Mini drivers were once seen as something of a niche, but now they seem to be everywhere. So, why the surge in popularity?
They are the hybrid mix of a traditional driver and a fairway wood. Designed to be as accurate as a three-wood and as long as a driver, mini drivers are built to strike that perfect balance between control and distance.
For many players, this means they will help to fill a gap in the top of their bag that neither of these golf clubs are able to fill separately.
Across a number of different events on the DP World Tour, in particular, we have seen a sharp increase in the number of professionals using mini drivers.
But is this really surprising?
It was TaylorMade who initially started this producing mini drivers way back in 2014 with the release of the TaylorMade SLDR Mini Driver.
Now a whole host of golf club manufacturers have got in on the act. From Titleist to Callaway, most of the big hitters now have one in production.
Tour players have caught on to there benefits, is it time us club golfers do the same?
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The change on tour
It was recently revealed that 17.3% of golfers at the 2026 South African Open used a mini driver. That is a significant increase on just 6.4% of the field that gamed them in the same event last year.
It was a similar story at the 2026 Dubai Desert Classic. There was a 12% increase in the number of players using a mini driver.
Players like Dan Bradbury put one in the bag for the first time, whilst others like eight-time DP World Tour winner Tommy Fleetwood have incorporated one into their set-up for a while now.
PGA Professional and golf coach Jack Backhouse believes that the way in which most people use their three-wood means that it is only logical to switch it out for a mini driver.
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“Ping have some research that says if you can hit your driver over 300 yards then a three-wood is a tee shot club, not a second shot club,” Backhouse explained.
“It, therefore, makes more sense to use a mini driver as a bigger head is more forgiving and they’re never used off the deck anyways.”
Not just for the pros
We as club golfers have a tendency to follow what the world’s best do when it comes to our golf equipment. The only reason I got a TaylorMade driver was because Rory McIlroy uses one.
Sooner or later a trend finds its way down to the fairways of your local golf club. Mallet putters are a great example of this.
Since they started to pop up more and more on tour it felt almost like a nod of approval for golfers everywhere to throw their blades to the side in favour of something more forgiving.
Just look at the explosion in popularity of L.A.B Golf putters. Their zero torque offerings have taken on a life of their own. These futuristic looking putters are everywhere and rightly so with what they can offer in terms of performance.
It doesn’t stop on the putting green. Clubs like the 7-wood, praised for their easy use, have moved from being fairly redundant to the go-to for a lot of golfers’.
Here at NCG we are hot on mini drivers and believe they could be the next trend to take off at amateur level. The success they’re seeing within the pro ranks has to be a huge green flag for the rest of us.
“Amateurs could use them (mini drivers) if they struggle with a driver or are a particular confident fairway wood user,” Backhouse claimed.
“They will go further than a three-wood and are straighter and easier to use than driver.”
Speaking on the Your Golf Podcast by NCG he also spoke about it being the ideal driver replacement club for amateurs.
“The shaft can be too long on a driver or there’s not enough loft and you’re too inconsistent. Having that extra bit of loft and a shorter shafts means that golfers are going to get the ball in lay a lot more.
“They can be used off the ground. The Callaway and the PXG especially, the soles are very flat so with a good lie off the fairway you can hit it.
“An amateur who has got quite a shallow swing would have no problem hitting mini driver, mini driver to a long par four.
“Last year I played with a mini driver. When it was really firm, I didn’t even carry a driver. If I was going to have an optimal bag then I wouldn’t even carry a three-wood, I would just loft up a mini driver.
“I don’t think its a fad, I think they are here to stay.
“I’ve seen loads of people who don’t like hitting a driver, can’t use a driver put a mini (driver) in the bag with no problems.
“I think its a useful club and I don’t think they’re going away.”
Listen to the Your Golf Podcast by NCG
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