Although most of the golf drivers on the market these days are in the oversize category, most manufacturers will offer three basic club head sizes for drivers. 

Standard – Measures 150-155 cubic centimeters (volume). The standard size offers better control for advanced players, and a potentially faster swing. Better control generally means being able to modify your swing and/or the club angle and hit the ball with a fade or draw depending on the need. However, a smaller sweet spot means a standard head is very unforgiving for miss-hits. 

Midsize - Measures 155-250 cubic centimeters. The midsize offers a larger sweet spot than the standard head; however some control is lost for precision shot-making. 

Oversized – The largest club head size, 250 all the way up to 460 cubic centimeters. The oversized offers the largest sweet spot of all the club sizes but can be more difficult to control. For players with inconsistent swings in the beginner to intermediate level, this size is generally the best. Many advanced and professional players also opt for the oversize head as well. Players of this level generally use a head in the 380-410cc size so that they can work the ball into specific strategic spots on the fairway. 

Suave and sophisticated men carry a big stick.

Currently the largest allowable size per the USGA is 460cc, and the oversized head is certainly the most popular. “Consumers just aren’t interested in anything smaller than 400ccs,” said Todd Colburn, director of marketing for Cobra.  Certain smaller manufacturers offer even larger size heads that can be used for recreational play, but not in tournaments, even at the amateur level. In 2004, Integra made up to a 650cc head, the Integra Sooo Long 650R, Bang Golf offered the Big, Big Bang 525cc, and Hippo, Killer Bee, Dynacraft also passed the 500cc mark. The problem though with these larger clubs, other than the fact that they are illegal, is that structural design flaws can result. When making a club head bigger, the same amount of titanium must be used to maintain a light swing weight, so the shell must be thinner. The bigger the club head gets, the thinner, and more vulnerable the shell becomes, which means these club heads dent very easily.  Despite the limited availability of these “illegal” larger size drivers, most golfers would agree that golf is a gentleman’s game and will want to stay within the rules. (I looked all over and very few retailers carry these clubs, but you may find a used one on ebay, or on the manufacturers’ websites, although most have reconfigured the drivers into USGA conforming sizes.) I know there are a few rebels out there who may just want to sneak in the big boy and hope that the others playing with them don’t know about the USGA size limit. Or just pull out the driver quickly, hit the ball really fast, and get it back into your bag without your buddies seeing you’re swinging a club with a small European car attached to the end of it. Ha!  Seriously though, the 460cc oversized head is by far the most common head size on the market and due to technological advances in head design, generally offers the best control and distance off the tee for beginner to advanced players.

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