There have been a ton of new clubs released in the past few months, and the folks at TaylorMade are jumping into the fray as they have a couple of new drivers, new irons, and a new wedge coming out just in time for spring.
I was able to take a closer look at several of the new offerings while attending the Minnesota Golf Show last month and I think TaylorMade has some pretty nice clubs coming out. I’m looking forward to see if any of their new offerings will knock out my golf bag’s current occupants.
So come along as we check out what TaylorMade has to offer.
Tour Burner Driver
One word can describe the new Tour Burner driver: light. By utilizes what Taylormade calls “Dual Crown technology” where the crown is smaller than the sole and comes in 12% lighter that the Burner driver. Additional weight was saved using their Ultra-Thin Wall casting technology, which allows the walls of the clubhead to be a minuscule 0.55 millimeters thick.
All of the weight saved was moved to create a center-of-gravity (CG) 40% lower “in relation to the center of the clubface than the Burner TP.” The high moment-of-inertia (MOI) of the Tour Burner makes it more stable and forgiving for those of us who don’t always hit the center of the clubface.
Add in TaylorMade’s Inverted Cone technology, which is “characterized by a shallow cone milled directly onto the inner side of the clubface, changes the way the face behaves at impact so that a larger area of the face delivers higher ball speed.” That combination produces an “effective MOI” that comes close to USGA’s limit on MOI.
To help increase your swing speed and give you more distance, the Tour Burner features a 60-gram Superfast shaft with lower torque, a lighter grip, and a club length of 45.5 inches. The Tour Burner is available in April and will carry a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $499 but a quick check of some online retailers shows a price of $399.
The Tour Burner TP has a few differences from the regular Tour Burner such as having a 2° open clubface (compared to square), your choice of three shafts such as the Matrix Ozik Xcon-5 (55-grams), Mitsubishi Diamana Whiteboard 65 (65-grams) and Fujikura Rombax Z 75 (75-grams) and a standard weight grip.
Like the Tour Burner, the TP version will be available in April but you’ll pay a bit more for the upgrades as the manufacturer’s suggested retail price comes in at $699 with a street price of $599.
Tour Burner Irons
The Tour Burner irons have a thin clubface that “delivers high COR for increased ball speed and distance” as well as the Inverted Cone technology featured in their drivers which “enlarges the portion of the clubface that delivers high ball speed, allowing Tour Burner to promote improved ball speed and distance on off-center hits.” More weighting on the toe and heel increases the MOI of the Tour Burner irons for better stability on those pesky off-center hits.
TaylorMade also incorporates something called a “multi-functional sole” which is “beveled at the back to make it perform like a much thinner sole, which increases playability from a variety of lies. The multi-functional sole also features a low and deeper center of gravity that makes it easy to launch the ball on a powerful and penetrating flight.
The Tour Burner irons feature a “tour-inspired clubhead shape” (is everything now “tour-inspired?”) with a medium top-line and moderate offset as well as a chrome-plated satin-buff finish. Also, there is a “badge” that is in the back cavity that due to it’s design and the adhesive used to stick it there helps “to tune the feel and sound at impact.” To me, they are a bit too funky to look at but I typically don’t like a lot of pizazz going on with the back of my irons.
You have the option of either the Burner 105 steel shaft made by True Temper or the graphite Burner REAX 65-gram shaft and either will come with the TaylorMade Tour Velvet made by Golf Pride.
The Tour Burner irons are available from a 2-iron through 9-iron plus a 46° pitching wedge, 55° sand wedge, 50° “attack” wedge and a 60° lob wedge and can be yours in April. A set of Tour Burner irons (3-PW) will run $840 (MSRP) for steel ($699 street) and $1,040 (MSRP) for graphite ($899 street). Individual clubs are available in steel for $105 MSRP (under $90 street) and $135 MSRP for graphite (under $113 street).
Z TP Wedges
The new Z TP wedges feature the new “Z groove that promotes increased spin to help stop the ball more quickly”. Why Z? Well, its because the R&D team “uses letters of the alphabet to name the grooves it develops.” Whatever their reasoning, Z TP wedge sounds pretty cool and it looks good to boot.
The Z groove has 10% more volume than its predessor, the Y-cutter groove, so it has more room to “channel groove-clogging, spin-killing obstacles such as grass, debris and moisture.” Sounds like something I would like in a wedge.
Sharp edges on the Z grooves also help promote “shot-stopping bite.” Like most of the newer wedges out there today, I’m sure the Z TP will gladly eat up a few of your softer-covered balls for lunch. Like previous TaylorMade wedges, the Z TP has the feel pockets on the backside of the clubhead to help lessen vibration from impact to give you a soft and smooth feel. I liked the rac TP wedges so I’m looking forward to giving these a try.
The “smoky-looking PVD” finish looks pretty cool as well. The Z TP wedge is offered in five lofts: 52°, 54°, 56°, 58° and 60°. The 54°, 56°, 58° will feature TaylorMade’s C-grind sole which was developed with input from TaylorMade’s tour staff.
You can add a Z TP wedge to your golf bag in April for a MSRP of $140 and a street price of $120.
r7 CGB MAX Limited Driver
Well the folks who introduced you to Movable Weight Technology (MWT) have raised the bar a bit higher as they have now added SelectFit technology to now allow you to change the shaft of your club. If the number of choices you had before with MWT made you a bit crazy, the 1,071 sets of different launch conditions offered by the r7 CGB MAX Limited will leave you totally befuddled.
The titanium head is slightly different from the standard r7 CGB as it is more rounded than triangular and the red color looks much nicer as well. Your “Tour Van in a Box” comes with the new clubhead with three movable weight ports, three shafts which include the Matrix Ozik Xcon-5 (55-grams), Mitsubishi Diamana Whiteboard 65 (65-grams) and Fujikura Rombax Z 75 (75-grams) as well as a magnetic headcover, nine movable weights, two shaft-securing bolts and a special torque wrench specifically designed for the Limited. All of this fits nicely in it’s own “beautifully designed box.” I’m not sure if the kitchen sink is included, but it very well could be.
I like choices as much as the next guy but I’m not sure if the average golfer has a clue about what shaft is the best for them unless they have spent some quality time on a launch monitor and giving them three shaft choices with the same club seems to be a bit excessive.
Of course, the average golfer probably isn’t going to shell out the $999 it’s going to cost you to put the r7 CGB MAX Limited in your bag either. Don’t get me wrong, its a beautiful looking club and it felt nice when I took a couple swings with it at the Minnesota Golf show but it seems to be marketed for the ultimate “driver geek” who had a lot of extra cash laying around.
It will be interesting to see how TaylorMade uses the SelectFit technology and whether or not it remains just for use in a limited series club or something that will benefit golf retailers as they now don’t have to stock quite as many demo clubs to find the perfect one for you.
Final Thoughts
I always had a thing for TaylorMade drivers as I’ve gone from the 200 Series, the original r7 and last year to the r460 TP so they always are high on my list when I get the urge to check out new drivers. Last year’s Burner didn’t appeal to me too much but the new Tour Burner is one for sure I’ll test out on the launch monitor and the range.
I’m also looking forward to trying out the new Z TP wedges to see how the Z grooves perform. They certainly are some of the nicer looking wedges out there today. Spring can’t get here fast enough.
Just as we’re easing into one of the most onerous recessions in the last 40 years, TaylorMade, Callaway and others ( bless their little corporate heads ) offer us every combination of club head and shaft our dwindling dollars can buy.
I am pleased to be offerred such a range of options, although I doubt that I will often, if ever, take full advantage of the opportunity they present one. Ah well, I guess we are as close as we may be to buying a game. Of course, when genetics can be more readily manipulated, one of my grandchildren may be so manipulated, prior to birth, that he/she will have the physical prowess and talent of Tiger Woods, which, I suppose one could call truly buying a game.
In the meantime, I shall work on my measley swing and grumble about the poor aesthetics of the new Tour Burner irons, illustrated above: the height of technology has reached a new low in appearance.
I am excited about the new wedges. I have the 52 degree TP wedge right now and I really enjoy. I am in the market for a new 60 degree wedge and now I may be waiting for these to hit the market.
http://saturdaygolfer.com/blog/
Those new Taylor irons are easily the ugliest things the company has ever produced, and arguably the cheesiest design I have ever seen from a major manufacterer. They look like they were made by Fisher-Price, not Taylor Made. I have played nothing but Taylor woods since I was in high school 20 years ago, so I am a fan of the company. But good lord. You could get vertigo staring at the backs of these things for too long.
Yeesh!
I just bought a Burner Drvier (draw). It was so good that I can hit longer and no slice!
i LOve how the irons look can’t wait to play with em. am glad so many people dont like the looks so i wont see my clubs in every other golf bag i see 😛
I played with the new burner wedges yesterday. I don’t really care how a club looks as long as it preforms, and these irons preform with a capital P. I am getting the driver in a couple days (the burner) so I guess I will see if my love hate relationship with golf can finally be nothin but love.
i love the new irons and i don’t care what ppl think about the looks its all about how it performs. Kenny Perry recently used them in acouple tourneys so they can’t be bad. SO DONT HATE lol
also btw the ugly flag type things on the back, you cant see them in real life otherwise that would look terrible.
bought the tour burner driver and what a great buy.that good i went and bought the BEAUTIFUL irons as well and they are every bit as good.
I bought the new Tour Burner driver .R flex, 10.5º loft. The club sits slightly closed at address which inspires confidence, and I have hit the fairway consistently with it. I find it almost impossible to slice or hit a big fade, as it seems to track down the middle, or with a draw.
The club is very light, and providing your tempo is there or there abouts, it does the work for you. if you are a hard hitter go for the stiff shaft, but I have to say the choice I made has been awesome for me of a mid h/cap.
H/cap 15
Marbella
Spain
I just bought the Tour Burner 10.5 R after demoing a variety of drivers from TaylorMade, Callaway, Cleveland, Titleist, MacGregor. I think it’s impossible to say what will work best for any one person. It depends on you and your swing. I was slicing the Cleveland, and the guy next to me on the range was absolutely loving it.
For me, there was a big difference between the one I bought and all the others. But I also found a big difference between the TourBurner 10.5 R and the 10.5 S.
So, on to the club itself. Wow. It is long. The ball just seems to hang up there for a long time. With my old driver, I usually hit 235-245 yard drives (I know we all like to think we hit 250 yard drives, but almost no one really hits it that far consistently). If I really put a good move on the ball, I might drive it 260 once in a while.
With this driver, my average drive seems to be 260. Two drives today were 290 (downhill, with roll, but still, 290? Never, ever put the ball there before).
I can work it both ways. I can consistently fade it when I need to.
More than the pick up in distance, though, is the consistency. I know when I ordinarily would pull hook it if I’m a bit too quick from the top, or if I slide and slice it, there is a larger margin of safety and I might end up on the left or right edge of the fairway, instead of in the trees between fairways.
Still, though, you have to put a good move on the ball. You can still slice it to the next fairway or duck hook it if you’re not careful. But you can get away with a bit more than with older drivers. A nice smooth swing is all you need.
Bought it, put it in my bag, played my first round with it today, and shot my best round of the year.
😀
just bought the tour burner 10.5 s today, loved the feel and consistency. first game with it tomorrow and captains prize on sunday, c’ant wait… 😎
I’m thinkin of gettin the tour burner irons and i dont care if they look a bit different as long as they play well. But are they too good for a 18 handicapper. any responses back would be appriciaciated.
I’m a 20 handicapper and I don’t think they are “too good” for me. Sure they don’t give that much back if you don’t hit the sweetspot, but I like them anyways. Love how they feel and the weight is nice as well. (Real Tour-irons is a bit too light for my taste so far) Bought them a week ago, and they are starting to like me as much as I like them. So if you don’t care about how they look (I like them though), go get em!
Would these irons be good for a 12 year old 4 handicaper? 😐
Traded in Cleveland Hi Bore XL for newer XLS model, which turned out to be a big mistake. Desperately needed a replacement. Decided to buy the Tour Burner 9.5* with stiff shaft to go with the already owned R7 TP irons. Couldn’t be happier with the results. First ball hit with a smooth and relaxed swing carried 250-260 yds with the head still in original plastic and taped. Consistency was there after several tries. Took off the wrapping and tape, ball carried 270-280 yds with good roll out. Couldn’t believe the consistency in terms of trajectory and shot dispersion. So far, the best driver ever owned. Thank you Taylor Made!
I just bought a Taylor Made Tour Bruner driver. It is super light, and the impact feels nice. However, I always had stiff shafts and I found this one partulary stiff…. it is just me or it is more stiff than usual ???
I just purchased the Tour Burner Irons…….WOW……Straight……high and on the greens.
No, Brian. The Tour Burner shafts in the mid flex range are a normal stiff, but Taylormade tipped the end of the shaft to make it stiffer. So, to answer your question, the middle of the shaft is stiff while the tip is closer to an x-stiff. My advice, go ahead and stay with the stiff flex. You’ll get used to the tip.
Looks don’t really mean anything. If you had played these clubs rather than just look at them you wouldn’t care what they look like. They are fantastic. So go be ignorant and make stupid comments somewhere else.
I bought the Taylormade Tour Burner Driver as a father’s day gift. I had a coupon and it was on clearance so I got a really good deal.
I’m returning to the game after a 30+ year layoff. The first club I purchased was the TB driver. Next will be a putter.
I have the 10.5/Reg/65 LH model. It is light and a breeze to swing. I have been able to hit the fairways consistently. I have also been able to outdrive my son a couple of times.
Very pleased! Thanks Taylormade for a great club. Worth the investment.
I am a high but rapidly improving high handicapper who has played with many Taylor Made iron sets made since 1998. Burner LCG’s, Firesole, 320’s. Series 300 wedges, Forged 300’s, and now Tour Burner. I put together a set of TB’s one at a time 4-PW for $288 new. Played with the 4,6,PW first w R flex graphite, decided I liked them and proceeded to get the rest in various shafts. Now am putting on TB 105 S flex on all. What is clear to me as a 25 Hdcp is that like the 300’s, 320’s, and 300 wedges, one must hit these correctly to get results, but not as perfectly as the early models due to the weighting and the ICT (inverted cone technology). The titanium face can make some hits (high on face) seem very harsh, but results are there. If you look at the Burner LCG’s as compared to the new TB’s, one sees a great similarity in design in terms of the extreme heel/toe weighting. The LGC’s with the midsize face (but larger than the TB’s) are really easy to hit, and with the soft steel used at the time provide great feel. I get about 5-10 more yards out of the TB’s as compared to the LCG’s mostly due I think to the lighter shaft of the TB’s (TT 105 v.s. DG R300). The Firesoles have the same cavity design as the 300 series irons and wedges and are my favorite clubs to use. They have the same face profile as the LCG’s so are forgiving but are special due to the use of various metals through the set. Firesoles were the first irons ever to use this concept and each club is optimized to acheive its particular function. In my opinion the firesoles are the best irons TM ever made. But what I am really saying is that once the cavity back iron was developed, iron technology really has not changed that much. I enjoy the new TB’s and even at my level they perform as advertised (workable, trajectory, feel, distance). I look forward to improving my swing and using the TB’s as my regular irons and really take advantage of their construction. But for comfort and reliability I will go back to my Firesole’s and LCG’s when the swing isn’t quite there.
TM Pro-
From a professional designer-
I’m guessing you’re not the moderator here, so I’ll go ahead and suggest that uglande can say anything he wants. A commentary on design is absolutely valid, and more so considering he’s not discussing performance.
I think they look like a 1980s high school art class all collaborated (and failed) on a “graphic design marketing” assignment. However, that failure would not be expressed, and, instead, everyone just said how proud they are and hung it in the glass case in the hallway.
Context has a lot to do with perception. There’s no NASCAR logo to be seen. It’s just a bad design.
BTW, just bought the Tour Burner 10.5 w/a stiff shaft and took it to the range today. Loving it.
Have been playing the tb irons for 2 monthes, a huge upgrade from my big bertha irons. love the workability just ordered the r7 cgb limited to try and replace my superquad. will be hard to do though it holds a special place in my bag.i guess if you are looking at the back of every ones irons your not driving the ball far enough. donovan Thornton 8 handicap
Just played my Tour Burner 10.5 for the first time last Friday.
For the record, I’ve never owned/used one of the “new design type” driver (big face, forgiving) and have always been pensive about hitting off the tee with a driver.
No more. After Friday, really, for the first time, I look into whipping it off the tee.
The club was really comfortable and sure, I lost a few balls – including one that just sliced high and way far out of sight.. – but I’m really looking forward to gaining yardage from the tee I was always holding back on for fear of not getting the sweet spot.
Summary.. I like it 😉
Would The 10.5 reg flex TB be a good driver for someone that is relatively new to the sport or should I say at beginner level? I have right now a 10.5 reg flex Top Flite and have been playing for about 5 months and Im not really happy with the Club.