First one here, winner winner I get the mini Titleist driver. Thanks David I do appreciate it. FYI, it's an attempt at humor. No mini drivers were hurt during this filming.
I am currently playing the TSR2+ 3 wood off the tee as a driver replacement. I can only say that I hit almost every fairway and am much more accurate. My years-long battle against the slice with different drivers is over. Perfect for me and my swing.
I've been playing TM mini drivers since the first one, the TM SLDR came out more than a decade ago. As my driver swing speed has slipped below 100mph--I'm 65--the difference between it and my driver has diminished. There will soon be a time when I will dump my driver completely because I hit the Mini so much more accurately.
It's definitely different than what a couple of the prototype versions floating around on tour looked like but I think they did a great job in making something different than the TM and Callaway options. If it does hold up to that 280cc size it would be smaller than both the TM and Callaway options and I think it would be significantly better off the deck and I think this is the approach they went with this head. I do use mine (callaway mini) primarily off the tee for places where I could go through the fairway or where hitting a driver puts me in really tight spots. I also hit it off the deck a lot on the longer 600+ yard par 5's where I can go for there green but that isn't as common (I really love to hit it off the deck though). Definitely an interesting club and I can't wait to try it if I get the opportunity.
I miss the old smaller headed steel drivers. I have never really got along with the 460cc heads, and the longer shafts. I just hope the companies make the lower lifts in lefty!
Titanium drivers started being released almost 35 years ago and the first 460cc drivers were released in the mid-2000s! You haven't been happy with a driver in two decades? - DD
@ Not to the point where I haven’t had to keep trying new ones! I used to swing the old steel ones 120+ mph. It’s not that I can’t hit them just prefer a smaller one.
I think this club is designed for a very specific swing style. Not every golfer feels comfortable swinging a 45in lower lofted club on an up trajectory. Something like this fits the golfers that are good iron strikes and allows a more sweeping or even slightly down angle of attack to not feel like their swing is out of wack. Just my two cents.
In other mini drivers, brands direct fitters to use a standard 3-wood shaft, but companies make the hosel longer to add an extra 1/2" or so in finished length. Titleist 3-woods come standard at 43" and drivers come standard at 45 1/2", so I suspect the mini driver will be around 43 3/4". - DD
The GT280 does look fantastic even though I don't think that mini drivers are all they are hyped up to be, maybe they are perfect for elite golfers with super fast ball speeds like Cam Young but they won't be anywhere near as versatile as fairway woods for 99.99% of golfers.
I find it absolutely bizarre that none of the 'big three' mini drivers from TM, Callaway and now Titleist have no draw/fade weight options or a track in tne head. The whole point of good golfers wanting this option is to have a strong club that can potentially shape the ball, especially since modern drivers are quite hard to draw off the tee. Seems like a missed opportunity to me.
I'm not a club engineer, but I assume the thinking is that golfers who would be in the market for mini driver because they want something off the tee that is easier to shape is can hit draws or fades using their swing. A club like this needs to hit to a specific distance (hence the up-and-down adjustability) more than it needs left-and-right adjustability. - DD
A skilled golfer and consistent ball striker does not want added heel or toe weighting. We tune launch conditions by adjusting MOI via fore/aft weight adjustments. I personally find shaping a drive with modern driver, TSR3 in my case, is very easy. I have the back weight in middle of track and swapped with 6g weight, std is 8 or 10g iirc. I have 4.5g lead tape along width of sole at forward section, just behind face. This weighting was entirely developed and tuned by swingweighting to D3.5 and launch conditions tracked on a monitor. While I have tried my son’s QI10 Max and found it MUCH more difficult to control launch conditions, even that is tunable by swapping weights to reduce MOI. The higher the MOI for head, the more difficult will be to shape flight conditions I will add that prior to adding lead tape to my driver, I tried adding a weight plug to shaft and it was like a completely different driver, despite it being a perfect for me D3.5 swingweight. My dispersion was poor and face angle at impact inconsistent. Moving weights laterally on head can be effective if you’re consistent hitting that end of head, ie your misses toward toe should have sliding weight toward toe, otherwise it commonly adversely effects timing for golfer resulting in inconsistent face angle at impact.
Sure, you can get a 15-degree 3-wood and use the adjustable hosel to decrease the loft, but these clubs are significantly larger and have a much bigger face. They also tend to be longer. That combination will make them easier to hit than a 2-wood that matches the rest of a fairway wood family or a 3-wood that has been delofted. The bigger size also means more stability, a lower CG that is further back (for a higher launch) and more ball speed protection on mis-hits. - DD
Ok makes sense to make them bigger than what a traditional 2 wood might be (220cc). However why not make one no greater than 250cc. Which would tick all the boxes, including a greater capability off the fairway. Instead of a predominantly tee only club at 280cc.
Likely much lower CG and adjustable MOI and independent adjustable loft and lie. Just a much more modern head with much more forgiveness and more ability to tune launch conditions for a golfer with consistent delivery
First one here, winner winner I get the mini Titleist driver. Thanks David I do appreciate it. FYI, it's an attempt at humor. No mini drivers were hurt during this filming.
I am currently playing the TSR2+ 3 wood off the tee as a driver replacement. I can only say that I hit almost every fairway and am much more accurate. My years-long battle against the slice with different drivers is over. Perfect for me and my swing.
I've been playing TM mini drivers since the first one, the TM SLDR came out more than a decade ago. As my driver swing speed has slipped below 100mph--I'm 65--the difference between it and my driver has diminished. There will soon be a time when I will dump my driver completely because I hit the Mini so much more accurately.
I just bought the gt2 13.5 with my favorite GD shaft for this exact reason. Now I’m thinking about sending it back and waiting for this.
You're going to wait a little while it you want this. It is NOT coming out for a few months. - DD
It's definitely different than what a couple of the prototype versions floating around on tour looked like but I think they did a great job in making something different than the TM and Callaway options. If it does hold up to that 280cc size it would be smaller than both the TM and Callaway options and I think it would be significantly better off the deck and I think this is the approach they went with this head. I do use mine (callaway mini) primarily off the tee for places where I could go through the fairway or where hitting a driver puts me in really tight spots. I also hit it off the deck a lot on the longer 600+ yard par 5's where I can go for there green but that isn't as common (I really love to hit it off the deck though). Definitely an interesting club and I can't wait to try it if I get the opportunity.
The head size of the Original One mini (275cc) is the reason I've kept it in the bag over the others. I can hit it off the deck at that size.
So when are they going to get these on the market I hope before Spring so I can get one for the season .
Beautiful Club.., freakin love th3 look
I miss the old smaller headed steel drivers. I have never really got along with the 460cc heads, and the longer shafts. I just hope the companies make the lower lifts in lefty!
Titanium drivers started being released almost 35 years ago and the first 460cc drivers were released in the mid-2000s! You haven't been happy with a driver in two decades? - DD
@ Not to the point where I haven’t had to keep trying new ones! I used to swing the old steel ones 120+ mph. It’s not that I can’t hit them just prefer a smaller one.
I think this club is designed for a very specific swing style. Not every golfer feels comfortable swinging a 45in lower lofted club on an up trajectory. Something like this fits the golfers that are good iron strikes and allows a more sweeping or even slightly down angle of attack to not feel like their swing is out of wack. Just my two cents.
David - do you know if the GT280 will we use the Titleist/SureFit driver or fairway wood adapter?
I wonder what the shaft length will be for this mini driver if it becomes available to the public
In other mini drivers, brands direct fitters to use a standard 3-wood shaft, but companies make the hosel longer to add an extra 1/2" or so in finished length. Titleist 3-woods come standard at 43" and drivers come standard at 45 1/2", so I suspect the mini driver will be around 43 3/4". - DD
Hi David, Does this hit better than the PXG secret weapon?
I found the Secret Weapon to be more forgiving and easier to hit, which makes sense because the Secret Weapon is larger. - DD
When do we think this 280 could be released?
I'm not allowed to say yet, but we're talking months, not weeks. - DD
@ this is helpful thank you
WHEN DOES THIS MINI DRIVER COME OUT ?
You'll be waiting months, not weeks for this one .... that's all I'm allowed to say right now. - DD
Will this go on sale soon ?
I'm not allowed to say, but don't look for it to be mixed in with the other releases in the days and weeks ahead. - DD
Looks like a great club for sure. Price will determine wether this makes into average golfers bag
The GT280 does look fantastic even though I don't think that mini drivers are all they are hyped up to be, maybe they are perfect for elite golfers with super fast ball speeds like Cam Young but they won't be anywhere near as versatile as fairway woods for 99.99% of golfers.
I find it absolutely bizarre that none of the 'big three' mini drivers from TM, Callaway and now Titleist have no draw/fade weight options or a track in tne head. The whole point of good golfers wanting this option is to have a strong club that can potentially shape the ball, especially since modern drivers are quite hard to draw off the tee. Seems like a missed opportunity to me.
I'm not a club engineer, but I assume the thinking is that golfers who would be in the market for mini driver because they want something off the tee that is easier to shape is can hit draws or fades using their swing. A club like this needs to hit to a specific distance (hence the up-and-down adjustability) more than it needs left-and-right adjustability. - DD
A skilled golfer and consistent ball striker does not want added heel or toe weighting. We tune launch conditions by adjusting MOI via fore/aft weight adjustments. I personally find shaping a drive with modern driver, TSR3 in my case, is very easy. I have the back weight in middle of track and swapped with 6g weight, std is 8 or 10g iirc. I have 4.5g lead tape along width of sole at forward section, just behind face. This weighting was entirely developed and tuned by swingweighting to D3.5 and launch conditions tracked on a monitor. While I have tried my son’s QI10 Max and found it MUCH more difficult to control launch conditions, even that is tunable by swapping weights to reduce MOI. The higher the MOI for head, the more difficult will be to shape flight conditions
I will add that prior to adding lead tape to my driver, I tried adding a weight plug to shaft and it was like a completely different driver, despite it being a perfect for me D3.5 swingweight. My dispersion was poor and face angle at impact inconsistent. Moving weights laterally on head can be effective if you’re consistent hitting that end of head, ie your misses toward toe should have sliding weight toward toe, otherwise it commonly adversely effects timing for golfer resulting in inconsistent face angle at impact.
Way prefer. 280 cc head to a 340 head mini driver
For that reason the OO mini is the most versatile.
Why not just make a tradional size 2 wood?
Sure, you can get a 15-degree 3-wood and use the adjustable hosel to decrease the loft, but these clubs are significantly larger and have a much bigger face. They also tend to be longer. That combination will make them easier to hit than a 2-wood that matches the rest of a fairway wood family or a 3-wood that has been delofted. The bigger size also means more stability, a lower CG that is further back (for a higher launch) and more ball speed protection on mis-hits. - DD
Ok makes sense to make them bigger than what a traditional 2 wood might be (220cc).
However why not make one no greater than 250cc. Which would tick all the boxes, including a greater capability off the fairway. Instead of a predominantly tee only club at 280cc.
So…its a weak lofted 975D.
And everyone loved and worshiped the 975D, so ... that would be a good thing. - DD
Exactly what I was thinking
Likely much lower CG and adjustable MOI and independent adjustable loft and lie. Just a much more modern head with much more forgiveness and more ability to tune launch conditions for a golfer with consistent delivery