Quick Review - TaylorMade R11 TP

[delav]

This review may be old hat to many club-hos, but I'm a late adopter of technology (as my golf bag will show).  Because of this, I've been dragging my feet replacing what I felt was a very good driver; my 2006 R7 425 TP.  Plus, I never really cared for the feel of the R9 clubs.

My R7 TP was fit with a Motore F1 75x shaft and have loved the performance of this driver when I was swinging well.  I've hit it against most new clubs, and had yet to find anything that jumped out at me in terms of launch numbers and overall performance.

With a year-end bonus burning a hole in my bank account, I figured a new driver wouldn't get me in too much trouble with spousal unit, and I liked the idea of picking up 5-10 yards off the tee while potentially hitting more fairways (as all new drivers claim).

I'm finally playing a 'modern' driver and am very, very happy about the change... despite being another fanboy swinging a white head on the course.

The Search

After hitting the Octane & RAZR Hawk Tour, Superfast 2.0, 910 D3/D2, Cleveland 310, and several Adam's clubs, I began to see what I was leaving out on the course with my old club.  Differences in launch numbers were minimal, but dispersion was significantly improved with many of the new clubs.  My best balls came from the Octane Tour, with the PX 6.0 shaft and a 9.5 degree head, which I almost bought.  I loved the feel of this club, but felt that as my swing continues to change, I may want the ability to fine-tune setup parameters.

I didn't like the look of a white head when TM launched the Superfast 2.0 and R11, and I still didn't like it when I was hitting the R11.  However, after the fitter fit me for a shaft and began fine-tuning the R11, I began to like the club more and more.  The feel of the ball off the face is very solid feeling, much different than previous TM drivers.  After 20-30 balls and several setting revisions, I had picked up 4 mph in clubhead speed and around 7 mph in ball speed.  Adding to that, my dispersion was all within 2 yards left to 10 yards right of center (set up for a fade).  My end stats were around 275 yards carry and 290 total yards, about 10/15 over my current club with a fraction of the dispersion.

The Buy

I purchased the R11TP with the TP Fujikura Blur 60X shaft, and have had 2 rounds and 3 range sessions with the club.  I've taken left-side hazards out of my mind off the tee, and seem to hit this driver better every time I play.  As dumb as it looks, I have no doubt the white head does inspire confidence at address.  Real world results seem better than the launch data, with most drives around 15-20 yards farther than my old club on a course I know very well.  The fact that I've picked up a few yards and narrowed my dispersion with the R11 makes golf very, very fun.

I'm still getting the setup dialed in, but I'm ready to admit that I now know what I've been missing playing an outdated driver.

Cheers!

[AndyC]

I worked in golf retail for about 6 years up until last September and the R11 has to be the hottest selling driver I had ever seen.  I don't know if it was the massive marketing campaign T.M. did capping with the "white out" in NYC or just the having something different but this club jumped off the shelves.  I don't doubt you gained yardage just from the fact that it looks like your shaft change enabled you to drop about 15 grams of weight which would increase your clubhead speed a few notches.  Working in golf retail, I have always been an anti-T.M. fan due to them pumping out driver lines like it was going out of style.  It seemed like everyday a T.M. customer would come in trying to trade their old T.M. stick in for something new and see that their trade-in value was atrocious (more so than normal anyways).  However, when the came out with this model, in particular, the TP version I loved it as well.  Don't get me wrong, the white head made me feel gimmicky but like you said, it's hard to argue when you see the numbers.  It's a solid stick and I'm happy for you that you gained some yardage.  Good luck this upcoming season!

[Beachcomber]

Great purchase... Even if you're late to the party! I've been gaming my R11TP since last Spring and it is the easiest club in my bag to hit. My FIR is at an all time high... 65.7% over my last 20 rds. I can't wait to demo the R11S and RBZ, but doubt I'll change given the reliance I have on hitting from the short grass.

[delav]

Originally Posted by AndyC

I don't doubt you gained yardage just from the fact that it looks like your shaft change enabled you to drop about 15 grams of weight which would increase your clubhead speed a few notches.

I think the yardage gain is the combination of several factors.  I had the clubhead on my R7 setup fairly heavy as well.  With the additional length of the R11 (approximately 0.50"), a slightly lighter shaft and a lighter and more areodynamic head, this club feels just a bit easier to swing faster.

No doubt it's been a big seller, which was primarily a deterrent from considering it as TM gets quite a bit of flack for excessive marketing and hype, not to mention ridiculously short PLCs.  Looks like all the energy drinks feeding SolidWorks engineers is paying off.

[AndyC]

Ha Yea, I 100% agree.  If I ever was able to start a company I would love to hire their marketing team!  "White out" in Times Square, NYC and the Rocket Ballz?  How can you not love the company.  It kinda reminds me of my old trusty 5-wood I had in high school... the BBT.  AKA... the Big Bang Theory.  While it never went that far as the Walmart special mentioned it was a great go-to stick!