10 Best Golf Drivers Under $200

Introduction

While it would be great to upgrade to the latest greatest driver every year not everyone can afford to do it. Particularly with top drivers now costing as much as $500.

You’ll be pleased to know that you don’t need to spend a fortune in order to get a high-quality driver that will give you great performance.

The vast majority of average golfers aren’t going to see much difference by upgrading anyway. They just need to make sure they get the right type of driver to suit their swing. Ha

For example, a senior with an 85 mph swing speed shouldn’t be getting a driver with an extra stiff shaft and 6° of loft. They’re just not going to get the ball airborne with any sort of consistency. In the same vein, someone with a 110 mph swing speed shouldn’t be using a driver with a super flexible shaft and 10° of loft.

You may manage to find some of these drivers on sale in the bargain bin of your local pro shop. The majority will now only be available in the used market – particularly if you only want to spend $200.

Too many players concentrate on the aesthetics of the head. They should be paying more attention to the shaft. If the shaft doesn’t suit your swing then fiddling about with the loft or movable weights is unlikely to give you the results you desire.

Here are my picks for the best drivers under $200.

Ping

Ping

Ping G30

This club was originally launched back in August 2014. You should be able to find plenty of examples in the used market both right-handed and there will even be left-handed. Ping has an extensive range of custom fitting options so I would doublecheck the specs of the club before parting with your hard-earned cash.

The G30 featured “turbulators” which are designed to decrease air resistance. They may give you up to 1 mph more clubhead speed. This should translate to a small increase in distance.

I’m generally a big fan of Ping clubs and have had a Ping driver in the past and also currently have a Ping G20 fairway wood. For me, the big advantage with Ping is their excellent customer service and their custom fitting.

Pros

  • Adjustable loft +1° or -1°
  • SF Version with a built-in draw bias to counteract those with a slice.
  • LS version which is designed to produce a lower spin rate for those who generate too much backspin.

Cons

  • It is one of the older drivers covered in this roundup and therefore is lacking some of the technology available in the most up-to-date drivers
  • Even when it was released it was probably not one of the longest drivers available.

Ping G400

Probably the most recent model of Ping driver that you are going to have a chance of finding for under $200. There were one or two on eBay just under the $200 mark. You will probably struggle to find one in all honesty and will have to keep checking regularly to find the right club for you. This club came in four flavors. The Max version was a full 460cc and offered maximum forgiveness. The SFT and LST versions were draw bias and low spin offerings. The plain old G400 had a slightly smaller head. It means you are likely to generate a little more clubhead speed than with the larger Max version.

Some stores may still be stocking this model but it will be significantly more than $200 if it is still brand-new. If you can find one on eBay or elsewhere then this would have to be my pick for the best used driver under $200.

Pros

  • Adjustability
  • SFT and LST versions For draw bias and lower spin respectively.

Cons

  • Will be difficult to find at this price point but there will be some that appear on the likes of eBay.

TaylorMade

Given how often TaylorMade tends to release new clubs you could probably find a variety of models that could still do a very good job for you. Clubs such as the R11, Jetspeed or SLDR.

TaylorMade R15

This club was originally released back in 2014 in the US and you can pick one up on eBay for around $150. It comes with bags of adjustability and reviewers are pretty unanimous in their ability to hit the ball straight with this club. In fact, some complained they couldn’t shape the ball with it!

Pros

  • Lost adjustable +2° to -2°.
  • Two adjustable weights to improve MOI.
  • Available in two head sizes 430cc and 460cc.

Cons

  • At its reduced price point can’t think of any.
Callaway Epic and TaylorMade M3 Review

TaylorMade M2

Probably the newest TaylorMade driver you be able to find for under $200 consistently. I did see some M3 models and even a couple of M4 models on eBay for buy it now prices under $200. I suppose it’s a sign of how many drivers TaylorMade releases. Their old clubs don’t hold their value in the same way as Ping or Mizuno.

Actually, TaylorMade released a revamped version of the M2 in 2017 so make sure which one you’re getting if you do decide to buy one.

It doesn’t offer the same level of adjustability as found in the M1 model or the R15. You can only change out the shaft and adjust the loft.

There was also a D-type version of the head which promoted a draw.

Pros

  • Quite a modern driver for the money.

Cons

  • Only the loft is adjustable compared with some other models.
TaylorMade M3 driver
TaylorMade M3 driver

Callaway

Callaway XR16

Produced in conjunction with Boeing. Callaway released this driver at the beginning of 2016. It was focusing on trying to improve the aerodynamics of the driver to give you the highest clubhead speed possible. In tests, it produced one of the highest ball speeds of the drivers released in 2016. Total distance was still pretty good despite the spin and launch angle not being quite as good as some of the other drivers. In order to try and maximize the aerodynamics, no adjustability features were included in this design.

Pros

  • Designed to produce a high clubhead/ball speed

Cons

  • No adjustability

Callaway Great Big Bertha Epic

This driver did well in the mygolfspy 2017 roundup. Finishing second to a Srixon model. It has an adjustable weight at the rear of the clubhead. It also features the almost obligatory adjustable shaft to adapt the loft and face angle to your game.

Pros

  • Plenty of adjustability.
  • Increased clubhead speed and distance.

Cons

  • none

Cobra

King Cobra LTD

A 2015 vintage driver featuring a number of adjustability options with regard to loft. There aren’t any weights you can adjust on the head itself though. Quite an understated club at address, just a simple King Cobra logo to line up with. For those requiring a little less spin, there is also a Pro version which comes with slightly stronger lofts.

Pros

  • Understated looks
  • Some adjustability

Cons

  • For the price point not many I can think of

Cobra F6+

This driver finished third in the mygolfspy driver tests of 2016 so that alone should make you sit up and take notice. It has a movable weight in the sole that can be placed in one of five different positions along with an adjustable loft option. If you prefer something a little simpler then you could go for the ordinary F6. It just has one weight that can be placed either forward or back to adjust the center of gravity or spin characteristics.

Pros

  • Lots of adjustability
  • Excellent distance
  • Low dispersion

Cons

  • Difficult to find fault at this price
Srixon Z765 and Z565

Srixon

Srixon Z565

The highest-rated driver by mygolfspy in 2017. And you can now get pick one up for around $150 (used). The understated looks are probably more reminiscent of a better players club rather than a forgiving driver like this. It is designed with a slight draw bias and you can also adjust the loft in the usual manner.

Pros

  • Forgiving and long hitting
  • Cheap since it is a less well-known brand

Cons

  • No weight adjustability in the head but arguably shaft and loft/lie are more important anyway.

The Srixon Z565 would have to be considered one of the best golf drivers under $200.

Srixon Z765

The joint longest driver in the mygolfspy 2017 test. You should take that with a pinch of salt though given that the difference between the longest and shortest was only about 7 yards. Once you have been properly fit for a modern driver you are unlikely to find any significant distant gains. If you are using completely the wrong equipment then you could see a massive improvement. This is the only way you’re going to suddenly gain 20 or 30 yards overnight.

This club is a smaller 445cc head as it is designed for players with higher swing speeds. It is also particularly good with mishits struck slightly low on the face.

Probably one for the better players.

Pros

  • Does well with shots low on the face.
  • Excellent distance overall.

Cons

  • Slightly smaller head might be off putting for high handicappers.
Best golf drivers under $200
Grip it and rip it!

Best Golf Drivers From Previous Years

If you are thinking of picking up one of the best used drivers under $200 then you might want to get a shortlist from some of the best drivers of the past several years. Here’s a rundown of some of the drivers that have won accolades in the recent past.

Best Golf Drivers 2016

According to tests by MyGolfSpy the following five drivers were the ones to pick from in 2016:

  • TaylorMade M1 460
  • Callaway Big Bertha Alpha 816
  • King Cobra F6+
  • TaylorMade M2
  • Ping G Series

Best Golf Driver 2017

Again looking to MyGolfSpy as a group of independent testers we have the following 5 drivers to look out for:

  • Srixon Z565
  • Callaway Big Bertha Epic
  • TaylorMade M1 440 2017
  • Srixon Z765
  • TaylorMade M1 2017

Best Golf Driver 2018

I’ll round out this list of best performers with the models from 2018. If we start to look at 2019/20 models then the prices start to go up above $200.

  • Ping G400 LST
  • TaylorMade M3 440
  • Callaway Rogue SZ
  • Callaway Rogue
  • Mizuno ST-180

If you are thinking of picking up a used model for under $200 then any of these 20 drivers should do the trick for most players.

10 Best Golf Drivers Under $200: Conclusion

So there you have it. A range of drivers for you to investigate further to see which one might suit you best. My advice would be to get yourself measured up with regard to your swing speed, angle of attack and spin rate. Then try to find a driver that will best match the numbers you currently have or are trying to achieve.

A big advantage of buying in the used market is resale value. Even if you hate it you should be able to recoup most of what you paid for it. You aren’t going to be able to do that if you buy a brand-new driver for $500.

Here are some more articles on drivers for you to check out:

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