Forget the Big Dog, Let the Mini (Driver) Eat

Golf is a game of trends. What’s hot on tour usually ends up being hot in the hands of retail golfers, and if your looking for examples of this, look no further than Spider putters, Srixon irons, and of course the inescapable mini driver.

TaylorMade was the first to claim their stake in this niche club market, starting with the SLDR Mini Driver back in 2014. Performance on the shelves was average, although was never a huge seller. Then came the AeroBurner Mini in 2015. Another great club that performed as advertised but never really caught on with pros or consumers.

But then mini drivers got a little bigger (in size that is) and in 2019 TaylorMade leaned into nostalgia with The Original One that took off. Not only was it larger than previous versions but it was the first to offer up hosel adjustability like traditional TaylorMade drivers and as they say “the rest is history”. Soon after came the 300 in ‘21, the BRNR Mini in ‘23, and most recently (and my personal favorite) the TaylorMade R7 quad.

In today’s copycat market, everyone else began to follow and in the last 12 months we’ve seen new mini driver models from Titleist, Callaway (they got back into mini drivers in 2024), and PXG. To read more about all of the options at your fingertips, I would encourage you to read Ryan Barath’s breakdown of them from earlier this year: Mini Drivers 101: Comparing Every 2025 Mini Driver on the Market.

The more popular these clubs have become, the more questions arise about their utility in the bag. If you do game one, which club do you replace? And can this club end up being a driver replacement?

For some golfers, that answer is yes.

Look no further than Karl Villips who gamed the R7 Quad at the top of his bag at the RBC Heritage this year.

For one, as Karl notes in the video, there is more versatility baked in. While being used primarily off the tee, mini’s are going to be much easier to hit off the deck if you are looking to attack an extra-long par 5. He mentions he is able to launch it higher than a driver-off-the-deck, and still reach about 280 yards of carry.

The main drawback to gaming a mini driver at the top of your bag is you will potentially be leaving some speed on the table. Drivers are longer in length and lower in loft, 2 factors that ultimately lead to generating more speed and distance. However, as you hear from Karl in the above clip, he is still putting up close to 178 mph of ball speed when hitting it off the tee, which is also what he averages off the tee this season. Where the loss in distance comes from is the added spin from the increase in loft.

And what you may lose in distance, you will gain back in control, which is the main reason you would want to replace your driver with one of these clubs. If I told you you could hit more fairways in a round and only sacrifice a couple yards, I think we can agree that would make a positive impact on your game.

When it comes to difficulty of use, longer shafts and lower lofts make clubs harder to hit consistently. Modern drivers are more forgiving than ever, but coming in at a stock length 45.5”, finding the center of the club face is still no easy task. Sure, you can shorten the length to make up for this, but with the low loft of drivers, mixed with the shorter shaft length, you might not produce proper ballistics needed to reach your full potential. Also, the lower in the loft, the more penal your misses. A toe strike on a 9* driver will cost you a lot more than the same swing with a 13.5* mini.

Mini drivers typically range from 43.5" to 43.75" in length, coming in a tad longer than a standard fairway wood. Their lofts fall between 11* and 13.5*, and they still boast a very forgiving head, all leading to a club that makes finding the fairway a whole lot easier.

If you are someone who relishes the chance to step up on the tee and let the big dog eat, by all means, keep it in the bag. But, if your knees begin to shake when you see water down the right side of the fairway (or left side, lefties), head to your local fitter and see what a mini driver can do for you.