TaylorMade RAC MB TP Irons Review
Posted May 5th, 2006 by Erik J. Barzeski
TaylorMade updates the "TP" irons with what's best described as "tradition meets technology." The RAC MB TPs are a winner.
We've all seen the commercials. And they're true: TaylorMade, for all intents and purposes, "owns the tee box." Having established a dominant position in drivers with the r5 and then the r7, TaylorMade is making believers out of even the staunchest of opponents. Dave Koster, who has used Titleist drivers much of his life, recently put the r7 460 in his bag after reviewing it.
Leveraging the success TaylorMade has had with drivers, the Carlsbad, CA company is seeking to "own" other product categories as well. They make great hybrids (their "Rescue" clubs) and are widely regarded as the leader in that category. They recently introduced "TP" golf balls to compete with Titleist, Callaway, and Nike. Even their putters and apparel (via Adidas) have gotten a fair amount of acclaim.
Lost in the shuffle a bit have been TaylorMade's irons. Despite tremendous retail success with the higher-handicapper irons (see our RAC LT review), the company's better irons have fought an uphill battle against the likes of Titleist and Mizuno for the attention of lower handicappers. With the 2006 revision to their high-end model, TaylorMade's RAC MB TP irons what may be the best irons they've ever produced for better players.
Design and Technology
The RAC MB TP replaces TaylorMade's RAC Forged TP. The RAC Forged TP was a lot more "cavity back" than muscleback in both appearance and performance. Though the Forged TPs performed well, they were not a star and had trouble competing with better-player irons from Titleist, Mizuno, Ben Hogan, and Cleveland.
The RAC MB TP came about at the request of Retief Goosen, who wanted a muscleback blade featuring TaylorMade's "RAC" technology, very little offset, and a more compact head than the Forged TP. He got his wish.
The "RAC" technology is evident here on the 9-, 6-, and 3-irons. The minimal offset is also readily apparent.
The RAC MB TP is a muscleback blade, albeit with an unusually shaped muscle. A large mass of metal sits right behind the sweet spot. A wing of metal extends towards the sole and then towards both the toe and the heel. TaylorMade calls the gaps between the wings "feel pockets" because, well, they can. These feel pockets were first introduced last year in TaylorMade's wedges and are largely responsible for changing the sound - a major component of feel - of impact.
Double stamp forged from 10-25 carbon steel, the face and grooves of the RAC MB TP are CNC milled to ensure crisp cuts and a smooth, flat face. The thin "tour-configured" sole was designed to allow aggressive play without excessive digging. The irons are finished with a Tour Satin appearance that reduces glare. The attractive "TP" logo is embedded behind the sweet spot on the back of each iron.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but I summed up this image in only 79 words (below). Suffice to say, these irons are for the single-digit handicapper.
The RAC MB TP is for better players who have no trouble getting the ball up in the air. These clubs demand a higher swing speed (105+ MPH with the driver) and feature traditional design: a thin top line, minimal to no offset, and a thin sole with a Tour camber for easy manipulation of impact conditions. They're the most blade-like irons TaylorMade makes, so they're as workable a set of irons you'll get with "TaylorMade" stamped on them.
Feel and Performance
When it comes to my irons, I've always been a traditionalist. My first set of irons were Jack Nicklaus (by MacGregor) forged muscleback blades. Those clubs quickly taught me that there's nothing like the feeling of a purely struck blade. I credit them with my remarkably quick improvement in the game of golf, and each of my next sets of irons have been muscle-back blades up to and including the Titleist Forged 680s I was playing last year. Midway through last year, I tried Titleist's 735.CM irons. With the more cavity-back-like longer irons, they were about as far away from a muscleback set as I was willing to go.
The TP logo is embedded in the "body" of the "RAC bird" - metal wings extend towards the toe and heel. The gaps are TaylorMade's "feel pockets."
When you talk of traditional golf equipment, "TaylorMade irons" don't spring to mind unless you need a contrary example. Yet these irons, despite the "feel pockets" and the unique manner in which the metal is placed in forming the head of the club, are overwhelmingly traditional in their appearance and performance. Those large metal masses on the back of the clubhead simply disappear in the address position. As I've said with TaylorMade's drivers, the company does a great job of hiding the technology so that all you see is a series of clean, simple, confidence-inspiring lines when you look down at the club.
I put the RAC MB TPs in my bag for the first rounds of the year and they've yet to leave, nor do I expect that they will any time soon. I've found the RAC MB TP to feature easy-to-launch long irons, reasonable forgiveness for a muscleback, and exceptional workability. Whether you want to go high, low, left, or right - it doesn't matter - these clubs obey. The modern golf ball is increasingly difficult to shape around trees or with the wind, but these irons let me do just about anything I want.
At address, the RAC technology on the back of the iron simply fades away. Even after tilting the 3-iron (left), only a small sliver of the heel "wing" is visible. This is as traditional an appearance as you can get in irons today.
Better players manipulate the trajectory of their shots, and this is one of the areas in which the RAC MB TPs improve over the Forged TPs. With minimal to no offset, these clubs respond whether you're trying to knock down a five-iron or float a wedge. They obey when you demand a small draw or blistering power fade. Though TaylorMade did bring the trajectory up from the Forged TPs, the MB TP doesn't balloon the ball into the wind. With standard lofts and lengths, carry distance and spin rates are comparable to any other premium iron.
Rifles, Lofts, and Other Features
The RAC MB TPs come standard with Royal Precision FCM iron shafts. Mine arrived with 6.0 frequency shafts, roughly equivalent to True Temper's Dynamic Gold S300 and weighing a similar 125 grams.
As a long-time TT DG S300 user, it took me awhile to get used to these shafts. With the DG S300, I could hit a lower-trajectory punch shot fairly easily, but these shafts tended to spin the ball more than I was used to if I wasn't careful. After a few small changes to correct what was actually poor technique, these shafts have proven themselves worthy and pair beautifully with the MB TP heads. Shots not only feel softer with these shafts and the MB TP heads, but the shafts perform as advertised and create a consistent trajectory from one iron to the next without a distance gap anywhere in the set.
As with most better-player irons, the RAC MB TPs come with traditional lofts: the 3-iron has 21° and the pitching wedge has 48°. After a 3° jump from the 3-iron to the 4-iron, lofts increase by 4°. Offset ranges from 1.9mm in the 3-iron to 0.5mm in the pitching wedge.
The RAC MB TPs come stock with TaylorMade's (Golf Pride's) Tour Velvet. I'd previously been using the New Decade MultiCompound, but see no reason to move away from the Tour Velvet.
Overall
When it comes to my irons, I've been a traditionalist since my first set. I had almost assumed that my irons would always say "Titleist" or "Mizuno" on them, or perhaps "Ben Hogan" if I was feeling particularly nostalgic. That assumption was put to rest a few months ago: these TaylorMade RAC MB TPs found their way into my bag and they've yet to leave, and I don't see them leaving any time soon.
TaylorMade's RAC MB TP are the toughest but most rewarding clubs. With the smallest sweet spot of any TaylorMade iron, only single-digit handicappers need apply.
I'm not sure who first used the phrase "tradition meets technology" to describe one of their products, but with everyone from Titleist to Mizuno slowly moving away from the plain muscleback blade look of the 90s (Titleist with the "Z-Muscle" in the 695.MB, Mizuno with their "Cut Muscle" technology), the RAC MB TPs fit that bill better than perhaps any other better-player irons on the market today.
At $999 retail, these irons certainly aren't something you're likely to buy on a whim. But if you're in the market for some new musclebacks, you'll likely find that the stock Rifle shafts, the redesigned head with RAC technology (i.e. "feel pockets), and the overall appearance of the TaylorMade RAC MB TPs will suit both your eye and your game to an incredible level.
Feedback
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Posted 08 May 2006 at 8:18am #
Great review!
Still surprisingly forgiving, off center hits produce (at least for me) shots with loss of distance, but straight - clubhead is balanced so well, it doesn't "give" like the more traditional "australian blade" style clubs.
I was lucky enough to land a "steal" on eBay and I'm a proud owner of the TP MB's as well - and I've to agree with Erik - best set of sticks I ever hit. The best feedback you can ask from a club, if the ball is stroke as much as 1mm off the center - you'll know about it
Loving it
Posted 27 Jul 2006 at 6:22pm #
Oh man!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I got these clubs for my birthday and I love them,if your are a really good better player who wants to get better you need these clubs. My old clubs were cavity backs and I will never get another set of cavity backs again.
jg
Posted 31 Jul 2006 at 9:58am #
Nickent, long known for their hybrids, has leapt into the iron-making game with one of the biggest names in iron design. Does John Hoeflich's first effort live up to the "Pro" title?
Posted 15 Nov 2006 at 1:13pm #
I am a mid 20s handicap golfer, so maybe I don't belong here. I have looked at these clubs several times (but have yet to hit them). The reason I keep looking at them is that I think back to my younger days when I played a lot more. I learned to play on a set of Wilson blades, and played through most of my 20s on Spalding Execs. Now I am using a set of Callaway Hawkeye VFT clubs, and I always think that I used to hit the blades better. I am starting to golf more, and am not sure that I want to dumb my game down into 'game improvement clubs' Am I crazy to think that I might be better off looking at a set like this that won't coddle me when I do something wrong? FWIW, I have more problems in the tee box than anywhere, and have alwys hit my irons fairly well, albeit with a cronic draw bias.
Posted 17 Jan 2007 at 5:27pm #
For an 11 hdcp'er like me, these clubs will suit me from here till +16 hdcp. A surprisingly forgiving club for a blade iron, but has the perfect feel on purely stuck shots. just because they are blade irons doesnt mean that you cant hit them till you are sergio garcias match.
Posted 27 Feb 2007 at 10:02am #
Give the Taylor Made R7 TP's a shot... You'll thank me later.
They are suprisingly soft, to a point that you have to look down to remind yourself you're not playing forged. Plus, you get the workability that the beter player is looking for.
...And most importantly, the forgivness that's built into these clubs allows for slightly off center ball striking not to penalize you too much.
They should fit anyone from the 5-15 handicappers that are decent iron players.
Posted 07 Oct 2007 at 2:56am #
I just bought my tp mb forged irons a coulpe of days ago and I love them.One thing that I agree with him on is that these are competing with titelist and mizuno irons if they haven't passed them yet. The first day i got them I went my first 18 under par. One thing I dont like about this review is that they're making the forged irons sound terrible compared to the new tp irons. Where as the only differences are a different color and little bit thinner of a topline. I have hit both of them and they are pretty much replicas of each other when it comes down to feel. So overall i think if you are not looking to spend $1000 then you should probaly just buy the forged for about 400 dollars cheaper and get similiar results. I hope that this advice helps you when your choosing your next set of irons.
Posted 11 Nov 2007 at 4:38pm #
Wow~
Just as the author of this article, I've always had blades(2 sets). I needed a new set and I'm so glad I went with these. The best feeling clubs ever to be put out on the market. Draw, Fade, low or high, these clubs do the job. Not only do they feel great but they make you a better player. Meaning, having blades, especially the RAC TP MB's makes you concentrate even harder knowing you must pure the shot!!
Need new clubs, 14 hcp or less. buy these, its worth it
Posted 11 Nov 2007 at 4:40pm #
oh yea, check out the european tour, everyone's hitting these muscle back blades
Posted 05 Dec 2007 at 11:34am #
one question and one question only!
titleist 695 mb or taylormade rac tp mb??
Posted 18 Dec 2007 at 2:22pm #
these irons are the bomb. they look as if they were made by god and feel like butter off the face. these irons are what golf is about
Posted 30 Dec 2007 at 10:58pm #
these irons are much more playable than some articles have led to believe. I'm off 11 and not the best iron player. These have improved my iron play fantasticly. I love the lower ball flight and even if you miss the centre it is likely to still go straight. overall the perfect iron for me. only problem is that the shaft i have chosen (6.0 rifle) feels a little stiff and broad however i'm fourteen and only getting stronger.
Posted 09 Feb 2008 at 3:50pm #
TaylorMade's RAC MB TP are the toughest but most rewarding clubs. With the smallest sweet spot of any TaylorMade iron, only single-digit handicappers need apply.
I didn't find these clubs tough to hit!, just the opposite!
I got them for the '07 season, played 70-80 games with them,
and they were GREAT right out of the box!
I went from an 19.5 hcp to an 11 in their first season!, and it's NOT that I bacame a better player, I just had more 'fun' playing!
SO... I am not a single-digit hacp'r, but I'm patient enough to 'let the club come to me'.
For me, and my style, these clubs are PERFECT!
Posted 03 Apr 2008 at 6:38pm #
im a +1 handicap and i currently use these clubs..best irons i've ever hit..i recommend for anyone thinking about getting this..might get a tp hybrid for the 3 iron..cuz it is a difficult club to hit
Posted 04 Apr 2008 at 3:06pm #
The MB/TP's are the 'softest-best performing' irons I have ever hit! I've played cavity back'd for years, and these forged/MB's
are the easiest club I've ever hit. I also got a #2 iron for the
set , and that club is a 'piece of cake' to hit!
T/M is going to have to REALLY work hard to produce a club that will outperform these!
On a scale of 1-10, I'd give them an '11'!
Barry-Toronto
Posted 02 Jun 2008 at 8:38pm #
Which are better for a 13 hdcp these or callaway forged?
Posted 04 Jun 2008 at 3:27pm #
Bought a Callaways X20 Tours, played 7 rounds and found them not workable for a Tour iron. Played the 3 rounds with the forged MB TP's and workabilty was on call at any time..
Handicap 9.
Posted 26 Jun 2008 at 12:25pm #
good review i was at a four man best ball tournament and they had a drawing for some taylor made irons but didnt say which ones say i bought three tickets a buck a piece and went out and golfed my round. well when we were all done and they had the drawing they drew a guys name and he said he didnt want them draw another! and they did and drew his name again!! so he still didnt want them and one other guy with him said give it to the youngest golfer which was me but i wasnt paying any attention until my partner said you just won those irons!! and when i recieved them i began to look them over and was like sweet didnt really know what i had just won! i went over and thanked the guy and after wards i had some people say oh those are good clubs and told me how much they were worth and i was shocked and others who were trying to buy them from me for $300 and i said NO! so i jumped online and read all i could about them and i think i am going to go out and hit them! i have read nothing but good things about them!
Posted 03 Aug 2008 (4 weeks ago) at 10:40pm #
maq,
i am a 7 hcap and play the cally x forged. these are a hard enough club to hit, and although i could play blades, i prefer to have a little forgiveness on slightly off center hits.
really you have to ask yourself how good your ball striking is.
how many times out of 20 are you going to strike it good?
less than 16/17 and you should probably go with something like a players cavity
callaway x forged offer that forgiveness, with the looks of a players iron, the workability of a players iron, and they are the best feeling players cavity
dont even think about blades unless your game is going forward fast(not backward)
hope that helps.
Posted Yesterday at 2:34am #
Honestly, I think the diffiulty of blades and foregivness of cavity-back are just given too much credit. One's tempo and form of the day make all the difference. Just got a set of TM TPMB with NS Pro 1150 Tour shafts. Found it easier to hit than my cavity-back Titliest 755! Sets up beautifully at address and absolutely refined clubs. Highly recommend these clubs in your bag - the cool and brag values alone justify it.