There may not be a hotter club in high-level championship golf right now than the mini driver.
As players hit it farther, some prefer to have the club follow their driver into a certain window that results in tighter, shorter holes that their driver cannot reach.
US Amateur hitter Jose Luis Ballester, who knocked Hazeltine to his knees two weeks ago with his 320-yard-plus drives, is the very best player in the division.
Ballester employed a small driver on the road to success with an interesting history as he tells GOLF Subpar co-editors Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz in this week's episode. The driver comes from Sergio Garcia's hometown Ballester and his father Victor.
TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper
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Drawing inspiration from the popular late-90s Burner™ drivers, the all new BRNR Mini Copper offers a modern twist on a timeless design. Its distinctive brass styling, retro logos, and carefully crafted materials combine heritage and modern innovation. FORGIVENESS AND REPAIR A combination of carbon fibre, titanium and steel forms the basis for the BRNR Mini's incredible sound, feel and performance. The different weights allow golfers to switch between a standard setting (13g in the back) for easy launch, and a low spin setting (13g in the front) to get a holeshot. PRECISE TURF INTERACTION The K-SOLE design helps the club glide smoothly on cool surfaces while reducing drag and promoting consistent traction. This allows golfers to have a “driver off the deck” distance with the consistency of the high fairway woods. TRAVEL PROVEN TECHNOLOGY The Twist Face®, Thru-Slot Speed Pocket™ and four-degree Loft Sleeve provide the ultimate in technology. The Twist Face helps golfers overcome the natural tendency to miss straight shots, while the Speed Pocket is designed to increase ball speed and add forgiveness on low face shots. The four-degree Loft Sleeve allows golfers to fine-tune loft and face angle for optimal flight.
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Garcia, one of Spain's greatest players of the past 25 years, has had a huge impact on Ballester over the last seven or eight years.
A small driver that Ballester used at Hazeltine was combined with a Victor head and a shaft from Sergio with the score of his 2017 Masters victory written on it. Ballester said the conversation started when he was hit in a game by another player using a small driver.
“And I told him that and Victor said, 'Okay, let me think about it,'” Ballester said. “And he gave me his head… and then he really pulled this one out [shaft].”
Ballester was initially skeptical because of Garcia's history of playing for inconsistent clubs. But then he made a swing with the club.
“The two shots I hit, they just came out like this,” he said, moving as if a ball had been shot in the face. “And I'd say, look at Victor and I'm like, 'Damn, this is great.'
Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Ti 340 Mini Driver
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The Ti 340 Mini Driver delivers driver-like action, with the introduction of a fairway wood. The titanium construction and smart Ai surface provide exceptional speed with strong dispersion. The Mini Driver will provide players with a higher ball flight and softer descent off the tee resulting in improved distance consistency on challenging tee boxes that require precision. The World's First Smart Ai Designed Using Real Player Data The new Ai Smart Face improves driver performance using the swing dynamics of thousands of real golfers. These swing dynamics, or Swing Code, include swing speed, club delivery, and face position just before impact. This promotes good starting conditions and a strong dispersion of the river, which is optimized specifically for the Mini Driver. Smaller Deviations Create More Sweet Spots With Ai Smart Face technology, smaller deviations are activated on impact to help improve launch and navigation on off-center shots. The result is sweet spots not only in the middle, but all over the face. Front and Back Weight for Perfect Launch Using a front / back screw design, players can continuously dial in their launch and spin numbers. A 4g front weight and a 12g back weight can be offset to reduce spin and promote a more aggressive ball flight.
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Ballester even said he thinks having a smaller driver helps him beat his regular driver better, from a confidence standpoint. And it was a better way to fit his bag than the 5 wood he changed, especially considering his tee length.
“The way the course is designed, it's not designed for a guy who hits 350. So I feel like, especially in college, a lot of courses, I had to go from driver to 3-iron because I didn't. I don't want to hit a 5-wood,” he said. “I was losing distance compared to the other course. So now I have this club that's going like 20 yards under my driver, and I can hit it with enough confidence, enough confidence that I'm going to put it farther than my iron. three.
You can watch the full interview with Ballester below.
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