OK, who’s played the TaylorMade 300 Mini Driver?

[rkillian]

Played 18 this morning. Seemed to be playing a game of good hole - blow-up hole today though haha. I’ll reiterate that good shots with the 11.5 mini are nearly as good as my best ever was with a regular driver. Though the average is looking more like 10-15 yards shorter. I can’t say that there aren’t times it wouldn’t be nice to have that back but more often than not, it doesn’t seem to make much difference. 
 

The biggest difference for me really seems to be the rarity of a right miss. With a regular driver I really could miss it both ways and there was a big fear of a big right miss. Slight miss hits with the mini still seem to stay online better for me. And again, having relied on a fairway wood off the tee a lot, this is longer and easier to hit off the tee. 
 

With all clubs I’ve been struggling with pulls lately and today was probably the worst I’ve pulled the mini. It’s not the clubs fault obviously, but it’s definitely not a club that will help you out in that situation. A 460 head driver at standard length would probably be less likely to pull. 

[TarHeelGolfer2325]

I have the 13.5 degree turned down to 11.5 degree. My miss is right and I would rather block one out right or it cut too much on a fairway finder. I cut down a Hzrdus Smoke Black 70g 6.0 shaft to the recommended playing length. I feel so comfortable using this club. On the SIM my Swing Speed was almost as quick as driver because of confidence over it. Its only 15-20 yards shorter than my driver. I havent used it on harder fairways though to see my run out. Ground has been wet the 1 round I used it. 

[BMC]

New to this thread.  I have five full rounds with the 300 at 13.5.  It is longer than my driver by 20 yards which shows you how poor I hit a standard driver.

It works for me because I do not like to hit up on drivers.  The 300 is low spin and rolls out really well on dry fairways.  The shorter shaft will give you confidence to hit the ball with purpose.  I highly recommend this club if you can relate to my experience.  Good looks, nice feel, and muted sound.  It clicks all the boxes for me.

My swing speed is low 90s and I average 230-250 yards with the 300. 

[me05501]

I reverted to my Mavrik 3+ for the time being. The Mini Driver is a neat product but it behaves just like my driver in my hands, and my driver is pretty reliable anyway, so no real advantage to carrying the MD. 

 

I'm keeping my eyes peeled for another SLDR Mini...that club was money for me in a way the Original One and TM300 were not. 

[bjh1]

Have been bagging my TM300 Mini at 13.5 as my primary driver for about a month now, and I am loving it.  According to my Garmin stats, I'm averaging 248 yards with the mini, vs 262 I was getting with my Epic Flash, but my dispersion is waaay better.  Also, it's been very wet here for the past 3 weeks so that yardage is pretty much all carry, so when it dries out, I'd expect it to be about the same yardage as the big driver.  

 

Love the look, the feel, and the sound of it.  And I'm able to hit it on some holes I used to hit a 5-wood or iron on because I'm just so much more confident that it will go reasonably straight.

[craz-e]

Played a few holes earlier today with just the mini driver as an option off the tee. 
performed damn good

did video some shots but unable to load on here 😢

Edited September 12, 2021 by craz-e

[RobotDoctor]

I have realized that I’m an old guy now and am not as strong as I was 30 years ago.  I accept the fact that a lighter shaft in my driver may something I need to use.  I used a made for TM Fujikura Ventus Blue 5S driver shaft when I had my fitting for my TM 300 Mini 11.5, ultimately settling in on one setting lower loft (10.8 degrees).  I simply hit the ball extremely well with this combination.  Then my stubbornness set in.  I bought a Ventus Blue 5S Velocore shaft and cut it to the same length as my stock Ventus Blue 5S shaft.  While I hit it ok, it’s just not as good as the 5S.  Stubbornness round 2.  I believe the Velocore technology is what it’s hyped to be so I sourced a Ventus Blue 5S Velocore driver shaft with a TM tip that was a local pickup and picked up the shaft yesterday.  The finished length is 45.75”.  I left the grip that came with it on so I could determine what the best settings are.  I have settled on 2 settings lower than standard loft (10.2 degrees) on the flatter lie setting.  After getting some rust out of my swing since it’s been 3 weeks since I hit a ball last I started hitting the ball well.  Impact tape showed most hits nearly in the center and a couple were high/toe about a quarter size off center and a couple just low/heel side of center.  Not sure how this will translate to the course but dispersion was really good and ball flight was high and penetrating.  As of right now I’m hitting the 300 Mini better than my M3.  

 

Edited September 15, 2021 by RobotDoctor

[RobotDoctor]

I just weighed my 300 Mini on my swingweight scale.  It came in between E0 and E1.  Pretty heavy but that is to be expected with a shaft about 2 inches longer than the design.  I generally prefer a driver around D-4 for swingweight.  For what it's worth, I hit it really well and the heavier swingweight wasn't a big deal at all.  Now for another range session tomorrow or an early morning round.  Debating .....

[uglande]

27 minutes ago, RobotDoctor said:

I just weighed my 300 Mini on my swingweight scale.  It came in between E0 and E1.  Pretty heavy but that is to be expected with a shaft about 2 inches longer than the design.  I generally prefer a driver around D-4 for swingweight.  For what it's worth, I hit it really well and the heavier swingweight wasn't a big deal at all.  Now for another range session tomorrow or an early morning round.  Debating .....

I'm glad it's working for you, but I'm curious why you would make a 45.75" driver out of a 300 Mini. Doesn't that defeat the purpose? Or do you just like the look of a smaller driver head? 

[RobotDoctor]

13 minutes ago, uglande said:

I'm glad it's working for you, but I'm curious why you would make a 45.75" driver out of a 300 Mini. Doesn't that defeat the purpose? Or do you just like the look of a smaller driver head? 

I prefer a driver between 300cc and 330cc, which the 300 Mini falls in line with.  Ideally I would prefer a 300 Mini at 10° standard loft.  I tolerate the 430cc/440cc drivers as I have little to no choice.  The reason I prefer a smaller headed driver is because 1) I hit the ball close to the center of the driver more often than not and when I do mishit the results aren't bad, and 2) a smaller headed driver allows me better ability to work the ball both ways.  I have a harder time working the ball accurately with a larger headed drivers.  Of course I started playing golf with the first generation Taylormade metal woods as the only metal option.  I didn't care for those and went with a persimmon driver for years.  Talk about a very small sweet spot! 

 

With regard to the shaft being at 45.75", that is the way it came.  I am not sure I will keep it at that length but will practice a fair bit and play a few rounds with it before I change it.  The session today had very decent dispersion at my target on any decent swing (within 5-10-ish yards of target).  I will bring out my Garmin G80 tomorrow as well as my old Bell swingspeed device (to make sure both are reading the same swingspeed).  The Garmin is pretty decent in giving me a smash factor, although it is not as accurate as a Trackman.  But then again I don't have $20,000+ to invest in that.

Edited September 16, 2021 by RobotDoctor

[peepee]

I have the OO for about two weeks and its performing as expected based on this thread on the 300 mini. I'm just not efficient with Driver and I can be pretty wild. So I would say I'm not losing anything on distance on average and I'm not losing balls so its a win win.

 

I have tried 460cc with shorter shafts and my 3 wood was still better. For me I think its a combination of shaft length head size and bad driver mechanics that i've spent a lot of time trying to fix.

 

Now I feel like my swing and setup for mini, 3w, 3i swings are all pretty similar and its helping not having to change between that and a driver swing.

 

Playing it at just under 44" with Tensei 55 stiff , swing weight was a bit high so added 12 g under the butt and that has made it feel better. Might pick up a 300 as well to compare.

 

[uglande]

2 hours ago, peepee said:

Might pick up a 300 as well to compare

I have played the O.O. and now have the 300. If you are looking at this as a driver replacement, I would definitely recommend the 300. Larger head, more forgiving and great feel/sound. 

[peepee]

10 minutes ago, uglande said:

I have played the O.O. and now have the 300. If you are looking at this as a driver replacement, I would definitely recommend the 300. Larger head, more forgiving and great feel/sound. 

Thx, numbers from the OO set at 11.5 degrees are good on BS and spin but launching a little low at 10 degrees average. Think I will give the 300 a go. Thx

[RobotDoctor]

My takeaway is still a bit inside, but not as bad as it was earlier this year.  Still have work to do on it as this is causing an ever-so-slight over the top move in my swing which I don't like.  This is producing a straight to slight fade with my golf shots as of late, instead of a straight to slight draw I was hitting before this year.  That said, with the Ventus Blue Velocore 5S (45.75") this was the impact pattern after this morning's range session.

 

After about a dozen balls.

 

 

 

 

This was after 3 dozen balls.  The second picture is harder to see towards the toe but the rest is visible.

 

 

 

I had one bad swing which I caught on the toe of the driver.  It produced a slight draw at my target but about 15 yards shorter than with the center strike drives.  Swing speed was low today for some reason, around 93mph - 95mph.  I am working on a few things, including takeaway and downswing transition with legs and hips driving the swing.

 

 

Edited September 16, 2021 by RobotDoctor

[rkillian]

My experiment with the mini might be over... We'll see. I picked up a Mavrik driver and 4 wood (I can't resist constantly tinkering), which is similar to what I had before the mini but this time went with a softer shaft profile since I seemed to mostly get along with stock shaft in the mini.

 

After a rainy 9 holes today, which is about as small a sample size as one can have, I can still say the mini provides a confidence that I'm not going to have a miss that goes both wildly off line and far off line. I don't doubt its the shorter shaft that helps with that in the mini. I also when with a 10.5 degree head given my success with the mini, my previous driver was a 9. On a properly struck drive I am certainly leaving more distance on the table by bagging the mini than previously thought. So for now the driver/4w combo will stay at the top of the bag. I'm not yet wiling to let go of the mini... but some range and course testing will determine that in the coming weeks. 

[khalespace]

On 7/21/2021 at 10:14 AM, NorCal678 said:

I really don't understand the point of these clubs from a scoring standpoint.  Certainly a fun club for you and your friends.

 

Do you ditch the 3 wood for a course with really long par 5s.  Do you ditch the driver and 3 wood, for another wedge or gapping at the top of the bag (5-7 wood, hydbrid, driving iron, ect.)

 

 

 

You can have a 460 cc driver, a mini driver, a 3 wood and a 5 wood/hybrid. I only have two wedges, the 52 and 56.

 

I went to Roger Dunn to test the 300 mini driver and overall I was getting 225 which about 10 to 15 yards less than my driver but it was way straighter. It is only 5 to 10 yards longer than my 3W but off the tee, the larger head gives me more confidence. I didn't buy one because their demo club and 5 used clubs were all 13.5 and I want to test the 11.5 version. Off the deck, I can hit it but too low and no better than the 3 W. If I can use this 300 mini driver 4 or 5 times a round on tight holes I would be happy.

 

 

[RobotDoctor]

3 minutes ago, khalespace said:

 

You can have a 460 cc driver, a mini driver, a 3 wood and a 5 wood/hybrid. I only have two wedges, the 52 and 56.

 

I went to Roger Dunn to test the 300 mini driver and overall I was getting 225 which about 10 to 15 yards less than my driver but it was way straighter. It is only 5 to 10 yards longer than my 3W but off the tee, the larger head gives me more confidence. I didn't buy one because their demo club and 5 used clubs were all 13.5 and I want to test the 11.5 version. Off the deck, I can hit it but too low and no better than the 3 W. If I can use this 300 mini driver 4 or 5 times a round on tight holes I would be happy.

 

 

What would your 300 Mini do with a shaft that's 3/4" to 1" longer?  I already know that answer.  A little higher swingweight but now more of a real comparison to a driver.  😉

[ronnbee]

Got the mini delivered Friday, and played Sat, the first hit was straight down the middle with decent distance, then struggled with some drives, will try again next week so the verdict is still out

[meh]

I am loving the mini!!!!! I have mine (13.5) lofted down a little. I keep looking for a driver (just moved on an epic LS and getting a mizuno st-z) but I'm not sure why. Misses with the mini are much better than a miss with the driver.

[mootrail]

On 9/9/2021 at 7:06 AM, BMC said:

It works for me because I do not like to hit up on drivers

 

My swing speed is low 90s and I average 230-250 yards with the 300. 

 

I'm with you on both accounts, although I highly doubt I'd be getting 230-250 with the 300.

 

I for sure would have bought one already, but questioning the stock shaft offering.  How does everyone feel about the stock offering?  Softer S flex like most TM made for's, or overly stiff like the Original One Diamana S?

Edited September 27, 2021 by mootrail

[sg91]

7 hours ago, mootrail said:

 

I'm with you on both accounts, although I highly doubt I'd be getting 230-250 with the 300.

 

I for sure would have bought one already, but questioning the stock shaft offering.  How does everyone feel about the stock offering?  Softer S flex like most TM made for's, or overly stiff like the Original One Diamana S?

I found it fairly soft and unstable unless I really, really smoothed out my transition. Good thing is, it takes a standard TM driver loft sleeve so you can change out the stock shaft fairly easily.

Edited September 27, 2021 by sg91

[Primo1868]

Man y’all are making me want to try one…

[sheffield]

Been using it (11.5*)  for a few weeks... strictly 2nd tee shot option or so I thought.  Swapped out the stock shaft for a Fujikura Pro 2.0 S and cut it down to play at 43.25.   Then I tried hitting it off the range mats just to see how it would launch.  I'm not a natural high ball hitter so the 11.5 required a few adjustments to get the launch up.  But when I set it at 13.5* it became a whole different club.  It launched at least as easily as my 13.5* TS2 fwy from a decent fairway lie.  And it's about 20+ yds longer from the tee and fairway than the 3w.  My main issue so far is finding the best ball position at setup and trying to get the launch up a bit more.  So far it tends to launch low from the tee even at 11.5 but I think that is largely due to my neutral to negative AoA.  I haven't heard as much about it's usability off the deck but so far it shows promise...  

[Righty to Lefty]

On 7/13/2021 at 11:54 PM, Genostarrr said:

Just received mine the other day (300 mini 11.5 degree/ stock stiff shaft) and got one round in with them. Theyre not for everyone, but personally I love it. My home course tends to have narrow fairways so trying to bomb it isn’t always the best option. Don’t have an exact swing speed but my driver typically goes about 260-275. Oftentimes i can miss with a hook into the woods. I found with the 300 mini driver I was going about 250 right into the middle of the fairway if not first cut on the left rough. I had to bench my 3 wood, but for me personally, I can adjust my game accordingly with a hybrid. I bought the 11.5, so trying to use it off the fairway didn’t show great results, mainly low runners. For ME, I tend to use the 3 wood very few times on the course. 
 

I tried the OO mini in the past too. I think the 300 is slightly longer with a better feel. Wasn’t a big fan of the OO stock shaft. I think if I’m playing a longer course with wider fairways, I’ll swap the 3 wood back in. But if you play a narrow short course (like 6100 yards) and not as confident your driver is a fairway finder, I think this would be a good pickup. 
 

 

A lot of people believe that there is no purpose for a mini driver and I think you nailed it in your explanation of its use on a narrow tight course that it in the 6 to 6500 yard range as that is exactly where I found them to be very useful as you can still carry a fairway wood, go at par 5's in two, and still have the ability to take advantage of scoring opportunities.  I drop driver from the bag without thought once I see the yardage of the course if I can gather that it is a tight course because the trade off of distance for accuracy is worth it. I also play deep faced mini drivers as I don't particularly like teeing up fairway woods too high but a mini driver with a deep face can be teed up much higher and struck with and upward angle of attack with more confidence than a shallower face fairway wood. I will always have a mini driver on standby for the rest of my golfing days as they have surely proven their worth in relation how I play.  

[christof87]

Early thoughts on 300 Mini in 13.5 in the stock stiff shaft:

 

- On course: 1 round and 5 tee shots hit with it - takes a bit of adjustment with setup to get comfortable 

- Range: Able to hit it off a mat okay, but would need more time with it to give a good view

- Distance: It’s probably 10-15 yards longer than my 13.5 degree 3 wood at the same loft off a tee

- Flight off the tee: tends to be low-ish and very flat

 

[christof87]

Has anyone tried this out with a Ventus Red?

 

Usually play aftermarket market shafts and considering:

 

- Aldila Rogue Black 130 MSI

- Aldila Xtorsion Green

- Fujikura Ventus Red

Had quite a bit of success with blueboard-esque shafts in the past.

 

Debating whether to live in the 60TX / 6X weight class or whether to step-up to the 70TX / 7X?

 

I usually play 60TX / 6X in my driver at 45 inches.

[Seattlegolfnut]

7 hours ago, christof87 said:

Has anyone tried this out with a Ventus Red?

 

Usually play aftermarket market shafts and considering:

 

- Aldila Rogue Black 130 MSI

- Aldila Xtorsion Green

- Fujikura Ventus Red

Had quite a bit of success with blueboard-esque shafts in the past.

 

Debating whether to live in the 60TX / 6X weight class or whether to step-up to the 70TX / 7X?

 

I usually play 60TX / 6X in my driver at 45 inches.

Not exactly, but I play a 13.5 OO with an old Diamana ‘ilima 70g, 42.75” 3W length. Launch, spin, carry and total distance are very similar to what I was used to with a 15* 3W and a low/low ~70g shaft. But extremely more forgiving setup with a bigger head and sweet spot. Play 60g weight class in my driver.

 

So generally speaking, really happy with the “red” higher launch setup here.

 

Edited October 1, 2021 by Seattlegolfnut

[christof87]

6 hours ago, Seattlegolfnut said:

Not exactly, but I play a 13.5 OO with an old Diamana ‘ilima 70g, 42.75” 3W length. Launch, spin, carry and total distance are very similar to what I was used to with a 15* 3W and a low/low ~70g shaft. But extremely more forgiving setup with a bigger head and sweet spot. Play 60g weight class in my driver.

 

So generally speaking, really happy with the “red” higher launch setup here.

 

Great stuff - thanks for you’re input! Edging ever closer!!!

[ronnbee]

On 9/26/2021 at 5:56 PM, ronnbee said:

Got the mini delivered Friday, and played Sat, the first hit was straight down the middle with decent distance, then struggled with some drives, will try again next week so the verdict is still out

played today (sat) I think im really going to like this club

[Russjmills]

What shafts are people using in this?. I'm not too impressed with the Diamara stock option that came with mine