TaylorMade’s AeroBurner Mini Driver exists in the space between the company’s drivers and fairway woods, and that’s the beauty of it.

Buzz around the Mini Driver category reached new heights after the 2015 Honda Classic, where it earned its first PGA Tour win. Padraig Harrington used TaylorMade’s original Mini Driver — a 12-degree SLDR S — as a driver alternative in route to his first PGA Tour victory since 2008.

[quote_box_center]”It’s too soon to tell, but it could be a category that becomes as popular as our rescue clubs,” said TaylorMade’s Senior Director of Product Creation Brian Bazzel. “Demand [for the SLDR S Mini Driver] was greater than we expected.” [/quote_box_center]

The new Mini Driver has a marginally smaller head size — 253 cubic centimeters, which is 9 cubic centimeters less than the original. That makes it substantially bigger than a fairway wood, for more forgiveness from the tee, but small enough that golfers can hit it off the ground if necessary.

The biggest changes to the club, however, revolve not around its size, but its sole and its shape.

At address: TaylorMade’s AeroBurner Mini Driver (left) and AeroBurner Driver.

Like the AeroBurner metal woods, the AeroBurner Mini Driver uses the company’s latest Speed Pocket, a deep slot that extends across the entirety of its sole. According to Bazzel, the Speed Pocket increases the AeroBurner’s sweet spot, allowing it to launch the ball with slightly more ball speed and a little less spin (about 100-to-200 rpm) than the SLDR Mini Driver.

The sole of the club is also flatter, a change that will make the Mini Driver easier to use from the fairway and light rough, and it borrows the more aerodynamic shape of the AeroBurner metal woods. Its crown has a raised center that gently slopes from the front of the club to the back, and a “fin” on its hosel are both said to improve aerodynamics.

Related: Click here to learn about TaylorMade’s AeroBurner irons. 

Golfers comparing the AeroBurner Mini Driver to the SLDR S Mini Driver will notice that the AeroBurner shape at address is more symmetrical, whereas the SLDR S was more elongated in its back toe section.

As for the results? Our internal testing has seen some golfers hit the Mini Driver just as far and much straighter than their regular driver, but there are a lot of different variables at play. They include:

• The Mini Driver’s 43.5-inch length, which is roughly 2-inches shorter than a driver.
• Its smaller head size, which is easier for many golfers to square at impact.
• The increased loft, relative to a driver, which helps many golfers launch the ball higher and with less spin — one of the keys to more distance.

The bottom line is this: If you find yourself using your lowest-lofted fairway wood primarily from the tee, why wouldn’t you want its head to be bigger, and thus more forgiving?

At address: TaylorMade’s AeroBurner Mini Driver and AeroBurner Mini Driver TP (right).

The AeroBurner Mini Driver ($279) is available in lofts of 12, 14 and 16 degrees (RH only) and comes stock with Matrix’s Speed RUL-Z 60 shaft.

A TP version ($349), which has a flatter lie angle and more open face angle for more fade bias, is also available in lofts of 12 and 14 degrees (both RH only). It comes stock with a Matrix White Tie MSS 70X4 shaft.

They’ll be in stores March 27.

Click here to see what GolfWRX Members are saying about the AeroBurner Mini Drivers in our forum. 

Specs