Why a mini driver can help the club golfer’s game

The modern-day driver is now the easiest club to hit in the bag due to a number of factors.

Thanks to the larger clubhead size (460cc limit), improved forgiveness, the centre of gravity shifting lower and deeper, adjustability features, advanced materials, improved aerodynamics and shaft technology, golfers of all levels can now enjoy the driver.

But have you considered adding a second or mini driver to the bag? Various equipment companies have toyed with having a mini driver in their range but TaylorMade with their BRNR Mini Driver Copper is easily the leader in this niche category.

This is helped by TaylorMade being consistently one of the market leaders in drivers, the BRNR being able to imitate the hugely popular BurnerTM of the late 90s and none other than Tommy Fleetwood singing its praises and having it in his bag.

“Tommy Fleetwood basically won the Ryder Cup with that thing (in 2023),” said 2013 Masters winner Adam Scott.

“It’s unbelievable because so many holes end at 310-320 yards now because they’ve geared courses for us, and that’s right where the driver dispersion gets tight. If you go back to your 3-wood, you’re at 270 and you’re a way back. The Mini goes 300 yards and is still into the widest part.”

The BRNR sold out so quickly after its launch in 2023 that it had to be quickly restocked and there are various benefits to help the club golfer.

Mini driver benefits

– Split weights mean you can switch between the standard setting (13g in the back) for easy launch and the low spin setting (13g in the front) for a more penetrating trajectory.

– There are two lofts; 11.5˚ and 13.5˚ to help you get dialled in.

– Although most of us don’t need to concern ourselves with hitting it too far this might offer more forgiveness than a 3-wood which is now viewed by most of us as the hardest club in the bag.

– The smaller head encourages more variability and the extra spin makes it easier to draw (which is a very satisfying shot shape for any long club).

– The shaft length is 43.75” which is two inches shorter than a standard driver and therefore easier to locate the centre of the clubface.

– It comes with a very cool retro headcover.

For Fleetwood it’s a nice reminder of his first ever ‘proper driver’ and it also plays an important role at the top end of the bag.

“You put a normal swing on it and it goes a little shorter than a driver, and I’m more comfortable hitting it straight. It’s a replacement for a 3-wood, basically.

“You could almost think of it in terms of wedges at the low end of the bag. Some people have four wedges, some people only have three, and they have to manufacture a 52˚ to go 100 yards. There are different shots.

“That’s effectively what you do with your main driver, you’d be manufacturing it to hit that shot in the fairway, which is great, but maybe you want something you can just hit.

“You can still hit it off the ground and it goes a very similar distance to a 3-wood. It spins enough. It’s not a deep enough face where it’s so far off the bottom that the ball doesn’t rise.

“So you get a pretty decent strike, enough to get in the air. It’s a big-head 2-wood really.

“Spin is a fraction higher, around that 3,000rpm mark. The ball speed is like 3 or 4 mph short of the driver. I’ve got the 13.5˚ head but there is a 11.5˚ head as well.

“If you have the 11.5˚ you actually could go mini driver, mini driver, that really would get people talking. That would be awesome. I might do that one day.”

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