Mini Driver Question

Several years ago Ping brought out a Rapture Titanium large headed 13 degree fairway wood.

It was expensive, but it was a piss missile that would get about 10 yards off the ground.

Adam's had a similar performing Ti fairway wood at 13.5.

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I bought the one Taylor Made put out a few years ago. I bought it as a 3 wood replacement because I almost never hit a 3w off the turf. While I still believe in it as a concept, mine is a hook machine. Probably a me problem, but I don't hook my driver, so it's a little confusing.

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Those of you that play them, what is the main benefit of it ?

I assume off the tee.

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My driver is an anti-left machine. It would take a pretty shite swing for me to draw it so I use the mini driver on forced draw holes or forced layup holes. You can hit up like a driver and hit a nice tight draw or hit it like a fairway wood to hit a flatter straight shot or butter cut. Pretty versatile off the tee.

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But with the deeper face and no real sole relief, it looks like a player with slower swing speeds would have a tough time elevating it off the deck.

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Probably. I have no problem off the deck but have relatively high swing speeds.

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Did you remove an existing 3 wood ?

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Yes

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Did you replace the shaft ? It felt a little loose.

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Yes. Even the x-stiff shaft felt like a wet noodle.

When I try to hit a driver on the deck I usually hook it.

I haven't hit a Cut Shot since 1995.

I wish that I could.

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what if I want a mini driver at 9 or 9.5? I'd rather hit a regular old school driver than the modern lollipop drivers.

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There's a movement on the golf forums for folks to carry two mini drivers. An 11.5 two clicks down with a driver length shaft and a 13.5 adjusted up with a three wood shaft.

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I don’t think I’ve ever read that sequence of words grouped together like that

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Ive carried one for nearly 40 years. Fairway finder. Both of my double eagles used one on the approach.

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There's a movement on the golf forums for folks to carry two mini drivers. An 11.5 two clicks down with a driver length shaft and a 13.5 adjusted up with a three wood shaft.

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Sounds like something to try out with my fitter. Thanks.

At this point I’m wondering where the tech barrier is.

For us old golfers, we’ve seen an incredible rise in performance as a result of equipment in the last 15 years. Much more so than the previous 30 before that.

Yes it was downwind, but I hit one 277 this week. I haven’t hit one that far in a decade, even downwind. I looked, and in 2002 John Daly was the only pro who averaged over 300 yards on drives. Now there’s a 100 (98 as of last year, but we all know there’s more now).

I’d have only asked how many people you want me to kill and are you picky about where the bodies are buried if you’d handed my current clubs to 25 year old me and said I could have them but it would come with a price.