Equipment
TaylorMade “MiniDriver” hits USGA Conforming List
TaylorMade’s much rumored SLDR “MiniDriver” has finally made its way onto the USGA List of Conforming Club Heads.
The club, which is expected to be unveiled around the time of The Masters, is listed with a loft of 12 degrees. That loft and its head size, which sources say measures roughly 250 cubic centimeters, indicates that the club will be TaylorMade’s first entry into the growing trend of high-COR “driving fairway woods.”
“We frequently test new technologies and concepts,” said Dave Cordero, a TaylorMade Golf Spokesperson, in an email. “The SLDR mini driver is an exciting product that was designed based on tour player feedback and requests. We look forward to testing with them in the coming weeks.”
If the SLDR MiniDriver comes to market, which it is expected, it will be a direct competitor to Callaway’s X2Hot 2Deep, the 2014 version of the club Phil Mickelson used as a driver in route to his 2013 Scottish and British Open victories. It will also compete against Ping’s new Rapture fairway wood, which measures 219 cc and has a titanium construction.
While the MiniDriver carries the SLDR name, the photos show that the club is more similar to TaylorMade’s SLDR fairway woods than the SLDR driver, as it does not have a sliding adjustable weight in the front of its sole. The club also appears to have a fixed hosel, meaning that it will not have the adjustable features of the SLDR driver, fairway woods and hybrids.
The black-and-white photo also shows that the SLDR MiniDriver may have a white-painted crown like TaylorMade’s R11, R11S, RBZ Stage 2 and R1 metalwood lines.
In early February, a 3D-printed model of the MiniDriver was posted in our forum (pictured above) by member bruinsPATSirish. That club showed two adjustable weight ports on the front of the club, the company “Speed Pocket” and an adjustable hosel. While similarities exist between the clubs, it appears that the MiniDriver is something different than the 3D-printed model.
This week, we have our Tour Photographer, Greg Moore, on the ground at the OccuNet Classic at Tascosa Golf Club in Amarillo, Texas, for the 14th event of the 2026 Korn Ferry Tour season. With that, we see some great things in the Lead Tape Report as we roll into Amarillo.
Joel Thelen
Monday Qualifier, Joel Thelen is in the field this week. He has played on the Korn Ferry Tour for a full season in 2023, and he is back in action this week. A couple of clubs caught my eye this week in his bag.
First off: His trusted Titleist 816 H2 hybrid. This club came out in October of 2015, and it still remains strong in the bag. Also, take a look at this Odyssey White Hot OG 7, putting a capital S in the 7S model. This custom neck has some impressive lean for an arm-lock-style putter. The bottom of the putter is covered in tape for optimal weighting.
Mitchell Meissner
Taking a look at Mitchell Meissner’s bag this week, we have some great lead tape coverage. Top to bottom working from fairway metals, irons, and wedges. We can see on the short irons and wedges that there is tape at the base of the grip, adding a little counterbalance. Along with that, some tape on the short irons and wedges as well. Moving to his putter, he rolls the Odyssey 7 Bird putter. Meissner putts left-handed and strikes the ball right-handed.
Bud Cauley had >14 clubs in his bag when photographed prior to the Memorial Tournament.
Driver: Titleist GTS2 (8 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X
3-wood: Titleist GTS3 (15 degrees, B1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Chemical Tensei 1K Pro Red 70 TX
7-wood: Titleist GTS3 (21 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Chemical Tensei 1K Pro Red 80 TX
Irons: Titleist U505 (3), Titleist 620 MB (4-9)
Shafts: Fujikura Ventus Black HB 8 X, True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM11 (48-10F, 52-12F, 56-14F), WedgeWorks (60-K*)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putters: Scotty Cameron Tour Prototype, Scotty Cameron GOLO 6.3 Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Align
Ball: Titleist Pro V1
In our forums, one user has offered up a prompt for the true sickos, inviting fellow forum members to share every set of irons they’ve ever owned. As to be expected, this is a lengthy forum topic.
@Lamosteve began:
Can you name every set of irons you’ve owned? Here’s mine
Spalding Dots
Spalding Eclipse
Ram Lazer FX
Lynx Parallax
Mizuno EZ Comp
Ben Hogans
Cleveland CG Red
Taylor Made R9s
PING i20
PING iE1
Taylor Made M6
Our members in the forum have been offering up their own collections. Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.
- macedan: “Started with a hand-me-down Golden Bear set from my brother when I was in high school, never really played more than once a year or got into the game until about summer of 2017. First purchased a set of Cleveland CG4’s (I actually really miss this set sometimes, soft & not terribly large for a GI iron), moved into Nike Vapor Fly’s by the end of the year. Those lasted until spring of 18 when I decided I wanted new, so I traded them in for TM Rbladez. Honestly, although I liked the Rbladez, poor decision on my part, I think this was really about the only time so far that after a week or two I was kicking myself for not staying with what I had. Rbladez stayed with me until late last summer when I switched to P790’s and (knock on wood) I am hoping this will be my longest lasting set.”
- JimmyC59: “MacGregor Jack Nicklaus Triple Crown. Palmer The Standard. Still play these.”
- jgrzask: “Tommy Armour 845u
Mizuno MP-32
Mizuno MP-33 (2 sets)
Bridgestone J33cb – still own
Srixon i-302 (2 sets) – still own
Tourstage X-Blades – still own
Mizuno Hot Metal – still own
Nike Forged Blades – still own
Titleist 714 AP1 – still own
Cobra Forged SS – still own”
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Best irons 2026: Best irons overall, most forgiving irons, and more
Bud Cauley WITB 2026 (June)
Bud Cauley had >14 clubs in his bag when photographed prior to the Memorial Tournament. Driver: Titleist GTS2 (8 degrees) Shaft: Fujikura...
Hannah Green WITB 2026 (June)
Driver: Titleist GTS3 (10 degrees, D4 SureFit setting) Shaft: Mitsubishi Chemical Diamana RB 53 S 3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees,...
Asterisk Talley WITB 2026 (June)
Driver: TaylorMade Qi4D (9 degrees) Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 6 S 3-wood: TaylorMade Qi4D (16.5 degrees) Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue...
Brianna Do WITB 2026 (June)
Driver: Callaway Quantum Triple Diamond (9 degrees) Shaft: KBS PGW 3-wood: Callaway Elyte Titanium (15 degrees) Shaft: KBS PGW 5-wood:...
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Pingback: Taylormade Mini SLDR Driver - Eighteen Under Par
golfingbadger
Feb 27, 2014 at 2:02 pm
Grasping @ straws…just a marketing exercise in response to the callaway pressure.
Tim
Mar 24, 2014 at 12:14 am
I agree… how come we never see a head to head comparison to the hottest known fairways like the Tour Edge Exotics..?
Jack
Feb 26, 2014 at 3:43 pm
rule: if hitting the fairway on a certain hole is paramount hit either wood or iron and never a driver. once your golfing brain gets that simple rule your handicap will come down by 4 strokes guaranteed. a wood sized club head fitted with a driver shaft won’t do the trick if your golfing smartness is not up for it.
Gregg
Feb 26, 2014 at 1:23 pm
Buy a 10* Ping TiSi, have your favorite shaft put in it with the hosel of your choice and call it good. You’ll have the perfect size driver at around 12* of loft.
Scans
Feb 26, 2014 at 12:49 pm
In 2008 I was frustrated with my bad driving. It occurred to me that when I needed to hit a straight drive I (and most people) hit my 3 wood. So why was I hitting a 10.5* driver? I went out and bought a 13.5* Taylormade Burner driver with a stiff shaft. Since then my driving has become one of the best things about my game. I don’t even think I’ve lost any distance and am very straight. While this new TM driver might be a good idea for some, I still prefer the larger 460 head. It’s all about forgivness. Try it, you’ll like it…..
Michael C
Feb 25, 2014 at 10:35 am
I agree with the comments that higher MOI is always better but take for example the modern high MOI putters out there, are they more stable than the putters most of use? of course they are, then why do we not all use them? Because to our eye they are too large and unruly.
They same can be said of a driver to many golfers. As driver heads have grown in size over the years so too has driver length to the point where the length is uncontrollable for the average golfer. “Cut your driver down in length” I hear you say, and I myself recently have done just that and in doing so have regained some control but at the shorter length the 460cc head looks and feels enormous much like some of those high MOI putters.
I played quite a bit of golf as a teenager and the strongest part of my game was my driving, then when I returned to the game after a 12 year gap I purchased new equipment 460cc driver included. Over the past 3 years I have tried numerous drivers but can’t fine the old accuracy and even length I had years ago. I recently dug out that old steel headed steel shafted driver to check the specs of it. 43.5″ long, approx. 250cc head.
I for one am looking forward to trying the new “mini” drivers which in my opinion will play at the correct length for a driver and in turn have an appropriate head size for that length.
ND Hickman
Feb 25, 2014 at 7:34 am
Speaking as someone who uses the Callaway XHot 3 Deep 13 degree that Phil Mickelson used so effectively last year, I can honestly say I’m not surprised to see more companies follow this trend (which was probably kicked off by Cobra for their Long Tom 2 Wood). I’ve managed to carry 280 with mine on numerous occasion’s and I’ve even hit a few over 300 yards.
hebron1427
Mar 6, 2014 at 4:55 pm
the trend was kicked off by mickelson using a modified RBZ as his driver at the beginning of last year. that pushed callaway to make SOMETHING that fit phil’s eye. once that was on the market, everyone else said “let’s do that too.”
Chuck
Feb 24, 2014 at 7:31 pm
The article references “high COR.” I’m not sure what that means.
The current test for spring-like effects with drivers is actually CT (characteristic time), not CoR (coefficient of restitution). My understanding is that CT testing applies to all driving clubs and driving clubs are defined as less than 15 degrees of loft.
How could a driver, albeit a ‘small driver,’ be allowed to exceed any CT testing standards?
NG
Feb 24, 2014 at 6:11 pm
I think a few of you are getting this all wrong, it’s more of a fairway wood rather than a driver esp. when it’s stated who the direct competitor clubs will be…
notsohard
Feb 24, 2014 at 5:40 pm
old things become new again…we use to hit small persimmon drivers of the deck constantly, and now Taylormade are the tech gurus???? marketing hype for the modern golfer who has been brainwashed to upgrade every material possesion every 6-12 months.
Justin
Feb 24, 2014 at 3:31 pm
This better come in lefty haha.
Dwaine Ingarfield
Feb 24, 2014 at 2:54 pm
I think you are still better getting all the MOI of a 460 cc head. Get a high lofted driver, add some lead tape and cut down to 43 inches.
Bean
Feb 24, 2014 at 1:38 pm
Non-adjustable? Is this headed straight to Dick’s Sporting Goods at a sub $150 price point? The weight saved from no slider could have put to good use with adjustment functionality.
James
Feb 24, 2014 at 12:50 pm
Welcome back 2 woods. Basically what these are though probably easier to hit and less spin.
AZ Golfman
Feb 24, 2014 at 12:41 pm
Higher MOI is always better. This trend makes no sense. I think it makes more sense to cut your driver down to 43.5 or 44 vs. going with a small head driver.
mike
Feb 24, 2014 at 2:30 pm
Like the looks of small drivers better than this bjg shovels that exists now.
Jebbadiah6
Feb 25, 2014 at 1:54 am
High moi makes it it harder to shape the ball which for taylormade seems to be what they are trying to allow there tour players to do for the masters.
llamont
Feb 24, 2014 at 12:13 pm
I remember when the 250cc Great Big Bertha and the 250cc TMAG Burner Bubble Titanium were considered “jumbo-sized” heads. Now 250cc is a “mini”. Lol
Mike
Feb 25, 2014 at 3:58 am
I had the original Wilson Killer Whale. It was huge!!!
Big_5_Hole
Feb 24, 2014 at 11:55 am
TM had a “Fairway Driver” back in the early 90’s that was a great club off the tee. What’s old is new again……
http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTAwMFg3NDY=/z/Rz0AAOxy4dNS9jnS/$_35.JPG
LorenRobertsFan
Feb 24, 2014 at 11:52 am
The farther you hit a club, the more offline it can be. That’s the reason you’d hit a 3 wood rather than a driver from a tee. This trend of fairway drivers doesn’t make sense
Westphi
Feb 24, 2014 at 12:07 pm
Just another product to sell for those who can’t play golf and think spending more money will improve their game by leaps and bounds…
KYGolfer
Feb 24, 2014 at 1:16 pm
Yeah because Phil Mickelson “can’t play golf”
Holyfenix
Feb 24, 2014 at 2:24 pm
Its more like another product to keep golf equipment interested for the masses. Just because there are basketball shoes or soccer cleats out already does that mean they should stop trying to innovate. No innovation means stagnation which is bad for the golf industry.
TheLegend
Feb 24, 2014 at 12:08 pm
I was thinking the same thing.
paul
Feb 24, 2014 at 8:28 pm
Courses I play promote a club like this. My driver only fades. I would love a long club off the tee and deck that I could work both ways(but draw easily). This one fits the bill. I saw a 3deep used for only $130. Mint shape, correct shaft for me, pretty tempting…
ND Hickman
Feb 25, 2014 at 7:35 am
Paul, if I can offer advice I would say buy that 3 Deep! I play the 13 degree version and it’s pretty impressive. I tend to fade drivers but I seem to be able to shape the 3 Deep whichever way I want.
ND Hickman
Feb 25, 2014 at 7:43 am
From personal experience, I would say that the smaller the clubs head is, the easier it is to shape the ball. I play a 430cc driver head because I find 460 to be too much. To each their own.