Alex Etches
Custom fitter, gear deep-dives
“Mate, mate, mate, mate, mate. Look at that dispersion.”
A late review he regrets delaying: hugely efficient off the face with fairway-wood spin, one-side-of-the-fairway dispersion, and bomber distance once cranked down.
+ the facts · 5 pros · 2 cons− the facts
- +Very high smash factor and ball speed efficiency straight away (1.47-1.49)
- +Tight dispersion, all shots on one side of the fairway within about 20-25 yards
- +Fairway-wood-like spin keeps it playable as a 260-270 yard fairway finder
- −At 340cc it plays big; if you struggle hitting a fairway wood off the deck, forget it
- −£449 price tag
For: Golfers who struggle with a 460cc driver but want more horsepower than the fairway wood they already hit well
2nd Swing Golf
Master fitters, Trackman-heavy testing
“This thing's really good. It feels really good, too.”
The biggest head of the group felt and sounded great with elite smash factor and very low spin, but it is essentially a tee-only club.
+ the facts · 3 pros · 2 cons− the facts
- +Excellent feel and sound
- +1.49 smash factor with very consistent 252-260 carries
- +Very low spin (around 2300) for maximum chase
- −Largest footprint makes it the hardest to hit off the deck
- −Spin can run almost too low depending on use
For: Golfers wanting a confidence-inspiring, tee-only secondary driver in firm conditions
Mark Crossfield
Coach, famously hard to impress
“for looks and feels, I'm going to sneak the Callaway”
His pick of the two minis: the bigger 340cc head was faster, higher spinning, roughly 10 yards longer on carry and more forgiving in his testing.
+ the facts · 4 pros · 2 cons− the facts
- +About 1.75 mph more ball speed than the R7 Quad Mini
- +Nearly 800 rpm more spin for a more sustainable flight
- +Almost 10 yards more carry over a large sample, and more accurate
- −He thinks mini drivers are a fairly pointless club for lots of golfers
- −11.5-degree stock loft is too low to hit off the deck without adjusting up
For: Most golfers wanting a friendlier, more forgiving mini driver mainly off the tee
Michael Newton Golf
On-course, season-long club tests
“the Callaway Elite was a dream to hit from the ground”
Referenced as the mini he found a dream to hit from the ground despite its slightly bigger head.
+ the facts · 1 pros− the facts
- +Was a dream to hit from the ground in his earlier testing
Dan Hendriksen
Straight-talking UK club reviews
“I just can't launch it that well when I get out onto the golf course”
The Elyte Mini gives more confidence off the tee but is hard to launch off the deck, and barely outperforms a 25-year-old two-wood.
+ the facts · 3 pros · 3 cons− the facts
- +Bigger, more confidence-inspiring profile off the tee
- +AI face helps mishits keep ball speed
- +Slightly longer carry (230 vs 227 yds average)
- −Deep face makes it very hard to launch off the ground
- −Wider dispersion than the older two-wood (26 vs 21 yds)
- −Only about 3 yards of gain over a £9.99 old club
For: Faster swingers wanting a driver replacement off the tee; not for those needing an off-the-deck fairway-wood replacement
