taylormade R7 Quad Mini Driver

Taylormade continues with its latest mini driver release, continuing the nostalgic theme.

The company’s BRNR Mini and subsequent BRNR Mini Copper have enamored the Golf World’s current mini drivers into the stratosphere, followed by a Mini and 300 Mini, each paying tribute to the legendary driver of Taylormade.

For the latest mini driver category, Taylormade is revisiting the company’s greatest drivers in the R7 Quad Mini.

Here are four things to know about the Taylormade R7 Quad Mini Driver.

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Iconic name

All of Taylormade’s recent mini drivers are named after iconic drivers of the past, rather than being consistent with their current lines like some of their competitors.

The R7 Quad Mini brings back the R7 name, which is one of Taylormade’s most popular lines. Originally released in 2004, the R7 series lasted for four seasons, during which time, no less than six iterations, including the original R7 Quad and later the R7 Superquad, the latter of which is a 460 CC version and has the same black, red and gold paint scheme as today’s R7 Quad Mini.

“The R7 quad Quad Mini driver is one of the projects that excite everyone from the original concept and being able to bring back one of the most iconic clubs in Taylormade’s history is a dream come true,” said Chandler Carr, product manager for product creation at Taylormade. “Continue to set the pace in the mini driver category and we will never be excited again.”

For many who played the driver about 20 years ago, the return of the R7 name will surely evoke a very strong emotional connection. Some people think the R7 Superquad is the best driver ever Taylormade.

The key innovation of the R7 is the quad-core Mobile Weight Technology (MWT) system, one of the earliest adjustability features for drivers. The original R7 uses a possible weight and CG combination of 883 with eight additional weights.

To make people more nostalgic, the fujikura Speeder MD (Mini Driver) axle and principal have the same red, white and yellow accents of the R7 line.

The old one is new

Starting with the SLDR driver in 2014, Taylormade has deviated from the cartridge-based MWT from sliding weights, and the industry has also accompanied it.

But with this year’s QI35 lineup, the company made rough speeds and dropped the sliding weights, returning to the cartridge-based weighting system, which is called the QI35 LS and the QI35 driver’s Track Adjustment System (TAS). The reason is that designers find that when you use a cartridge-based “needle weighting”, you can move the weight more than slide the weight.

The QI35 LS has three weight ports, while the QI35 has two weight ports, but TaylorMade has used four adjustable weight ports for the first time since the 2007 R7 SuperQuad.

“The R7 Quad Mini driver is the ideal canvas for innovation and style,” Carl said. “Our latest mini driver has four removable TA (track adjustment system) weights, allowing golfers to adjust the shape of the shooting and stand out from the deck to the greatest extent.”

The stock R7 Quad Mini weight system consists of placing two 13 grams weights in the rear position and two 4 grams weights in the front and rear heels and toe positions, allowing six different weight configurations and more weights can be purchased.

Putting both weights at the back increases forgiveness and launch while placing them forward reduces rotation and increases distance through forward CG. Of course, you can put two weights on either side to create an extreme draw or fade bias, but putting weight in front and back heels or toes can also create a slight bias on that side.

Putting a weight in front and you tend to hit the side of your face should be a good starting point. For example, I tend to hit the ball towards my toes, so I want to put the weight of the weight when the front and back heels are light, while the rear weight is the opposite (the faded setting in the picture below).

The best choice for both worlds

Although both Callaway and titleists place their claims on the relative aspect of the mini driver size spectrum (Callaway is the largest and Titleist is the smallest), Taylormade continues to take the position in the middle.

At 305 cc, the R7 Quad mini is basically the same head size as Taylormade’s previous BRNR MINI and BRNR MINI copper mini drivers, while 25 cc larger than the Titleist GT280 and 25 cc smaller than the Callaway Elyte Elyte Mini.

What does this mean? Basically, Taylormade tries to find the mini driver is purely a second driver choice or a middle position between 2 woods.

In the real spec golf test video above and in my own tests, the R7 Quad seems like a very viable option even in the inventory weight setting only. It is spinning enough to play on the deck, while also big enough to inspire confidence in the tee.

Old name, new era technology

While the R7 Quad Mini driver looks like a Taylormade driver from the past, it has all the technology of Taylormade.

The R7 is the first Taylormade mini driver to adopt the company’s unlimited carbon crown, and the champion made his debut in last year’s QI10 Woods lineup. Not only does this help create a clean look at the address, but it also allows engineers to redistribute saved weight elsewhere, including MWT systems.