Mini Driver: Lofts, Lengths and Specs by Brand, vs a 3-Wood

The quick answer: a mini driver is a small driver built to be hit off the tee and the deck: 280–340cc instead of 460cc, 43.25–44 inches instead of 45, and 11.5–13.5° of loft, between a driver (10.5° in the typical bag) and a 3-wood (15°). Current models come from Callaway, Cobra, PXG, Titleist, TaylorMade and Tour Edge; Ping does not make one. In the 263 graded bags we checked, the step from the driver to the first fairway wood is 5° for the typical golfer, so a mini usually replaces the 3-wood off the tee rather than filling a gap. For the 43% of golfers whose first fairway wood sits 6° or more above the driver, it fills a real hole.

What is a mini driver?

A mini driver is a driver head shrunk to roughly two-thirds of the volume, on a shaft an inch or so shorter, with a loft a few degrees higher. The shorter shaft is easier to control and makes centre contact more often; the smaller, shallower head sits low enough to be hit off the fairway, which a 460cc driver is not; the extra loft gets the ball up without a tee. The trade is distance: at 11.5–13.5° and 43.5 inches it will not match a well-struck driver, and it is not meant to.

Three sizes to keep straight:

Driver and 3-wood lengths are the standards from our golf club length chart; the lofts are what golfers actually carry in the bags we have graded, from our driver loft chart and fairway wood vs hybrid data.

Mini driver specs by brand

Every current model, from the maker's own specification page. Lengths are men's standard.

Every current model is 11.5–13.5° except the R7 Quad Mini's 15.5° option, which is right-handed only. The two prior models are still widely searched for and sold second-hand; the R7 Quad Mini replaced the BRNR, and the GTS300 replaced the GT280 with a bigger head at the same face height. The Callaway Quantum Mini and the Titleist GTS300 also come in a women's build at 42.5 inches; the GTS300 in a junior build at 41.5.

Every model here is adjustable, so the stamped loft is a starting point. Callaway's and Cobra's hosel settings are laid out in our Callaway driver settings chart and Cobra driver adjustment chart; the mini drivers use the same sleeves as the brands' drivers and fairway woods.

Does Ping make a mini driver?

No. Ping's driver range is the G440 family (K, Max, SFT, LST and the HL builds), the G430 family and the G Le women's drivers, all 460cc or close to it. There is no Ping mini driver, and none has been announced. If you want a Ping head in the slot, the nearest option is a strong-lofted G440 fairway wood with the loft turned down.

Where a mini driver fits in a real bag

We looked at the clubs above the irons in 263 bags graded on FitMyGolfClubs (one bag per golfer, most recent grade, test and sample accounts excluded).

• Few golfers carry one. Three bags in 263 list a mini driver by model name, about 1%. Some golfers may have entered theirs as a driver or a 3-wood, so treat that as a floor; even so, it is a rare club.
• The typical driver is 10.5°, and the first fairway wood sits a median 5° above it. A mini at 11.5–13.5° lands inside that 5° space. For most golfers it does not add a yardage: it replaces the 3-wood as the club you hit off the tee when the driver is too much, and the 3-wood off the deck is the one that goes unused.
• 43% of bags have a step of 6° or more between the driver and the first fairway wood, usually because the next club is a 5-wood or an 18° 3-wood. In those bags a 13° mini fills a real hole, and the step down to the 5-wood or 7-wood stays sensible.

So the question is not "mini driver or not" but "what does it replace". Count the lofts: driver, mini, next wood. If two of them are within 2° of each other, one of those clubs is wasted.

Mini driver vs driver vs 3-wood: how to choose

• You hit your driver well but want a safer tee club on tight holes: a mini replaces the 3-wood off the tee and is easier to hit than the driver because of the shorter shaft. Keep the driver.
• You struggle with the driver and tee off with a 3-wood anyway: a 13° mini is the better version of that club: more forgiving than a 3-wood off the tee, playable off the deck, and 2° stronger. Many golfers in this group end up carrying the mini and dropping the driver, which also frees a slot.
• You need the 3-wood off the fairway on long par-5s: keep the 3-wood. Minis are hittable off the deck but the 280–340cc head sits higher than a fairway wood; the 3-wood is still the easier club from grass.
• Slow swing speeds: the extra loft and shorter shaft help, but a 15° 3-wood or an 18° 5-wood helps more. The mini is a club for golfers who can carry a 13° club without a tee.

Check your own gaps

A free bag grade lists every club you own by loft and flags any step of 7° or more, so you can see whether a mini driver would replace a club or fill a hole before you buy one. Grade your bag.

Bag data: 263 golfers who graded a bag on FitMyGolfClubs by October 23, 2026, one bag each (their most recent grade), test and sample accounts excluded. Driver = the lowest lofted wood under 13°; the driver-to-fairway step is measured to the next wood by loft. Mini drivers are counted by model name, so the 1% is a floor. Specifications are from each maker’s product page as read on October 23, 2026; prior models are included because they are still searched for and sold. Aggregates only; no personal data.

Frequently asked questions

What is a mini driver?

A driver with a head of 280–340cc instead of 460cc, a shaft of 43.25–44 inches instead of 45, and 11.5–13.5° of loft. It is built to be hit off the tee and off the fairway, and sits between a driver and a 3-wood in loft, length and size.

Does a mini driver hit further than a 3-wood?

Off the tee, usually a little: a 13° mini is 2° stronger than a 15° 3-wood and about an inch longer, and both carry about the same way, so expect a few yards more. Off the deck the 3-wood is the easier club, and the gap closes or reverses. Neither we nor the makers publish measured distances for mini drivers, so test both with your own numbers.

Is a mini driver a 3-wood?

No, but it takes the 3-wood's job off the tee. A 3-wood is 15° and about 160–200cc; a mini is 11.5–13.5° and 280–340cc with a driver-style head. If you carry both, check the lofts: a 13.5° mini and a 15° 3-wood are 1.5° apart and will go almost the same distance.

Can you hit a mini driver off the fairway?

Yes; that is the point of the smaller, shallower head. It is harder than a 3-wood from a tight lie because the head sits higher, so most golfers use it off the deck from good lies and off the tee everywhere else.

Does Ping make a mini driver?

No. Ping's current drivers are the G440 and G430 families and the G Le women's drivers, all full-size. Callaway, Cobra, PXG, Titleist, TaylorMade and Tour Edge make mini drivers.

Who makes mini drivers?

Six brands have a current model: Callaway (Quantum Mini), Cobra (King Tec Mini), PXG (Secret Weapon Mini), Titleist (GTS300), TaylorMade (R7 Quad Mini, in 11.5°, 13.5° or 15.5°) and Tour Edge (Exotics Mini). TaylorMade's BRNR Mini and Titleist's GT280 are the prior models and still easy to find second-hand.

Which mini driver has the smallest head?

The Titleist GT280 and the Tour Edge Exotics Mini, at 280cc. The Callaway Quantum Mini is the largest at 340cc; the rest sit at 300–305cc. A smaller head is easier to hit off the deck, a larger one more forgiving off the tee.