We tested every 2025 golf driver and this one surprised us the most

We tested every 2025 golf driver and this one blew us away

With exceptional ball speed, impressive distance, and a great balance of spin and forgiveness, this driver stands toe-to-toe with the biggest names in golf.

If you’re looking for the best golf driver, the most obvious options come from brands like Callaway, TaylorMade, Titleist, and Ping. And whilst you can’t go far wrong with those, sometimes our testing reveals a surprise package – one that delivers performance to match or even beat the biggest brands. That’s exactly what happened in our recent Today’s Golfer Drivers Test.

And the best part? The driver that shocked us with its performance is available significantly cheaper than the latest models from any of the ‘big’ brands.

Enter the Wilson Staff DynaPower Carbon driver. It’s the ‘core’ model in the Wilson DynaPower driver family, sitting alongside the low-spin Wilson DynaPower LS and the maximum forgiveness DynaPower Max.

Rather than targeting low spin or maximum forgiveness, the core (or standard) model within a brand’s driver range is designed to offer a good blend of everything.

The Wilson Staff DynaPower Carbon sits in a competitive field, up against the likes of the TaylorMade Qi35, Callaway Elyte, Ping G440 Max, Titleist GT2 and others.

Many of the drivers in this category have two weights – one heavier, one lighter – that can be swapped to dial in optimal performance. Generally speaking, placing the heavier weight at the back of the driver head will increase forgiveness, while placing the heavier weight forward will increase distance on well-struck shots.

We tested every driver in their different setups and the DynaPower Carbon excelled in both.

Here’s why the DynaPower’s performance was so impressive in various key areas.

Ball speed

The Wilson DynaPower Carbon generated 165.3mph ball speed with the heavier weight at the back and 165.2mph with the heavier weight forward. The Callaway Elyte was the only other driver in the ‘core’ category to register ball speed above 164mph. The DynaPower Carbon was more than 2mph clear of drivers like the TaylorMade Qi35, Ping G440 Max, Titleist GT2, and PXG Black Ops when it comes to ball speed.

Distance

That speed translated into distance. With the heavier weight at the rear, the DynaPower Carbon generated 284.8 yards of carry distance, placing it at least one yard clear of any other driver in the category and nine yards ahead of some. But it was with the heavier weight at the front where the DynaPower Carbon really blew the competition away. A carry distance of 289.9 yards was 14 yards ahead of some core drivers and 6.2 yards ahead of the TaylorMade Qi35, which came in second.  

Spin

While golfers focused on lowering spin will be looking at one of the best low-spin drivers, the DynaPower Carbon delivered great spin rates of 2,442 rpm (heavier weight forward) and 2,682 rpm (heavier weight back). Only the TaylorMade Qi35 (weight forward) generated lower spin among core drivers.

The optimal spin rate for you will depend on your swing speed and how you strike the golf ball, but, as the table shows, it’s clear that lowering spin can lead to distance gains.

The spin rate of 2,442 rpm (with the heavier weight forward) would put the DynaPower Carbon in the mix among low-spin models. You could certainly get lower spin from a low-spin driver, but the DynaPower Carbon delivered a great combination of low spin with good forgiveness.

Accuracy

With the heavier weight at the back, the DynaPower Carbon produced the tightest left-to-right dispersion of any driver in its category.

It’s important to remember that these numbers are user-dependent and could vary from one day to the next; I would never buy a driver solely based on someone else’s dispersion numbers. But it’s an extra feather in the DynaPower Carbon’s bulging cap.

Price

The Wilson DynaPower Carbon has an RRP of $549.99 / £480.

That makes it cheaper than the likes of the Callaway Elyte ($599.99 / £569), TaylorMade Qi35 ($599.00 / £529), Ping G440 Max ($650 / £575), and Titleist GT2 ($649 / £579).

The Wilson Staff DynaPower Carbon proves that you don’t have to pay maximum prices to get top-tier performance. With exceptional ball speed, impressive distance, and a great balance of spin and forgiveness, it stands toe-to-toe with the biggest names in golf. Add in its sleek looks and competitive pricing, and you’ve got a driver that deserves serious consideration. If you’re in the market for a new driver, testing the DynaPower Carbon may well surprise you – just like it did for us.

Wilson Dynapower Carbon Driver

Expert rating:

4.5

Price: $549.00 / £480.00

www.pgatoursuperstore.com

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Price: $549.00 / £480.00

www.pgatoursuperstore.com

View Offer

Pros & Cons Ratings Specs Features

Pros

• One of the best-looking drivers I've seen in 2025
• Competitive distance 
• Ample forgiveness
• Good choice of shaft and grip options
• Workable and adjustable
• Amazing value
• Suitable for a wide range of golfers

Cons

• 12° head not an option 
• Not the most exciting driver

• Looks, Sound, and Feedback
  4.5
• Distance and Spin
  4.5
• Forgiveness and Control
  4.5
• Technology and Components
  4.5

Lofts	8° / 9° / 10.5° / 10.5° Lite
Head Size	460cc
Stock Shaft Flex Options	Regular | Stiff
Standard Shaft Length	45.75”
Stock Shaft Options	Fujikura Ventus TR Blue | (10.5° Lite) UST Helium NCT 4 Lightweight
Stock Grip	Lamkin Crossline 360 Black
Lie Angle	57.0°

• Tour-inspired
• Sound engineered
• PKR-360
• Open Hosel Construction
• Full Adjustability

How we tested the best golf drivers

We’re dedicated to making sure that we at Today’s Golfer are clear and transparent on how we test equipment, so you know you can trust the data that you read.

For drivers, our test pro hits balls with each driver until we have six good shots, while we track every piece of data on a GC Quad launch monitor. Any drives that our test pro felt weren’t a fair representation of the club – severe mishits, etc – were discarded and replaced with another shot. Thanks to our test pro’s remarkable consistency, this was a very rare occurrence!

The test lab 

The test was conducted under strict conditions, overseen by a former Team GB bio-mechanist, at an indoor facility. We chose to test indoors to eliminate the influence of wind or temperature changes.

Our test pro 

Our test pro, Neil Wain, is a very consistent golfer, having played for England as an amateur before turning pro off a +4 handicap. He’s a highly regarded player, coach, and custom fitter.  

Shaft 

All of the drivers were tested using the same shaft, which eliminates a variable and helps us compare the performance of the driver heads.  

We partnered with one of the most high-grade performance-based companies in golf, Fujikura, to ensure our test pro had a shaft that helped with a consistent and reliable delivery from the first swing to the last of the almost 400 he hit during testing. Partnering with a company of Fujikura’s standing meant we’re able to trust the data we produced.  

Fujikura produce an incredible selection of aftermarket golf shafts for your woods, hybrids, irons, and even putters, across a wide choice of profiles and designs. The company is committed to excellence in the creation of premium, performance-first equipment that allows every level of golfer to trust their swing every time they deliver club to ball.  

Having been at the forefront of golf innovation for over 30 years, Fujikura have produced countless successful models over the years, including legendary names like Speeder, Motore, and the now iconic VENTUS that can be seen dominating professional tours all around the world.  

We worked with the Fujikura team’s deep knowledge to find the perfect shaft for our tester, so that every driver head is given the chance to perform to the best of its capabilities. The specification was: 

Model: Ventus VeloCore+  

Profile: Blue  

Weight: 60g  

Flex: X-Stiff  

Length: 45” (to end of shaft)  

Grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet .60R (1 Layer of Tape) 

Loft

We tested all the driver heads in a 10.5º loft (Titleist being the exception at 10º, as they do not produce a 10.5º head) with standard hosel/sleeve settings so we can compare them like-for-like. Drivers with front-back adjustable weight options were tested in both forward and rearward weight configurations.  

The golf ball 

To get the best and most reliable data possible we always insist on using a premium golf ball.  

Over the last few years we’ve used several of the best golf balls to conduct our testing, including the Callaway Chrome Tour, Bridgestone Tour-B, and Titleist Pro V1. This year we used the TaylorMade TP5.  

The TP5 offers consistency and performance that is up to the standards of numerous tour pros, including Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood, and has won many Majors.