The mini driver is not a new club category, but TaylorMade added one to the market this week with the release of the 300 Mini Driver. The mini driver is designed to sit between a three wood and a driver, providing the player with more options off the tee and into greens.
Phil Mickelson was one of the first players to adopt this driver/3 wood mix when he put what was dubbed the Callaway Phrankenwood in play at the 2013 Masters. That club had a less than nine degrees of loft and was the size of a driver Mickelson would’ve used at the beginning of his career.
That Callaway XHot Phrankenwood was certainly on the extreme end for this kind of club, but it certainly pushed the idea forward of trying to combine a 3 wood and a driver.
TaylorMade released a modern mini driver in 2014 with the SLDR Mini and followed it up with the AeroBurner Mini a year later. Those clubs received mixed reviews.
The company tried again in 2019 with the Original One mini driver. That Original One was significantly larger than AeroBurner, coming in at 275 cc. The new 300 gets even larger at 307 cc. The lofts also sit in between most 3 woods and drivers, as the club is being offered in both 11.5 and 13.5 degree versions.
As expected, the club is being tested extensively on Tour, and not just by TaylorMade staffers. Phil Mickelson put the 300 in play at the US Open, and Dustin Johnson and others have demoed the club.
The 300 mini driver will be available for purchase on July 16.
