A Fad or a New Staple?
Mini drivers have been appearing in the lineups of major OEMs for the last several years, but 2025 saw more released than ever before. This leads us to the titular question: do you need a mini driver in your bag?
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What Is a Mini Driver?
A mini driver is a club that sits between the driver a 3W in terms of size and loft. Modern drivers are 460cc; mini drivers are typically around 300cc. Drivers usually have 9 or 10 degrees of loft; a mini driver will have 11 or 13 degrees. The shaft length of a mini driver is much closer to a conventional 3W, typically 43″ or 43.5″.
What Do Mini Drivers Promise?
Mini drivers promise the best of both worlds – the distance of a driver with the accuracy of a 3W. Proponents will point to the lower loft and bigger head compared to a 3W to say that it will go farther. They will point to the shorter shaft and added loft, compared to the driver, as reasons why the mini driver will be more accurate.
However, when you’re promised the best of both worlds, you should consider that you might get the worst of both. We can look at the traits of the mini driver from the negative side as easily as we look at them from the positive. Compared to a driver, the mini driver has a shorter shaft and more loft – both of those things will likely cost you distance. Against the 3W, the mini driver has less loft and possibly a longer shaft which are likely to make it less accurate.
Two Truths
Whether a golfer gets the best or worst of both worlds will depend on their swing and how they get along with the mini driver, but two things are inescapably true. First, the mini driver is dramatically less forgiving than the driver. At approximately 2/3 the size, the mini driver is not going to be as stable on mishits, so your misses will lose more distance and fly farther off line.
The second truth is that mini drivers are more versatile than either drivers or 3Ws. They can excel off the tee and the turf in a way that drivers and 3Ws simply can’t. This matters a lot for a certain group of golfers, which I’ll get to shortly.
Getting Fit for a Mini Driver
Like any other club, you should get fit for your mini driver. This can be a slightly more complicated process than getting fit for other clubs for a number of reasons.
First, many fitters don’t carry mini drivers, or as many mini drivers. Additionally, they may or may not have anything beyond the stock shaft. Or they’ll have lots of shafts, but they’re not quite the right length. Try not to let this hold you back. There is no such thing as a perfect fitting, but any fitting is better than buy-to-try.
The second complication is that the goal of your fitting will depend on what you want to do with the mini driver. When fitting a driver, the goal is clear: get something that goes as far as possible as consistently as possible, without veering into the woods too often. For the mini driver, you want it to be good off the tee, but it’s probably not a pure distance club. Similarly, you may want it to be long off the turf, but how do you balance distance with forgiveness? Add to all of that finding the right tee height and ball position, and you have a fitting that can be pretty involved.
But again, don’t be discouraged. Take your time, ask questions, try lots of stuff, and don’t buy anything until you’re convinced you have the right club.
Reasons to Bag a Mini Driver
Now, let’s assume that you’ve found a mini driver that you absolutely love. It looks great and you hit it well from the tee and the turf. The question to ask before you throw down your cash is, “When am I going to use this?” Let’s examine a few possible scenarios and whether or not the mini driver passes the test.
“I want more accuracy off the tee”
The most common answer I hear to why a player would want a mini driver is for a more accurate option off the tee. These players think that the shorter shaft and higher loft will make this club a fairway finder. If accuracy is your primary concern, I would not recommend a mini driver because you’re giving up so much forgiveness when you step down from a 460cc head. A full sized driver is always going to be much more forgiving – which, in part, means straighter – than a smaller club.
If you need a really straight driver, get an 11 or 12° driver, put it on a shorter shaft, and have a club builder swing weight it correctly. This is going to boost your accuracy much more than a mini driver.
Quick sidebar: for golfers who are still hitting their 3W off the tee thinking it will be more accurate, I’d strongly recommend that you click HERE for the facts about driver vs. 3W.
“I need more versatility off the tee”
The second reason for bagging a mini driver is to hit a particular yardage off the tee. This is a perfectly good idea, though I would still suggest that you consider my idea of an 11 or 12 degree full sized driver. You can work with your fitter or club builder to find the exact combination of loft and length that will get you to the distance you need.
Another aspect of versatility might be hitting a different shot shape or trajectory. Again, I think these are good reasons. You might always fade your driver, but you find that you can hit a draw with a mini driver, or vice versa. A mini driver might enable you to hit a low, running shot that you need for windy days.
If you’re adding a mini driver to put more shots in your arsenal, I think that’s a great choice.
“I need to be longer from the fairway”
A third reason for wanting a mini driver is to hit longer shots off the deck. This one is really dependent on the player and the club. We’re seeing more and more players move away from traditional 3 woods (15 degrees) because they don’t get optimal distance with so little loft.
Personally, I play a 17 degree 4W because it’s longer for me than a 15 degree 3W because it gives me higher launch. So, for me, a mini driver is not going to be longer off the deck than my 4W or a 3W. However, for players who launch the ball really high or generate a ton of spin, it’s possible that a mini driver will be longer than their current fairway woods.
Building on that off the deck use, a mini driver might be about something other than maximum distance. If you play in heavy winds or on dry courses with a lot of roll out, you might want a club that hits it low with a bunch of speed. A mini driver might be about manufacturing a specific shot, and that’s completely fine.
“I want to carry fewer clubs – I’m a minimalist”
The one situation where a mini driver is an undeniable “must have” is when you’re trying to carry a minimalist set. Players who want to carry a small set, 5 to 8 clubs, will find the mini driver irresistible because it fills the role of driver and 3W well enough to turn two clubs into one.
“I just want one because it looks fun”
This may be the best reason of all. Golf is a game, we play to have fun. If you think having a mini driver in the bag looks like fun, do it.
What’s Your Verdict?
Let me know in the comments: do you need a mini driver? Which models have caught your eye? If you’ve tried one, what was your experience with it?
He founded Plugged In Golf in 2013 with the goal of helping all golfers play better and enjoy the game more.
Matt lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with his wife and two daughters.
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13 Comments
It’s funny how every 4 or 5 years, the mini-driver discussion reappears along w/ new models from the OEM’s. I gamed a mini driver for parts of 3 seasons over the past 15. As a moderate swing speed player, I could not hit it off the turf so it was only used of the tee. I ultimately found that I definitely have up distance w/o much of an accuracy gain. Plus, since my home course is a links style one, supreme accuracy of the t is not absolutely necessary, and since I can hit driver on every non-par 3 hole, there was no reason to put the mini driver in my bag. I think for some players has a place in the bag, just not for me. I’ll be curious to see in a couple of years if another mini driver “fanfare” pops up!
At my home course, there are 4 holes where driver can go too far and put me past the dogleg, but a flushed 3 wood is perfect. The mini driver allows me to play those 4 holes without needing to absolutely flush a tee shot to get it in optimal position. Possibly something like a Ping Thriver would be even better, but there’s a lot of friction when trying to get fit for something like that right now (needing hot melt, etc).
I started gaming a mini driver as a primarily driver replacement club at the end of 2023 with the purchase of the original BRNR Mini. I swapped back and forth between that and the Callaway Ti340 Mini last year. They performed similarly, but the Ti340 had more of a right miss than the BRNR did and the BRNR felt more powerful. I played them a little longer than stock, at 44″. My distance seemed on par with previous drivers, and in some cases longer and straighter. This year I’ve been gaming a Wilson Carbon driver at 45″ and have had great success with it. I’ve been able to take advantage of the stability of the full size head, but having a shorter shaft has helped with more center-faced contact. I’ll be doing more testing this off-season with my BRNR and Carbon, along with a couple other heads I’ve picked up and put on 44.5″ playing length shafts to see where that sweet spot is. For the driver spot in the bag, I feel it’s more about length than about the head size.
The concept is interesting. I have not tried one. I do carry a 16.5 3 wood which can be adjusted. I think this would be a better option for most
Another reason to buy one is the length of the course. At my old club, the tips were just over 6700 yards. However, it was really only 3 holes where the distance is significant enough for a driver. I agree with going with a loftier driver as the better option as there are more drivers that are built for forgiveness. I grew up when persimmon woods were the only option and the driver was the hardest club to hit. Modern day drivers could possibly be the easiest club to hit especially with more loft. I have the mini for distance reasons and after using one believe they are for players with better and more consistent swings. I agree they don’t offer more forgiveness. My driver is 44″ and haven’t lost any distance. I disagree that longer shafts = longer distance. Hitting the sweet spot matters more and a good fitter will put you in the correct length in order to do it.
Ive gamed Mini Drivers i the past. Back then I mistakenly thought id get a more accurate tee club. For me that isn’t the case, so I agree with the review on the lack of forgiveness. I now use a more lifted Driver 11.5 to 12 degree or a 7 Wood as my longest tee clubs. The 7 Wood has the advantage of being an off the deck tool as well and even a chipper. I think my 7 Wood only goes circa 20-30 yards less than Driver,but generally more accurate.
Need, no. However, I bought one just because I had so much fun hitting it during a long game fitting.
It’s marginally more accurate than my driver and probably only marginally longer than my 5w off the tee. I haven’t tried it off the deck. I suspect that I don’t have the swing speed for that.
I just really like hitting it.
That’s the best reason. I hope you continue enjoying it.
Best,
Matt
I also have a 17 degree (5W, not 4W) that gives me good launch from fairway and rough with my clubhead speed. I use it off the tee occasionally, but I’ve found when I need to hit less than driver that choking up on the driver, teeing it lower, loading up on my front side and making a more compact swing helps me flight the ball down and keep it in play while still getting the forgiveness of the large head. Mini swing with same club rather than entirely different club.
I use my PXG Secret Weapon 13° @ 11.5 heavy wheight in the heel and front, only from the tee.(230-240 meters, about 10m shorter than my driver) Oban Kiyoshi Black 75g x-stiff or a Tensei White CK 70g TX
I can aime to the right and get my draw more easily than with my driver. I have always been a spoon player using 13.5° woods.
So my bag includes
Secret Weapon
Spoon 13.5° @
14.5° (220m)
7 wood (190-200m)
Hybrid (180m)
5-iron (170m)
down to 60°
HCP=4, 63 years old
I’ve never played a mini-driver unless you count my old Titleist 983K Driver in the early 00’s as one … similar size. The Callawasy Elyte Mini appealed to me because of its 340cc size, 11.5 loft and I have it at 43.5 in. My driver is 45.25 in.
I don’t hit a 3 wood high or far off the deck and I don’t plan to use a mini-driver off the deck. With the Mini-Driver I decided to take out the 3wd and use a 19.5 deg 7 wood for off the deck work.
I wanted something fun with distance – a mini at 11.5. I have found it long, but not as long as a Driver – and it is more accurate. The Elyte feels rocket-like, moreso than its big brother. I use a similar shaft as my driver – 53g, higher launching, a bit more spin.
Bottom Line – It is a fun club
I’m considering a mini driver. I’ve seen the article regarding accuracy of driver vs 3 wood but my experience is vastly different. I don’t track my tee shots but suspect I’m 75% fairways hit with 3 wood vs 50% with driver. I do lose 15 yards but fairway is nice. Also, off the tee box I hit it off the deck. Something just seems to go wrong when I tee up a wood of any kind.
I have two, an 11.5 and 13.5. I find the 11.5 (turned down to 10.5) significantly easier to control than my driver. I aim down the left and hit a fade. Love it. Best hits are probably 10 short of my best hit driver…. But I hit the middle of the face more often so it’s a net gain distance wise. The 13.5 I can draw off the tee. But mostly, I like being the only bloke with two mini drivers in the bag. It’s fun. I hit my 5 wood if I need height into a green, the 13.5 if I want it to run forever.