I’ve been closely following the trend of mini drivers in golf since they first began popping up more frequently in recent years, and I knew it was finally time to jump on board once the TaylorMade R7 Quad Mini Driver was revealed.
That’s because my first proper men’s driver was the TaylorMade R7 Superquad, which my dad bought for me back in 2007, so I simply had to get my hands on it for sentimental reasons.
I am now five rounds into testing the R7 Quad Mini…and it has been a big surprise, in a good way.
I’ve been quite overwhelmed with just how good it is from the tee. It is so good that I initially struggled to see the point in carrying a ‘proper’ driver anymore.
My third round with the R7 Quad came in blustery conditions, where I was faced with a good 20-30mph wind on half of the holes at my club. I decided to hit driver on all of the into-wind holes and mini driver on the downwind ones.
I was swinging well and the driver has safely kept its place in the bag thanks to some solid tee shots that stayed under the wind. But that is taking nothing away from the R7 Quad Mini, which was a great weapon on the downwind holes.
On a calm day, I struggle to imagine hitting my driver very often now that I am armed with the mini. Its shorter shaft means it’s much easier to middle than a driver and its larger head makes it so much easier to find the sweetspot than a 3-wood. It’s a win-win.
I've also had plenty of rounds this year where I haven't even hit my 3-wood so losing this troublesome club, for me, has not been a big miss.
The R7 Quad Mini Driver is also supposedly quite draw-biased, and as a fader I’m able to hit it far more accurately than my driver, too.
Into strong winds, the 15-20 yards that it loses vs a traditional driver feels like a significant amount when the wind is costing you yards already, so I am continuing with both the big dog and the mini dog for now as there's always one or two holes where the extra distance from a driver is beneficial.
On mid-and-short-length par 4s, though, it's a very useful weapon that I keep going back to time and time again.
My mini driver has missed the summer season but I am curious to see if I’ll still have it in the bag in six months as it could be superb when the courses begin to firm up again.
If it’s still going well by then I think the driver may have the entire summer off.
My version is 11.5 degrees but I instantly lofted up to 13.5 to ensure it didn’t go too far. My first ever shot with it went a good 280 yards, admittedly on a firm, slightly downhill fairway, but I was shocked by how far it went.
Five rounds later and I am still surprised by how far it goes. I think because it is so much easier to find the middle of the face it is going almost as far as my decent drives.
I haven’t been custom-fit for my driver so I am potentially losing yardage with it as the mini is really not much shorter - and that’s with it lofted up!
So to summarise, after plenty of experience using it now, I am able to hit more consistent tee shots that are going straighter at the expense of perhaps 15-20 yards.
That might sound like quite a lot of distance to give up but if I can get it in play instead of a chip-out or lost ball once more every single round then that is going to add up to a lot of saved shots over the course of a season.
In calm conditions I can comfortably get it out there over 250 yards, which I would take on every hole if that means I'm in play eight-or-nine times out of ten.
Should you put a Mini Driver in the bag?
Clearly it doesn’t work for everyone and if you’re someone who hits their 3-wood well both off the tee and from the deck then you probably won’t find much use for a mini driver.
If you’ve got a custom-fit driver that is optimised well for you and are confident hitting it then you might not see the benefits, either.
However, if you struggle with your driver or 3-wood then it’s definitely worth a go.
Now that I know it well, I feel that it is not really a 3-wood replacement or a driver replacement and should be thought of as what it is, a 2-wood. It’s great off the tee but definitely harder to hit off the deck than I imagined.
I've topped it a few times from the fairway already so certainly need a little bit more practice when not hitting from the tee.
If you’re really bad with your driver then it won’t be transformative as it is still quite similar to hitting the big stick, but with a shorter shaft and a bit more launch and draw-bias it can offer more confidence and accuracy.
If you’re worried about losing distance with it then I wouldn’t worry too much. It goes surprisingly far.
Imagine your best 3-wood shot and add 10-20 yards, and you’ll have some kind of idea about the distance you’ll be getting. I would also estimate that good shots with the mini, from the tee, travel a very similar distance to a toed or heeled drive.
And remember, a fairway found is far better than chipping out.
I’m curious to see how this new relationship will blossom - perhaps I’ll write a follow-up piece next year. Will it keep its place in my bag or will the honeymoon period end? And have you tried a mini driver or are thinking about putting one in the bag? Let me know in the comment box below.
It may start misbehaving and I’ll put the 3-wood back in and go back to the traditional setup, but right now I struggle to see that happening.
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