TaylorMade Burner XD Irons Review
Posted December 1st, 2007 by George Promenschenkel
Burning for distance?
If you're the kind of golfer who tends to hit the ball all over the face and would still like to hit a club less than everyone else in your group, then this review may interest you.
TaylorMade may just be the hottest brand in golf. Over the past few years, a ton of r7 drivers (followed by r7 fairway woods and, to a lesser extent, r7 irons) have found their ways into a host of pro bags, and subsequently into the bags of amateurs of all abilities with varying results. The new kid in the TaylorMade family is the Burner line. Released (or re-released) only a year ago, the Burner driver and fairway woods have been played on the Tour by players like Kenny Perry, Sergio Garcia, and Sean O'Hair, and has been well received by the masses, as well. Where the r7 line is most associated with movable weights, the Burner line hangs its hat on hot clubfaces and technology that increases clubhead speed. Now, the Burner line has brought that same technology to the irons arena.
TaylorMade has packed a lot of that technology into the Burner XD irons. The company calls the Burner XD "The Only Iron with Burner Speed, Burner Power, and Burner Distance." What's not to like about speed, power, and distance?
When it comes to irons, distance can be over-rated. Sure it's fun to hit a green on a 155-yard par 3, turn to your golfing buddies, and announce "pitching wedge." But distance is only useful if it's repeatable (and in the right direction). That's the challenge that any iron design faces… at least usually.
The reincarnated Burner line is about distance first and foremost, and the Burner XDs are the first irons in the line. Naturally, I'm thinking they are designed to hit the ball far. Let's see if I'm right.
Design and Technology
"Super" is a description that is near and dear to the Burner marketing folks. The Burner XD irons feature "Supersized" clubheads and "SuperFast Technology." The first helps make them forgiving and the second is all about distance.
The XD clubheads are built on a 17-4 stainless steel frame, but have a thin titanium face (read "high CoR"), intended to promote ball speed and thus add distance. Titanium also happens to be lighter than steel, and some of the weight saved by using titanium has been redistributed low and deep in the clubhead to help launch the ball higher. I say some, because these clubs play to a D0 swingweight even with their lightweight shafts (compare to the D2 swingweight featured in the Cleveland CG Reds). In reality, few people would notice the difference between those two swing weights. And for most people, the lightweight of the clubs would, indeed, increase swing speed.
TaylorMade's Inverted Cone Technology, borrowed from their extremely successful line of woods, is in plain view on the backside of the clubface. ICT is intended to expand the sweetspot and (big surprise!) deliver high ball speed.
TaylorMade's SuperFast Technology extends to the shafts. Our demo featured the 90 gram RE*AX SuperFast Steel 90. It's a stepped shaft, with the steps occurring more densely nearer the clubhead and then with increasing distance between them toward the grip end. The last step comes two or three below the grip. The steps appear to grow shallower as they get closer to the grip, though this could be an optical illusion. By comparison, the steps on the Dynamic Gold S300 begin roughly a half inch farther from the clubhead and occur at regular spacing and depth nearly all the way to the grip. These steps theoretically should result in a mid to high kickpoint on the shaft which could result in a teeny bit more clubhead speed.
The Burner XD irons fall right between the r7 Draw and the r7 CGB Max irons at the high-forgiveness end of the TaylorMade line.
The 17-4 stainless steel clubhead and titanium clubface are joined using a method called "lip encasement," a process that mechanically unites the two dissimilar materials.
Esthetics
In a day and age when many manufacturers tend to give their irons (and their game improvement irons especially) the full floozie treatment, the Burner XD sports an almost restrained look.
Don't get me wrong, a traditionalist is going to find these a bit gauche. There's a Burner XD badge just above the sole on the back of the clubface, TaylorMade's "Sound Managing Cavity Badge" fills the cavity back, and the Inverted Cone Technology is framed in red in the middle of the cavity. But it could be much worse. Even with the 3-iron, you do not see any of these markings at address. The only thing you might notice is the "Ti" stamp on the upper toe of the clubface, there to reassure you that the face is made of titanium.
One negative about that titanium face, it won't stay pristine looking for long. Hit a bucket of range balls at a sandy range, and you'll have lots of dark looking scuffs and scratches on the clubface (hopefully, mostly in the middle). Stainless steel faces will also scratch and ding over time, of course, but on titanium the marks are darker and much more noticeable. The set we demoed quickly marked up with normal use.
Like the r7 CGB Max, these irons are big. They aren't just oversized. They are Supersized. They feature a thick topline like almost all game-improvement irons, as well as a large offset. The soles are advertised as medium width, but they appear fairly wide to me. Still, though I prefer a thinner topline, less offset and a smaller club overall, I quickly adjusted to the look of the Burner XDs (with the exceptions of the three- and four-iron).
The longest Burner XDs just have so much offset that I couldn't get used to the. At address, the three-iron looks a little like a stylized "S" at the end of the shaft. That's too much for my taste, but a proven design for those looking for a little more help from the club.
Performance
Here's the thing… I did not love these clubs. None of my friends loved these clubs. Everyone felt they were "OK." That said, these irons do exactly what they are designed to do. If distance is job one for TaylorMade Burners, these clubs get it done. How they get it done, as we'll see, is debatable.
Suffice it to say, I was consistently hitting these irons what I'd call "summer distance," though almost all of my rounds with these were in cooler temperatures. I felt pretty safe playing these to go five to 10 yards farther than a good shot with my irons.
As I mentioned earlier, I never got comfortable with the look of the long irons, but I also couldn’t get them up in the air very well. I've always been a low ball hitter, but I found these long irons to be harder to hit than I would have expected from a game improvement long iron. I hit bullet after bullet that flew dead at the target, but just didn't get up in the air enough. When I hit the Burner three-iron side by side with a Cleveland TA5 and a Mizuno MP-60, each of those clubs launched the ball higher and had more carry distance for me. Part of it might have been the somewhat unusual shaft in these, but more likely it was the fact that the Burner three-iron is actually more of a two-iron, the four a three, and so on.
Indeed, one of the ways that TaylorMade has ensured that these clubs are long is by strengthening the lofts. In fact, the Burner XDs are among the strongest lofted irons out there. The three-iron is 19°, compared with the typical 21°. And this is on top of the already stronger typical lofts of modern clubs. Compared to a 1970s three-iron, the Burner XD three-iron is in effect a one-iron.
Unfortunately, that means when you tell your buddies that you hit a pitching wedge into that par three from 155, you actually hit a nine-iron (of course, that's still not too shabby).
But distance is never the end of the story in golf. TaylorMade also claims that the Burner XD irons provide "Maximum Forgiveness." You'd think that would put these irons as far out on the forgiveness scale as possible, but in TaylorMade's world, the "Extreme Forgiveness" of the r7 CGB Max is more forgiving than the XDs' Maximum Forgiveness.
Still, as it turns out, Maximum Forgiveness is pretty darn forgiving (I wonder if you even know you hit a ball with an Extreme Forgiveness club). You can hit, or mishit, the XDs pretty much all over the clubface and still get decent results in distance (and acceptably close in line). That's a very good thing for higher handicappers who struggle to consistently hit the middle of the clubface. In my last round with these clubs, on a 195 yard par 3, I hit a five-iron well out toward the toe and still hit the green (granted, I had a 50-foot putt that I three-jacked, but the XDs did their job). Don't get me wrong, these clubs are not magic. I still hit plenty of bad shots with them (like a sliced four-iron that ended up in a pond when I tried to fade a ball into the wind). Magic, no; forgiving, yes.
The drawback to forgiveness is that it makes it difficult to tell where on the clubface you're making contact and it makes it difficult to work the ball. Anything around the center of the clubface gives what I can only describe as an "OK" feeling. It's nothing like the buttery feeling of a good forged iron. It's just not all that solid, but it's also not as hollow feeling as some clubs in the game-improvement category. Impact is definietly muted with the Burner XDs, but you can still usually tell where the ball met the clubface.
While it is possible to work the ball with these clubs, that's not really what they want to do. For the most part, if the clubface is square at impact, the ball is going to go somewhere very close to straight. If you like to work the ball, you'll want to look elsewhere.
Specifications
The Burner XD Irons are available in 3 through 9, pitching wedge, attack wedge, sand wedge and lob wedge. Also available for lefties (except for the lob wedge). You may just need all four wedges (and maybe another) in the bag when your nine-iron has 39 degrees of loft.
You can purchase various set configurations (5-PW, AW, SW; 3-PW; etc.) for the base set price of $899 in steel or $1099 in graphite.
Loft Lie Length Swingweight Offset
---- --- ------ ------------ ------
3-iron 19° 61° 38.75" D0 7.0
6-iron 26° 62.5° 37.25" D0 6.0
9-iron 39° 64° 35.75" D0 5.0
The Burner XD irons are available with the 65 gram RE*AX Superfast 65, or the 90 gram RE*AX Superfast Steel 90.
Overall
After several rounds and a session at the range, I believe these clubs are an appropriate choice for golfers who simply want to enjoy the game and don't want to put in too much practice time. Simply stated, the Burner XD irons provide decent results and exceptional distance with reasonable swings.
The Burner XDs are aimed at mid to high handicappers with swing speeds ranging from 70-105 mph. At $900-$1100 a set, they run into competition with their own siblings, with the r7 CGB MAX irons priced just above them and the r7 irons just below them. Those who really want forgiveness, might want to go for the CGB MAX, while those looking for something more toward the player end of the spectrum, might want to go or the r7 irons. It's really just a question of how much you want to spend. TaylorMade fans have plenty of options.
The Burner emphasis on distance will probably play well with a certain segment of the golfing public, but others will find the delofting of the irons to be counterproductive to their games. Most golfers choosing to play these clubs would be best served by skipping the three-iron and starting the set with the four- or five-iron, which have the same lofts as most three- and four-irons. As it is, the Burner XDs are probably would work best for someone with a swing speed of 70-90, so the SuperFast technology could help the increase that speed.
All in all, the Burner XDs do what they are supposed to do. They launch the ball on a mid to high trajectory, and they are pretty long as irons go. But really the best thing about the Burner irons is that you can make less than stellar contact all day long, and it won't hurt you too badly. If these had a more solid feel to them, they'd probably sell a ton of them.
Feedback
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Expressed opinions are not necessarily the opinions shared by others on The Sand Trap or The Sand Trap itself.
Posted 01 Dec 2007 at 9:31pm #
Nice review. Very happy I went with the Raptures instead.
Posted 02 Dec 2007 at 1:13pm #
The concept of a 39-degree 9-iron reminds me of the joke from "There's Something About Mary" where the guy says he's going to beat "Eight Minute Abs" by producing "Seven Minute Abs." ...Except that in the movie it was a joke.
Posted 03 Dec 2007 at 9:09am #
Lowering the loft. Another cheap, used-car-salesman trick. Sure you can hit the 3-iron farther, because it is actually a 2-iron that they have put a 3 on.
There's a reason nobody uses a 2 iron, they are nearly impossible to hit. What's happens when he finds he can't hit his 3 iron? Dump it and buy a hybrid?
What about the other end. Isn't this also going to produce a gap between his numbered clubs and his wedges? So now he's got to buy another gap wedge. ARGGG!!!!
Most players would be better served using higher lofted irons, and replacing their longer irons with hybrids. Even for players that prefer long irons, I don't see any advantage to lowering the loft. If they wanted to be using 1 or 2 irons, they'd buy them. Why foist them upon unsuspecting golfers by stamping a 3 on the bottom.
Thanks, but no thanks.
Posted 03 Dec 2007 at 5:35pm #
I had the older R7 XD line in my bag for one season and ended up getting rid of them due to many of the same issues you mention. The irons were dialed in for high and straight shots, which hampered my shot making ability. My iron game got sloppy due to the forgiveness factor. I hate the way the faces got dinged up. And the stronger lofts wreaked havoc with my short game.
There are too many good iron options out there to struggle that much with the most used clubs in your bag. I went back to Ping.
Posted 08 Dec 2007 at 8:13pm #
For windy city, you do realize that Ping has gone through the same process, there is a reason they sold sets of 3 or 4 thru 10 iron instead of 9 (along with Calloway). Every manufacturrer out there has messed with the loft, especially in the last 10 years or so. Ping, TaylorMade, Calloway, it doesn't matter. Creates a nice little secondary nitch with the wedges, you need 4 or 5 to cover everything nowdays, especially if you were already a long hitter.
Posted 10 Dec 2007 at 9:23pm #
It doesn't matter if you have stronger lofts as long as you get the same launch angle as the more traditional lofted clubs. I have a set of Burner XD irons. I am launching the ball the same if not a little higher than before AND getting better distance.
Posted 17 Dec 2007 at 10:52am #
I am using a set of callaway VFT irons. Any real advantages to chg to this iron or even the rapture? Thanks for any comments. Cheers.
Posted 21 Dec 2007 at 12:22am #
I can't imagine an Iron that plays better than the OS-2's. And that includes ping, which I played for 22 years. TM's problem is that they have created the finest clubs on the market and rather than stand pat and cruise for a season, the market forces them to create "new and improved" model.
By the way, the burner tp driver is amazing.................
Posted 21 Jan 2008 at 4:39pm #
I have just picked up my set of BURNER XD's and am well pleased with them. The look is awesome the club head looks great behind the ball the design of the shaft great and the grips feel great.
So what if they have messed around with the lofts I have picked up a set 4/SW. I have tried them out today on the range and am getting great launch angles and good distance about 175yrd with my 6 iron thats is comparable with my old set if maybe a little longer.
I am sure they wont suit all golfers and maybe the lower handicaps out there will suffer a bit from the forgivness not letting them shape their shots but for us mortals in the world they will help us out no end the ability to hit a good flighted straight shot will make them a real hit with the mid to higher handicaps.
I think it is also important to remember that any view left here is just that persons opinion so rather than belive us all go out and try one of these clubs on a range make upyour own mind.
Posted 16 Feb 2008 at 1:24am #
We are fortunate to have a great local golf retailer (Fiddler's Green in Eugene, OR) that also has a driving range. They allow you to test clubs almost endlessly while choosing.
Over the course of several weeks, I tested Pings, Callaways, Nikes, Titleists and Taylormade, and had reduced the "finalists" down to the Callaway X-20s, and the Taylormade R7s. And then...the Burners arrived--
It took me about an hour of comparing all three, side by side, to decide on the Burner XDs. The difference between clubs was obvious.
As a newly addicted golfer (first year with over 150 rounds played) with a 17.6 handicap, I love both the forgiveness of the these clubs, as well as the distance and launch. I constistently hit 10-15 yards longer with each club, but agree with the assessment that the longer irons are too delofted. I opted for a 5-SW set and I added the AW and a Titleist 60 degree, and use hybrid 2 & 4 to compliment the set. I also use a Burner Driver...it was my first Taylormade club, and one of the reasons I became a fan.
It may be the new clubs, or it may be the confidence I have swinging them, but since playing my new XDs, I have consistently shot 5-7 strokes lower than my usual scores. They look great, they play great, and I am extremely happy with my choice.
Posted 17 Feb 2008 at 11:06pm #
My brother-in-law ended up buying these because he hit the 5 iron 20 yards farther than with the other 5 irons he tested. I showed him the loft specs on TM's website, and yeah, now he's looking for more wedges.
Posted 09 Apr 2008 at 3:16am #
Posted 14 May 2008 at 6:32pm #
Been chasing the ball for over 30 years and one thing is for sure with the Burner XD's, I'm enjoying the game more now than ever. I had my first 72 (par) ever and most of it had to do with the forgiveness offered by these clubs. They are pricey but for me (8 handicap), they were well worth it. Obviously there's more to the game than your irons and having them in your bag doesn't guarantee anything, but overall improvement (5-7 strokes) has been my reward. Can't wait for my next visit to the green family.
Posted 01 Jun 2008 at 10:18pm #
Who cares if TM has messed with the lofts. All the manufactures have and are!! The technology has pretty much reached a plateau for now so the only thing currently left to do is jack with lofts and increase the length of the driver to increase clubhead speed - everything else is maxed out (by the way - I love my Burner Driver - especially after I cut it down to 44" and regained control of it without losing distance). For me the bottom line is this - I have a handicap index of 5.3 - I cannot work the ball right to left, my natural shot is fairly straight with a little cut - why do i want or need forged irons where I can feel ALL my bad shots and cannot get the optiminum performance out of them anyway??? I would rather play with "Maximum Forgiveness" irons (I own XD's) and on my bad shots not feel it so much BUT only lose 5-8 yards on a mishit off the toe and still have a nice shot of getting up and down. I don't need a set of forged cut muscle backs to feel like a golfer - I'll take my Game Improvement Irons, look like a Hacker, shoot 77-82 and go on about enjoying the rest of my weekend. Short story long - The XD's are a great iron - if you want to taslk about feedback - I'm glad they are so forgiving that you have a hard time discerning good shots from bad shots - If I felt every bad shot, my confidence would drop and the beautiful game of golf would't be as much fun.
Posted 12 Jun 2008 at 1:50pm #
People are always saying that these irons don't allow you to draw or fade the ball as well and give you less control.
Dont't believe them, besides getting better sitance i can draw the ball twice as good aas before.
Also with my old nike nds irons i could hit an 8 iron 135 yards with these new tm burners i can hit it 150. 1 or 2 degrees doesn't have that much effect. THESE IRONS ARE GREAT.
Posted 20 Jul 2008 at 8:35pm #
goooooood clubs verrry good!
Posted 04 Sep 2008 at 1:24am #
No wonder I found it so hard to hit my 4 iron. I bought a 3 hybrid to finally complete my set just to find out that my my four Iron has the same loft as my 3 Hybrid, a Nike Sumo SQ2.
That is just ridiculous, claiming that these clubs are about 10 yards longer. Well, yeah, anyone can achieve that my going one one club longer. Its amazing to see how the loft in these irons are exactly the same as a longer club in their R7 TP Irons, TP MB Smokes, and the new Tour Preferred Irons, and to some extent the regular R7's too. Other than that, the Burner Series and the CGB Max's all have the loft of a longer club then the one stamped on the set.
I wrote TaylorMade complaining about this cheap way of claiming distance. Its not about the technology incorporated in the club but the loft on the irons.
I have this set, have been using them for about a month and half and do notice they go longer but notice they are harder to hit as I go to longer clubs.
For an $1100 set of clubs (I have Graphite) I would have expected a more honest reason for their claims in these clubs. Sure they are forgiving, but obviously you wont lose as much yardage when you are hitting a longer club's loft in these clubs!
Posted 04 Sep 2008 at 1:29am #
By the way, golf instructors will tell you that you should use longer clubs because many are afraid of hitting too long but in most cases, a longer club that is not being over powered will give you a better shot than a shorter club being over powered.
Maybe that is why many drop strokes using these clubs. It could be because of the forgiveness but it is also because these are configured as a longer club then stamped and when you hit it with the right amount of strength or less you will still get a very decent shot.
Just go ahead and hit your longer clubs with less power and more control and you will be hitting better shots.
Posted 09 Sep 2008 at 2:04pm #
I tried these out - but I knew about the changed lofts - so I used my 5 iron (and other brands 5 irons) against the XD 6 iron.
Results spoke for themself. 5-8 yards more with the xd -
Purchased a set 4-SW and kept my old wedges.
IT IS GREAT to hit 158 with a 9 iron when your playing partner uses and 8 or even a 7.
Nice clubs - individual choice - as with all golf gear.
Posted 07 Nov 2008 at 12:47pm #
Great review and accurate is terms of who these irons are aimed at. I'm a mid-high handicap (18) who played two round with these clubs (rentals in Hawaii at Mauna Lani..oh yeah) and shot 91 on North course and 84 on the South course from the mid tees. Great feel and forgiveness which is what a mid-high handicapper like me likes to see. I'm looking online for a set as we speak!
Posted 10 Nov 2008 at 2:32pm #
Just a note on the burner irons for ladies. My wife is a 10 handicap that has struggled with distance and has beaten herself up trying to get 150 yards out of a 6 iron. Finally the burners arrived with the senior graphite shafts and the distance increase of 10 yards a club was immediatly noticed. I have noticed the graphits are about 1/2" longwer which problably assisted with the lenth. she is most pleased and is enjoying the game more than ever. As with all clubs make sure you have the correct shaft for your swing speed.
Posted 19 Nov 2008 at 8:35pm #
I moved from TM 200's to OS2s and then on to Burner XD's. It wasn't until I read these comments that I realized why I can't work the ball as well. Duh.
Of the 3 sets, these seem to stand out as most playable. I am a 10 hcp, play a LOT, and enjoy challenging shots. These do not seem to be meant for that although I have pulled off some awesome ones now and then. Cutting works far better than drawing.
Now that I've read these, I might look at the r7's.
Posted 21 Jan 2009 at 11:10am #
I have played mizunos (cavity back) for the better part of 5 yrs and grew tired of mishits falling short and wayward--I paired the XD with Rifle 5.5 shafts and presto!! control & distance, even on the mishits. I'm not really concerned with the extra distance garnered from the strong head loft angle... I do appreciate the consitency gained with the (shaft) engine. Has anyone else found this combination helpful??
Posted 03 Mar 2009 at 8:39pm #
Greats clubs, But my only doubt is why taylormade release just these series jut on 2008.
They might continue selling this kind of clubs, Good Distance and Great forgiveness .
Posted 04 May 2009 at 11:40am #
I hit these clubs at the driving range and they felt great. After reading all these reviews no one seemed to mention anything about the club faces getting lots of ball marks on them ???? I am looking for a new set of clubs and these are at the top of my list. The only thing holding me back from buying them is, that I dont want to buy these clubs if in 2 years there faces look like they are 10 years old. Can anyone who has these let me know how the faces are holding up??????
Posted 05 May 2009 at 12:59pm #
youngman said on May 4, 2009:
I think you missed this paragraph:
By the way, the marks won't affect play at all. But if you want a set that looks brand new for a long time, titanium-faced irons are probably not a great choice.
Posted 06 May 2009 at 12:27pm #
Ya, I saw in the main review club face marks were comented on but no one else seemed to say anything about it in the individual reviews. I just wanted to hear what people who owned the clubs had to say about it. I live in vancouver and most of our driving ranges are turf matts. So is it the sand that effects them or the ball. I just really liked the feel of these clubs and now that I have read about them getting all marked up, I am having a hard time deciding if it is worth me buying them. Thanks
Posted 29 May 2009 at 8:12pm #
Everyone should know that if you are going to use a titanium face or strengthen the COR you are going to add height,therefor you have to stregthen the lofts.Otherwise people will complain that they are catapulting there shots a mile in the air,with less distance.I can't figure the complaints about working the ball.I guess because I learned how to work the ball with Improvement Clubs,so maybe it's more natural for me.I never heard so many people complain about hitting a 9 irons 155.These clubs are great,I got mine on line for $599,4-AW,graphite.I think the 09 s are more gimmicky with there differnet PODS.Who wants an iron set that has 3 different clubs looks and sizes throughout their entire set.Not longer than The HD's.
Posted 05 Jun 2009 (5 weeks ago) at 9:10pm #
I was contemplating getting a set; My driver SS about 94/95 - 5/6 iron SS 87/88. Some of my clubs have stiff, firm & reg flex. Any suggestions which shaft might be the most suitable in graphite? When I use a softer shaft, it tends to fade a bit more & lose a few yards, especially in the wind. Thanks, Mikey
Posted 09 Jun 2009 (4 weeks ago) at 1:58pm #
The first time i tried these clubs was down a driving range along with a couple of others as i was looking for a set of new irons and straight away the taylor made burner xds stood out above the rest the distance and feel of the ball was amazing i was hitting 175 with a 7 iron and straight way i ordered a set of these clubs and i am so pleased that i chose to do so -WORTH THE MONEY !!
Posted 16 Jun 2009 (3 weeks ago) at 9:52pm #
Hi i have read all the reviews on here, i bough the xd's yesterday and i am more than a little excited to get out and try them. I've been playing less than a year and hit around the 100 mark so i'm hoping the xd's are going to improve my game.