Mini drivers

I used the TM SLDR S Mini driver for a number of years for using off the tee when needing accuracy. It wasn't great off the deck though.
I had been struggling with skying 3w shots off the tee so the deeper face really helped (btw a 2w would have a shallower face).
Imo the deep face and shorter shaft make it a good option for those who struggle with a driver, or even with a 3w off the tee.
I've since improved my technique and been through various 3w's until I settled recently on the Cobra Radspeed Draw 3w which is an awesome club.
Have still got the mini in the shed though, not sure why I haven't sold it on.
 
I tried the TM SLDR Mini Driver and the Callaway equivalent when they came out....both ok but nothing special.

The Ping Rapture however (around £400 rrp in 2013) was utterly awesome...managed to buy one on ebay in 2016 for around two hundred notes and it lived in my bag for 5 years....sold it last summer for more than I paid for it.

One of the best clubs I've ever used and oooh so easy to hit off the fairway.

Only moved away from it because i wanted to go back to a 1,3,5 fairway wood setup instead of a 2,4,7 wood set up.
 
I didn't buy it at the time, but tried the xhot2 when it came out, it was a beast. Went as far if not further than the Xhot driver I had at the time and could it just as well off the deck. Trouble I didn't really want to this and a 3 wood at the time, I should have though in hindsight.
 
Used to have the SLDR Mini when I first started playing as I couldn't hit my driver despite having lessons, turned out to be a complete game changer for me, won comps with it and my handicap came down.
Used an M2 driver for a good few years after that, it was a love/hate relationship, when it was good it was great, when it was bad it was really bad. Tried cut down shafts, 3 woods etc etc, nothing worked as well as my old SLDR and I always regretted selling it.
Bought the new Taylormade 300 mini driver in the summer, instant success and it's transformed my driving again, hitting lots more fairways, obviously bad ones in there but they don't seem to be as destructive.
It won't be for everyone, but for me the confidence it gives you addressing the ball is worth it alone.
 
I've been down the route of mini drivers and strong 3 woods and im currently back using a driver and driving as well as I have for a number of years.
They can work for people, no doubt about that, but I found I wasn't getting any more out of them than a normal 3 wood.
Not enough to warrant the change anyway..
And I found the next to useless off the deck.
The shorter shaft may mean a bit more control and make them easier to hit but a 44 inch shaft against a 43 inch 3 wood...I just didn't get any real gains.
 
I use an older model TM Aeroburner Mini - it has been brilliant for me. I have a love / hate relationship with drivers and go through periods where I really struggle off the tee. The Mini driver is, I find, super reliable. It also saves a space in my bag as surprisingly I find it easier to hit off the deck than my normal 3 wood.
Obviously it's not as long as traditional driver, but it keeps me in play more often and gives me a lot more confidence when standing on the tee
 
It all seemed another marketing fad a good few years ago, started or at least driven by TM. There was a flurry of different makes and models but has all gone quiet in the last few years. Tried one didn't get on with it. My mate has a TM version he still hits miles
 
I know this is easy for me to say as someone who enjoys hitting driver - but if you struggle with it, why would a smaller face help?? I understand shortening the shaft and adding loft, but then why not just do that and still have the driver head with the larger face?
 
Orikoru said:
I know this is easy for me to say as someone who enjoys hitting driver - but if you struggle with it, why would a smaller face help?? I understand shortening the shaft and adding loft, but then why not just do that and still have the driver head with the larger face?
Click to expand...

I can only assume to try and keep the ball in play more? My 3 wood is less wayward than my driver on a bad shot!
 
Orikoru said:
I know this is easy for me to say as someone who enjoys hitting driver - but if you struggle with it, why would a smaller face help?? I understand shortening the shaft and adding loft, but then why not just do that and still have the driver head with the larger face?
Click to expand...

I can’t answer for everyone but for me a shorter shaft with a driver head just felt wrong, sort of wafty and light, I just couldn’t get to grips with it. The slightly smaller head just seems to look right with the shorter shaft.
I’ve tried 3 woods before, I didn’t find them any better off the tee and I cannot hit them from the fairway at all.
 
Beezerk said:
I can’t answer for everyone but for me a shorter shaft with a driver head just felt wrong, sort of wafty and light, I just couldn’t get to grips with it. The slightly smaller head just seems to look right with the shorter shaft.
I’ve tried 3 woods before, I didn’t find them any better off the tee and I cannot hit them from the fairway at all.
Click to expand...
I'm the same with 3 wood, always been useless to me. What you're saying makes some sense though, I guess it's just about it looking more in proportion.
 
I can only speak for myself, but I struggle hitting "up" on a driver so I'm able to make a downward strike on the mini driver and play it like a 3 wood & it works for me. I grew up playing old, small headed drivers like the original Big Bertha so the size doesn't bother me(!!).
It's a mental thing - I struggle (and always have done) to hit driver off a matt in a driving range bay, particularly off one of those rubber tee pegs! I watch Shiels stripe (or not) his drivers at Trafford golf centre but I just can't do it. A normal wooden peg on the course and I used to be able to make a passable attempt at a swing, but on a range and it's smother hook after smoother hook
 
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