The longest hitting cloud in your bag will usually be your driver, and it is also often the most expensive club as well. Although it's only one club out of several in your bag, it gets a lot of unnecessary extra attention. Most often its used in long-distance situations such a you might encounter on a par 4 or par 5 hole.

For many golfers, the driver can be one of the most difficult clubs to master. It requires not only power, but also a good deal of control to be able to use it successfully. On long holes it can be your best friend or your worst enemy, depending on how well you control your tee shot. And of course, choosing the right driver for your needs and skill level will go a long way toward helping you have the control you need. So what should you look for when you're ready to buy a driver?

The answer to that question will usually depend to a great degree on your own skill level at the game. A driver that works extremely well for a beginner will not do the job at all for a more advanced golfer.

But probably the first place to start is with the driver head. For high handicap players, it's a good idea to have as much sweet spot on the club face as possible. To achieve this, many driver head manufacturers are turning to lighter head materials, such as titanium. Because titanium is so light, the clubhead can be much larger and still have the same weight. That in turn means that the sweet spot will also be larger, enabling beginning players and high handicap golfers to better control their drives. Steel is also used for driver heads, but requires much more control than a titanium head. However, one big advantage of a steel head is that it is usually much less expensive.

The next thing to consider is what kind of loft your driver head should have. Generally speaking, newer and less experienced golfers should try to play a driver that has more than 10 of loft, while those that are more experienced and low handicap players can do well with a driver loft that is under 10.

The driver shaft is an important component of the club, and much of your choice will depend on what kind of swing you have. Usually most beginners do not have a powerful swing, and therefore could benefit from a more flexible shaft. On the other hand golfers that have swings in the 100+ mph area will probably need to purchase a more stiff shaft to give them better control.

There's a lot of discussion today about what kind of material is used for the golf driver shafts, but generally it boils down to either steel or graphite in most cases. Actually, graphite shafts will usually cost quite a bit more than comparable steel shafts, and for most average golfers steel shafts will do just fine. But if you happen to have an exceptionally slow swing speed perhaps a graphite shaft will help you gain a little more distance.

As you can see, there are several components that go into creating a golf driver, and understanding how those various components work together and the functions they serve can help you select a golf driver that will fit your skill level and the way that you play.