to their flex. With the majority of shafts falling into the stiff category, the F9 should prove to be a great driver option for tall golfers.
Pros
- Superb forgiveness
- Games long and tight
- Good bang for the buck
Cons
- Not everyone will appreciate the looks
4. Callaway Mavrik Driver
Our Rating:
Ever since coming out in 2020, the Mavrik lineup from Callaway has proven to be You will be hard-pressed to find a more forgiving driver than the Mavrik thanks to the AI designed face. That said, its cousin the Big Bertha is even more forgiving, but it does come with a heavier draw bias and higher launch, which isn’t necessarily what taller golfers should look for in a driver (not to mention a bit higher price tag).
On top of this, the center of gravity (COG) is optimized for ultimate accuracy, and the hosel is adjustable to set it according to your swing speed and style. On the flipside, the weighting system is not adjustable (you only get a single 5-gram weight in the back).
Ball speed and distance is enhanced thanks to the Flash Face Technology working in tandem with the vaunted Jailbreak tech.
One final thing worth noting here is that Mavrik comes in three distinct variants – the regular we have already discussed (mid spin and launch), the Mavrik Max (to combat slice) and Sub Zero (low spin and launch).
Pros
- Extremely long shots with a good amount of forgiveness
- Great feel and sound, not too loud, not too muted
- Comes with an adjustable hosel to customize loft
Cons
- Somewhat on the pricey side
- The colour-scheme leaves something to be desired
5. TaylorMade Men’s RBZ Black Driver
Our Rating:
If you’re a mid to high handicapper who happens to be over 6 feet tall, then the RBZ Black driver from TaylorMade might just be up your alley. The RBZ comes with the Matrix White Tie 55 Gram available in three flexes – stiff, regular and senior. We recommend the former for tall players.
The RBZ will suit a tall golfer with a slower swing speed if the launch angle is perfectly optimized to your style. The adjustable loft sleeve allows you to achieve the ideal launch angle, albeit with a bit of tinkering with their proprietary too (comes with the club, fortunately). It will give you great distance with reduced spin.
The high forgiveness will allow you to swing confidently; knowing that even off-center shots will still travel a good distance without straying too far off course.
The one major downside to the RBZ is that the line has been discontinued as of August 2021. So if you’re keen on gaming this puppy, you should probably hurry up and buy one before the supplies are exhausted. That said, a used one should fetch an even lower price, which is a great bonus if you’re golfing on a budget.
Pros
- Perfect loft adjustability to optimize launch
- Reasonably priced
- Plenty forgiving
Cons
- The line is discontinued as of August 2021.
For a more detailed review of the TaylorMade SLDR Driver, click here.
The Final Word
Numerous options and variables need to consider when selecting a quality driver that will suit your swing and your style. Being a tall golfer adds additional elements to this equation. Take the time to carefully research and understand the various options and discuss with a professional if you are in any doubt. Having a driver that works well with your size and style will make a world of difference to your game.
