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

[PigPyle]

3 minutes ago, gvogel said:

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!

13* set at 13.75* (D-3 setting)

[Titleist_PT23]

If you want a cheap experiment, try to find an old 3 Deep.  But maybe that's not really any different than your Rapture.

 

For me, the worst shots with these types of clubs were just too bad (of course, this depends on one's ability). 

 

For the frying pan on a stick and the wide right miss guys, I'd suggest trying the models with the weight towards the face (TSR4 etc).  Theoretically, they are harder to hit (and this may show up on your worst swings), but I always thought I hit more good shots with them as well.

[RobotDoctor]

<content irrelevant to the thread and deleted by me>

 

 

 

Edited December 15, 2023 by RobotDoctor

[Jbar]

I am so comfortable with BRNR at 11.5 than having a strong 3 wood off the tee.

[Ri_Redneck]

19 hours ago, gvogel said:

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

 

 

Confidence doesn't FIX anything. It is the result of a successful fix. In your case, the claw grip worked and gave you confidence. Now when you stand over a put, the anxiety is far less.

 

Last comment on the driver thing. I have NEVER picked up a stock driver that did not need to be adjusted to fit me... NEVER! I also have never found a driver that I couldn't make work. Lastly, I have picked up many stock 3Ws that worked fine for me as they were.

 

Food for thought.

 

BT

Edited August 11, 2023 by Ri_Redneck

[Ri_Redneck]

18 hours 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.   

Agree with you totally here. It's extremely commonplace for golfers to believe that the driver takes a completely different swing than your other clubs. This is the primary reason people hit driver bad and the rest of their clubs okay. The second reason is the head/shaft/weight matching that the OEMs do. It's all longer, lighter and lower spin. These don't all work for everyone.

 

BT

[ThatDudeFerbs]

I carry a BRNR Mini in 13.5* that I use quite successfully off a tee and off the ground. It's extremely forgiving and it really goes! Because it's so straight a majority of the time (my miss with it is typically a pull left, but it's rare), I'm actually kicking around the idea of carrying two of them. An 11.5* turned down to 10* and then turn my 13.5* up to 14.5*.

[NRJyzr]

57 minutes ago, Ri_Redneck said:

Agree with you totally here. It's extremely commonplace for golfers to believe that the driver takes a completely different swing than your other clubs. This is the primary reason people hit driver bad and the rest of their clubs okay. The second reason is the head/shaft/weight matching that the OEMs do. It's all longer, lighter and lower spin. These don't all work for everyone.

 

BT

 

Especially the "longer and lighter" aspect.  Initially, there was pushback on the 45" driver, when it first emerged in the 90s, but now we've surged past that point.  Ugh.

 

[bladehunter]

1 hour ago, Ri_Redneck said:

Agree with you totally here. It's extremely commonplace for golfers to believe that the driver takes a completely different swing than your other clubs. This is the primary reason people hit driver bad and the rest of their clubs okay. The second reason is the head/shaft/weight matching that the OEMs do. It's all longer, lighter and lower spin. These don't all work for everyone.

 

BT

But it does to hit it properly.   Meaning.  If yo I don’t tee it up , and go at it , you won’t hit it father than your 3 wood …. At least I don’t . I get every ounce from a 3 wood .  Very much an easy club to hit.  Most fun to hit etc.  if I tee driver below the clubs crown , and hit down on it like a 3 wood. It’s not going anywhere. And I’ll see 3500 to 4K rpm spin.  Nothing quite like a 165 mph ballspeed shot that flies 258 😂.   Because it’s spinning back when it hits.  
 

so you tee it up. Move it forward and take spin off.  But you also open yourself up to the new swing …. Ball up and teed up is not the same swing.  Not close. 

Edited August 11, 2023 by bladehunter

[Ri_Redneck]

49 minutes ago, bladehunter said:

But it does to hit it properly.   Meaning.  If yo I don’t tee it up , and go at it , you won’t hit it father than your 3 wood …. At least I don’t . I get every ounce from a 3 wood .  Very much an easy club to hit.  Most fun to hit etc.  if I tee driver below the clubs crown , and hit down on it like a 3 wood. It’s not going anywhere. And I’ll see 3500 to 4K rpm spin.  Nothing quite like a 165 mph ballspeed shot that flies 258 😂.   Because it’s spinning back when it hits.  
 

so you tee it up. Move it forward and take spin off.  But you also open yourself up to the new swing …. Ball up and teed up is not the same swing.  Not close. 

I have to disagree. My driver swing is identical to all my other "full shot" swings. Only ball position changes. Putting the ball in the forward position (ahead of the low point) will automatically cause a positive AoA if you make the same swing as usual. For my normal shots, ball position only changes about 3" from PW to Dr. If you ball position makes you swing differently, you have moved it TOO FAR. Of course, everyone is different, so I will agree to disagree and keep things cordial.

 

Also, chasing "Optimal" can lead to issues. Numbers-wise, my ball flight is not "Optimal", but it's really dang close. Which is fine cause I can get there with my usual swing and maintain consistency. I've seen many golfers make really lousy swings in an effort to maximize launch numbers. They end up loosing speed and or consistency in the pursuit of a yard or two. Wasted time IMHO.

 

BT

[Bdck]

I play a sim max 14⁰ that I see around 11⁰ launch and 3k spin and around 185-190 ball speed.  It's absolutely ideal when I need to fly something between 300 and 330 and land softer than my driver.

 

Can't say it gets much use off the deck unless it's super windy and I'm going after a long par 5 that's straight into the fan.  Most of the courses I play are in the 6800-7200 range, and those par 5s are usually a short iron or wedge for the 2nd shot or I put my driver in the trees and I'm not going for it in 2.

[bladehunter]

48 minutes ago, Ri_Redneck said:

I have to disagree. My driver swing is identical to all my other "full shot" swings. Only ball position changes. Putting the ball in the forward position (ahead of the low point) will automatically cause a positive AoA if you make the same swing as usual. For my normal shots, ball position only changes about 3" from PW to Dr. If you ball position makes you swing differently, you have moved it TOO FAR. Of course, everyone is different, so I will agree to disagree and keep things cordial.

 

Also, chasing "Optimal" can lead to issues. Numbers-wise, my ball flight is not "Optimal", but it's really dang close. Which is fine cause I can get there with my usual swing and maintain consistency. I've seen many golfers make really lousy swings in an effort to maximize launch numbers. They end up loosing speed and or consistency in the pursuit of a yard or two. Wasted time IMHO.

 

BT

I understand you. No problems there. Everyone  is different.  But I’d bet you don’t hit 3 wood on top of your driver ?  Which means you’re either efficient with driver. Or you're not with 3 wood. 
 

the real test for me is the mini drivers. I can tee one like a 3 wood and hit it well past my 3 wood.  Which is 16.5 degrees. So really a 4 wood.  But the old mailbox on a stick. Will be hit or miss. If I am striking it well , then direction will be an issue. If it’s ok straight that means I’m spinning it and distance is that of the 3 wood.  You see the same or similar with plenty of guys on tv. Driver is either bunted or sprayed.  3 wood is down the middle.    The big driver just isn’t a help to some folks . I truly believe that.  It should have never been normalized.  

 

my gripe isn’t about numbers. It’s about carrying a redundant club.  A driver that isn’t clearly longer than my 3 wood isn’t of any use. None.  In fact it’s detrimental to score because it’s infinitely more crooked compared to a 3 wood.  

[CROUSE99]

I recently picked up an old TM Sldr 3 wood.  l don't think I am the target audience for this club -- I can't hit it off the ground at all -- but it is great off a tee.  I am 66 with a swing speed of 90mph with driver but I play from the senior tees and the courses I play have a lot of par 4's around 300 yards with trouble left and right.  I find the TM to be easier to control than my driver and it provides plenty of distance, maybe 20 yards shorter than the driver but still a wedge into the green.  I don't know if it will stay in the bag in the winter when the fairways have a lot less roll.

[Ri_Redneck]

1 hour ago, bladehunter said:

I understand you. No problems there. Everyone  is different.  But I’d bet you don’t hit 3 wood on top of your driver ?  Which means you’re either efficient with driver. Or you're not with 3 wood. 
 

the real test for me is the mini drivers. I can tee one like a 3 wood and hit it well past my 3 wood.  Which is 16.5 degrees. So really a 4 wood.  But the old mailbox on a stick. Will be hit or miss. If I am striking it well , then direction will be an issue. If it’s ok straight that means I’m spinning it and distance is that of the 3 wood.  You see the same or similar with plenty of guys on tv. Driver is either bunted or sprayed.  3 wood is down the middle.    The big driver just isn’t a help to some folks . I truly believe that.  It should have never been normalized.  

 

my gripe isn’t about numbers. It’s about carrying a redundant club.  A driver that isn’t clearly longer than my 3 wood isn’t of any use. None.  In fact it’s detrimental to score because it’s infinitely more crooked compared to a 3 wood.  

I tend to hit a straight shot with my 3W and a slight cut with driver. 3W carry is about 245 driver carry is 260+/-. I NEVER hit the 3W off a tee. A long time ago I did and had trouble hitting it off the deck, so I just stopped. It made things better.

 

I setup so that my low point is at the front of the ball and swing away. Clean contact and slight roughing of the grass just in front of the ball. Driver is no more than 1" in front of the low point. I tee it high, hover and go. I'm efficient with both and hit them well unless my posture breaks down and I botch the shot, which happens cause I'm an old fart. 60 yo and not nearly as in shape as I need to be.

 

BT

[vietnameeh]

I have a mini driver and short driver

 

tmag Original one 11.5 42.5”

 

this thing was hot and low spin it would get close to my actual driver. It was fun!

 

then I built

 

titleist 913d2 12* 42.5”

 

also hot but spinnier and super easy to hit 

 

i game the titleist because I can put any swing on it and it’s forgiving and goes the distance I need it (shorter than driver)

 

my original one was fun but the low spin made it unforgiving but it was awesome when I was swinging well

 

 

 

[FirePro]

TM Original One Mini Driver 13deg playing 11.5deg at 43".  This thing is point and shoot for me for the most part.  If I could find the same feel in a driver I would bag it in a second.

 

Usually hit the Mini when I want to hit short of trouble that the driver would bring into play.  Went with the Mini over a 3 wood as I seldom hit into a green at that distance anyways so its mainly a Tee club so why not have a little larger head/sweet spot.  Found the mini went a little longer than a 3 wood which was also something I needed as the 18* utility made hitting a standard 3 wood redundant. 

[Shilgy]

On 8/11/2023 at 7:48 AM, Ri_Redneck said:

Agree with you totally here. It's extremely commonplace for golfers to believe that the driver takes a completely different swing than your other clubs. This is the primary reason people hit driver bad and the rest of their clubs okay. The second reason is the head/shaft/weight matching that the OEMs do. It's all longer, lighter and lower spin. These don't all work for everyone.

 

BT

[willie991]

I have two of the Callaway Mini 1.5's.  Got a second as a backup because so much success with the first.  I hit it almost as far as my driver.  And, it is a fairway finder.  Mix it up.  If a narrow fairway or a short par 4, will use the Mini.  If more open and need the added distance, the driver comes out.  I really like my driver, but that doesn't mean it can't be benched on certain holes... or if it is misbehaving on that particular day.

[uglande]

I've played every scenario possible: Driver-Driver // Driver-Mini // Mini-Mini // Driver-Strong3 and on and on. 

 

But now I'm down to two scenarios that I rotate depending on the course or situation:

 

Driver/Driver/5 wood (this is where I set up one driver as a fade-biased bomber and the other as a draw biased thriver), or

Driver/Strong3/5 wood (this is my typical go-to now with a 13.5 3w and 19.0 5w, then to 3 or 4 iron).

[Dan Drake]

On 8/10/2023 at 1:43 PM, scooterhd2 said:

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

THE Unicorn.....

 

I want one of these just for the cool factor alone. 

[kthomas]

23 hours ago, uglande said:

I've played every scenario possible: Driver-Driver // Driver-Mini // Mini-Mini // Driver-Strong3 and on and on. 

 

But now I'm down to two scenarios that I rotate depending on the course or situation:

 

Driver/Driver/5 wood (this is where I set up one driver as a fade-biased bomber and the other as a draw biased thriver), or

Driver/Strong3/5 wood (this is my typical go-to now with a 13.5 3w and 19.0 5w, then to 3 or 4 iron).

 

I can't understand having two drivers in the bag.

 

I think having two shots with the driver is important: a reliable FW finder swing and a bomber swing. But can't really get dedicating two slots for one club.

[uglande]

58 minutes ago, kthomas said:

 

I can't understand having two drivers in the bag.

 

I think having two shots with the driver is important: a reliable FW finder swing and a bomber swing. But can't really get dedicating two slots for one club.

Fair enough, but for me it creates a ton of versatility, and it's the most important club(s) in the bag next to putter. It's easy to make room. Just compress some things in the long iron territory. How many times a round does the average person hit a 5 iron? 

[kthomas]

4 hours ago, uglande said:

Fair enough, but for me it creates a ton of versatility, and it's the most important club(s) in the bag next to putter. It's easy to make room. Just compress some things in the long iron territory. How many times a round does the average person hit a 5 iron? 

 

I'm certainly not going to try and tell anyone how they should play their game.

 

I just find it a really curious and interesting choice to use two different drivers, or a driver + dedicated off the tee 3W.

[gvogel]

16 minutes ago, kthomas said:

 

I'm certainly not going to try and tell anyone how they should play their game.

 

I just find it a really curious and interesting choice to use two different drivers, or a driver + dedicated off the tee 3W.

Sam Snead had a 2-wood which he used when he needed to.  Same thing as a mini driver.

[uglande]

1 hour ago, kthomas said:

 

I'm certainly not going to try and tell anyone how they should play their game.

 

I just find it a really curious and interesting choice to use two different drivers, or a driver + dedicated off the tee 3W.

and to be clear, the two drivers are set up completely differently. One is longer, lower loft, lower flight, bomber, anti-left (open face). The other is shorter, safer, higher lofted, higher flight, right-protected (neutral-to-shut face). 

 

a lot of golfers accomplish the same thing with driver-3w but then never use their 3w off the deck, so it's effectively no different. Others go driver-2 iron (with the latter, again, rarely being used except for the tee). Others use mini diver as the #2 and rarely if ever off the deck. So having two clubs in the bag that are only (or nearly only) tee clubs is far from unusual. 

[Port and Starboard]

On 8/10/2023 at 10:07 PM, gvogel said:

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.

Same one.