2024 Taylormade Mini Driver spin issues

[Whiskey48]

Needing some advice. I have a 2024 Taylormade mini driver 13.5

set at 11.5 with heavy weight forward. My problem is even with this I’m getting spin rates of 4500-5000 I’m trying to get this down to a spin rate of about 2500-3000. The current shaft I have in it is a tour spec pro 2.0 8x butt cut to length “43.75”. It’s a low low shaft but I didn’t expect it to spin up this much. While I was getting these numbers I asked one of the workers to bring me there lowest launch and spin shaft. The only thing they had was a hzrdous black gen 4 70g x stiff. After about 10 hits with that it was a noticable improvement hovering around 3750. Where can I go from there? I was thinking about just going up to the next stiffest shaft I can think of and that being hzrdous green small batch 70 6.5tx. Any advice would help 

Edited April 21 by Whiskey48

[PNW]

What’s your club path and ball flight like? 

[Whiskey48]

8 minutes ago, PNW said:

What’s your club path and ball flight like? 

Pretty much neutral. I can hover left of path or right depending on what shot I’m trying to hit. My miss right now is high and right. I’m basing these numbers off of the good shots I hit out of these groups. So my misses would only exaggerate these numbers 

[PNW]

Interesting. I have the one from 2023 which I assume is constructed the same as the 2024 one. I also previously had a 300 mini. I’ve found them to only spin a few hundred rpm more than my 9* TSR3. The 11.5 mini seemed like it was truly a driver replacement option vs the 13.5 more like a 2 wood for gapping. I have a HZRDUS GEN 4 Black 70 6.5 in mine now and it’s definitely not high spin. 

[Whiskey48]

17 minutes ago, PNW said:

Interesting. I have the one from 2023 which I assume is constructed the same as the 2024 one. I also previously had a 300 mini. I’ve found them to only spin a few hundred rpm more than my 9* TSR3. The 11.5 mini seemed like it was truly a driver replacement option vs the 13.5 more like a 2 wood for gapping. I have a HZRDUS GEN 4 Black 70 6.5 in mine now and it’s definitely not high spin. 

All the videos I’ve seen have indicated that. I just don’t know whether me cutting the shaft down effected it that much, or if that shaft in general was a bit to little for me. Do you hit it with a neutral AOA? I know for me I’m about 3-5 up on it which I know will add spin but not as much I was expecting 

[WristySwing]

3 hours ago, Whiskey48 said:

Needing some advice. I have a 2024 Taylormade mini driver 13.5

set at 11.5 with heavy weight forward. My problem is even with this I’m getting spin rates of 4500-5000 I’m trying to get this down to a spin rate of about 2500-3000. The current shaft I have in it is a tour spec pro 2.0 8x butt cut to length “43.75”. It’s a low low shaft but I didn’t expect it to spin up this much. While I was getting these numbers I asked one of the workers to bring me there lowest launch and spin shaft. The only thing they had was a hzrdous black gen 4 70g x stiff. After about 10 hits with that it was a noticable improvement hovering around 3750. Where can I go from there? I was thinking about just going up to the next stiffest shaft I can think of and that being hzrdous green small batch 70 6.5tx. Any advice would help 

 

Based on your description of your club path it sounds like you're bashing it off the heel (assuming RH) with a high, spinney shot to the right. Sounds like something about this combo may have you coming a bit out-in on it OR you're hitting up on it too much.  First thing is to check the impact location.  If you are hitting it dead on the screws and getting 4500, then it's time to change balls to something like ProV1x left dash, TP5X, Chrome Soft LS, Z-Star XV. If that still doesn't drop it, you need to switch heads to the 11.5* and possibly even loft it down as low as it will go. An 11.5* stated head will spin less than a 13.5* head set to 11.5*.

 

Edited April 22 by WristySwing

[Whiskey48]

4 minutes ago, WristySwing said:

 

Based on your description of your club path it sounds like you're bashing it off the heel (assuming RH) with a high, spinney shot to the right. Sounds like something about this combo may have you coming a bit out-in on it OR you're hitting up on it too much.  First thing is to check the impact location.  If you are hitting it dead on the screws and getting 4500, then it's time to change balls to something like ProV1x left dash, TP5X, Chrome Soft LS, Z-Star XV. If that still doesn't drop it, you need to switch heads to the 11.5* and possibly even loft it down as low as it will go. An 11.5* stated head will spin less than a 13.5* head set to 11.5*.

 

Everything was basically centered. It’s gonna be hard to change balls when everything else in my bag suits a prov1x. You don’t think a shaft change would make a difference?

[Avidswampthing66]

1 hour ago, Whiskey48 said:

Everything was basically centered. It’s gonna be hard to change balls when everything else in my bag suits a prov1x. You don’t think a shaft change would make a difference?

As the saying goes "shafts don't spin" however a shaft can deflect more or less changing the dynamics of the AoA and strike.  If it's a bad fit, it could be spinning up on you.  

[Pnwpingi210]

2 hours ago, Whiskey48 said:

Everything was basically centered. It’s gonna be hard to change balls when everything else in my bag suits a prov1x. You don’t think a shaft change would make a difference?

Shafts might help.  What do you okay in driver and other fairways?

 

Did you add weight to the head to compensate for the shorter shaft?  Also I think the tour spec 2.0 is also a high balance point shaft as well.  Both of those could amount to a significant change in swingweight and how you deliver the face.

Edited April 22 by Pnwpingi210

[Whiskey48]

15 minutes ago, Avidswampthing66 said:

As the saying goes "shafts don't spin" however a shaft can deflect more or less changing the dynamics of the AoA and strike.  If it's a bad fit, it could be spinning up on you.  

I guess I need to be hitting it more like a 3 wood then. Keep that AOA around 0-1. I’ll give that a go with the current set up. Even with the 3500-4000 spin rates I was getting with the black shaft I was getting carries of 270-280 which are definite fairway finder and the distance is good. I’m just more so worried about the windy days. 

[WristySwing]

1 hour ago, Whiskey48 said:

Everything was basically centered. It’s gonna be hard to change balls when everything else in my bag suits a prov1x. You don’t think a shaft change would make a difference?

 

As @Avidswampthing66 said (awesome username btw!) shafts generally don't spin.  It's the sensation you get from the shaft that manipulates your delivery of dynamic loft that causes the change. It's why you can get a very high swing speed guy like Rory playing Ventus TR Blue (generally mid spin and a bit softer tip relative to Black or white profiles) but a comparative puffball like Furyk playing the same shaft (and similar weights and flexes).  It's all about what feels good to you and lets you hit those numbers.

[Valtiel]

Agreed with the guys above. It gets harped on a lot here but for good reason because people still bark up the wrong tree when it comes to manipulating spin. I legitimately have not thought about shafts as they related to either launch or spin in since....2016 maybe? Shafts are and can only ever be a feel/timing tool that in turn can impact dynamic loft, which combined with strike point are the only two things that ultimately matter when it comes to spin. If you're striking the ball fairly centered as you say (you'll need to confirm this with impact tape or foot spray on the face) then you're presenting excess dynamic loft for reasons that the shaft can impact *a little* but that are likely a product of your mechanics.

If you can get launch monitor data that includes dynamic loft, club path, AoA, and launch angle then we can determine exactly where your spin is coming from. Either numbers like this from something like GCQuad:



Or like this from Trackman:


 

[Chrischo555]

100% agree with a lot of the guys above me. Shaft only impacts your swing and your swing then impacts your launch and spin. Fit shaft for contact and alter club loft and ball for the launch numbers you want. If the mini driver is spinning that much for you and it is reliable data (preferably with a launch monitor at least at the tier of a mevo+, gc3, gcquad, trackman. Wouldn't trust spin numbers from more affordable models) I would say the club ain't for you. Could try the 11.5 deg model turned down to 10.5 or lower. Don't be scared to turn the loft down more than you're used to in order to hit the spin window you need.

 

[Cwebb]

20 hours ago, Whiskey48 said:

Needing some advice. I have a 2024 Taylormade mini driver 13.5

set at 11.5 with heavy weight forward. My problem is even with this I’m getting spin rates of 4500-5000 I’m trying to get this down to a spin rate of about 2500-3000. The current shaft I have in it is a tour spec pro 2.0 8x butt cut to length “43.75”. It’s a low low shaft but I didn’t expect it to spin up this much. While I was getting these numbers I asked one of the workers to bring me there lowest launch and spin shaft. The only thing they had was a hzrdous black gen 4 70g x stiff. After about 10 hits with that it was a noticable improvement hovering around 3750. Where can I go from there? I was thinking about just going up to the next stiffest shaft I can think of and that being hzrdous green small batch 70 6.5tx. Any advice would help 

 

Are these numbers off the deck or off a tee?

[Whiskey48]

19 hours ago, Valtiel said:

Agreed with the guys above. It gets harped on a lot here but for good reason because people still bark up the wrong tree when it comes to manipulating spin. I legitimately have not thought about shafts as they related to either launch or spin in since....2016 maybe? Shafts are and can only ever be a feel/timing tool that in turn can impact dynamic loft, which combined with strike point are the only two things that ultimately matter when it comes to spin. If you're striking the ball fairly centered as you say (you'll need to confirm this with impact tape or foot spray on the face) then you're presenting excess dynamic loft for reasons that the shaft can impact *a little* but that are likely a product of your mechanics.

If you can get launch monitor data that includes dynamic loft, club path, AoA, and launch angle then we can determine exactly where your spin is coming from. Either numbers like this from something like GCQuad:



Or like this from Trackman:


 

I’m familiar with both of these. As people have mentioned above and what I’m gathering. 1. Shafts don’t dictate spin. I get that. I do like how you guys are putting that though and I’ll pass that tid bit on. 2. Mechanics. As stated and from what I saw on foresight. I am adding loft at impact with a positive AOA. I didn’t pay attention to my dynamic loft though which I’m sure is high given my spin rates. I’m not blaming the tech I have in my hands for this issue I was just shocked because my other clubs weren’t following suit.

3. I’ll look back at my swing for faults 👌🏼

I’ll experiment and get back to this topic with updates on track man or foresight. In the end im not extremely worried. This shaft I got was free since it was originally intended for my 5 wood. The seller accidentally sent me a wrong length shaft and it happened to fit length wise in my mini driver. This club was meant to be a fairway finder and I don’t necessarily mind it being a higher spin club. Just not that much as I intending. I’m sure with tweaks I’ll turn my 5000 spin mini carrying 265-270 into a 3000 spin mini carrying 285-290 😎

[Whiskey48]

7 hours ago, Cwebb said:

 

Are these numbers off the deck or off a tee?

Tee

[Cwebb]

51 minutes ago, Whiskey48 said:

I’m familiar with both of these. As people have mentioned above and what I’m gathering. 1. Shafts don’t dictate spin. I get that. I do like how you guys are putting that though and I’ll pass that tid bit on. 2. Mechanics. As stated and from what I saw on foresight. I am adding loft at impact with a positive AOA. I didn’t pay attention to my dynamic loft though which I’m sure is high given my spin rates. I’m not blaming the tech I have in my hands for this issue I was just shocked because my other clubs weren’t following suit.

3. I’ll look back at my swing for faults 👌🏼

I’ll experiment and get back to this topic with updates on track man or foresight. In the end im not extremely worried. This shaft I got was free since it was originally intended for my 5 wood. The seller accidentally sent me a wrong length shaft and it happened to fit length wise in my mini driver. This club was meant to be a fairway finder and I don’t necessarily mind it being a higher spin club. Just not that much as I intending. I’m sure with tweaks I’ll turn my 5000 spin mini carrying 265-270 into a 3000 spin mini carrying 285-290 😎

 

Don't settle for a "2 wood" that spins that much.  Where is your impact pattern on the face.  You can't really proceed with anything, until you've established where exactly your impact is

[Pnwpingi210]

1 hour ago, Whiskey48 said:

I’m familiar with both of these. As people have mentioned above and what I’m gathering. 1. Shafts don’t dictate spin. I get that. I do like how you guys are putting that though and I’ll pass that tid bit on. 2. Mechanics. As stated and from what I saw on foresight. I am adding loft at impact with a positive AOA. I didn’t pay attention to my dynamic loft though which I’m sure is high given my spin rates. I’m not blaming the tech I have in my hands for this issue I was just shocked because my other clubs weren’t following suit.

3. I’ll look back at my swing for faults 👌🏼

I’ll experiment and get back to this topic with updates on track man or foresight. In the end im not extremely worried. This shaft I got was free since it was originally intended for my 5 wood. The seller accidentally sent me a wrong length shaft and it happened to fit length wise in my mini driver. This club was meant to be a fairway finder and I don’t necessarily mind it being a higher spin club. Just not that much as I intending. I’m sure with tweaks I’ll turn my 5000 spin mini carrying 265-270 into a 3000 spin mini carrying 285-290 😎

What’s the current swing weight of the 5k spinning mini? 

[Frank_Kasule]

In my experience with the 11.5°, turning it down to 9.5° gave me a bit more of a fade. I then discovered by mistake that there is an upright setting on the shaft, which I decided to try. This takes it back to 11.5° but suddenly I was hitting real bombs with longer carry and a nice mid to low ball flight. 

 

Given that you are getting a miss high and right, I would try the upright setting and see how that works out for you. 

[Whiskey48]

8 hours ago, Cwebb said:

 

Don't settle for a "2 wood" that spins that much.  Where is your impact pattern on the face.  You can't really proceed with anything, until you've established where exactly your impact is

Its center if anything barely low of center. I know this isn’t from spray or tape but foresight showed me impact location and the majority were around the middle

[Valtiel]

10 hours ago, Whiskey48 said:

As stated and from what I saw on foresight. I am adding loft at impact with a positive AOA. I didn’t pay attention to my dynamic loft though which I’m sure is high given my spin rates.

 

4 minutes ago, Whiskey48 said:

Its center if anything barely low of center. I know this isn’t from spray or tape but foresight showed me impact location and the majority were around the middle

Nice grouping! In the past you might say that this was maybe half a groove low, but so many current TM fairway/mini driver head designs (this one included) have very low CG thanks to the giant steel sole plate, hence them pushing "off the deck" performance, so these strikes aren't concerning from a spin standpoint. You could cut spin if strike was raised slightly, but based on what you said in the quote above it's likely more of a delivery issue. Presenting excessive loft when trying to hit up on the ball is a common oopsie, especially since stupid golf myths have drilled into people's minds that positive AoA = low spin while ignoring the fact that to achieve said AoA it is very common to get flippy and let the club pass the hands too much, creating high launch and higher spin. 

[Whiskey48]

4 minutes ago, Valtiel said:

 

Nice grouping! In the past you might say that this was maybe half a groove low, but so many current TM fairway/mini driver head designs (this one included) have very low CG thanks to the giant steel sole plate, hence them pushing "off the deck" performance, so these strikes aren't concerning from a spin standpoint. You could cut spin if strike was raised slightly, but based on what you said in the quote above it's likely more of a delivery issue. Presenting excessive loft when trying to hit up on the ball is a common oopsie, especially since stupid golf myths have drilled into people's minds that positive AoA = low spin while ignoring the fact that to achieve said AoA it is very common to get flippy and let the club pass the hands too much, creating high launch and higher spin. 

It’s been a fault of mine even my irons can creep into the positives. I guess I know what I need to work on. The only thing I’m still shocked is that none of my other clubs are really doing irons or woods this which is why I asked about the shaft since I didn’t tip it I butt trimmed down to a playing length of 43.5. My driver is still low spin and even when I was in the bay testing that mini out he gave me the new g430lst with a ventus black 7x and I was getting 2000-2500rpm with a launch of 10-12. No new swing thoughts when doing that. 

[Cwebb]

4 hours ago, Whiskey48 said:

It’s been a fault of mine even my irons can creep into the positives. I guess I know what I need to work on. The only thing I’m still shocked is that none of my other clubs are really doing irons or woods this which is why I asked about the shaft since I didn’t tip it I butt trimmed down to a playing length of 43.5. My driver is still low spin and even when I was in the bay testing that mini out he gave me the new g430lst with a ventus black 7x and I was getting 2000-2500rpm with a launch of 10-12. No new swing thoughts when doing that. 

 

This, along with your good impact pattern, is making it sound like the club just does not fit you.  For whatever reason.

 

Nobody on tour would add a club like this, if they have to put a completely different swing on it, in order to get an acceptable flight

Edited April 23 by Cwebb

[Whiskey48]

51 minutes ago, Cwebb said:

 

This, along with your good impact pattern, is making it sound like the club just does not fit you.  For whatever reason.

 

Nobody on tour would add a club like this, if they have to put a completely different swing on it, in order to get an acceptable flight

Rory and Tommy fleet both have been using it. I gave it a try simply because I don’t use anything after my 5 wood until I get to driver. I simply toyed with this idea because I think it would be valuable to have since it’s a shorter compact “driver” that I still can get 290 out of (hopefully if I can get the spin rate to come down to 2500-3000). I’ve never been a huge fun of 3 woods because the only time id use a 3 wood is a when

i needed a long second shot into a par 5. Which in my area there’s really nothing I can’t get to without a long iron or 5 wood. It’s not always gonna be in the bag but I have a few courses around my area where distance isn’t necessary and accuracy takes over and that’s why I liked it. If I can get it to behave or my swing issues can’t be improved then it’ll be up on eBay 😂

[Cwebb]

1 minute ago, Whiskey48 said:

Rory and Tommy fleet both have been using it. I gave it a try simply because I don’t use anything after my 5 wood until I get to driver. I simply toyed with this idea because I think it would be valuable to have since it’s a shorter compact “driver” that I still can get 290 out of (hopefully if I can get the spin rate to come down to 2500-3000). I’ve never been a huge fun of 3 woods because the only time id use a 3 wood is a when

i needed a long second shot into a par 5. Which in my area there’s really nothing I can’t get to without a long iron or 5 wood. It’s not always gonna be in the bag but I have a few courses around my area where distance isn’t necessary and accuracy takes over and that’s why I liked it. If I can get it to behave or my swing issues can’t be improved then it’ll be up on eBay 😂

 

They're not having the issues you are.  For whatever reason.

 

You might be better off with a low spin 3 wood.....even if it's only for tee shots.

[Whiskey48]

34 minutes ago, Cwebb said:

 

They're not having the issues you are.  For whatever reason.

 

You might be better off with a low spin 3 wood.....even if it's only for tee shots.

You’re right, I’m sure I’ll figure it out.

[R_Swanson]

2 hours ago, Whiskey48 said:

Rory and Tommy fleet both have been using it. I gave it a try simply because I don’t use anything after my 5 wood until I get to driver. I simply toyed with this idea because I think it would be valuable to have since it’s a shorter compact “driver” that I still can get 290 out of (hopefully if I can get the spin rate to come down to 2500-3000). I’ve never been a huge fun of 3 woods because the only time id use a 3 wood is a when

i needed a long second shot into a par 5. Which in my area there’s really nothing I can’t get to without a long iron or 5 wood. It’s not always gonna be in the bag but I have a few courses around my area where distance isn’t necessary and accuracy takes over and that’s why I liked it. If I can get it to behave or my swing issues can’t be improved then it’ll be up on eBay 😂

 

I didn't notice it in Rory's bag after the first day at the RBC.  He was hitting it horrible.

Its not in his bag this week at Zurich.

[Whiskey48]

So after some practice and new swing thoughts my spins come down to a better range. It was definitely a little bit of an issue where I was adding more loft at impact. I got into the bay again and my spin is now around 3000. Is it still a little high… of course especially with the weight forward and loft down but it’s now playable. Today at the course I was averaging 290-300 with heavy winds and was pretty happy with it. I’m sure with time all of my clubs will have a better dynamic loft at impact. Thanks for the help

[Ben B]

44 minutes ago, Whiskey48 said:

So after some practice and new swing thoughts my spins come down to a better range. It was definitely a little bit of an issue where I was adding more loft at impact. I got into the bay again and my spin is now around 3000. Is it still a little high… of course especially with the weight forward and loft down but it’s now playable. Today at the course I was averaging 290-300 with heavy winds and was pretty happy with it. I’m sure with time all of my clubs will have a better dynamic loft at impact. Thanks for the help

Out of curiosity, what happens when you set it at 13.5* or even plus 1 at 14.5*

[Whiskey48]

9 minutes ago, Ben B said:

Out of curiosity, what happens when you set it at 13.5* or even plus 1 at 14.5*

I havent messed with going up in loft. I’ve always liked my faces to sit open. I’m sure I’d spin it a touch more and launch would go up. The past two times I went out it’s been working great. Easy to work left or right and playable so I’m not gonna mess with settings for a bit