TaylorMade are celebrating the company’s 40th anniversary with the release on the new Original One Mini driver.
TaylorMade drivers have been coming off the production line at the rate of knots in the past two years with firstly the MP3 and MP4s hitting the market with Twist Face Technology and the MP5 and MP6 launched this year with Injected Twist Face Technology.
To mark the 40th anniversary, however, the focus is on a smaller driver with the Original One Mini set to hit courses across the world.
TaylorMade are no strangers to creating mini, or smaller headed drivers, having previously released the SLDR Mini five years ago and the AeroBurner Mini four years ago in 2015. The Original One Mini will be the latest in the concept of mini drivers.
The past forty years of development that TaylorMade has gone through has been put into the creation of the Original One, which like other Mini drivers is designed to provide an option to sit between a traditional driver and a 3-wood.
“In 1979, golf was changed forever with the introduction of the Pittsburgh Persimmon—the original metalwood,” said Tomo Bystedt, Senior Director, Product Creation at TaylorMade.
“For the past 40 years, TaylorMade has continued that legacy of innovation with game-changing technologies, engineered to help golfers perform at their best.
“The Original One Mini Driver incorporates that heritage of innovation with key performance technologies, packed into a confidence-inspiring shape that delivers on distance, forgiveness and accuracy.”
There is the revolutionary Twist Face Technology included in the Original One, and TaylorMade’s Inverted Cone Technology is also present – both of which help to provide maximum ball speed even on off-centre strikes.
The Original One Mini Driver may still be mini, but it is 9 percent larger than the most recent of these types of options the AeroBurner. At 275cc in head size, it is noticeably smaller than a full driver though.
The TaylorMade Original One has been constructed with a tri-material club head with a titanium body, a 50g steel sole plate and a carbon composite crown. It is that combination that helps produce an ultra-low CG to provide distance without compromising playability or forgiveness.
TaylorMade promise the “Original One Mini Driver is designed to deliver a new level of speed, forgiveness and visual appeal never-before seen in this category”.
The Original One, which will be available to purchase from May 1, comes set to 13.5 degrees as standard but is adjustable. It can be adjusted two degrees either way to 11.5 or 15.5 degrees depending on what you are looking to add to your bag.
A mini driver won’t be for everyone, but it has a variety of uses that will really lend it to golfers. From those struggling with a driver to those who find themselves with too big a gap between their lowest wood and driver, it will provide the perfect solution.
Depending on the loft and set up opted for, it can also be used as a fairway wood given the size of the club head and will really inspire confidence off the ground.
See also: TaylorMade Spider Mini Putter Launched