Original One Mini Driver

[MBBG]

> @VGVG said:

> I used to own a mini SLDR. It was great off the tee but so weird to hit off the deck. There are definitely people out of them who would benefit from replacing their 3-wood with a mini driver: Players who only use their 3-wood off a tee. But if you play long courses, you can’t afford to play such a club, IMHO.

 

The OO is a different animal than the SLDR mini. The 13.5 version gives me close to driver distance with more accuracy and I can also hit it off the deck if need be. Compared to the old SLDR mini 12* I had it’s definitely easier off the deck.

 

However it’s not ideal off the deck and using to replace driver did force me to make a different choice at the 18* slot. Therefore I replaced my long-standing JDM hybrid with a TEE CBX 5 wood that’s pretty much as long as any 3 wood I’ve ever had but has a small enough profile to be versatile like a hybrid. I can also choke down and take an easier swing and get similar distance to the hybrid it replaced while still getting enough launch height.

 

[Altiman94]

I just posted an updated WITB - but I am using the 13.5* OO as my driver currently.

It's more forgiving than my warbird deuce was and also the X2Hot 2 deep that I loved (both of them). I have found a high toe to not a great strike for me - produces a huge hook. Otherwise, I enjoy its forgiveness and it's providing enough distance that I feel comfortable not having a driver in the bag.

[ian-500]

Anyone have a Oban Kiyoshi black or white in this thing? What length are you playing it at?

[ian-500]

Had mine turn up today. I'm surprised to see it's a very similar size to my Ping Rapture at address. Just a little taller in face depth. And the head's lighter too, 209g to 211g for the Ping. Should be a good shootout over the next week or so.

[uglande]

> @Argonne69 said:

> > @Gorham said:

> > I played the Aeroburner Mini 16 degree for several years. Purchased the OO 13.5 (regular), cranked up all the way to 15.5. Lower ball flight than the Aeroburner, but very good. Very solid club.

>

> If I'm not mistaken, increasing the loft closes the face. It'd hate to have it turn into a hook machine. Do you find that your setup wants to go left?

 

I did some extensive testing with the OO today (13.5 degree) and was surprised by how much adjusting the lofts changed the face angle. It's dramatic. Cranking the lofts down opened the face significantly, which I don't mind so much because I like to hit more of a power fade, but I could never use a setup that required me to crank the loft up because the face would be too hooky. Overall I was incredibly impressed with the OO and a looking to buy one in the 11.5 loft. It's so easy to hit, feels sensational, and gives you the confidence to either go all out or just swing smooth and take dead aim. I would not recommend this club to someone who plans to use it as a 3-wood replacement. Fairway woods are a strength of mine. I never have problems hitting clean shots off the deck (even with my low-lofted Titleist TS3), but it was a bit of a struggle with the OO, even at 13.5 loft. I would occasionally catch it fat, or clean but with no lift. Fortunately, I also carry a 4-wood and 7-wood so they cover me from the fairway from about 245 out, so I really wouldn't miss the 3 wood. Definitely looking into moving to a Driver/OO-Mini/4W/7W setup.

 

[uglande]

> @MBBG said:

> I absolutely love this club.

 

Did you do anything different with your Hzrdus shaft for the Mini, other than cutting it down from the butt end? Tipping same as for standard driver?

 

[MBBG]

> @uglande said:

> > @Argonne69 said:

> > > @Gorham said:

> > > I played the Aeroburner Mini 16 degree for several years. Purchased the OO 13.5 (regular), cranked up all the way to 15.5. Lower ball flight than the Aeroburner, but very good. Very solid club.

> >

> > If I'm not mistaken, increasing the loft closes the face. It'd hate to have it turn into a hook machine. Do you find that your setup wants to go left?

>

> I did some extensive testing with the OO today (13.5 degree) and was surprised by how much adjusting the lofts changed the face angle. It's dramatic. Cranking the lofts down opened the face significantly, which I don't mind so much because I like to hit more of a power fade, but I could never use a setup that required me to crank the loft up because the face would be too hooky. Overall I was incredibly impressed with the OO and a looking to buy one in the 11.5 loft. It's so easy to hit, feels sensational, and gives you the confidence to either go all out or just swing smooth and take dead aim. I would not recommend this club to someone who plans to use it as a 3-wood replacement. Fairway woods are a strength of mine. I never have problems hitting clean shots off the deck (even with my low-lofted Titleist TS3), but it was a bit of a struggle with the OO, even at 13.5 loft. I would occasionally catch it fat, or clean but with no lift. Fortunately, I also carry a 4-wood and 7-wood so they cover me from the fairway from about 245 out, so I really wouldn't miss the 3 wood. Definitely looking into moving to a Driver/OO-Mini/4W/7W setup.

>

 

I am doing similar but going driver/OO/4 Wood then 3-P with my 3i being an 18* MP-20 HMB. I do agree that for a classic small driver they made it pretty closed face. I’ve got mine opened all the way up now

 

 

 

> @uglande said:

> > @MBBG said:

> > I absolutely love this club.

>

> Did you do anything different with your Hzrdus shaft for the Mini, other than cutting it down from the butt end? Tipping same as for standard driver?

>

 

I actually went with the 70g 6.0 and didn’t tip it extra because I still wanted it somewhat playable from the deck in certain situations. But that hasn’t really materialized because I’ve learned if I’m still 250+ out I’m way better laying up at the 100 mark and hitting a full wedge from a clean lie in than trying to go for it and end up with a tough pitch or a tough bunker shot. I think it’s main purpose going forward is going to be a fairway finder or even driver replacement. I haven’t been able to find a driver yet that is as reliable and as much fun to hit for my swing.

 

[Granthamjc]

I have the 11.5 with an Even Flow Blue 6.0 60G shaft in it and it is a bomber, hit it almost as far as I hit my M5. Tee it low for low bullets or I can tee it higher for a long high flight. However there just isn't a place for it in my bag because I do hit it so long so I am going to sell it.

[Puttersaurus Rex]

My 11.5 has been my driver replacement since June. Range and course time have proven it to have better dispersion than any of my other current options.

[uglande]

> @"15th Club" said:

> > @gvogel said:

> > > @"15th Club" said:

> > > > @bobcat said:

> > > > I suspect this latest 'Mini Driver' will soon end up in closets and/or garages just like all the other 'Mini Drivers' that came before it!....

> > >

> > > Remember, that Ping did this same idea with the [2014 Rapture 3/13](https://www.pgatour.com/equipmentreport/2014/01/22/ping-rapture-three-wood.html "2014 Rapture 3/13")?

> > >

> > > Perhaps it's a "Ping" thing, but after Ping discontinued that model, resale prices for the club have held up amazingly well.

> >

> > I have one of those Ping Rapture mini drivers, and it is a great club. On narrow holes it is very helpful. I think I only lose 10 yards or so to my driver. I also put it in play as my play club with a 5-wood and a set of hickory shafted irons, niblick and putter.

>

> Me too, Greg. I found one with a Ping Tour 80 shaft in it and I just had to have it. Paid rather more for it than I'd have liked but that is the going rate. It was in really nice condition. I like having it in a backup bag of Ping clubs that I have for the fun of it. (I leave my "Ping bag" in Florida for the winter most years.) Makes me feel better about having a 45 3/4" driver in the bag.

 

Just curious ... have you hit the TaylorMade Original One? I owned the 2014 Ping Rapture (13 degree, titanium) and played with it for two years. I liked it a lot. The TaylorMade absolutely blows it away. Size, forgiveness, distance, feel. I don't know if I have ever hit a driver, of any size, that feels as good as this one. Obviously this club won't be everyone's cup of tea, but I just wanted to point out that this is far more impressive than the Rapture, IMO.

[uglande]

> @uglande said:

> > @Argonne69 said:

> > > @Gorham said:

> > > I played the Aeroburner Mini 16 degree for several years. Purchased the OO 13.5 (regular), cranked up all the way to 15.5. Lower ball flight than the Aeroburner, but very good. Very solid club.

> >

> > If I'm not mistaken, increasing the loft closes the face. It'd hate to have it turn into a hook machine. Do you find that your setup wants to go left?

>

> I did some extensive testing with the OO today (13.5 degree) and was surprised by how much adjusting the lofts changed the face angle. It's dramatic. Cranking the lofts down opened the face significantly, which I don't mind so much because I like to hit more of a power fade, but I could never use a setup that required me to crank the loft up because the face would be too hooky. Overall I was incredibly impressed with the OO and a looking to buy one in the 11.5 loft. It's so easy to hit, feels sensational, and gives you the confidence to either go all out or just swing smooth and take dead aim. I would not recommend this club to someone who plans to use it as a 3-wood replacement. Fairway woods are a strength of mine. I never have problems hitting clean shots off the deck (even with my low-lofted Titleist TS3), but it was a bit of a struggle with the OO, even at 13.5 loft. I would occasionally catch it fat, or clean but with no lift. Fortunately, I also carry a 4-wood and 7-wood so they cover me from the fairway from about 245 out, so I really wouldn't miss the 3 wood. Definitely looking into moving to a Driver/OO-Mini/4W/7W setup.

>

 

Just following up on my previous post. I bought a TaylorMade M5, which I max out at 300 but hit regularly 280-ish. I also bought an Original One 11.5 and it's amazing. Be warned, this is a very low spin head. With my M5 set at 7.5 degrees and the OO cranked down to 9.5, I was getting considerably LESS SPIN with the OO, and the distance differences were very small -- maybe 10 yards more with M5 on average, but less consistent. I'm going to play the OO back at the standard 11.5, which allows me to hit fair-finders off the tee (270 without even trying). Also, contrary to my earlier post, I was hitting the 11.5 off the deck (albeit, a driving range mat) with no trouble at all. Went lower and shorter but only 10-15 yards. I'm set now at the top of my bag with M5 driver, OO mini-driver, 4W, 7W.

[Swvehaun]

Love it off the tee as essentially a jumbo 3 wood but not as workable off the ground so can't say it's really practical to have

[Jwags]

I have been using a 13.5 OO for the past two months and its everything i wanted it to be. I have only used it off the tee not off the deck but every time i pull it on a par 4 i wonder why i am even carrying a driver. It is so easy to hit it strait off the tee for me. I have also had good success working it both directions. We are just coming into summer here in Australia and i am really looking forward to hitting this on some nice dry fast fairways. Its been a perfect 3 wood replacement for me.

[Hertsjoatmon]

My backup driver finally gave up the ghost this week. had a tiny crack in it before from letting a friend hit it at the range. that crack has slowly grown and now the club is unplayable.

 

In the market for a mini driver again. I use a bertha mini 1.5 in my main bag which I have 1" shorter, set to either 15* or 16* depending on conditions and find great when I need confidence and accuracy off the tee.

 

My back up / practice set is a minimalist set up so I'm looking for something around 13* and 43.5-44" that I can use off the tee and the deck.

 

Contemplating the O-O, a 14* SLDR (due to the low spin), as 12* Aeroburner, or a 12* Bertha Mini. As its only my practice set though I will find it hard to justify the cost of the OO. So most likely going to be what ever of the remaining 3 I can find at a great price over the next few week.

[ian-500]

This thing is really good. I bought this in the hope of close to driver distance but with better accuracy. And it's given me both. I play this at 43 1/2".

What tee height do you guys tee this up at? I have it tee'd at normal driver height (castle tee). Just goes high and straight. Loft is cranked down to 11.5. This set up allows me to step on it.

Love it.

[MBBG]

I tee mine like halfway between 3W and driver if I go any higher I hit a moonball and run the risk of a sky mark.

[Norboo]

I’ve owned and played: Callaway mini, SLDR, Aeroburner and Ping Rapture. They all had pros and cons but, all sold except Aeroburner. I play AB when my driver gives me trouble. I recently tested OO Mini for 2 range sessions and still on the fence. I love the looks and the muted feel, but the ball flight is low even on the highest loft setting. I will test few more times but, have a feeling it’s going to end up on eBay. I much prefer AB Mini ball flight and have no issues with flighting the ball. I just hate that white color head and shaft color.

[ian-500]

> @Norboo said:

> I’ve owned and played: Callaway mini, SLDR, Aeroburner and Ping Rapture. They all had pros and cons but, all sold except Aeroburner. I play AB when my driver gives me trouble. I recently tested OO Mini for 2 range sessions and still on the fence. I love the looks and the muted feel, but the ball flight is low even on the highest loft setting. I will test few more times but, have a feeling it’s going to end up on eBay. I much prefer AB Mini ball flight and have no issues with flighting the ball. I just hate that white color head and shaft color.

 

Do you have the 11.5 or 13.5?

[Norboo]

> @ian-500 said:

> > @Norboo said:

> > I’ve owned and played: Callaway mini, SLDR, Aeroburner and Ping Rapture. They all had pros and cons but, all sold except Aeroburner. I play AB when my driver gives me trouble. I recently tested OO Mini for 2 range sessions and still on the fence. I love the looks and the muted feel, but the ball flight is low even on the highest loft setting. I will test few more times but, have a feeling it’s going to end up on eBay. I much prefer AB Mini ball flight and have no issues with flighting the ball. I just hate that white color head and shaft color.

>

> Do you have the 11.5 or 13.5?

I have the 13.5

 

[ian-500]

> @Norboo said:

> > @ian-500 said:

> > > @Norboo said:

> > > I’ve owned and played: Callaway mini, SLDR, Aeroburner and Ping Rapture. They all had pros and cons but, all sold except Aeroburner. I play AB when my driver gives me trouble. I recently tested OO Mini for 2 range sessions and still on the fence. I love the looks and the muted feel, but the ball flight is low even on the highest loft setting. I will test few more times but, have a feeling it’s going to end up on eBay. I much prefer AB Mini ball flight and have no issues with flighting the ball. I just hate that white color head and shaft color.

> >

> > Do you have the 11.5 or 13.5?

> I have the 13.5

>

 

You may want to tee the ball higher. I found tee'ing the ball how MBBG describes I hit it thin or too low. Tee'ing it like a driver and then wow, centre strikes and glorious ball flight.

[MaineMariner]

I ended up letting mine go on the BST and am currently alternating between a regular driver and the Callaway Bertha Mini 1.5. I don't think I ever got a hang of the setup with the Original One, and as a result I was pretty hit or miss with it. The Bertha Mini, to me, is played basically exactly like my 3 wood off the tee, except teed just a hair higher. The results are pretty solid played that way. I think the Original One functions a bit more like a driver, which wasn't really what I wanted with the club. Just like my regular driver, I could go a couple rounds just totally losing the feel for it and hitting a bunch of toe-y shots high off the face. I might have had better success with the 13.5 degree head, but I didn't feel like experimenting any longer. Maybe in the off-season!

[ws6]

I order a 13.5 degree yesterday (for the kids to give me for Christmas). I'm going to put a my all time favorite fairway shaft in it, 95 gram Grafalloy Axis.

[Millhill88]

Love the idea of the OO. I hit 3 wood off the tee 90% of the time, since my TS2 is only 15 yards shorter than my driver, and I hit the fairway most every time. If the OO gave me back the 15 I loose when I hit the 3W, but kept me fairway bound like the 3W, I'd bag it for sure. I do have an original Ping Rapture 3 fairway head in the basement that I was thinking of reshafting to see if there were any distance gains from my TS2. I've read several comments that the OO is far superior to the Rapture. Please keep these comparisons coming. Real life feedback could help my decision.

[ian-500]

> @Millhill88 said:

> Love the idea of the OO. I hit 3 wood off the tee 90% of the time, since my TS2 is only 15 yards shorter than my driver, and I hit the fairway most every time. If the OO gave me back the 15 I loose when I hit the 3W, but kept me fairway bound like the 3W, I'd bag it for sure. I do have an original Ping Rapture 3 fairway head in the basement that I was thinking of reshafting to see if there were any distance gains from my TS2. I've read several comments that the OO is far superior to the Rapture. Please keep these comparisons coming. Real life feedback could help my decision.

 

Sold my Rapture in favour of the OO. I've recently tested my 13.5 head set at 15.5* and hit it just as straight. Now contemplating what 2 OO's in the bag would be like. An 11.5 head set to 10.5 at 44" could be interesting.......

[uglande]

> @ian-500 said:

> > @Millhill88 said:

> > Love the idea of the OO. I hit 3 wood off the tee 90% of the time, since my TS2 is only 15 yards shorter than my driver, and I hit the fairway most every time. If the OO gave me back the 15 I loose when I hit the 3W, but kept me fairway bound like the 3W, I'd bag it for sure. I do have an original Ping Rapture 3 fairway head in the basement that I was thinking of reshafting to see if there were any distance gains from my TS2. I've read several comments that the OO is far superior to the Rapture. Please keep these comparisons coming. Real life feedback could help my decision.

>

> Sold my Rapture in favour of the OO. I've recently tested my 13.5 head set at 15.5* and hit it just as straight. Now contemplating what 2 OO's in the bag would be like. An 11.5 head set to 10.5 at 44" could be interesting.......

 

Two OOs in the bag ... YES! I am contemplating this very thing -- in fact, I already have both the 11.5 and the 13.5. I just haven't been able to test both of them together. But my thought was to do a lower-lofted version with a slightly open face for a fade bias and/or a slightly stiffer/heavier shaft, which I would use solely off the tee, and a higher-lofted version with a slightly closed face for a draw bias and/or a slightly softer/lighter shaft, which I would use both off the tee and the fairway. (So maybe one is set at about 10.75 degrees and the other at 14.25).

 

In my initial testing with the 11.5 and my M5 driver, I was getting higher ball speeds with the M5 but lower spin with the 11.5, so the end results were not far off. I will do more testing to see if the 11.5 can indeed keep up with my M5. If so, I will likely try the two OO bag setup. (BTW, I was able to hit the 11.5 off the deck pretty well, so I know I can do that with the 13.5, which ensures that I am not stuck with two clubs that are only good for tee shots).

[ian-500]

> @uglande said:

> > @ian-500 said:

> > > @Millhill88 said:

> > > Love the idea of the OO. I hit 3 wood off the tee 90% of the time, since my TS2 is only 15 yards shorter than my driver, and I hit the fairway most every time. If the OO gave me back the 15 I loose when I hit the 3W, but kept me fairway bound like the 3W, I'd bag it for sure. I do have an original Ping Rapture 3 fairway head in the basement that I was thinking of reshafting to see if there were any distance gains from my TS2. I've read several comments that the OO is far superior to the Rapture. Please keep these comparisons coming. Real life feedback could help my decision.

> >

> > Sold my Rapture in favour of the OO. I've recently tested my 13.5 head set at 15.5* and hit it just as straight. Now contemplating what 2 OO's in the bag would be like. An 11.5 head set to 10.5 at 44" could be interesting.......

>

> Two OOs in the bag ... YES! I am contemplating this very thing -- in fact, I already have both the 11.5 and the 13.5. I just haven't been able to test both of them together. But my thought was to do a lower-lofted version with a slightly open face for a fade bias and/or a slightly stiffer/heavier shaft, which I would use solely off the tee, and a higher-lofted version with a slightly closed face for a draw bias and/or a slightly softer/lighter shaft, which I would use both off the tee and the fairway. (So maybe one is set at about 10.75 degrees and the other at 14.25).

>

> In my initial testing with the 11.5 and my M5 driver, I was getting higher ball speeds with the M5 but lower spin with the 11.5, so the end results were not far off. I will do more testing to see if the 11.5 can indeed keep up with my M5. If so, I will likely try the two OO bag setup. (BTW, I was able to hit the 11.5 off the deck pretty well, so I know I can do that with the 13.5, which ensures that I am not stuck with two clubs that are only good for tee shots).

 

Wow you have both heads. Please keep us updated with how it goes. Me personally I would use both OO's off the tee, and possibly a 19* 5 wood for long shots off the fairway.

[MBBG]

I kinda was thinking along the same lines but went with the S-Yard t.388 10.5 at 45” then the 13.5 OO.

[bkirkley09]

Put the OO 13.5 in the bag today and scored my first eagle ever! 290 yd par 4 drove the green pin high and sank the putt! So excited but gonna have to figure out the right shaft as I struggled with timing.

[ian-500]

So that's a Ping G410 LST 9* and a TM M1 2016 430 9.5* that couldn't knock the OO from the bag. This thing is sooooo consistent. Love it.

[jblough99]

Just picked up an 11.5 OO with a Fujikura Pro 2.0 Tour Spec 8X, gonna turn it down to 9.5 and see how far she goes. Love the look at setup, makes most “normal” sized drivers look silly.