Original One Mini Driver

[elwhippy]

Not sure what the point of this club is. Why go to inferior tech and forgiveness?

[Rig14Port]

> @jll62 said:

> > @Rig14Port said:

> > I could totally see something like this going in Tiger's bag if his driving accuracy issues continue.Would love to know if he's seen and/or tested it. Augusta fairway finder? Pretty sure WRX would break the internet if Greg could catch him on the range with one.

> >

> > Hey Taylormade, go ahead and hit that like button if i'm on to something here...

>

> You really think Tiger is having accuracy issues this year? Small sample size so far, but his driving accuracy coming into this week was 65% compared to 59% last season. He's been driving it fairly well overall.

 

Much better off the tee this year, but we all know he can get wild at times. He's also very prone to pull an iron or a fairway wood out when fairways are tight.

[My2Dogs]

Just got the flood of emails that you can pre order now. I checked and if you want the Tensei Pro series it’s a $250 upcharge.

[RodrigoNicely]

Do they ct test fairway woods? Noticed it was titanium so could be hot face

[radiman]

> @My2Dogs said:

> Just got the flood of emails that you can pre order now. I checked and if you want the Tensei Pro series it’s a $250 upcharge.

 

That is the typical upgrade cost for almost every OEM.

[jorgegm022]

Im new to this type of market. So is this mini-driver supposed to be MORE or LESS forgiving?

[AzSuperHack76]

> @jorgegm022 said:

> Im new to this type of market. So is this mini-driver supposed to be MORE or LESS forgiving?

 

I would think more loft would add more forgiveness.

[Stuart_G]

> @jorgegm022 said:

> Im new to this type of market. So is this mini-driver supposed to be MORE or LESS forgiving?

 

The benefits of the mini-driver are a shorter playing length for better and more consistent contact and control. Higher loft also helps offline miss distances. But the sweet spot is smaller and MOI is not generally as high. So while it's not more forging in the context of an off center hit performance, it is more forgiving in the context of hits generally being less off center than with the longer and bigger brothers for a similar quality swing.

 

So it's more like using a more forgiving and stronger lofted (more distance) 3wd - or maybe a 2wd is a better analogy.

 

[jorgegm022]

> @Stuart_G said:

> > @jorgegm022 said:

> > Im new to this type of market. So is this mini-driver supposed to be MORE or LESS forgiving?

>

> The benefits of the mini-driver are a shorter playing length for better and more consistent contact and control. Higher loft also helps offline miss distances. But the sweet spot is smaller and MOI is not generally as high. So while it's not more forging in the context of an off center hit performance, it is more forgiving in the context of hits generally being less off center than with the longer and bigger brothers for a similar quality swing.

>

> So it's more like using a more forgiving and stronger lofted (more distance) 3wd - or maybe a 2wd is a better analogy.

>

 

Thanks guys! this brings some clarity. I would probably benefit from something like this. Maybe get the 11.5* and crank it down to 9.5*

[Stuart_G]

> @jorgegm022 said:

> > @Stuart_G said:

> > > @jorgegm022 said:

> > > Im new to this type of market. So is this mini-driver supposed to be MORE or LESS forgiving?

> >

> > The benefits of the mini-driver are a shorter playing length for better and more consistent contact and control. Higher loft also helps offline miss distances. But the sweet spot is smaller and MOI is not generally as high. So while it's not more forging in the context of an off center hit performance, it is more forgiving in the context of hits generally being less off center than with the longer and bigger brothers for a similar quality swing.

> >

> > So it's more like using a more forgiving and stronger lofted (more distance) 3wd - or maybe a 2wd is a better analogy.

> >

>

> Thanks guys! this brings some clarity. I would probably benefit from something like this. Maybe get the 11.5* and crank it down to 9.5*

 

Just realize many players have a lot of success just going shorter with their full sized drivers. Just because they sell them at 46" doesn't mean you have to play them that long ;-) here is a good thread for a DIY driver tuning you can try first before spending more money:

https://forums.golfwrx.com/discussion/909991/diy-driver-tune-up-diy-fitting/p1

 

But some people just don't like the visual or get used to the sight of such a large head on a shorter shaft - or for some the smaller head makes it seem more like a fairway which can give some people more confidence (which itself can help get better results). So many still can gain some additional benefits from the mini's.

 

 

 

[ALTSean]

$399 fairway wood :/

[dcmidnight]

Boy was I dead wrong about the pricing here. I was talking about this last weekend with my group and we thought it would be in the $199 - $249 range. $399 for a specialty club is really something. I had the mini SLDR driver in the back back in the day because I was terrible off the tee. But then I spent 6 months and a handful of lessons correcting my driver issues.

 

I just dont see this at this price point. And FWIW I'm a complete TM mark as my signature shows.

 

But if you're going to spend $399 and crank this down to 9.5* - why not just buy a new M3 for $349 or even less used - and chop it down. Bigger head, bigger face, more forgiveness. And $50 left over for a driver lesson.

 

Man I was just way off here.

[chris975d]

> @dcmidnight said:

> Boy was I dead wrong about the pricing here. I was talking about this last weekend with my group and we thought it would be in the $199 - $249 range. $399 for a specialty club is really something. I had the mini SLDR driver in the back back in the day because I was terrible off the tee. But then I spent 6 months and a handful of lessons correcting my driver issues.

>

> I just dont see this at this price point. And FWIW I'm a complete TM mark as my signature shows.

>

> But if you're going to spend $399 and crank this down to 9.5* - why not just buy a new M3 for $349 or even less used - and chop it down. Bigger head, bigger face, more forgiveness. And $50 left over for a driver lesson.

>

> Man I was just way off here.

 

I stated the price a while ago (in this thread I think) that was all but officially confirmed way back then. With the titanium construction, there was just no way it was coming in priced less than the M5 fairways that are selling at a pretty good rate at that price.

[mcs4]

> @dcmidnight said:

> But if you're going to spend $399 and crank this down to 9.5* - why not just buy a new M3 for $349 or even less used - and chop it down. Bigger head, bigger face, more forgiveness. And $50 left over for a driver lesson.

 

For everyone posting to question the use or need for a mini driver, please consider a few things. First, a large percentage of mini driver fans use one *instead of* a regular driver, not as a specialty club on top of carrying a regular driver. Second, the majority of those folks tend to have a history of getting better results hitting a fairway wood (or old, smaller headed driver) off the tee than a full-sized modern driver. The mini driver therefore might, in theory, provide a temporary or permanent compromise where these players can get back a portion of the benefits that come from a (relatively) larger club with (relatively) lower loft versus a fairway without going up to full driver specs. Discussing the theoretical forgiveness of a driver vs. a mini driver is completely irrelevant for these players, since they already have established to themselves that a fairway wood -- which is smaller even than a mini driver -- already gives them better results than a full-sized driver in the real world.

 

Personally, I am back to using a "regular" driver after spending a fair amount of time using a mini driver or fairway off the tee. When I bought my old mini driver, I hit every driver and shaft combination the big-box store threw at me, and the stock mini driver demolished every single one of them -- at least for my swing at that time -- to the utter bafflement of the equipment rep who was helping me demo the club. Even now, while I am glad to be back in the regular driver world, I don't believe that my average drive is really much better than if I pull out the mini driver, but rather the main benefit is that I have more potential upside in terms of max driving distance. Forgiveness is basically a wash, in my opinion.

[mizzyplayer]

> @dcmidnight said:

> But if you're going to spend $399 and crank this down to 9.5* - why not just buy a new M3 for $349 or even less used - and chop it down. Bigger head, bigger face, more forgiveness. And $50 left over for a driver lesson.

>

> Man I was just way off here.

 

Because confidence in your tee club is vital. Some people just struggle to hit a big driver well. If I hit this thing 5 yards shorter than my driver at 9.5*, but consistently hit the fairway more often, $399 is a steal for that. It's not much different than a hybrid vs a long iron. I recently bagged a 4H and all my buddies ragged on me, including my coach. My scoring has dramatically improved when I need to hit 4H into a green vs a 4i. The reality is my misses are smaller, and I am able to go for par 5's with way more confidence and long par 3's aren't an issue.

 

It is the same thing with this mini driver. Confidence is key, and being very confident off the tee is a weapon.

[Josh L.]

Can't wait to find them in used bins for half the cost, I'm sure it's great club to play limited club rounds on Sunday afternoon with, but I'm out at that price.

[R-FowlerFanPA]

 

[wilymo]

Does anyone know if this will be produced in limited quantities like the Bertha Mini 1.5 was?

[Doublebuck]

Great club for the 3-wood players. Awesome for the Sunday 7-8 club bag. Not there to be a huge seller but happy they have it.

[EaglesGolf99]

IIIIIIIIIIIIII'mmmmmmmm really curious to see if Callaway counters or remains passive in response to the 275cc Mini Driver!

[BrianMcG]

Every time I try to look up reviews for mini drivers, I get nothing but pics and videos of Minnie Driver.

[Warrick]

I want one, on the hunt to find a way to knock the price down a bit......

[Joelsim]

I’ve reserved one with my shop guy, just need to decide exactly what the spec I want is, do I want it tipped by an inch or so...

[caloge]

Played an sldr mini when I was having struggles off the tee. Thing was an arrow and long. Good to see a modern take from TaylorMade

[jmkenn0]

On order, we will see. Not really having that much of a problem with my driver, but I rarely use my 3-wood, mostly because I suck at it. We'll see if this can replace two clubs and give me more flexibility with irons/wedges.

[GolfChannel]

TXG should be doing a review on this one soon, they received theirs yesterday.

[Pack7483]

Hoping this could be a holy grail type club for my 8 club bag. I ditched 3w in favor of a Rickie Fowler type F9 4i for approach shots on par 5s etc. Now the mini could possibly replace my Rogue SZ driver off the tee, and be a bonus club off the deck for the random times every couple of rounds I may desire to try a strong 3w off the deck. I just need tee distance to be close to my current driver for this idea to work.

[Joelsim]

> @BrianMcG said:

> Every time I try to look up reviews for mini drivers, I get nothing but pics and videos of Minnie Driver.

 

Perhaps omit the word ‘naked’.

[ASN21]

Youtube review is up:

[airjammer]

> @ASN21 said:

> Youtube review is up:

>

 

So far it sounds just like every mini driver that has been released...spins more and goes about 15-20 yards shorter than a well fitted bigger headed and longer shafted driver head.

 

I didn’t hit my kzg pft 300 that great off the deck way back when so I don’t suspect I will hit this slightly smaller head any better even with a speed slot