The Masters: Will the mini driver conquer Augusta National?

Will 2025 be the year that mini drivers make it big from the tee at The Masters? Early signs show that could well be the case. 

At Augusta National, it’s hard to win if you’re not hitting fairways. If you can’t hit the fairway then you’ll struggle to hit the green. If you struggle to hit the green, you’ll struggle to make pars. 

For that reason, there’s a lot of planning that goes into the lead up to the first major of the year. Players want to leave themselves yardages to the greens that will give them a chance to hit the putting surface, without sacrificing too much distance.

Of course, we’ve seen Bryson try to overpower the course with his driver, but even he has shown some restraint in recent years, hitting some irons and 3-woods to keep his ball in the short grass and out of the pine straw.

What I wouldn’t be surprised to see this year is a lot more mini drivers in player’s bags. Here’s why.

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The mini driver sits in between the fairway and the driver and now, many brands have their own version of the club. Titleist, Callaway, PXG and TaylorMade all offer mini drivers, with some already having success on tour.

A mini driver will be used by players who may otherwise have thought about hitting a 3-wood off the tee on certain holes. They might want a little bit more control, speed, less spin and bit more distance than you’d get from a fairway wood.

But also, they may want something which isn’t going to be as long as a driver, which will prioritise position over distance.

Many top players have experimented with a mini driver. Tommy Fleetwood and Rory McIlroy have both used them in the past, while Akshay Bhatia has now opted to play the Callaway Elyte Mini Driver.

Bhatia is set to put the Elyte in play at Augusta National and speaking on the launch of the club, he had this to say.

“We play so many different golf courses, and so I feel like, you know, golf courses where it might be not be a lot of drivers, it maybe a lot of 3-woods, but you want to hit an extra 10-15 yards, I feel like this is where it could come into play.

“I think Augusta National for me is, it is a great week to put this in play, because there’s so many tee shots that are so tree lined. For me, since I curve it so much, this can kind of straighten that out, and I’ll get little more out of it than my 3-wood. And then there’s hole eight, which is a great example where that that second shot is so uphill. For a right hander, they can draw that 3-wood and take the spin off.

“For me, I’m kind of spinning it in and so you know with this option, it can definitely help having something you can rely on.”

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So, keep your eyes peeled as you may see a bit of movement in some bags at The Masters, with mini drivers potentially going in play rather than fairway woods.

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James Tait is bunkered’s Gear Editor. Want to know how the latest Callaway driver, Vokey wedge or Scotty Cameron putter performs? He’s the guy to ask. Better yet, just watch his videos on the bunkered YouTube channel. One of the biggest hitters in the UK, James also competes on the World Long Drive circuit and is a descendent of former Amateur champion Freddie Tait.

Gear Editor