TaylorMade RBZ Irons Review - Forum Testing

[Sooner21]

It's nice to see all the new owners posting in here and all the success the RBZ's are bringing! For those having trouble hitting the 4 and 5-irons remember to keep it nice and smooth and the club WILL do all the work. I got out for 18 yesterday, and again I was playing on a soaked course with sitting puddles everywhere. I'm pretty sure since these irons have come to me it's rained more in Austin in the last month than in the last two years. It's hard to give a more thorough write-up on a soaked course than I gave my first time out with these clubs so I'm just going to key in on a few points. The 4 and 5-iron are awesome! The 4 and 5-iron are awesome! The 4 and 5-iron are awesome! Really though I hit a lot of these yesterday trying to stay in the fairway as much as possible since it was so wet and not once did I hit anything but straight and long. I didn't have the best round overall yesterday, but given the conditions I'm fairly happy with it. The irons were great when I put a good swing on them, and when I didn't it's hard to blame the clubs. Even in pretty bad conditions my scores continue to drop, and one day soon I'm going to have a personal best day with these.

 

[Nate]

Location - Eldorado Country Club, McKinney, TX
Date - Sunday 2/19/12, morning 9am tee time
Weather - Sunny, mid 50's wind was 5-10mph (day before they course had 1.5 inches of rain so very wet conditions)

This was my 3rd round with the RBZ irons and the day was very wet. The course took on 1.5 inches of rain the day before so we played lift, clean and place on almost every shot. It was tough to find dry spots anywhere, esp. with the low cut dormant winter grass out on our course right now. Had a quick warm up on the range before we took off. Here is the log of all the RBZ iron shots I played over the course of the day. The bolded shots are the ones that really stood out to me:

Hole 1 - Par 4, AW from 110 uphill into a slight wind - right on line but the lie was very wet and thus was hit fat into the bunker right before the pin.
Hole 2 - Part 5, 4i punch out of trees that went about 175 yards (poor drive); 8i low/mid shot that had to cut around a tree in front of me. Was 140 to the green. Played a perfect cut that stayed low, hit the side of the green and kicked on for about a 25ft putt under the pin.
Hole 3 - Par 4, PW from about 135yds little cross wind - hung it out to the right a bit but made the green and had a 25ft putt.
Hole 4 - Par 4, AW from about 115yds uphill, into the wind and had to go over a tree. Hit left part of the green, went about 125yds.
Hole 5 - Par 3, 6i from 185yds, dowhill but into the wind. I thought I hit it a bit fat when contacted but the ball didn't move offline at all and hit about 15yds before the pin and rolled up to about an 8ft putt. Missed it. Errrrrr.
Hole 6 - Par 5, 4i punch from under tree, played a nice cut around them and made the green side bunker.
Hole 7 - Par 3, 6i from about 175, cross wind and slightly uphill. Started at pin but hooked a little too much, was pin high about 25ft from pin on green.
Hole 8 - Par 4, Attempted a 35yd punch and run with the AW, skulled it over the green.
Hole 10 - Par 5, Aside from the skulled AW pitch, this may have been the worst shot of the day. Was 245 yds out and hit the 4i wide right. Was pin high but way right of the green.
Hole 11 - Par 4, PW from 132 into a slight wind. Kept the ball flight down and really thought I hit it perfect. Came up about 7yds short of the green but really pulled off the shot I wanted to hit.
Hole 12 - Par 4, 9i from 145yds uphill and into a decent wind. Pull the ball slightly but landed on the green with about a 25ft putt for birdie.
Hole 14 - Part 4, 8i from 150yds uphill and a tree between me and the pin. Had to play a cut and I just started it a bit too close to the tree (was about 75yds ahead). I hit it so clean!! It's one of those shots you hit and you know right away that it was hit perfect. Well, the tree grabbed it and knocked it down about 30yds short of the green.
Hole 16 - Par 3, 5i from 185yds uphill and into cross wind. Another poorly excuted long iron that I pulled and was way right on.
Hole 17 - Par 4, AW from 110yds into the wind. Hit the green and had a 25ft putt.

My driver and my chipping let me down today. My iron play was pretty good. I hit 7 of 15 fairways with the driver and still managed to hit 9 of 18 greens. Can't tell you how much confidence I have in using the 6-AW right now. I feel I can play just about any shot I have to with these clubs. Hitting 2 greens, both around 180yds out with the 6i does wonders. However, me and the 4/5 are not getting along right now. I know I keep saying it, but I need to have a one on one session with these irons. I might need to put the driver up and play a iron only round sometime soon to figure out what type of swing I need to be making with them.

My buddy who played on the mini tour after college (probably was the Hooters Tour back in the mid 90's?) didn't get there till right before we teed off. I did manage to get him on the Par 3 5th and the Par 3 16th hole having not swung any of these clubs as of yet. We had a 2some behind us and a 5some in front of us so didn't get as much time as I wanted on the videos. He also only hit the 5i and 4i and I really wanted him to hit the 8i or 9i as well. Will try next time.



I keep saying shaft, but as I you can see, he thought the clubhead was a bit lighter for him. He's probably right as compared back to his Ping irons (can't remember which ones they were but they are the player irons. I've texted him to find out).



He brings up the iron head again (even though I try and lead him to the shaft again...LOL!) but he hit a pretty good shot. It was low and to the right but hit the green in the end.

To sum it all up, another very good day with the RBZ 6-AW and still need to work on the 4 and 5. Happy hitting everyone!

 

[Ole Gray]

Good job Nate and I enjoyed watching your buddy smack the long irons. He has a pretty swing for sure. It was interesting that he said the heads felt light as I have a buddy my age who complained about them being a tad on the heavy side. He hit the 6 - AW really well but felt the 4 & 5 were a bit on the heavy side.

I hope to get out this afternoon to video a few shots. One shot of each category of irons. The PW from 125, the 7 iron from 175, & the 4 iron from 220 - 230 out on a par five hole. Hopefully the ball flight and trajectory will show up on the videos. Hopefully no wind will be in the area to affect the ball flight.

 

[Lakeman]

First round

First round

Well, I would like to say I enjoyed my first round, but trouble with the driver and my faithful putter made it a rough day! Had some great hits with the 5 - pw, but the 4 is not cooperating! I need to heed "OG,s" advice, let the club do the work. Think I was over swinging. Looking forward to next Saturday! As info, I replaced my Callaway Fusion irons with the RZB,s. Hope all play well!

 

[texex91]

Enjoyed this thread. Went to Golfsmith yesterday and tried RBZ. Bought the 3 wood. Irons felt very solid and straight.

QUESTION: Has anyone tried the RBZ MAX? Putting price aside, I was wondering if I should go for them, over standard RBZ Irons. Any input/comments would be welcome.

 

[Steel President]

Nate, really enjoyed that one. Very nice review.

 

[Sooner21]

Enjoyed this thread. Went to Golfsmith yesterday and tried RBZ. Bought the 3 wood. Irons felt very solid and straight.

QUESTION: Has anyone tried the RBZ MAX? Putting price aside, I was wondering if I should go for them, over standard RBZ Irons. Any input/comments would be welcome.

I don't think any of the testers have hit the RBZ Max irons, but a few pages back another member on here talked pretty high of them.

 

[Nate]

Good job Nate and I enjoyed watching your buddy smack the long irons. He has a pretty swing for sure. It was interesting that he said the heads felt light as I have a buddy my age who complained about them being a tad on the heavy side. He hit the 6 - AW really well but felt the 4 & 5 were a bit on the heavy side.

OG, I think it just depends on what clubs you are use to swinging. I know his Pings are just a heaver club designed to really feel the weight of the clubhead through the swing (players club). My TM MC's are heavier than the RBZ's. So for someone use to feeling their shots or clubhead through the ball, it's a bit of a change.

 

[Golds]

I don't think any of the testers have hit the RBZ Max irons, but a few pages back another member on here talked pretty high of them.

I don't know if everyone realizes this, I didn't, but the RBZ MAX irons are the Super Game Improvement Irons. I assumed they were a high class iron or made for the low cap player, but it's definitely TMAG's new super improvement iron.

 

[texex91]

That's what initially thought as well. Made for higher handicap players (like me ). Hard to find right now, so trying to get a feel if anyone has hit them. I like the standard RBZ irons, hit very straight. But curious as to the MAX...

 

[Sooner21]

That's what initially thought as well. Made for higher handicap players (like me ). Hard to find right now, so trying to get a feel if anyone has hit them. I like the standard RBZ irons, hit very straight. But curious as to the MAX...

I see you're in Austin. They have them out at the Golfsmith on I-35.

 

[Nate]

I don't know if everyone realizes this, I didn't, but the RBZ MAX irons are the Super Game Improvement Irons. I assumed they were a high class iron or made for the low cap player, but it's definitely TMAG's new super improvement iron.

Correct! And I think the graphite and satin steel add longer distance to the clubs.

Also the offset is much more than the RBZ's.

 

[v.man]

Is it just me, or does the ball seem to come off the RBZ clubface hotter even on chip shots? My range was closed today, so I couldn't go practice with the new irons. So, I spent some serious time practicing chip shots. Normally, I hit chip shots with different clubs depending on the length of the shot and whether I want to carry most of the way there or run it up. Today, I concentrated on chipping just with the pitching wedge. I seemed to get a lot of run out even with relatively high chips. This isn't a bad thing, just different that what I'm used to. Of course, I was using range balls, so it was like hitting rocks up there. It wasn't difficult to adjust to, just different.

I"m going to get another round in tomorrow--my second--so I'll report in tomorrow night.

 

[bahester]

Is it just me, or does the ball seem to come off the RBZ clubface hotter even on chip shots? My range was closed today, so I couldn't go practice with the new irons. So, I spent some serious time practicing chip shots. Normally, I hit chip shots with different clubs depending on the length of the shot and whether I want to carry most of the way there or run it up. Today, I concentrated on chipping just with the pitching wedge. I seemed to get a lot of run out even with relatively high chips. This isn't a bad thing, just different that what I'm used to. Of course, I was using range balls, so it was like hitting rocks up there. It wasn't difficult to adjust to, just different.

I"m going to get another round in tomorrow--my second--so I'll report in tomorrow night.

The chips I've done with the 50* didn't feel especially hot, just made a good "click" sound and a great flight depending on what I was doing. I really like the AW in this set, it's a fantastic club.

 

[Griz0613]

Well it's settled, I went and got fit today and I'm joining the RBZ family. After going the TMPL, it suggested the r11s for me, so we went out to the range to hit some. Hit a lot of good shots with them, but couldn't quite dial in the consistency I was looking for. So then out came the RBZ irons. What a great looking set they are to start off with. I had so much more confidence standing over the ball with them. Hit a good number of shots with them and it was pretty obvious they were right for me. Also got the RBZ driver & 3 hybrid to go along with them. Awesome reviews guys, and I agree completely, I cant say enough about these clubs.

 

[Nate]

Is it just me, or does the ball seem to come off the RBZ clubface hotter even on chip shots?

I thought that for the first time yesterday on a couple of AW chip shots I was attempting......there seems to be more force going into the ball on the chips than I'm use to. Something to explore further for sure v.man.

Well it's settled, I went and got fit today and I'm joining the RBZ family. After going the TMPL, it suggested the r11s for me, so we went out to the range to hit some. Hit a lot of good shots with them, but couldn't quite dial in the consistency I was looking for. So then out came the RBZ irons. What a great looking set they are to start off with. I had so much more confidence standing over the ball with them. Hit a good number of shots with them and it was pretty obvious they were right for me. Also got the RBZ driver & 3 hybrid to go along with them. Awesome reviews guys, and I agree completely, I cant say enough about these clubs.

Congrats to the new set up and down! I have been eyeing the RBZ driver as well. Good for you!

 

[Ole Gray]

I have some good stuff downloading on Utube now. You will see the RBZ irons nuking the ball!

 

[chewie69]

Gray. Glad to see you have found your groove with the RBZs.

 

[FrankA]

Range Session

Range Session

I struggled the last couple of times out with these irons. I went back through my lessons yesterday from the video I have and decided to hit up the range today. I was not transferring weight and had a nasty flip going on that I desperately needed to work on. It took a little while to get over the bad habit that I developed but I really got into the swing of things. The range balls were hard today off of every club. It got down below freezing and I'm pretty sure that this was effecting my distance, it was also fairly cool outside. Really, though, distance wasn't really my main concern, more so just contact.

My contact became very consistent and I was hitting dead center off the club face with a good descending blow. This continues to produce just a nice towering ball flight from 6 iron down. I could easily then transition to the longer irons with no difficult. The 4 and 5 irons ball flight remains slightly lower but just bomb the ball.

I have tomorrow off and will try to get a round in and try to do these irons justice on the course.

 

[KellyBo]

I am posting Ole Gray's videos for him since he's not here right now. Aren't you other testers jealous that he has a wife to do all his work?

Here are 5 holes from today.

Par 3, 130 Yards, Pitching Wedge

Spoiler

Par 4, 350+ yards, 4 iron, PW

Spoiler

Par 3, 170 yards downhill, 7 iron

Spoiler

Par 4 over water, 4 iron and AW

Spoiler

Par 5, 4 iron tee and 2nd shot then AW

Spoiler

 

[bahester]

I struggled the last couple of times out with these irons. I went back through my lessons yesterday from the video I have and decided to hit up the range today. I was not transferring weight and had a nasty flip going on that I desperately needed to work on. It took a little while to get over the bad habit that I developed but I really got into the swing of things. The range balls were hard today off of every club. It got down below freezing and I'm pretty sure that this was effecting my distance, it was also fairly cool outside. Really, though, distance wasn't really my main concern, more so just contact.

My contact became very consistent and I was hitting dead center off the club face with a good descending blow. This continues to produce just a nice towering ball flight from 6 iron down. I could easily then transition to the longer irons with no difficult. The 4 and 5 irons ball flight remains slightly lower but just bomb the ball.

I have tomorrow off and will try to get a round in and try to do these irons justice on the course.

Glad you've fixed it man, where ya playing at?

 

[Ole Gray]

Folks I am going to be at away from the golf course until Friday or Saturday at the earliest. Hopefully these videos will show you how how sweet the RBZ irons are. Awesome distance for sure! I will be available to answer questions etc. but no golf for the rest of this week.

I am posting Ole Gray's videos for him since he's not here right now. Aren't you other testers jealous that he has a wife to do all his work?

Here are 5 holes from today.

Par 3, 130 Yards, Pitching Wedge

Spoiler

Par 4, 350+ yards, 4 iron, PW

Spoiler

Par 3, 170 yards downhill, 7 iron

Spoiler

Par 4 over water, 4 iron and AW

Spoiler

Par 5, 4 iron tee and 2nd shot then AW

Spoiler

 

[FrankA]

Thank you. Now to the course.

Glad you've fixed it man, where ya playing at?

 

[Nate]

Dang OG....what's your handicap again??? Good holes there! You need to put those first 2 videos on the HOTD forum.

 

[v.man]

Good stuff OG! Your just killing those irons. You hit the 4-iron as far as I hit my dang driver. If you could only putt.