I just added a 4 wood to my bag, and wow it can hit almost as far as my driver. It is staying in my bag, has really given me the ability to reach par 5s in two. I have considered having a second driver instead but my drivers are all low lofted. Strangely, I gave up on a 3 wood but the 4 is easy to hit long and straight.
I have to get enough distance off the tee to avoid being left with 200-220 because I’ll never get it to the green (unless I want to risk the 3 wood). I need a consistent club to close the 3 wood to 4 iron gap. So, I’ve gotta get that second shot down to 180 or less. I do like your thought about using the two drivers. Skip the 3 wood and go to a 5, maybe.
Just sold my M6 driver, gone back to a M6 3Rocket at 14* almost as long and can play it off the fairway. Looked at Mini driver very difficult to get here in Ireland. Have played a 44inch shaft in my driver since I got an M1. I feel more control with shorter shaft .
I started playing 2 drivers recently and love my original one mini driver set at 13.5 degrees and my other driver is a krank 5 degree driver. Love them both.
Great video. I carry a Ping driver and a 3 and 5 wood. I can hit the 3 and 5 Woods off the tee longer than most of my friends hit their drivers. I will take a look at this mini driver too. Might be interesting lol.
I can’t believe I’ve been doing something before the professionals ! I’ve been carrying two drivers now for nearly 3 years. One at 42.5 inches and 14 degrees, and the other at 44.5 degrees at 10.5 degrees. On tight holes or risky fairways little dog is an absolute fairway finder, plus first shot on the first tee, has never let me down. Big Dog for more open and forgiving fairways where I won’t be as punished. Distance difference 30 yards ish depending on up or down wind. That and a chipper has revolutionised my game !
Hey Andy. I've got the TM Aeroburner 14 degree Mini driver in the bag for the exact reasons you said. I love it off the deck as my fairway and when the M5 is having an off day (it's never me) I hit it off the tee. 5 sips. I need at least half a cup before I venture out.
Andy,I feel much better now with what I’m doing. I carry two drivers, both 12* since I’m 73 years old and have lost distance and height with my clubs. One driver is a Rogue cut -1/2”and a Ping G400 that’s minus 1.5”. Also note I am not a great 3 wood hitter so it’s left in the garage. Note that my course is very tight on most holes so I use the Ping especially when I’m not doing well. The Rogue goes on the wider holes and when I feel my game is on. For me this really works, thanks for the great videos.
Great to see you back on the links Andy :) and good to see the Mini made it back into the bag. You were so enthusiastic about it when you first tested it, I thought it would never be replaced.
I can completely relate to where you are here Andy. I put the Taylormade mini driver in my bag 2 months ago and my confidence off the tee is now sky high, when you nail one out of the middle it's a lovely ball flight. You're absolutely right about the loss in yardage but I've never hit this many fairways, I've been working hard on my 4hybrid on approaches to counter that loss. I've dumped the 3w as it's a club I've never really got on with. I would 100% advise anyone that isn't confident with the driver to invest, you won't be disappointed. 👍
Ping G400 Stretch works well for this as well as a 13 deg fairway wood. It can be hard for some without the swing speed to get a low lofted 3w off the ground but similar ideas. I have cut down my driver an inch and re-weighted the head to get SW back and a little of best of both worlds.
I picked a gently used TM Mini Driver a couple weeks ago and have been using it as a 2 wood, mostly off the deck because I hit it better than my 3w. I've played both the mini and a driver of the tee a couple times now. The mini is not that far behind the driver. Occasionally, it was even further because I almost always get a forward kick with the mini when the ball lands. I suppose that's because it has a lower trajectory. My drives (with a driver) often get very high and the ball often stops almost in place. The fairways are pretty soft here most of the time.
Great video Andy I love my G410 driver and went for the G410 5 wood and then the 4 hybrid in the range and can honestly say I've never hit so many fairways, went for the 5 wood instead of a 3 wood, do you still game the G400 max?
I have Ping Max 9 and TM Aeroburner mini driver 16, then 3&4 hybrids. Best set up in my life and scores are showing it. If I cant reach a par 5 or any hole with my 3 hybrid then Im laying up, and now I have the perfect 240 club off a tee for short par 4 or long par 3s and a huge sweet spot on 2 clubs now making finding fairways easier.
Not a daft idea at all. The confidence issue resonates with me, hence currently playing a junior Ping Prodi G 43" stiff shaft. Thinking of doing the same and adding a full length driver, although need to try using the Ping off the fairway more.
Great video Andy Nice to see you back on the links mate, I carry a Driver and a driving iron if the driver is not there I just go with old faithful. Cheers Peter
Ha. Mini driver was on sale here almost half price. I thought long and hard over the weekend. Concluded I would get it to replace my 3 wood. I use 3 hybrid off fairway for consistency. By the time I decided mini driver was full price. Lol.
I did my bag a favour a removed the driver altogether. Althought, I'm not playing the Mini Driver either but something somewhat close to it. I have a Cobra F8, adjusted to 13.5 degrees and a 43.5 inches shaft. Mini Driver could be played 13.5 but with a 43.75 inches shaft. This frees 1 slot to insert a Driving Iron for those stingers needed in the wind... I am on the market for a 16 degrees utility Iron (Maybe Titleist U-510). I may hit the Iron 3-4 times in a round... but that's still a whole lot more than I'm using my 10.5 degrees driver... which is never.
I have 2 drivers in my bag, one I use for control and fairway finding, the other if I want to go after a little extra distance on the longer holes, I just left a wedge out of the bag.
I also use two drivers. I have a shortened one that I use if I'm not hitting straight. You hit the nail on the head when you said it's about confidence and if it helps then why not! Sometimes I think about using two putters too! Thanks for reassuring me that I ain't bonkers 😄
I like the idea. I carry one driver but I often prefer hitting it off the deck over hitting my 3 wood; more confidence. I now wonder if I need the 3 wood...
Because of you, and because I found it for half price. 😂 I bought the mini driver. I love it! The confidence and control I have with it are unmatched. Cheers
A rose is still a rose by any other name. So the Mini Driver could be called a Maxi Three Wood. So if it works you have a driver and a three wood. Simple. Good video Andy and as usual thought provoking.
I'd throw in another option. Take an older, adjustable driver, cut it down to ~ 42", throw it in the bag and drop one of your longer irons/hybrid or go with a PW + 2 wedges instead of 3 wedges. If you've never hit a 42-43" club with a driver head you'll be shocked at how easy it seems. It needs to be properly swing weighted of course so you may need a fitter to do this properly, but it's a much cheaper option than purchasing a dramatically overpriced mini-driver.
Will be really interested to see how this experiment goes Andy. It feels looking on that there is a risk that the main driver may become a bit of a passenger and a wasted shot in the bag, as it sounds as though you would only go to it when confident and when you need the additional 20 yards, which may happen only a couple of times a round, or indeed not at all depending on how you are hitting it. So I'm looking forward to seeing firstly how this pans out, and secondly, what would be the potential alternative club that could replace it, and what other 'hole' in your game (not trying to be derogatory, everyone has them!) that could be filled. Would an extra wedge help? Would a hybrid to give an alternative flight for a similar yardage range of one of your long irons? etc. So many interesting tests and decisions that could come from this - great stuff!
I had 2 R11s’s one at 9deg and one lofted at 13.5deg with shorter shaft. Worked brilliant. First round after lockdown the 13.5deg head snapped off, into the rough and couldn’t find it!!!! 😢
I spoke to local pro shop on Sunday to ask whether any TM mini drivers available, I’m top of the list and then you put this out the next day. I’m now convinced 😉
No - limited release. I was set to get one after your review first time out. It didn’t come in before my golf holiday and a lesson sorted out my driver woes. James even suggested I approach you to buy yours, that was yesterday, and then you put this out. You couldn’t make it up 😂
For your game Andy your using the mini driver to replace a 3 wood , clearly you hit the mini better than a 3 wood , it’s all about what’s best for your game you get 14 clubs ,you could have 5 wedges if you want .
The set I built for my father: - Driver 10.5 (45") & Mini Driver 13.5 degree - 17 degree 4 wood & 21 degree 7 wood - 25 Degree 5 Hybrid, 28 Degree 6 Hybrid - 7, 8, 9, PW Irons (32 degrees, 37 degrees, 42 degrees, 47 degrees) - 56 degree Wedge My bet is with this set of 12 clubs, most golfers in the world with a higher handicap than 8 would do better with this 12 club bag than any 14 club set they have currently constructed for themselves. I've personally played with it and I can shoot a couple over par
If your mini was 30-40 yards short of your driver is that not where your 3 wood would be ? Would you still pull your mini if your ball had settled in the semi, good turn again Andy
Intriguing option for me. A bad drive on the first hole puts a damper on my entire round. Our lockdown has only recently been eased. Only 2 nines played so far.
That's an interesting strategy Andy, as my driver is the best club in my bag and my 3wood is the worst I'm not sure that it would work for me. But it's certainly an interesting idea to consider.
@@TheAverageGolfer I suppose that you are turning your mini-driver into a strong 3wood. If my memory serves me well Bryson DeChambeau at one point carried 2 drivers, one was his fairway finder and the other was his bomber. That was of course before he turned into the Hulk!
I had a similar problem, the driver goes bad then destroys my whole game. I chose a different option...... No driver and two 3 woods. One M6 standard and one M5 monster (knocked down to 12 degrees)
What about simply playing a shorter driver? Often there is no loss of distance because of better contact! I play my driver at 44.5" and it's made a world of difference!
the TM Mini Driver is a deep faced strong 3 wood at 13.5 degrees drivers and not a true driver in today's 460cc world. so you're not playing two drivers, its like saying a T400 7iron at 26degrees is an actual 7iron, not a 5iron based on the actual loft. (personally, I think the MiniDriver is the best golf club released in the last 3 years and 80 percent of golfers should be using it as they would be better golfers.) I use the MiniDriver rotating between the 13.5 & 11.5 with an oban tourlimited90 tourflex as I know this strong 3 or 2 wood will get it out to 260 / 280 carry.
When I'm not swinging well, doesn't matter what club it is! Can miss wild with a 7i never mind driver! 😂😂😂 Just need to get more lessons and keep learning! 🙈
I just added a 4 wood to my bag, and wow it can hit almost as far as my driver. It is staying in my bag, has really given me the ability to reach par 5s in two. I have considered having a second driver instead but my drivers are all low lofted. Strangely, I gave up on a 3 wood but the 4 is easy to hit long and straight.
I have to get enough distance off the tee to avoid being left with 200-220 because I’ll never get it to the green (unless I want to risk the 3 wood). I need a consistent club to close the 3 wood to 4 iron gap. So, I’ve gotta get that second shot down to 180 or less. I do like your thought about using the two drivers. Skip the 3 wood and go to a 5, maybe.
I’ve been using 2 drivers for about 15 yrs, the higher lofted one to draw it and the other one to fade
Wow impressive Steve!
Just sold my M6 driver, gone back to a M6 3Rocket at 14* almost as long and can play it off the fairway. Looked at Mini driver very difficult to get here in Ireland. Have played a 44inch shaft in my driver since I got an M1. I feel more control with shorter shaft .
I started playing 2 drivers recently and love my original one mini driver set at 13.5 degrees and my other driver is a krank 5 degree driver. Love them both.
Great video. I carry a Ping driver and a 3 and 5 wood. I can hit the 3 and 5 Woods off the tee longer than most of my friends hit their drivers. I will take a look at this mini driver too. Might be interesting lol.
I can’t believe I’ve been doing something before the professionals ! I’ve been carrying two drivers now for nearly 3 years. One at 42.5 inches and 14 degrees, and the other at 44.5 degrees at 10.5 degrees. On tight holes or risky fairways little dog is an absolute fairway finder, plus first shot on the first tee, has never let me down. Big Dog for more open and forgiving fairways where I won’t be as punished. Distance difference 30 yards ish depending on up or down wind. That and a chipper has revolutionised my game !
Sounds like you have the solution that I am looking for Paul, I hope it works well for me as it does for you
Hey Andy. I've got the TM Aeroburner 14 degree Mini driver in the bag for the exact reasons you said. I love it off the deck as my fairway and when the M5 is having an off day (it's never me) I hit it off the tee. 5 sips. I need at least half a cup before I venture out.
Andy,I feel much better now with what I’m doing. I carry two drivers, both 12* since I’m 73 years old and have lost distance and height with my clubs. One driver is a Rogue cut -1/2”and a Ping G400 that’s minus 1.5”. Also note I am not a great 3 wood hitter so it’s left in the garage. Note that my course is very tight on most holes so I use the Ping especially when I’m not doing well. The Rogue goes on the wider holes and when I feel my game is on. For me this really works, thanks for the great videos.
Sounds perfect Richard, I hope it works for me!
Totally agree that if my driving is poor or erratic then my whole game suffers. I recognise that I am chasing the game but can't help it.
Great to see you back on the links Andy :) and good to see the Mini made it back into the bag. You were so enthusiastic about it when you first tested it, I thought it would never be replaced.
I can completely relate to where you are here Andy. I put the Taylormade mini driver in my bag 2 months ago and my confidence off the tee is now sky high, when you nail one out of the middle it's a lovely ball flight. You're absolutely right about the loss in yardage but I've never hit this many fairways, I've been working hard on my 4hybrid on approaches to counter that loss. I've dumped the 3w as it's a club I've never really got on with. I would 100% advise anyone that isn't confident with the driver to invest, you won't be disappointed. 👍
My Taylormade R7 Superquad Driver (with Fujikura shaft) is the club of choice for me. I’ve been gaming it for over 10 years!
Great to have a club you can rely on
Ping G400 Stretch works well for this as well as a 13 deg fairway wood. It can be hard for some without the swing speed to get a low lofted 3w off the ground but similar ideas. I have cut down my driver an inch and re-weighted the head to get SW back and a little of best of both worlds.
I picked a gently used TM Mini Driver a couple weeks ago and have been using it as a 2 wood, mostly off the deck because I hit it better than my 3w. I've played both the mini and a driver of the tee a couple times now. The mini is not that far behind the driver. Occasionally, it was even further because I almost always get a forward kick with the mini when the ball lands. I suppose that's because it has a lower trajectory. My drives (with a driver) often get very high and the ball often stops almost in place. The fairways are pretty soft here most of the time.
Great video Andy I love my G410 driver and went for the G410 5 wood and then the 4 hybrid in the range and can honestly say I've never hit so many fairways, went for the 5 wood instead of a 3 wood, do you still game the G400 max?
I have Ping Max 9 and TM Aeroburner mini driver 16, then 3&4 hybrids. Best set up in my life and scores are showing it. If I cant reach a par 5 or any hole with my 3 hybrid then Im laying up, and now I have the perfect 240 club off a tee for short par 4 or long par 3s and a huge sweet spot on 2 clubs now making finding fairways easier.
Not a daft idea at all. The confidence issue resonates with me, hence currently playing a junior Ping Prodi G 43" stiff shaft. Thinking of doing the same and adding a full length driver, although need to try using the Ping off the fairway more.
Great video Andy Nice to see you back on the links mate, I carry a Driver and a driving iron if the driver is not there I just go with old faithful. Cheers Peter
Ha. Mini driver was on sale here almost half price. I thought long and hard over the weekend. Concluded I would get it to replace my 3 wood. I use 3 hybrid off fairway for consistency. By the time I decided mini driver was full price. Lol.
I did my bag a favour a removed the driver altogether. Althought, I'm not playing the Mini Driver either but something somewhat close to it. I have a Cobra F8, adjusted to 13.5 degrees and a 43.5 inches shaft. Mini Driver could be played 13.5 but with a 43.75 inches shaft.
This frees 1 slot to insert a Driving Iron for those stingers needed in the wind... I am on the market for a 16 degrees utility Iron (Maybe Titleist U-510).
I may hit the Iron 3-4 times in a round... but that's still a whole lot more than I'm using my 10.5 degrees driver... which is never.
I have 2 drivers in my bag, one I use for control and fairway finding, the other if I want to go after a little extra distance on the longer holes, I just left a wedge out of the bag.
Great video, being new to golf 1 driver in my bags enough, but the logic behind 2 makes sence.
Brilliant! Hit the big dog on an open par 5 and the mini driver to get close to the green. The mini driver comes out on tighter par 4s.
Thats the plan....
I also use two drivers. I have a shortened one that I use if I'm not hitting straight. You hit the nail on the head when you said it's about confidence and if it helps then why not! Sometimes I think about using two putters too! Thanks for reassuring me that I ain't bonkers 😄
Maybe we are both bonkers!
I like the idea. I carry one driver but I often prefer hitting it off the deck over hitting my 3 wood; more confidence. I now wonder if I need the 3 wood...
I have a Mizuno GT 180 set at 7.5 degrees, then Callaway 12degree mini, and Titleist 17 degree for me woods
Because of you, and because I found it for half price. 😂 I bought the mini driver. I love it! The confidence and control I have with it are unmatched. Cheers
Hi Andy great vid interesting... Out of interest what driver are you playing?
Hi what mini driver were you using ?????
A rose is still a rose by any other name. So the Mini Driver could be called a Maxi Three Wood. So if it works you have a driver and a three wood. Simple. Good video Andy and as usual thought provoking.
I'd throw in another option. Take an older, adjustable driver, cut it down to ~ 42", throw it in the bag and drop one of your longer irons/hybrid or go with a PW + 2 wedges instead of 3 wedges. If you've never hit a 42-43" club with a driver head you'll be shocked at how easy it seems. It needs to be properly swing weighted of course so you may need a fitter to do this properly, but it's a much cheaper option than purchasing a dramatically overpriced mini-driver.
Johnny Penso I’ve only just had my TaylorMade M6 driver cut down to 42” and so far I’m loving the better control.
Will be really interested to see how this experiment goes Andy. It feels looking on that there is a risk that the main driver may become a bit of a passenger and a wasted shot in the bag, as it sounds as though you would only go to it when confident and when you need the additional 20 yards, which may happen only a couple of times a round, or indeed not at all depending on how you are hitting it. So I'm looking forward to seeing firstly how this pans out, and secondly, what would be the potential alternative club that could replace it, and what other 'hole' in your game (not trying to be derogatory, everyone has them!) that could be filled. Would an extra wedge help? Would a hybrid to give an alternative flight for a similar yardage range of one of your long irons? etc. So many interesting tests and decisions that could come from this - great stuff!
Great feedback David and yes we will have to see how this plays out
I had 2 R11s’s one at 9deg and one lofted at 13.5deg with shorter shaft. Worked brilliant. First round after lockdown the 13.5deg head snapped off, into the rough and couldn’t find it!!!! 😢
Wow thats bad luck Ant!
I played the sldr mini and callaway gbb in the bag for the past five years only recently lost confidence with both so just stick with hybrid
I spoke to local pro shop on Sunday to ask whether any TM mini drivers available, I’m top of the list and then you put this out the next day. I’m now convinced 😉
What a coincidence! You will recall I was a big fan and not sure why I moved away, are they still for sale Bri?
No - limited release. I was set to get one after your review first time out. It didn’t come in before my golf holiday and a lesson sorted out my driver woes.
James even suggested I approach you to buy yours, that was yesterday, and then you put this out. You couldn’t make it up 😂
For your game Andy your using the mini driver to replace a 3 wood , clearly you hit the mini better than a 3 wood , it’s all about what’s best for your game you get 14 clubs ,you could have 5 wedges if you want .
The set I built for my father:
- Driver 10.5 (45") & Mini Driver 13.5 degree
- 17 degree 4 wood & 21 degree 7 wood
- 25 Degree 5 Hybrid, 28 Degree 6 Hybrid
- 7, 8, 9, PW Irons (32 degrees, 37 degrees, 42 degrees, 47 degrees)
- 56 degree Wedge
My bet is with this set of 12 clubs, most golfers in the world with a higher handicap than 8 would do better with this 12 club bag than any 14 club set they have currently constructed for themselves. I've personally played with it and I can shoot a couple over par
I would agree Paul, the set up is more beneficial to a lot of golfers
What does he putt with Paul? '-)
@@rufussthoo4083 his 25 year old crappy Putter
If your mini was 30-40 yards short of your driver is that not where your 3 wood would be ?
Would you still pull your mini if your ball had settled in the semi, good turn again Andy
Great video Andy , what loft is the mini driver ? 😉🏌️♂️⛳️🍻
It is either 11.5 or 13.5 degree. If it is the original one.
Intriguing option for me. A bad drive on the first hole puts a damper on my entire round. Our lockdown has only recently been eased. Only 2 nines played so far.
Loves two drivers, rouge 12 degrees, flash. 8,,,fairway finding and boom baby, just knowing where to youse them,, and it's fun,, 😂😂
That's an interesting strategy Andy, as my driver is the best club in my bag and my 3wood is the worst I'm not sure that it would work for me. But it's certainly an interesting idea to consider.
Its hard to understand how two clubs can perform so differnetly!
@@TheAverageGolfer I suppose that you are turning your mini-driver into a strong 3wood. If my memory serves me well Bryson DeChambeau at one point carried 2 drivers, one was his fairway finder and the other was his bomber. That was of course before he turned into the Hulk!
@@banditbaker1675 I start on the weights next week......
@@TheAverageGolfer lol Good man I'm proud of you, could you do a few reps for me as well, please lol
Love your enthusiasm for the game Andy. We're always looking for ways to beat this game, if only for a day.
Yes enthusiastic but also a realist! I know I will never beat it!
@@TheAverageGolfer It’s a never ending challenge. And once in awhile...better not say it or I’ll jinx us!
Off to see James at foregolf today for a fitting , fairways and maybe driver, this has got me thinking 🤔 . Great video as always 🏌️♂️🏌️♂️
I had a similar problem, the driver goes bad then destroys my whole game.
I chose a different option...... No driver and two 3 woods. One M6 standard and one M5 monster (knocked down to 12 degrees)
Yes similar solution really
@@TheAverageGolfer mainly because i couldn't find the taylormade mini driver anywhere
@@PaulGSimGolfandRacing I had a look the other day and I dont think it is still for sale?
@@TheAverageGolfer no I don't think it is... Shame
Couldn't even find a second hand one 😞
What lofts are the drivers Andy?
10.5 and 12.5 Paul
Nice work swinging with Minnie Driver!
What are the two drivers?
Have you tried changing your path? That big cut is killing your distance when you don’t catch it just right for the knuckler-as I’m sure you know 😉
Like the concept. Please do a follow up video to let’s know how this concept is working for you.
Yes good idea
That a MacKenzie bag in the thumbnail Andy?
What about simply playing a shorter driver? Often there is no loss of distance because of better contact! I play my driver at 44.5" and it's made a world of difference!
The mini driver does have the shorter shaft Chris
the TM Mini Driver is a deep faced strong 3 wood at 13.5 degrees drivers and not a true driver in today's 460cc world. so you're not playing two drivers, its like saying a T400 7iron at 26degrees is an actual 7iron, not a 5iron based on the actual loft. (personally, I think the MiniDriver is the best golf club released in the last 3 years and 80 percent of golfers should be using it as they would be better golfers.) I use the MiniDriver rotating between the 13.5 & 11.5 with an oban tourlimited90 tourflex as I know this strong 3 or 2 wood will get it out to 260 / 280 carry.
When I'm not swinging well, doesn't matter what club it is! Can miss wild with a 7i never mind driver! 😂😂😂
Just need to get more lessons and keep learning! 🙈
My game generally hinges around my driver, if its good I usually score ok
@@TheAverageGolfer you and me both, if Im hitting it well most holes are driver & wedge, if not, its 3 off tee and scoring way over hcap 😭😭😭
A few years ago Phil Mickleson carried two drivers, one set up to draw the other to fade. Mind you he doesn’t pay for them. 🤪
I wished I had the choice of shots!
You and me both.
Good video
Thanks Jim
Wow ..tough hole ..driver , driver, driver.
Is the driver the pxg proto Andy ?
It was on the day but whether that is the driver I use remains to be seen tbh Derek
@@TheAverageGolfer cheers mate.