Here is an interesting conversation. We have a Mini driver coming. Lots of players are interested. Tour players are playing them. Should you? Let’s dig into this a little.

I play golf at a golf course that is bowling alley tight. I hit it pretty straight to begin with, but it can get offline every so often. I don’t hit it super long, so distance off the tee can be important for me. Anything north of 430 is a driver for me – regardless of how tight it is (unless it’s a tournament where I can’t afford the risk of a potential penalty). I hit a lot of 3 woods off the tee here. If there was a golf course that sets up well for a Mini driver – it’s this one. It’s not super long at about 6600 yards when stretched all the way back, but there are only 3 par 5’s (par 71), and there are three short par fours in a row (all 350 or shorter). It seems to play longer than the scorecard says. If I play here for a good score, I will hit driver three times. That makes the golf course play even longer. Having a club with the accuracy of a FW Wood, but that goes a little further than a 3 wood is intriguing. Cool. I’ll order one.

OK, but you have to pull something else out. Ohhhh… There’s that. The natural thought is a three wood because anything else opens up too big of a yardage gap. Am I really ready to give up a three wood? I don’t hit the three-wood super high, so its days are probably numbered for me anyway, but… not yet. I hit it often off a tee. Like OFTEN. I hit it into par 5’s often. With a Mini driver, I lose all of that. The three-wood is a 240 club for me, so the next one down is 225. It’s too short as a driving club, and too short to get into many par 5’s. You probably have a lot of members who are in the same boat who are thinking about this.

My solution? We have a Ti Elyte 3 wood coming. Hotter face. Higher launch. Deeper face. Good off the tee AND off the deck. THIS is for me. Yes, it’s more expensive than a traditional three wood, but it’s less than the Mini driver. The advantage for me? I’ll have a little less into the greens where I want to hit a FW Wood off the tee, it’s just as playable as a traditional three wood, but with a better ball flight for me. All good things. If I can stretch out the gap between my three wood and my five wood, I’m in. Something to consider for many players.

So, where does the Mini fall? Who is it for? Women and Juniors for sure!! The smaller head size at a shorter shaft length is much easier to tolerate. The loft is what it should be for these players anyway (11.5* or 13.5*). It’s less expensive and easier to control. Both of these player types tend to have trouble finding the center of the face, so shorter and smaller will help that. How about Seniors? Maybe. If the player fits into a 12* driver anyway, it’s certainly worth a look. If the player is shorter in stature, it may look better.

At the end of the day, this club is built like a driver, it just happens to have a smaller head and face. IF the ball speeds are near where they would be on a driver for the player – that’s a big if – it could have some merit. The reason it could work is IF the player can’t find the center of the face with the driver, but can find it with the Mini, ball speeds could be HIGHER with the Mini that with a driver. Some players COULD actually hit the Mini longer than a traditional driver. Some, not all. Most players will hit it straighter. If a player struggles with good contact, put it in the rotation. Also… If a player wants (needs) a shorter driver, the swingweight will be much better with the Mini driver than it would be with a driver that is cut down. If you need help with this one, please reference the Fitter’s corner from last week.

Instead, I say we need to change our focus on who this club is for, and how it can really help certain players. If we look at it as a three-wood replacement for a better player, it’s probably a tough sell. Even a mid level player who hits the driver 220 – the distance is too important for the length of the golf course. If we look at it as a second driver, for most good players, it’s a tough sell because they have to take something else out. On the other hand, most women and juniors don’t have the full 14 clubs, so you can add this without taking anything out. Most players in this group need more distance off the tee. The Mini driver could really help this as the center of the face will be easier to find and ball speeds could go up!! As a side note, I had a fitting with a player yesterday. He was a senior player. About 5’6″ tall. He struggled with distance. Smash factor was in the mid 1.3’s with a driver. After a while, we tried a driver at -1/2″. His Smash factor went to 1.48, and his ball speed increased by 10+ miles per hour. Somebody found the center of the face!! A shorter club can really help this for the right player.

Short driving distances make most golf courses play REALLY long – even from the red tees for may players. Consider this – a 340-yard par four with a dogleg is a hybrid and a wedge for many male players. Certainly not much more than a three wood. This hole will typically have the red tees in the same general area, so a Woman/ Junior/ Senior that drives it 150 still has 190 left and can’t get it around the corner of the dog leg. I fit a LOT of Seniors who start the fitting by driving it 170 with no carry. Even if the player teed it up and hit the driver again, the player STILL can’t reach. This hole will play as a par five for many women, juniors and seniors – IF they hit three good shots. We need to do what we can do to either further shorten the length of the red tees, and/ or do whatever we can to help ladies, juniors and seniors hit it further off the tee.

Most women, juniors and seniors can’t hit a three wood, shouldn’t have it in the bag, so replacing it with a Mini driver could be a really nice option. Look at it as a utility club that fills a void that many of the players in this subset don’t even know they have. Imagine a Lady who can drive the ball 150 with her driver, but a lot of the yardage is on the ground. A 13.5* mini could go close to that and be more carry – a very good thing. Perhaps you could make the current driver longer (if the player can control it). Create a little separation between the Mini and the driver. Then you’d have a Mini Driver and a SUPER Driver!! Coming soon to a fitting event near you. 😉

Have a great week!!