I could take the easy route here, and make a joke about TaylorMade’s frequent driver releases; to be quite honest, it was the first thing that came to mind. The problem is that too often, we overlook the qualities of great clubs and improvements in technology at the expense of getting in a quick jab.
Nevertheless, TaylorMade’s constant technology and innovation push has it’s share of supporters. And why shouldn’t it? The r7 line was one of the most successful in history. Even last year, a number of people spotted Retief Goosen playing the r7 SuperQuad, even in the midst of TaylorMade’s massive R9 marketing push. The Burner line has also historically been extremely successful, thanks in part to incorporating a healthy amount of forgiveness at an affordable price. So how does TaylorMade continue to build on such a solid pair of drivers? Read on to find out!
Burner SuperFast Driver
What makes the new Burner SuperFast different than its previous iterations? For starters, TaylorMade put it on the golf club equivalent of the Subway diet, making it 14 grams lighter than the ’07 and ’09 Burners. Why shed the weight? Quite simply, a lighter club leads to greater clubhead speed through the hitting zone, which can generate higher ball speeds and longer distances off the tee.
The weight isn’t the only factor playing into swinging this club faster. By using simple aerodynamics, TaylorMade was able to increase the rate in which the head cuts through the air (via the reduction in drag). While doing this, they somehow found a way to increase the size of the clubface by 14% over last year’s Burner. The clubface now spans 4,500 square millimeters. The extreme MOI of this driver means that you’ll get a great deal of forgiveness across that large face.
In an effort to further reduce the overall weight of the club, TaylorMade used the ultra-light Matrix Ozik Xcon 4.8 shaft. Not only is the shaft extremely light, it is also tip-soft, meaning that it will help the club produce more ball speed, with more spin and a higher launch, all of which can lead to greater distances off the tee.
Continuing with the concept of faster swing speed through the overall reduction of weight, the new Winn Lite grip tops off the Burner SuperFast. While weighing only 30 grams (14 grams lighter than Burner ’09’s grip), the Winn Lite manages to maintain the same feel of the previous stock grips.
The Burner SuperFast also makes use of the Dual-Crown technology, which has been a major component of the Burner drivers for a couple of years now. The Dual-Crown technology effectively helps relocate the center of gravity low and deep, further promoting a higher launch and an increase in spin.
TaylorMade states that the larger face is important because the average player is going to have a harder time consistently hitting the sweet spot with such a long club – the Burner SuperFast is 46.5″ long, a full inch and a half longer than “standard” and two inches longer than the average driver length on the PGA Tour. Not to be Debbie Downer here, but perhaps someone should point out that shorter clubs are more controllable and better contact is a great way to add distance, too.
Among the other changes, the Burner SuperFast’s face increases the bulge and roll design to more effectively maximize forgiveness on off-center contact. Also contributing to the forgiving nature of this club is the Inverted Cone Technology, which has been found on TaylorMade drivers for quite a while now. In a nutshell, the Inverted Cone Technology promotes a faster ball speed, even when contact is made outside the sweet spot.
Options and Availability
In addition to the men’s version there is also a ladies Burner SuperFast on the way, which will make use of a more feminine color scheme. There will be three lofts available – 9.5, 10.5, and HT, along with five shaft flex options ranging from Ladies to X-Stiff. Look for them to hit your nearest retailer in mid-February at a price of $299.
Burner SuperFast Fairway Woods
A lot of the same design characteristics found in the Burner SuperFast driver has been carried over to the Burner SuperFast fairway woods, and maintain the same concept of helping the golfer generate a faster club speed (and longer distance) via a reduction in weight. At an overall weight of 301 grams, not only is the new Burner SuperFast lighter than the Burner ’08, it is also a half-inch longer and has a deeper face. Created out of 17-4 steel, the 200 cubic centimeter head is the largest steel fairway wood ever created by TaylorMade.
Options and Availability
Three lofts are available: a 13° 2-wood, a 15° 3-wood, and a 17° 5-wood. Like it’s larger sibling, the same flex options are available to meet the needs of all swing speeds. They will launch on the same day as the SuperFast Driver for $199.
R9 Driver
Early last year the equipment world was introduced to the 420cc TaylorMade R9, which marked the first time the company made use of Flight Control Technology, or FCT for short, which essentially helped the player promote a draw or fade, via the use of a grooved hosel fitting. This grooved fitting would allow the shaft to be removed, turned, re-seated, and tightened again, effectively opening or closing the clubface up to 2° in either direction. Combined with the extremely popular Moveable Weight Technology (MWT), the original R9 was a technician’s dream, though only if the technician preferred the smaller 420cc head.
The R9 460 would follow shortly thereafter, though devoid of the longtime favorite MWT. Still, with this advancement, a lot of fans of TaylorMade’s highly successful 460cc r7 line were left wondering, “where’s the MWT?” Now, those longing for the ultimate in adjustability can finally have the best of both worlds, packed into a more forgiving, 460cc head in the form of the new R9 SuperTri.
TaylorMade’s Todd Beach, Senior Director of Metalwood Development, had this to say:
Those two drivers were created because TaylorMade didn’t yet have the ability to combine both FCT and MWT in a 460cc head. A year later, we do.
Todd Beach, TaylorMade
So what can be expected from the newest iteration of the R9? The combination of FCT, MWT, and a 460cc head allow for a number of improvements over last year’s versions. First off, the new SuperTri launches the ball higher, and with more spin, thanks to the center of gravity being located two millimeters further back than in last year’s model. Effectively, the higher launch and increase in spin can leads to more distance over the original R9 and R9 460. Like the original, TaylorMade says that the golfer can change his shot shape up to 75 yards laterally.
As far as forgiveness goes, the Inverted Cone Technology is still present, expanding the hotter area of the face that will produce a fast ball speed and getting the player further down the fairway, even on off center contact. The crown has also been reshaped in an effort to reduce air drag as the head cuts through the air on its way to the ball. It does this despite the fact that the face of the SuperTri is the deepest of any MWT TaylorMade driver to date, measuring a full 62mm. All of these qualities are well and good, but what will most likely catch your attention first is the dark color scheme of the head. Reminiscent of the r7 SuperQuad, the SuperTri has a gorgeous black PVD clubface that works beautifully with the primarily black sole.
The stock model features the Fujikura Motore 60-gram shaft, which complements the idea of reducing the weight of the club. Being five grams lighter than last year’s Motore isn’t the only thing special about this shaft; it also helps to increase distance by giving the club a higher launch angle as well as an increase in spin rate.
Options and Availability
Included with the club is a single 16-gram weight screw, along with two 1-gram screws, as well as the wrench needed to take advantage of the FCT and of course a headcover (which can be seen below). There are four lofts available; 8.5°, 9.5°, 10.5°, and 11.5°. The stock Fujikura Motore comes in five flexes, L-flex being the softest available and X-Stiff being the stiffest. If the TP option is more you’re liking, you’ll get the same head, but with wider variety of premium shafts which include the Aldila Voodoo, the Mitsubishi Fubuki, and the Matrix Ozik. The R9 SuperTri will be available mid-February at a price of $399 ($499 for the TP option).
Looks like the adjustable hosel on the Super Tri is different than the hosel on last year’s R9’s go figure that TM wouldn’t let you swap shafts with last year’s models if you wanted.
TaylorMade are starting to confuse me. I have r7 draw driver reg shaft soft tip and although I have gained some accuracy I have definitely lost distance. I am looking to change, but after reading article I am left totally mixed up. I am unsure which model would be best for me.
Anyone else think that the purported increase in distances with lighter driver heads across the board may have more to do with the progressive increase in shaft length across the board than the actual technology. If TM, cleveland, etc. can prove an extra 5-10 yards while keeping length under 45.5, I’ll be convinced.
Look at the words above from the article… so sad. A OEM produces a club with a larger face as they knowingly made it so long in shaft nobody can hit the centre… well at least they admit it.
I owned the 2009 burner and sold it… found the shaft too long. Made inconsistent centre contact… now they make a shaft even longer. how said, i have improved in game and handicap over the years… but not in driver distance. I actually have gone down a bit and i believe its due to longer and longer shafts… its why i sought out and bought a 2007 tm tp, i love tm drivers but not the silly lenght. at least the 2007 is a shorter length at 45.5 which is within realm of reasonableness.
Are Taylor Made taking the p*&&(it’s an english term!) or is it just me??!!!
I find the Sand Trap’s reviews to be extremely reliable and very helpful and look forward to reading them.
They keep saying that the new heads on the drivers are higher launch and higher spin. That’s all well and good if you have a slow swing speed, but from that I reckon anyone with a faster swing speed will end up with a ballooning ball flight due to too much spin, which would then mean a lose in distance.
I agree the spin speed would be a problem with someone who’s swing is on the fast side. I think most handicap players have this problem. The only solution is to demo a number of drivers to see what is best for you, but do not buy on first demo. Do not be frightened to go back another day and go through the procedure again.
I have an R9 (420CC0 and I love it. I lowered my handicap from over 11 to 6 last year when I switched to this club. It is easy to hit and easy to shape shots with it. BUT NOW, I want the new R9 tri 460. If anyone was thinking of buying a new Taylormade Driver, stop and just go buy 1
I love the look of the sole on the Burner Superfast Driver. That giant ‘1’ is simple, but great.
That said, there is no way I’m playing a club 46.5″ long. And since they took weight out of the head, putting in a shorter shaft will require more additional adjustments to get the swingweights right than is worth it.
can we expect a burner tp version?
Shaft length is getting out of hand! Pretty soon we’ll all be able to play 18 holes without leaving the car park!
The 2 problems with longer shafts and bigger heads are; #1 more difficult fo hit the ball with the centre of the club and #2 with ever increasing MOI of larger heads causing a resistance to head rotation through the swing, for most players leading to the clubhead arriving at the ball open thus causing either a push, slice or both.
I had my driver trimmed to 45.5″ when it was re-gripped and generate about the same distance but its coming out of the middle more and I hit 2-3 more fareways on average per round.
The craze for distance needs to be tempered by a search for more second shots from the short stuff.
The only reason for the shaft adapter in the new R9 looking different from last years, was to save weight, a common theme in the 2010 design, they use less metal in the new adapter and have managed to make it 3 grams lighter. However as the owner of 3 2009 R9s and a supertri, i can tell you that the old adapter fits and works in the supertri just fine, i wouldnt have bought the new one if my rombax 8z08 wouldnt slot into it, the shaft is more important to me than the head.
Over the weekend I was hitting the Burner superfast and the R9 supertri side by side. I am leaning towards the Burner after hitting the two.
I am 6’4″ so the long shaft probably doesn’t affect me quite as much but I had no trouble getting the club back to square and make solid contact. I think it is the total package TM has put together with the head, shaft and grip. The swing weight is D8 so I had no trouble feeling where the head was through out the entire swing.
The R9 has a much lower trajectory. The shaft was NU and the heavy weight was in the back so the club was setup in a neutral position.
Distance wise the burner was 5 to 10 yards longer than the R9 for me.
If you are looking to decide between the two the $150 saved buying the Burner can be used for a couple of lessons to swing the extra long club.
I just purchased the Super Tri and I love it! I has a softer end of the shaft by the head witch leads to a longer drive every time!
My current gamer is a 10.5° Superquad TP with a 75g V2 stiff. I recently bought an R9 460 TP 9.5° with the stock Fuji Motore 65 S on closeout and will likely add a SuperTri TP to the inventory in the next month or two. Today was the real day on the course with the R9 460 and I was pleased even with the stock shaft. Everything stayed in play and even the bad ones ended up very playable. Has anyone used the SuperTri or R9 460 with a V2 or 757 Speeder? I would like the movable weights with the adjustable hosel, but I want to keep the spin under control. Thanks.
Yes I would like to comment on the fact that this articule keeps saying that an increase in spin rate increases the distance which is the complete opposite. All you have to do is watch a tour event and watch their numbers. VERY rarely do you see a touring pro with a spin rate over 2600 rpm. Your average player is probly over 4000. The “new” way to play is hit it high with low spin to get max carry. I mean think about it. If you hit a lot of spin on a driver when it lands it will stop. If it doesn’t have much spin then it will hit and go. Just wanted to clear that up. Because I have seen a few spots where people are saying an increase in spin increases distance.
I hit both the Burner Superfast and the TriSpeed at a demo day yesterday. The Burner was 10.5 degrees with stiff matrix stock shaft. The Trispeed was 9.5 degrees with stiff Motore stock shaft. The trispeed is really good. But the Burner is simply the longest driver I have ever hit. IThe Taylor Made rep said he thought the Trispeed was better for me due to the higher weight and that 9.5 was a good ball flight. But he wasn’t around when I tried the burner. Its like, when is that thing coming down. I consider myself a former big hitter, current average hitter ~260ish and the Burner was more than a flash back. Still, I am going to go back and try the Trispeed 10.5 for two reasons. I like the fact that I can go with 1 degree closed for now and possibly with swing improvements adjust to neutral. THe other is it just plain looks cool. Opposite of a yellow square Nike. ALso, Neither ballooned on me – I am not sure why the story references high spin.
Hey thanks for this very important article of information im not very tall im wondering if u cut down the burner superfast down 2 or 3 inchess will it affect the clubs performance
I just purchased the R9 10.5 SuperTRI with the Stiff Motore shaft. I’m disappointed with this driver so far. With my moderately fast swing, the ball carries only 230-240yrds with almost no roll. The 10.5 degree head with the Motore shaft causes the ball to seriously balloon very high and generates very little roll. This driver plays very similar to my older R7 SuperQuad with more options.
My current gamer R9 10.5 TP with after-market Matrix Ozik HD6 shaft produces a boring trajectory that carries 250-260 and rolls 20+ yards. When I swapped shafts, there was less ballooning but the total distance was still less. I probably should have purchased the 9.5 TP SuperTRI instead.
Joe,
Thanks for the post. I’ve been trying to decide between the 9.5 & 10.5 SuperTri TP. Luckily, I live close to TGW and can take advantage of their 30 day playability deal, just waiting for good enough weather to get enough days out with it. I didn’t care for the Motore shaft in the R9 460 TP I bought (my 10.5 Superquad w/ the V2 75 blew it away side by side at the end od my last range session) So the R9 is getting dumped on craigslist to offset the SuperTri a little. It appears the V2 isn’t a readily available option so I’m planning on a Fubuki 73 and probably the 9.5° now.
I played out on the course for the first time this past friday and saturday with the R9 super tri 9.5 stiff shaft. The results from this driver are awesome. My previous driver was the R5 dual 10,5 with a flex shaft and I was htting that about 240 to 250 yards. In two rounds I am now averaging about 280 to 290 yards. I drove two greens as well which shows the accuracy that it had as well. I did not purchase the tp version but i feel like it couldnt have hurt either.
I bought the Super Tri a little while ago and only hit about 100 drives with it before taking it to the course to play. It is by far the best driver I have ever hit bar none. All they say it will do it does. The accuracy of the miss hits is awesome. The feel on flush hits is like the ball is melting into the face and the ball reaches its max. height as quick as any driver I’ve ever hit. I played 36 holes this weekend and used this driver on holes I would never use a driver on before, the results were great. I had friends I played with hit it and one went out and bought one the same day. His old driver was a R9 only a year old and he hit my super tri better and longer. If they come out with a super tri fairway it will be in the bag. Great club, good looking for a big head and almost swings its self. The shaft was very responsive and the only negitive is the grip had to change the grip to a cord (I’ve played cords for 30 years). All in all a great club.
Paul,
What shaft/loft combo did you get? I finally ordered the TP version 10.5° with the Fubuki 73 S. Hopefully will have it by this weekend.
Paul I to would like to know what combo of shaft/loft you got for the Super Tri?
Thanks
I just spent 95 minutes with Trac man sytem to fit a new driver. Going in I was sure it would come down to a close call between Ping G15 and Callaway FTiz. The winner was Taylor R9 Tri; stiff shaft; 10.5 degrees and one-degree closed face. It did not feel the best but I went with what the trac man data said.
I am normally a pretty harsh and skeptical guy when it comes to my golf clubs. I am a 4 handicap and typically score from my distance off the tee which leads to a lot a wedges in. I have hit the SuperQuad TP 8.5 for the last 3 years and just got a new SuperTri TP 8.5 3 days ago. It was actually brought to me at the turn during a round at my local club. As skeptical as I typically am, I have to admit that from the first swing with the SuperTri, I have hit it better than I have ever hit the SuperQuad. To be fair, before I teed off on 10, I swapped my weights to set it up as close to my Superquad config as possible. I have picked up about 15 yards across the board on flush and mishits and have more control than I have had in years. I honestly didn’t realize how hard the Superquad was for me to hit until I hit this club. I guess I don’t understand the concern about distance loss with this club on here based on swing speed. I regularly hit the ball over 300 yards and have picked up distance so I wouldn’t let that concern sway you away from this club. Good luck and make a alot of birdies!
I dont see what all the fuss is with the longer shafts. If the length bothers you and you are not hitting it out the middle a simple solution would be to move your hands down the shaft by an inch or so. This also promotes a good feeling and better control over the club head.
I have just purchased a 9.5 deg , reg shaft R9 Supertri and love the club.
Bought the Taylor Burner Superfast 6 weeks ago. I’m 5’6″ with a 6 handicap and have no trouble hitting this club. It is by far the longest driver I’ve ever hit, with lots of carry. Mine is 9.5 degree stiff. Last year bought the Ping driver used it 6 times and then put it in my locker forever.
The Taylor is great on mishits and when you put one in the center of the club it just goes forever.
I bought the R9 after reading all the great reviews. All I can say is save your money and take a lesson from a golf pro. I bought the R 9 to stop my slice and after my purchase of the R9 i slice more with it then any other driver I have tried.
Terry,
First off I am assuming that the r9 that you are talking about is the super tri and secondly the reason that you are slicing is because you are coming over the top of the ball instead of the inside. It not the drivers fault. I own the supertri and my distance increased up from 260 to around 280 or 290. If you really have problem then utilize the driver for what it was made for. put the 16 g wieght in the heel and if you need to, turn the flight control to left.
I bought the diablo driver N last year and I felt that it corrected any mishit shots but it wasn’t very long…I was hitting that driver on average about 265 yds. After testing out the r9 supertri, I wound up shooting my best round of golf (81) and I was piping the ball straight and long 285-315 yds. It made for the game to be a lot simpler when you take a 400 yd hole and leave yourself only wedge shots in instead of mid iron and/or long irons. I am picking up the R9 Supertri today and replacing the Diablo, anyone want a Diablo?
Jim, I have the R9 tp with matrix code 7 shaft, and Super Tri tp with Fubaka stiff. Both are 9.5 and I hit about the same distance with both. The R9 is easier to hit straight. Probably because the Code shaft is really my favorite. Have it in my woods and love it. The Super Tri sometimes feels like I nailed it but no roll. I was confused about the settings and was hitting a slight cut with both. I had them on N setting moved to L and hit it left but still slight fade. Went to R and started slight high hook This sounds backwards to what these settings are supposed to do. O well bot a SuperFast today and am excited to try it tomorrow. Love this game
How does more spin translate to more distance. The ideal driver is high launch with low spin. I can see how more spin would give you a higher launch, but you will get no roll. Every good player I know is looking for less spin.
I was using TM R7 Draw Driver 10.5 degrees with regular shaft torque. With this club, my average drives were 210 to 230 with high ball flight and little rolll.
I just purchased TM Supertri 9.5 degrees with stiff shaft torque, FCT left and MWT balanced. WOW! My driving distance is now 230 to 260 with high trajectory but more penetrating than before yielding roll. Moreover, my misses have less dispersion (esp to right) with greater length.
I am 24 handicap player and have been playing golf for 4.5 years. I fully endorse the TM Supertri and hope that my experience would be helpful to others thinking of changing drivers.
Hi, I love my R9 SuperTri but I am wondering about getting additional weights. Given that it comes with 1 – 16 gram and 2 – 1 gram weights, there isn’t a lot of changing you can do without totally throwing of the balance. I am thinking of moving the 16 to the heel, get a 14 for the toe, but I’m not sure about the rear weight. What is everyone’s experience with additional weights, especially moving more of the weight forward?
More spin = more distance? A buddy bought the new Superfast Burner, longer shaft and more spin to get that extra distance. In reality it all really became more mishits, more drives in the trees right and left and no more distance than his previous 07 Burner. One outing I brought some ghost tape and taped up the face, that takes out a lot of spin due to the soft face. Then we put a tape line on the grip at 45 inches. Told my buddy to keep his grip below the tape line and swing away with all he had. Five fairway drives straight down the middle and about 15 yards more distance that the same club gave him before. We did replace the ghost tape on the 3rd hit to keep it fresh. 95% of most mid to high handicappers can’t control a 56.5″ inch driver. The fact that ” two inches longer than the average driver length on the PGA Tour” should tell you a lot. If you don’t have a good swing the extra length won’t buy you length, just missed fairways. The reduction in backspin from the ghost tape allowed the ball to roll a lot more than check up on the bounce and stop quicker. why no grooves on Drivers like irons have is because grooves equate to backspin and less but controlled club distance. Club just sold on EBay and the old 07 model is back in my buddy’s bag, rep-gripped after shortening the shaft. Newer isn’t always better. The big problem we have these days is not one company backs up the claims on printed proved data, might be it doesn’t exists. Point to mention is why was the ad campaign for burner irons claim “to out hit any iron in your bag” dropped after 60 days? Maybe there was more fiction that truth in all these unsubstantiated claims?
I would like to ask if someone measured his swing speed after and before buying these new clubs to really know if the increase in distance comes from a higher swing speed.
If the swing speed was measured, I would like to know what the differential was, and how that speed increase was used to select the shaft and its stiffness.
If I am not wrong, the swing speed should be much higher since the shaft of the club is one to two inches longer than previous models, and the head of the club, grip, etc., are lighter.
To optimize such increase of club head speed the shaft should be carefully selected.
Thank you,
AZ
I was hoping to finish off my new Callaway set with the FT-iZ driver, then the club pro handed me the Superfast, OMG this thing was awesome. I hit 5 perfect draw shots in a row. I tried the SuperTri and did nearly the same, but the Burner was some much lighter it felt like I did even need to try to hit it and it went a long way. I think I’ll just buy both the Superfast and the Super Tri. When ones not working, just switch to the other.
I think I’ll be dumping the Callaway bag clubs and starting over with some TM clubs, R9 irons, Superfast Driver.
I have played R9 (10.5 degree, stiff, stock) for about 2 months and just switched to R9 Supertri (10.5 degree, Reg flex, TP Fubuki 63). I have actually lost distance (15-20 yds) from R9 because of the stiff flex. With the supertri, I got my distance back and the ball flight is much higher compare to regular R9. It’s also easier to hit compare to R9.
I guess I am a glutton for punishment, but I have stuck with Taylormade drivers for the last 6 years. Unfortunately, I am one of those golfers that doesn’t hit the center of the face and because of that I have had 4 stright drivers where I have “dented” the toe area of the club. So far I have had no issue in getting replacements, but this design flaw if very disconcerting…considering the money spent on these clubs.
Should I apologize or be penalized for having a high swing speed without the ability to hit it in the middle of the face every time?
Anyone have thoughts on the 8.5 Supertri with regular Fubuki Rayon 63 shaft?
would you have it sen flex if os how much
How come so many of you blokes have multiple drivers?? I’m still hitting an R510, 85gm Pro Gold X stiff around 280yds, fairly consistently. I’m upgrading to a Superfast TP because after hitting it at a demo day out the end of the range, it’s gotta go in the bag!!
Did you ever get a reply regarding the weights? Mine is currently 8 heel, 6 toe, and 2 @ rear. Taylor Made indicated that the 16 distribution puts the club at a D4. I am thinking to increase the heel to 12, 8 toe, and leave the 2@ rear. Reason I want to increase the weight is to reduce the ball flight’s height. Lower ball flight will give me more roll and possibly eliminate the “lift and clean” after the initial landing. Currently using a 9.5 with R std shaft. Probably should have stayed with the S shaft which I also used for a demo, but at my age the R seemed to be a more reasonable flex. Club Pro indicated that I could cure the height issue with weight distribution but when TaylorMade did not recommend going over the total weight as it was delivered, I gave in. After this is finished, I will make the change as indicated above and try it tomorrow.
I demoed one, played a round at my usual course and was a serious buyer But, moving the weights around, while it did have an effect, was confusing and sometimes counterproductive. In the end, I set it all at neutral and adjusted my swing to get the ball flight I wanted. I’d say it was a good driver but in the end, I bought something that fit my needs without all the BS gimmicks. To me, the shaft became the final decision point, not the head or it’s many adjustments.
I have had the 09 version of the R9 460 10.5, with a swing speed constitantly between 105 and 108 i carry this driver about 290yrds but with no roll at all because of the super high spin rate!! i just bought a R9 super tri 9.5 and am waiting for it to get here. I sure hope what you all are saying is true about the super tri. can’t wait to go hit it!!!