The anticipation which is born from seeing companies tease a club on Tour is always enjoyable to behold, but when Titleist tipped their hand about having developed a mini driver it took things to a whole new level. Ever since learning that it was real and on Tour, many have been waiting patiently to learn more, after all, seeing Titleist enter this particular arena was likely not on many bingo cards.
Today is the day we find out exactly what is going on under the hood, not to mention how Titleist took one of the most niche types out there and made it their own.
Titleist GT280 Mini Driver
We all know that the Mini Driver itself is not a new concept, in fact, it has come and gone many times over the recent years. Once upon a time, popularity centered around The Open Championship conditions. Present day, things feel different.
There has become more desire from both amateurs and Tour players alike to find a club which works as a secondary tee club, offering more forgiveness than a 3-Wood, but also improved control compared to a driver. Those things describe the Mini Driver perfectly, and while it is still very much a niche club (and NOT a driver replacement), seeing a company like Titleist getting in on the action makes it seem like perhaps the size of that niche is growing.
With the TSR2+ fairway, Titleist quasi dipped their toe in to test the waters of producing a stronger and slightly bigger fairway wood which was great off the tee but still usable from the turf. It was quite honestly an exceptional club in the right hands, but, still the realization was that more could be done. The current GT fairways have also been a massive success for the brand, and with that the instinct is to ask why they would consider a Mini Driver at all. According to Titleist:
“GT280 is a completely new offering that was born from golfer feedback. We heard from more and more players who were looking for a club that gapped between their driver and 3-wood. For some, this club is for tee shots only. Others need to be able to hit this club off the turf. GT280 is designed to perform exceptionally under both conditions, and it will be a really valuable addition to our metalwood lineup.”
Josh Talge, Titleist’s Vice President of Golf Club Marketing
The driving force behind the design of the GT280 was finding a way to blend Titleist’s fairway and driver technology into one clubhead. That chase for distance and control from the tee while maintaining playability was a big reason for landing on 280cc as the size, situating directly between the GT drivers and fairways.
“The design process for GT280 began with a request from J.J. [Van Wezenbeeck, Titleist’s Senior Director of Club Promotions], and when we brought out our first mini driver prototype last year, we quickly saw that it fit a performance need for both tour players and amateurs. Whether GT280 is going to have a permanent spot in a player’s bag and replace their strongest-lofted fairway, or if it’s more of a situational ‘15th club,’ there’s a lot of interest in another go-to distance club that performs how GT280 does.”
Tom Bennett, Principal Product Manager for Titleist Metalwood R&D
The Technology – Titleist GT280 Mini Driver
In terms of technology, the GT280 has a Titanium body and it also uses the Seamless Thermoform Crown like the rest of the GT metalwoods. This is made of a Proprietary Matrix Polymer (PMP) that is a unique composite which saves significant weight while also having tunable acoustic properties than ensure the GT280 will keep that renowned Titleist sound/feel.
The Mini also uses the same forward and aft weighting that exists in the GT4 driver. It comes standard with 11g and 3g weights. Initially, it is set up for the heavy weight back which increases the overall tee and turf playability. However, flipping it to the forward position means lowering spin and ball flight to make it even more lethal from the tee. As is the case with the rest of the GT metalwoods, additional weights are also available to take things from +6g from standard all the way down to -6g.
Finally, the GT280 also has a Forged L-Cup Face. The new face insert actually wraps around the bottom of the head. Titleist combined this with a lowered leading edge and reduced sole curvature. When combined, the result is more ball speed and spin consistency on low strikes as well as better playability off of the turf.
The Details
With its 280cc size, the Titleist GT280 Mini Driver is a 13 degree head which will be offered to both right and left handed golfers. The club uses the Sure Fit fairway adapter, bringing even more adjustability to the table. Playing length will be 43.5” (42.5” in Ladies and 41.5” in Junior) and it will available standard with the Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Blue 65 (R, S, X) or Black 75 (S, X).
The GT280 is priced at $499, available for fitting and pre-sale today, and will be in golf shops worldwide 4/18/25. For more information visit their website at www.titleist.com.
