If you play a Mini driver or strong 3-wood off the tee...

[gvogel]

If you play a Mini driver or strong 3-wood off the tee, which one do you play?

[phizzy30]

I've never played a mini, but I did have a tour issue 13* R7 ALE back in the day.  I paired with the RIP Gamma because the head was low launch.  It was almost used exclusively off the tee. 

[Titleist_PT23]

I think it depends on the club's specs and the player.  Some strong 3W are essentially mini's while others are very low lofted fairways.  If only a tee shot club, go with one that is most mini driver like.  Without very good strike and high clubhead speed, all of these (11-13 degrees of loft) are going to be challenging to hit off the turf (unless carry / trajectory are not important).

[NRJyzr]

I'm using a 300 Mini as my tee club.  it's an 11.5* head, I've tuned it down as low as it can go, 10* for this adapter, though I may bump it one tick higher.

 

Even with the so-called higher spin KSig v3, it's obviously not spinning all that much.

 

[Ri_Redneck]

I do not have a mini driver, but hit 3w as a tee club periodically when I need that distance to put me in the best position. IMHO, if one is having trouble with using a driver off the tee, they need their swing and/or club looked at.

 

BT

[PNW]

I had the 300 Mini 11.5 (that will be going up on BST soon now that its replaced) and now the BRNR 13.5. The goal was to use it as a 2 wood, ~20 yards shorter than driver but solely a tee club. I never need to hit a 3 wood off deck so these larger head mini drivers are great. 

 

If you want to simply replace driver than the 11.5 models are great. I found my 300 Mini quite low spin and often got out as far as my driver anyway especially if missed a little high toe. While it was fun hitting my '2 wood' past friends to 320 yards on occasion, I replaced it with the 13.5 BRNR model that is still quite hot but better gapping for what I need. 

[gvogel]

45 minutes ago, Ri_Redneck said:

I do not have a mini driver, but hit 3w as a tee club periodically when I need that distance to put me in the best position. IMHO, if one is having trouble with using a driver off the tee, they need their swing and/or club looked at.

 

BT

If it is a confidence issue, do I need to see a Shrink?

[BirdieBob]

Stealth 2 plus ROCKET off the deck or tee.

[Streuner]

Very personal reference this question, you will have several answers but still not have a solution for yourself. You should ask yourself if you EVER will hit that 2 wood from the ground. If yes, go with the smaller head 3+ woods or tour woods or how they are ever called. If no go with the bigger head of the Mini Driver for extra forgiveness. 
 

 The best would be to have the possibility to hit them all side by side. 

[Jeffinplano]

callaway b21 driver..I set it to 3 wood loft around 14-15 degrees...It has the size of a 1 wood, nice fairway finder...Pound it around 250 yards..Great feel

[mackepa]

I have a BRNR Mini that is one of my favorite clubs this year. It only gets used on really short and tight courses and is a direct replacement for my driver. I have an 11.5 set to 9.5 with an OG Diamana white 83x. It’s a few yards shorter than my TSi3 driver but it is wildly more accurate. 
 

as much as I like the Mini I still carry my driver most of the time. 

[Drivingrangehero]

I have a homemade mini driver that is a 11°, 380cc Japanese driver from 2009?, I added 20g to the head and play it at 42.5” and it’s better off the tee than my past 3W and better off the tee than my driver, although I wouldn’t ever attempt to hit it off the deck. 
 

I recently bought a 14° Adams Tight Lies (2013) head that I’m having shafted up to see how it performs mainly off the deck for scrambles and the range…..not sure if it will make it into my bag full time, but who knows. 
 

I’m thinking of cutting my driver down to 44” since I don’t seem to lose much ball speed from the mini driver that I have at 42.5” and my 460cc driver that I play at 44.75” it’s only 2-3mph ball speed difference and about 8mph ball speed from my 18° 5w at 41.5” and my 7.5° Driver at 44.75”
 

 

Edited August 10, 2023 by Drivingrangehero
.

[Dan Drake]

I go back and forth between a Big Bertha Mini 1.5 12° and a Big Bertha 815 Alpha 14°.  They have the same adapter so I can swap them out quickly to test and they are weighted similarly so I can put them on the same shaft and see what the difference is.  I'm enjoying the Alpha right now, it hits the yardage gap I need, and it is a teensy bit easier off the turf, so it is in the bag.  But, if a mini comes along that works and is more forgiving than the Alpha, I'm certainly open to the idea.  

[scooterhd2]

Cleveland HiBore XL 2 wood. 400cc head, 16 degrees of loft. Its a cheat code. 

[gvogel]

1 hour ago, scooterhd2 said:

Cleveland HiBore XL 2 wood. 400cc head, 16 degrees of loft. Its a cheat code. 

I bought my daughter one of those when they came out.  She still has it, and it works great.

 

I have purchased a 300 Mini just now.

[Ri_Redneck]

3 hours ago, gvogel said:

If it is a confidence issue, do I need to see a Shrink?

No. Confidence comes from successful repetition. Fix the problem and your shots will begin to fly and land where you want. Confidence will blossom!

 

I have about a dozen drivers with lengths from 48" to 43.5" of all different brands, materials and sizes. All weighted and balanced for me and my swing. I hit one just as well as the next. I know I can go out and play well with any of them. I know if I hit a bad shot with one, it was me and not the club. That's what you're looking for.

 

BT

Edited August 10, 2023 by Ri_Redneck

[gvogel]

15 hours ago, Ri_Redneck said:

No. Confidence comes from successful repetition. Fix the problem and your shots will begin to fly and land where you want. Confidence will blossom!

 

BT

Funny, confidence didn't fix the putting yips.  A new grip (claw) and more than a few years and I can putt again.

 

 

Edited August 11, 2023 by gvogel

[bladehunter]

11 minutes ago, Ri_Redneck said:

No. Confidence comes from successful repetition. Fix the problem and your shots will begin to fly and land where you want. Confidence will blossom!

 

I have about a dozen drivers with lengths from 48" to 43.5" of all different brands, materials and sizes. All weighted and balanced for me and my swing. I hit one just as well as the next. I know I can go out and play well with any of them. I know if I hit a bad shot with one, it was me and not the club. That's what you're looking for.

 

BT

Yep. That is the goal. BUT-  huge BUT. It’s much easier said than done.  
 

at my lowest handicap +2 I rarely hit driver and if I did it was a little bunt fade. A low one that came from a low tee height and a smaller swing.  Hardly more than a 3 wood. 
 

Now I can have days where I don’t miss. It’s long down the middle … but inexplicably the next round it will be right left and ugly.  And it’s not like this with any other club.  I think it’s he head size and tee height. Because i absolutely don’t suffer from this with a strong 3 wood or mini driver.  And I can lengthen the mini shaft out to 45 and not have that issue. 
 

I think modern drivers are the largest double edge sword in any sports equipment.  They forgive a lot.  But they cause just as many misses.  Sort of a self fulfilling prophecy.  Those good days trick us into keeping them in the bag.  It’s just silly how it’s only one club.   

[RogerinNewZealand]

4 hours ago, gvogel said:

If it is a confidence issue, do I need to see a Shrink?

No just test and tune.

Basics first.

Do you need the teed ball higher or lower?

Do you need the tee more to the left of Centre

Eg need to find out if you are 1 hitting down on ball

2 sort of hitting ball but not getting much help with launching the ball. Im guessing this is the problem

3 have ball a bin more forward in stance eg 1 inch etc so you are More Likely to hit A little Up on the ball at Impact. Eg A O A +

Eg with a positive angle of attack (impact on the ball) 😊= Confidence,Great Shot👍

[NRJyzr]

45 minutes ago, bladehunter said:

I think modern drivers are the largest double edge sword in any sports equipment.  They forgive a lot.  But they cause just as many misses.  Sort of a self fulfilling prophecy.  Those good days trick us into keeping them in the bag.  It’s just silly how it’s only one club.   

 

I agree wholeheartedly.  My tee game came alive after putting a Mini back in my bag a couple weeks ago...

 

[Port and Starboard]

50 minutes ago, bladehunter said:

Yep. That is the goal. BUT-  huge BUT. It’s much easier said than done.  
 

at my lowest handicap +2 I rarely hit driver and if I did it was a little bunt fade. A low one that came from a low tee height and a smaller swing.  Hardly more than a 3 wood. 
 

Now I can have days where I don’t miss. It’s long down the middle … but inexplicably the next round it will be right left and ugly.  And it’s not like this with any other club.  I think it’s he head size and tee height. Because i absolutely don’t suffer from this with a strong 3 wood or mini driver.  And I can lengthen the mini shaft out to 45 and not have that issue. 
 

I think modern drivers are the largest double edge sword in any sports equipment.  They forgive a lot.  But they cause just as many misses.  Sort of a self fulfilling prophecy.  Those good days trick us into keeping them in the bag.  It’s just silly how it’s only one club.   

 

I agree with you.  The only 2 drivers that I have ever felt confident in every single day were my old Powerbilt Citation persimmon 10 degree & Taylormade R580 10.5.

 

I could hit cut/fade fairway finders with them hole after hole every single day.

 

I just can't do it with a Sim/Mavrik/G430 etc. etc.      I could neck my old persimmon into the fairway, and the R580 loved a cut shot.

[NRJyzr]

9 minutes ago, Port and Starboard said:

The only 2 drivers that I have ever felt confident in every single day were my old Powerbilt Citation persimmon 10 degree & Taylormade R580 10.5

 

Amusingly, my best tee game across my golf life has come with persimmons or laminates in the bag.  

 

Even better, my longest tee shot (that didn't get cart path assistance) of the past 8 seasons is with a Ping Zing Blonde.  

 

[RobotDoctor]

I game a TM 300 Mini 11.5 degree driver turned down to 10.2 degrees as my driver and a TM M4 15 degree 3 wood off the tee.  The club depends on where I would like to hit the next shot with. 

[RobotDoctor]

<content irrelevant to the thread and deleted by me>

 

 

Edited December 15, 2023 by RobotDoctor

[Aces-6]

My home course is short at 6,600 yards. I have been contemplating an 11-12 degree driver with a 43.5" shaft. I don't particularly care for the size of the mini's, I prefer a 430-460cc head. 

 

Curious if anyone else is playing a 43-44" driver.

Edited August 11, 2023 by Aces-6

[PigPyle]

Titleist TSR2+ user here and use it exclusively as a tee club. Can hit it almost as far as driver but on holes that I can’t afford to miss right, it does the trick and looks great at address. 

[gvogel]

5 hours ago, Port and Starboard said:

 

I agree with you.  The only 2 drivers that I have ever felt confident in every single day were my old Powerbilt Citation persimmon 10 degree & Taylormade R580 10.5.

 

I could hit cut/fade fairway finders with them hole after hole every single day.

 

I just can't do it with a Sim/Mavrik/G430 etc. etc.      I could neck my old persimmon into the fairway, and the R580 loved a cut shot.

Powerboat Citation persimmon with the bronze weight on the back?  A beauty!  My Dad won a club championship with that driver.  I almost won the year after that with a Spaulding persimmon driver, which we reshafted lightweight steel shaft.  1979.

[gvogel]

1 hour ago, RobotDoctor said:

I have a lot of confidence with this driver.  🙂
 

Beautiful!  But probably a bit too deep faced for me.  I had a lovely Tony Pena which was a great club, when I put my best swing on it.  But I was better with my shallower faced Spaulding.  I gave the Pena to a good friend, a bigger stronger guy, who won a club championship with it.  No regrets on my end.

Edited August 11, 2023 by gvogel

[gvogel]

1 hour ago, PigPyle said:

Titleist TSR2+ user here and use it exclusively as a tee club. Can hit it almost as far as driver but on holes that I can’t afford to miss right, it does the trick and looks great at address. 

Now that is exactly what I wanted to hear.  I have a TSR2 driver that I like, and can hit very well when playing well.  But I took a Ping Rapture 13* out last week and used that more often than not.  I played it for a few years in the neutral position, but as I need help now, I put it in the + position.  it was great.  I had no fear, and hit most of the fairways.  At 70 I have moved up to the senior tees, and from there all I need is 210 to hit greens and score.

 

I figured I would try a few others before I settle on the Old Faithful.  The TSR2+ caught my eye.  The BRNR looked appealing until I saw it in a store - might as well hit the driver!

 

This has been a good thread.

[gvogel]

1 hour ago, PigPyle said:

Titleist TSR2+ user here and use it exclusively as a tee club. Can hit it almost as far as driver but on holes that I can’t afford to miss right, it does the trick and looks great at address. 

you just sold me.  13* or 14.5*?  I'm thinking 13* set with a bit more loft and closed face, so that I don't have to fight the sliding righties.  I swing with more confidence that way.  Love to see the ball go right to left a bit.

 

One thing about mini drivers is that, with the reduced profile, they are easier to swing fast against the wind.  No one appreciates that, but against the wind it makes a difference.  And where would you rather have distance?  For me, against the wind!