What is the difference between a 10.5 and 12 driver?
William Rodriguez
Published Jan 17, 2026
A 12 Degree driver has slightly more loft than the average driver used by most amateurs and pros. In fact, many pros use drivers at or below the 10.5-degree mark. That being said, the vast majority of PGA players have fast swing speeds, to which lower loft drivers are better suited.
Who should use a 10.5 degree driver?
A 10.5-degree driver will be best for golfers who have a slower swing speed or don't hit the ball on an upward attack angle. Average golfers typically hit downwards on the ball and they don't have the fastest swing speed, and since that's the case, a 10.5-degree driver is likely the choice.
Is a 12 degree driver easier to hit?
Is A 12 Degree Driver Easier To Hit? The additional loft of a 12-degree driver makes it an easier club to launch, ensuring you consistently get the ball airborne off the tee. If your swing is on the slower side, you will derive the most value from a 12-degree driver.
Should I hit a 12 degree driver?
Anywhere between 8.5-10° will usually suffice. If you have a mid swing speed of 95-104 mph, a driver loft of between 10-11.5° will normally be a good starting point.
Do pros use 10.5 degree driver?
Professional golfers tend to play with a driver that has about 9.5 degrees of loft. Of course, there are some golfers who find 10.5 or 8.5 to be more effective, but you will generally see most players end up in the 9 to 9.5 range.
32 related questions foundDo I want a 9.5 or 10.5 driver?
Decide whether you need help getting the ball in the air. If your tee shot trajectory is too low, then choose a 10.5-degree driver rather than its 9.5-degree counterpart. All else being equal, you'll hit the ball higher with a greater-lofted club.
What loft is Tiger Woods driver?
Woods' driver on Friday appeared to be 1.5 degrees open, giving the club a loft of 8.25 degrees total, while the club's sliding weight port was moved towards a draw setting.
Do I want a 10.5 or 12 degree driver?
10.5 degrees is the median loft of drivers used by most golfers. They are suitable for many players, and if you're not experiencing detrimental issues to your game, then 10.5 may be just right for you. 12-degree loft drivers will create less spin and height naturally, without faster swing speeds.
Will I lose distance with a 12 degree driver?
The 12 degrees of the loft can end up costing golfers distance if their swing speed is fast and they compress the ball.
What loft is best for a driver?
Anywhere between 8.5-10° will usually suffice. If you have a mid swing speed of 95-104 mph, a driver loft of between 10-11.5° will normally be a good starting point.
What degree driver goes the farthest?
The low loft of a golf driver is very surprising from the perspective of physics. Everyone in freshman physics learns that the optimal launch angle for a projectile - the angle that makes a ball fly the farthest - is 45 degrees.
What degree driver do most pros use?
Driver lofts used by the top 100 PGA Tour golfers range from 4.2° all the way up to 12.4°. The most common degree of driver is 9° with 36 players choosing that loft. 10.5° and 9.5° are the next most used lofts making these 3 loft choices the preference of over 60% of the best 100 players on Tour.
What degree driver should a beginner use?
Most golf drivers for beginners come in 9.5º, 10.5º and 12º options. The ideal loft is dependent on your swing speed and shot shape. 10.5º and 12º golf drivers are usually best for beginner golfers as the added backspin only loses a small amount of distance, but keeps your drives much straighter.
What loft driver does Rory use?
Rory's driver is a 9º head, with the hosel adaptor set a notch lower so the loft plays more like 8.5º. The sliding sole weight is in a pretty neutral position, and the shaft is a Fujikura Ventus Black 6X tipped one inch (to make it play stiffer).
Does lower loft driver go further?
It's the same with the driver. If you have a golfer with a very high clubhead speed (i.e. the hose on full blast) they'll need a lower loft to get maximum distance. For a slower clubhead speed (i.e. the water pressure is lower) they'll need a higher loft to get more distance.
What does 10.5 mean on a driver?
A low spin driver will hit the ground and keep running. As long as your 10.5-degree driver is low spinning (which most are), then you will have no problem getting those extra yards from the roll. The primary benefit of the 10.5-degree driver is that it is more forgiving than a lower lofted driver.
What does higher loft on driver mean?
In general, the slower the swing or club speed, the higher the loft of the driver to optimize both carry and roll. Most drivers come in degrees of loft from 8.5 to 16. Long Drive competitors have drivers that have only 4 to 7.5 degrees of loft.
What does 12 degree loft mean?
A 12-degree driver has about three degrees less loft than a three wood. When you look at a club with more loft, you are probably going to need to consider that it is going to be more forgiving. Higher lofted clubs have more forgiveness, and therefore the three wood will likely be a bit easier to hit.
What driver does Justin Thomas use?
Driver. Thomas switched to the Titleist TSi3 driver shortly after it was released in 2020 and used the same Mitsubishi Diamana ZF shaft for nearly three years. The TSi3 drivers come with a five-setting movable weight in the back of the head to help players and fitters create a draw or fade bias.
What degree driver does Dustin Johnson use?
When Johnson showed up on Monday to the 2022 Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, he had two drivers in the bag that he was testing. Both were 10.5-degree TaylorMade Stealth Plus drivers equipped with LA Golf DJ-Series prototype shafts.
What driver does Dustin Johnson use?
Dustin Johnson is currently using the TaylorMade Stealth Plus driver.
Which is better 9 degree or 10.5 degree driver?
9-degree drivers produce a lower trajectory and produce the best results with fast swing speeds that generate the spin needed to get maximum airtime. 10.5-degree drivers are suited to most golfers with an average swing speed that requires forgiveness and extra distance.
What loft driver should a mid handicapper use?
Average swing speed (80-95 mph) it's best to get 11 to 13 degrees of loft for more carry. Slower swing speed, it's best to get a driver with 13 or 14 degrees of loft.
What is the easiest golf driver to hit straight?
Cobra Air X Straight Neck Driver
The Cobra Air X is one of the lightest drivers on this list and ideal for beginners. Or, individuals who don't have as much natural swing speed as they would like. This club is so light at only 277 grams, it'll make adding extra distance to your drives easy!
What is the easiest golf driver to hit?
Best Drivers for Beginners and High Handicappers 2022
- Ping G425 SFT driver.
- TaylorMade SIM2 MAX-D driver.
- Callaway Epic Max driver.
- PXG 0211 driver.
- Cobra F-Max Airspeed driver.
- Wilson Launch Pad driver.
- Callaway Big Bertha B21.
- Cobra Radspeed XD driver.