First Take: An Honest Review Of The Callaway Elyte Mini Driver

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I recently ditched my driver in favor of a mini driver. The one that’s found its way into my bag more often than not is the Callaway Elyte Mini. I’ve just finished playing a few rounds with it and wanted to share my thoughts on why it worked for me.

Tech specs

• Loft: 11.5 Degrees
• Shaft: Project X Denali Charcoal 60 gram (Stiff)
• Grip: Golf Pride CP2 Wrap
  

Feel and sound

What worked for me

Overall, the feel of the Callaway Elyte Mini is akin to any driver I’ve hit with a titanium face. It feels great out of the middle (when I miraculously hit it there) and less stellar on mishits.

As far as sound is concerned, it’s not as loud as my normal driver, which is a good thing. It’s more muted and less projecting, more akin to a fairway metal.

Forgiveness and dispersion

What worked for me

I need all the help I can get. The 340cc size of the Elyte Mini head might sound small on paper, but it’s pretty large overall. It doesn’t look all that small compared to my Ai Smoke Triple Diamond. I tend to miss out on the toe and, for all intents and purposes, the Elyte Mini held up well in this regard.

A really toe-y ball would cost me 20 or so yards, but that’s understandable. Anything around the center of the face proved to be fairly forgiving and I hit a ton of fairways with this guy.

Ball speed and distance

What worked for me

All in all, the Elyte Mini is around four mph slower than my driver and that’s to be expected. My only goal with this club was to carry it to around 240 yards. I was able to achieve that consistently with my 95-98 mph swing.

It’s longer than my 3-wood and slightly shorter than my driver. Just as you’d expect.

Workability and trajectory

What worked for me

As far as workability, as a lefty, I tend to hit a big draw (ball starts left and moves right) and I saw all but one shot move this way. So it’s easy to turn it over. I wouldn’t say it’s draw-biased in any way. I’m more inclined to say it’s set up for a neutral ball flight.

Of note is the fact that the Elyte Mini has a moveable weight to help dial in your shot shape.

Trajectory was fairly high for me, given the 11.5-degree head and my tendency to deliver the club up into the ball. It wasn’t overly high, though, to where it was ballooning or getting absolutely killed by the wind.

I’d say it was a very similar ball flight to what I’d expect with my normal driver. If you’re looking to lower your ball flight, though, I would look elsewhere.

Conclusion

Is the Elyte Mini Driver right for you? Based on my initial on-course testing, it’s staying in my bag for now. I’m objectively hitting more fairways, hitting it much further than my 3-wood, and I find the center of the face more often with the shorter shaft.

It works for me. Will it work for you? That’s for you to decide. What I can say, though, is if you struggle to make consistent contact with your driver, shortening the shaft a bit with a mini like the Callaway Elyte might just be the thing to help you find more fairways.