Why are mini drivers so expensive?

[RoyalMustang]

18 hours ago, 1puttTUT said:

 

Most people are using them as 3 wood replacements, then strong lofting a 5 wood as their longest off the deck club

 

If they built a true 3W replacement off-the tee club that was actually 3W length, I'd be a lot more interested. I play my driver at 44.5"; what good is a 43.5" mini going to do me? Maybe I'm missing the point, but this seems like one of those "let's answer a question that nobody was asking" products, then market it as the next best thing since sliced bread since we all know golfers have tons of disposable income. I mean, my wife just dropped $7k at Balmain, so why don't I get something nice too? 

 
They are hotter and with a longer shaft than a 3W, so they don't really replace the 3W. A really useful mini-driver that replaces a 3W would be 3W distance, not 2W distance. I can choke down on my driver and hit it mini distance but with less control due to lower loft. I can't get it down to that 3W distance that splits the driver and 19-degree hybrid with 41" shaft though. Someone who is carrying 300 with a driver still sees 280 with the Mini; that's a big gap to the 3H at 235. 

 

What I'd like to see: 42.5" shaft, mini head, driver that truly is a good 10-12% shorter than a full driver but more accuate than a traditional 3W. folks here that have tried to build a mini around these specs have walked away disappointed. That combo of 42.5" shaft and hotter head would be stellar off the tee. 

 

I basically see it as a driver replacement, not suppliment. It's as if the yardage wars got to their thinking on this. Hey, let's make a driver that's 7% shorter than the current driver, but call it a new name and hype it but not cannibalize our 3W sales. I had one for 2 weeks and my conclusion was "hey, it's a driver that goes almost as far. But I already have a driver that I like!". 

 

Maybe someone out there has the formula for the successful 42-42.5" club with a 280cc head that splits the difference between hybrid and driver. I'd love to hear about it. 

 

[Pnwpingi210]

The easy answer is because people will pay it.  
 

Theres nothing that makes a mini driver more expensive to manufacture than a 3 wood.  The expensive parts (r&d and tooling are the same) there likely a nominal cost increase for materials but even those are relatively the same a purchased at such scale it doesn’t make if it’s 200 cc or 300cc.

It’s not like they are forged on Mordoor with vibraninum.

 

Edited June 2 by Pnwpingi210

[RoyalMustang]

1 hour ago, JMB3 said:

You seem to be missing the most obvious reason for a Mini:  Golfers who can’t/don’t hit 3w off the deck and want a much more forgiving secondary tee option.

 

To OP, where are you seeing Minis priced at “double the cost of a similar full size driver”?  In the US, they are priced right between 3w and driver, which seems rather appropriate.  

 

Here on the BST, they are sub $400 or so. Used current model 3W are $300 or so; drivers $450 and up depending on shafts. Just like you said.  

[Frank Newport]

Don't worry, OP, I get the feeling you are going to see a lot of very cheap barely used mini drivers in the very near future. 

[Frank Newport]

1 hour ago, JMB3 said:

You seem to be missing the most obvious reason for a Mini:  Golfers who can’t/don’t hit 3w off the deck and want a much more forgiving secondary tee option.

 

To OP, where are you seeing Minis priced at “double the cost of a similar full size driver”?  In the US, they are priced right between 3w and driver, which seems rather appropriate.  

How far do you hit your driver and mini?

[Mych]

I got a couple of relatively cheap mini's (TM SLDR and TM Original One) late last year. The SLDR has been pretty solid, but I'm planning to dump the Original One while the prices are high. I'm hoping to turn a small profit on it, even at current trade-in values. Hopefully the SLDR keeps performing long enough for the market to cool off so I can try some of the new options that came out this year.

 

 

[JMB3]

7 minutes ago, Frank Newport said:

How far do you hit your driver and mini?

For equally good strikes, the difference is about 20 yards.

 

For reference, I have a 45” GT2 10* driver turned down to 9.25* and a 43.5” R7 13.5* mini driver turned down to 12.75*.  Driver SS around 105.

[launcher]

7 hours ago, SAND WEDGIE said:

To me, not being able to hit a 3W off the deck is the perfect reason to get a mini driver. If you’re not hitting a 3W off the deck that means it’s a tee only club, why not get a bigger more forgiving club head for that?  

I do agree with you that a mini as a driver replacement doesn’t make sense.  People would probably be better off building a short and heavy 460cc driver. 

If you hit a mini driver better off the deck than a conventional 3 wood, then far be it for me to disagree with results. 

It should be more difficult for most. There's more turf interaction. I would also argue that the face is going to be deeper on a mini resulting in lower contact. Again though, If it works for you then no one can tell you that it doesn't. 

[launcher]

8 hours ago, NRJyzr said:

 

I've posted this previously in response to a similar post in another thread.  

 

Some people do better with smaller clubheads.  Irons, wedges, fairway woods, drivers, makes no difference.  Even Ping, the kings of super forgiveness (and oversize) in golf clubs, realized this in bringing out the Blueprint, Blueprint S, and Blueprint T.  And stated as such.

 

Totally agree with this. I prefer a smaller driver for example. Closer to 440-445. Also use more compact sized wedges. Just can't see this applying to the mini driver as a 3 wood should be easier to hit, and a larger driver should also be easier. 

[1puttTUT]

6 hours ago, RoyalMustang said:

 

If they built a true 3W replacement off-the tee club that was actually 3W length, I'd be a lot more interested. I play my driver at 44.5"; what good is a 43.5" mini going to do me? Maybe I'm missing the point, but this seems like one of those "let's answer a question that nobody was asking" products, then market it as the next best thing since sliced bread since we all know golfers have tons of disposable income. I mean, my wife just dropped $7k at Balmain, so why don't I get something nice too? 

 
They are hotter and with a longer shaft than a 3W, so they don't really replace the 3W. A really useful mini-driver that replaces a 3W would be 3W distance, not 2W distance. I can choke down on my driver and hit it mini distance but with less control due to lower loft. I can't get it down to that 3W distance that splits the driver and 19-degree hybrid with 41" shaft though. Someone who is carrying 300 with a driver still sees 280 with the Mini; that's a big gap to the 3H at 235. 

 

What I'd like to see: 42.5" shaft, mini head, driver that truly is a good 10-12% shorter than a full driver but more accuate than a traditional 3W. folks here that have tried to build a mini around these specs have walked away disappointed. That combo of 42.5" shaft and hotter head would be stellar off the tee. 

 

I basically see it as a driver replacement, not suppliment. It's as if the yardage wars got to their thinking on this. Hey, let's make a driver that's 7% shorter than the current driver, but call it a new name and hype it but not cannibalize our 3W sales. I had one for 2 weeks and my conclusion was "hey, it's a driver that goes almost as far. But I already have a driver that I like!". 

 

Maybe someone out there has the formula for the successful 42-42.5" club with a 280cc head that splits the difference between hybrid and driver. I'd love to hear about it. 

 

 

I put a 3 wood shaft in mine for a little more control. To me it's longer, more forgiving 3 wood.

 

You clearly have a strong opinion, and I'm not going to try to change it. But there has to be a reason they're so popular right now; both with amateurs and tour pro's.

[Kingcat990]

10 hours ago, Mitchell said:

Don’t trigger @MtlJeff 😂

In 2014, you were considered royalty when you walked onto the tee box with the 2014 Ping Rapture with a Graphite Design or a Diamana Blueboard shaft in it. Royalty. Which made it all the more humorous if you didn't absolutely pure it. Anything less than a perfect result, the peasants would provide round the clock ridicule. What a time to be alive. That club really was something else. 

[NRJyzr]

13 hours ago, launcher said:

Totally agree with this. I prefer a smaller driver for example. Closer to 440-445. Also use more compact sized wedges. Just can't see this applying to the mini driver as a 3 wood should be easier to hit, and a larger driver should also be easier. 

 

Extrapolate a bit.  It's true with putters.  It's true with irons and wedges.  It's true with hybrids and fairway woods.  Therefore it's true with drivers.

 

440cc is mathematically smaller than 460cc, but in practical terms, I wouldn't call it a "smaller driver."

 

Edited June 3 by NRJyzr

[mattsaks]

On 6/3/2025 at 5:00 AM, JMB3 said:

To OP, where are you seeing Minis priced at “double the cost of a similar full size driver”?  In the US, they are priced right between 3w and driver, which seems rather appropriate.  

Brand new - yes agree.

 

Second hand market from US mainly... I'm in a remote part of the world and try to buy heads only as shipping full clubs is generally cost prohibitive.

 

Compare an original one against a m5 or m6, or a 300 against a sim!

 

I put it down to a lack of supply and a specialist club that people hold on to due to them either working or the promise they might... which keeps the used value high for the same reasons

[mattsaks]

On 6/3/2025 at 3:46 AM, Frank Newport said:

How far are most of you hitting your mini drivers relative to your driver? 90% (ie. driver=300yds mini=270yds)?

 

Are a lot of you playing courses setup to where a good drive is worse than a tee shot that travels 85-90% of a good drive?

I'm 2 rounds into using a mini and just under those numbers in standard winter conditions here more like 290/260 yds with 3 wood 230-240.

 

My home course has a lot of holes where if you run too far you get blocked out by trees or end up with 1/2 - 3/4 wedges from interesting lies. Mini puts me in gap wedge range where 3 wood could be an 8 or 9.

 

A bad driver can bring double in to play but mini is more controllable (probably the shorter shaft) and gives less chance of double and just as many birdie chances.

 

So it fills a yardage gap and serves a purpose by reducing risk from the driver while not being as penalised for laying up as you likely would be with 3 wood.  I can hit it of the deck if the lie is good (albeit with a low flight which is handy sometimes) And my 5 wood gets very close to the 3 now too...

[vandyfan]

On 6/2/2025 at 5:41 AM, launcher said:

I can understand many golf trends that don't appeal to me, but can't for the life of me understand why anyone would put a mini-driver in the bag. 

If you can't hit a 3 wood off the deck, you'll have no luck with a mini, and if you struggle with a driver off the tee, I can't see that a mini would be easier? 

I truly feel that this is a manufacturers money grab right up there with $500 putters. 

 

I have one. I had no interest or need to hit it off the deck, purely a tee club. It is shorter (so, in theory should be easier to locate the center of clubface), has a higher loft so you can be neutral or even a little down on it and be fine -- as a result you can play it a little farther back in your stance as well. Not for everyone but I also only had 12 clubs in the bag so there was room for this "luxury" club as well. 

 

Also, there is always a chance I respond back to this post in 6 months saying, "well @launcher was right about the mini driver..." 😆

[vandyfan]

On 6/2/2025 at 12:59 PM, RoyalMustang said:

What I'd like to see: 42.5" shaft, mini head, driver that truly is a good 10-12% shorter than a full driver but more accuate than a traditional 3W. folks here that have tried to build a mini around these specs have walked away disappointed. That combo of 42.5" shaft and hotter head would be stellar off the tee. 

 

You can do that through PXG for sure. I had mine built to 43" (I play my Driver at 44") and they have moveable weights in the head so you can get it to swingweight pretty much whatever you want. 

 

Mini Driver totals at about 255 and has tighter dispersion while Regular Driver totals at about 285. Also, mini is easier to turn over since the head is smaller and I don't hit up on it as much. So far I like the gapping and I LOVE the flexibility. 

Edited June 3 by vandyfan

[RoyalMustang]

57 minutes ago, mattsaks said:

I'm 2 rounds into using a mini and just under those numbers in standard winter conditions here more like 290/260 yds with 3 wood 230-240.

 

My home course has a lot of holes where if you run too far you get blocked out by trees or end up with 1/2 - 3/4 wedges from interesting lies. Mini puts me in gap wedge range where 3 wood could be an 8 or 9.

 

A bad driver can bring double in to play but mini is more controllable (probably the shorter shaft) and gives less chance of double and just as many birdie chances.

 

So it fills a yardage gap and serves a purpose by reducing risk from the driver while not being as penalised for laying up as you likely would be with 3 wood.  I can hit it of the deck if the lie is good (albeit with a low flight which is handy sometimes) And my 5 wood gets very close to the 3 now too...

 

We've got 4 layup holes from the tips. I would use Mini on 2 or 4, depending on wind. With a south wind, it's 2, and a north wind it's 4. So that's actually pretty useful. Just the other day I hit a bomb of a drive, and it rolled into the fairway trap that is smack in the middle, 40 yards long, across the fairway. I can't hit over it as it's too long, but at least the mini keeps me short of it and would probably feel better than my 3W.

 

And what the heck are sand traps doing plopped down straight in the middle of a fairway? Put them on either side near the rough. Don't penalize someone for striping it down the middle. A trap should be a miss, not a contrivance. We have 3 here. At least the last 2 are 2nd shot traps and easy to avoid. But why a purposely built trap in the middle creating layup par 5s? 

[golfheaven69]

All clubs are overpriced. Nice margin industry at the moment. 

[Phabs]

Because people will pay 700 bucks for a three wood 

[elwhippy]

Very similar level of tech to a 460cc driver. Less materials but still needs to be made to same standard. Plus R&D costs, new tooling etc. 

[launcher]

22 hours ago, NRJyzr said:

 

Extrapolate a bit.  It's true with putters.  It's true with irons and wedges.  It's true with hybrids and fairway woods.  Therefore it's true with drivers.

 

440cc is mathematically smaller than 460cc, but in practical terms, I wouldn't call it a "smaller driver."

 

Not sure I'm understanding what you're asking(?)

I do agree with what you're saying in regards to 440 vs. 460, but I would say only in literal terms. Visually, I think 440 is quite apparently more compact. 

[launcher]

15 hours ago, vandyfan said:

 

I have one. I had no interest or need to hit it off the deck, purely a tee club. It is shorter (so, in theory should be easier to locate the center of clubface), has a higher loft so you can be neutral or even a little down on it and be fine -- as a result you can play it a little farther back in your stance as well. Not for everyone but I also only had 12 clubs in the bag so there was room for this "luxury" club as well. 

 

Also, there is always a chance I respond back to this post in 6 months saying, "well @launcher was right about the mini driver..." 😆

I can see your point and understand using one for this purpose. I would still have to ask, why use a mini instead of a driver? Are you implying it's more for those that struggle off the tee? Or, just certain holes that don't set up right, or are visually an issue? 

Just to reiterate, if this works for any golfer, I would never try to suggest that it doesn't/shouldn't. All for doing whatever to play better. 

[aquapig]

On 6/1/2025 at 10:14 AM, gator022 said:

Try finding 9 woods used in stiff flexes too!

For sure. Better off buying a women's 9 wood and reshafting. Save yourself time searching and money.

[NRJyzr]

3 hours ago, launcher said:

Not sure I'm understanding what you're asking(?)

I do agree with what you're saying in regards to 440 vs. 460, but I would say only in literal terms. Visually, I think 440 is quite apparently more compact. 

 

Sorry, a poor attempt at brevity on my part.

 

You accept the idea of smaller wedges.  I would guess smaller irons, also.  It's also been pretty well documented that some prefer smaller hybrids, looking at the world of Adams before they vanished.

 

That's where the extrapolation comes in.  If some prefer smaller clubheads in the above mentioned items, it's a short move to smaller driver clubheads.

 

Many of us learned the game on much smaller driver clubheads.  What some see as reassuring and forgiving is seen as unwieldy by a segment of the population.  For some, even unusable.

 

Personally speaking, I tend to get better results with a mini driver than a 460cc clubhead.  I get better results with a Zing Blonde laminate than I get with a mini driver.  Distance, no, but better overall results.  For a fair number of folks, this is counter intuitive, but still real.  

 

An added note...  my best overall tee game during 2024 was with a Cobra Deep Face driver from the 90s.  Not the longest, but by far the most consistent.

 

edit to add:  the truly amusing aspect here is that I keep trying with the 440cc and up clubheads.  🙂

 

Edited June 4 by NRJyzr

[SoCalTitleist]

Production numbers are much lower making them more scarce 

[GoldenEagle69]

55 minutes ago, SoCalTitleist said:

Production numbers are much lower making them more scarce 

The manufacturers were smart to limit production. First off they limit their risk if demand was low, with the added benefit of jacking up pricing on the secondary market. They can always do a second production run like Callaway did with the AiSmoke.

 

I've been golfing over 40 years and a perfectly fit driver for me is 44" so I have a hard time finding a driver that actually fits me and I'm done trying to cut down a 46" club and adding weight only to realize the lie angle will never be flat enough and the club is worthless.

 

At least with a mini driver I have a golf club that fits and gives me an opportunity to hit good shots with good swings.

 

Everyone says you need to get fit for driver. Pay someone to 'fit' me into something that doesn t actually fit me at all? No thanks. I'll stick with my off-the-rack mini, which BTW I hit further and straighter than a driver.

[getitdaily]

It's because of the French word for cost....

 

De'Mand 

[Jeff58]

Most of the posters here are discussing the club’s functionality rather than the cost, which is in line with the OEM’s wishes.

 

The reason they’re such a honey pot for manufacturers is that the buying population has already shown willingness to pay $600+ to replace a product (or products) that have essentially failed. They’ve got to be laughing in their lattes big time.

[me05501]

4 hours ago, Jeff58 said:

Most of the posters here are discussing the club’s functionality rather than the cost, which is in line with the OEM’s wishes.

 

The reason they’re such a honey pot for manufacturers is that the buying population has already shown willingness to pay $600+ to replace a product (or products) that have essentially failed. They’ve got to be laughing in their lattes big time.

 

Seventy percent of the U.S. economy is driven by consumerism. As consumers we have to be wary of being fooled. Otherwise we can be suckers in the grand scheme of things. 

 

I doubt there is 2% worth of difference between the 300 Mini and the BRNR Mini. Both were designed to elicit nostalgia. The R7 is more of the same but there's an argument that the movable weights might be worth paying for (though you could likely accomplish the same thing with lead tape). 

 

There are too many examples of this to list, and that's just in the golf world. The same strategy works in just about every industry. 

 

We're accustomed to buying tech products over and over again because the capabilities are ever-evolving. There's a lot of difference between an iPhone 16 and an iPhone 12. We've become conditioned by that experience and we expect the same incremental improvements when we're buying tools or trucks or golf clubs. 

[chch3]

They make way less, but they still have to pay for the tooling and design the same as every other club.  So the price is higher to recoup that money.  Say it costs a manufacturer to make and design a club about $1M.  If they only make 10,000 mini drivers, they are going to have to charge a lot more to recoup their money.  They might make 100,000 fairway woods, so they can charge less and recoup their money because they will sell a lot more.  These are just made up numbers.  I have no idea how many clubs a manufacturer makes.