Why do I hit my Mini Driver as far as my Driver?

[HillbillyHoma]

I recently bought a 13.5 BRNR mini driver. It has a HZRDUS Smoke Blue RDX 6.0 70g and I hit it so well. My driver is a TM Stealth 10.5 lofted down to 9.25 with a ProForce V2 7f4 shaft. (SS is 103 mph) It feels dead off the face. They both go about 250 ish. Why is this? Driver shaft too heavy? Poor technique? 

[me05501]

It sounds like maybe you're not finding the center of the face on your driver. At 103 SS you should find more distance. Choose a way to measure strike location and find out. 

 

I have a 13.5 BRNR as well and sometimes it gets out there as far as my 9* Rogue Max but that has been an occasional thing and not typical. Could have as much to do with headwind/tailwind or rolling out more or just making a more comfortable swing with the BRNR. I still feel like there's a gap between my max driver distance and my max BRNR distance, but it's not as much as might be assumed...maybe 10-15 yards. 

 

 

[Zitlow]

Is the mini driver club length shorter than your regular driver?

[HillbillyHoma]

49 minutes ago, me05501 said:

It sounds like maybe you're not finding the center of the face on your driver. At 103 SS you should find more distance. Choose a way to measure strike location and find out. 

 

I have a 13.5 BRNR as well and sometimes it gets out there as far as my 9* Rogue Max but that has been an occasional thing and not typical. Could have as much to do with headwind/tailwind or rolling out more or just making a more comfortable swing with the BRNR. I still feel like there's a gap between my max driver distance and my max BRNR distance, but it's not as much as might be assumed...maybe 10-15 yards. 

 

 

Strike location could definitely be the issue. I definitely hit the BRNR better. 

[HillbillyHoma]

14 minutes ago, Zitlow said:

Is the mini driver club length shorter than your regular driver?

BRNR plays at 43.75 while the Driver plays at 45.5

[Zitlow]

I took lessons from Mike Austin and Mike Dunaway. Austin's driver was 43.25" and Dunaway's was 44" both were D7. 

[glm]

maybe more club head speed with the mini driver or the stealth could have a crack in the face that you may or may not be able to see 

jmo

[Jayjay_theweim_guy]

2 hours ago, me05501 said:

It sounds like maybe you're not finding the center of the face on your driver. At 103 SS you should find more distance. Choose a way to measure strike location and find out. 

I know Howard's 8-iron shaft spinner trick thread is a sticky, maybe the Driver 101 thread should be as well?

[Righty to Lefty]

3 hours ago, jbeer7375 said:

I recently bought a 13.5 BRNR mini driver. It has a HZRDUS Smoke Blue RDX 6.0 70g and I hit it so well. My driver is a TM Stealth 10.5 lofted down to 9.25 with a ProForce V2 7f4 shaft. (SS is 103 mph) It feels dead off the face. They both go about 250 ish. Why is this? Driver shaft too heavy? Poor technique? 

Because your driver is ill fit and your mini is well fit for your needs.  Your driver is longer and has less loft than your mini thus your mini should not go as far. If two irons in your set were going the same distance it is because of the combo of the length, loft, and weight affecting your strike. The longer lever should go further until you reach the point of diminishing returns and breach your limit i.e. the club becoming too long or too heavy at a given loft.  

[MonteScheinblum]

4 hours ago, jbeer7375 said:

I recently bought a 13.5 BRNR mini driver. It has a HZRDUS Smoke Blue RDX 6.0 70g and I hit it so well. My driver is a TM Stealth 10.5 lofted down to 9.25 with a ProForce V2 7f4 shaft. (SS is 103 mph) It feels dead off the face. They both go about 250 ish. Why is this? Driver shaft too heavy? Poor technique? 

I can’t definitively say this is why for you, but many many golfers swing more level at mini drivers where the urge to dump the trail shoulder to hit up slows speed and makes it harder to hit it solid on the full size 

[Barfolomew]

2 hours ago, Jayjay_theweim_guy said:

I know Howard's 8-iron shaft spinner trick thread is a sticky, maybe the Driver 101 thread should be as well?

 

Where's the Driver 101 thread?

[Jayjay_theweim_guy]

52 minutes ago, Barfolomew said:

 

Where's the Driver 101 thread?

Whoops!  Driver DIY is the title.

[1oldAC]

On 8/16/2023 at 9:51 AM, MonteScheinblum said:

I can’t definitively say this is why for you, but many many golfers swing more level at mini drivers where the urge to dump the trail shoulder to hit up slows speed and makes it harder to hit it solid on the full size 

This 100 times. I bombed my driver for a bit with big tilt and upswing but it quickly got wild and I lost speed and confidence. The mini is an easier swing to produce, less head to square, and subconsciously you don’t over swing because you have s smaller face, and you are not expecting to hit it a mile. All that equals better swing and better contact. If I have to give up 10 measly yards to hit more fairways and also have a club that can hit a squeeze fade or fairway finder off the deck… I’m taking it. I have one 300 and one BRNR in place of driver and 3 wood in the winter. When it gets dry the low driver might get put back in… maybe. 

[me05501]

On 1/9/2024 at 11:18 PM, 1oldAC said:

This 100 times. I bombed my driver for a bit with big tilt and upswing but it quickly got wild and I lost speed and confidence. The mini is an easier swing to produce, less head to square, and subconsciously you don’t over swing because you have s smaller face, and you are not expecting to hit it a mile. All that equals better swing and better contact. If I have to give up 10 measly yards to hit more fairways and also have a club that can hit a squeeze fade or fairway finder off the deck… I’m taking it. I have one 300 and one BRNR in place of driver and 3 wood in the winter. When it gets dry the low driver might get put back in… maybe. 

 

 

I think part of the psychological stew that helps us hit the Mini better relies on having a driver in the bag. We have to make a conscious decision to gear down...gear down our swing, gear down our expectations, and get into a different headspace than we normally have swinging driver. 

 

I suspect if I dropped my driver and relied on my Mini as the longest club in the bag I would eventually start swinging it too hard and trying to max out distance. 

[1oldAC]

Yes…Already  happened to me. I have to concentrate on NOT swinging hard and act more like I’m hitting a hold off fade. The ball jumps and goes higher… and becomes a low spin bomb at times. And very straight. My course ha s only 3 holes that really require a  long drive…. so positioning at 220-240  is a course management issue. 

[kyledeen]

Big driver should be same lengthish to compare strikes to chime in with first group.  
 

I’m dad as hell and listen to a lot of Skynyrd so forgive me but isn’t big driver for cuts and mini driver for draws / off deck?    Or Is that over simplified?

Edited January 18 by kyledeen

[kyledeen]

Takes me back to high school when I rocked 2 War Bird drivers with mempho 10s.    An 8 and a 12.    The great old days.  

Edited January 18 by kyledeen

[Moss Hopper]

I had the same problem with my Ping G425 driver and 3 wood.  Ended up selling the 3 wood (guy who bought it was in from out of town and could only take the head) and getting a 5 wood that I threw on the 3 wood shaft to get a tad more distance.  Then got a 7 wood to fill the gap down to the 4 iron.  It took some experimenting but I like this setup.

[Rich Douglas]

I have played four versions of the TM Mini (The SLDR, The Original, the 300, and the BRNR). I love them and haven't carried a 3-wood since. But....

 

As my swing speed has slowed with age, the gap between the Mini and the driver has narrowed considerably. On Trackman I'm getting 255 (total) with the Mini and 265 with the newly-fitted PXG Black Ops. (So, I know a poor-fitting or damaged driver isn't the issue.) I've always used the Mini as my fairway finder since it's much more accurate. (Although the PXG is the most accurate driver I've ever hit.) 

 

I haven't played them both on the course much (I just got the PXG), so I suspect the difference is a bit greater there. (Phoenix, getting hot and dry in April, lots of roll.) But I don't know if it's worth it to bag both. (If I pull the driver, the Mini will be my only wood--hybrids at the 3- and 4-spot. But I don't think that affects this decision.) I have the Mini at standard loft; I guess I could go up. (I could try the driver at a lower loft, too.)

 

Ideas?

[Binson]

Most likely a negative angle of attack while delivering similar or greater dynamic loft than your mini driver.  Angle of Attack and Dynamic Loft are the key variables of spin-loft. 

 

More spin-loft, more spin. 

 

You can decrease spin-loft by hitting more upwards with your angle of attack while decreasing dynamic loft.  Then you'll likely see your driver go further than your mini-driver assuming similar or more speed on the driver. 

 

 

[angler99]

If you hit your mini driver longer at 13.5 degrees, why would you put your driver down to 9.5 degrees?  Have you tried to hit a higher lofted driver to compare to your mini driver?  I don't feel like you are comparing apples to apples. 103mph swing speed isn't anything to laugh at and is much faster than the average, but I doubt it's high enough to have a sub 10.5 degree loft on your driver.

[Rich Douglas]

Did some more work on an empty course today. The driver performs better than what I was getting on Trackman (with range balls but also with the compensation setting on), and gets out there about 20 yards farther than the Mini. Also, I bumped up my Mini to 15.5 (from 13.5) and really liked the ball flight and improved accuracy. I feel I have a much better gap than I was getting on Trackman. Both will stay in the bag.

[Floris]

On 8/16/2023 at 2:50 PM, me05501 said:

It sounds like maybe you're not finding the center of the face on your driver. At 103 SS you should find more distance. Choose a way to measure strike location and find out. 

 

I have a 13.5 BRNR as well and sometimes it gets out there as far as my 9* Rogue Max but that has been an occasional thing and not typical. Could have as much to do with headwind/tailwind or rolling out more or just making a more comfortable swing with the BRNR. I still feel like there's a gap between my max driver distance and my max BRNR distance, but it's not as much as might be assumed...maybe 10-15 yards. 

 

 

I'm absolutely willing to offer 10-15 yards (or meters) just for the added confidence, and thus more fairways. 

 

I already hit it far enough, a little less won't hurt me, more fairways would help me. No brainer!

 

Having said that, I will be playing the BRNR with a bit of a longer shaft: 44-44,5". If that doesn't work out, I can cut off a bit 😛

Edited April 17 by Floris