I am new to golf having been playing on and off for about and year and am now taking the game seriously and looking to improve my scores before going for my first handicap.

I have a traditional driver which I am using for lessons as it remains my intention not to rely too much on the club and to develop an acceptable swing. That said, I am thinking of buying a draw or square driver to use this year to lessen my slice whilst the swing is still developing.

Does anyone know whether these clubs make any difference and are worth a punt of about £100.00 so as to increase my enjoyment over this summer at least.

I am also interested in replica clubs from companies like club14 but have no idea whether they are any good considering the bargain prices.

Any advice to a newcomer to the game would be appreciated

Greg, I would definitely investigate and try a few draw models out. Depends on your swing of course- you may find you naturally draw the ball (then you are half way to being a great golfer).
for me I can hit the ball reasonably ok, but like many i struggled with the driver - one day it would be ok, the next slice city.
I bought a TM R5 Dual with a draw bias when they came out, and its completely changed my game - I rarely slice now and find a lot more fairways. if you are worried about it going too far left as your swing improves, I don't think this is really likely to happen - I've never drawn the ball with mine yet!

An offset driver would help to eliminate a slice but will also develop into a hook as your game improves. I have seen this first hand when using a Kane Easy Driver.
The square drivers are okay but it is still quite easy to hook/slice them....don't believe the hype.
If you are interested in the Kane Driver let me know!

Square is just a shape - don't ignore the other high-MOI drivers like the new Cobras, Cleveland Hi-Bore, Nike Sumo (non-square).
I have the Sumo and it really is very straight. Helped me make a painless transition from an offset driver as I worked out of my slice. I really do beleive in the high-MOI thing, but don't just think "Square".
Big help in keeping the slice down is plenty of loft. Like 12 or 13 degrees. And a softer flex shaft (go regular rather than stiff unless you really need it for your swing speed) and a high launch soft tip shaft.
Regarding the clones, why? Lots of people use them and rate them highly, but why beleive that something will perform just because it is painted to look like something else? What assurance do you have that any effort went into making it PERFORM well? Unless you can try-before-you-buy, it is a bit of a lottery with clones.

Thanks for the good advice, I started out down the High MOI route and have a TM Burner for lessons and to practice with. This is still very erratic with a pronounced slice so any club I buy is a stop-gap until I can use the Burner properly. The intention is to eventually learn to be able to use a regular driver with confidence but until then I am willing to take a bit of help from technology.

I asked about clones simply due to the fact that I cannot try one first but the price is very attractive. If I am only looking to use the club for a year, I do not really want to buying at the top end of the market.

I do use a regular flex shaft as this suits my swing speed though I currently have a 10.5 degree loft. I have no problem in getting the ball up to a good height but it is keeping it on the fairway that is the problem

Greg. The Burner is marketed by TM as a big hitter's club. Possibly the Super Quad with the potential for draw bias (and I think a more closed face) might have been better.
Higher loft won't make such a big difference. I use a 13° Sumo and get a normal mid-flight with it. The difference is less side-spin with the higher loft (and thus less propensity to slice).
If you only looking for cheapie for a year, check out the TM R5 Draw (£80 from onlinegolf - unbelievable price and you'll get a great price when you sell it, unlike a clone), on the likes of Benross V10 Draw (same price, Benross hugely well reviewed on this forum).

Thanks for the advice, may be that I need to look to get rid of the Burner and find a different driver. I also hearing reports that the longer shaft may cause consistancy issue amongst less experienced golfers. Sadly looks like I may have made another dud purchase based on advice from a major high street retailer.

Am tempted to look at the MD Superstrong EQL as my wife has one and it seems to have done wonders for her driving.

Greg be careful regarding lofts 12 or 13 degrees if you hit the ball fairly high flight you will not get any advantage. I used to have 13 degree loft driver and was a nitmemare regarding distance as my ball flight is high with irons aswell. i have now got NIKE SUMO (not gimmicky squre one) in 9.5 degree loft £179.99 from DIRECT GOLF new shaft and fit was £70 and boy it is so much better long and straighter excellent driver very forgiving. (still hit a slice though)i bit the bullet and aslo got fitted worthwhile i changed the reg flex shaft to a YS6+ STIFF excellent shaft.. give it ago it will help you. good luck im a 17 h/cap by the way try as many drivers as possible everyone is different

As there appears to be little chance of getting on the course this weekend I hope to spend much of it at a shop with a driving range trying to find the right club. I think now that a starting point should be a draw biased driver with a regular shaft and about 10.5 degree loft and then I can work from there. If I have to trade in the Burner for a more suitable club then so be it. I have heard good things about the new Mactec driver and I may try and track one of them down.

On the basis that not every shop stocks every driver, can anyone recommend any that are worth a try. I am going to try a TM R7 Draw and couple of the strange shaped drivers but any others that can be recommended would help.

The Latest McGregor Drawbiased driver is supposed to be very good

Greg stop messing about and go to your nearest PGA pro and get your self sorted.

Greg, take note of what John Gambrill 2 says. It's not the clubs, it's the person using them. Have a series of lessons with a good PGA Pro and once he's sorted your swing out he'll be able to advise you on what clubs are most suitable for you. Ignore forums until then, they'll only make matters worse and cost you money into the bargain!

Greg, don't let tommo's remark put you off high-lofted drivers. They won't give you extra distance like they might a low-ball hitter, but we're talking about control here, not distance. Would you trade 10 yards for more fairways?

All I can tell you is my experience. I slice a 10.5 degree driver, gently fade an 11.5, and hit a 14 as straight as I could want.

If I were in your shoes I'd look at a Benross V5 (£100) or that MD EQL (£81 regular or about £100 in square) - all available in 12 degree, and keep the Burner until after some more lessons.

My only advice would by that one mans great driver is anothers "brick on a stick". Although you can get lots of info about drivers and lots of advice about what might work for you, i can only say that you should try out drivers and pick the one that feels good to you and provides an acceptable drive for you.

i recommend hippo hex - its large head shape gives confidence and control and at £75 is great value.

Hi, you might like to try the square, Dunlop cube which I bought on impulse as it was only £30 ( direct sport), it has proved to be straight and 20 yards longer than my tiger shark hammerhead offset.With regard to offsets they are straighter but also much higher flight which reduces the length somewhat Regards

I can highly recommend the Cobra M Speed drivers or the new LD Speed driver in the "M" version. Offset face in 10.5 degree and a regular shaft.

I used to slice every drive, yesterday I think i hit 7/9 fairways down the middle and pushed one on the 18 whne i was gettinbg a bit tired.

Thank you all for your advice. I have spent most of the day trying out drivers and think that I will be investing in a Taylormade R7 460. With all of the drivers that I tried, I ignored my best and worst shots and looked for the one that put the ball in a straight line in the same place most often. This seems to be by far the most consistant, more so than than any of the strange shaped clubs. The marks on the tape showed where I was hitting the ball and those off the toe seemed almost as straight as those off the middle. I think I may have found a club that suits me now and will last as my game improves through lessons

A fair choice. I have an R7 Quad I've used for a good year now and find it quite easy to hit.

Be wary that enthusiasm of a new club can be spoilt by a patch of inconsistency just around the corner that you would have suffered regardless of which big dog lay within the confines of the bag.,