Taylor Made SLDR Marketing Victim? DIY driver fitting...

[Mr. Desmond]

I think despite objective evidence, taking into account your speed, you've convinced yourself that you have selected the correct driver, so good luck with it. Remember that the grip also ads into the equation of overall way. The shaft in there is fairly light so try to work with it before you make any changes or sell it Over the years, the manufacturers have expanded the sweet spot over more of the face, not so much in the SL DR but the more forgiving drivers that we've listed

[mvmac]

It's my understanding the SLDR was designed for golfers with high swing speeds.  It was criticized for launching too low which led to TM initiating the increase the loft campaign.  Most people with your swing speed required the 12* or 14* lofted versions.

Right.

@Hollister , I don't see how you're "victim". You bought the driver and then tested it. Usually you demo or hit it in the store before you buy it. Did you check out the SLDR S? It's designed more for your ball speed.

[dkolo]

Right. @Hollister , I don't see how you're "victim". You bought the driver and then tested it. Usually you demo or hit it in the store before you buy it. Did you check out the SLDR S? It's designed more for your ball speed.

I thought the SLDR S was the same club as the SLDR, just with a glued neck. I didn't realize there were other differences. I had just thought it was glued and cheaper but otherwise the same.

[mvmac]

I thought the SLDR S was the same club as the SLDR, just with a glued neck. I didn't realize there were other differences. I had just thought it was glued and cheaper but otherwise the same.

SLDR S launches a little higher with slightly more spin and has more higher loft options.

http://blog.globalgolf.com/2014/05/whats-the-difference-taylormade-sldr-sldrs-sldr-mini/

The SLDR 460 has great intentions, it has a hot face, while the launch and spin characteristic are low. We all need a higher launch if we cut back on spin – the ball doesn’t know any different.

The SLDR 430 is an even lower launching and spinning club head. It’s obviously directed towards the player with a high ball speed, launch, and spin player.

The SLDR S is, in my opinion, more forgiving. Side-by-side testing all of these drivers, proved the theory. Comparing similar lofts, the SLDR S launched slightly higher and felt easier to hit. Industry insiders claim the CG is even lower in the SLDR S for higher launch and lower spin. It’s more forgiving, geared specifically for those whose mis-hits dominate their game.

[newtogolf]

I was told the SLDR S was introduced to make up for the horrible JetSpeed sales.  No one was buying the JetSpeed and the SLDR was for high swing speed players so they rushed the S version of the SLDR out to fill a product line gap.

[dkolo]

SLDR S launches a little higher with slightly more spin and has more higher loft options.  [URL=http://blog.globalgolf.com/2014/05/whats-the-difference-taylormade-sldr-sldrs-sldr-mini/]http://blog.globalgolf.com/2014/05/whats-the-difference-taylormade-sldr-sldrs-sldr-mini/[/URL]

Good to know, thanks. I hadn't heard that.

[Hollister]

I think despite objective evidence, taking into account your speed, you've convinced yourself that you have selected the correct driver, so good luck with it.

Wow, nope. Neither convinced, nor looking for the truth in the equipment. Will try to hit it better and then see, what the "hottest face" of 2014 has to offer. Since I have permanent access to a TrackMan Range unit when practising, verifying numbers and working on my swing accordingly is possible.

Thanks for the recommendations, will try to hit them in the coming weeks.

@Hollister, I don't see how you're "victim". You bought the driver and then tested it. Usually you demo or hit it in the store before you buy it. Did you check out the SLDR S? It's designed more for your ball speed.

Time to fess up: guilty of a click-baiting subject sporting a little ignorance...

But I did not know, neither did I read, that the 460 SLDR was intended for higher club head speeds. Was that communicated openly? Nor did I read much about 17/1700 - more like unspecified high launch, low spin.

I demoed the SLDR (14 deg. regular) against the JetSpeed (10.5 deg. stiff) at the beginning of 2014, the latter had more carry than the SLDR and was recommended to me. Odd, I thought back then. Yup, would have done better with the 12 deg. head, but with a stiff shaft it just was not available. Plus the loft sleeve was too tempting compared to the SLDR S with a fixed loft. Glad that I did not end up with a 430, the JetSpeed is soo dirt-cheap here (very lite use: 90$ vs. 130$ SLDR).

So I bought the SLDR to try it for a couple of sessions and on the course, stupid me, the demo clubs are on sale (for 200$). Will loose 20 bucks max. when selling it, affordable risk, good fun doing the testing and learning about driver fitting, trajectories, etc. I am happy launching 15 deg. thou in my tests, although hitting it too high on the face...

These two videos made an impression on me deciding to buy the SLDR (even in 9.5). First SLDR vs. JetSpeed, second SLDR performance.

SLDR 12 set 10.5 - which would lower the spin by -750 rpms according to the SLDR tuning guide . He launches it at 16 deg. with 150mph ball speed, FlightScope says 300y total, 260 carry. The performance of the JetSpeed  at 9.5 deg. is just little below the SLDR.

Found the SLDR tuning guide too late, would have gone for the 12 head, even with a regular shaft.

Rick has similar values, but launches the 9.5 deg. SLDR at 15 deg. with way higher spin (min. 4.29 in the video). And he is hitting it far from good (cold and wet...) according to spin, side spin and smash. That gave me hope, that 9.5 at 10.5 might equal the launch condition. Check, but increases spin by 250. Crossfield was wiser lowering 12 to 10.5 reducing the spin even more by 1000 rpm. Both are hitting it not perfect, Crossfield perfomance is 10yards+ longer in carry and way longer totals.

Well, well, so far from my little adventures. I am not really feeling like a marketing victim, no, but I can see that a of-the-rack customer might do very much wrong with the SLDR lofts. Seeing a 2007 driver performing equally with the 2014 longest driver ever (may have) looked for me like a marketing swindle. I promise to hit it better next time on the range and see what the numbers tell.

Cheers,

Hollister

[iacas]

Your ball speed is 116. If your clubhead speed is 90-ish, you're making horrible contact: smash factor is about 1.3 or less?

[Hollister]

Yes, Erik, hit it too high on the face and may have lost 2mph+ doing so. Plus I hit heavy, flight reduced range balls, too. They would not be as fast as regular golf balls (lower COR).

My ball speed on the TrackMan Range is usually 120 average in the range of 118 to 123 max. Smash on the TrackMan Pro unit with the same balls (and settings to normalize performance) was 1.43 and up.

Again, I promise to do better to the get the SLDR hot face upping ball speed. At least I hope to get a new maximum speed on the range unit.

[Mr. Desmond]

Well, many do not believe the SLDR is the longest driver ever  -- read many review where some golfers were getting as much distance with an R1, which had some weight forward but not as much as marketed by TM. Some thought the G30 was longer... it is what is long for you.

The only players I saw on the range or course that hit the SLDR consistently well were better players with speed. They could hit it like a howitzer. The rest of them had no business owning the SLDR or S ... but like many, me included, I bought into some advice and TM marketing. Lessons learned.

But good luck with your experiment.

[MrFlipper]

Yes, Erik, hit it too high on the face and may have lost 2mph+ doing so. Plus I hit heavy, flight reduced range balls, too. They would not be as fast as regular golf balls (lower COR).

My ball speed on the TrackMan Range is usually 120 average in the range of 118 to 123 max. Smash on the TrackMan Pro unit with the same balls (and settings to normalize performance) was 1.43 and up.

Again, I promise to do better to the get the SLDR hot face upping ball speed. At least I hope to get a new maximum speed on the range unit.

If you figure even a 1.43 smash with 120 ballspeed, your clubhead speed is 84 ish. I'd still suggest more loft and and more flexible shaft, better yet just pop the $50 and get a real driver fitting if you are unsure. At least for me (not a fast swinger) the loft is a bigger deal prob that the shaft flex.

I picked up about 5 mph ballspeed with the SLDR but my old driver was a 2004 ish Adams 460 Redline so my basemark was really low compared to newer drivers.

Well, many do not believe the SLDR is the longest driver ever  -- read many review where some golfers were getting as much distance with an R1, which had some weight forward but not as much as marketed by TM. Some thought the G30 was longer... it is what is long for you.

The only players I saw on the range or course that hit the SLDR consistently well were better players with speed. They could hit it like a howitzer. The rest of them had no business owning the SLDR or S ... but like many, me included, I bought into some advice and TM marketing. Lessons learned.

But good luck with your experiment.

I agree that its different drivers for different folks, but I do buy into the technology of high launch/low spin. I really like my SLDR, 12 degree R shaft and picked up maybe 20 yards carry and up to 25 yards total distance. I don't think I'm a better player anymore, but I still hit the ball somewhat solid with lower ballspeeds, 141 ish with clubhead speed 97 ish. Something wrong when a 57 year old can hit it farther than he did as a 3 hdcp teenager, but that's for a different thread I guess.

Maybe the issue with the SLDR is hitting it solidly rather than high ballspeed. The 17/1700 tech should work regardless of ballspeed.

Just as a counterpoint, the whole TM loft up thing has been great for my game, but I have to admit that prob most any decent recent driver would have been a big improvement over my really old one---

[Lihu]

Wow, nope. Neither convinced, nor looking for the truth in the equipment. Will try to hit it better and then see, what the "hottest face" of 2014 has to offer. Since I have permanent access to a TrackMan Range unit when practising, verifying numbers and working on my swing accordingly is possible. Thanks for the recommendations, will try to hit them in the coming weeks. Time to fess up: guilty of a click-baiting subject sporting a little ignorance... But I did not know, neither did I read, that the 460 SLDR was intended for higher club head speeds. Was that communicated openly? Nor did I read much about 17/1700 - more like unspecified high launch, low spin. I demoed the SLDR (14 deg. regular) against the JetSpeed (10.5 deg. stiff) at the beginning of 2014, the latter had more carry than the SLDR and was recommended to me. Odd, I thought back then. Yup, would have done better with the 12 deg. head, but with a stiff shaft it just was not available. Plus the loft sleeve was too tempting compared to the SLDR S with a fixed loft. Glad that I did not end up with a 430, the JetSpeed is soo dirt-cheap here (very lite use: 90$ vs. 130$ SLDR). So I bought the SLDR to try it for a couple of sessions and on the course, stupid me, the demo clubs are on sale (for 200$). Will loose 20 bucks max. when selling it, affordable risk, good fun doing the testing and learning about driver fitting, trajectories, etc. I am happy launching 15 deg. thou in my tests, although hitting it too high on the face... These two videos made an impression on me deciding to buy the SLDR (even in 9.5). First SLDR vs. JetSpeed, second SLDR performance. SLDR 12 set 10.5 - which would lower the spin by -750 rpms according to the [URL=http://www.fairwaygolf.se/MediaViewer.aspx?media=Images/TaylorMade/Taylor_Made_SLDR_Tuning_Guide_635311860027185899.PDF]SLDR tuning guide[/URL]. He launches it at 16 deg. with 150mph ball speed, FlightScope says 300y total, 260 carry. The performance of the JetSpeed  at 9.5 deg. is just little below the SLDR. Found the SLDR tuning guide too late, would have gone for the 12 head, even with a regular shaft. Rick has similar values, but launches the 9.5 deg. SLDR at 15 deg. with way higher spin (min. 4.29 in the video). And he is hitting it far from good (cold and wet...) according to spin, side spin and smash. That gave me hope, that 9.5 at 10.5 might equal the launch condition. Check, but increases spin by 250. Crossfield was wiser lowering 12 to 10.5 reducing the spin even more by 1000 rpm. Both are hitting it not perfect, Crossfield perfomance is 10yards+ longer in carry and way longer totals. Well, well, so far from my little adventures. I am not really feeling like a marketing victim, no, but I can see that a of-the-rack customer might do very much wrong with the SLDR lofts. Seeing a 2007 driver performing equally with the 2014 longest driver ever (may have) looked for me like a marketing swindle. I promise to hit it better next time on the range and see what the numbers tell. Cheers, Hollister

Erik stated it best, you're making horrible contact. . . Mark Crossfield swings his club 106 and Rick 114, so it will be nearly impossible to glean anything about their setup to any setup you might need. A more flexible shaft can give you more launch, but only a fitter can help determine for sure what you need at this point in your swing. You might even have the correct flex already, but you need to fix your contact.

[Hollister]

Erik stated it best, you're making horrible contact. . .

Mark Crossfield swings his club 106 and Rick 114, so it will be nearly impossible to glean anything about their setup to any setup you might need. A more flexible shaft can give you more launch, but only a fitter can help determine for sure what you need at this point in your swing.

You might even have the correct flex already, but you need to fix your contact.

Yes, right, will do!

Isn't 15 degrees launch angle sort of enough for my current speed? At 15/16/17, 1700rpms and 125mph the total distance would remain 228y, the carry would only increase from 182 to 189y.

Originally Posted by MrFlipper

I picked up about 5 mph ballspeed with the SLDR but my old driver was a 2004 ish Adams 460 Redline so my basemark was really low compared to newer drivers.

I agree that its different drivers for different folks, but I do buy into the technology of high launch/low spin. I really like my SLDR, 12 degree R shaft and picked up maybe 20 yards carry and up to 25 yards total distance. I don't think I'm a better player anymore, but I still hit the ball somewhat solid with lower ballspeeds, 141 ish with clubhead speed 97 ish. Something wrong when a 57 year old can hit it farther than he did as a 3 hdcp teenager, but that's for a different thread I guess.

Hey, interesting - so there is hope for me being a decade younger!

Do you know your launch angle? Are you satisfied with the regular shaft?

If you figure even a 1.43 smash with 120 ballspeed, your clubhead speed is 84 ish. I'd still suggest more loft and and more flexible shaft, better yet just pop the $50 and get a real driver fitting if you are unsure. At least for me (not a fast swinger) the loft is a bigger deal prob that the shaft flex.

With the TrackMan Range and the heavy, limited distance balls I am not sure if everything is fully correct. I found a few photos from last August hitting the R7 on the TrackMan Pro using a different range ball, I selected a good and a bad impact shot (smash 1.38). Back then I was concentrating on getting the attack angle up.

The TrackMan Pro has been adjusted to the balls, the FlightScope Trajectory Optimizer prompts different numbers: 198y carry and 230y total for the upper shot, 188y and 220 for the one at the bottom. The distances in yards from TrackMan Pro are 199y/220y and 191y/211y - carry is spot on, roll depends on the surface.

On the TrackMan Range I had ball speeds around 117mph. Again, different ball last year.

Will report more in the coming days...

[MrFlipper]

Hey, interesting - so there is hope for me being a decade younger!

Do you know your launch angle? Are you satisfied with the regular shaft?

You're just a youngster. Sure there's hope!

My launch angle is roughly 15.5 degrees (12 degree driver). The launch optimizer is a fun tool to play with, I would like to launch it higher but the spin gets a little out of whack, I try to keep the trajectory as near as possible to the ideal 17/1700 trajectory, for me that's about 15.5/2200. As mentioned here often, golfers tend to hit the ball much lower than optimal. I learned how to hit up on the driver with my old driver so it wasn't much of an adjustment to the SLDR.

I have stiff shafts in all my clubs except my recent ex-driver that was R shaft, with all my other clubs I like the stiffer shaft, doesn't feel like I can hold off a cut with R shafts generally. Probably costs me some distance but I can't see a draw. But with the driver and S shafts (longer shaft, etc.) I tended to slice a lot, way too much, and the flippier torque-ier R shaft straightens that out some for me. I am a swinger, not a hitter, so it's not like I put some fast action load on the shaft anyway. With the slider and the R shaft I hit the ball pretty darn straight now. I really think the slider on the SLDR is remarkably technology as well.

Stiff shafts in drivers now feel like telephone poles to me.

So good luck! Hope that helps some---