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.
Cameron Young’s WITB from his win at the 2025 Wyndham Championship. Cameron is a Titleist staff player but his bag is definitely filled with some unique clubs. Here are the clubs he used to secure his first PGA Tour win!
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 80 TX
Hybrid: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus HB Black VeloCore+ 10 X
Irons: Titleist T200 (4), Titleist T100 (5), Titleist 631.CY Prototype (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7 (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F, 52-12F, 56-14F @57), WedgeWorks (60-K* @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7
Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom 9.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Prototype
- Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Titleist GT3 (10 degrees, C2 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Project X Denali Blue 60 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 7 X
7-wood: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 8 X
Irons: Titleist T150 (4, 5), Titleist T100 (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper AMT Tour White X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F, 56-08M @57, 60-04T @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron Studio Style Fastback 1.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Yellow
We’re proud to once again partner with 2nd Swing Golf to bring you GolfWRX Members Choice 2025! 2nd Swing has more than 150,000 new and pre-swung golf clubs available in six store locations and online. Check them out here.
What is the best driver in 2025? At GolfWRX, we take great pride in our online community and the cumulative knowledge and experience of our members. When it comes to the best driver of 2025, we want to know what our forum faithful think.
Since our founding in 2005, the bedrock of GolfWRX.com has been the community of passionate and knowledgeable golfers in our forums, and we put endless trust in the opinions of our GolfWRX members — the most knowledgeable community of golfers on the internet. No other group of golfers in the world tests golf clubs as frequently or as extensively, nor is armed with such in-depth information about the latest technology.
Below are the results of GolfWRX member voting for the 2025 best driver, along with the vote percentage for each club.
Best driver of 2025: The top 5
5. Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond: 6.02%
Callaway’s pitch: “For golfers looking for a fast, forgiving, yet workable driver, the Elyte Triple Diamond features a tour-inspired shape and is the preferred model by most Callaway tour players.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond here.
4. Ping G440 Max: 6.86%
Ping’s pitch: “The most forgiving G440 model, MAX has a hotter face to generate speed and distance, and a lighter overall system weight with a longer shaft (46″) for faster clubhead speed, higher launch and longer carries. The Free Hosel and Carbonfly Wrap crown save weight to create our lowest CG ever and increase forgiveness while contributing to a more muted, pleasing sound.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 Max here.
3. Ping G440 LST: 9.53%
Ping’s pitch: “LST is an especially good fit for faster swings, offering less spin and more control with a penetrating trajectory. A hotter face, lighter overall system weight and longer shaft (46″) deliver more speed and distance while maintaining tight dispersion.”
@phizzy30: “Not a fan of Ping drivers in general, but 440 LST takes the cake. It’s super forgiving across the face for a low spin head, looks and sounds good and the ability to make it play neutral or slightly fade biased through the hosel settings is very appealing.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 LST here.
2. Titleist GT3: 16.55%
Titleist’s pitch: “The GT3 Driver offers Titleist’s boldest combination of power and personalization through adjustable performance. Dial in the CG Track to your frequent contact location to make your biggest drives even bigger while taking total control over flight and shaping.”
@mrmikeac: “I’ve been Anti-Titleist for years and years and years (outside of Vokey, of course). With that being said, HOLY BEGEEZUS the GT3 driver is an absolute NUCLEAR MONSTER! This thing blew my G430 10K Max out of the water in every single category. Forgiveness is the biggest thing that stands out of me, the 3 model has always been one of the less forgiving models in the past but this GT3 can take bad shot after bad shot and still end up in the fairway, I think a ton of that has to do with the adjustability, it’s actually effective. Feel and sound is perfect, that solid crack is so addicting to hear and when you hit it out the screws this thing can absolutely bomb it. Titleist, I’m sorry for doubting you. You have converted me.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT3 here.
1. Titleist GT2: 22.91%
Titleist’s pitch: “Delivering impressive distance from any impact point, the Titleist GT2 Driver extracts maximum performance through a forgiving design. Get the stability and added confidence of a high-MOI driver without sacrificing speed.”
@DTorres: “The Titleist GT2 has proven to be the best driver of the year. Packaged in a classic profile, GT2 perfectly balances performance and forgiveness while consistently being a high performer across all categories.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT2 here.
Other drivers receiving >2% of the vote
| Driver | Vote percentage (%) |
|---|---|
| Cobra DS Adapt Max K | 4.85% |
| Ping G430 Max 10K | 3.85% |
| Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond | 3.68% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 | 3.51% |
| Callaway Elyte | 3.18% |
| Cobra DS Adapt X | 2.34% |
| Cobra DS Adapt LS | 2.17% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 LS | 2.17% |
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Peter Malnati WITB 2025 (August)
Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here. Driver: Titleist...
Cameron Young’s winning WITB: 2025 Wyndham Championship
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting) Buy here. Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX 3-wood: Titleist...
Camilo Villegas WITB 2025 (July)
Camilo Villegas WITB accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. Villegas was undecided on a 3-wood when we shot his bag. ...
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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.