Could Small Changes to a Mini Driver Make a Big Difference?

PXG’s updated Secret Weapon mini driver is very much like the original. A few minor changes might put you in the fairway more often, though

By Tony Dear 

Not all, but most, of the time, you can safely assume we’re recommending the products that appear on this page. Why, after all, would we devote the space to something we didn’t think could improve your scores or increase your enjoyment of the game? That’s not to say we think you should drop everything and rush to the store, or your computer, to add that week’s product to your bag; rather, you should at least consider it.

This week’s Gear page is one of the rare times the message comes not as a recommendation so much as a public notice/announcement – i.e. we’re just putting it out there, so you know.

The second-generation of PXG’s Secret Weapon Mini Driver is so like the original, we might only be writing this for a small number of people who stand to benefit from the modifications that have been made.

Mini drivers may not have aroused quite as much interest or impacted as many golfers as zero-torque putters, but their emergence has definitely been a significant modern trend with most major OEMs now offering one – Mizuno, Srixon and Ping have yet to join the party, though Ping’s ‘Prototype’ mini driver appeared on the USGA conforming list in January, and Srixon’s ZXi LS Mini has been there since July 2025.

Launched in January 2025, PXG’s first Secret Weapon featured a 300cc head with 13 degrees of loft. The 2026 version likewise has a 300cc head and 13 degrees of loft. So what’s different?

In order of newsworthiness – the titanium face is 4.4% thinner on the new model; the sole weights are lighter; and the stock shaft is half an inch shorter (the fact the 2026 version costs $50 more than 2025’s club will also be important to some/many). We don’t have exact figures for the thickness of the new Secret Weapon’s face, but given the patent info from other mini driver designs, we’re likely talking about a face that’s 0.13-0.15 mm thinner than before – roughly the thickness of a standard piece of printer paper. In an industry where even a fraction of a millimeter can make a noticeable difference to a shot, we don’t want to minimize the change, especially as the club now pushes its Characteristic Time (CT) right to the USGA limit.

The thinner clubface and extra deflection raise the risk of the face cracking, so PXG stiffened the sole to distribute impact stress across the whole body.
There are still four adjustable sole weights – heel/toe/front/rear – but the two heavier weights now weigh 7.5 grams each instead of 15 grams (the lighter weights are still 2.5 grams each). Having four adjustable weights obviously allows you to experiment with shot shape and swing weight, but, interestingly, even though the weights are lighter (replacement weights from 2.5 grams to 20 grams are available), the reinforced sole structure means the total weight of the clubhead is now 5 grams heavier than it was in 2025 – 215 grams to 210. And the weight saved from having a thinner face was relocated to the club’s perimeter, increasing its MOI.
The shorter shaft also helps you find the fairway by increasing your chances of hitting the sweet spot more often and tightening your dispersion.
The reasons for the changes come directly from PGA Tour staffers, most notably Jake Knapp, who found the original Secret Weapon actually sent the ball too far – a lack of spin meant it often ran through the fairway on tight, dogleg holes. The new club’s design produces a little extra ballspeed and extra spin, meaning the shot’s apex is slightly higher than before and the ball descends at a steeper angle, reducing runout. That allows Knapp and friends (and maybe a few readers for whom running out of fairway is a problem) to finish in the short grass more often.

Whether that’s enough for you to purchase PXG’s new Secret Weapon is obviously up to you. The original club proved popular, but it remains to be seen if the follow-up appeals to quite so many.

$500
Loft – 13 degrees
Shaft(s) – Project X Denali Frost Blue; HZRDUS Black (GEN5).
Length – 43.25” (2025 model – 43.75”)
Right and left-hand
pxg.com