ZipGolfer » TaylorMade http://www.zipgolfer.com Golf tips, news and gear reviews Sun, 18 Dec 2011 18:03:53 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Taylormade Burner Superfast Driver TP 2.0 | Game Improving Club from Golf Digest 2011 Hotlist http://www.zipgolfer.com/taylormade-burner-superfast-driver-tp-2-0-game-improving-club-from-golf-digest-2011-hotlist/ http://www.zipgolfer.com/taylormade-burner-superfast-driver-tp-2-0-game-improving-club-from-golf-digest-2011-hotlist/#comments Sat, 22 Oct 2011 16:51:39 +0000 Sharon http://www.zipgolfer.com/?p=4777 Taylormade Burner Superfast Driver TPOh, oh, oh, an ice cold milk and an Oreo cookie... They forever go together…

I apologize, but there is something about the color scheme of this driver that makes me sing that song.

I had an opportunity to hit this driver last month at the driving range after a nice fellow standing next to me offered. I simply asked him how he liked it, and he said "You're welcome to hit it."

"Cool." I replied. I was a little nervous because he was watching me. The pressure was on. Now I knew I couldn't miss the ball because the huge wing-shaped white crown was about the size of a tennis racket. But since the club was so light and the face so big, I swung a lot harder than I do with my driver. Thus, I pulled the ball low and left. I just nervously smiled and teed another one up.

On my second swing, I told myself to swing easy, and my tempo was a lot better. The yellow range ball flew of the chocolate-colored face lower than I expected, but then rose slowly before landing and rolling to the back fence. "Nice shot," the friendly man said.

I hit a few more with similar results. With what seemed like very easy swings, I was flying it out there about 250 with lots of roll after it landed. I really liked how easy it was to swing, and off-center hits flew almost as far as the ones I caught on the middle.

However, I didn't like the sound. It was that annoying "tink" sound that a lot of the game-improving drivers have. And I'm still getting used to Taylormade's black and white color scheme. It makes me really hungry.

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]]> http://www.zipgolfer.com/taylormade-burner-superfast-driver-tp-2-0-game-improving-club-from-golf-digest-2011-hotlist/feed/ 0 TaylorMade R11 Driver Review | 440cc Adjustable Club from Golf Digest 2011 Hot List http://www.zipgolfer.com/taylormade-r11-driver-review-440cc-adjustable-club-from-golf-digest-2011-hot-list/ http://www.zipgolfer.com/taylormade-r11-driver-review-440cc-adjustable-club-from-golf-digest-2011-hot-list/#comments Thu, 20 Oct 2011 16:52:01 +0000 Robert http://www.zipgolfer.com/?p=4770 TaylorMade R11 Driver Review There's no doubt that this driver was the best new product of 2011. I see these Oreo cookie-looking things all over the place. They're on the Tours and all over the muni's that I play. Maybe it's just that I notice them more because they stand out so much.

The first time I had the opportunity to hit one, I was on my favorite driving range in Florida and I noticed a crowd of six guys standing around a man ripping drives to the back of the range. Most of his shots had a penetrating ball flight that started out right and drew back to the left. Then one of the guys said, "Can you hit some fades?"

Sure enough, he started hitting high-booming fades that hung in the air like a balloon. I stepped up and asked him if I could hit a couple.

The driver has always looked ugly to me with the vanilla ice cream crown and the coal black face, but one thing for sure with that contrast, I can easily tell at address if I'm lining it up square.

It was evening, so I couldn't tell if the anti-glare white paint performed as advertised. I can tell you, however, that it felt very light probably because it has a 440cc clubhead. This is smaller than I expected.

My first shot I hit dead straight. The ball shot of the face like a bullet, flew high, and landed rolling hard. I asked the gentleman if the club had been adjusted, because it has several different face setting from open to closed. He said it was set to neutral. I hit a couple draws and then handed it back to him.

I can see why the club is popular. It is very easy to swing and work the ball, and the color scheme is growing on me.

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]]> http://www.zipgolfer.com/taylormade-r11-driver-review-440cc-adjustable-club-from-golf-digest-2011-hot-list/feed/ 0 TaylorMade R11 Irons Review | Men’s Iron Set http://www.zipgolfer.com/taylormade-r11-irons-review-mens-iron-set/ http://www.zipgolfer.com/taylormade-r11-irons-review-mens-iron-set/#comments Mon, 15 Aug 2011 20:58:45 +0000 Mark http://www.zipgolfer.com/?p=4665 You know you have something hot on your hands when the anticipated introduction date is nearly a month away and people are already lining up to buy it. Such is the story with the new -- and highly anticipated -- TaylorMade R11 irons. Given the huge success of the R11 Driver and Fairway woods -- both on the PGA Tour and commercially, it's no wonder this new iron is garnering a lot of attention.

The R11 irons are an amalgam of the popular Burner 2.0 and Tour Preferred irons from TaylorMade and feature a laundry list of features and benefits. Lets start with the fact these are a cast club -- not forged. This often leads to inconsistent weight variations and "hot spots" in the clubhead. However, TaylorMade has gotten around that with their "Precision Weight Port" system. This is a plug that is mounted in the back of the clubhead and allows them to dial in a precise weight for each club. This bright red plug is made of either aluminum, steel, or tungsten with weight variations of 2.5 to as much as 17 grams, and are not adjustable by consumers.

Next comes a lively (and light face) that combines with their “Inverted Cone Technology” to deliver more consistent ball speeds and forgiveness on mis-hits. The Inverted Cone concept employs a thinner face at the center of the clubhead and thicker as it radiates out toward the edges. This allows for little loss of distance on slight mis-hits and directional deviations of only a few yards. At impact, the R11 feels and sounds quieter ("muted" is a good word) than the rather loud Burner 2.0 because the R11's clubface is slightly thicker in the impact zone as well as where it connects to the sole.

There is also some progression in the R11 irons as the short irons have a shallow undercut channel between the face and rear to control both feel and CG (Center-of-Gravity) location. The mid-irons have a moderate undercut, and finally the long irons have a larger undercut that puts weight farther back from the club face for added forgiveness. Two other progressions in the set are: 1) The top-line thickness. You'll see the widest top-line in the long irons (for confidence as you address the ball) and getting progressively thinner as the irons shorten and your natural confidence increases. 2) The sole width. This feature allows a bit more weight to be added lower in the clubhead on the longer irons to help with getting the ball airborne and progresses to a slightly narrower sole in the short irons.

To say there is some variety in how you can get these is an understatement of epic proportions. The R11 irons come in both Right and Left hand versions; can be ordered up to 1.5" shorter OR longer that standard (in 1/4' increments); can be ordered with the lie angle up to 3 degrees flat OR upright; and finally, in most configurations you have a choice of the KBS Steel shaft or the Fujikara Motore graphite shaft (in 65 or 75 grams) and your choice of Regular of Stiff flex.

In my mind, these irons are targeted at the mid-handicapper (10-18) but with the progressive features that abound, there is no reason to think these couldn't work well for a higher handicap player as well.

Available for shipment on September 1, 2011, the new TaylorMade R11 irons are available from a variety of online outlets, and will also be coming to local golf shops.

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]]> http://www.zipgolfer.com/taylormade-r11-irons-review-mens-iron-set/feed/ 0 TaylorMade V Steel 3-Wood | Fairway Golf Game Improving Club w/ Graphite or Steel Shaft http://www.zipgolfer.com/taylormade-v-steel-3-wood-fairway-golf-game-improving-club-w-graphite-or-steel-shaft/ http://www.zipgolfer.com/taylormade-v-steel-3-wood-fairway-golf-game-improving-club-w-graphite-or-steel-shaft/#comments Sat, 09 Jul 2011 16:52:10 +0000 Mark http://www.zipgolfer.com/?p=4435 Another entry into the game-improvement fairway wood category is TaylorMade's V Steel 3-wood. This fairway wood features a unique "V-shaped" sole, designed to minimize resistance and allowing the clubhead to glide through/along the turf -- in any number of conditions -- and remain square through impact. If you can do all of that, of course, the result is longer, straighter shots.

TaylorMade has a strong history of producing well-built, playable fairway woods, and the V Steel 3-wood lives up to the reputation. Fitted with a lightweight steel (TT Dynamic Gold) or graphite shaft (proprietary M.A.S.2 TaylorMade), they are available in both Right and Left hand orientations. The lightweight shaft options equate to increased swing speeds for maximum distance. Some will find the graphite shaft options below Stiff flex a little on the "whippy" side and, while the overall distance is good, the shot dispersion is less than ideal. A properly fitted flex in the steel shaft option might be a better fit for many players. The V Steel 3-wood is designed to provide a medium-height trajectory -- a good ball flight that combines for both distance and workability.

The V Steel 3-wood has a black top-side and brushed satin chrome underneath. Markings are simple with an enlarged "V" that mirrors the V-sole design. The steel face is made of high-strength 455 stainless, which has been engineered with a high COR (Co-Efficient of Restitution) for maximum distance. For those unfamiliar with COR, it is a measure of the energy lost (or retained, depending on how you look at it) as the ball and clubhead come together. When a static object (the ball) is contacted by the club head, some of the stored energy in the ball is lost at impact. The higher the COR, the less energy lost -- and the farther the ball travels. A unique hosel cartridge allows TaylorMade to precisely position the high-density polymeric material used to tune the V Steel's swing weight to D-2.

There are other options in high-quality 3-woods of course, such as the Titleist 909F3 or Callaway FT iZ.

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]]> http://www.zipgolfer.com/taylormade-v-steel-3-wood-fairway-golf-game-improving-club-w-graphite-or-steel-shaft/feed/ 1 TaylorMade Burner Plus Irons Review | Men’s Iron Set w/ Firm Flex Shaft, Perimiter Weighted Max Forgiveness http://www.zipgolfer.com/taylormade-burner-plus-irons-review-mens-iron-set-w-firm-flex-shaft-perimiter-weighted-max-forgiveness/ http://www.zipgolfer.com/taylormade-burner-plus-irons-review-mens-iron-set-w-firm-flex-shaft-perimiter-weighted-max-forgiveness/#comments Fri, 08 Jul 2011 16:44:05 +0000 Mark http://www.zipgolfer.com/?p=4432 TaylorMade Burner Plus Irons Review Forgiveness: these days it’s a lot easier to get from my golf club than my girlfriend. Okay, so maybe I booked a tee time on our anniversary. It’s not like she can’t come along and drive the cart.

For a golfer, of course forgiveness means keeping the ball in play on those less-than-perfect strikes that afflict most of us. The TaylorMade Burner Plus irons were designed with maximum forgiveness in mind.

If you are a novice golfer, you can’t go wrong with this set of irons. The sweet spot of the clubface is almost as big as the entire clubface. Those of you that have played blades your whole life are not going to know what to do. A shot that is hit off the toe on a blade and dies right into the trees will fly high and land on the right side of the green instead. And a thin shot that kills worms off a blade will fly to the front of the green.

TaylorMade is one of my favorite manufactures and makes clubs for everyone from Tour pros to the Saturday morning hacker. Regardless of the players skill level though, with TaylorMade, you'll get a nicely made set with appropriate design features for your game. The Burner Plus irons have been created with TaylorMade's "Inverted Cone Technology," designed to increase the Coefficient of Restitution (COR) -- a measure of the energy with which the ball leaves the club face -- over a larger portion of the face itself. When you pick up the Burner Plus irons, you'll notice the heads are pretty good-sized; this allows for wider distribution of weight and advanced perimeter weighting, promoting a lot of forgiveness on those off-center hits mentioned earlier. You'll also note the deep undercut back of the Burner Plus. There is something about these that just look "meaty" -- this is a substantial set of clubs, built with a purpose. Not to be left out, even the sole of the club has a specific purpose in mind: The TaylorMade Multi-Functional sole is a wide, beveled surface, making it easier to get the ball airborne from a variety of lies (good or bad) and to get, and keep, the ball in play. Available in Right hand only, the shaft is steel in Firm flex.

If you've ever struggled to hit a blade-style iron, or have been using a 30-year old set of irons, try the Burner Plus irons. By using equipment like the Burner Plus irons, we can hit better shots and simply enjoy the game more.

One word of warning, better players will not appreciate the bulk and thickness of these Burner Plus. These irons were built for forgiveness not workability. For you folks, you should take a look at the R9’s and R11’s. These irons are also very forgiving but are slightly thinner and easier to work the ball.

And other options to consider in game-improvement clubs include the Callaway X22. And for you beginners I really love Adams A7s. This set includes hybrids which are even more forgiving then these Burners, and way more forgiving than my girlfriend.

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]]> http://www.zipgolfer.com/taylormade-burner-plus-irons-review-mens-iron-set-w-firm-flex-shaft-perimiter-weighted-max-forgiveness/feed/ 0 TaylorMade Corza Ghost Putter 2011 | Men’s White Mallet, Center Shaft http://www.zipgolfer.com/taylormade-corza-ghost-putter-2011-mens-white-mallet-center-shaft/ http://www.zipgolfer.com/taylormade-corza-ghost-putter-2011-mens-white-mallet-center-shaft/#comments Fri, 13 May 2011 16:37:21 +0000 Jess http://www.zipgolfer.com/?p=4122 TaylorMade Corza Ghost Putter 2011 Nah. Sorry, TaylorMade. This Corzo ghost putter didn't do it for me. Now before you start to judge -- no, it's not because it is a long putter and I have some kind of fear that using a belly putter makes me look older. I happen to think the long putter is a very cool idea. While I don't use one (I actually just can't stand the thing sticking out of my bag that far), I don't discredit them.

However, this putter just didn't seem to "line up" for me. The white color of the ghost really does stand out against the green grass, and the little polymer inserts really snaps the ball off nicely, but the lines and "secondary alignment" hole just threw me off. I consider myself a decent putter, and I could never really get a good stroke with it. Now this is going to sound very petty -- but I'm truly just giving my opinion. This putter look and feels "cheap," too. Believe me, I don't gauge products off looks, but this time it reinforced my negative experience with it. Conversely, the Scotty Cameron Kombi is much nicer and really draws your eyes in and allows you to take better aim in my opinion. While the TaylorMade is average in price, I found myself wishing I was using something else. Sorry TM, I love your stuff -- but not this one.

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]]> http://www.zipgolfer.com/taylormade-corza-ghost-putter-2011-mens-white-mallet-center-shaft/feed/ 0 Taylormade Burner Rescue Club 08 | Men’s Graphite Shaft, 17 – 28 Degree Loft http://www.zipgolfer.com/taylormade-burner-rescue-club-08-mens-graphite-shaft-17-28-degree-loft/ http://www.zipgolfer.com/taylormade-burner-rescue-club-08-mens-graphite-shaft-17-28-degree-loft/#comments Fri, 06 May 2011 16:21:27 +0000 Jess http://www.zipgolfer.com/?p=4055 Taylormade Burner Rescue Club 08 This club feels great. I hate the fact that I even like a club called a "rescue club," because it is obviously very telling of my game and how much I need to be... uh... rescued. Not only does this pick the ball up quickly and get you out of some ugly lies (I tried the 17 degree loft), but it also has a great "dual crown" design that gives a very even clubhead weight and simply "feels" good to swing. The stiff flex graphite shaft lets you swing enough to get good clubhead speed -- and it even boasts "SuperFast Technology" to boot. The shots that I was able to hit off grass came out fairly clean (ahem, ok -- a few shots were fat; leave me alone...) and were very forgiving. Even one of them actually went where I was really aiming for.

This club, while not too expensive, is much more effective than the Nike Slingshot Hybrid, and even better than some of the other Adams Tight Lies that were popular several years ago. I found myself updating my Father's Day list after hitting this one.

Now I just need another club that doesn't get me into a position where my new TaylorMade will have to "rescue me..."

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]]> http://www.zipgolfer.com/taylormade-burner-rescue-club-08-mens-graphite-shaft-17-28-degree-loft/feed/ 1 TaylorMade CGB Irons Set Review | R7 Max Iron w/ Graphite Shaft, 4-PW SW http://www.zipgolfer.com/taylormade-cgb-irons-set-review-r7-max-iron-w-graphite-shaft-4-pw-sw/ http://www.zipgolfer.com/taylormade-cgb-irons-set-review-r7-max-iron-w-graphite-shaft-4-pw-sw/#comments Wed, 04 May 2011 16:30:42 +0000 Mark http://www.zipgolfer.com/?p=4038 TaylorMade CGB Irons Set Review TaylorMade is a name I frequently associate with high-caliber golf performance. Aimed at the biggest-bang-for-the-buck buyer (like me), this 8-piece set (4 iron-PW, SW) provides maximum distance in an easy-to-hit iron due to its super-sized design and thin, fast face. Equipped with the RE-AX Super Fast graphite shaft in regular flex, this club seems to have all of the easy to play features many golfers are looking for. The r7 CGB MAX iron incorporates what TaylorMade calls "Inverted Core Technology" (ICT). This is a carryover breakthrough from their metalwood technology and is used to expand the size of the Co-Efficient of Restitution (COR) zone in TaylorMade drivers. ICT changes the way the clubface behaves at impact and increases the size of the zone that delivers high initial ball speed. This helps make the r7 CGB MAX more forgiving than many other clubs in this category. The club face also features a 100% CNC-milled, high strength 455 stainless steel surface for maximum ball speed.

With all of this game-improvement technology going on, there isn't much left to make the clubs workable -- but if you're in the mid-to-high handicap range, the other features will be more beneficial to you than any workability you might have. These are a good value in a solid game-improvement iron set and compare well with the TaylorMade r7 XD Irons or the TaylorMade r9 irons.

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]]> http://www.zipgolfer.com/taylormade-cgb-irons-set-review-r7-max-iron-w-graphite-shaft-4-pw-sw/feed/ 0 TaylorMade R7 XD Irons Review | Men’s Golf Inverted Cone w/ Steel Shaft http://www.zipgolfer.com/taylormade-r7-xd-irons-mens-golf-inverted-cone-w-steel-shaft/ http://www.zipgolfer.com/taylormade-r7-xd-irons-mens-golf-inverted-cone-w-steel-shaft/#comments Sat, 30 Apr 2011 16:50:11 +0000 Jess http://www.zipgolfer.com/?p=4025 TaylorMade R7 XD Irons I have to admit. I didn't buy the whole "inverted cone" technology when it first came out. I thought it was just another new-fangled, run-of-the-mill goofball gimmick that would get us duffers to buy more stuff. TaylorMade is making more and more of a believer out of me. I had a chance to swing some of these sticks -- and let me tell you, I highly recommend. I was amazed at my distance right off the bat. I normally hit an old set of Cobra Gravity Backs, and I know how far my shots go. (Or at least I know how I need to compensate to get them there... you know what I mean.) First swing with this steel-shafted beauty sent my ball much farther than normal. It wasn't 100% straight, but I quickly tuned them in. The nice titanium face gives the ball a good sound and nice ball speed at impact, and the "Tuned Performance Cartridge" did seem to help with some of my off-center hits. Ok, several of my off-center hits. Fine... almost every other shot.

The price is on the higher scale, but if you can negotiate with the wife and promise a new shiny piece of jewelry in exchange for these steel-shafted beauties, go for it. Great clubs with a great name. Very nice set.

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]]> http://www.zipgolfer.com/taylormade-r7-xd-irons-mens-golf-inverted-cone-w-steel-shaft/feed/ 0 Taylor Made Head Covers | Magnetic Driver 460cc Carbon Fiber http://www.zipgolfer.com/taylor-made-head-covers-magnetic-driver-460cc-carbon-fiber/ http://www.zipgolfer.com/taylor-made-head-covers-magnetic-driver-460cc-carbon-fiber/#comments Fri, 22 Apr 2011 16:30:15 +0000 Jess http://www.zipgolfer.com/?p=3903 Taylor Made Head Covers The music starts. "I hear, that jingle-jangle-jingle..." It clatters in time with your walk. You wince every time you hear that dull clack and clank. Your driver (yes, the one you spent good money on) is rattling against your other clubs. You could use this as an excuse the next time you duff a drive: "Sorry about that guys, my driver has a nick in it -- right where the sweet spot usually is." You could also be just like the other wanna-bes who bought stuffed orange animals with black stripes to try and be like their hero.

Or you could just break down and buy a new head cover for your driver. The TaylorMade Magnetic Driver Headcover takes the cake as being one of the slickest and easiest driver covers that even fits the larger 460 drivers. Its carbon fiber construction and durable materials make this head cover go the distance. Its magnetic opening makes it quick and easy to place and remove, and its embroidered logo declares that you care about the very best brands... um, even if your driver is generic.

Some have complained that it was tough to remove the driver from the cover -- my opinion is that they are only nervous that this next swing could cost them a skin!

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