Have Taylormade produced a decent driver since 1985?

[MadAdey]

I must say even though I listed all those TM driver I owned earlier in the thread I have actually not used stock shafts in them. R300 with Proforce shaft, R540 with the burgandy Graffaloy, R7 and R7 SuperQuad with Aldila NV75, R9 with a real Motore not the made for one and my R11s has an NV85s. So I do agree that the made for shafts that TM use are not fantastic, but for most they work really well.

The made for shafts I have always found not to be as stiff as they are claiming, but that is a good thing as a lot of golfers get the stiff shaft when they do not really swing fast enough for it. Also I find hte made for shafts do launch it very high.

 

[USER1999]

Given you get low spin heads for down ward strikers, and high spin heads for those that can't get it up, high moi heads for wayward strikers, players heads for those that work the ball, shallow face, tall face, black, white, etc.

Find one that suits, and it's a goer.

Tm just fit budget shafts to maximise profits. Given their sales figures, I can't blame them.

 

[G1BB0]

yes, the R1!

(I am biased though)

my fave driver was my G10 with TFC reg in 12 degree though, I nailed that nigh on every time.

 

[Crow]

I've never tried a Taylor Made club of any description and after the rubbish spouted recently by their "wonderful" CEO I never will.

Not exactly a scientific reason for not using but hey, who cares?

 

[Swingalot]

Oh look, it's a 'slag off taylormade' thread. Pretty soon will be the 'cream all over mizuno' thread.
If nothing else, it's pretty predictable.

I have always got on better with callaway drivers personally, but damn sure every one of the main manufactures have produced many decent drivers since 1985.

 

[G1BB0]

thats the thing, its all about personal preference. Just because one club or brand doesnt suit A. N Other doesnt mean it will be for everyone else.

 

[MadAdey]

thats the thing, its all about personal preference. Just because one club or brand doesnt suit A. N Other doesnt mean it will be for everyone else.

That is the thing mate, people have their own opinion and for some reason people have got it in for Taylormade. Titleist and Callaway users slag off TM for some reason and the people who use them. This is like me making comments on people who use those cheaply made tacky Japanese, Ford and Vauxhall cars.........

Right load of rubbish I am talking, as there is nothing up with those cars at all, If they suit what you are looking for. Just because I prefer to drive German cars does not mean that anyone who does not drive one is driving a piece of crap, that is not worth even considering as a car you should buy.

 

[User20205]

Maybe part of the problem with tm is the length of their product cycle. Their clubs get superceded so quickly they can never be considered classics. I really liked the r9 I owned, which at the time was pretty ground breaking. I liked the r11s I hit. The rbz felt like a saucepan on a stick!!!

If I was looking for a new driver I'd look at ping and callaway before tm.

 

[kev_off_the_tee]

Maybe part of the problem with tm is the length of their product cycle.

its the only issue with TM, but their products are actually very good. As previously said, I have the RBZ and will not be changing anytime soon as its working

 

[deanobillquay]

Never been mentioned yet but I honestly don't know why more people don't game Yonex drivers.

Maybe they're not sexy enough..

Seriously good clubs tho. Try them.

 

[Foxholer]

Plenty of great TM Drivers - 360TI, R510TP, R7 Superquad, R9 Limited, SuperTri.
Some dogs too - R5, early Burners, and R11 seems to have had some issues.

Ping have been boringly reliable, if somewhat behind in technology.

Shafts have been the major problem with TM imo while, again, Ping are solid. I've found a shaft I love and have swapped it into subsequent heads, so it doesn't matter to me.

 

[woosey]

Hate to come across a fanboy - but i have a full set of Taylor made clubs and have cycled through them over the years, i don't see why all the 'hate' for them, what about nikes cavity back driver?!

 

[MadAdey]

I think regarding TM there are 2 things that people pick up on that for some reason annoys them but I do not understand why it does.

1) Made for shafts:
What is the issue with them? They are not as stiff as they claim to be and they launch the ball nice and high. TM have hit onto something here in the fact that a lot of Mr average weekend golfer insists on having a stiff shaft even though they can't use one, just because it looks more macho. I think the reason that TM is the biggest selling driver is those shafts, because people go into a shop and pick up the stiff shafted one and can actually hit it and launch it nice and high. Me personally think they are rubbish and will always go for the TP model or just have a shaft upgrade like I have said earlier in the thread.

2) Constantly changing products:
Why is this such a big problem? So they bring out new clubs every year, they are a business trying to make money, not a charity offering a service. So they have brought out the R1 this year, does not mean I have to upgrade my R11s for one as I am more than happy with mine.

So what is the big problem? Life is full of choices so either use them or don't that is your choice. But I am starting to find that people sound like that sad little man who lives at the end of your street. You know the one, the one who moans because you have put your bin bags out too early, the one that moans because you have parked within 10 foot of his driveway. That man that you always say needs to "get a life"..............

 

[kev_off_the_tee]

So what is the big problem? Life is full of choices so either use them or don't that is your choice. But I am starting to find that people sound like that sad little man who lives at the end of your street. You know the one, the one who moans because you have put your bin bags out too early, the one that moans because you have parked within 10 foot of his driveway. That man that you always say needs to "get a life"..............

Well said mate

 

[CMAC]

yes, lots :thup:

 

[Dave B]

In the last few years I've tried most of the drivers on the market and recently I've had a clear out of clubs and rationalised my bag settling for TM rescues, 3 wood and Driver.

I tend to buy cheap when the items are heavily discounted and if I do sell on loses are minimal.

In respect to drivers I've been a great fan of Callaway and the Nike VR Pro series which in my opinion are very under used on the UK market, however the best driver I ever swung was a Superfast TP with the Matrix Ozik HD6 shaft however due to my natural shot being a slight fade it was a recipe for disaster.

In recent times I have owned the Razr Fit, Diablo Edge Tour, Nike VR Pro, 9.5 and 10.5 and borrowed a friends Superfast 1.0. They were all good drivers with not a lot to choose between them. In terms of distance the Diablo Edge Tour was the shortest, with the others leaving not a great deal to choose between them. The Razr Fit and Superfast were the most forgiving but the Nikes on a good swing were extremely good.

I had a fitting last year and tried the G15, Razr Fit, RBZ and R11S. The RBZ and Ping hit the ball too high for my liking with the stock shafts, the R11S was just awful for me, (I love the fairways), so I bought the Razr Fit however after a cortisone injection I started hitting it to high and changes back to the Nike VR with Project X shaft which bought the spin and height down.

Although I was happy with the Nike a week ago I noticed Jeff and Elle on Ebay selling off the RBZ TP fitted with the Matrix Ozik HD6 shaft for £129. The normal retail is £349 as the TP shafts are the genuine article OEM with original or TM paint schemes, hence the additional cost.

The driver arrived and had its first outing on Wednesday. It was blowing a gale, freezing cold and I couldn't have asked for a better round only missing the fairway once in 9 holes and shooting one of my lowest rounds for a long time.

Yesterday I was suffering with my back but again the driver performed although I have discovered that despite the draw bias head, (the TP is available in both tour head and standard head however the standard version isn't as common), I can still slice it with a side wind to assist, however the ball flight and distance were outstanding.

With most of my other drivers including the Nike I could almost always get the ball to balloon when hitting into a strong headwind. With the RBZ and HD6 shaft it just cuts through the air.

Claims of 17 yards ? Well I use a regular shaft and have a 85-90 mph SS. My playing partner uses a Stiff shafted Ping G15 and I used to struggle to outdrive him, however yesterday he only out drove me once. I wouldn't class us as big hitters as a 230 yd drive is decent for us in the current weather however what I will say about the RBZ from the two rounds I've had is I am definitely finding more fairways and the ball is going at least 10-15 yds further than with any of the drivers I've previously used. The ball flight is perfect because in the past I have always has a rainbow type flight with very little roll, however now the ball jumps off the face and climbs on a very penetrating flight before landing and rolling.

The other thing is miss hits, (normally off the heel), still tend to go a good distance.

My gut feeling is that the Matrix Ozik TP shaft combined with the draw biased head has made all the difference by reducing spin and bringing my trajectory down. For me it's an ideal combination. I did try the standard RBZ stock shaft but it launched far to high for me.

Quality wise I can't knock TM and if I was asked if I'd recommend a TM driver the answer would be a resounding yes, especially when you look at the aftermarket shafts available. Find the right one and it'll make you very happy.

One other thing I also bought a pair of TM R11 Rescues and cannot believe how far they hit the ball. I tried the RBZ hybrids and they were very easy to use with silly distance but not as accurate. There is a lot of hype however from my own experience I would recommend anybody to try these clubs. They do mark up easily and the black faces do scuff however that aside they are very good tools of the trade.

 

[kev_off_the_tee]

Although I was happy with the Nike a week ago I noticed Jeff and Elle on Ebay selling off the RBZ TP fitted with the Matrix Ozik HD6 shaft for £129. The normal retail is £349 as the TP shafts are the genuine article OEM with original or TM paint schemes, hence the additional cost.

Another fan of the RBz and HD6 combination :thup:

 

[timchump]

yep i think so, personally i liked my r580 , only changed it when i had to, - no longer conforming

 

[User20205]

2) Constantly changing products:
Why is this such a big problem? So they bring out new clubs every year, they are a business trying to make money, not a charity offering a service. So they have brought out the R1 this year, does not mean I have to upgrade my R11s for one as I am more than happy with mine.

So what is the big problem? Life is full of choices so either use them or don't that is your choice. But I am starting to find that people sound like that sad little man who lives at the end of your street. You know the one, the one who moans because you have put your bin bags out too early, the one that moans because you have parked within 10 foot of his driveway. That man that you always say needs to "get a life"..............

the problem with the marketing/changing models every year (slightly off topic) is that they are pedalling a lie. The sell the RBZ, for example, as the longest best driver ever etc etc, knowing full well that the next better product is only a year away. It takes longer than a year to bring a product to market from the drawing board. Therefore the 'best/fastest/longest is nonsense. It should be'The best, fastest, longest apart from the one we already have a release date for'

a least on a 2 year cycle you can pretend that you don't start planning the next release until shortly after the current. I know other companies do this, but only becuase TM have influenced the market to such a degree, and their marketing is never quite so crass.

TM products are designed/marketed/sold to those who don't have the interest/time/ability to make up their own minds :ears:

 

[kev_off_the_tee]

TM products are designed/marketed/sold to those who don't have the interest/time/ability to make up their own minds :ears:

Completely wrong. People buy taylormade because they want to. I bought mine as I got one hell of a deal 2nd hand and I'm over the moon with it. If people have something against TM then so be it, it is their choice to pick something else.

Here is a question for you all. If you went for a driver fitting, tried several heads and even more shafts in them and a taylormade product come out on top of the results would you refuse to buy it? If the answer is yes then you need you head examining.

If you don't like the white heads you wouldn't have tried them in the first place so they wouldn't have a chance to top the list