Should I swap my 3-wood for a mini driver? Fully Equipped Mailbag

The goal is to give every club in the bag some love during your round, but if you were to keep tabs on usage, chances are you’d find a club or two collecting dust. If the 3-wood happens to be that club — and it’s possible depending on how often you hit driver — consider a contrarian option like TaylorMade’s BRNR Mini Copper ($450).

“The Mini is a great option for the player who tends to be a little more shallow with their angle of attack,” says Kris McCormack, True Spec’s VP of tour and education. “Or even somebody who has a positive angle of attack with their fairway woods, it gives them a better option off the tee.”

If you’ve never heard of a mini driver before, think of it as the best bits of a driver and fairway wood. The shorter shaft (less than 44 inches) makes it easier to control than a driver, while the deeper 304cc head offers an abundance of off-center forgiveness a traditional fairway wood simply can’t provide.

TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper

Drawing inspiration from the iconic late-90s Burner™ drivers, the all new BRNR Mini Copper offers a contemporary twist on a timeless design. Its distinctive copper styling, retro logos, and meticulously crafted components blends heritage and modern innovation. FORGIVENESS & ADJUSTABILITY A combination of carbon fiber, titanium and steel creates the foundation for BRNR Mini’s incredible sound, feel and performance. Split weights allow golfers to switch between the standard setting (13g in the back) for easy launch, and the low spin setting (13g in the front) for a piercing trajectory. PRECISE TURF INTERACTION The K-SOLE design helps the club glide smoothly through the turf while reducing resistance and promoting a consistent strike. This enables golfers to have “driver off the deck” distance with the consistency of higher lofted fairway woods. TOUR PROVEN TECHNOLOGIES Twist Face®, Thru-Slot Speed Pocket™ and the four-degree Loft Sleeve provide the ultimate suite of technologies. Twist Face helps golfers overcome inherent mis-hit tendencies for straighter shots, while the Speed Pocket is engineered to maximize ball speeds and add forgiveness on low-face strikes. The four-degree Loft Sleeve allows golfers to fine tune loft and face angle for optimum flight.

$449.99 from Fairway Jockey

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Refinements have also been made to the sole in recent years, meaning you can rely on it off the tee and from the fairway. Even Tommy Fleetwood and Adam Scott have made the club a bag staple this season.

If you need a reliable 1B option after the driver, the Mini could be the ticket to long-game consistency.

Want to overhaul your bag for 2024? Find a fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.