Driver vs Mini Driver

So you are saying the 12° mini is or is not a driver? I apologize for being dense, now I'm lost as to what the intended point is.

I think that it is being market as a driver however it is designed to compete with the Deep series to me it is more of a oversized FW for use be used off the tee more than from the deck
The mini 12* and 10.5(tour only) are closer to a driver but provide less forgiveness and more spin
 
When I began playing 50 years ago, it was not uncommon to see 2-woods in many golfers' bags. I used a Robt. Jones persimmon 2-wood for over 20 years because I could not control a wooden-headed driver.

I don't think its too much of a stretch to compare today's mini drivers to those old 2-woods. The 2-wood shafts were shorter than a driver, had a smaller head, and a bit more loft. In one of Sam Snead's books, he tells how he used a 2-wood for years as his "driver."
 
Driver vs Mini Driver

The whole apples to oranges thing I am not agreeing on though, or still not getting what cannot be compared. We all know that a shorter shaft equals more accuracy. That's true throughout the entire bag. It is also your belief that a full headed driver with a mini length shaft would equal more accuracy. So how is it apples to oranges? What specifically is not comparable here? Are you saying that a full sized head with a shorter shaft would outperform a mini ? If so what factors would it outperform it in? Or because those full sized headed clubs would be custom made we have no tool to compare, and that is the apples to oranges?
 
The apples to oranges is this.
You have hit the mini.
You have not hit a full size driver with a shortened shaft.
Its simply not comparable until you have hit both. It would be like me saying that my Mercedes Sprinter Van drives better than the TaylorMade Tour Van without ever driving it.

The apples to oranges (not including the above) is that they are totally different clubs.

I see you play a 2 hybrid. Why would you not play a 2 iron? The answer is the larger club head and more mass gives you better results.

At this point, I have said all I can, Im just going to bow out of the conversation.
 
The whole term "performance" is also problematic in its vagueness. Is it the overall combination of distance and accuracy? What kind of weighting does one get over the other? Is 300 yards and 20 yards off center better "performance" than 250 and 10 yards off center? It sounds extremely subjective to me and makes it hard to talk about the same thing.
 
The apples to oranges is this.
You have hit the mini.
You have not hit a full size driver with a shortened shaft.
Its simply not comparable until you have hit both.

This is what I was looking for. Thanks.
 
This seems like a horseshoe vs hand grenade debate. The mini driver has a CC of 260 and per their website, calls it a 3w meant for the tee.

The driver is 430-460 depending on the regular or SLDRs and what model you got. Significantly more hitting area. You're looking at a sweet spot the size of a quarter for the driver vs nickel or penny for the mini driver.
 
So i've been struggling in finding a fairway wood off the tee that i can rely on, that won't be as long as my driver, but longer than a 4i off the tee. In general, would you consider the mini, say at 16 degrees, more forgiving than a typical 3W off the tee? I hadn't even given it a thought yesterday, when i was trying out the G30 and BioCell 3W's off the tee, which i wasn't totally thrilled with, and hadn't even considered the mini until i came upon this thread.

This really became apparent of a need in my bag yetserday when i played a course that had a wash area right in the area where my driver was too long, but hitting a 4i off the tee really left me with a long shot. Right now, i don't have anything reliable in between.
 
So i've been struggling in finding a fairway wood off the tee that i can rely on, that won't be as long as my driver, but longer than a 4i off the tee. In general, would you consider the mini, say at 16 degrees, more forgiving than a typical 3W off the tee? I hadn't even given it a thought yesterday, when i was trying out the G30 and BioCell 3W's off the tee, which i wasn't totally thrilled with, and hadn't even considered the mini until i came upon this thread.

This really became apparent of a need in my bag yetserday when i played a course that had a wash area right in the area where my driver was too long, but hitting a 4i off the tee really left me with a long shot. Right now, i don't have anything reliable in between.

If you haven't I would try a X-Hot 3-Deep or X2-Hot 2 or 3-Deep and one club that you really should try is the Cleveland 588 in 14*. The Cleveland fairways are on sale now also. I think the shaft in the X2-hot is a little better than the project X although the project X shaft is no slouch at all. If you are on a budget I would look at the X-Hot 3-Deep in 13* (if for tee only) or 14.5* is definitely a little more versatile.

The SLDR in all it's intonations is not very forgiving IMO. I thought I would like it as I am a high spin player, but it hasn't worked out that way.
 
But that goes back to the question. If it is the shaft that is giving you better performance, why not use a larger club head and cut the shaft down if this is only for a tee game.

In your case you "smoked" one from the deck, so it is not exactly just a driver replacement for you compared to most.

JB: Apologies for the delayed response. I was out on business and just wasn't at a keyboard to really type a good response. I read the rest of the thread and know you bowed out a bit, but wanted to circle back to this post because I believe that you asked some really good questions.

1) Shaft length: I've played drivers at 44, 44.5, 44.75, 45, 45.25 and 45.5 for periods of time. My sweet spot for driver seems to actually be about 44.75. At that point, I'm doing pretty well on face dispersion. Accuracy doesn't really go up by going lower (the 44 experiment).

2) For me, the benefit of the FW is that I hit down on it from a more vertical body position and a much lower tee height. I'm admittedly a hack. This probably isn't the right way to swing. It's far more consistent than a driver hit on a flat to upward swing plane for me. I've just got a more accurate swing with respect to where the ball ends up on the course (face angle and swing path) hitting down like that with a FW than a driver swing. Try as I may, I cannot do the same thing with the driver.

3) Me "smoking" one off the deck with it. I will be the the first person to state that I have a slower swing speed than average. For whatever reason, I'm that guy in the high 80s with the driver, despite being decently physically fit. I just don't have much flexibility (which is another thread). When I say "smoked" it (for me), it's not any longer than a high swing speed player hits a 3 iron. The LT2W @ 43.5 does give me a "go for broke" option off the deck that actually can work, which I could never do with the driver. I think you make my point here -- that there is some versatility to the club that provides value.

Conclusion: By all means, if the driver swing is on, that's the play. It's got a longer shaft for more club head speed, more face volume for forgiveness, and a much larger sweet spot where max COR can be found. I've just come back to bagging the LT2W as an insurance policy for those days when the driver isn't on. There might be other hacks out there like me who'd want to give this a shot.
 
So i've been struggling in finding a fairway wood off the tee that i can rely on, that won't be as long as my driver, but longer than a 4i off the tee. In general, would you consider the mini, say at 16 degrees, more forgiving than a typical 3W off the tee? I hadn't even given it a thought yesterday, when i was trying out the G30 and BioCell 3W's off the tee, which i wasn't totally thrilled with, and hadn't even considered the mini until i came upon this thread.

This really became apparent of a need in my bag yetserday when i played a course that had a wash area right in the area where my driver was too long, but hitting a 4i off the tee really left me with a long shot. Right now, i don't have anything reliable in between.
I have the answer for you in the marketplace :). It is long and easy to hit off the tee, I tried the 12* lofted one.
 
Has anyone considered trying to hit a knock down shot with a driver? It is a pretty easy shot to do with a little practice. You can use the Pelz wedge swing system for this, it does take some practice. This will keep your bag open for more clubs at the other end. It is also fun to do. The driver doesn't have to be hit as hard as you can every time you hit it.
 
Has anyone considered trying to hit a knock down shot with a driver? It is a pretty easy shot to do with a little practice. You can use the Pelz wedge swing system for this, it does take some practice. This will keep your bag open for more clubs at the other end. It is also fun to do. The driver doesn't have to be hit as hard as you can every time you hit it.
I have tried it a few times on the range and have not been able to get the sequencing right. Kind of a surprise since that is one of my favorite shots to hit with irons and wedges, and even consistent with up to a 3 hybrid.
 
My R1 is getting a little long in the tooth (and looking rough after having it in play for a few years now). I got fitted into an Aeroburner 12* Stiff shaft, but I've noticed I'm far more accurate with my X-Hot 4W. Any opinions on if a Mini Driver might be a good way for me to bridge the gap as a driver replacement? If so, which one would you guys recommend (X2 Hot 2Deep, Bertha 1.5, Aeroburner Mini, SLDR Mini)?
 
This thread is a big help because I'm seriously considering getting an SLDR Mini Driver. Alternatively, I was also thinking of a Jekyll and Hyde combination for my drivers (remember Phil?). I was thinking of getting a higher-lofted version for my driver and with newer tech because the Wishon head on my driver is circa 2007.
 
First time swinging a mini. Stock Kuro Kage stiff shaft and 14* head. N/S settings. Think my experiment will be a good one
4018bfc11f1872e20751058f287ff248.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
First time swinging a mini. Stock Kuro Kage stiff shaft and 14* head. N/S settings. Think my experiment will be a good one
4018bfc11f1872e20751058f287ff248.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

How does this compare to your numbers with the XR?
 
First time swinging a mini. Stock Kuro Kage stiff shaft and 14* head. N/S settings. Think my experiment will be a good one
4018bfc11f1872e20751058f287ff248.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Looking pretty good!
 
How does this compare to your numbers with the XR?

Can't really compare yet since my XR has MT7x installed but based solely off these few hits, my XR is straighter, more penetrating flight. I did shaft up another MT7x shaft tonight with cally adapter so <thank you to Mr KC720> I'll be doing an apples to apples testing of mini 1.5 14* vs XR 15* non pro 3w. Both will have midsize grips and play at 43". I'm hoping to see about 230-235 carry with the mini which is 10 yds longer than XR.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Looking pretty good!

Thank you sir. Im definitely excited to test outdoors next week.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Can't really compare yet since my XR has MT7x installed but based solely off these few hits, my XR is straighter, more penetrating flight. I did shaft up another MT7x shaft tonight with cally adapter so <thank you to Mr KC720> I'll be doing an apples to apples testing of mini 1.5 14* vs XR 15* non pro 3w. Both will have midsize grips and play at 43". I'm hoping to see about 230-235 carry with the mini which is 10 yds longer than XR.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

What about Mini vs. XR 9* off the tee?
 
What about Mini vs. XR 9* off the tee?

Currently, with the mini is about 25 yds behind XR 9* on carry. Definitely what I expected given my driver was fit for me and the mini hasn't been but on a good day, my XR 3w is straighter than my driver but about 30 yds shorter off the tee with carry.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Built up a tour SLDR 10.5* Mini w/ Matrix 7m3 @ 43.75"

Gamed it last night for 9 holes. Low 50*'s and wet but was really pleased with the distance I was getting. Very consistent, great piercing ball flight and not too far behind where I hit my driver. Might be my new weapon for tight shorter courses.
 
Built up a tour SLDR 10.5* Mini w/ Matrix 7m3 @ 43.75"

Gamed it last night for 9 holes. Low 50*'s and wet but was really pleased with the distance I was getting. Very consistent, great piercing ball flight and not too far behind where I hit my driver. Might be my new weapon for tight shorter courses.

Sounds like a beast!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Back
Top