The Mini Driver - Where does this sit in the bag?

[gbasgolf]

I’m looking at introducing a new fairway wood, and bridge the gap between my current 3 wood and 4 hybrid. I have considered putting the new TM BRNR Mini Driver (13.5*) in the bag, replacing my current 3 wood, and introducing a 5 wood.

Im pretty good at striking the ball off the fairway for a player of my handicap (17), and want something that will provide an alternate tee shot than my driver, and might get a bit more distance and forgiveness than the 3 wood, whilst still having a long club to hit from the fairway.

Has anyone put a mini driver in the bag and where does this sit in terms of gapping? Would you recommend etc…

[GolfSpy_APH]

12 minutes ago, gbasgolf said:

I’m looking at introducing a new fairway wood, and bridge the gap between my current 3 wood and 4 hybrid. I have considered putting the new TM BRNR Mini Driver (13.5*) in the bag, replacing my current 3 wood, and introducing a 5 wood.

Im pretty good at striking the ball off the fairway for a player of my handicap (17), and want something that will provide an alternate tee shot than my driver, and might get a bit more distance and forgiveness than the 3 wood, whilst still having a long club to hit from the fairway.

Has anyone put a mini driver in the bag and where does this sit in terms of gapping? Would you recommend etc…

My own personal experience with the minidrivers are that they really are not that easy to hit off the deck. I mean you can, but a 3 wood is far easier. 

Personally if it is a bigger more forgiving club, there are some larger fairways out there that could provide that forgiveness you are looking for. 

What is the distance gap which you have right now? What distance are you hoping to get out of this club? The good news for you is there are a million options in this area... or maybe that is a bad thing! haha

[RickyBobby_PR]

Off the deck it’s going to be harder to hit than a fairway wood. Not impossible but it’s bigger head which makes it harder.

Its more of a tee option for people 

[StrokerAce]

I honestly don't know how people would use a mini driver, and for those that due - respect. 

Strokes gained/Decade show that whenever you can use driver you should, and I can't imagine trying to hit that thing off the deck.

[SKaye]

I think it's worth bringing your driver and wood and going to test the mini driver to look at the numbers and see where it would fit. If you have less than 14 clubs in your bag then maybe it's an easy decision to make but if you have a full bag I think your average golfer would be hard pressed to justify getting rid of a club for a mini driver.

As an alternative, I know callaway makes one, and I'm sure other companies make them as well, but there are 3+ woods, they're 3 woods that are stronger lofted and with the 3 wood size they would also probably be easier to hit off the deck than a mini driver.

[SKaye]

31 minutes ago, StrokerAce said:

Strokes gained/Decade show that whenever you can use driver you should

Sometimes I don't like this stat. I think driver on par 5s is definitely the play because your second shot is most likely going to be a wood, hybrid, long iron. But I play some courses where I can hit driver off the tee but it wouldn't be beneficial to do so (yardage, lie, etc) and it also assumes that the person is hitting their driver straight. 

[Shlax]

7 hours ago, gbasgolf said:

Im pretty good at striking the ball off the fairway for a player of my handicap (17), and want something that will provide an alternate tee shot than my driver, and might get a bit more distance and forgiveness than the 3 wood, whilst still having a long club to hit from the fairway.

I had a similar train of thought lately and from what I read (mainly on MGS), a mini driver is exactly what your are describing above.

The moment of inertia (MOI) aka forgiveness of these clubs is roughly 40-50% higher than that of fairway woods. However, the deeper face definitely makes it harder to hit off the deck.

To me, it would only make sense if you'd replace both your driver and 3W for a minidriver and added a 5W.

I never hit a mini driver per say, but I absolutely love my 3W off the tee so an alternative to driver is always interesting. Please keep up posted on your experience!

[GolfSpy TCB]

It isn't marketed as a mini driver, but it has many of the similarities.... and I love this addition to my bag this year.  The Titleist TSR2+ - 13* -3 wood.  It has more of a fairway wood profile which I have no problem hitting from the fairway, but also gives me that little lower and less spinny flight from the tee when I don't need to hit driver.  The ball shape is definitely a bit more "draw" than my driver, which makes for a perfect option for me on those tight OB to the right holes.  I am about 20 yards shorter with it than my driver, but that isn't always a bad thing.  All that said... I've hit driver off the deck (pre 13* in my bag) if I need to roll something up on a par 5... but that was a rare occasion and only on the best of lies.  

[gbasgolf]

18 minutes ago, SKaye said:

I think it's worth bringing your driver and wood and going to test the mini driver to look at the numbers and see where it would fit. If you have less than 14 clubs in your bag then maybe it's an easy decision to make but if you have a full bag I think your average golfer would be hard pressed to justify getting rid of a club for a mini driver.

As an alternative, I know callaway makes one, and I'm sure other companies make them as well, but there are 3+ woods, they're 3 woods that are stronger lofted and with the 3 wood size they would also probably be easier to hit off the deck than a mini driver.

 

6 minutes ago, Shlax said:

I had a similar train of thought lately and from what I read (mainly on MGS), a mini driver is exactly what your are describing above.

The moment of inertia (MOI) aka forgiveness of these clubs is roughly 40-50% higher than that of fairway woods. However, the deeper face definitely makes it harder to hit off the deck.

To me, it would only make sense if you'd replace both your driver and 3W for a minidriver and added a 5W.

I never hit a mini driver per say, but I absolutely love my 3W off the tee so an alternative to driver is always interesting. Please keep up posted on your experience!

I have less than 14 currently, so would look to add the mini driver in replacement to the 3 wood and add a 5 wood, as I’ve read/seen videos where some amateurs can get almost as much out of a 5 Wood or close to as they can a three wood

[SteveGH7]

12 minutes ago, GolfSpy TCB said:

It isn't marketed as a mini driver, but it has many of the similarities.... and I love this addition to my bag this year.  The Titleist TSR2+ - 13* -3 wood.  It has more of a fairway wood profile which I have no problem hitting from the fairway, but also gives me that little lower and less spinny flight from the tee when I don't need to hit driver.  The ball shape is definitely a bit more "draw" than my driver, which makes for a perfect option for me on those tight OB to the right holes.  I am about 20 yards shorter with it than my driver, but that isn't always a bad thing.  All that said... I've hit driver off the deck (pre 13* in my bag) if I need to roll something up on a par 5... but that was a rare occasion and only on the best of lies.  

I'm really interested in the TSR2+.  I currently have the TSR2 3HL at 16.5 which I really like and sometimes hit off the tee, so the TSR2+ is intriguing.  

[MHock]

I asked this very question to my club pro. He said a couple things:

It’s essentially a deeper faced fairway wood that can replace a 3w. 
It can replace the driver for some people, who aren’t comfortable with a 460cc head. 
It’s somewhat of a gimmick. 

[RickyBobby_PR]

5 minutes ago, MHock said:

I asked this very question to my club pro. He said a couple things:

It’s essentially a deeper faced fairway wood that can replace a 3w. 
It can replace the driver for some people, who aren’t comfortable with a 460cc head. 
It’s somewhat of a gimmick. 

Interesting take from your club pro. I disagree with the deep faced 3w. It’s 104-134 cc larger than the TaylorMade 3wds. It’s far from a deep faced 3w

Its also far from a gimmick. If he would have said niche product then I would agree.

 

[Joe-in-OR]

I bought the newest Taylor made burner.  As far as gapping goes. I’ve changed to a driver , this thing and a 5 wood it is a game changer for me, even though I had a few that did not go as high as I would like the distance was amazing regardless.  I used it off the deck on par 5 second shots and off the tee on some shorter par 4s that were a little tight to go all out.  I enjoyed it I got extra distance than my 3 wood and off the tee it was pretty consistently going pretty close to where I needed.  Small sample but for now I’ll keep it where it is.  Hope that helps

[gbtrsc]

I just got a BRNR 13.5.  My plan is to use it largely as a tee club on holes at my home course on which a full driver would have more risk. I’m looking at something like 6 holes where this would work. I expect to hit it about as far as my 4 wood off the deck.  I plan on bumping up the loft on my 4 wood to 18*, making it essentially a 5 wood, then dropping my 7-wood or my 3-utility iron depending on course layout and conditions.  

[Jim Shaw]

6 hours ago, GolfSpy TCB said:

It isn't marketed as a mini driver, but it has many of the similarities.... and I love this addition to my bag this year.  The Titleist TSR2+ - 13* -3 wood.  It has more of a fairway wood profile which I have no problem hitting from the fairway, but also gives me that little lower and less spinny flight from the tee when I don't need to hit driver.  The ball shape is definitely a bit more "draw" than my driver, which makes for a perfect option for me on those tight OB to the right holes.  I am about 20 yards shorter with it than my driver, but that isn't always a bad thing.  All that said... I've hit driver off the deck (pre 13* in my bag) if I need to roll something up on a par 5... but that was a rare occasion and only on the best of lies.  

i have a 13degree rocketbalz 3 wood in my bag, I really like it, more of a distance club than an accuracy club however it can move the ball close to the par 5's in two for me

[MWLEFTY]

I think it’s well suited for players who have a big difference between their driver carry and their first fairway wood. 

[Parshooter36]

I've owned a couple of mini drivers over the years and it's definitely a tee only club for me. I don't have enough swing speed to make it a useful club off the deck.

[anotherburntsteak]

On 5/2/2023 at 9:21 PM, Joe-in-OR said:

I bought the newest Taylor made burner.  As far as gapping goes. I’ve changed to a driver , this thing and a 5 wood it is a game changer for me, even though I had a few that did not go as high as I would like the distance was amazing regardless.  I used it off the deck on par 5 second shots and off the tee on some shorter par 4s that were a little tight to go all out.  I enjoyed it I got extra distance than my 3 wood and off the tee it was pretty consistently going pretty close to where I needed.  Small sample but for now I’ll keep it where it is.  Hope that helps

How far are you hitting your Dr, mini and 5w? 
 

I just ordered one to replace my old 3W that I didn’t like. I was hitting my new 5w the same distance (230) and my driver is 275. I’m hoping I can get this mini off the deck around 250. 

[Joe-in-OR]

I hit my driver around 285 and the 5 wood about 220. This mini driver goes around 240 on the deck 260 has been about whats off the tee

[Erjohn]

On 5/2/2023 at 10:32 PM, gbtrsc said:

I just got a BRNR 13.5.  My plan is to use it largely as a tee club on holes at my home course on which a full driver would have more risk. I’m looking at something like 6 holes where this would work. I expect to hit it about as far as my 4 wood off the deck.  I plan on bumping up the loft on my 4 wood to 18*, making it essentially a 5 wood, then dropping my 7-wood or my 3-utility iron depending on course layout and conditions.  

I just bought one. I plan to use it in a similar way. When I play courses in the 7000 yard range, I have to hit 3 wood 4-6 times a round. Penalties aren’t coming from driver, but from 3 wood. 

[Erjohn]

On 5/2/2023 at 3:40 PM, StrokerAce said:

I honestly don't know how people would use a mini driver, and for those that due - respect. 

Strokes gained/Decade show that whenever you can use driver you should, and I can't imagine trying to hit that thing off the deck.

I follow Decade and run into 5-7 holes a round that require 3 wood. These are holes where driver just doesn’t fit. If I play shorter courses in the 6400-6600 range I hit hybrid instead of 3 wood. 
 

In my state and US qualifiers this year, had only 1 hole where driver cost me a penalty stroke. I hit driver great but 3 wood on the other hand was an issue.
 

I hit up a few degrees on driver and struggle with 3 wood. Felt like i could hit 3 wood better if I could tee it up and hit it like driver.  Just bought a 13.5, so we will see. 

[Jim Shaw]

9 minutes ago, Erjohn said:

I follow Decade and run into 5-7 holes a round that require 3 wood. These are holes where driver just doesn’t fit. If I play shorter courses in the 6400-6600 range I hit hybrid instead of 3 wood. 
 

In my state and US qualifiers this year, had only 1 hole where driver cost me a penalty stroke. I hit driver great but 3 wood on the other hand was an issue.
 

I hit up a few degrees on driver and struggle with 3 wood. Felt like i could hit 3 wood better if I could tee it up and hit it like driver.  Just bought a 13.5, so we will see. 

i have had a taylor made 13.5 racketballs for about 7 years now, way before anyone called it a "mini driver" I used it to get as close as I can on par 5's and on occasion off the tee however it is not a scoring club for me just a distance club. I just totally redid my bag, new 16 1/2 degree 3 wood, new Ping G430 19 degree and Ping G430 22 degree, but I have kept the 13.5 in my bag... 

[Glennyboy]

On 5/2/2023 at 12:16 PM, gbasgolf said:

Has anyone put a mini driver in the bag and where does this sit in terms of gapping?

I use my 13.5* brnr mini essentially as a 2 wood. It replaced my stealth 2+ 3 wood. Off the tee its not even close as I can hit this way more confidently than a "traditional" 3 wood. But the best part of this club is how easy it is to use off the deck. I am not saying i would play this out of the rough but on a decent lie I can strip this thing off the deck easier than my stealth 2+ fw. 

On 5/4/2023 at 5:46 PM, anotherburntsteak said:

How far are you hitting your Dr, mini and 5w?

Here are my numbers currently.

 

Driver

 

BRNR mini was hit indoor off a mat and not teed up

[JAYER38]

On 8/31/2023 at 3:04 PM, Glennyboy said:

I use my 13.5* brnr mini essentially as a 2 wood. It replaced my stealth 2+ 3 wood. Off the tee its not even close as I can hit this way more confidently than a "traditional" 3 wood. But the best part of this club is how easy it is to use off the deck. I am not saying i would play this out of the rough but on a decent lie I can strip this thing off the deck easier than my stealth 2+ fw. 

Here are my numbers currently.

 

Driver

 

BRNR mini was hit indoor off a mat and not teed up

This is good information for me.

I've been hitting my Stealth2+ 3w great off the tee, better than my driver and only about 10-15yds shorter. My misses aren't nearly as bad which has me wondering if the Mini wouldn't be a better fit to replace my driver for now?

Im unsure if this is normal but I swear my Stealth2+ is HOTTTT but could just be I hit it very well