Adjustable Drivers Explained — How Do They Work?

Adjustable Drivers Explained and How Do They Work from Pro Golf Coach Authors and Editors from Tell Me More Golf

In this article, we here at Tell Me More Golf look at adjustable drivers. 

As the head instructor, I have over 50 years of golf teaching experience, and am ready to share my advice on adjustable drivers. 

An adjustable driver is a golf club that allows you to change the loft or lie angle. The loft angle is simply a measurement of the angle at which the face of the golf club sits. It is measured in degrees and is relative to a face that would be vertical. The lie angle measures the angle between the center of the shaft and the sole of the clubhead when the club sits in a natural playing position. 

How Does An Adjustable Hosel For A Driver Work?

Adjustable golf clubs allow you to either increase or decrease the ball flight by adjusting the lie angle, or to help achieve a more open or closed clubface at impact, which is done by adjusting the face angle. 

Right, so, how do adjustable drivers work?

They’re actually rather simple in their design, which means that it’s easy for players to make any necessary adjustments. 

Lie and loft adjustments can typically be made by twisting a dial that is located in the hosel of the golf club. For those who do not know, the hosel is the part of the club head where the shaft is attached. 

Adjustable drivers are designed with a screw inserted into the hosel that can be released and moved to adjust the lie and loft of the club, thus re-positioning the club head to reflect the lost/lie required. 

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How Do Adjustable/Movable Weights For A Driver Work?

Adjustable weights, or movable weights as they’re sometimes referred to, work in a very simple way. 

If you move the weight forward, you make the driver lower launching.

This is because you create more spin!

On the flipside, move the weight backwards, you achieve low spin, thus increasing the launch. 

If you increase your driver weighting, then you may be able to add more distance. This is because the heavier mass should create more ball speed, which should equate to more distance. Conversely, if you decrease the weight, the lesser mass will result in slower ball speeds, which should equate to less distance. 

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Better Adjustable Driver Setting For Slicing

Slicing is a very common issue for lots and lots of amateur golfers.

Hey, even the pros slice the ball unintentionally from time to time, so don’t beat yourself up if you’re struggling with this issue. 

The good news is that getting the driver set up in the correct way can help with your slice. Listen, it won’t cure it overnight, but having an adjustable driver set up correctly can improve things. 

Adjustable drivers allow you to alter the loft of the club, and having the loft set to 11.5 can help minimize your slice. Some drivers are set to 10.5, which may not sound like a huge difference, but having the extra degree can help to negate a slice. 

Increasing the loft on an adjustable driver can also help players to close the face more, which again, can help to reduce the amount of slice. Closing the face helps to make the club head more square at impact. The squarer the club at impact, the less slice. 

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Best Adjustable Driver Brands

  • Callaway
  • PING
  • Titleist
  • TaylorMade
  • Cleveland
  • Cobra

Regardless of the type of golf equipment that you’re in the market for these days, the top, big-name brands tend to dominate, and it’s no different when it comes to adjustable drivers. 

As you would expect, the big players in the golf-club making game produce some great adjustable drivers, brands such as: 

All of the above brands produce adjustable drivers, all of which, for one reason or another, are very competitive in terms of both performance and aesthetics. 

If you want to go for something a little different, perhaps on budget, then give Tour Edge a try. Those guys have put together a very useful adjustable driver, the Exotics EXS 220, which is ideal for the golfer who doesn’t want to spend too much. 

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Best Adjustable Driver Club Models

For example, the best adjustable driver for a lower handicap player might just be the Callaway Epic Max, which is a premium adjustable driver. However, that may not be the case for a beginner or a high handicap player who is struggling to combat a slice and wants a new driver to help. 

If you are struggling with a slice, then the TaylorMade M6 is a favorable option. I have encountered numerous players who tended to slice the ball from the tee, some of whom switched the M6 and achieved positive results. 

If you’re an older player, then consider the Callaway Epic Flash Star, which is a club that is considered by many to be the best adjustable driver for the senior player

The SiM 2 Max from TaylorMade is also a hugely popular adjustable driver, as is the Cobra Speedzone. 

There are lots of models of adjustable drivers, from a variety of golf brands. Which is the best is up for debate, and it does of course depend on what you’re looking for. 

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Do You Need It?

An adjustable driver can be considered a rather cool piece of golfing equipment, but the question is do you need it? 

This really does depend. If you’re not bothered about performance or improvement and are merely looking to have fun on the golf course, then you can probably make do with whatever driver you already have. 

However, if like many golfers, you are looking to improve and develop your game, then you could certainly benefit from using an adjustable driver. It doesn’t really matter what your handicap or playing level is either, as most golfers can take some form of benefit from using an adjustable driver. 

Which golfers need it most? Well, golfers that struggle with a consistent miss off the tee. Lots of players, especially early on in their golfing journey, tend to slice the ball regularly when hitting their driver. An adjustable driver allows you to add more weight to the heel of the club, which can help to hit straighter shots. 

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How Expensive Is An Adjustable Driver?

Golf equipment can be expensive, we all know that, but just how expensive is an adjustable driver? The simple answer is quite expensive, though there are of course different options. 

Here are some adjustable driver examples from the big brands: 

  • TaylorMade M6 Driver – $250
  • Callaway Epic Flash Driver – $300
  • Cobra Speedzone Driver – $250
  • TaylorMade SiM 2 Max Driver – $400

I myself have been a huge fan of the TaylorMade SiM range ever since it was first released, and the SiM 2 Max is arguably the best of the bunch. Its lightweight, helps to generate higher ball speeds, plus it looks great. 

The Cobra Speedzone is easily one of the highest rated adjustable golf drivers on the market. I’ve worked with lots of golfers who’ve used the Speedzone driver and the feedback has always been positive. 

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Who Shouldn’t Use It?

For most amateurs, an adjustable driver can be useful, regardless of your handicap. However, there are some players who won’t get much benefit out of using an adjustable driver

There probably isn’t anyone who categorically shouldn’t use an adjustable driver, but if you’re a very low handicap/scratch golfer, then you’ve possibly got to the point in your game where using an adjustable driver will be of little benefit to you

TellMeMoreGolf.com – Frequently Asked Questions

What does an adjustable driver do?

An adjustable driver is designed to correct a player’s miss-hits. For example, some players struggle with slicing the ball when hitting a driver. An adjustable driver will allow such players to close the face angle, which can lead to less of a slice. 

Adjustable drivers also allow players to adjust the lie angle, which can increase or decrease the flight of the golf ball. 

How do adjustable driver shafts work?

Adjustable drivers allow the golfer to adjust both the lie angle and the face angle. This can help to correct poor hits. 

For example, if a player is hooking the ball, with an adjustable driver they could alter the face angle so that it is slightly open at impact, which could lead to an improved shot shape. 

Does lowering the loft on an adjustable driver close the face?

When you use an adjustable driver to decrease or lower the loft, which is done by altering the lie angle, you will cause the club face to close ever so slightly. Many adjustable drivers allow adjustment to both lie angle and face angle, so this problem can be easily avoided by a mere change in face angle. 

Will an adjustable driver help my slice?

If you tend to slice a driver, then you’re likely opening the club face too much at impact. Or rather, you’re struggling to square the club face in time. Using an adjustable driver can help with this problem, as it will allow you to manually adjust the face angle, making it more closed, which should help you to slice the ball less.

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Patrick Corley Tell Me More Golf Instructor and Coach
Patrick Corley
From a golf scholarship to a Southern California University, to a private golf coaching career and an instructor position at a nonprofit organization, I’m here to help you get better at golf! With my 50+ years of golf experience; I bring you Tell Me More Golf. A golf coaching website that helps your game with instructional golfing content that’s ultimately geared toward making you a better golfer and having more fun!
Our golf instructor team brings it all to you, so enjoy!

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