2nd Swing's top five used drivers of the past decade

By 2nd Swing Staff

With 2019 flying by quickly, not only will a new year be upon us soon but a new decade as well. In looking back, it’s pretty amazing to consider the number and quality of advancements that have taken place in golf clubs since 2010, especially when it comes to drivers.

Over the course of the past decade, golf manufacturers have excelled with each passing year in terms of giving players more forgiveness, ball speed gains, and increased customization options, and the driver choices on the market today are simply incredible.

That said, the past decade also saw plenty of tremendous drivers come to market, some of which can absolutely still hold their own when matched up against newer releases, especially when properly fit for a player.

So which drivers that would now qualify as “older generation” would we consider the best of the best when it comes to releases from the last decade?

It’s a great question and one that our 2nd Swing content staff sat down to consider, which resulted in our list of the top-five previous generation drivers of the 2010-2019 decade.

Best of all, not only are each of the following drivers potentially great options for your game, but they’re also unquestionably great values.

Let’s get to the list:

No. 5. TaylorMade SLDR 460: There was a lot of buzz about the TaylorMade SLDR 460 when it was released in 2013 and to this day it remains a driver that seemingly everyone has an opinion about. It would also likely qualify as the most controversial pick on our list because a lot of golfers hated the SLDR and many more had a love-hate relationship with it. But when properly fit and in the hands of the right player, typically someone who could generate some speed, it was an absolute beast in terms of distance. The biggest issue for most was that the SLDR produced such low spin numbers that poorly struck shots turned into huge foul balls, while players also had a hard time generating the launch conditions they needed to optimize performance. TaylorMade tried to do its part by encouraging players to “loft up,” but that advice often fell on deaf ears. But it can’t be forgotten that the SLDR was a Tour favorite, it offered an exceptional shape and explosive sound at impact, and it featured incredible customization for its generation. And once again, it was, and still is, really, really long.

No. 4. Cobra KING LTD: We’ve said this before but Cobra drivers simply don’t get the accolades they deserve. This year, the Speedback F9 has widely been regarded as one of 2019’s best, but Cobra delivered plenty of other outstanding drivers as well over the course of the past decade. For our money, however, the best of the bunch was the Cobra KING LTD, which was released in 2015 and lands at No. 4 on our list. Unique about the LTD was that its CG position was at the neutral axis, a first for Cobra, and a design feature that provided players with low spin, high launch, and plenty of distance. That said, unlike most of the low-spin drivers that had been released to that point in golf, the LTD was also highly forgiving on mis-hits. That combination made it a cult-classic among Cobra fans, many of whom still play the LTD. Also notable about the LTD in terms of fitting was that in addition to the standard version, which featured a loft range of 9-12 degrees and three draw settings, an LTD Pro model that featured a loft range of 7-10 degrees and three fade settings was available as a great alternative for high-speed players.

No. 3. PING G400: From 2010 to 2017, PING released a number of very good drivers that were consistently lauded for an impressive combination of speed and forgiveness. At the same time, however, many of those drivers struggled to appeal to the masses based on their aesthetics and what many considered a consistently harsh impact feel. But that all changed in the summer of 2017 when PING released its G400 driver lineup. More specifically, G400 was sleek, it sounded great, ball speeds were up, and it offered combined MOI numbers that had never been seen before. Additionally, from a fitting standpoint, the standard G400 was a great choice for a wide range of golfers, while the LST provided high-spin players the chance to reduce spin and maximize distance and the SFT allowed those who struggled with a slice or a block to square the clubface more easily and straighten out that frustrating miss. Add it all up and G400 was a massive commercial success that made PING a category leader in the driver market, and you can count on seeing G400 drivers in the bags of professionals, top amateurs, and recreational players for years to come.

No. 2. TaylorMade 2016 M2: In the fall of 2015, the original TaylorMade M1 driver was released. It was an instant hit with players of all ability levels, and from that point forward for a few years black and white crowns were all the rage. Fast forward to February of 2016 and TaylorMade launched, with far less fanfare, its first iteration of the M2 driver. For all intents and purposes, it was considered by most, for lack of a better description, to be the M1’s little brother. More specifically, The M2 didn’t have the M1’s customization options, it was touted as a great option for average players thanks to its forgiveness, and it came at a price point that was $100 less than M1. In all candor, when the M2 first came out, it didn’t generate a lot of buzz. But not even TaylorMade could have imagined what would happen in the months ahead, as the once unheralded M2 emerged as far and away the most dominant driver in golf in 2016, and not just with mid- and high-handicappers. Tour players switched from M1 to M2 throughout the year at an astounding rate, taking advantage of its low spin, high launch, fast ball speeds, and extreme forgiveness. And it’s that combination that makes the 2016 M2 still very relevant today.

No. 1. Callaway GBB Epic: When it comes to marketing, Callaway is the undisputed king among golf manufacturers. Starting late in 2016, in anticipation of a January 2017 release, Callaway began the marketing hype around its new GBB Epic drivers and their key innovation, Jailbreak Technology. The marketing plan was genius and people couldn’t wait to get Epic in their hands. And when they did, the standard Epic and the Epic Sub Zero flat out delivered. Within weeks Callaway blew past TaylorMade to take control of the driver market, a position it would never relinquish in 2017. Why were the GBB Epic drivers so popular? It’s a long list. First and foremost, however, Jailbreak Technology delivered on the promise of ball speed gains, as the titanium bars that connected the crown and sole improved energy transfer at impact. Additionally, the Epic drivers looked sharp, sounded great, and for as long as they proved to be were also quite forgiving. Also noteworthy in terms of fitting was that the standard Epic helped players who struggled with a right or left miss, while the Sub Zero was a great fit for those with spin and/or trajectory issues. GBB Epic was one case where the product actually lived up to the hype, and these are drivers that are certain to remain popular for quite some time.