Taylormade Mini?

[Klay23]

Any one playing it, have a fair review?

[golfwb]

It is being sold the next couple days. I know a few have it here from special connections and winning contests but I'm sure we will get a full review in the next couple of weeks. I too am curious.

[Rebel420]

I briefly tried one. 14* loft. Off the deck, is not nearly as easy to hit as my Stage 2, or the JetSpeed FW, BUT no harder than the R11 FW were. Off the tee, it went high, and landed soft. I didn't get the distance I was expecting, I think my 17* HL 3w went a but further, but to be fair, I had to rebuild my swing, nod may have been hitting down on the ball a bit, adding spin ( and may have had better luck teeing a bit higher...the normal tee I use for driver was too high, but the lowest tees may have been a bit too low). Felt good, sounded good, and I had no problem hitting the ball straight (or working left or right if I wanted).

I plan on giving a good try of the 12* as well some time! and seeing.

I know some are going to use it as a 3w replacement. Me, on the other hand, if I can find it to get me closer to my driver (my drives at peak are in the 260yd range), and more than my 3hl (240yd), I could conceivably replace my driver with it, and possibly drop to a 5w as my second club

[518TitleistX]

had a chance to hit a SLDR Mini tonight for maybe 5 minutes. It was the 14* version with stock stiff shaft. (No idea what that was but I wasn't buying it)... Just got told to hit it by my local pro shop and teed it up.

First impression:
It sits nicely behind the ball. Slightly larger than your typical 3wood head and a bit deeper. A bit lighter in color than the normal SLDR. a good length... Maybe 43.5" or so.

Swing thoughts:
Not too heavy or light. A very good weight and feel to it. Have to tee this much lower than a normal driver, maybe 3/4- 1". Now mind you all that I am not a TM fan but when this thing is pured it feels amazing. A nice mid flight bomb. Not the typical feel or sound that I've associated with TM equipment. I would have liked a bit more time with the club to see the workability but the store was closing for the day.

Further testing needed indeed.

[Rebel420]

[quote name='518TitleistX' timestamp='1398999920' post='9215803']
had a chance to hit a SLDR Mini tonight for maybe 5 minutes. It was the 14* version with stock stiff shaft. (No idea what that was but I wasn't buying it)... Just got told to hit it by my local pro shop and teed it up.

First impression:
It sits nicely behind the ball. Slightly larger than your typical 3wood head and a bit deeper. A bit lighter in color than the normal SLDR. a good length... Maybe 43.5" or so.

Swing thoughts:
Not too heavy or light. A very good weight and feel to it. Have to tee this much lower than a normal driver, maybe 3/4- 1". Now mind you all that I am not a TM fan but when this thing is pured it feels amazing. A nice mid flight bomb. Not the typical feel or sound that I've associated with TM equipment. I would have liked a bit more time with the club to see the workability but the store was closing for the day.

Further testing needed indeed.
[/quote]
Pretty similar to my observations. Again not enough time to say I love it, hate it, or meh yet. Again it was going very high for me, but not ballooning, and landing soft, but not sure if it was as much me hitting down on it, or just how the club launches. It's one of those clubs, that the concept sounds great for me, and I want to like it, so I do plan on giving it another go down the road.

Funny thing, what is called a mini driver is still larger than metal wood drivers were not that many years ago...could we be seeing the beginning of the end of the 400+cc drivers?

[518TitleistX]

I grew up playing drivers with heads under 250cc so in comparison this is still big. I did not notice the high launch that you're mentioning. I have had to play my covert 2.0 tour at 12.5* to get a desirable ball flight of recent and this 14* SLDR mini provided me with a beautiful flight in the minimal time I had with it... Figuring maybe 7-10 shots. I do plan on hitting this some more when given more time.

[518TitleistX]

Double post

[scottleo]

I was able to hit the mini SLDR 14* at a TMPL on the range. Great from the tee, felt good off the face, I liked the lighter color, the ball flight was mid. I found it very difficult to hit from the turf, so can't justify the versatility. I just don't know if this club has a place in my bag right now. I like the driver, 3hl combo. I don't feel a need for another driver off the tee right now......

[dbleag]

I am hoping the Mini could be a driver replacement for me. Better length at 43.5" and I've already been using a 12* SLDR.

[Rebel420]

Other than forgiveness of a 460cc driver, is there really any advantage?

And if they could get same forgiveness at max COR in a smaller size club, would there really be any advantage to the 400cc+ club? (You could argue the extra forgiveness/size allows longer shaft)

And as another question, how much club head speed increase does the extra 1.5" shaft length really give (and yds?)

[TMBob]

I will be trying this out on the course this weekend.....mainly off the tee first.[attachment=2205023:image.jpg]

[SoCalTitleist]

[quote name='Rebel420' timestamp='1399041059' post='9217799']
Other than forgiveness of a 460cc driver, is there really any advantage?

And if they could get same forgiveness at max COR in a smaller size club, would there really be any advantage to the 400cc+ club? (You could argue the extra forgiveness/size allows longer shaft)

And as another question, how much club head speed increase does the extra 1.5" shaft length really give (and yds?)
[/quote]

I dont see much advantage if its only used as a driver.

Why not just cut down a driver to 3 wood length.

[Rebel420]

[quote name='SoCalTitleist' timestamp='1399042504' post='9217947']
[quote name='Rebel420' timestamp='1399041059' post='9217799']
Other than forgiveness of a 460cc driver, is there really any advantage?

And if they could get same forgiveness at max COR in a smaller size club, would there really be any advantage to the 400cc+ club? (You could argue the extra forgiveness/size allows longer shaft)

And as another question, how much club head speed increase does the extra 1.5" shaft length really give (and yds?)
[/quote]

I dont see much advantage if its only used as a driver.

Why not just cut down a driver to 3 wood length.
[/quote]
Sorry, that came across wrong. Not questioning the usefulness of the club, but asking what advantages, other than forgiveness does the large headed driver give over the smaller ones?

And how much club head speed/distance loss one would see moving from the new standard 35" driver to a 33.5" driver?

[golfwb]

That looks like an awesome setup TMBob, is it the 12 degree or 14?

[hayzooos]

[quote name='Rebel420' timestamp='1399046721' post='9218379']
[quote name='SoCalTitleist' timestamp='1399042504' post='9217947']
[quote name='Rebel420' timestamp='1399041059' post='9217799']
Other than forgiveness of a 460cc driver, is there really any advantage?

And if they could get same forgiveness at max COR in a smaller size club, would there really be any advantage to the 400cc+ club? (You could argue the extra forgiveness/size allows longer shaft)

And as another question, how much club head speed increase does the extra 1.5" shaft length really give (and yds?)
[/quote]

I dont see much advantage if its only used as a driver.

Why not just cut down a driver to 3 wood length.
[/quote]
Sorry, that came across wrong. Not questioning the usefulness of the club, but asking what advantages, other than forgiveness does the large headed driver give over the smaller ones?

And how much club head speed/distance loss one would see moving from the new standard 35" driver to a 33.5" driver?
[/quote]

A lot of people find they will lose a bit of club head speed, only to see an increase in ballspeed due to better contact. Remember, ball speed gives distance, not club head speed. Sure, they're related, but unless you're making perfect contact, they're not always going to go hand-in-hand.

Since these mini-drivers are all max-COR/CT/whatever you want to call it, ball speed is going to be maxed out on the center strikes just like a driver. Same thing comes into play when taking a driver from 45" to 43.5", you're probably going to find better contact and more consistent ball speeds. The problem a lot of people run into with that is simply the weight of the club. Driver heads are built to be played, usually, AT LEAST 45", so lopping 1.5-2.5" off really starts to mess with it.

These smaller heads on the other hand, are built to be played at 43.5" so taking 1/2" off or whatever wouldn't be a big deal.

[gopherguts]

Damn, a SMALL headed driver.

 

What WILL they think of next ?!?!?! :rolleyes: :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[ElJefe26]

[quote name='TMBob' timestamp='1399041328' post='9217823']
I will be trying this out on the course this weekend.....mainly off the tee first.[attachment=2205023:image.jpg]
[/quote]

So you had this on the course where you took the picture, and didn't try it then? We're desperate for information here! (Just busting your chops.)

Is that the Kiyoshi Purple in there? If so, curious to know what weight and flex, and how you like it.

[gmangolf]

Fixed it for you.

 

GREAT SCOTT! a SMALL headed driver.

 

What WILL they think of next ?!?!?! :rolleyes: :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[gmangolf]

I particularly want to know if people can hit this thing off the fairway. If it plays reasonably enough to replace my fairway wood, it has a definite place in my bag.

I play an R11S 3 wood and while its great from the fairway, I hate hitting it on the tee. Would love the Mini off the tee on some holes, but won't give-up the functionality from the fairway to get it.

[SoCalTitleist]

[quote name='gmangolf' timestamp='1399051856' post='9218923']
I particularly want to know if people can hit this thing off the fairway. If it plays reasonably enough to replace my fairway wood, it has a definite place in my bag.

I play an R11S 3 wood and while its great from the fairway, I hate hitting it on the tee. Would love the Mini off the tee on some holes, but won't give-up the functionality from the fairway to get it.
[/quote]

I think thats trade off you get one or the other.

[scottleo]

[quote name='gmangolf' timestamp='1399051856' post='9218923']
I particularly want to know if people can hit this thing off the fairway. If it plays reasonably enough to replace my fairway wood, it has a definite place in my bag.

I play an R11S 3 wood and while its great from the fairway, I hate hitting it on the tee. Would love the Mini off the tee on some holes, but won't give-up the functionality from the fairway to get it.
[/quote]
I couldn't hit it from the range/turf, haven't tried it on the course, but the larger CC head makes it more difficult IMO.....

[TMBob]

[quote name='ElJefe26' timestamp='1399051311' post='9218855']
[quote name='TMBob' timestamp='1399041328' post='9217823']
I will be trying this out on the course this weekend.....mainly off the tee first.[attachment=2205023:image.jpg]
[/quote]

So you had this on the course where you took the picture, and didn't try it then? We're desperate for information here! (Just busting your chops.)

Is that the Kiyoshi Purple in there? If so, curious to know what weight and flex, and how you like it.
[/quote]

One swing....range balls were a bit dirty...65 stiff

[gmangolf]

[quote name='scottleo' timestamp='1399052429' post='9219009']
[quote name='gmangolf' timestamp='1399051856' post='9218923']
I particularly want to know if people can hit this thing off the fairway. If it plays reasonably enough to replace my fairway wood, it has a definite place in my bag.

I play an R11S 3 wood and while its great from the fairway, I hate hitting it on the tee. Would love the Mini off the tee on some holes, but won't give-up the functionality from the fairway to get it.
[/quote]
I couldn't hit it from the range/turf, haven't tried it on the course, but the larger CC head makes it more difficult IMO.....
[/quote]

Kind of what I suspected, even though I hoped people would find out otherwise. Bummer.

[Altiman94]

I cut down my R1 to play 44.5". I then picked up a 975J and play that at 44.5" as well. TM's marketing machine is hard at work here.

You're basically paying $280 for a driver circa 2001.

[Argonne69]

I'm currently using a Callaway XHot 3Deep 14.5. I'm very happy with the club, but it would be nice to have a slightly larger head. 'Definitely want to check out the mini SLDR, probably in a 14 degree model. With the lower spin, I'm curious how the flight will compare to the 14.5 3Deep.

[Scratchtastic]

I hit a set of shots on Trackman this morning with one, 12 deg.

Was able to put it out consistently 275+ off the deck with pretty low launch/spin (around 9 deg launch/high 2000s spin) but had a pretty marked increase in spin/launch when I got it on a tee without any distance gains vs off the deck.

Liked the look/concept but will wait to get my hands on a 10 deg.

[Millhill88]

Would Love to see a SLDR Mini - Ping Rapture comparison!!!

[Rebel420]

[quote name='Scratchtastic' timestamp='1399059021' post='9219693']
I hit a set of shots on Trackman this morning with one, 12 deg.

Was able to put it out consistently 275+ off the deck with pretty low launch/spin (around 9 deg launch/high 2000s spin) but had a pretty marked increase in spin/launch when I got it on a tee without any distance gains vs off the deck.

Liked the look/concept but will wait to get my hands on a 10 deg.
[/quote]
For comparison, how far do you hit your driver?

[RobotDoctor]

I got a 12* mini as a driver replacement. Large headed drivers (over 400cc) tend t hit the ball too straight and I find controlling ball flight a little harder than smaller headed drivers. When playing well I like to control draws/fades/flight trajectory. I find this harder with today's large drivers. Well, my mini has arrived at my home course. I'll pick it up tomorrow so we'll see how my "experiment" goes.

[hdgolf44]

[quote name='RobotDoctor' timestamp='1399062481' post='9220027']
I got a 12* mini as a driver replacement. [b] Large headed drivers (over 400cc) tend t hit the ball too straight [/b]and I find controlling ball flight a little harder than smaller headed drivers. When playing well I like to control draws/fades/flight trajectory. I find this harder with today's large drivers. Well, my mini has arrived at my home course. I'll pick it up tomorrow so we'll see how my "experiment" goes.
[/quote]

Boy I wish I had that problem! lol

In all seriousness, I understand and like the concept of the Mini, but it would force me to do a whole lot of experimenting with lofts, bag setup, etc. Now, if the ROG allowed 15 clubs, then a 12* or 14* "mini-drive" or similar deep faced 3 woods would slide into that hole nicely........