I bought an R11 TP and a Superfast 2.0 TP

I'm a club wh*re. I'm very interested in golf club technology, new lines, looks, etc., I played the first gen R9, then bought the SuperTri. I gamed each for a few months or more. Both are super strong drivers.  However, when 2/4/11 came I decided to buy the R11 and the Superfast 2.0 figuring that when I chose one over the other I could sell the other on Ebay.

I have a 118mph driver ss. So, I got the SF TP with the HD6 X-stiff, and had Taylormade tip it 1". It took nearly three weeks for TM to ship it. I just got the stock R11 with Blur X shaft. So, I had the R11 for nearly three full weeks before the SF got here. The R11 is a VERY Strong driver. It is NOT longer than the supertri, R9 420 or any other driver (likely). However, because of its extreme level of adjustability it is easily the BEST adjustable driver available on the market (IMO). I have hit some monster bombs with this club, and I have also hit a couple of pull hooks (competition - got quick on the transition and the shaft unloaded quick, head snapped and my right elbow came out which closed the club face).

A few days ago I got my SF 2.0. There was an EXTREME difference in the two clubs, and at first I hated the SF. However, I have taken the SF out for two 18 hole rounds since then. Now, I'm loving this club... It takes some understanding (about the tipped shaft), and once you realize the driver will not go left unless you really screw up you can really drive the thing without fear. I took the R11 out of the bag and laid it up in the garage tonight and I don't think I'll be playing it anytime soon - playing TPC Sugarloaf tomorrow and can't wait to see how this thing performs.

Note: If I had the same shaft (Matrix Ozik HD6 X-stiff tipped 1" with the R11 adapter) I would probably be gaming the R11. Why? When I first got the R11 I spent a few hours on the range making changes and documenting results until I finally got the changes I liked best, and provided the best playing results. I am planning to buy this shaft for the R11, and when that happens perhaps I'll come back and provide an update.

Awesome.....?

Color (or lack there of) doesn't throw off my alignment like square clubs do...I hated my Dymo2 driver for that reason.

it's not about the color. they're not marketing the color, per se. it's narrow minded people who see the color as the only thing about the driver that is different. the r11 is a different driver - different in leaps and bounds from the previous TM driver release; the SuperTri. the r11 only has two weights (instead of three), makes the FCT much more understandable, provide a better shaft (IMO) and most importantly have introduced the new ASP. IMO the ASP is reason enough to buy this driver. perhaps not at the current price point because not everyone out there has disposable cash, but when the price comes down, and it will, make no mistake - the R11 is a fantastic weapon that will bomb it. just look at how quickly it was adopted out of the gate... just about everyone is playing it (except Kaymer - still playing SuperTri).

think about it... if you could buy a driver that could be setup either 8, 9, or 10 degrees of loft, open or close the club face at address by as much as 2 degrees, quickly snap in a different shaft, AND adjust the weights to either promote a slight draw, baby draw, hard draw or hook; promote a straight, slight fade, baby fade, hard fade or slice, wouldn't you at least be intrigued? Uh, of course you would... have you ever seen the sole of Phil's driver? He has so much lead tape on the heel so he won't slice it, that it's scary. I betcha he just wishes he wasn't in that contract with Callaway... Who needs to put that much lead tape on a driver when the competition (taylormade, titleist, cobra, adams) provide so many options for correcting the tendency to slice (or hook)?

I demoed both the R11 and the Superfast 2.0 about a week ago. I was a little disappointed with the R11, as the sound and feel of the club just seemed off to me. On the other hand, I was blown away by the Superfast. It took a little getting used to, but that thing was a rocket launcher! I own an R9, and it is my gamer. What was your opinion on the R11 compared to the R9? (btw, your swing stats are quite a bit better than mine, so it was probably the indian, not  the arrow...)

i did the same thing on 2/4. i demo'd both clubs. the r11 didn't feel good. it felt like the head was fighting with my swing path thru impact and it did sound "off". the SF was hot and i special ordered it. however, a couple of days later i returned and bought the r11 knowing that it had to be how TM has these things set up from the factory. i mean, just about every pro out there was bagging the r11 and loving it... seeing garagus in hawaii with that driver had me sold...

what i found was that TM sets the weights opposite from how i swing, and that is why it felt like it was fighting with me. out of the box TM has the 10g weight set in the heel position which is there to help slicers. When I bought it I printed a sheet that had all the things I like to look at so I could really hone in on the shot I like. Then I took it to my club. I have a swing speed radar device that measures club speed, and when I put it out in front of ball it will measure ball speed. I also brought four of my shafts with me… After about an hour or so, I had this thing totally tweaked out and just about 180 degrees different from the factory settings. Then the next day I took it to the course and after 18 holes I had to make just one more adjustment and I was all set.

Yea that is what i figured. I bought my R9 and tweaked it to my swing and the thing seemed like a new driver. I assued that the settings had a lot to do with the feel of the R11, as it was setup with everything neutral. With all the hype built up around the R11 and all the pros gaming them, I just assumed it was my swing.

Yea that is what i figured. I bought my R9 and tweaked it to my swing and the thing seemed like a new driver. I assumed that the settings had a lot to do with the feel of the R11, as it was setup with everything neutral. With all the hype built up around the R11 and all the pros gaming them, I just assumed it was my swing.

Got the R9 SuperTri for christmas, and just returned from Canary Islands, 6 days 11 rounds. I adjusted the shaft 2 degrees open, and I could hit as hard as I wanted. That FCT technology really rocks because a little while ago you had to order the club from the manufacturer if you wanted really square face and it's soooo easy to change the shafts. I can't believe, that every single driver without FCT or something like that, are 1-2* degrees closed. That was a major troublemaker a few years ago.

So do R9 shafts drop in to an R11?

actually, the "FCT" is wrong in that taylormade marketing didn't understand what it did, and as a result they confused and/or bamboozled the buying public!!! It's not face changing technology... it doesn't literally open, close or neutralize the face. it changes loft and that's all it does!!!! so, if you buy a 10.5* R9 driver (neutral), it can go down to 9.5* (changing to "L") and up to 11.5* (changing to "R"). Then the MWT allows you to draw and slice....

the R11 corrects the "FCT" marketing mistake. now, the sleeve adapter says "increase loft, decrease loft, etc.," where you are able to open and close the face is the new sole plate. the marketing folks there call is "ASP" - it works well and is just as simple as it gets. in fact, with my superfast tp, i looked closely at the r11 and where the ASP was strategically placed and how the plate reacted once fit, then crafted my own "plate" and some electrical tape was able to adapt "ASP" to the superfast. i then proved the benefits of the ASP to the superfast... and in so doing kind of proved to myself (gulp) that the superfast just shouldn't be in my bag.

in my opinion, the r11 is no longer than any other driver.... debatable i'm sure... but, the die hards (i'm a die hard in case you didn't know that...) will be able to set it up much more than in past to diminish their miss, and thus swing at the ball with more commitment and hit better overall drives. i've had some big bombs with it, and i've had some duds. in fact, i used to be so much longer than any of my playing competitors (r9 supertri) it was sick. now, in aggregate i'm just a tad bit longer (r11) than them... however, on the holes that require bombs, i'm the same ole dude as with the supertri, and i'm miles ahead of everyone. what is going on here? i think the r11 fits what my game requires (is it the white color that subdues me???) and allows me to play more subconsciously... so, instead of getting up to the ball with a "i'm going to crush this tee ball" mentality i'm getting up and hitting a required shot.

overall it is better for my game than the r9 supertri, the r9 420, the r7 superquad... and i won't be going backward.

just a tad more about my settings....

first i'm a scratch golfer... off the tee i have two swings. powerfade and draw. i can go to the extreme with each, and power slice and hit huge hooks like bubba. the way i set the r11 is pretty simple. #1 - i play the 10.5* head because i can manipulate it to 9.5*, and all the way to 11.5* with FCT. next, because the powerfade is such a "go to" shot AND if the face is just slightly more open at impact can turn into a power "too much" fade i like to close down the face a degree. i achieve this by using the "C" position on the ASP. lastly, i HATE the club turning over on it's own which will always produce a HOOK or OVERDRAW with an inside swinger like myself, so i change taylormade's stock MWT setting. i move the 10g weight to toe port and move the 1g weight to the heel port. this just gives me a wicked powerfade and when i need my draw i'm able to hit it with all my gusto without fear of a hook or over draw because i'm controlling the toe coming over, and not the club.

OP

Question for you, is your Superfast 2* closed face?

I Just got an R11 TP and still have last year's Superfast (non tp).

I have a hard time hitting the SF since the closed face feels a tad awkward to me.

I purchased the Taylormade Superfast 2.0 TP and am still blown away by the results much to the same magnitude as I was blown away when Callaway first came out with the Great Big Bertha and I closeted my Orlamar back in the late 90's.

I am 5' 8" 190lbs with a natural 110-115 mph swing speed that was forcefully slowed down to 95-100 mph by my old Callaway FT-iZ with a "stiff" shaft that hit the ball 275-280 on a good drive.  I went to golfsmith looking to modify that club with a stiffer shaft.  After looking at shafts that matched my swing speed I realized that the only cost effective way to fix this was to trade in my old club for a new one.  The friendly man at golfsmith handed me a barely used SF2.0TP.  On the simulator I was hitting it 300 consistently, with one that was 364, but at the time I was sure that this was just some computer that was giving me fake data to sell me the club.  However, it felt a ton better than my old driver so I made the trade plus $100 and went straight to the range.

With my FT-iZ and GBB I played a draw with an occasional snap hook.  When I hit this club it either went dead straight, or cut.  I tried to draw it and successfully did a few times, but found that the cut shot it wanted to play was alot more consistant than any forced draw that I hit.

My first time to hit it on the course was playing 18 holes yesterday in a work tournament of 36 teams.  I started off trying to hit my draw with little success but after the first five driving holes I gave in and played a cut down the left hand side of the fairway.  From that point on, my day got better and better.  The last three holes I played, I nearly drove a 360 yard green on a dogleg right hole, and the last hole was the long drive hole playing uphill into the wind where I won the competition with a 320 yard shot.

Last month I was playing a Callaway FT-iZ, hitting the ball 275-280... maybe an occasional 300 once a round if the wind blew correctly.  I went from this to winning long drive competitions and hitting the occasional ball nearly 350 just by purchasing a driver.  I gained a consistent 40-50 yards on my drives.  The shot shape is not my favorite but it is cosistent and predictable.  The shaft is perfect for my swing speed and the club is a great feel to hit.  My next driver (if there is a next driver) will definately be a taylormade.

anyone else feeling a bit... i'm sorry but i'm starting to feel like this is a bit out of hand. giving experiences with the taylormade and your previous driver(s) is one thing but unless trackman numbers are shown regarding swingspeeds...i'm just gonna say, "great, i'm glad you've found a great driver that gives you on average a 40-50 yard gain"...b/c let's be f'in honest...either you have no sense of how far that ACTUALLY is...or you wear coke bottle lenses and can't see, or went from having a swing of a 36+ handicapper to a single digit over night with your new driver. NO ONE gets that distance b/c of a club upgrade. sorry meng. i'm calling bs.

Ok maybe I'm a little hopped up and extremely happy with my experience with this driver.  Bias aside, the numbers I gave were true.  I believe a majority of the added distance came from my ability to swing faster with the stiffer shaft without my hands getting too far in front of the clubface.  My GBB has a similar shaft and I get better distance than I did on my FT-iZ but not as far as the SP2.0TP did.  The FT-iZ would put me in the fairway more cosistently than the GBB.  Therefore, my choice of club between the two was the FT-iZ which I consciencely had to tell my self to swing slower.  The SF2.0TP felt great and put me in the fairway or close everytime I hit it AND I didnt have to slow down my swing.  The amount of control I had was amazing.

I was giving my personal experience, and yes 40-50 yards gain was my personal experience.  If you compare it to my GBB then that number may be closer to 20-15.  A majority of that distance may have been from being able to swing faster rather than head shape, wind resistance, increased COR, etc., but in a game with so many variables there really is no experimental way for someone to justify from one experience that this is the best club in the market.  I'm just trying to share to anyone out there looking for a driver that they should try this line because they could be missing out.

I get annoyed reading some the bs on golf sites.  Casually throwing around "scratch" and "I almost drove the 360 par four" and "my ss is 117-120".  Do they think we buy the fairy tales?   The "average" PGA tour member has a swing speed of 113 mph. That is certifiable. And they keep it in play.  Reading about hitting on launch monitors is absurd.  Hyping themselves is a waste of time.  We all want to be a hero in our own mind but the great game of golf is the equalizer.  It weeds the hero out of his false comfort zone until he faces the reality at the bottom on his scorecard. Keep it real.