Being old enough to have started my golf in the persimmon wood era with a hand me down set of clubs, I recognise the mini driver for what it truly is... an old fashioned 2 wood. Once that is recognised then its performance is no surprise.
The size of club head is very easy on the eyes. The 460cc clubs are just to oversize. Shaft length is perfect. If Jack Nicklaus used 43.5 length must be something right. Great product at cost of only a few yards.
I’m a relatively high handicap golfer (18) and have always struggled with my old driver. I’ve been playing with this mini for about a month now and LOVE it! I hit it about the same distance as my old Ping driver…but the dispersion has dropped dramatically! Before I used to have heart palpitations when stepping onto the tee box. I just had no idea where the shot was about to go. This club gives me so much more confidence that I’ll put it in play. That is HUGE!
So when are you gonna start a school to teach all nationwide club fitters so they are certified and people will know their money is gonna be well spent. Like no questions asked…
60 year old 8-10 handicap. Bought this club. Added 10 yards (so what) and have never miss a fairway (huge!). I have issue with hitting up on the big drivers so this club really helped. Won flight in my club’s member-guest the weekend after I put this in my bag. Maybe not for all but worked for me.
That rick shiels review was lazy and he had already made his mind up before hitting it. Didn't even finish his balls off after hitting a few off the deck. Quite a lack of awareness of other golfers abilities for a coach to be honest
Rick (and a lot of other ppl on youtube) have a tendency of only looking at clubs from their viewpoint. One of the many reasons I love this channel is they have numerous people review clubs.
@@scottgibbs7235 his review of Autoflex was total crap too; he had no clue about swing weight being an issue with autoflex. For club fitting he's pretty weak sauce.
Background. I’m 51 yo. 5”7. Play Titleist T400. Solid 14 handicap. If I could hit driver I’d be a 10 easy. Just switched to Original One at 13.5. Benched my M6. Two rounds in I hit ALL fairways and shot 12 over on a hard course for me from the blue tees (I normally play white tees about 400 yards shorter). No loss in distance. I just found that I released the club better. Can’t explain it but just felt more confident and the shorter shaft was much easier to control. Love your channel. Ty for all you do to educate players on choices to best suite their game⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Have bought this myself. As someone who had always struggled with a drive but a decent ball striker with irons this club is going to be a game changer. I have the 11.5 head lofted up 2 clicks which I guess is about 12.5 loft now. It's so easy to hit and my old 50 yard right block slice with a driver is now about half of that dispersion and my regular stock shot is a small draw. I think I have a negative attack angle which is why the driver is always a struggle. I think it's best to think of this club as a 2 wood and this will definitely help amateurs who use 3 wood off the tee as they can't hit a driver
I used to have the same issue and just played 3 wood forever. Finally got a ping lst driver I could bomb and hit straight. Until you can fix your path, it is a great solution!
Got my driver fitting with Dean in Mississauga Aug 24. Totally psyched it’s an indulgence for me but I’ve been saving my tips for a year and sometimes you need to treat yourself 😁
It's the "tweener" club that it's supposed to be. Basically, Matty hits driver 330, mini 310 and three wood 290. For those of us who are less skilled with driver and have diminishing returns with longer club length, those first two numbers are probably much closer (true for me) and for some the mini will even eclipse driver. It's been a godsend for me, because fairways now feel almost automatic, and heading into this season, tee shots were the worst part of my game. (BTW, I'm surprised Matt did not comment on sound and feel. This club is sensational in both categories).
Exactly the same for me. It's totally changed my enjoyment for the game. I just feel more confident with it, and even the 11.5 version is easy to hit off the deck. Absolutely love this club.
This is the 2nd review where I have come to the conclusion that the 13.5 Head is the better head for the Mini Driver - the 11.5 head is too low spinning if one of the goals is to have a fairway finder.
I still have the Original One mini 13.5 in my bag as a 3 wood. Struggle with 3 wood off the deck so I use a 5 wood from the fairway. The mini driver is easy for me to turn right to left off the tee and my driver now is set up to only hit fades. Took away my hook miss for tee shots.
I got one with a HZRDUS Smoke Blue RDX and love it! In general, I don't struggle with the driver or 3W but what I rarely do is hit 3W off the deck. I decided to replaced my 3w with the MD as a dedicated #2 option off the tee. At 11.5 it was closing in on my driver distance probably because my efficiency is higher with it. At 12.5 I get a little more separation and plan to leave it there. According to my Shot Scope app my average distance on good hits is 279.
I bagged one as a 3wood replacement ☝️ 11.5 with a ventus red 7s. (Fantastic for me.)The stock shaft was a no go. I’m a good driver of the ball but struggle with a 3 wood.
I bought one. LOVE it. I have never been able to hit a 3-wood off the tee (I hook the heck out of them) and like my 5-wood from the FW, so I don't carry the 3-wood anyway. I have been hitting a "Thriver" (43.5 inch shaft on a driver head with extra head weight) along with a driver for years. The only issue is, with the shorter shaft, the 460cc head actually looks too big (standing closer to anything will make it look bigger). This 307cc mini-driver looks absolutely perfect at under 44 inches. Great club for my course, which has a number of holes where driver is too much, but 5-wood is not enough.
I ordered one right after watching your original video. I did not get along with the stock shaft. Contacted TM and the are sending me a tensi blue shaft to try with it. Great customer service so far by TM
Shiels review was trash. Love my mini 13.5 and just ordered 11.5. Works great with ventus blue 7x. Sound and feel are phenomenal and it just eats fairways.
I’ve been playing the 300 mini for about a month or so. Turned down to 9.5 I can rip it. The stock Stiff shaft is odd. It is very whippy and you can’t have a quick transition or it doesn’t work well. But for me with a nice smooth swing I’m carrying it about as far as my driver but the dispersion is tighter. I love it.
I have the blacked out 300 mini and absolutely love it. I ordered the 13.5 and have it turned down to 12° That way, the face is open, and it starts right. I found that i got the same distance as my old driver but in an easier to hit package with shorter shaft.
I ditched my M6 and bagged this one at 11.5 degrees Goes as far as my old driver, sometimes further Easier to swing , exudes confidence Much more accurate Easy to hit off the deck on par 5’s Regularly out drive my mates with their drivers 61year old 9 handicap
I ❤️ my driver, and hit it well, but I recently picked up a mini d and the reason being is because at my club and my closest local course where I play 9 after work sometimes…there’s so many tee shots that don’t need a driver but could use more than my standard 3w length…just puts me in a better position to shoot better scores. I’d rather hit this than try to hit a choke down or 3/4 driver. And it’s super fun to play with and it sounds/feels great too. Simply put…gaps between my 3w and driver perfectly!
Picked up a demo that looked to have never been hit for 299.00 just in time to get 18 in before my course closed.What a great feeling/sounding/performing club!😎👌
Taylor Made had this concept almost 30 years ago with the Burner Fairway Driver-- a club you can hit from the fairway as well as the tee. This is an extension and refinement of that idea.
I'm a scratch golfer with a right miss and I like it because with OB right I would hit 3 wood but this goes a little further. I have a 5 wood turned down to 17.25 so I never used 3 wood unless I needed a fairway finder.
70 YO and this is my new driver, especially when us old guys play from some forward tees. Neg AoA so the 13.5 helps my swing. Shafts a little too heavy though I feel. 55-60g would be perfect. Great reviews
I gave the Mini a chance again (tried the Original One as well). I just don't see a place for it. I can put a 3 wood shaft in my driver and have better forgiveness. I can also use a 2H and achieve close results in distance but with more accuracy. I guess I only see a place for it if someone is looking for 1 club to take the place of their driver and 3 wood. Otherwise I don't see it. Still great content, thanks guys 🙏
Noticed today that Eddie Pepperell has this in the bag. I know he’s struggled with his driver for a while but still surprised to see this in a tour bag
Phil Mickelson has had the previous version (Original Mini One) in his bag for a while, used it @ Kiawah to win the PGA. Commentators kept calling it a 2-wood.
I would like to hear you more about the loft adjustment and the given you have to make with closed face… not obvious how you have to modify your swing to manage that…
Im so glad you did this video I know you did the one with mike when it first came out but I have similar numbers speed wise to Matt and watching the slower swinging guy did nothing for me. I'm thinking of getting this at 13.5 would be perfect for a get in play basically strong three wood and a club to go into real long par 5s
Does this club help golfers turning the club closed bc it’s a shorter shaft? Baseball players may loves this club, give them more time for The club to turn close square and more speed in a compact swing that a long swing. Thoughts?
Thinking back to the two driver video--Matty I think you said you don't use your 3W on your home course but you could see having a super long driver and a more accurate slightly fade biased driver in the 290-300 yrd range could be helpful. Could an autoflex powered long driver with a fade biased mini driver make it into the bag at some point?
I would be very keen to see how the Mini would stack up to Matty's gamer when it is paired with a Autoflex shaft. Knowing how the AF can effect club delivery and ball speed, I think that type of comparison would be huge in determining how, if any, the proper Mini set up could outperform a gamer. Something that could be more comfortable to swing without sacrificing consistency? My dollars are listening.
Natural amount of speed specific to the person does make sense. I feel restricted with the driver so I tee up with the 3 hy-wood and I feel freed up like you say. So should I give this a go?
I hit this 25 yards longer than my driver. And its straighter. I have the sim2 max and the mini made it so I'd never use my sim2 again. So I shortened the shaft on the sim2. I can hit that 10 yards farther than the mini now.
I've got the 11.5 as a replacement for my driver, with a Evenflow Riptide 70 in it. I like playing a low cut off the tee so this works perfectly as it's easier to "squeeze" out there than a 460 cc head that I normally end up hitting low on the face and spinning up too much. The smaller face height of the Mini means I can tee it down where I like but hit the centre more often so it stays low with less spin. Distance wise it ends up very similar to my 45.5" 460 cc driver but is just overall more comfortable to play with.
I've never seen it as a gimmick so much as I've seen it as a 2W. Like any club, a player can find a spot in the bag for any (non-gimmick) club that can serve a specific purpose. As a player who does struggle hitting driver, a club that's a little shorter than driver, but less lofted and larger than 3W might be a good alternative. As with all things in life, one has to wonder if it's worth the price, though. At US$400, it's priced at a number high enough that I can imagine getting a number of driver lessons for. In the long run, I might be better off with the lessons and learning to fix my driver swing. If the price was lower, I'd give it more consideration.
Thanks guys - would you be able to expand a bit more on the discussion of how you used the lie angle to move the strike point on the face? (Hopefully I got the main idea right). I bought one with Ventus blue, and I still haven’t been able to get the most out of it (although I see a much narrower shot dispersion compared to my driver)
Bought one, tried hit, hit it great for 1 range session, after that, really high, lots of spin, no distance (off the tee), no good for me off the deck, sold on eBay. : (. I hit my sim2 5 wood with better trajectory and more distance. Love the video though!
well as follow-up, hit the mini driver this weekend at a taylormade fitting. not for me for sure. Taylor Made fitter was not very hyped about it at all. Actually called it a "gimmick" club.
I think this product is for people who haven't gotten on with 460cc era drivers and feel most comfortable with the Biggest Big Bertha 300cc clubs but want lower spin and ballooning than their fairway wood
I gamed the original SLDR mini, then switched to The Original when it came out. I'm concerned that this new iteration of the concept is too big for the club to fill it's role as a 2-wood that is also an alternate to your regular driver. If length is the main issue here, and if you're looking at replacing the driver, why not get a regular driver that's shorter (and built for it, including a good swing weight for you)? I use mine as a 3-wood replacement, but for years I've considered going to a shorter drive with the big dog.
If you were going to get this why wouldn't you just get a normal driver head with a shorter shaft ? Surely the larger face would allow for more forgiveness and the shorter shaft more chance of a precise swing ?
As far as being a more controllable/fairway-finder replacement for a standard length driver off the tee, how would this mini driver compare to a driver head with a 3W shaft?
I’ve always thought of Mini D as being a 3 wood replacement. I don’t often play long courses so not often hitting 3 wood off the deck. Would look at this club as an off the tee fairway finder on shorter or tighter driving holes.
You missed half of the concept. Set up a 13.5° to the lowest loft and configuration that you are comfortable Hitting Off The Deck. Then, evaluate that configuration off of the tee.
I have the 11.5 turned down to 9.5. But I cant get the spin down or the launch. My spin is around 3000 rpm. I have the Hzrdus RDX Smoke Black 70/6.5 at 43.75". Should I have a shaft with stiffer tip? Maybe the RDX Green? I only use the mini from the tee as a driver replacement.
Would a 44.5 or 45 inch shaft work with the smaller lighter head of the 300 mini Driver.... or would that make it harder to hit for the average golfer ?
A premium should be on ball striking, the golf courses should not be lengthened. On top of woods being reduced, the ball should be dialed back a few percentage points.
Hi guys, I have a question. 5 hcp, hit my irons pretty well with 90-92mph 7iron swingspeed. Hit my 2 iron >250 yards but hit my driver the same-ish distance. Also can’t seem to speed up the driver much beyond 105mph. Anybody has an idea what the cause could be?
Being old enough to have started my golf in the persimmon wood era with a hand me down set of clubs, I recognise the mini driver for what it truly is... an old fashioned 2 wood. Once that is recognised then its performance is no surprise.
Same here Justin. It would appear golf clubs are following along with so many other things these days where "what once was old is new again" LOL
The size of club head is very easy on the eyes. The 460cc clubs are just to oversize. Shaft length is perfect. If Jack Nicklaus used 43.5 length must be something right. Great product at cost of only a few yards.
I’m a relatively high handicap golfer (18) and have always struggled with my old driver. I’ve been playing with this mini for about a month now and LOVE it! I hit it about the same distance as my old Ping driver…but the dispersion has dropped dramatically! Before I used to have heart palpitations when stepping onto the tee box. I just had no idea where the shot was about to go. This club gives me so much more confidence that I’ll put it in play. That is HUGE!
So when are you gonna start a school to teach all nationwide club fitters so they are certified and people will know their money is gonna be well spent. Like no questions asked…
Great idea. Most fitters are junk that I’ve experienced
More txg locations if I had to guess. A franchise model or something where the staff get trained by Ian & gang
@@chadvanbuuren7413 I knew he was in a gang! That is Bad Ass!
Many consumers do not want to pay for this level of expertise
@@mattherring2166 that's what a Golf Town owner would say. I think the opposite.
Would love to see an "off the deck" comparison between this club (13.5) and a Rocket 3 wood.
Love @ian Fraser ‘s description of it “either it’s magic or tragic” lol 😂
60 year old 8-10 handicap. Bought this club. Added 10 yards (so what) and have never miss a fairway (huge!). I have issue with hitting up on the big drivers so this club really helped. Won flight in my club’s member-guest the weekend after I put this in my bag. Maybe not for all but worked for me.
Which loft?
@@markwatson5984 11-something. Not the 13-something. I haven’t tinkered with the adjustments.
Thanks for this comment. I hit a low tee 3wood great but terrible with modern big drivers (up) so excited for this as an option.
Looking at you Rick shiels, saying this club has no point. I could totally see a point for a lot of people, providing its fit to them
That rick shiels review was lazy and he had already made his mind up before hitting it. Didn't even finish his balls off after hitting a few off the deck. Quite a lack of awareness of other golfers abilities for a coach to be honest
Rick (and a lot of other ppl on youtube) have a tendency of only looking at clubs from their viewpoint. One of the many reasons I love this channel is they have numerous people review clubs.
No not specifically Rick, every channel I saw just hit it as it was sent to them.
@@mofojohnson1 I really like rick but I agree it was a lazy review. Not his best work
@@scottgibbs7235 his review of Autoflex was total crap too; he had no clue about swing weight being an issue with autoflex. For club fitting he's pretty weak sauce.
Background. I’m 51 yo. 5”7. Play Titleist T400. Solid 14 handicap. If I could hit driver I’d be a 10 easy. Just switched to Original One at 13.5. Benched my M6. Two rounds in I hit ALL fairways and shot 12 over on a hard course for me from the blue tees (I normally play white tees about 400 yards shorter). No loss in distance. I just found that I released the club better. Can’t explain it but just felt more confident and the shorter shaft was much easier to control. Love your channel. Ty for all you do to educate players on choices to best suite their game⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Have bought this myself. As someone who had always struggled with a drive but a decent ball striker with irons this club is going to be a game changer. I have the 11.5 head lofted up 2 clicks which I guess is about 12.5 loft now. It's so easy to hit and my old 50 yard right block slice with a driver is now about half of that dispersion and my regular stock shot is a small draw. I think I have a negative attack angle which is why the driver is always a struggle. I think it's best to think of this club as a 2 wood and this will definitely help amateurs who use 3 wood off the tee as they can't hit a driver
I used to have the same issue and just played 3 wood forever. Finally got a ping lst driver I could bomb and hit straight. Until you can fix your path, it is a great solution!
Got my driver fitting with Dean in Mississauga Aug 24. Totally psyched it’s an indulgence for me but I’ve been saving my tips for a year and sometimes you need to treat yourself 😁
Not an indulgence, it sounds well earned!
The best golf channel, hands down!!!!!!!
It's the "tweener" club that it's supposed to be. Basically, Matty hits driver 330, mini 310 and three wood 290. For those of us who are less skilled with driver and have diminishing returns with longer club length, those first two numbers are probably much closer (true for me) and for some the mini will even eclipse driver. It's been a godsend for me, because fairways now feel almost automatic, and heading into this season, tee shots were the worst part of my game. (BTW, I'm surprised Matt did not comment on sound and feel. This club is sensational in both categories).
Exactly the same for me. It's totally changed my enjoyment for the game. I just feel more confident with it, and even the 11.5 version is easy to hit off the deck. Absolutely love this club.
This is the 2nd review where I have come to the conclusion that the 13.5 Head is the better head for the Mini Driver - the 11.5 head is too low spinning if one of the goals is to have a fairway finder.
I tried both and the 11.5 is also way too close to my driver. At least with the 13.5 there is some noticeable gap
I tried both and the 11.5 is also way too close to my driver. At least with the 13.5 there is some noticeable gap
I still have the Original One mini 13.5 in my bag as a 3 wood. Struggle with 3 wood off the deck so I use a 5 wood from the fairway. The mini driver is easy for me to turn right to left off the tee and my driver now is set up to only hit fades. Took away my hook miss for tee shots.
I got one with a HZRDUS Smoke Blue RDX and love it! In general, I don't struggle with the driver or 3W but what I rarely do is hit 3W off the deck. I decided to replaced my 3w with the MD as a dedicated #2 option off the tee. At 11.5 it was closing in on my driver distance probably because my efficiency is higher with it. At 12.5 I get a little more separation and plan to leave it there. According to my Shot Scope app my average distance on good hits is 279.
The Godfather of fitting himself strikes again! Good job boys.
Who dislikes TXG videos? These guys are the best golf content out there!
I bagged one as a 3wood replacement ☝️ 11.5 with a ventus red 7s. (Fantastic for me.)The stock shaft was a no go. I’m a good driver of the ball but struggle with a 3 wood.
Great review as always cannot wait for the mini driver/autoflex review!
I bought one. LOVE it. I have never been able to hit a 3-wood off the tee (I hook the heck out of them) and like my 5-wood from the FW, so I don't carry the 3-wood anyway. I have been hitting a "Thriver" (43.5 inch shaft on a driver head with extra head weight) along with a driver for years. The only issue is, with the shorter shaft, the 460cc head actually looks too big (standing closer to anything will make it look bigger). This 307cc mini-driver looks absolutely perfect at under 44 inches. Great club for my course, which has a number of holes where driver is too much, but 5-wood is not enough.
I ordered one right after watching your original video. I did not get along with the stock shaft. Contacted TM and the are sending me a tensi blue shaft to try with it. Great customer service so far by TM
I replaced my Epic Flash Sub Zero 3 wood with the Mini Driver, already made a difference 💪🏻
Have you used it off the deck?
@@sebastianheine378 yes sir!
Shiels review was trash. Love my mini 13.5 and just ordered 11.5. Works great with ventus blue 7x. Sound and feel are phenomenal and it just eats fairways.
Bought 2 one is my fairway wood one my driver best purchase I ever made with golf equipment, period.
I’ve been playing the 300 mini for about a month or so. Turned down to 9.5 I can rip it. The stock Stiff shaft is odd. It is very whippy and you can’t have a quick transition or it doesn’t work well. But for me with a nice smooth swing I’m carrying it about as far as my driver but the dispersion is tighter. I love it.
Would like to see this hit off the deck in a setting that fits tee shots and fairway shots.
I have the blacked out 300 mini and absolutely love it. I ordered the 13.5 and have it turned down to 12° That way, the face is open, and it starts right. I found that i got the same distance as my old driver but in an easier to hit package with shorter shaft.
Only TXG could make this video👍
I ditched my M6 and bagged this one at 11.5 degrees
Goes as far as my old driver, sometimes further
Easier to swing , exudes confidence
Much more accurate
Easy to hit off the deck on par 5’s
Regularly out drive my mates with their drivers
61year old 9 handicap
It would be good to see how it hits off the deck. I tested and love the results off the tee but skeptical it can be hit well off the deck. Thanks!
I ❤️ my driver, and hit it well, but I recently picked up a mini d and the reason being is because at my club and my closest local course where I play 9 after work sometimes…there’s so many tee shots that don’t need a driver but could use more than my standard 3w length…just puts me in a better position to shoot better scores. I’d rather hit this than try to hit a choke down or 3/4 driver. And it’s super fun to play with and it sounds/feels great too. Simply put…gaps between my 3w and driver perfectly!
Picked up a demo that looked to have never been hit for 299.00 just in time to get 18 in before my course closed.What a great feeling/sounding/performing club!😎👌
@@marybetheby5184 couldn’t agree more….the sound and feel are amazing when you center one!
Taylor Made had this concept almost 30 years ago with the Burner Fairway Driver-- a club you can hit from the fairway as well as the tee. This is an extension and refinement of that idea.
Agreed with the video, took a bit to get the right after market shaft that worked, tee height is key is as well. Love it
I'm a scratch golfer with a right miss and I like it because with OB right I would hit 3 wood but this goes a little further. I have a 5 wood turned down to 17.25 so I never used 3 wood unless I needed a fairway finder.
Magic or Tragic. Never heard that before......I love it! haha
Oh boy, watching Matty boy hit this is a thing of beauty!
Taylormade is apparently making a new mini driver. Can you guys please review that when it comes out?
70 YO and this is my new driver, especially when us old guys play from some forward tees. Neg AoA so the 13.5 helps my swing. Shafts a little too heavy though I feel. 55-60g would be perfect. Great reviews
I gave the Mini a chance again (tried the Original One as well). I just don't see a place for it. I can put a 3 wood shaft in my driver and have better forgiveness. I can also use a 2H and achieve close results in distance but with more accuracy. I guess I only see a place for it if someone is looking for 1 club to take the place of their driver and 3 wood. Otherwise I don't see it. Still great content, thanks guys 🙏
This sounds RIGHT UP MY ALLEY - Matt, this lefty will take that when you are done with it haha
Maybe tee it up a smidge.... woulda liked to see that attempt. looked much lower then driver tee. Great job boys!
Noticed today that Eddie Pepperell has this in the bag. I know he’s struggled with his driver for a while but still surprised to see this in a tour bag
Phil Mickelson has had the previous version (Original Mini One) in his bag for a while, used it @ Kiawah to win the PGA. Commentators kept calling it a 2-wood.
@@IEAirsoft Mickelson had the 300 Mini at this year’s US Open too
Epic review once again!
I would like to hear you more about the loft adjustment and the given you have to make with closed face… not obvious how you have to modify your swing to manage that…
Im so glad you did this video I know you did the one with mike when it first came out but I have similar numbers speed wise to Matt and watching the slower swinging guy did nothing for me. I'm thinking of getting this at 13.5 would be perfect for a get in play basically strong three wood and a club to go into real long par 5s
what if you used this with the same length shaft as your driver? or an inch less. i feel like most of the distance loss is from shaft length
Does this club help golfers turning the club closed bc it’s a shorter shaft? Baseball players may loves this club, give them more time for
The club to turn close square and more speed in a compact swing that a long swing.
Thoughts?
I played a burner 2 wood 12 degree and a bubble era 13 degree mini driver steel shaft.
Have used a touredge 13 xcg3 for years
I think this is for me
Thinking back to the two driver video--Matty I think you said you don't use your 3W on your home course but you could see having a super long driver and a more accurate slightly fade biased driver in the 290-300 yrd range could be helpful. Could an autoflex powered long driver with a fade biased mini driver make it into the bag at some point?
Not a bad idea in general! Get 48 in driver, mini driver, 5 wood. The gaping should be perfect.
I was hoping to see Matt him some off the deck.
I would be very keen to see how the Mini would stack up to Matty's gamer when it is paired with a Autoflex shaft. Knowing how the AF can effect club delivery and ball speed, I think that type of comparison would be huge in determining how, if any, the proper Mini set up could outperform a gamer. Something that could be more comfortable to swing without sacrificing consistency? My dollars are listening.
going to a fitting for this on Saturday. looking for a set it and forget it club
Natural amount of speed specific to the person does make sense. I feel restricted with the driver so I tee up with the 3 hy-wood and I feel freed up like you say. So should I give this a go?
Great video. I'd like to see how it does off the deck with the settings you ended up with.
Mini 300 13.5 w/ GD ADHD 70S made my driver obsolete. Swing it faster and better dispersion. So much fun
I put a 13.5 (set to 12.75) in the bag and shot my career low round a week later.
Can't wait to try one out!
Replaced my 3 wood with the md. Lofted at 14 it fills the gap better between my 2 iron and driver.
I hit this 25 yards longer than my driver. And its straighter. I have the sim2 max and the mini made it so I'd never use my sim2 again. So I shortened the shaft on the sim2. I can hit that 10 yards farther than the mini now.
Try the tour length Cobra RAD driver vs the mini driver! I got a shorter length XB and nailed it!
I've got my mini set up at 9.5 it goes so Foward. There is so little spin but it is probably launching at 15 and 1500.
I've got the 11.5 as a replacement for my driver, with a Evenflow Riptide 70 in it. I like playing a low cut off the tee so this works perfectly as it's easier to "squeeze" out there than a 460 cc head that I normally end up hitting low on the face and spinning up too much. The smaller face height of the Mini means I can tee it down where I like but hit the centre more often so it stays low with less spin. Distance wise it ends up very similar to my 45.5" 460 cc driver but is just overall more comfortable to play with.
I've never seen it as a gimmick so much as I've seen it as a 2W. Like any club, a player can find a spot in the bag for any (non-gimmick) club that can serve a specific purpose. As a player who does struggle hitting driver, a club that's a little shorter than driver, but less lofted and larger than 3W might be a good alternative. As with all things in life, one has to wonder if it's worth the price, though. At US$400, it's priced at a number high enough that I can imagine getting a number of driver lessons for. In the long run, I might be better off with the lessons and learning to fix my driver swing. If the price was lower, I'd give it more consideration.
Thanks guys - would you be able to expand a bit more on the discussion of how you used the lie angle to move the strike point on the face? (Hopefully I got the main idea right). I bought one with Ventus blue, and I still haven’t been able to get the most out of it (although I see a much narrower shot dispersion compared to my driver)
My fav actress.
Bought one, tried hit, hit it great for 1 range session, after that, really high, lots of spin, no distance (off the tee), no good for me off the deck, sold on eBay. : (. I hit my sim2 5 wood with better trajectory and more distance.
Love the video though!
why would you hit it great for one session and then after that experience something different? sounds like something in your swing.
@@alexs8312 swing improvement (for me). Perhaps if I had a wall of shafts to try it would be different! 👍😎
Excellent Video.
I’d be tempted to try one with a 3 wood shaft
This would be a great club to replace a hybrid I rarely hit..
well as follow-up, hit the mini driver this weekend at a taylormade fitting. not for me for sure. Taylor Made fitter was not very hyped about it at all. Actually called it a "gimmick" club.
I think this product is for people who haven't gotten on with 460cc era drivers and feel most comfortable with the Biggest Big Bertha 300cc clubs but want lower spin and ballooning than their fairway wood
An interesting comparison would be the Mini against a TSi3 fitted at 43.5".
I gamed the original SLDR mini, then switched to The Original when it came out. I'm concerned that this new iteration of the concept is too big for the club to fill it's role as a 2-wood that is also an alternate to your regular driver.
If length is the main issue here, and if you're looking at replacing the driver, why not get a regular driver that's shorter (and built for it, including a good swing weight for you)? I use mine as a 3-wood replacement, but for years I've considered going to a shorter drive with the big dog.
If you were going to get this why wouldn't you just get a normal driver head with a shorter shaft ? Surely the larger face would allow for more forgiveness and the shorter shaft more chance of a precise swing ?
Do you think taylormade is trying to get ahead of the curve with the thought that USGA may reduce allowable driver head size
Can you review the King Cobra Snake Bite wedges which boasts a new groove design that's supposed to create extra spin?
I just hit this club
Big distance loss -20 yds
But the ball flew really straight
As far as being a more controllable/fairway-finder replacement for a standard length driver off the tee, how would this mini driver compare to a driver head with a 3W shaft?
Great video
How'd'ya like them apples!
I’ve always thought of Mini D as being a 3 wood replacement. I don’t often play long courses so not often hitting 3 wood off the deck. Would look at this club as an off the tee fairway finder on shorter or tighter driving holes.
Also - how is it to hit off the deck?
What would happen if you set it up as a long drive driver ? Would it have tighter grouping than a driver ? Would it keep up on distance
Are white castle tees perfect for a mini driver??
Would like to see Ian put it up against his 3wd and see how Matty hit is off the deck
what about tee height for this type of driver?
You missed half of the concept. Set up a 13.5° to the lowest loft and configuration that you are comfortable Hitting Off The Deck. Then, evaluate that configuration off of the tee.
I have the 11.5 turned down to 9.5. But I cant get the spin down or the launch. My spin is around 3000 rpm. I have the Hzrdus RDX Smoke Black 70/6.5 at 43.75". Should I have a shaft with stiffer tip? Maybe the RDX Green? I only use the mini from the tee as a driver replacement.
Try a Sim 2 Rocket 3 wood turned down to 11.5".
How about hitting it of the deck?
Does it hit Mini-Bombs?
Have you tried the 13,5 deg version?
any chance we could see the mini driver vs cobra big tour 3 wood
I grabbed the 13.5 with a Trono 75X. Ball just goes dead straight
I want to see the mini driver with his regular driver length shaft.
Would a 44.5 or 45 inch shaft work with the smaller lighter head of the 300 mini Driver.... or would that make it harder to hit for the average golfer ?
I have mine at 45.75", you need a counterbalanced shaft and likely still have to add more weight near grip to get the Swingweight reasonable
A modern version of the old TM tour spoon 13*
A premium should be on ball striking, the golf courses should not be lengthened. On top of woods being reduced, the ball should be dialed back a few percentage points.
Hi guys, I have a question. 5 hcp, hit my irons pretty well with 90-92mph 7iron swingspeed. Hit my 2 iron >250 yards but hit my driver the same-ish distance. Also can’t seem to speed up the driver much beyond 105mph. Anybody has an idea what the cause could be?
My TM MD 300 is my new 2 wood🙂🙂🙂