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TaylorMade SLDR Mini Driver Preview

SuperStroke
Draven said:
Are clubs like these targeting the really fast swingers out there (105mph+)? Wouldn't most amateurs be better off improving their driver swings, given that a good swing will usually find fairway? I can understand guys with fast swings getting benefit out of this, as more speed = less margin for error. So the chances of them missing a fairway with a 'good' driver swing are much higher.

Keen to know your thoughts.
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I don't think swing speed is the issue it is for players who hit a lot of 3w off the tee and very few off the deck i will normally hit 3-4 3 woods off the tee per round compared to 0-1 off the deck per round so i might be the type of player they are after
 
Brianbigoats said:
I don't think swing speed is the issue it is for players who hit a lot of 3w off the tee and very few off the deck i will normally hit 3-4 3 woods off the tee per round compared to 0-1 off the deck per round so i might be the type of player they are after
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Hey Brian - sure I'm with you there. But why do they hit 3 wood off the tee? Because it's more accurate for them right? But the reason it's more accurate than their driver is because of the increased loft and the shorter shaft. Hence my comments about swing speed - the faster you swing, the more your misses off the centre of the face are accentuated. So it makes sense for fast swingers (who tend to be pros) to use 3 wood off the tee. But for most amateurs swinging at more mortal velocities - how much more accurate are they going to be with their 3 wood than their driver?

Also worth noting - I imagine these deeper faced woods are much harder to launch off the deck. You could argue that the mini driver will only ever get used off the tee, but then you could just use a second driver with more loft and shorter shaft.

I can't help but wonder if this is just a marketing ploy to sucker consumers into purchasing a novelty product that they don't really need (Callaway had initial success with it because everyone wanted Phil's frankenwood, and now the other OEMs are following suit).

Of course, I could be completely wrong - just throwing some thoughts out there. Healthy discussion and all :act-up: :bicker:
 
Draven said:
Hey Brian - sure I'm with you there. But why do they hit 3 wood off the tee? Because it's more accurate for them right? But the reason it's more accurate than their driver is because of the increased loft and the shorter shaft. Hence my comments about swing speed - the faster you swing, the more your misses off the centre of the face are accentuated. So it makes sense for fast swingers (who tend to be pros) to use 3 wood off the tee. But for most amateurs swinging at more mortal velocities - how much more accurate are they going to be with their 3 wood than their driver?

Also worth noting - I imagine these deeper faced woods are much harder to launch off the deck. You could argue that the mini driver will only ever get used off the tee, but then you could just use a second driver with more loft and shorter shaft.

I can't help but wonder if this is just a marketing ploy to sucker consumers into purchasing a novelty product that they don't really need (Callaway had initial success with it because everyone wanted Phil's frankenwood, and now the other OEMs are following suit).

Of course, I could be completely wrong - just throwing some thoughts out there. Healthy discussion and all :act-up: :bicker:
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I usually hit my 3W off the tee for distance control and accuracy

With the shaft length and lofts of the mini are equivalent of the 3W with its deeper it should be more forgiving than smaller 3 wood and the sole design should allow you to hit it off the deck easier than a driver if needed
 
As a huge fan and owner of last years 13* 3Deep and this years 2Deep, I'm obviously interested in hitting this club. I only hit driver about 6 times each round because my control is so much better with my 2Deep. I will try to hit it today and report back on how it compares to the Callaway offerings.
 
I have a 12 degree 2deep and a 14.5 degree 3 deep. They do the function of Driver and 3 wood perfectly.

I do agree you need a certain amount of swing speed to launch a 12 degree 3 wood. Im still not able to get anything but low bullets with my 2deep but im sure it has more to do with ball position than anything else.


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War - if this ends up in your MC bag what kind of setup would you look at for that end of the bag?
 
ddec said:
War - if this ends up in your MC bag what kind of setup would you look at for that end of the bag?
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It's such an unknown dude, and the SLDR brings in so many questions for me.

Probably would look at a 12* driver, and then the Mini at 12/14*. Basically would give me a setup of Driver A or Driver B, similar to how I went with a strong lofted 3W last year.

After that, I would more than likely look to a 5W and a hybrid or stronger lofted hybrid (18*) and a 22*ish hybrid.

So, with that said, it could look like this;

SLDR Driver 12*
SLDR Mini Driver 12*/14*
SLDR S FW 17* or a few hybrid options.
 
War Eagle said:
It's such an unknown dude, and the SLDR brings in so many questions for me.

Probably would look at a 12* driver, and then the Mini at 12/14*. Basically would give me a setup of Driver A or Driver B, similar to how I went with a strong lofted 3W last year.

After that, I would more than likely look to a 5W and a hybrid or stronger lofted hybrid (18*) and a 22*ish hybrid.

So, with that said, it could look like this;

SLDR Driver 12*
SLDR Mini Driver 12*/14*
SLDR S FW 17* or a few hybrid options.
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That's kind of similar to me. I jotted down some thoughts today here is what I cam up with.

Setup 1
Driver 12*
Mini Driver 14*
4 wood 17*
7 wood 21*
Hybrid 25*

setup 2
Driver 12*
Mini Driver 14*
5 wood 19*
hybrid 22*
hybrid 25*
 
I'd like to try one, and will probably wait for the glut of used mini drivers to hit the market next year. I've always used a high lofted driver, and started golfing with an old Robt. Jones persimmon 2 wood (loved it).
 
ddec said:
That's kind of similar to me. I jotted down some thoughts today here is what I cam up with.

Setup 1
Driver 12*
Mini Driver 14*
4 wood 17*
7 wood 21*
Hybrid 25*

setup 2
Driver 12*
Mini Driver 14*
5 wood 19*
hybrid 22*
hybrid 25*
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Two great options Dean, I like the looks of setup one, only because the 4 wood, but I can see the versatility of two hybrids as well in two.
 
IceyShanks said:
Two great options Dean, I like the looks of setup one, only because the 4 wood, but I can see the versatility of two hybrids as well in two.
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Been trying to think back on the past 2 years at these courses. You know in the scramble round I usually hit driver off the tee both years because it wasn't a high risk. However in singles at True Blue I have mixed in some 3 woods, even on some of the par 5's. I think there are some holes on True Blue that this could be useful. At Caledonia I know it could be of some use off the tee. Really this thing would be a off the tee club for me only. I highly doubt I would hit this off the turf, and truthfully, I don't believe I hit a 3w off the turf down there any more than say 3 times in 2 years. I'm not a guy who hits 3w in to many greens, unless I have 2. So if I can have this and a 4 wood, I might be fine. Who knows. Still it's just a bunch of thoughts on paper.
 
Would the mini play similar to the SLDR driver in regards to loft selection? If I played a non-SLDR 10* driver and was fit for a 12* SLDR, would that translate to this mini, i.e. I played a 12* 3w would you jump to a 14*?
 
ddec said:
Been trying to think back on the past 2 years at these courses. You know in the scramble round I usually hit driver off the tee both years because it wasn't a high risk. However in singles at True Blue I have mixed in some 3 woods, even on some of the par 5's. I think there are some holes on True Blue that this could be useful. At Caledonia I know it could be of some use off the tee. Really this thing would be a off the tee club for me only. I highly doubt I would hit this off the turf, and truthfully, I don't believe I hit a 3w off the turf down there any more than say 3 times in 2 years. I'm not a guy who hits 3w in to many greens, unless I have 2. So if I can have this and a 4 wood, I might be fine. Who knows. Still it's just a bunch of thoughts on paper.
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Sounds like you've got the right line of thinking, having driver, mini and 4 wood for tee shots sounds like good options!
 
ddec said:
That's kind of similar to me. I jotted down some thoughts today here is what I cam up with.

Setup 1
Driver 12*
Mini Driver 14*
4 wood 17*
7 wood 21*
Hybrid 25*

setup 2
Driver 12*
Mini Driver 14*
5 wood 19*
hybrid 22*
hybrid 25*
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I think we shall have a conference call when we get that Tour Rep PM, lol.
 
Vegan702 said:
Would the mini play similar to the SLDR driver in regards to loft selection? If I played a non-SLDR 10* driver and was fit for a 12* SLDR, would that translate to this mini, i.e. I played a 12* 3w would you jump to a 14*?
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I can tell you that I was fitted for a 12* SLDR driver but went with the 10.5* Ping i25, both in stiff. When I got fit for the mini driver last week the 12* was the obvious choice for me. I wouldn't want it to fly any higher than it does off the tee with how windy it has been here for the last six weeks. And I'm finding it no more difficult to hit off the deck than 3 woods I've had in the past. I would go stop by that Taylormade Golf Experience place and give this thing a whack.
 
Had the opportunity to have a hit of this yesterday, even though my wife has banned me from buying one. First off I wanna say I cant hit it off the deck. I hate hitting a 3 wood from the deck unless its sitting up on a very clean lie, and I cant see this changing with this club.

Having said that, I love this thing off the deck. My course has 5 holes that have very narrow landing areas for my drive length. Normally I can on average carry 230m/250y. This thing when tee'd up right carried 95% that distance for me with a slight draw compared to my driver with a slight fade. 5 shots with it were 220m/240y. The feeling of it near the ball on the tee, and the added depth of head compared to a 3w (which I normally hit 205m/225y) is very welcome. Unlike a 3w which I rest on the ground, the SLDR mini you can hover a little like a driver and feel that you arent going to top the ball by accident because of how thin a 3w is.

What a great concept for those who have 13 in the bag and might benefit from an alternative length club to the driver depending on the conditions. IF I could trick my wife into letting me have one I'd definitely have a crack with it. I used the 14d version and felt like perhaps a lower one might have been a bit tougher off the deck but much the same off the tee.

Great work by taylormade. They get hammered about releasing too many clubs, and potentially this could be considered that but gee after hitting it I'm very interested in it and how it can work for me to be a smarter golfer.

I think if a 3w and a mini driver were available to me, I'd decide to have this new mini driver in the bag. Shame I already have the 3w! Here in Australia the club is also a bit cost prohibitive.

$429.00 for the SLDR (normally $389.00 on sale at most places or just for asking)
$339.00 for SLDR mini
$279.00 for SLDR 3w (normally $249.00 with an ask)
 
ddec said:
That's kind of similar to me. I jotted down some thoughts today here is what I cam up with.

Setup 1
Driver 12*
Mini Driver 14*
4 wood 17*
7 wood 21*
Hybrid 25*

setup 2
Driver 12*
Mini Driver 14*
5 wood 19*
hybrid 22*
hybrid 25*
Click to expand...

The 16* might be a good option instead of the 14* might be a better spacing
 
So the question is... Can this be a decent (read: somewhat playable) option for me off the tee. I know I would not hit it from the deck, but would this be something that could be a decent option in a mid loft (perhaps 14*) that it would give me an option if I wasnt able to get it clicking with the driver?
 
War Eagle said:
So the question is... Can this be a decent (read: somewhat playable) option for me off the tee. I know I would not hit it from the deck, but would this be something that could be a decent option in a mid loft (perhaps 14*) that it would give me an option if I wasnt able to get it clicking with the driver?
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I don't remember seeing you hit a 3w off the last January. But if you're consistent with a FW from the tee, I would think so
 
War Eagle said:
So the question is... Can this be a decent (read: somewhat playable) option for me off the tee. I know I would not hit it from the deck, but would this be something that could be a decent option in a mid loft (perhaps 14*) that it would give me an option if I wasnt able to get it clicking with the driver?
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That is what I am hoping for. I seriously doubt I could be effective with it from the deck. I think if I can I am going to throw one in the bag and then add a 4w.
 
blugold said:
I don't remember seeing you hit a 3w off the last January. But if you're consistent with a FW from the tee, I would think so
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It's not something I do too often really, and honestly, I could probably go without a 3W without a problem. I am typically comfortable pulling driver on every hole, but gaming the SLDR has me rethinking that a ton, and I am really looking for other options to have off the tee box.
 
War Eagle said:
It's not something I do too often really, and honestly, I could probably go without a 3W without a problem. I am typically comfortable pulling driver on every hole, but gaming the SLDR has me rethinking that a ton, and I am really looking for other options to have off the tee box.
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17° hybo?
 
War Eagle said:
I've pondered a setup with multiple hybrids
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The SLDR hybo is a magical club for me. I'm not sure how a really low lofted hybrid would compare to a 200 some odd CC wood however.
 
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