Bent mini replacing my driver

[Andypro1978]

Hi everyone- I am new to the site but always love reading all your equipment thoughts😀

 

A bit of background- I am a mid 40’s (now closer to 50’s!!) player - have played since mid 1980’s and have played to a reasonable standard since 1990.

 

i have been in a bit of a lull recently and on reading posts here regarding g the mini drivers I decided to grab one when the new release came live a couple of weeks ago.

 

i have always been a reasonable driver- carry around 260yds and maxing out to 280ish yds in the summer- but occasionally lose confidence.

 

in comes the bent mini- I bought the 13.5 degree head with a view to replacing my 3 wood and driver.

 

wow- 10yds short of driver but can’t miss the centre of the fairway and super easy to hit from the deck- going 250 with role.

 

has anyone completely ditched their driver for one of these?

 

my index is currently +3 and wondering if anyone of a similar level has done the same- my coach says it’s a bad idea but I am not sure

[Andypro1978]

Sorry - should read bRNR mini driver!! Predictive text🤪🤪

[blades_are_life]

 

2 hours ago, Andypro1978 said:

my coach says it’s a bad idea but I am not sure

If he gave you any reasoning for this that would be useful to know.

Edited April 29 by blades_are_life

[Andypro1978]

He suggested the loss of yardage with mini driver over normal driver would statistically mean my approach shots would be further from the hole and resulting in lower putts made.

 

i love the idea of the mini but unsure if it’s the right path to go along- I don’t have space for both driver and mini so need to decide which will be better for my game- the more versatile mini or the distance gain from full driver?

[mat562]

If you're only ten yards short of a driver, and hitting more fairways, I'd argue that it should be pretty potent scoring weapon, regardless of what the perceived wisdom may be about hitting the ball as far as you can these days.

 

You may be hitting in one club more, but as the great Colin Montgomerie used to say, 'If you drive the ball straight, it makes the game easy - because they cut the grass for you.'

[Andypro1978]

Thanks mat562- I will give it a couple of weeks and see how my scoring is.

I can see the logic both ways- being in fairway v as far as you can into rough- both have advantages and disadvantages.

 

Has anyone removed driver completely for a mini driver and seen any discernible difference in scoring?

[MN Moose]

In your original post you said that the mini would replace both your driver and 3 wood, essentially making 2 clubs into one.  Yet you said in another post that you don't have room for both a mini and a driver...  I think you should try to make room.  Kind of like when Mickelson used two drivers back in 2006.  Use the Driver when it's wide open with no trouble and bring out the mini when it's tighter and have to hit the fairway.

[Maine Golfer]

I'd rather be in the fairway 

[thedoorman02]

5 minutes ago, MN Moose said:

In your original post you said that the mini would replace both your driver and 3 wood, essentially making 2 clubs into one.  Yet you said in another post that you don't have room for both a mini and a driver...  I think you should try to make room.  Kind of like when Mickelson used two drivers back in 2006.  Use the Driver when it's wide open with no trouble and bring out the mini when it's tighter and have to hit the fairway.

This is what I do. BRNR if trouble is possible and let Driver rip on wide open holes.  It's been a perfect combo.

[Andypro1978]

I would like to carry both driver and mini but have a very wedge heavy set up- I think I may reduce wedge set so I can go with driver on open holes- just need to decide which wedge to drop!!

[gvogel]

How long is the course that you play?  If it is on the shorter/tighter side, you could certainly benefit from playing the MINI as your driver.

[MN Moose]

What is your current wedge setup?

[NRJyzr]

8 hours ago, Andypro1978 said:

Hi everyone- I am new to the site but always love reading all your equipment thoughts😀

 

A bit of background- I am a mid 40’s (now closer to 50’s!!) player - have played since mid 1980’s and have played to a reasonable standard since 1990.

 

i have been in a bit of a lull recently and on reading posts here regarding g the mini drivers I decided to grab one when the new release came live a couple of weeks ago.

 

i have always been a reasonable driver- carry around 260yds and maxing out to 280ish yds in the summer- but occasionally lose confidence.

 

in comes the bent mini- I bought the 13.5 degree head with a view to replacing my 3 wood and driver.

 

wow- 10yds short of driver but can’t miss the centre of the fairway and super easy to hit from the deck- going 250 with role.

 

has anyone completely ditched their driver for one of these?

 

my index is currently +3 and wondering if anyone of a similar level has done the same- my coach says it’s a bad idea but I am not sure

 

I have each of the last three iterations of the TM Mini, the Original One, the 300 Mini, and the 23 version of the BRNR.  In each instance, I've picked them up as a driver replacement.  All three are the 11.5 model, and all three are played with them tuned down somewhat, ranging from 9.5* to 10.5*, depending on which adapter is in play and how I'm feeling with the shaft in it at the moment.

 

Small background:  I've spent the last 17 seasons bouncing between 5 and 9 hdcp.  Turned 60 last fall.  In the years I've had the mini, my swingspeed has been dropping, probably around 103-105 (with rare glimpses of the past) when I got the OO, to 98-100 last fall.  Fittings and various testing shows that my swingspeed is at its maximum at 43" to 43.5".  And...  I'm not accurate off the tee, it's been my biggest problem in golf; it's hard to score when you're punching out several times a round.  Or worse.

 

A last background piece, my tee game has always been better when I've played persimmon or laminate drivers.  Enormously more accurate, almost comically so.  Even at my peak speed (110-113), I didn't lose much distance with them over my Ti drivers (which was probably related to my spin rate off the tee, on the high side).  I've always done better with smaller iron clubheads, and apparently it's also true off the tee.

 

With all that, when the OO came out, and was discovered to not have the spin issues of earlier minis like the SLDR and Aeroburner, I took a shot.  Found it worked amazingly well as my driver replacement.  I found fairways much more often, and more importantly, I wasn't in the trees nearly as often.

 

Tried the 300 because of the buzz around it, relating to its relative performance over the OO, and found it similar.  The BRNR was picked up in part because of the dual weight potential; I like my drivers heavy and no longer than 43.5", much easier to accomplish with a second weight.  Haven't tried it yet, though.

 

I *have* hit the 300 off the deck, even playing it at 10*, found it worked surprisingly well.  I'm pretty short these days, relatively speaking, but I got the ball advanced farther than my 3w with no directional issues.  Haven't tried with the BRNR yet.

 

Sorry for the length.  it's what I do.  LOL

 

Edited April 29 by NRJyzr

[Binson]

There is definitely general potential lost when you give up on Driver.  But, that is general potential.  If your currently reality is you don't want to work on Driver and you hit mini driver well sufficiently long (which 250 is from the whites), then you will improve in the immediate sense by maximizing your current potential. 

 

Do you give up general potential? Yes. But, you're making the most of your current potential by playing the clubs you hit best right now. 

[mat562]

18 hours ago, Andypro1978 said:

Thanks mat562- I will give it a couple of weeks and see how my scoring is.

I can see the logic both ways- being in fairway v as far as you can into rough- both have advantages and disadvantages.

 

Has anyone removed driver completely for a mini driver and seen any discernible difference in scoring?

 

Back in my youth I played a lot of golf on heathland courses in the UK. In summer those courses were fast running, and played quite short. I always carried a strong 3-wood, with 13 degrees of loft. It wasn't a mini driver; in fact it had a head size of about 125 cc, and was probably akin to one of today's very strong-lofted hybrids in appearance. In the summer though, I could hit a flat draw with it that ran out and went a long way. I played several summers' worth of golf, at a decent competitive level, and took the driver out regularly for a lot of those rounds, carrying just my spoon and then a 1-iron to lob wedge set-up. I was probably losing no more than 20 yards versus a driver, at most, and often not losing much at all, as well as keeping the ball in the fairway more often as a result.

 

Along with hitting a lot of long irons off the tee on holes where placement was key, I shot some of my best rounds with that set-up. Yes, the courses facilitated it, as well as the firm, bouncy conditions and the fact that I had a body that wasn't beaten up and aching like it is now, but I saw no appreciable drop off in scoring by leaving the driver out of the bag. In fact, I'd wager it probably improved things. Mine didn't even have a whacking great big face with a sweet spot the size of a brick. It was the usual sort of late 80s/early 90s sized sweet spot more the size of a dime, and the balls were wound ones that would curve off-line if you hit them a bit wonky.

 

I wasn't a bad driver; I was actually pretty solid and accurate from the tee, as well as being decently long. But I wasn't hitting into the rough as often, or driving through doglegs, and was giving more thought to placing the ball in an optimal spot from the tee which improved - or certainly didn't hurt - my scoring. Each to their own, but I'd always take a 7-iron from a level lie in the fairway than an 8-iron from the rough; even the wispy, beige-coloured stuff on a UK heathland course in the summer.

 

 

Edited April 30 by mat562

[blades_are_life]

9 hours ago, Andypro1978 said:

He suggested the loss of yardage with mini driver over normal driver would statistically mean my approach shots would be further from the hole and resulting in lower putts made.

 

i love the idea of the mini but unsure if it’s the right path to go along- I don’t have space for both driver and mini so need to decide which will be better for my game- the more versatile mini or the distance gain from full driver?

Gotta measure yardage loss vs. accuracy increase. Go with your intuition over what your coach tells you would be my general advice however.

[Andypro1978]

Have decided to keep full driver in play and remove my 4 wood to make space for the mini driver- I rarely use the 4 wood.

 

There is a big gap between the mini and my 3 iron but the yards covered by this gap I never really have either from the tee or into a green.

 

i think the mini driver will make a huge improvement to scoring once ground conditions firm up and I can squeeze a lower runner off the tee with it.

 

thanks for all the comments and advice - some points I would never have considered otherwise

[Hammer_Hands]

I often play a persimmon driver, which is probably more than ten yards shorter than my modern driver and I see no major impact on scoring.  I've even shot some of my lowest scores playing persimmon.

[ode]

FYI, you are able to change the thread title! 

[Andypro1978]

Last weekend played without 4 wood as I mentioned in my earlier post and found I needed it more than I thought I would!! Going to look into either a 5 or 7 wood to replace the 4 wood as the 4 wood gets pretty close to the mini brnr

 

i used the mini on 4 holes and it was faultless - 250 middle of the fairway - on holes I normally struggle with driver.

 

may remove the 3 iron as the mini is a much more useful driver replacement 

[ShortGolfer]

The other factor with long clubs is staying on the green.  A high lofted wood may stick greens while a lower lofted wood or 3 iron may bounce off the green.

Bouncing off a green is often worse than not reaching the green, as greens are often tilted forward to better catch the ball and reward players for a good approach shots.

Chipping back onto a downslope is not an easy shot.

[radiman]

I opted to dump my 3w for the 13.5 BRNR.  I still want to use standard driver but need something that is shorter and more accurate.  Not trying to say it's more forgiving than my driver.  But with the much more shallow face, being able to tee it low and make a really controlled swing to flight it low is huge for me.  I suck at hitting my driver low.  I just can't do anything but hit way up on the ball with it so if I try to flight it, it's going to hit the bottom of the face and be a weak cut or worse, top the ever living sh*t out of it.  

 

I had some back issues last year.  Went through some big life changes and didn't have much time to dedicate to the game.  So, I was absolutely struggling with driver.  I hit the last BRNR and it was really promising to begin with.  I got an 11.5 and found it much easier to control the face.  I had it built to 45".  And it was going to replace my driver.  The added loft and spin seemed promising since it didn't balloon like an 11.5 driver would have for me.  But, on my bad days, the lack of real estate was really hard to overcome.  A standard driver is going to be more forgiving.  Maybe if I had gone with a shorter build, it would have ended differently.  But, it ended up being a failed experiment for me. 

 

I don't really find myself needing a 3w off the deck, and like my driver, my AoA is not great (not as bad, but struggle to hit a solid 3w off the ground).  In the simulator the past month, I found the BRNR to be really easy to get in the air for what it is.  It's a flat flight and I don't know if I would trust it during a round.  But, it's at least possible.  

 

I don't know what your bag makeup is.  But, as a +3 handicap, I assume you are able to hit driver pretty dang good for the most part.  And, completely removing 10 yards off the table on every single hole may not be the best idea IMO.  I would explore the idea of compiling the top end a bit.  If you carry a 3 and 5 wood, maybe get a 4w and just get used to choking down on it a bit to take some distance off.  

 

I think the BRNR is amazing for my game and what I need out of that spot.  Not for everyone no doubt.  But I think ditching driver is a big decision.  Especially at your skill level. 

[Arlin964]

I ordered one of the new BRNR minis a couple weeks ago.  It came within a week, which is impressive considering I custom ordered it with 1/2" tipping.

 

I got it because I have been struggling so bad with my driver the last two years.  Just to paint the picture, you know how Scottie Scheffler would win every tournament he enters even if just putts average?  Keeping in mind I'm an 11 handicap, that's how bad I struggle with driver.  If I could just be decent and keep driver in play, I'd probably be a 7 or 8.  It's that bad.  Not only do I lose strokes due to penalties and lost balls, but even when the ball IS in play, I'm in such bad position that I'm putting a lot of pressure on my approach game.  Which then puts pressure on my short game.  Which makes me even angrier considering that driving used to be the strongest part of my game.

 

I got so fed up with my driver yesterday that I'm committed to leaving it at home next week when I play 9, and I'll see how the BRNR mini works for me.

[J13]

Most think they hit a mini better but it's not the head it's the length.  Try a driver at 44" and enjoy the best of both worlds.

[Arlin964]

1 minute ago, J13 said:

Most think they hit a mini better but it's not the head it's the length.  Try a driver at 44" and enjoy the best of both worlds.

You are likely right. I like playing my long clubs shorter than standard. It works for my hybrids, 5 wood, and 3 wood. 
 

Anytime I’ve gotten fit for driver, most fitters are reluctant to go as short as what I think I should. And anytime I’ve purchased a fit driver, it normally comes at least 1/4” longer, sometimes 1/2” longer, than what I remember we’ve settled on. 
 

But then with expensive shafts, I’m also reluctant to cut them shorter in case I still have the same problem. I can cut graphite shafts myself, but it still doesn’t change the fact I’m altering a $250+ component that really can’t be un-altered. 

[Andypro1978]

I have put some time in with the mini driver off the deck this weekend with pretty good results - a little low flight but predictable and accurate- 235 carry rolling out to 250ish with a 38 degree land angle and peak height of 80 feet.

 

I am toying with using mini as only fairway wood followed by driving iron u500 then 4 iron down.

 

i don’t have too many fairway wood shots a round and if I did I could cut the mini driver to reduce distance and softer landing if hitting into a green as well as draw a low spinner for distance when the ground firms up if the tee

 

exciting times😀 love toying with set up

 

[gentles]

On 5/11/2024 at 5:33 AM, J13 said:

Most think they hit a mini better but it's not the head it's the length.  Try a driver at 44" and enjoy the best of both worlds.

I think this is the way. Marty Jertson from Ping did a witb recently and he has a g430 max 12* head playing at 42.5 inches or so in the 3w/mini slot in addition to full driver 

 

if you strip back the mini to wanting a club that goes shorter than a driver and can be engineered to favour a certain flight it makes way more sense to just have 2 different driver heads in play to get full benefit of 460cc tech 

 

 

[Arlin964]

On 5/10/2024 at 10:16 AM, Arlin964 said:

I ordered one of the new BRNR minis a couple weeks ago.  It came within a week, which is impressive considering I custom ordered it with 1/2" tipping.

 

I got it because I have been struggling so bad with my driver the last two years.  Just to paint the picture, you know how Scottie Scheffler would win every tournament he enters even if just putts average?  Keeping in mind I'm an 11 handicap, that's how bad I struggle with driver.  If I could just be decent and keep driver in play, I'd probably be a 7 or 8.  It's that bad.  Not only do I lose strokes due to penalties and lost balls, but even when the ball IS in play, I'm in such bad position that I'm putting a lot of pressure on my approach game.  Which then puts pressure on my short game.  Which makes me even angrier considering that driving used to be the strongest part of my game.

 

I got so fed up with my driver yesterday that I'm committed to leaving it at home next week when I play 9, and I'll see how the BRNR mini works for me.

Ok I jumped the gun a little bit. 
 

1. I cut down one of my shafts to 44.5” in driver. 
 

2. I spent time on the range with Driver, BRNR mini, and 3 wood. 
 

On comparable best strikes, BRNR mini was about 10mph slower than driver on ball speed. It’s also only about 2-3 mph faster than my 3 wood on the best strikes. Plus I hit my 3 wood from the deck much easier and straighter. 
 

The conclusion (from this one range session) is that the BRNR mini doesn’t really do for me anything great such that it is suitable to gain a spot in my bag.  My existing 3 wood does what the mini does, but better. 
 

And as far as the driver, I guess I just really need to spend time working on my mechanics, in addition to finding my ideal length. I can say for sure that it’s definitely NOT longer than 44.5” though. 

[J13]

On 5/11/2024 at 8:54 PM, gentles said:

I think this is the way. Marty Jertson from Ping did a witb recently and he has a g430 max 12* head playing at 42.5 inches or so in the 3w/mini slot in addition to full driver 

 

if you strip back the mini to wanting a club that goes shorter than a driver and can be engineered to favour a certain flight it makes way more sense to just have 2 different driver heads in play to get full benefit of 460cc tech 

 

 

 

Yes Marty has his bag setup that way and it's a good idea.  Key is when going shorter with a driver you want to add more loft than you typically play to account for the steeper AOA.  12-13* head is ideal.  Also players need to make sure they weight the club properly as just cutting it down will put most drivers in the C5 range.  

 

I have a fairway finder driver setup like this aside from my main driver

 

TM SLDR 430 12*

43.5"

D3

Ventus Black 7X (I play a 6x in my main driver)

 

Fortunately I have a hotmelt setup in my shop so I can weight the head properly.  Iv'e actually built 8-10 drivers this year for customers this way and some have all but kicked out the normal driver due to increased accuracy and distance.

[Arlin964]

As can be expected, my man @J13 out here sharing the gospel.

 

Tried a couple shafts in my driver yesterday at the range cut down to 44" playing length and I gotta say, it just might be the key to debug a major glitch I've had for a couple years now.  Had a much easier time keeping my strike near the center of the face.  That makes it so that all I need to work on is face/path control, rather than both face/path AND strike.

 

I still need to try it on course.  Of course I've had many a range session where something looked promising and on course it didn't translate, but this experiment seems like it will make sense.