TaylorMade R7 425/460

[NCGolfer]

I will have a more in-depth review coming in March, but thought I'd post a few thoughts here first. I've hit the 425 a bunch of times now and had a good chance to get a feel for the club. I'm still going to get it on the range some more to work with it.

The Good

• Solid looking club. I really like changes they made to it. This club will look good in any bag.
• Improved distance. I probably hit this club a bit further than my 905s. Not enought to 'WOW' me, but when both are struck well, it is a shade longer.
• Solid shaft & construction. Some TM's feel a bit cheap (VERY light) to me. I love my TM TP Hybrid though and hoped that the same feel would be there for the 425 and, for the most part, it is. The Fujikura shaft in the 425 is comporable to the 905s Fujikura...which I love.

The Bad

• Light. The club feels too light in the head to me. The 425 didn't feel as bad light as other drivers, but it still is too light for me. I may see if I can replace some of lighter removeable weights with heaver ones and not sacrifice the trajectory.
• Setup. This is a bit picky, but I had to forward-press my hands a bit more with the 425. Not a biggie, but it was noticable.
• Speaking of trajectory...The 425 I received was a 9.5 and even though the configuration was set up for a 'high' trajectory, I didn't hit it nearly as high as my 9.5 905s. I expected the ball to come off a bit higher and was disappointed. My normal trajectory is low, and the 425 made it low enough to scare the groundhogs.
• Control. I did not control the ball nearly as well as the Titleist (or even the Alpha for that matter). This was probably the most disappointing part of the 425. It probably has to do with the weight (or lack thereof)...but I only hit the thing close to my target maybe 40% of the time.

Again, I'm going to take the 425 out a couple more times and see if there were some 'other' factors at work, but I like to alternate drivers while I'm hitting to reduce the amount of 'swing issues' in a review. I hit the TM and the Titleist on back to back numerous times and came up with the above results.

I'll report back after my next session and let you know if it changes. Again, look for a much more in-depth review in the next month or so. Please post any questions or other things you would want me to test out with this driver.

[Donald MacKenzie]

Dave: Are you testing the standard or TP version of the driver? With your swing, I'm sure you'd benefit from the stronger shaft and larger set of weight options that the TP has. Just a thought.

I've heard that one of the advantages of the R7 425 over the original R7 is actually higher ball flight in general. Actual mileage may vary, eh?

[NCGolfer]

Dave: Are you testing the standard or TP version of the driver? With your swing, I'm sure you'd benefit from the stronger shaft and larger set of weight options that the TP has. Just a thought.

It's the standard version. I wish I could get my hands on the TP...for the reasons you specify

I've heard that one of the advantages of the R7 425 over the original R7 is actually higher ball flight in general. Actual mileage may vary, eh?

Yeah. I never gave the original R7 a good workout, but if it was lower I might have killed a few groundhogs.

[Rafcin]

Dave: Are you testing the standard or TP version of the driver?

The difference is the weights selection only, isn't? I sure hope the screws are the same as the "old" r7, so I can still tinker with it... I'm really close to getting one (my old 510 lost the weight cartridge during my last outing, I'm driverless...

)

[mediaguru]

I hope they fixed the distance issue. Both the r7's I tried and the r5 Dual TP were about 20 yards shorter than my 983 and about 30 yards shorter than my G2.

(Tooting his own horn): This is my 300th post here!

[NCGolfer]

Bit of an update here...

I took the 425 out to hit some balls at lunch today with a friend. I felt better about my swing and was hitting everything well, including the 425. It was much straighter, but still a little lacking on the trajectory (height-wise). My friend is a TM guy who has the old 500. He hit the 425 and really, really liked it. I saw him hit it at least 30 yards longer.

I'm going to use it this Friday during my round and see how it performs on the course.

[iowa_hacker]

How does it compare to Nike's SasQuatch? Actually, I'd probably be more interested in the other TM (460?) that isn't out yet.

[NCGolfer]

How does it compare to Nike's SasQuatch? Actually, I'd probably be more interested in the other TM (460?) that isn't out yet.

Haven't hit the Nike SQ yet. Next time I'm on the range, I'll see if I can get it and give a comparison. Someone else may have hit both...

[PSUGolfPro]

I hope they fixed the distance issue. Both the r7's I tried and the r5 Dual TP were about 20 yards shorter than my 983 and about 30 yards shorter than my G2.

Compared to everything that I have hit, which is alot of drivers on the market....I would have said the R7 was one of the longest drivers I have hit over the Cobra's....Maybe just cause Im a freak

[670forged]

R7 425 knocked the Titleist 905S out of the bag. It maybe only 5 yards longer but man is this club forgiving. 12 of 14 fairways today and 11 of 14 yesterday. I won't be looking at another driver for a long time. The stock shaft is staying in and I for the first time do not have to re-shaft.

Mike

[alexlax12]

I've recently looked into the r7 425 myself. I'm torn between that, the Sasquatch Tour, or waiting for the 905r. Anyway one major turn-off for me is the offset. I dont know how the actual numbers compare, but when you set the r7(400cc) down next to the new r7(425) its noticably more offest(at least it appears). Now this is the regular version, the TP has a slightly open face at address which looks more visualy appealing, to me anyway.

[iacas]

I've recently looked into the r7 425 myself. I'm torn between that, the Sasquatch Tour, or waiting for the 905r. Anyway one major turn-off for me is the offset. I dont know how the actual numbers compare, but when you set the r7(400cc) down next to the new r7(425) its noticably more offest(at least it appears). Now this is the regular version, the TP has a slightly open face at address which looks more visualy appealing, to me anyway.

And you pay $300 more for it, too. Woo!

[alexlax12]

Hey, I'm not saying I'll buy the TP version, in my mind, its not worth the actual $400 more at all.

[rs4duke]

I'm looking to upgrade my 580xd and want to get one of the r7's. What is the difference between the original r7 and the r7 425 other than a bigger head? I tried the r7 425 out lastnight and liked it but they didnt have an original r7 to test out. With the price being $200 dollars different im leaning towards the orig. r7 cause I can't seem to see what the real difference would be for an average golfer like myself. Can you guys help me decide. Is the 425 worth the extra $200 dollars? P.S. - I'm going with a 10.5 degree this time.

[NCGolfer]

I'm looking to upgrade my 580xd and want to get one of the r7's. What is the difference between the original r7 and the r7 425 other than a bigger head? I tried the r7 425 out lastnight and liked it but they didnt have an original r7 to test out. With the price being $200 dollars different im leaning towards the orig. r7 cause I can't seem to see what the real difference would be for an average golfer like myself. Can you guys help me decide. Is the 425 worth the extra $200 dollars? P.S. - I'm going with a 10.5 degree this time.

All I know is that the more I hit the 425 the more I like it. The biggest difference between the old and new (most likely) is that the stock shaft is MUCH better in the 425. They have a new Fujikura REAX that is really, really nice. Every TM driver I hit before this year had a crappy shaft in it that never suited me...I hit snap hooks even when the weights were balanced.

Take it for what it is worth. There may be others on this board (Rafi) that have hit and played more with both and can give you a better idea.

[670forged]

For me it is a combination of the perfect size head and a great STOCK shaft that I don't have to replace like all other drivers I have ever bought. I now have about 15 rounds with it and it has blessed me with an average of 11 of 14 fairways hit each round. My last round was 14 of 14 but 1 drive was only 245 yards approx. because it was off the toe (the indian screwed up, not the arrow). To answer the question about is the R7 425 worth the extra money? Yes, yes and yes.

Mike

[iacas]

I went to the range with the r7 460 today (didn't feel like starting another thread, so I'll rename this one later, heh heh). Before I went I put the 14 weight on the toe and the 2 in the heel - it's not a TP model.

The first few drives were hard snipes left. Hard, hard snipes. So I adjusted by leaving the face open probably five degrees. Finally I started hitting some normal shots, albeit surprisingly low (9.5°, stock stiff shaft) with a little draw. That's my ideal shot, though a little higher. The range only goes out 85 yards or so (the dome), so it's tough to say how far they went. Plus, they're range balls, so...

Anyway, I had to work really hard to hit a cut, and again, that's with the heavy weight in the toe. Once I got going, it felt good. Gotta tee it up pretty darn high!!! This may be part of the reason why they were a little lower than normal - I only had a low tee. Tee would have been good height for my 905S, but probably wanted another 1/4 to 1/2 for the r7 460.

[rs4duke]

Well I won the r7 425 on ebay yesterday, ended up being $292.00 shipped brand new. I've already hit the demo on the range but when mine comes in i'll let you know how I do on the course. Couldn't pass it up being over $100 below retail.