Buyer's guide to drivers

When buying a driver there are some simple rules to follow - including ones you may easily overlook.

Much as buying from the high street might seem more economical, making your purchase after you have swung or tested a range of drivers at a PGA facility is our best advice. Shop around for the club that gives you a consistent strike and accuracy. Distance will come later.

Does size matter?

Driver's looks aren't everything. Buying a new driver is usually a matter of personal taste. A club may have been recommended to you buy a fellow golfer or one of the pro shop staff but if it doesn't fall easily on the eye, no amount of addressing, waggle or hitting on the practice range will convince you it's right for your game. The club has to sit there, ideally on a tee peg, and beg for you to open your shoulders and crash it into oblivion. Most drivers today have huge clubheads; some look as big as the top half of a bowls wood on a stick, with a shiny black, blue or red surface or one of gunmetal grey. If you're a new golfer, you tend to look for a clubhead that will instil confidence - knowing you're going to make solid contact every time. The more proficient you get, the less need to own the biggest clubhead. If looks and size matter, address a teed up ball, so half the ball emerges above a club addressed on the ground. Better still ask the pro to tape up the face and top of the club head (to avoid possible premature damage) and allow you to hit some practice shots.

What about loft and lie?

Many of the top pros use drivers with minimum lofts of 6 or 7 degrees. But we don't recommend this for the amateur who's unable to strike each shot in the same spot with the same swing path every time. Pick the right loft. Single figure golfers can get away with lofts from 8-10.5 and the higher up that scale, the more consistent and successful they will become. Newer, less able golfers should sacrifice some distance for accuracy by going for 11 or 12 degree of loft. They will be less likely to slice a ball with added loft. You can also be custom-fitted for drivers to ensure the lie - the relation of the sole of the club to the ground - is flat at address to help put more clubface on the ball at impact. Some drivers are also 'toed-in' two or three degrees, which means that at address the flat of the clubface points ever-so-slightly to the left. It's hardly detectable to the naked eye, with some clubs but acts as an anti-slice device to keep the ball on target.

Are grips and shafts important?

Get the right grip. Getting the right shaft is crucial. Sadly there's no chart available to automatically choose the right one for you - it's down to trial and error. As a rule the average golfer with a moderate swing speed will suit a regular shaft steel shaft. If you're looking for a little more speed at impact and distance is important to you, opt for a regular graphite for a few extra yards. There are also Firm and Stiff shafts and all have slightly different 'flexes' and 'kick-points' depending on whether you want a low penetrating flight that's easier to control or one that sails high and long and may be a tad more difficult in wind. As for grips they depend on the size of your hand. When you hold the club in your left hand (for a right-hander) your fingers should wrap round so the tips barely touch the soft fleshy part of your palm below the thumb. If the tips make an impression get your pro to wrap more tape under the handle or fit a fatter grip.

What should you pay?

Because many of the latest drivers have a limited shelf life because of new technology constantly being introduced and the fact that bigger headed drivers (over a COR of 0.081) will be outlawed by 2008, prices can tumble within months of their launch. You can buy a driver for as little as £20 or as much as £400. However, if you shop around, perfectly sound ones are available for between £100 and £230. What we do suggest is that you get to hit a handful on the range before you buy and perhaps get a second opinion from a golfer who's a better player and, perhaps, a better judge than you are.