Equipment
Jake Knapp discusses why he opts for a mini driver instead of a 3-wood
The following is an excerpt from a piece we filed for PGATour.com’s Equipment Report. Head on over there for the full story, which also includes the Mexico Open winner discussing how he configures his PXG irons set up.
Knapp may be a Tour rookie, but he’s experienced enough to know what works for him. And it’s not a 3-wood.
“I put in a 3-wood every once in a while, but I was just never able to find one that I loved,” Knapp told GolfWRX.com on Tuesday. “Three woods, in general, I just hit on the bottom of the face. They spin a lot and don’t go anywhere.”
Rather than using a fairway wood, Knapp goes with a TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver that has 13.5 degrees of loft. The club complements his 9-degree Ping G425 LST driver.
During a fitting session in Oklahoma last year, Knapp told his fitter he was looking for a club that goes 286 yards, and his first three shots with the mini driver went between 285 and 290.
“It’s just an easier club to hit than a 3-wood,” Knapp explained. “It spins more off the ground, but I don’t need it off the ground too often. And from 270+ yards away, you’re not really trying to be too precise. You’re just trying to get it up around the green most of the time. So, for me, it’s really just a tee club and kind of a fairway finder for me.”
Read more here and check out Jake Knapp’s full WITB below.
Driver: Ping G425 LST (9 degrees @7.5)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS T1100 75 6.5
Mini driver: TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver (13.5 degrees)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS T1100 95 6.5
Irons: Srixon ZU85 (2), PXG 0311 X (4), PXG 0211 ST (5-PW)
Shafts: Mitsubishi Tensei White Hybrid 100 TX (2), KBS Tour C-Taper 130 X (4-PW)
Wedges: PXG 0311 Sugar Daddy II (52-10), Titleist Vokey Design SM9 (56.5-10S), WedgeWorks (60-T @61)
Shafts: KBS Tour C-Taper 130 X (52, 56), Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 WV 125
Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour Double Bend
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy Tour SGP 1.0
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Titleist Pro V1 Left Dot
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”
Justin Rose WITB 2026 (April): Full WITB breakdown with new McLaren irons
What’s the story behind Webb Simpson’s custom-stamped irons?
Memorial Tournament Tour Report: Rory McIlroy, Cameron Young switch up drivers, and more
Cadillac Championship Tour Report: Spieth’s sizable changes, McLaren Golf launches, and more
Russell Henley’s winning WITB: 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge
Kristoffer Reitan’s winning WITB: 2026 Truist Championship
J.T. Poston’s winning WITB: 2026 Memorial Tournament
Best irons 2026: Best irons overall, most forgiving irons, and more
Aaron Rai’s winning WITB: 2026 PGA Championship
Cameron Young’s winning WITB: 2026 Cadillac Championship
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:...
-
Equipment6 days agoMemorial Tournament Tour Report: Rory McIlroy, Cameron Young switch up drivers, and more
-
News2 weeks agoRussell Henley’s winning WITB: 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge
-
Whats in the Bag4 days agoJ.T. Poston’s winning WITB: 2026 Memorial Tournament
-
Equipment3 days agoBest irons 2026: Best irons overall, most forgiving irons, and more
-
Equipment1 week agoDetails on Jason Day’s latest prototype Avoda iron setup
-
Equipment3 weeks agoCJ Cup Byron Nelson Tour Report: Koepka and Kim’s newest putters finally get hot
-
News2 weeks agoCharles Schwab Challenge Tour Report: MacIntyre, Åberg and Spaun all switch putters, TaylorMade launches new Spider
-
Equipment2 weeks agoDetails on J.J. Spaun’s surprise putter switch
Brandon
Feb 28, 2024 at 8:13 pm
Same reason I carry a cobra big tour 3 wood. I almost never hit it off the turf. Feel much more confident with a hybrid than I do with any 3 wood I’ve ever owned, and if I can’t reach a long par 5 in 2,so be it.
Brian
Feb 28, 2024 at 5:13 pm
Wonder why he didn’t hit this off the tee when he was missing just about every fairway on Sunday with his driver?
Chuck
Feb 28, 2024 at 3:14 pm
286.
With “3”-wood.
In the late 1990’s, the longest hitter on Tour was John Daly. He was the Tour driving distance leader for 11 out of 12 years. 1991-2002. And before the advent of the Pro-V1 and multilayer urethane balls, Daly’s Tour-leading driving distance averages were between 288 and 299.
And now the Tour distance leaders are in the 320’s.
eastpointe
Feb 29, 2024 at 8:40 am
Imagine how far he would have hit the ball if he followed a fraction of the fitness regiment that the vast majority of players today do.
Chuck
Feb 29, 2024 at 10:06 am
There is of course an argument to be made that the ultra-low-spin technologies of the 21st century naturally (and even rightly?!) encourage and reward more fitness, more aggressive athleticism (less golfer technical skill in controlling spin) because spin is so well controlled on long shots by the urethane balls and high tech composite shafts and multimaterial alloy heads. That’s fine.
It doesn’t answer the question of why not keep that multilayer urethane ball technology, but just roll back the overall distance significantly. Which is what the ruling bodies are beginning to attempt.