For a while now, TaylorMade has been one of the top drivers on tour, and this month, the company is back at it again with their fourth driver release of 2013. Earlier this year we saw the much anticipated R1, the follow up to the R11s, and at the same time the RocketBallz (RBZ) Stage 2. Both of the drivers proved to be fairly popular choices among golfers and found their way into many bags. Those two clubs followed the trend that the company had started a few years ago by featuring white crowns, albeit with more agressive graphics than previous models. A few months ago, however, TaylorMade seemed to stray from the “science of white” and released a black version of the R1, giving the club a more traditional look.
With the release of the SLDR driver, TaylorMade has opted to stay with the more traditional look, and the club has already found its way into the bag of many on the Tour with notable players such as Luke Donald, Brandt Snedeker and Dustin Johnson making the switch. The driver was so popular in fact that the TaylorMade tour van ran out of SLDR heads the first week it was available at the John Deere Classic.
As stated above, TaylorMade has returned to a more traditional look with this club, and a big part of that is the new color scheme. The club features a 460cc head with a crown that has a glossy, dark charcoal finish. Towards the toe is the TaylorMades trademark alignment aid. There are a few other minimal markings on the crown and a small silver sliver along the back of the crown.
Apart from the new color scheme, there are a number of notable features on the new big stick. Moveable Weight Technology (MWT) has long been a staple feature in TaylorMade’s drivers (going back to the R7), and the SLDR has a new take on that. Rather than having different weight ports from which heavier or lighter weights can be swapped out, the SLDR features a weight that slides along the front of the clubs sole. The weight, which comes in at 20 grams, slides along a 21 point channel and depending on its position will help the golfer hit fades or draws by changing where the club’s center of gravity is located. Having the weight closest to the toe of the club will give the most amount of fade, while closest to the heel will promote the most draw.
There’s a rumor that the SLDR head is made out of a cheap Ti-aluminum alloy. It would explain its heavy head and a very low smash factor. I only hope, for the sake of TM , it’s not truth.