TaylorMade RBZ Irons Review - Forum Testing

[CS]

Congrats to the all the guys with new RBZ's on the way!

Here's a couple quick pics of the new PURE grips I put on last weekend. They match the color scheme great!

They make a huge difference IMO.

They look sick! Love the grips!

 

[JonD]

Those look awesome Sooner. I love how they look with no alignment aids. I've started to flip my grips so the GP logos are on the back. That's a clean look you got there. Nice work.

 

[Nate]

Did you have the gun/compressor or did you use the water technique? Just curious as I have some Pure's coming in soon.

 

[Sooner21]

Those look awesome Sooner. I love how they look with no alignment aids. I've started to flip my grips so the GP logos are on the back. That's a clean look you got there. Nice work.

I have the logo on the back too.

Did you have the gun/compressor or did you use the water technique? Just curious as I have some Pure's coming in soon.

I have a compressor. It's ridiculously easy and I can change them how I want with tape underneath in a matter of minutes.

 

[Lanzante13]

I got my shipping update, I will have my RBZ in 4-5 days:clapp:

 

[FrankA]

I got my shipping update, I will have my RBZ in 4-5 days:clapp:

Wow that is a long time, I hope you make it.


Congrats on the new sticks.

 

[Lanzante13]

these clubs are in high demand, free ship no tax 5-pw $524 out the door, I dont think is bad, I can wait

 

[IceyShanks]

Congrats to the all the guys with new RBZ's on the way!

Here's a couple quick pics of the new PURE grips I put on last weekend. They match the color scheme great!

They make a huge difference IMO.

That color scheme matched perfectly. Nicely done!!!

 

[bahester]

I played some par 3 last night and I'm having a few issues with the shafts. If I don't take a really moderate swing, they seem to spray a little. I know I need a heavier shaft, I've been told multiple times but I'm trying to remember to slow it down a bit, but sometime the adrenaline gets going nonethless, when I remember to swing a little easier, these things perform beautifully. I took a picture of a 115 yard AW I hit last night that hit 4 foot past the hole and rolled out another 4 feet, but my freakin camera phone is terrible and it didn't show up great. In the short irons I'm getting plenty of spin, and not too much release now that I've flown them into some greens. The next hole I took an 8 iron from 145 and swung nice and easy and put it pin high about 20 feet to the right with a nice little draw. Took one big hop and stopped 6 feet past where it landed. Was very pleased.

I was actually pretty happy with my mishits too, they really didn't fly too far offline when I didn't strike it pure, just a little short, so that's not bad at all. These really are great irons, I just wish they offered a little heavier shafts in them.

Btw Sooner, those grips look sick!

 

[Sooner21]

I played 18 yesterday with the RBZ's and have some yardages to report measured by GPS. The course has greens that are extremely fast and don't hold at all right now. The ball will make a decent sized pitch mark and still take off afterward so it was tough to gauge where to aim at. These irons are great for me right now and a big piece of evidence for that is even with the greens in terrible condition I still had six 1 putts and the rest 2 putts. I was able to get very close to a lot of the pins on approach shots and confidence in these irons is a big reason why. I have some distances here, but unfortunately I was only able to play 3 rounds with my previous club since having neck surgery before I got the RBZ irons so my distances with those are pretty close but not spot on. Here's the estimated distances from my previous 3 rounds with PING rapture irons.....
3-iron: 230
4-iron: 210
5-iron: 195
6-iron: 180
7-iron: 170
8-iron:160
9-iron:150
PW: 135

These are about what I was seeing for the 3 rounds I used them for. This was also after 11 months of recovery with no golf at all and very tentative swings with the clubs and trying to have a more controlled smooth swing vs. just getting after it. I'm hoping using a controlled smooth swing the RBZ's will get me back to my previous distances prior to surgery. I wrote down my iron shots and distances and here's what I have.......

RBZ's
4-iron: hit twice, both off the tee on par 4's with a very smooth swing just trying to get distances figured out. First one was 225 and the 2nd was 227. Both were perfectly straight with not a foot of right or left. This thing feels really good and is very easy to hit.

5-iron: I hit this twice also, once from the tee on a very sharp dogleg left and once on an approach from 215 out in the fairway. The tee shot was a very easy swing just trying to get to the bend and it ended up 204 in the middle of the fairway. The 2nd was to the flag from 215 out and I put a normal swing on it that was a little harder than the tee shot. Another perfectly straight shot and I ended up about 10' past the hole for 218 yards. Both the 4 and 5 are an incredible compliment to this set and I'll be using them more from now on.

6-iron: I hit this 3 times from various lies needing different shots and found out these clubs are very versatile. My first shot was from 185 out and I hit it pretty soft and came up on the front edge of the green for a total of 180. The second shot was a par 3, and I used it off the box. The pin was 178 but I had wind in my face so I put a little extra into it. It landed on the back edge of the green, but the conditions the greens were in it skipped off pretty fast. Ended up going over for a total of 198. My 3rd was from the fairway from 185 out and I put a normal swing on it. Ended up on top of the hole by about 15-18 feet for a total of 191. I think this is about the yardage I'll see with a nice smooth swing.

7-iron: I only hit it once and put a from 175 out. Ended up 173 just to the right of the green.

Didn't hit the 8 or 9 yesterday.

PW: This is only 1 degree different from my previous wedge and the distances are similar. I hit it twice, both into the wind and both came up 136 yards with great accuracy.

 

[Golds]

Speaking of grips, what would you guys say the "tackiest" (sticky/grippy) grips are without spending an insane amount of money on each one (aka GripMaster).

 

[barryboymunro]

Hey guys just trying to read through the thread on my phone but it's difficult so sorry of someone has asked this but who has used the R11's also and what are the differences? What do you think is better? What would take your game to that next level?

Barry

 

[bahester]

Hey guys just trying to read through the thread on my phone but it's difficult so sorry of someone has asked this but who has used the R11's also and what are the differences? What do you think is better? What would take your game to that next level?

Barry

Barry, honestly I haven't hit the R11's but I'm inclined to say you should try both out. There isn't necessarily one that's better than the other, it really depends on the person swinging them. I know thats cliche, but its the honest truth.

 

[Sooner21]

I haven't hit the R11's either.

 

[Sooner21]

Thanks for the grip love guys! I've had these sitting around for almost a year now and haven't put them on anything and they ended up being perfect for the RBZ's and I love the way they feel.

 

[BigK29]

these clubs are in high demand, free ship no tax 5-pw $524 out the door, I dont think is bad, I can wait

That seems like a pretty sweet deal there, congrats!

 

[bahester]

Oh, I forgot. I hit the AW 3 times last night as a "pitch" shot, trying to get a ton of rollout for those shots where I don't have an option to carry it to the hole or play a spinning SW. I had really great results, actually. All were from pretty good lies, but I was able to hit a decently high pitch that landed and on average had quite a bit of rollout, a good 25+ feet. Just by changing my stance up a little bit I was able to hit a few with varying spin/height. I tried it two different ways, first moving the ball up in my stance which hit it higher, but ended up still having some nice rollout due to some forward spin. Moving the ball to the back of my stance gave me a lower, skipping shot that initially skid with a little backspin, but still rolled out quite a bit. I'm gonna hopefully play around with this a lot more, but the ATV sole allowed me to do whatever I really wanted to. I want to try some more shots moving it to the back of my stance and hitting a very steep shot, to see how the ball checks with that shot, but I didn't get to try it last night. Just a few thoughts.

 

[barryboymunro]

I played 18 yesterday with the RBZ's and have some yardages to report measured by GPS. The course has greens that are extremely fast and don't hold at all right now. The ball will make a decent sized pitch mark and still take off afterward so it was tough to gauge where to aim at. These irons are great for me right now and a big piece of evidence for that is even with the greens in terrible condition I still had six 1 putts and the rest 2 putts. I was able to get very close to a lot of the pins on approach shots and confidence in these irons is a big reason why. I have some distances here, but unfortunately I was only able to play 3 rounds with my previous club since having neck surgery before I got the RBZ irons so my distances with those are pretty close but not spot on. Here's the estimated distances from my previous 3 rounds with PING rapture irons.....
3-iron: 230
4-iron: 210
5-iron: 195
6-iron: 180
7-iron: 170
8-iron:160
9-iron:150
PW: 135

These are about what I was seeing for the 3 rounds I used them for. This was also after 11 months of recovery with no golf at all and very tentative swings with the clubs and trying to have a more controlled smooth swing vs. just getting after it. I'm hoping using a controlled smooth swing the RBZ's will get me back to my previous distances prior to surgery. I wrote down my iron shots and distances and here's what I have.......

RBZ's
4-iron: hit twice, both off the tee on par 4's with a very smooth swing just trying to get distances figured out. First one was 225 and the 2nd was 227. Both were perfectly straight with not a foot of right or left. This thing feels really good and is very easy to hit.

5-iron: I hit this twice also, once from the tee on a very sharp dogleg left and once on an approach from 215 out in the fairway. The tee shot was a very easy swing just trying to get to the bend and it ended up 204 in the middle of the fairway. The 2nd was to the flag from 215 out and I put a normal swing on it that was a little harder than the tee shot. Another perfectly straight shot and I ended up about 10' past the hole for 218 yards. Both the 4 and 5 are an incredible compliment to this set and I'll be using them more from now on.

6-iron: I hit this 3 times from various lies needing different shots and found out these clubs are very versatile. My first shot was from 185 out and I hit it pretty soft and came up on the front edge of the green for a total of 180. The second shot was a par 3, and I used it off the box. The pin was 178 but I had wind in my face so I put a little extra into it. It landed on the back edge of the green, but the conditions the greens were in it skipped off pretty fast. Ended up going over for a total of 198. My 3rd was from the fairway from 185 out and I put a normal swing on it. Ended up on top of the hole by about 15-18 feet for a total of 191. I think this is about the yardage I'll see with a nice smooth swing.

7-iron: I only hit it once and put a from 175 out. Ended up 173 just to the right of the green.

Didn't hit the 8 or 9 yesterday.

PW: This is only 1 degree different from my previous wedge and the distances are similar. I hit it twice, both into the wind and both came up 136 yards with great accuracy.

So you think your overall length is a lot more?

 

[FrankA]

Range Session
Off the grass at Finley
It was a wee bit cold outside - ~45* (Not complaining, but not ideal)

I just really wanted to get out and practice a bit. I've got some new sticks in the bag. I have been taking lessons and have a new swing to work on. I was really working on set up to be able to get into a little more of a routine when I go out and play tomorrow. I was able to straighten things out a bit with set up this got rid of my slight lefts I was having. Still getting great launch and carry. Seeing and expecting one club difference and with my new efficient swing, hoping to eventually get to 2. I really enjoy every club of this set from 4-AW. I was worried about the 4 iron initially and if given the option I would have probably taken the 3/4 hybrid 5-pw set, but having spent a lot of time with the 5 iron today I am really glad that this is the set we were given to test. Hopefully will have some on the course thoughts after tomorrow.

It's great do see people are finding that these clubs are working for them. If you are in the market you should definitely give them a shot.

 

[Ole Gray]

Speaking of grips, what would you guys say the "tackiest" (sticky/grippy) grips are without spending an insane amount of money on each one (aka GripMaster).

Golds -- I put the mid size Golf Pride Tour Wrap grips on mine and love them. I have also heard the Pure grips are very good and you can order them from THP. They just didn't have the mid size or I would have bought them from THP.

I tried something today that you might want to consider, if you have a shot off the green where you can putt or chip. Try the 4 - iron to putt with. You can use it like a hybrid from around the green. Those little shots that are against a fringe or when you need a little punch and run shot. This RBZ 4 or 5 iron works really well with some imagination!

Speaking of the 4 & 5 iron they are winning my heart with every round of play. They feel sooooooo good when you make that crisp solid contact and go a country mile. I use the 4 iron quite often now on short par 4 holes. It keeps you out of trouble and takes away those nasty big numbers!

The AW wedge is such a cool little wedge and so easy to pitch with. I used it a few times today from 50 to 60 yds in. It works great for those little punch shots where you need the ball to settle down quickly. If the Sand & Lob wedge for this set works half as well, folks who have ordered these are going to be thrilled.

 

[MWard]

Sorry boys, rain is moving through slower than expected. Round will be tomorrow instead.

 

[Tim]

So guys, whats the grade on the RBZ's? I have read the whole thread and it sounds like they are the bomb! Tomorrow I will go look at them. I found a killer deal on a 9 iron custom spec set without ever seeing one in person. See what you have done to me? I see I'm not alone.

 

[Sooner21]

So guys, whats the grade on the RBZ's? I have read the whole thread and it sounds like they are the bomb! Tomorrow I will go look at them. I found a killer deal on a 9 iron custom spec set without ever seeing one in person. See what you have done to me? I see I'm not alone.

For me without a doubt an A+

So you think your overall length is a lot more?

I think it's more for most clubs right now, but the short irons aren't strengthened too much (PW 45*) compared to recent sets. I think as the confidence grows as more rounds get played then more length will come also. Where they're shining is the length I'm seeing with smooth swings which is helping them to be very accurate also.

 

[sjf25]

Hi Nate absolutely I could feel the ball coming off the clubface as well. I also can feel the clubhead throughout my swing which was an improvement as well.

I don't know about you, but I was able to 'feel' the ball coming off the RBZ more than the 2.0. What did you think?

 

[FrankA]

First time on the course.

I thought I would have more of an update to give today. Unfortunately the temp was ~ 40* with 20mph winds, largely sustained throughout most of the round. I was cold an tight and was not doing these clubs justice for the majority of the round. I did have about 6 good holes. And found good performance with the irons. The wind was about a 3 club wind so I have no idea my distances. On the couple of holes that the wind was not awful I was at least a club longer than my previous Adam's CB2's. It was a rough day. We'll leave it at that.