The new TM SLDR

[peteraleman]

Good morning everyone.  I wanted to share this with all of you and wanted to get some of your input on this.  For the last few weeks I have been searching for some new clubs, specifically, a new putter, fairway wood and a new driver.

My putter was probably the easiest one to get, I first started searching for a high end club and oddly enough the club that fit the best was a generic $40.00 club, I have never putted this well before.

The next club I was looking for was a fairway wood, I had gotten rid of my last set of woods to replace it with a hybrid and finally realized, I still need to have at least a 3 wood.  I have always been a little sweet with Taylor Made and decided on the RBZ 3 wood 15* club, it has worked really well for me and am very impressed with how it feels.

Now for the big one, my original driver is well over 15 years old and it has gotten to the point that I would struggle just getting it over 200, much less getting it to go straight in any consistent manner.  So for the last 3 weeks I have looked into about 5 different clubs, the Nike Corvert, Callaway X Hot, TM R1, R11S and the Cobra AMP.  I spent 2 and half weeks just researching on the club and the price points for it.  After testing all of these clubs, one sales guy asked me to try the new TM SLDR, my first question to him was how much.  New club, you know its going to be near $400 or above, I said thanks, but I really didn't want to spend that much on a club.  He told me simply this, "no worries, you don't have to buy it, but try it to see just how it feels and see what we can do from there"  I couldn't say no.  The first swing I took with that club, after having already swung 5 different other clubs several times was incredible.  That club launched the ball better, the impact felt better and the distance it would get compared to the others was by at least 20 yards further.

I put on a poker face and said thanks, I really need to think about it and I'll come back if I decide to take that hit. for the next few days I narrowed down my selection to the TM R1, R11S and the SLDR, every time I hit that SLDR the ball would just fly, in the simulator the feedback was pro worthy.  The club is super forgiving and of course, I pulled the trigger and bought the thing.  I did get it cheaper than MSRP which I am happy about.  Moving on, after I purchased it, I directly went to the range and compared strikes with my old driver and compared it with the new SLDR, I can tell you that I hit 10 balls with my old one, then 10 with the new SLDR, then I hit 1 and 1 to compare and with complete consistency the SLDR WAY out performed my old one and took me from low hits to higher hits, farther hits and straighter hits.  I was able to get a TM fitter in my area and helped me get the right adjustments on the club and am looking forward to the next time I go out on the links.

My question to all of you is, have anyone looked into this club? Does anyone else have it yet? and if you do how do you feel about it?  If you don't have it, have you thought about getting it? And what is holding you back from getting it?

[Mr. Desmond]

Haven't even given it a thought … too many good drivers out there at half the price. If you wait 5 months or so, you can find the SLDR at reduced prices, and by the summer, for half price. With the trend of 3-4 introductions of new clubs from TMade and Callaway, it seems a waste of money now to purchase anything that is new.

With the SLDR, you are getting a very very low spin club with a high launch and an expanded sweetspot towards the lower part of the face. They've also moved the weight forward, which does not make it a club for high cappers, but a club for a guy like Phil Mickelson, who does not need as much forgiveness (or so Phil says). After all, Phil put it into play until Cally introduces its next best driver.

I think for most regular Joes, if we're looking at Callaway v TMade, the new JetSpeed is a better product for high cappers, as well as Callaway's new X2Hot, and then we have Ping, et al, with the standard 1 year or every 2 year introductions.

[MiniBlueDragon]

I'm actively boycotting TM at the moment so haven't tried the SLDR, RocketTesticles, R1, R5, R7, R750, R750s, R750s TP, R750s TP Tour, PantsSpeed, JetBladezzzz or TurboMegaDriverOfDoom.

(not saying any of TM drivers are bad by the way; just that I hate their marketing and release strategy enough that I'm not going to be giving them money to continue spamming out new drivers every 2 months)

I'm glad you've found a driver that works for your game though irrelevant of manufacturer. :)

[Ernest Jones]

Haven't tried it but I like the fact that it has a built in pencil sharpener.

[newtogolf]

I've read a lot of positive things about the SLDR.  Based on what I've read you have to tee the ball lower and those with higher swing speeds seem to gain the most benefit from it.  Any driver today will get the job done if it's fit for your swing.  Sounds like the SLDR was set up perfect for your swing, good luck with it.

[glock35ipsc]

I'm actively boycotting TM at the moment so haven't tried the SLDR, RocketTesticles, R1, R5, R7, R750, R750s, R750s TP, R750s TP Tour, PantsSpeed, JetBladezzzz or TurboMegaDriverOfDoom.

Yeah, that cracked me up!

Oh, and BTW to the OP... the SLDR is an old model already.

[Mr. Desmond]

Oh, and BTW to the OP... the SLDR is an old model already.

The SLDR line is meant for a different player than the JetSpeed Line.

SLDR is more for low cappers, and the JetSpeed for the rest of us.

[saevel25]

I've read a lot of positive things about the SLDR.  Based on what I've read you have to tee the ball lower and those with higher swing speeds seem to gain the most benefit from it.  Any driver today will get the job done if it's fit for your swing.  Sounds like the SLDR was set up perfect for your swing, good luck with it.

I don't think you have to tee the ball up lower. It didn't lower the sweet spot, it just made mishits that lower less penalized. It also lowers the spin due to the gear effect drivers have due to their curved club face.

[newtogolf]

I don't think you have to tee the ball up lower. It didn't lower the sweet spot, it just made mishits that lower less penalized. It also lowers the spin due to the gear effect drivers have due to their curved club face.

What I had read to get the most out of the SLDR, you had to go with a higher loft than you typically use and some found benefits from teeing the ball lower.

[saevel25]

What I had read to get the most out of the SLDR, you had to go with a higher loft than you typically use and some found benefits from teeing the ball lower.

I wish the golfsmith near me allowed me to put in my own tees when trying out the driver. I would adjust the tee to see how the numbers come out. I think that would be an interesting test to try.

[Mr. Desmond]

What I had read to get the most out of the SLDR, you had to go with a higher loft than you typically use and some found benefits from teeing the ball lower.

Perhaps it's the before -- before the SLDR, hitting low on the face lowered ball speed because the sweetspot tended to be upper middle, and as a result, golfers were told to tee the ball higher for more speed and launch with less spin. Of course, the downside was hitting the ball too high on the face, near the crown.

With the SLDR, I can understand a slightly lower teeing position to lessen the probability of high face hits … and as a result, better consistency with contact.

[newtogolf]

Perhaps it's the before -- before the SLDR, hitting low on the face lowered ball speed because the sweetspot tended to be upper middle, and as a result, golfers were told to tee the ball higher for more speed and launch with less spin. Of course, the downside was hitting the ball too high on the face, near the crown.

With the SLDR, I can understand a slightly lower teeing position to lessen the probability of high face hits … and as a result, better consistency with contact.

It's that and something to do with the weight placement being lower on the face.

[Mr. Desmond]

It's that and something to do with the weight placement being lower on the face.

Makes sense - lower and more forward.

More forward helps with ball speed -- but not with forgiveness. It's why Pros like the driver, but those who make inconsistent contact will get that 1 of 10 shot that makes them forget about the 9 others in the woods or water… but they were LONG!