New TM Mini coming?

[RobotDoctor]

6 minutes ago, Fairway14 said:

 

Titleist-Graphite Design have a program going right now where some of the GD shafts are available at no upcharge. If TM could offer some high end shafts at no upcharge that would be great for consumers.

 

TM has other shafts they offer.  I ordered mine with a Fujikura Ventus Blue 5S (non-Velocore).  This is a shaft made and provided to Taylormade.  It seems to perform better than the MiDr stock shaft but it is not a Ventus Velocore shaft either.  I saw several other shafts at no upcharge other than the MiDr stock.

[RobotDoctor]

5 minutes ago, ckay said:

Not expecting anything, just commenting that it get expensive.  With that said I have one with a Velocore coming Friday.  

 

I am not sure when my 11.5 degree 300 Mini with Ventus Blue 5S is coming.  Possibly on Friday as well.  When did you order it?

[Fairway14]

5 minutes ago, RobotDoctor said:

 

TM has other shafts they offer.  I ordered mine with a Fujikura Ventus Blue 5S (non-Velocore).  This is a shaft made and provided to Taylormade.  It seems to perform better than the MiDr stock shaft but it is not a Ventus Velocore shaft either.  I saw several other shafts at no upcharge other than the MiDr stock.

 

I know TM does offer a few no upcharge shafts . I like Made in Japan shafts which is a primary reason I have in the bag a Cleveland driver and 3-wood, those clubs came stock with Made in Japan Miyazaki brand shafts. In other drivers I've had good performance results from Graphite Design shafts, also Made in Japan.

[jacobEDGE]

3 hours ago, Fairway14 said:

For the TM 300 I am hoping to read lots of comments about the various shafts TM offers. At the TM web site it seems most custom  shafts are $250 upcharge, which brings the price of the club to around $700 including tax. 

Here are all the custom shaft upgrades that are no extra cost via TaylorMade:

Aldila Rogue Silver 110
Aldila NV 45
Fujikura Ventus Blue 5
Fujikura Ventus Blue 6 FW
Fujikura Air Speeder 45
MCA Tensei AV RAW Blue 60
MCA Tensei AV RAW Blue 65 FW
MCA Tensei CK White 6
MCA Kuro Kage 5th Gen Silver 60
MCA Diamana S Limited 60
MCA Bassara E42
Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black RDX
Project X HZRDUS Smoke Green
Project X HZRDUS Smoke Blue RDX
Project X Evenflow Riptide
Project X Evenflow Riptide CB
UST Proforce V2

Plenty of options to chose from that will likely be much better than the MiDr Proto shaft that comes stock, at no extra charge.
 

[Fairway14]

8 minutes ago, jacobEDGE said:

Here are all the custom shaft upgrades that are no extra cost via TaylorMade:

Aldila Rogue Silver 110
Aldila NV 45
Fujikura Ventus Blue 5
Fujikura Ventus Blue 6 FW
Fujikura Air Speeder 45
MCA Tensei AV RAW Blue 60
MCA Tensei AV RAW Blue 65 FW
MCA Tensei CK White 6
MCA Kuro Kage 5th Gen Silver 60
MCA Diamana S Limited 60
MCA Bassara E42
Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black RDX
Project X HZRDUS Smoke Green
Project X HZRDUS Smoke Blue RDX
Project X Evenflow Riptide
Project X Evenflow Riptide CB
UST Proforce V2

Plenty of options to chose from that will likely be much better than the MiDr Proto shaft that comes stock, at no extra charge.
 

Thank you for taking the time to compose and post that list of shaft options.

[Tupperwolf]

Took a look at these at the store today... They didn't have any to demo but they sure look nice, great setup and quite confidence inspiring at address, I feel like the size of the head is how I imagine a driver to look, when in reality modern heads are so much bigger.

[ian-500]

This 300 or a TM M5 12* playing at 43 3/4" with an extra 10g head weight??

[ckay]

4 hours ago, RobotDoctor said:

 

I am not sure when my 11.5 degree 300 Mini with Ventus Blue 5S is coming.  Possibly on Friday as well.  When did you order it?

On Friday 👍 

[RobotDoctor]

5 minutes ago, ckay said:

On Friday 👍 

I ordered mine last Thursday afternoon. 

[craz-e]

Ordered a TM 300 mini driver earlier in the week so only have a couple of range sessions and two trips to the course in the evenings after work so far to go by.

so far so good!

the driver is the club that makes or breaks a good round for me and I will happily take a little shorter if I’m in the fairway.

I am glad I had a couple of range sessions before taking it to the course, I needed to find a tee height and swing thought that worked. 
For me a punchy swing gave me the best results and teed up a lot lower than what I’m used to with a traditional driver (I hit up on the ball a lot) 

once I had this sorted ball flight was great, distance not far behind my usual driver but just straight, I’d take straight any day!

I have no intention of using off the deck for me it’s about avoiding a big miss off the tee, early days but early findings look good!

[winegr]

12 hours ago, craz-e said:

Ordered a TM 300 mini driver earlier in the week so only have a couple of range sessions and two trips to the course in the evenings after work so far to go by.

so far so good!

the driver is the club that makes or breaks a good round for me and I will happily take a little shorter if I’m in the fairway.

I am glad I had a couple of range sessions before taking it to the course, I needed to find a tee height and swing thought that worked. 
For me a punchy swing gave me the best results and teed up a lot lower than what I’m used to with a traditional driver (I hit up on the ball a lot) 

once I had this sorted ball flight was great, distance not far behind my usual driver but just straight, I’d take straight any day!

I have no intention of using off the deck for me it’s about avoiding a big miss off the tee, early days but early findings look good!

I agree. I wanted to hit up on this but my best results were teed medium and flatter swing with no upward angle of attack. 

[NWGolfer14]

I ordered a 300 mini driver and I have now played two rounds with it.  It's early and that's not a lot of time with the club, but hopefully this review helps some others.

 

I'm a 14 handicap.  I swing my driver in the 98-100mph range.  It carries about 240-250 and rolls to about 260-270 depending on conditions.  I enjoy hitting driver, at least on the good days.  The problem is that I don't know whether a given day is going to be a good or bad driver day until it has cost me a couple of strokes.  If I keep my drives in the fairway, I shoot a decent score.  If not, I don't.  It's that simple.  I play the majority of my golf on narrow courses lined with trees and tall grass.  If you miss the fairway, you are either losing your ball or chipping back into the fairway, and it's costing you strokes.

 

I enjoy hitting 3 wood all the time.  Off the tee or off the deck, doesn't matter.  It is one of the most consistent clubs in my bag.  I usually play a higher lofted 3W (16.5*).  

 

I am not a player who hits my 3W as far as my driver.  My gaps are typical (I think).  My 3W carries about 220 and rolls out to about 235-240.  It's a consistent, predictable draw, and it's in the fairway 70-80% of the time.  The 3W swing feels normal to me.  The club head size makes sense to me.  In contrast, the driver head seems too big.  The ball seems to need to be teed up too high.  Hitting up (that much) doesn't feel as natural to me.  The ball flight is less consistent and, while it mostly draws, the fade/slice creeps in more frequently than it does with the 3W.  I hit the fairway maybe 40-50% of the time.  And, as one would expect, the misses tend to be more extreme than the misses with the 3W.

 

The mini driver has intrigued me for a couple of years.  I bought an Original One on ebay, but couldn't make it work.  I re-sold it pretty quickly.  I have learned more about equipment and my game since then, so maybe my experience now would be different.

 

I bought the 300 mini with the stock shaft because I have liked Taylormade's stock shafts in the past and I have several other shafts from TM clubs that I could try in it.  I bought the 11.5 degree because I wanted to use it off the tee.  I had (and still have) no plans to replace my 3W.  I figured I could adjust this down to 10.5 (to match my current SIM driver) or up if necessary.  

 

I didn't have time to warm up at the range, so I went straight to the first tee.  Not a good result.  It clearly needed adjusting.  Over the course of a quick 9-hole round after work, I tried the stock shaft and my trusted 3W shaft at various loft settings.  Some worked okay, but nothing felt great.  On the last hole I swapped in my normal driver shaft.  Dead straight.  I hit 3 or 4 tee shots and they were all long and straight.  Fairly low trajectory.  Great feel.  I went home happy, hoping I had found a good combo.

 

After the work the following day, I went back for another 9.  Played the same combo for the entire round.  Normal driver shaft, but teed lower and using my 3W swing.  I hit the driver 9 times (playing multiple balls on driver holes).  I hit 7 out of 9 fairways.  The other two were within a couple yards of the edge of the fairway.  

 

The distances were great.  It launches low and runs out, with a total distance in line with my better Driver drives.  If I had to guess, I would put the average at about 250 total, although on some holes I was past where I normally hit my driver (while my driver can get to 270, it is inconsistent).  On 2 of the holes I was closer to the green than I have ever been. 

 

In sum, this club is often suggested for players who hit their 3W as far as their driver.  Or somebody who needs/prefers a shorter shaft.  And it may be great for those players.  But I think it is also for anyone who is more comfortable and confident with a slightly smaller head, teeing the ball lower, and using a normal 3W swing off the tee.  If that is you, and you want some more distance (than your 3W) and more consistency (than your driver) off the tee, I can't recommend this club highly enough.  Don't limit yourself to fairway shafts -- consider trying it with your favorite driver shaft at full length.  

 

[Note: This is early and I only hit it a few times with the stock shaft, but if I were to buy it again, I would choose a different shaft from Taylormade's options.]  

 

 

 

 

 

 

[dcmidnight]

Took the GDDI 6s off and went back to the Diamana 75 from my old 3W. MUCH better. Choked up a couple inches, think this will work fine.

 

Will be a couple weeks until I get onto a TM but will have it out for the first round tomorrow.

Edited July 23, 2021 by dcmidnight

[Mookie91]

Will TM let you custom order the 1.5 degree tour adapter?

[RobotDoctor]

1 hour ago, dcmidnight said:

Took the GDDI 6s off and went back to the Diamana 75 from my old 3W. MUCH better. Choked up a couple inches, think this will work fine.

 

Will be a couple weeks until I get onto a TM but will have it out for the first round tomorrow.

I tried my Tour AD DI 6S driver shaft on the 300 Mini I demo'd and the combination wasn't good.  The Ventus Blue 5S was infinitely better.  The Tour AD DI 6S is outstanding on my M3.  Go figure.  

[SMUGamer]

Sorry to burst everyones bubble (🤫😉), but the authority has spoken, and determined the new TM Mini is "pointless"

 

 

[RobotDoctor]

27 minutes ago, SMUGamer said:

Sorry to burst everyones bubble (🤫😉), but the authority has spoken, and determined the new TM Mini is "pointless"

 

 

Authority 😂🤣😂

 

Just another YouTube blogger stating his opinion.   It's nice to get an idea but if I am interested in something I will try it for myself.  With respects to all the YouTube bloggers and on line club fitting experts, I know my game, I know what I want regarding ball flight/forgiveness/feel.  Yes, I do look at the videos but I will determine if I'm interested in a product and if it's a good fit for me.  
 

What gets me is when people base their opinions on a review of some YouTube blogger or fitter.  I value someone's opinion who has actually tried something and explained the shots and how it performed for them.  I definitely don't value someone's opinion who hasn't tried a product.  But then again this is GolfWRX, where many a Carnac the Magnificent of the golf equipment world resides.  😉 

[bladehunter]

12 hours ago, SMUGamer said:

Sorry to burst everyones bubble (🤫😉), but the authority has spoken, and determined the new TM Mini is "pointless"

 

 

Lol Rick is pointless.  If he’s professional golfer I’m a duck with a long tail. 😂and I say that as a guy who doesn’t hate ricks reviews.  
 

 

probably tired of me heaping  praise on this club. But.  I’m well past any honeymoon period could last. 6th round in , and who knows how many practice balls and I just love it.  So far it’s really been 100 % for me off the deck whne needed.  Yesterday’s round saw me with a thin lie and 256 in on a par 5 uphill. I carved a nice little fade to a right back pin and had 20 feet or so for the big bird.   The fact that this club allowed me to feather one in like that vs having to go hard and hit a bulllet to reach made a huge difference.  There maybe a 13 degree 3 wood that would do the same. But I never found it. They all seem to come out lower than this , and thus require playing a different shot.  

Edited July 25, 2021 by bladehunter

[RobotDoctor]

47 minutes ago, bladehunter said:

Lol Rick is pointless.  If he’s professional golfer I’m a duck with a long tail. 😂and I say that as a guy who doesn’t hate ricks reviews.  
 

 

probably tired of me heaping  praise on this club. But.  I’m well past any honeymoon period could last. 6th round in , and who knows how many practice balls and I just love it.  So far it’s really been 100 % for me off the deck whne needed.  Yesterday’s round saw me with a thin lie and 256 in on a par 5 uphill. I carved a nice little fade to a right back pin and had 20 feet or so for the big bird.   The fact that this club allowed me to feather one in like that vs having to go hard and hit a bulllet to reach made a huge difference.  There maybe a 13 degree 3 wood that would do the same. But I never found it. They all seem to come out lower than this , and thus require playing a different shot.  

 I love reviews from people who actually have put time in this driver and who aren't biased.  Never tired of reading authentic reviews and those not based solely on trackman numbers.  Golf isn't played on the range with trackman.  Golf is played on a real course and results matter.  Thanks for the update!!!

[HoganHO]

So, had a full weekend of golf (my clubs member-guest) and had both of my Mini 300s in the bag. I also switched the shafts out for Ventus Black 7s. I will say that the Ventus Black turns both clubs into VERY ANTI-LEFT beasts. 

 

I made it in to our derby and teed off with some big hitters. I was past all but the couple biggest of drives and even then I was about 10-15 yards behind some dudes that really pounded their drivers—and I caught some thick rough….

 

Bottom line is that they are really great clubs. I am not sure I will keep 2 in the bag, but I will absolutely have 1 in there. I just feel like knowing myself I’ll want to throw my driver in every once in a while and play the 13.5 as a secondary tee club and some off the deck.

 

One thing is for sure—I love looking down at this thing. The size, shape and finish is super confidence inspiring for me.

 

Stay tuned for more

[UKGolfer79]

On 7/21/2021 at 9:17 PM, UKGolfer79 said:

First hit tonight, and compared directly to my gamer for the past 6 years, the Cally Mini 1.5. TM is 11.5 degree, 1.5 is 12 degree. Standard stiff MiDr in the TM, Speeder 665 Stiff in the 1.5. The verdit: Very very close. Distance there is nothing in it. Flight the same piercing flight. Dispertion seemed slightly tighter on TM. Tried 3 shots off the deck, its as good as others report. I do not own a fairway wood, I have used the 1.5 off the deck for 6 years where the shot allowed for it. This TM feels it will be the same. I owned the TM Original One and played it for one summer season. I found that to be a longer hit than both of these, but less forgiving than them both. That's why I sold it, I had to put my best swing on the OO whereas this feels it'll be better on an off day. I found the OO too head heavy and difficult to launch, the 300 feels right, more like the Mini 1.5. So far so good. I feel I could get more out of it with a better shaft, but what shaft to try I am not sure. I wish the TM and Cally adapters were the same so I could try the 665 in it. Interestingly, the Cally as standard is 3/4 inch longer. The TM could definitely handle a slightly longer shaft, probably an extra 1/2 inch.

 

An update following the weekend, with two rounds under the belt for the 300. I realise now I was wrong on one part of my initial assessment, where I said "I owned the TM Original One and played it for one summer season. I found that to be a longer hit than both of these". I take that back. The 300 is longer. With the OO and 1.5 mini, I found I was just behind most peoples drivers. Not so now, this 300 is level if not longer. The standard shaft is certainly not the best. On a good swing, it produces a great shot. A bad swing it gets very loose. I have a Tour AD IZ 6S coming that I hope will improve dispersion whilst maintaining the launch, spin and distance, time will tell on the shaft lottery. No real options to try premium shafts where I live.

[UKGolfer79]

On 7/24/2021 at 12:09 AM, RobotDoctor said:

I tried my Tour AD DI 6S driver shaft on the 300 Mini I demo'd and the combination wasn't good.  The Ventus Blue 5S was infinitely better.  The Tour AD DI 6S is outstanding on my M3.  Go figure.  

Looking at your signature, did you try the AD DI 7S from your 3 wood? Might be a good match also. If the AD IZ I've bought doesn't work out, I will try the Ventus blue next. I was unsure if the 5S or 6S would suit me there.

[RobotDoctor]

2 minutes ago, UKGolfer79 said:

Looking at your signature, did you try the AD DI 7S from your 3 wood? Might be a good match also. If the AD IZ I've bought doesn't work out, I will try the Ventus blue next. I was unsure if the 5S or 6S would suit me there.

The AF DI 7S in my 3 wood is inserted direct.  The M4 is not an adjustable fit.  I definitely like the feel of the Ventus Blue better.  I have a Ventus Blue Velocore 6S driver shaft waiting for an adapter to arrive.  When I get my 300 Mini in I will try the stock Ventus Blue 5S (non-Velocore) and see how it does. 

[HoganHO]

Range session yesterday and I really got to play around with both the 11.5 and 13.5 heads with the Ventus Black 7s shaft in there. Played both heads in all different settings.

 

I think the sweet spot for me is going to be the 11.5, dialed up to 13 degrees. Love the ball flight and it will be an ideal "second driver" in the bag.

 

Hope to play this week and will make a final decision.

[markheardjr]

On 7/24/2021 at 10:21 PM, SMUGamer said:

Sorry to burst everyones bubble (🤫😉), but the authority has spoken, and determined the new TM Mini is "pointless"

 

 

The stock shaft is maybe not the best for him. He should have put in a Ventus or whatever he uses in his 3wood/driver currently.  He also does not have the swing for hitting driver/mini-driver off the deck. You need a sweeper/cut swing to pick it clean while still elevating. If he wants to hit that hard draw off the deck he'd have to take a divot...which is why the TM300 is silver faced, not black, like the OO. They mean for you to hit turf/dirt.

 

I took the TM300 out this weekend. I tried my 3wood shaft in it and I tried the same shaft in driver length (PX EF Black 6.5 75g.) Club was ok, I hit some decent shots. Was easier for me to hit a slight draw with than my usual shot shape. I tend to think this TM300 is slightly draw biased. Maybe a dab of hotmelt low on the toe is in order.  But I'll probably stick with my normal setup since my 3wd is the Rocket 14° which already is great off the tee & deck.

[ASN21]

32 minutes ago, markheardjr said:

The stock shaft is maybe not the best for him. He should have put in a Ventus or whatever he uses in his 3wood/driver currently.  He also does not have the swing for hitting driver/mini-driver off the deck. You need a sweeper/cut swing to pick it clean while still elevating. If he wants to hit that hard draw off the deck he'd have to take a divot...which is why the TM300 is silver faced, not black, like the OO. They mean for you to hit turf/dirt.

 

I took the TM300 out this weekend. I tried my 3wood shaft in it and I tried the same shaft in driver length (PX EF Black 6.5 75g.) Club was ok, I hit some decent shots. Was easier for me to hit a slight draw with than my usual shot shape. I tend to think this TM300 is slightly draw biased. Maybe a dab of hotmelt low on the toe is in order.  But I'll probably stick with my normal setup since my 3wd is the Rocket 14° which already is great off the tee & deck.

He also has an overrated golf game. His videos are just click bait fodder at this point. I'll stick to TXG.

[UKGolfer79]

55 minutes ago, HoganHO said:

Range session yesterday and I really got to play around with both the 11.5 and 13.5 heads with the Ventus Black 7s shaft in there. Played both heads in all different settings.

 

I think the sweet spot for me is going to be the 11.5, dialed up to 13 degrees. Love the ball flight and it will be an ideal "second driver" in the bag.

 

Hope to play this week and will make a final decision.

Almost the same here. 11.5 one click round, which is 12.25 degrees. The slight draw bias is great. I however use the 12.25 setting in the upright setting, which makes sense for me given my irons are fitted 2 degrees upright.

[J13]

For anyone interested I'm doing an on course review of these in my WITB thread on here.  Have 2 rounds under my belt and need 1 to 2 more before i feel comfortable posting an in depth review.  So far so good though

 

https://forums.golfwrx.com/topic/1115504-j13s-witb-tm-mini-300-testing-🔥/page/121/?tab=comments#comment-23724512

 

 

[craz-e]

16 minutes ago, J13 said:

For anyone interested I'm doing an on course review of these in my WITB thread on here.  Have 2 rounds under my belt and need 1 to 2 more before i feel comfortable posting an in depth review.  So far so good though

 

https://forums.golfwrx.com/topic/1115504-j13s-witb-tm-mini-300-testing-🔥/page/121/?tab=comments#comment-23724512

 

 

 

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts 

[HoganHO]

On course today with the 11.5 @ 13, Fuji Ventus Black 7s.

It’s money. Way better results  than with my TSi3 driver today—should’ve hit the mini all round. It’s in the bag for sure as my second tee club—my 2 wood.

Didn’t have an opportunity to try her off the deck. 

 

Begs the question should I be playing the driver at 43.75 inches? I think there’s something to this and I’m going to experiment going that short in the big stick. Still planning on having the Mini in play as well.

 

I’m 5’9” and so I’m also not sure it makes sense for me to play the same length driver as these guys (or you guys) who are inches taller. I realize that it is more complicated than simply basing on height—just sayin’

Edited July 29, 2021 by HoganHO