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Strong 3 wood or mini driver?


ricsanchez07

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Just depends on what exactly you want to use it for. The Original One mini driver is capable of being used off the fairway but its harder to hit from the fairway than a 3w. Off the fairway I found it to be lower launch missiles! Off the tee the Original One is by far a better option than a 3w. It has a high launch and super low spin. the 13.5 degree was only 10 - 12 yards shorter than my driver

If you need a 3 wood b/c of par 5 purposes in to the green then id recommend staying with a 3 wood. But for consistency off the tee, the Original One mini is an absolute bomber and super easy to control. I found it to be draw biased also

Soooo. if you plan on dropping the driver from your bag id highly recommend the Mini driver and keeping your 3 wood also for par 5's.

TM Qi10 9* ... KBS TD Serape 60x

TM Stealth 2+ 4w ... KBS TD Rainbow 70x

TM Stealth 2+ 6w*... KBS TD Rainbow 80x

Titleist 5h 23* C1 ... KBS Proto 105 S+

Mizuno Pro 243 5 - P ... KBS TGI 110

TM MG4 50 S, 56 LB, 60 TW... KBS $-Taper 130x

Greyson x Bettinardi SS3 and QB6

 

TaylorMade TP5x

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OP, if you tend to get better results with a 3w than your driver, take into consideration that the 3w is shorter and will usually have a somewhat heavier total weight which can smooth out your tempo leading to better results. Instead of getting rid of the driver, look into a slightly heavier, shorter shaft and possibly even a slightly heavier swingweight. Small adjustments like this can sometimes make big differences in results. I play all of my drivers at 44.5" D6 and have better CHS and Smash Factor than I do at 45.5" and lighter club.

BT

 

Dr#1 Cobra Speedzone 10.5 – HZRDUS Yellow HC 65 TX @ 46”
Dr#2 Mizuno STZ 220 9.5 (10.5) - HZRDUS Smoke IM10 65 Low TX @ 46"

Mizuno ST190 15 - HZRDUS Smoke Yellow 70 TS @ 43"
Mizuno STZ 220 18- HZRDUS Smoke Yellow 70 TS @ 42"
Mizuno MP15 4-PW - Aldila RIP Tour 115 R
Cobra MIM Wedges 52, 56 & 60 – stock KBS Hi-Rev @ 35.5”

Odyssey V-Line Stroke Lab 33.5"
Grips - Grip Master Classic Wrap Midsize

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Agree with previous poster. I have played strong three woods (high-ball hitter), including the Ping stretch and the old Ping Rapture. But I am currently gaming the Original One and could not be happier. It's a little monster off the tee and I have no problem with it off the fairway, although it's not a great option out of rough. The head size is substantially larger than the stretch. It's a true mini-driver rather than a slightly larger 3-wood.

One word of caution -- if you are a low spin player, the O.O. might not work for you. It's a very low spinning head, which is perfect for me but your mileage may vary.

Titleist TSR3 08.75 – AD DI 65x

Titleist TSR2 14.50 – AD DI 75x

Titleist TSR2 17.25 – AD DI 85x

Titleist TSR2 21.00 – AD DI 95x

Titleist T150 4i-6i – X100 Tour

Titleist T100 7i-9i – X100 Tour

Titleist SM09 Pw-Lw – S400 Tour

Titleist Pro V1 – White Hot OG5

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My personal experience echos comments that have been already made: I find a mini driver (specifically the Bertha Mini) to be longer, more accurate, and more forgiving off the tee than a strong 3 wood, but less useful off the deck. To my mind, mini drivers play something like a hotter-faced version of some of the last generation of drivers before clubhead size really exploded (think 975D and the like), which was my sweet spot in terms of confidence off the tee.

If you only need this club to handle tee shots, I'd definitely give the mini driver a try.

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Mini-drivers remind me of the brassie (2W) that several senior golfers used back in the 1970s instead of a driver. Brassie had about 12* to 14* in loft, and had a shorter shaft than a driver.

In the early 1960s several companies offered a match sets of 1, 2 and 3W. The purchasers, as they got older, dumped the driver and kept the 2W.

In modern times, a parallel offering to the Mini-Driver is the Acer Thriver, available through Hireko. We've discussed Thrivers before.

What's In The Bag (As of April 2023, post-MAX change + new putter)

 

Driver:  Tour Edge EXS 10.5° (base loft); weights neutral   ||  FWs:  Calla Rogue 4W + 7W

Hybrid:  Calla Big Bertha OS 4H at 22°  ||  Irons:  Calla Mavrik MAX 5i-PW

Wedges*:  Calla MD3: 48°... MD4: 54°, 58° ||  PutterΨSeeMore FGP + SuperStroke 1.0PT, 33" shaft

Ball: 1. Srixon Q-Star Tour / 2. Calla SuperHot (Orange preferred)  ||  Bag: Sun Mountain Three 5 stand bag

    * MD4 54°/10 S-Grind replaced MD3 54°/12 W-Grind.

     Ψ  Backups:

  • Ping Sigma G Tyne (face-balanced) + Evnroll Gravity Grip |
  • Slotline Inertial SL-583F w/ SuperStroke 2.MidSlim (50 gr. weight removed) |
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Ri_Redneck's suggestion is also good. Lots of experiments online show how well shorter-shafted drivers perform. I play mine an inch short and hit it farther because of better timing and contact. But it's ideal if you have a driver model that allows you to easily add weight to the head to maintain a decent swing weight. TaylorMade M5, Titleist TS3, maybe Cobra F9 or Ping G410.

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Titleist TSR3 08.75 – AD DI 65x

Titleist TSR2 14.50 – AD DI 75x

Titleist TSR2 17.25 – AD DI 85x

Titleist TSR2 21.00 – AD DI 95x

Titleist T150 4i-6i – X100 Tour

Titleist T100 7i-9i – X100 Tour

Titleist SM09 Pw-Lw – S400 Tour

Titleist Pro V1 – White Hot OG5

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Love the OO. Definitely give one a try. It's been fantastic the last few months as my main driver, but I really want a "big driver" in my bag, so I'm testing the OO at 15.5. So far I've only tested it off a range mat but it was easier to launch that originally thought. On course testing soon. This is so easy to hit straight. I love it.

 

Driver: still looking.....
4 Wood: Kamui Pro TP-XF 17.5° + Fujikura Speeder Evolution VI FW70x @ 42 1/2".

7 Wood: Kamui Pro TP-XF 22.5° + Fujikura Speeder Evolution VI FW80x @ 41 3/4".
Irons: Kamui Pro KP-102 5i-PW + KBS TGI 110 + 1/2".
Wedges: Callaway Jaws Forged 50°/55°/60° + KBS C-Taper
Putter: SeeMore SB1 + Accra FX300.

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Appreciate all the feed back. It would def just be used off the tee. I don’t think I’ll be using it off the deck. I went ahead and pulled the trigger on buying one. I won a bid on eBay for a new one for $230. I’ll def throw it in the bag for a bit and see how it goes. If all else fails I’m sure I can get my money back on it. Looking forward to it!

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