TaylorMade Burner Drivers

[Everardo]

So all the buzz has been about the new Super Quad but there is also another new driver from TaylorMade (surprise, surprise)

[Everardo]

There are matching Burner Fairway Woods and Hybirds as well...

[BritBoy]

where can you read about the new stuff?

[GoingfortheGreen]

The TM website has some basic information there today. I think once the dust settles from the PGA Merchandise Show (starts today), more information should be forthcoming.

I received a Golfsmith email today that showed both for a Feb delivery. The r7 is $399 (non TP) and the Burner is $299 (non TP).

[jorruss]

I attended the PGA show yesterday and the Demo day on Wednesday and I can tell you the the superquad is nice, but basically the same driver with an Iodized finish. The real story is the new Burner. Everyone was raving about how hot it was and how far they hit it. It will be a good seller this spring and worth looking at if you are in the market for a new driver.

I was also very impressed with the new Callaway x-Forged irons. callaway has finally come up with a new iron for low handicap players and pros. It is soft as butter and comes standard with the Rifle Project X flighted shafts. Expect the retail to be slightly less than the old X-tour, simply because it is a one piece forging, rather than a 2 piece construction of the x-tour. My friend from Callaway said they will sell for the same as a graphite set of the new x20 irons. I estimate around $799 to $899.

I also discovered a new fairway wood and hybrid shaft by a start-up called Hybrex. I spoke to the founder and hit some of his new shafts and was very impressed. Their shaft is a titanium shaft that undergoes a laser machining process to form a helical exo-skeleton apon which is bonded to the graphite inner sleave, creating a shaft that is very resistant to torque. Check them out at Hybrexgolf.com

[Everardo]

I also discovered a new fairway wood and hybrid shaft by a start-up called Hybrex.

I know about Hybrex (well their parent company

VyaTek Sports ) from the cycling world. They make tubing for bicycles using their ISOGrid and EXOGrid technology. Titus Bikes is a local company here in AZ and they use it on some of their models including the Vuelo . Pretty cool stuff, I think. BACK TO THE BURNER ...Daly has been using this driver this week at the Buick.

[SuaSponteMn]

Watched something on the PGA equipment show yesterday, they seem to be marketing the Burner to "bombers who want to hit it as far as they can, fairways or not" and the Superquad to "technicians, who like to plot their way around the golf course"; the TMAG guy literally said that. To me that puts a negative spin on the Burner right out of the gate, although that's just my perspective, and I'm by no means a marketing guru.

Anyone else just completely overwhelmed by the offerings from Taylormade in the driver arena? I mean:

R5-N
R5-D
R5-TP
R7425
R7425-TP
R7460
R7460-TP
R7460-SuperQuad
R7460-SuperQuadTP
R7Draw
(I know I'm probably missing one or two as well)

And now...
Burner460

I suppose if sales are strong enough to keep production profitable, cool, but seriously I'm lost

[Everardo]

Anyone else just completely overwhelmed by the offerings from Taylormade in the driver arena?

Just wait a couple months and you can add a few more to the list

[asianpsuation]

what ever they put on the top of the club looks distracting as hell, i cant remember where but i saw it at some point on tv and it looked huge front to back. ugly sob in comparison to the superquad

[shortgame85]

Watched something on the PGA equipment show yesterday, they seem to be marketing the Burner to "bombers who want to hit it as far as they can, fairways or not" and the Superquad to "technicians, who like to plot their way around the golf course"; the TMAG guy literally said that. To me that puts a negative spin on the Burner right out of the gate, although that's just my perspective, and I'm by no means a marketing guru.

SuaSponteMn: I saw the same uploaded video from the PGA Trade show to which you refer and I agree

completely that the remarks of the TayorMade rep were a real turn off! If the Burner is so hot, I'd love to give it a try but accuracy is such a premium for me because I just don't have great distance off the tee. It would seem I am not a part of TaylorMade's target audience for a lot of their products: grip it, rip it and go find it. And, do I understand the Burner has a shaft longer than 45"? That fact, if true, may contribute to their "Distance at all costs" marketing, as it is widely acknowledged to be more difficult to strike the ball well consistently with a longer than normal shafted driver.

[supah]

I checked out the Burner at the PGA show today, and its so ugly!
Looks so cheap. The superquad looks smooth tho.

[asianpsuation]

supah: i totally agree

[jorruss]

I agree. It looked cheaply manufactured but I can't argue with the results, it was hot off the face. I think this one will be a cash cow for them if they price it right...

[supercow]

I wouldn't be surprised if they started giving free candy out with these new Burners. They look like toys.

[golfchief]

Watched something on the PGA equipment show yesterday, they seem to be marketing the Burner to "bombers who want to hit it as far as they can, fairways or not" and the Superquad to "technicians, who like to plot their way around the golf course"; the TMAG guy literally said that. To me that puts a negative spin on the Burner right out of the gate, although that's just my perspective, and I'm by no means a marketing guru.

You seemed to forgot when Tiger first came on the PGA he just hit the driver as far as he could and used wedges out of the rough to the green, Now we have tiger proofing of the courses.

[SuaSponteMn]

You seemed to forgot when Tiger first came on the PGA he just hit the driver as far as he could and used wedges out of the rough to the green, Now we have tiger proofing of the courses.

This is a little off topic as I was discussing TMAG's driver marketing, but I'll respond regardless

Did Tiger really implement bomb & gouge in his first year on tour? Seems to me he was substancially more accurate in the beginning of his career than he is now, as a matter of fact there's evidence of this right here at the Sand Trap: http://thesandtrap.com/pga/tiger_woo...ving_analysis/ Accuracy in 2000 was in excess of 70%, 2005 he was below 60%. Tiger-proofing is a totally different topic from that even, IMO Tiger-proofing really only helps Tiger as it keeps the shorter, but more accurate iron players out of the mix...

[golfchief]

I think Tiger turned pro in 1996, and yes he played bomb and wedge it. that graph is from 2000-2005. and yes this belongs here if the new marketing is pushing the bomb and wedge theory.

[SuaSponteMn]

I think Tiger turned pro in 1996, and yes he played bomb and wedge it. that graph is from 2000-2005. and yes this belongs here if the new marketing is pushing the bomb and wedge theory.

You're correct, Tiger turned pro in 1996, his driving accuracy for that year was also 69%, much higher than 2006, where it was 60.71%. I'm not completely sure anyone else on this board would define Tiger Woods as a bomb & goudge player anyway. As for the relevancy of your attempt to compare Tiger Woods driving accuracy and distance to the marketing campaign Taylormade is using, I still really don't see it. Emphasis has always been on long drives, but IMO bomb & goudge has been made popular by players like Bubba Watson who's average driving distance is 323.1 yards but only hits the fairway 53.29% of the time. At a higher level, I agree with you completely though as I stated earlier in this thread, I do'nt care for how TMAG is marketing this line of golf clubs. I'm guessing we'll need to agree to disagree on the rest here, but I certainly think we can agree that there are items more relevant to this discussion than our current debate.