Equipment
Mini driver vs strong 3-wood
In our forum, our members have been pitting a mini driver against a strong 3-wood. WRXer ‘Philsom68’ tees off the discussion saying:
“Wondering who has tried both and what success you’ve had with one or the other.”
And our members have been sharing their thoughts and experiences in response.
Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.
- lil’mike: “I added a Callaway Ai Smoke 11.5 mini last year mid season. My normal bag setup is driver, 5wd, 7wd but I started playing a course alot that has quite a few dog legs where the driver is too long and the 5wd is too short. It works perfectly for what I use it for, a tee only club for a specific distance.”
- BowCommander: “I built a thriver as a plan b off the tee. Pretty easy to get straight 240 yard shots out of it.”
- nosedive32: “I have been primarily mini driver since the og TaylorMade SLDR S back in the day. I just recently had a brief dabble with strong 3 wood and now I’m right back to mini driver. The larger head leaves more room for error off the tee. Depending on the mini (this definitely applies to all TaylorMades to varying degrees in my experience) it can be hit from the deck at least under ideal circumstances but it’s not something I really need much now.”
Equipment
Neal Shipley, AKA, the “Big Fridge’s,” custom stamping
Neal Shipley was the first to admit that he enjoyed his food while in college. But since his days at Ohio State, he’s slimmed down and earned a PGA Tour Card.
That hasn’t stopped him from having fun with his wedge stampings, though it’s led to some misunderstandings.
On the 54 (degree), we have ‘Big Fudge,'” Shipley told GolfWRX. “It was supposed to be ‘Big Fridge,’ so this happened a little while ago. ‘Big Fridge’ was a nickname between my college teammates and I, with ‘fridge’ meaning stomach, a big stomach.

“We told the Ping guys to put … ‘Big Fridge’ on it, and I think maybe some bad cell service or something, and they thought I said ‘fudge,’ so they put fudge on it.”
On Shipley’s 50-degree he also continues the food theme, this time with his go-to order at the “Golden Arches,” and his stamping “DONS 7.”
“The number 7 meal, the two cheeseburger meal, that was my McDonald’s order, back when I would have McDonald’s frequently,” Shipley shared.
Equipment
From the GolfWRX Classifieds: L.A.B. Purple DF3 with Masters cover
At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals who all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.
It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.
Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, @raw10628 has a L.A.B. DF3 putter and Masters putter cover up for grabs.

From the listing: “Some great items here today, time to thin out and make room for next set of gear. All prices include shipping.
LAB DF3 Purple 33.5” 68° lie with TPT – $725. LAB Masters release DF3 cover – $150.”
To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link. If you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum, you can learn more here: GolfWRX BST Rules
Whats in the Bag
Maria Torres WITB 2026 (June)
Driver: Ping G440 LST (9 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 5-M4

3-wood: Ping G440 Max (15 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 6-M4

5-wood: Ping G440 Max (19 degrees @18)
Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 6-M4

Hybrid: Ping G440 (23 degrees)
Shaft: Oban Isawa Red Hybrid Shaft 04 Flex 70 Gms

Irons: Srixon ZXi7 (5-P)
Shafts: Aerotech SteelFiber Private Reserve i80

Wedges: Cleveland RTZ (50-MID, 54-FULL, 58-MID)
Shafts: Aerotech SteelFiber Private Reserve i105

Putter: L.A.B. Golf OZ.1i
Shaft: ACCRA Putter Shaft

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

Riyan
Mar 26, 2026 at 4:18 pm
I play a Totliest GT2 Driver and have a TM R7 MD. I find the MD is perfect for short par4s and helps shaping shots. Particularly on holes with a bend. Allows for a great lay up for a green shot. Keeps me out of trouble.