The short answer: Start with a fairway driver, not a distance driver. The Latitude 64 River is a good first choice. It has lots of glide, is easy to throw and gives great distance without you having to put everything into the throw. If you are after something more specific, you will find our picks further down.
Opto Orbit RiverWhat to look for
Drivers come in two kinds. Fairway drivers are for drives where you want to hit a particular line, and distance drivers are built for the longest throws. The difference is mostly in the rim: the wider the rim, the more speed the disc needs to fly the way it is built to. That is why a fairway driver usually gives you longer and more accurate throws until your throw has picked up more speed. What the numbers on a disc mean is covered in What do the numbers on a disc mean?
Stability decides how a driver behaves in the air. An understable driver has more turn and gives distance without full power, a stable driver flies straight and finishes with a gentle fade, and an overstable driver resists headwind and finishes with a strong fade. Read more in What do understable and overstable mean?
Finally, plastic and weight. Premium plastic holds its shape longer when the driver hits trees, and lighter discs are easier to get up to speed. If you need a putter or a midrange too, you will find our picks in Which putter should you choose? and Which disc golf midrange should you choose?
Our picks, by what you need
Straight throws and control
The Innova Teebird flies straight with lots of glide and is great for accurate drives, both downwind and upwind. The Discmania FD is Discmania's most popular fairway driver and flies straight to slightly stable, so it is easy to aim and dependable off the tee.
Easy distance without full power
The Latitude 64 Diamond is built for new players. It is understable with good glide and mostly made in light weights, so it is easy to throw long and straight. The Innova Leopard3 has a gentle, controllable turn. Throw it smoothly and it flies straight, while a harder throw gives more turn.
Headwind
The Innova Thunderbird is a faster fairway driver with the same stability as the Teebird. It is predictable in wind and great for long, accurate placement drives. The Innova Firebird is an overstable distance driver that stands up to even strong headwinds. It finishes with a strong fade.
Once your throw has more speed
When your fairway drivers fly the way they should and you want more distance, it is time for a distance driver. The MVP Trail is our best-selling driver. It is stable to slightly understable and good for both hyzer flips and turnovers. The Innova Destroyer is one of the most recognised distance drivers and a good next step once you have the speed to make it fly far.
You will find all our distance drivers under Distance Drivers.