First Impressions of the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Ti 340 Mini Driver

Callaway is the most recent equipment manufacturer to release its latest version of the all-too-hyped Mini Driver, a club that truly has a unique and interesting design that some players might benefit from.

Driving the ball for amateurs is not always the smartest play, but everyone loves hitting bombs with the big stick down the fairway. If only it were that easy. Getting a driver in the fairway and having a good shot into the green is almost always 50/50 with amateurs unless you’re a low-handicap player.

The data shows that it is not always the best play. The more conservative (and smarter) play off-the-tee would be to take 3 wood or a long iron, putting yourself in a comfortable range where you can hit a green in regulation and two-putt for par if we’re taking the standard par 4 as an example.

The Mini Drivers of the world aim to split the difference between your Driver and 3 wood. 

Available in two lofts, 11.5 and 13.5, the Mini Driver is fitted with a high-launch Project X Denali 60g Blue Stiff Shaft. This helps get the ball in the air, enabling a soft landing and helping find fairways more frequently:

“The all new Callaway Ti 340 Mini Driver now features the most sophisticated face in Callaway history, the Ai Smart Face™, using real player data and advanced machine learning. The Ti 340 Mini Driver is the club to launch higher with more spin and produce a softer landing off the tee. If you’re a player who is looking for an alternate tee club, the Ti 340 Mini Driver is ideal for you. Designed with shorter shafts and a smaller overall footprint, the mini driver will deliver consistent distance to hit your specific yardage with tight dispersion.”

First Impressions

From a look standpoint, I think Callaway came out with its best-looking clubs this year. The Mavrik was never my favorite looking club, and going back a few years prior, I still can’t find one that really looks as good as the Paradym Ai Smoke. I am pretty Titleist-loyal, but with longer clubs, I’ve always stuck to TaylorMade. That was until this year when Callaway sent me the Ai Smoke Max Driver. I haven’t played a round with my Stealth Driver, and, in fact, I gave it to a friend.

So, needless to say, I was excited about the prospect of trying out the Mini Driver. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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One thing I really wanted to do for these reviews was show the stats on these clubs and compare them to other models. The closest thing I have in terms of a Mini Driver without being an actual driver is my Stealth 3 Wood, which has been better for me off the tee than my driver. Sometimes, it is a longer club than my driver, at least off the tee.

Long Term Review of the TaylorMade Stealth 3 Wood

So here are the numbers for those two clubs:

Callaway Mini Driver

Stealth 3 Wood

From a very elementary perspective, I wanted more distance out of the Mini Driver compared to the 3 wood. The Stealth also had a major outlier with the 215 yards of carry, bringing the average down considerably to 235.1.

I am under the impression that the shafts are the big difference. I play a Fujikura Ventus Red shaft in the 3 wood, which has been great for keeping my ball flight down. The Denali is still something to get used to, but I feel like I should probably try to get a lower launch shaft in the Mini Driver to get things more even.

Here is a breakdown of the shots out of the Mini Driver.

While a 242.2 average carry with the Mini Driver (using range balls and a not-so-well manicured tee box) is nothing to be upset about, I would argue that these numbers could be up toward 260 yards with the correct shaft and settings. My next step here is to try the Mini Driver against my actual Driver, set a 10.5 degrees, and from there, a more reasonable assessment can take place.

Not-So-Technical Thoughts

The Mini Driver is very easy to hit. I hit the center of the club face pretty frequently. Although I only tracked four shots with the FlightScope, I did hit a handful beforehand to get a good feel of what I should expect. 

It uses the Ai Smart Face technology, just as the rest of the Ai Smoke Lineup:

"With Ai Smart Face technology, micro deflections are activated upon impact helping to optimize launch and spin on off-center shots. The result is sweet spots not just in the center, but all over the face."

From my perspective, this could be a club that I throw in the bag when I'm really having issues with the driver, but I'm excited to get something else in it as far as a shaft, and potentially play around with the other settings to bring the launch down and really hone in what could be a great thing for my game.