TaylorMade Golf Introduces SLDR Mini Driver

[saevel25]

Is this designed to be hit "down" (like a fairway) or "up" (like a driver)?

Related: How high do they recommend you tee it up?  (Link to TM shows a tee height halfway between a driver and a 3 wood.)

Hit one and figure it out.

[Missouri Swede]

Hit one and figure it out.

So ... the same as the rest of my game!?

[Disclaimer:  I'm actually working with evolvr to NOT do that anymore.]

[Hardballs]

+1 Lot's of people get MOAR distance with a 3W simply because they hit the centre of the face more often. That leads to MOAR confidence which can lead to MOAR speed and that, as we all know, means MOAR distance.

Lots of people do get more distance from a 3 wood because their driver swing is that of an erratic girls swing, my friend hits his 3 wood much better than his driver! Yet still insists on using his driver even though where the ball will end up is anyone's guess? He's quite manly though, like me! A lot of bad driving is purely down to inappropriate shaft flex and very poor loft choice, a medium speed swing has no place on the end of a 9* loft driver, stiff, at 45" just as a really wild erratic swing has no place on the end of any club! It wasn't until I became aware of this that I learnt to drive the ball well, I got a driver to suit me, 12* firm to stiff, at 44.5", the improvement was instant! INSTANT! If the majority of people trimmed their drivers, lofted up a touch, and got the right flex, they would drive much further than a 3 wood! So my advice would be, don't be a girl and reach for a 3 wood, man up and sort ya driver out!

[Missouri Swede]

If the majority of people trimmed their drivers, lofted up a touch, and got the right flex, they would drive much further than a 3 wood! So my advice would be, don't be a girl and reach for a 3 wood, man up and sort ya driver out!

How about trimming the shaft down to 43.5", and lofting up to 12* or 14* with a 260cc head?  How about Phil's "Phrankenwood" last year?  Would those count as drivers?

As was pointed out earlier, it may be that some of these clubs are coming closer to what used to be a driver (pre-Bertha) than the more recent drivers.

[hacker101]

Lots of people do get more distance from a 3 wood because their driver swing is that of an erratic girls swing, my friend hits his 3 wood much better than his driver! Yet still insists on using his driver even though where the ball will end up is anyone's guess? He's quite manly though, like me!

A lot of bad driving is purely down to inappropriate shaft flex and very poor loft choice, a medium speed swing has no place on the end of a 9* loft driver, stiff, at 45" just as a really wild erratic swing has no place on the end of any club! It wasn't until I became aware of this that I learnt to drive the ball well, I got a driver to suit me, 12* firm to stiff, at 44.5", the improvement was instant! INSTANT! If the majority of people trimmed their drivers, lofted up a touch, and got the right flex, they would drive much further than a 3 wood! So my advice would be, don't be a girl and reach for a 3 wood, man up and sort ya driver out!

I for one will happily play any club that is going to help me get the little white ball in the hole with the less amount of strokes.

So if that means I swing like a girl because I grab a 3w so be it. But I can tell you I know a few guys that play a 3w and have a single digit HC.

Telling people they are a girl because of there swing or the club they use is not productive and coming from a 18HC really!

[Dave2512]

I use a 4w from the tee all the time, as well as hybrids and irons. Definitely don't hit 14 drivers during a round. It's more than a control issue just won't work on some holes. But I am firmly in the use whatever makes you a better golfer camp. If more guys hit less drivers I wouldn't be standing around watching people look for hidden balls. I don't think many golfers honestly track their drives but if they did I am certain few would be pleased with the results. Not only do they lack forward distance but the misses are a lot further left or right than shorter club would be. I'd wager most don't hit drives north of the 200 yd marker with any regularity.

[Hardballs]

Well I was trying trying to be productive in suggesting that people should get their drivers suited for them! Instead of giving up on them, leaving it in the garage and spending more money on a girls driving 3 wood that can't even be used off a fairway! But yes, I would say that TM seem to be back tracking a little and going back to the more traditional size driver. I mean it's one thing to design a club in between a wood and an iron, that gets the ball up in the air and further because they can't use a long iron or fw and call it a hybrid, it's helpful, especially for the ladies, but now they've designed a club Inbetween a driver and a fw! We've had the driving iron, we've had lofts jacked so bad a gap wedge had to be invented, them ridiculous lofted putter chipper things, just when ya think every club has been invented, up pops this mini 3wood driver thing that's not for use off fairways, of course it's for girls to drive with! I bet LPGA are all over it this year, you'll see! and before anyone suggests, I am not anti TM, I think they make as good a product as anyone, albeit slightly overpriced.

[MS256]

I got a driver to suit me, 12* firm to stiff, at 44.5", the improvement was instant! INSTANT! If the majority of people trimmed their drivers, lofted up a touch, and got the right flex, they would drive much further than a 3 wood! So my advice would be, don't be a girl and reach for a 3 wood, man up and sort ya driver out!

So you hit a 12* club at 44.5" and that makes you "a man" and if somebody buys the Mini Driver at 12* and 43.5" that makes them "a girl".

Does that still hold true if he/she knocks it 40 yards past you?

Hmmm. I wonder what that makes the guy with the 47" extra stiff 6* driver.

[Hardballs]

The guy who uses a 47" extra stiff 6* would not be buying a shortened 3 wood that's useless off the deck, [quote name="MS256" url="/t/73731/taylormade-golf-introduces-sldr-mini-driver#post_973150"]So you hit a 12* club at 44.5" and that makes you "a man" and if somebody buys the Mini Driver at 12* and 43.5" that makes them "a girl". [/quote] Exactly! There's not much difference, I'm sure most people would hit a 44.5 12* driver further than 43.5 12* 3wood, so surely it's better to get a driver and a 3fw that can be used off the deck, I mean can you imagine carrying 2 x 3 woods? One for the tee one for the deck? How embarrassing!

[MS256]

The guy who uses a 47" extra stiff 6* would not be buying a shortened 3 wood that's useless off the deck,

Exactly! There's not much difference, I'm sure most people would hit a 44.5 12* driver further than 43.5 12* 3wood, so surely it's better to get a driver and a 3fw that can be used off the deck, I mean can you imagine carrying 2 x 3 woods? One for the tee one for the deck? How embarrassing!

It wouldn't be embarrassing at all if one was a 12 degree that I hit 280 (and in the fairway) and the other was a 15 degree that I hit 260.

Besides that Taylormade seems to be recommending replacing the 3W with the Mini Driver. For me if the Mini Driver went in the distance neighborhood of my driver and was easier to hit I would ditch the driver. If it was well short I would ditch my 5W and keep the driver, Mini Driver, and 3W.

Might even use different combinations on different courses.

Lots of combinations could possibly work and none of them have anything to do with being a girl. Just depends on what the club can do (which we don't know).

[Hardballs]

This Is the problem, Its just too confusing, I have no idea what you just said? But I guarantee you this... this club will be predominantly used by the LPGA! ...as well as lots of guys with no shame in carrying a wide selection of woods in the bag who can't hit any of them!

[cipher]

This Is the problem, Its just too confusing, I have no idea what you just said? But I guarantee you this... this club will be predominantly used by the LPGA!

...as well as lots of guys with no shame in carrying a wide selection of woods in the bag who can't hit any of them!

It won't be used by many women because of the speed you will need to generate with it. I use a club like this. Care to wager who can hit their woods better?

[hacker101]

This Is the problem, Its just too confusing, I have no idea what you just said? But I guarantee you this... this club will be predominantly used by the LPGA!

...as well as lots of guys with no shame in carrying a wide selection of woods in the bag who can't hit any of them!

Just asking but do you have an issue with girls?

You don't think much of there game and seem to put any guy using this club or thinking about it below you.

[Hardballs]

Between you and ladies??? I would always bet on you!

[Hardballs]

Just asking but do you have an issue with girls? You don't think much of there game and seem to put any guy using this club or thinking about it below you.

Not true at all! I've played a girl who is scratch golfer at my friends club, she was awesome! And hits a proper driver, further than me I might add! I actually drew with her though with my 18 hc and turns out I done her on the back 9 count off, there is no disrespect to anyone in my posts, especially girls! I have nothing but respect for girls, I have a mother and daughter, I just think that this particular club, or the way it's been marketed, is for the ladies or men that can't hit drivers because they got there specs messed up!

[hacker101]

Between you and ladies??? I would always bet on you!

I am done, nothing more to say, sorry guys I was taking this off topic!

[Chris223]

Telling people they are a girl because of there swing or the club they use is not productive and coming from a 18HC really!

BURN

[newtogolf]

It's a TM version of the Callaway 2Deep & 3Deep that Callaway introduced last year.  The 2 Deep is a bit smaller (210cc), but it's designed to hit off the tee and not so great off the turf.  I know a number of guys, including me that use the 3Deep.   If you ever used an older driver like the Titleist 975 or 983, you'll probably like it a lot.