Mini drivers the next hot trend???

[uglande]

2 hours ago, cmatthews77 said:

 

I had a Bertha Mini 1.5 for a while and loved it.  It was fun on the range but again it just didn't serve much purpose on the golf course so it eventually was pulled for a traditional 3wood setup. 

 

Again, I'm repeating but I don't think mini-driver makes any since UNLESS you are re-thinking driver as a whole. Phil Mickelson committed to playing a driver at 47.75" long in 2021.  His AOA is now +5 at that length and thus the loft is 5 degrees.  He uses that to try to MAX distance ("bombs").  Maybe to carry a hazard at 315+.

 

So the "mini driver" is essentially just a modernized driver from 20 years ago that he remembers how to use.  10.5 loft and smaller head probably about 44" long that he uses for the majority of his tee shots giving him more control and 90% of the distance.

 

So to the OP "trend" ?  I think ONLY if amateurs start to experiment with crazy long drivers and essentially carry 2 drivers because a mini-driver is not a fairway wood replacement.

I think there are some who will use it as a true driver replacement -- if they need more launch off the tee and/or find standard-shafted 460 drivers unwieldy. 

 

But the better fit is for the player looking for a second tee option. That's where I'm looking to slot mine. It's not likely to be a versatile club and I don't expect to use it off the fairway except in very rare situations, but I have a 4w and 7w so it's not a problem.

 

Finding a spot in the bag will be too hard for most golfers, but think about how many people carry a 2 iron. The mini drivers go farther and are more forgiving. And neither club gets much use off the fairway. 

[bobfoster]

Tried one, a friend loaned me his for a round - just don't see the use of it. I hit my driver pretty well (largely because I learned long ago to emphasize tempo - unlike some of the people I play with, I don't try to swing out of my shoes). 

 

The thing is decent off the tee, but not quite as long as my driver, and I saw little difference in dispersion. Additionally, it was (for me) a single use club - off the tee. It is not designed to be hit off the deck - it can't double as a sort of long three metal from the fairway. 

 

So I'd basically need to kick another club out of my bag to have two drivers. Just not really seeing where this thing fits in the general scheme of things. 

 

I think the modern version of this was developed at the behest of Phil, with Callaway (he talked them into experimenting). Then he tried the TM. But Phil is quirky - he had played two drivers on occasion in the past. (He actually calls it a 2 wood). 

 

People will probably throw rocks at my head here, but I think this may just be at best a niche thing, at worst just a fad. I'm reading a lot about it on discussion boards, and in golf magazines. And was in my local Dick's Sporting Goods last week and they had a couple. But few on tour are using them, and I have yet to see a single one on the courses I play with other amateurs.