Taylormade Burner OS Irons

[steveh]

I was one of the lucky three chosen to test the Burner OS irons in December so here are my initial thoughts. Due to a mix up with shafts (I received stiff rather than regular flex to start with) I've just got the right clubs this week so here goes. I haven't hit the clubs yet so this first post is just based on set make up, spec and looks but I'm hoping to get out on Sunday to give them a hit weather permitting so I'll report back then. My current irons are Taylormade R7 Draw so that will be my basis for comparison along the way.

The Burner OS set is 5-SW and my current set is 4-PW and I have a 52* Vokey and a 56* Taylormade RAC wedge. I'm slightly worried by the lack of a 4i in the new set as this is a club I use quite a lot but I'll see how I get on. I have a Taylormade Mid 19* hybrid so may need to invest in another hybrid depending how I hit the new 5i.

I've read a lot recently about how Taylormade have added distance by strengthening lofts and lengthening shafts so I compared the specs for the Burner OS against my current R7. The lofts were identical apart from the PW which has an extra 1* of loft on the new set. The shafts seem about the same,e lengths on the same clubs too so the sets are pretty similar in that regard.

I think the Burners look great though with a gun metal finish and a chromed sole. The soles are quite thick and the clubs look really confidence inspiring at address. For equivalent clubs they just look bigger and more lofted and look like they'd be easier to hit. The pictures are of my R7s on the left against the Burners on the right for 5i, 7i and SW. I've also put a couple of pics comparing the looks of the two clubs for the 7i.

So that's about all I can say without hitting them. Can't wait to get out and have a bash at weekend. I've got a couple of worries around the rest of my set up, especially the lack of a 4i but I'll just have to see how I get on. I'll continue to update this thread to let you know how I get on.

 

[steveh]

So yesterday I made it out but only to the range and not the course unfortunately - I took the 5i, 7i, 9i and SW from the Burner set, along with my equivalent R7 clubs for comparison. It was only a short session so I'm nowhere near ready to write a comprehensive review of this set but from how I got on yesterday, here are my thoughts so far.

I only had time for 60 balls so I just hit a few with every club I took with me. Generally the Burner OS were producing a higher launching trajectory for a similar strike but without any noticable difference in distance. That said, I was hitting range balls and I'm not 100% sure that the yardage markers at the range are accurate so it's probably best to judge distance out on the course. It took me a few shots with each club to get a decent contact, there were a few tops and duffs in there, but once I'd got my swing going I was happy with the results.

Where I did see an improvement vs. my current set-up was hitting the SW off the deck. I've always struggled hitting my current SW from anywhere other than out of the sand so I think this will give me another short game option and much more confidence at short range.

So it's still early days at the moment and while I'm not 100% convinced that I'll see a massive step change in my game from these new irons, they're at least as good as my current set and could well give me an improvemant once I've had chance to practice with them a bit more. I'll report back again in a month or so when I've had the opportunity to play a couple of rounds with them,

 

[steveh]

Another update on the new irons after having played maybe 8 rounds with them.

On the positive side I'm hitting 6i-9i great, really consistent and I've got loads of confidence when I'm over the ball. I know how far each club is going to go, I feel like I'm going to hit it well every time and so I'm hitting more greens from 150 yards and in.

Where I am struggling is with the 5i, for some reason I'm struggling to make a decent contact with it and topping it quite a bit. I feel like I daren't get it out of the bag at the moment until I've built up my confidence at the range. I've also still got my 4i from my old set in the bag still and I'm hitting that well at the moment too. I'm also struggling a bit with the sand wedge and have put my 56* RAC wedge back in the bag for the time being. Not sure if its a looks thing but the RAC wedge looks like its going to get the ball up and out of the bunker better but I think it may be psychological. Planning to have another go with the new sand wedge at weekend and see if I can get on any better.

So in summary, its mixed so far but on balance I'm happy with my increased confidence inside 150 yards. I'll carry on working on my 5i and update again in a month or so.