MacGregor Tourney Max Driver Review: Is The $249 Driver Legit?
In a world full of $600-plus drivers, we tested one that costs just $249. So, what's the catch?
The MacGregor Tourney Max driver is a unicorn of sorts. A modern driver for $249. There is virtually no other driver worth gaming under $300, and it looks like $600 will be the median price for new, tour-level drivers in 2026.
You’re probably wondering: what's the catch?
We’ve got answers. I tested the MacGregor Tourney Max, here’s everything you need to know.
MacGregor Tourney Max Specs
SHOP MACGREGOR
Price: $249
Lofts: 10.5 (RH-LH); 9 (RH)
Adjustable: +/- 2° loft or lie
MacGregor covers a wide spectrum of players with one head and two loft options in the Tourney Max driver. With 9° and 10.5° heads and two degrees of adjustability in either direction, players can tune the Tourney Max anywhere between 7° and 12.5°.
With just one head, the Tourney Max is a maximum forgiveness driver. There is no Tour or Low Spin option, and the rear weight is not movable.
MacGregor offers a competitive menu of shaft options with the Tourney Max, including three or four options from UST and Project X in every flex from Senior/Ladies to X-Stiff. Beyond that, you can choose your grip size and model, and have the driver built to your preferred length, anywhere from 43 to 46 inches (45.75” is standard).
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How We Tested the MacGregor Tourney Max Driver
I tested the left-handed, 10.5° MacGregor Tourney Max with the Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black RDX Shaft built to a 44.5” playing length.
I tested it in various loft settings, including the standard 10.5 degree (the only left-handed loft available) and turned down to 8.5°. I tested it indoors using the Rapsodo MLM2Pro launch monitor to track swing speed, ball speed, smash factor, launch angle and distance.
Lastly, because I tested the Tourney Max driver indoors with potential ceiling interference, I choked down and swung it with an average club speed of 93 mph, about 10 miles per hour slower than I swing a driver during an outdoor test.
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MacGregor Tourney Max Driver Performance
The prevailing question I had going into testing the MacGregor Tourney Max driver was “what’s the catch?”
This is coming from someone who tested a set of MacGregor MT Milled irons last year and has kept them in the bag ever since. In other words, I know first-hand the quality MacGregor is capable of delivering.
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Look, Sound & Feel
The Tourney Max Driver makes a strong first impression. The carbon crown and “M” alignment mark are clean and give this driver a serious demeanor.
Equipped with a Golf Pride Tour Velvet grip (which happens to be my grip of choice for woods) and HZRDUS Smoke shaft, everything about this driver looks legit.
Distance & Ball Speed
I managed to find the sweet spot with my first couple swings with the Tourney Max and was rewarded with impressive ball speed, spin and distances. I saw smash factors range from 1.45-1.48 on good strikes, with spin rates in the mid-2000s. Those strikes cranked out distances between 225-240 yards. Those are all numbers I’d take from a low-90s swing speed.
Not to mention the sound and feel were excellent from that part of the face.
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Forgiveness
Then, for good measure, I missed the sweet spot a few times. The sound and feel are distinctly different when you navigate away from the center. It’s loud and feels a bit like a metal baseball bat. For the record, most of those misses were high on the face.
Considering a steep dropoff with sound and feel, the performance didn’t suffer as much as I expected when I missed the sweet spot.
Spin numbers remained consistently in the low-to-mid-2000s regardless of strike location, and even though ball speeds dipped some, the Tourney Max has a high floor for ball speeds regardless of strike location. I was never punished as much as I felt like I should be.
My distance numbers from mis-hits depended more on launch angle and peak height than ball speeds.
The Tourney Max proved to be an impressive performer across the face. Despite the audible reminder that you didn’t quite hit the center.
MacGregor Tourney Max Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Excellent feel from the sweet spot
- Impressive ball speeds
- Sleek, high-end look with carbon crown
- Wide range of fitting options given lofts, adjustability, shaft and grip options, and customizable length
- Strong forgiveness across the face
- Fantastic value
Cons:
- Does not sound or feel good away from the sweet spot
- No movable head weights
- No Tour/Low Spin variety
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Who Should Consider the MacGregor Tourney Max Driver?
Considering you can choose from a selection of shafts and set the Tourney Max to anywhere from 7° to 12.5° of loft, it can easily be setup to accommodate virtually any type of player, save for perhaps the high-swing-speed players who benefit more from a low-spin head than max forgiveness.
If you don’t want to spend $600-plus on a driver, here’s what you can expect from one that costs less than half that. The MacGregor Tourney Max delivered really good performance at a really good price. You might give up a few yards of distance compared to the tour-level options, you might notice a somewhat smaller sweet spot, and you may not get all the adjustability that a premium driver offers.
Whether or not those considerations are worth the $350 price difference is up to you.