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TaylorMade R11 Driver & Fairway Wood Review Thread

SuperStroke
Nothing like getting your bubble bursted. At least you have some aids to help confirm kind of what you are thinking.
 
great post JB! unless the numbers were off the chart good, I'd think there'd be no reason to put up with the part I bolded. Especially with the some of the other offerings out there right now.

JB said:
Spent some more time yesterday with the driver and just come to the realization that while I love the looks, numbers wise its just not even close for me. I think the technology behind it is great and some of the best TM has come out with.

I also know that the fans of TM have been swooning over this one since its arrival and have grabbed it and will continue to grab it regardless.

But I urge everybody to try out every brand or at least many drivers before making any decisions. Most of us are not paid staffers, and because of that can play anything we want to. Get on a monitor or a range and hit a bunch of brands and decide which is for you. Based on my love for the R9 driver, I figured I would love the R11. Similar size and characteristics for sure. What I am finding is that despite my love affair with the looks, I just cannot get used to the sound and feel of the driver and there is CERTAINLY no reason to try to with so many choices out there.

Yesterday it was time to take the test on the monitor and see how I was doing. Similar to another big name driver I tested last month and loved the looks and the technology, when hit dead on, the ball did what I wanted it to do. It was a little low spinning for me, but nothing major. The problem came about when I missed even a little bit, the distance was falling off dramatically. Couple that with the fact that I was confirming it was about 6 yards shorter overall than the SuperTri that I played for most of 2010.

Will continue to work with it and see what comes out of it in the long run, but I have to say overall for me, I am slightly disappointed so far. I thought the entire R9 line was one of the best lines to ever be released based on technology, performance, looks, etc...I expected the R11 to be an evolution of that, but what I am finding is a very different driver and something that I am not sure works best for me right now.
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I got mine last night. Got a call at 7pm, "you can pick one up now if you like!", left my dinner on the table and hopped in the car! Picked it up at our swing studio on the course, took off my winter jacket and hit a few balls out onto the snow-covered driving range. Temp was like 7F, haha! First one a skied hook (this driver sucks), second a huge pull but the third, fourth and fifth were really good. Nevermind that I couldn't see more than the general trajectory and the direction, but...I love it. Will have a heck of a time in Spain next week trying it out for real.
 
I really like the R11 so far, but have to agree with JB on one thing... the sound is a little different than I am used to. I am thinking that once I am used to the sound it makes when I hit it flush, it wont be an issue.
 
I honestly think the thing that is killing this driver for some people is the Blur shaft. Is it great for the guys who know what flex they want and that's it? Yes, it is. Is it for the people looking for specific launch characteristics? No, I don't believe so. I imagine TM expects anyone like JB, TC, Hanks etc to get the TP model and change the shaft to something else that works better for them. Without a shaft change I don't expect the majority of people on this forum who know what they're looking for are going to be satisfied. From my numbers for example a stock R11 vs a R11 with a RIP in it are a totally different animal.
 
Definitely a valid point. When I gave the R11 some swings the overall feel was just way off. Like nothing matched. I definitely was not a fan of the shaft. It will definitely work for some though. The thought of shelling another $100 or so on an upgraded shaft basically puts this one out for me.

Super Tuna said:
I honestly think the thing that is killing this driver for some people is the Blur shaft. Is it great for the guys who know what flex they want and that's it? Yes, it is. Is it for the people looking for specific launch characteristics? No, I don't believe so. I imagine TM expects anyone like JB, TC, Hanks etc to get the TP model and change the shaft to something else that works better for them. Without a shaft change I don't expect the majority of people on this forum who know what they're looking for are going to be satisfied. From my numbers for example a stock R11 vs a R11 with a RIP in it are a totally different animal.
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Between TM and Cobra, I've heard very few good things about the Blur shaft. That's too bad.
 
Super Tuna said:
I honestly think the thing that is killing this driver for some people is the Blur shaft. Is it great for the guys who know what flex they want and that's it? Yes, it is. Is it for the people looking for specific launch characteristics? No, I don't believe so. I imagine TM expects anyone like JB, TC, Hanks etc to get the TP model and change the shaft to something else that works better for them. Without a shaft change I don't expect the majority of people on this forum who know what they're looking for are going to be satisfied. From my numbers for example a stock R11 vs a R11 with a RIP in it are a totally different animal.
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Yeah that is not what is killing it for me. Also it should be noted that when we review drivers, they are always done with stock shafts.
 
I'll eventually have to read up on this (and a ton of other shafts...), but what's the general feedback re: Blur?
 
for the people that dont like the sound who have this driver just either get it hotmelted or do the cotton trick, i did the cotton trick on my Supertri and after that it was just awesome sounding, very solid and muted sound. Just take out your weights and use small cottonballs get a Q-Tip and strip one side of the cotton so you can use that to push the cotton balls through the weight port holes, Unravel the cotton balls or tear them in really small pieces and with the Q-Tip shove them in through the holes where the weights go. This really really helps with sound and makes it feel more solid. I used 18 with my Supertri so im guessing about 13-15 will do with the R11 since its 20cc smaller. Again SMALL COTTON BALLS torn up or unraveled, even a small one wont fit unless its done that way.
 
10YardDraw said:
for the people that dont like the sound who have this driver just either get it hotmelted or do the cotton trick, i did the cotton trick on my Supertri and after that it was just awesome sounding, very solid and muted sound. Just take out your weights and use small cottonballs get a Q-Tip and strip one side of the cotton so you can use that to push the cotton balls through the weight port holes, Unravel the cotton balls or tear them in really small pieces and with the Q-Tip shove them in through the holes where the weights go. This really really helps with sound and makes it feel more solid. I used 18 with my Supertri so im guessing about 13-15 will do with the R11 since its 20cc smaller. Again SMALL COTTON BALLS torn up or unraveled, even a small one wont fit unless its done that way.
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That's very interesting 10Yard. I have never hear of someone doing this before. What difference did it make in the sound after you did this?
 
JRamz said:
That's very interesting 10Yard. I have never hear of someone doing this before. What difference did it make in the sound after you did this?
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i just found out about it last year on another forum, its a good cheap alternative to hotmelt. It makes a HUGE difference in sound and also makes your driver feel more solid, Instead of a loud tinny or metalic sound, with the cotton in the head its just a perfect solid whack if that makes sense, it really really deadens the sound.
 
Anyone win a TM Burner 6 iron? curious
 
I entered a couple months ago and just got an email from TM talking about the giveaway. Not sure why they would send info if I have already entered.
 
Lets keep this one about the R11 guys. We have a thread for the Burner giveaway.
 
Alright, I hit it again yesterday and it was just ridiculous. I hit 5 straight shots all about half inch above dead center on the club face and they all just flew. No doubt farther than my R9 by a good 10-15 yards. However when I hit one not on the sweet spot I lost a lot of distance and the sound/feel was not what I was looking for. Big turn off for me, but I could not get over the fact of how great it was when I hit it on the sweet spot. I had 20mph winds blowing right in my face and the ball just flew right through it, these were range balls to. I could not believe it. Now with that being said I had to be a realist with myself a realize that Im not going to hit it perfectly on the screws every time and because of that Im going to have to let it go. It is longer than my R9 about the same accuracy wise but my R9 is a lot more forgiving and I like the sound/feel of it, so in the end while 10-15 yards usually would have me jumping like a giddy school girl, it just won’t do for my game due to the large distance loss on off center hits. If you’re the golfer than can consistently hit the center of the club face I encourage you to check it out, I loved it when hit just a little above dead center. Great club, just doesn’t fit my game though.
 
Thats way too bad Bridges. Is hitting the sweetspot or closer to it something that you can work on? Hate to see you lose that great performance youre getting when you do hit it so well.

Bridges said:
Alright, I hit it again yesterday and it was just ridiculous. I hit 5 straight shots all about half inch above dead center on the club face and they all just flew. No doubt farther than my R9 by a good 10-15 yards. However when I hit one not on the sweet spot I lost a lot of distance and the sound/feel was not what I was looking for. Big turn off for me, but I could not get over the fact of how great it was when I hit it on the sweet spot. I had 20mph winds blowing right in my face and the ball just flew right through it, these were range balls to. I could not believe it. Now with that being said I had to be a realist with myself a realize that Im not going to hit it perfectly on the screws every time and because of that Im going to have to let it go. It is longer than my R9 about the same accuracy wise but my R9 is a lot more forgiving and I like the sound/feel of it, so in the end while 10-15 yards usually would have me jumping like a giddy school girl, it just won’t do for my game due to the large distance loss on off center hits. If you’re the golfer than can consistently hit the center of the club face I encourage you to check it out, I loved it when hit just a little above dead center. Great club, just doesn’t fit my game though.
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Keep going Bridges. It might seem frustrating but the process is what's most important and it's helping you believe it or not. better to find a club that fits you rather than try to fit into a club that doesn't work for you
Bridges said:
Alright, I hit it again yesterday and it was just ridiculous. I hit 5 straight shots all about half inch above dead center on the club face and they all just flew. No doubt farther than my R9 by a good 10-15 yards. However when I hit one not on the sweet spot I lost a lot of distance and the sound/feel was not what I was looking for. Big turn off for me, but I could not get over the fact of how great it was when I hit it on the sweet spot. I had 20mph winds blowing right in my face and the ball just flew right through it, these were range balls to. I could not believe it. Now with that being said I had to be a realist with myself a realize that Im not going to hit it perfectly on the screws every time and because of that Im going to have to let it go. It is longer than my R9 about the same accuracy wise but my R9 is a lot more forgiving and I like the sound/feel of it, so in the end while 10-15 yards usually would have me jumping like a giddy school girl, it just won’t do for my game due to the large distance loss on off center hits. If you’re the golfer than can consistently hit the center of the club face I encourage you to check it out, I loved it when hit just a little above dead center. Great club, just doesn’t fit my game though.
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Hanks said:
Keep going Bridges. It might seem frustrating but the process is what's most important and it's helping you believe it or not. better to find a club that fits you rather than try to fit into a club that doesn't work for you
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I agree, dont give up yet, Anything that is 10-15 yards farther when hit good is a keeper in my book, i have not seen a 15 yard loss on off center hits with mine.
 
amazing, the launch day in NY such cool thing. look like tm good at their marketing. well done. cannot wait for tm demo day in my home course
 
So my first impressions of the R11 were not good. Other than the fact this has to be one of the best looking drivers I've ever had the pleasure of hitting I came away from last nights little demo with a little better feeling about it.

The feel is different than the R9. It's all subjective but I really liked the R9 feel. Thought it was one of the best. This one is good and I was hitting the sweetspot (or around it) a good amount of the time.

The distance is decent. I was hitting right around the same as my Dymo. Sometimes more though.

The spin was sitting around 3800-4200 for me. I managed one in the lower 5's lol. Most likely how I hit the ball. I've always generated a lot of spin (except a for driver here or there) and this was no exception.

Launch angle was good! 12-15* usually.

I started to like the shaft a bit more.

The dispersion of the shots is what I really liked. I had a miss or 3 (hook pull) but I really liked how consistant the distance/direction was for me. Maybe it was just a good day, but it definitely was 100x better than the first try. I still wouldn't put it high on the buy list, because stock it might not be the best for me. It went from wow, this follows the R9?... to I could get used to this club with the right shaft maybe.

The looks are still amazing.
 
First impressions from the other day. Successrate is thus far 50%. It's an OK driver.
 
Well its a sad day for my R11, its 58* outside so i went out to play and on the 2nd drive something in my R11 head broke, i hit a bomb with it and on my follow through i heard this god awful noise coming from the head and sure enough something inside broke, it now sounds like a baby rattle lol. I know its not epoxy since there is no epoxy besides on the shaft and where its at doesnt even go in the head. Besides it breaking it was a good day, i hit some of the best drives ever today, only 2 holes but i put the ball where i have never been before on those holes. The store i bought it from said they will talk to TM on tuesday and they should send out a new one with in a couple days at the most. Better have it for next weekend or ill really be upset lol.
 
I think I decided that I am going to pick one up. I have hit the 9* stiff several times and it was awsome.
 
As much as I like my Razr Hawk, I can't help but want my white headed driver back. I definitely want to try it out again or the SFTP 2.0 in the next six months

Nice looking swing thepete
 
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