We've launched the new forums! Read more here

TaylorMade R11 Driver & Fairway Wood Review Thread

SuperStroke
Alright after my blabber for me I finally got to hit this puppy:

It is very vague though, I hit the SF 2.0 as well because the grip on that is tacky and my hands didn't slip. I don't know what it is but everytime I go into golf town my hands get really sweaty and I couldn't even hold onto the R11.

Burner SF 2.0: Loving the white, it's such a great change and I hardly even noticed it after a couple of swings. SS's were easily over 100MPH with most ranging from the 101-107 Range. Only thing was I wasn't using my full on swing and was being very conservative because I am really rusty right now and was completely afraid I was going to shank the ball (I have been fighting the shanks already), so I change it up abit and was super wide on the takeaway so I could get the ball to the screen. First of all the driver immediatly is too long. I love the feel of control and would for sure cut it down if I had one. This driver face is HOT. I just LOVE the feel and the sound (even with the tape on it) is just a loud ping. It's everything I am looking for. I was pushing everything pretty far right even with the reg but It was expected because I wasn't swinging normally. The distance wasn't too great but I honestly never trust distance in the sims. Just a great feeling driver and I am in love. Only one problem: My Spin rate was at about 4500-4600 which is stupid bad! I think on a real course I would have been ballooning the damn thing. Still was getting about 230-240 distance.

R11: I've never really hit The R series so maybe it feels like the rest but I was dissapointed. First it was really hard to hold onto it, first swing the club actually slipped out of my grip but luckily I caught it. I just couldn't hit the thing very well, again I was pushing it right, but that was me, not the club. Just didn't like the feel, didn't like the sound. The sound and feel is very dull and the club feels very boardy. Didn't like the blur shaft and was just not very pleased with the club. I'll have to demo it again but the SF 2.0 takes the books by far!! I only hit like 4 balls with this thing.
 
Well guys,
As I sit here typing, I have a confused and heavy heart. If you read my original post, all was well on Tuesday. On Wednesday, I took my new R11 to the driving range and was killing it and after a few swings, I was putting the ball where I wanted nearly every time. I even brought 9 new Pro V1’s and hit them into the range and hit it so sweet, (shows how sick I am, although at least I did not waste any Penta’s).
The next day I went to play on Cape Cod and with weather in the 50’s and soft greens. I was all over the golf course and I could not hit this club. The first 9 holes, I could not keep it in the tree line. On the 2nd 9, I hit one really good shot measuring 279 with Skycaddy and said; ok here we go now let’s start hitting it. That was the only fairway that I hit the rest of the day but I kept it inside the tree line at least.
I was very disappointed with the results and I figured that this would be the best driver I have ever had because I loved the looks of the club and I took the time and spent the money to get a proper fitting and ordered the best shaft for my swing. I decided to travel another round trip of 180 miles again the next day, Friday, because I did not want to have this sick feeling in my stomach and the temp on Friday was close to 60.
I shot a 78 and hit 1 fairway. On the front I could not stay out of the woods. Started out by pushing several then started pulling my tee shots. After that my confidence was gone. I started singing, “one of these things is not like the other one” and I said to myself, they are absolutely right, my supertri is not like the other one, it is BETTER..lol.
After only getting one hour of sleep last night, I got up and watched all the Taylormade staff on line getting fitted for their R11 and getting mad watching it . lol.. Then I started to figure out other uses for my R11 such as a tomato plant holder for my garden or a driveway reflector for my house. I decided to go the store today and tried other brands on the launch monitor, Callaway, Ping, Titleist and then I decided to hit the “great white hope” again. This really pissed me off when I did this because I hit the R11 the best with the best numbers. I said to myself what kind of garbage is this and am I being “punked”!
I don’t know fellas, maybe I was to pumped and jacked as Pete Carroll would say or I am just an old fashioned head case but I am not happy so far and I am sleepless in Boston…
 
sjf25 said:
Well guys,
As I sit here typing, I have a confused and heavy heart. If you read my original post, all was well on Tuesday. On Wednesday, I took my new R11 to the driving range and was killing it and after a few swings, I was putting the ball where I wanted nearly every time. I even brought 9 new Pro V1’s and hit them into the range and hit it so sweet, (shows how sick I am, although at least I did not waste any Penta’s).
The next day I went to play on Cape Cod and with weather in the 50’s and soft greens. I was all over the golf course and I could not hit this club. The first 9 holes, I could not keep it in the tree line. On the 2nd 9, I hit one really good shot measuring 279 with Skycaddy and said; ok here we go now let’s start hitting it. That was the only fairway that I hit the rest of the day but I kept it inside the tree line at least.
I was very disappointed with the results and I figured that this would be the best driver I have ever had because I loved the looks of the club and I took the time and spent the money to get a proper fitting and ordered the best shaft for my swing. I decided to travel another round trip of 180 miles again the next day, Friday, because I did not want to have this sick feeling in my stomach and the temp on Friday was close to 60.
I shot a 78 and hit 1 fairway. On the front I could not stay out of the woods. Started out by pushing several then started pulling my tee shots. After that my confidence was gone. I started singing, “one of these things is not like the other one” and I said to myself, they are absolutely right, my supertri is not like the other one, it is BETTER..lol.
After only getting one hour of sleep last night, I got up and watched all the Taylormade staff on line getting fitted for their R11 and getting mad watching it . lol.. Then I started to figure out other uses for my R11 such as a tomato plant holder for my garden or a driveway reflector for my house. I decided to go the store today and tried other brands on the launch monitor, Callaway, Ping, Titleist and then I decided to hit the “great white hope” again. This really pissed me off when I did this because I hit the R11 the best with the best numbers. I said to myself what kind of garbage is this and am I being “punked”!
I don’t know fellas, maybe I was to pumped and jacked as Pete Carroll would say or I am just an old fashioned head case but I am not happy so far and I am sleepless in Boston…
Click to expand...

Then again though, the range is completely different from the course.
 
Not hitting fairways is a swing issue not the driver. Indian not the arrow lol
 
Bridges said:
Well considering he shot a 78, id say his swing doesnt seem to be the issue.
Click to expand...

you can be good with every other club but still have issues with the driver, sorry but i dont see how missing fairways is the clubs fault. I have had many bad days with a driver but hit every thing else fine, it wasnt the drivers fault
 
I'd give it a few more tries on the course. If you are struggling, play two balls. Use one with your ST and the other with your R11. It wasn't quite right for me at the time, but then again I wasn't fit for my R11. If you hit it better than the competition of the course, it must just need time on the course.

That being said, I'd love to shoot a 78 with one fairway hit haha
 
For menthe biggest failing of this club is the shaft. I have hit 6 of the TP shafts and each one is infinitely preferable to the stock stiff shaft. In order of the stiff to even hold my swing I have to move up to the X flex. The blur us a bust IMO.


I Tapped, I Talked
 
Thanks guys for the encouragement! I will give it more time but my misses were awful. My short game was excellent which is why I shot a 78. i usually hit 50% or better when hitting my tee shots which is why I was so upset with myself. I will say the sound does not bother me at all but the misses you can feel more than my Supertri. I dont think the R11 is as forgiving which is what folks have been saying on this thread.
 
Dr. Teeth said:
For menthe biggest failing of this club is the shaft. I have hit 6 of the TP shafts and each one is infinitely preferable to the stock stiff shaft. In order of the stiff to even hold my swing I have to move up to the X flex. The blur us a bust IMO.


I Tapped, I Talked
Click to expand...

I have the Matrix Ozik HD 6 and I will be club champion on the launch monitor circuit. Hopefully someday I can hit it the same way out on the course.
 
sjf25 said:
I have the Matrix Ozik HD 6 and I will be club champion on the launch monitor circuit. Hopefully someday I can hit it the same way out on the course.
Click to expand...

How you liking the HD6?
 
I like it on the range and launch monitor! I will say that on the 2nd round, I hit the R11 very solid but just not in the fairway. I love my ball flight with it. It is hard this time of year up in Boston to really break something in but I will go to the range and work on it tomorrow even though the wind chill will be in the 20's lol...
10YardDraw said:
How you liking the HD6?
Click to expand...
 
sjf25 said:
I like it on the range and launch monitor! I will say that on the 2nd round, I hit the R11 very solid but just not in the fairway. I love my ball flight with it. It is hard this time of year up in Boston to really break something in but I will go to the range and work on it tomorrow even though the wind chill will be in the 20's lol...
Click to expand...

lol that will be a chilly day at the range. It was almost 60 here today so i went out and on the 2nd drive something in my R11 head broke, it sounds like a baby rattle now. hopefully i have my new one by the weekend
 
I read that earlier. That is a bummer. I don't understand why the store did not give you one and when your replacement comes in then just put it in stock. Keep me posted on your progress as we have something in common here. We both seem to like these clubs.
10YardDraw said:
lol that will be a chilly day at the range. It was almost 60 here today so i went out and on the 2nd drive something in my R11 head broke, it sounds like a baby rattle now. hopefully i have my new one by the weekend
Click to expand...
 
sjf25 said:
I read that earlier. That is a bummer. I don't understand why the store did not give you one and when your replacement comes in then just put it in stock. Keep me posted on your progress as we have something in common here. We both seem to like these clubs.
Click to expand...

The store is out west, discountdans, i figured any authorized retailer could replace it then keep the one from TM to put back in stock but i guess it doesnt work that way. I called GS and Dicks Sporting goods and they both said nope, but ya this club has worked awesome for me, the stock blur actually hasnt treated me to bad, im gonna give it a couple months of on course testing before i replace with my usuall RIP or maybe even get fit for a shaft. Maybe do what you did and save some money lol
 
Alright I ordered my R11 from Blind9 thanks to Patty, can't wait to take it to California in a week and a half. I have been searching on how to find the all white magnetic head cover with no luck, anyone know anything about it?
 
Bomb_n_Gouge said:
Alright I ordered my R11 from Blind9 thanks to Patty, can't wait to take it to California in a week and a half. I have been searching on how to find the all white magnetic head cover with no luck, anyone know anything about it?
Click to expand...

im also looking for a all white magnetic head cover, the stock one leaves black marks on the head. I wonder if Daphnies could make a all white one inside and out.
 
10YardDraw said:
im also looking for a all white magnetic head cover, the stock one leaves black marks on the head. I wonder if Daphnies could make a all white one inside and out.
Click to expand...

I think Daphnies headcovers would be fine. I think a headcover with a decent liner would get rid of that issue.

But if you find a smoking magnetic headcover let me know! I was very disappointed in the one I got with my RH
 
It was almost 60 here today so i went out and on the 2nd drive something in my R11 head broke, it sounds like a baby rattle now. hopefully i have my new one by the weekend
Click to expand...

That has been my only concern about the adjustable sole plate. Since there is not much benefit there for a guy that does not ground his driver and then grip it, I just hope that the sole plate does not result in some mechanical weakness. I have read of a guy that that had the screw for the plate break on him. That is the only one I have read that could be attributed directly to the plate.

As for the Blur, I just wish the darned retail outlets would bring in more of the TP custom shafts so that we can just try them and hopefully buy them. So many people dislike the Blur. I know that the Golfsmiths are bringing in the TP shafts but we don't have one of those around here. So far I have not been to a store around here that had anything but Blurs.

Any of our New England guys, particularly Massachusetts or New Hampshire know of a place that is bringing in some of the TP custom shafts?
 
My local golf shop didn't think they would get the R11 fitting carts in for another few weeks or so. Once the fitting carts are there, you should be able to try out all of the combos. You would just have to special order the TP variation you wanted.
 
I have been playing my R11 for about 6 or 7 rounds and have found that it is very good for me , I have found that the distance is a bit shorter(10to15yrds) than my Callaway Diablo Octane but I keep it in the fairway much better . Even on what I consider miss hits it seems to find a decent spot in the fairway . All in all i'm VERY pleased with the club . I'm thinking of trying a different /longer shaft (Miyazaki) and see if that helps in distance . My swing speed is in the mid 90's with a medium ball flight with the club set at 9.5 loft (standard on mine id 10.5) all other setting left neutral with the Blur 60. Any suggestions guys ?
 
Played my first round with it today. I am of course supposed to be supporting TM, but I'll gladly vouch for how good the R11 is. I was hesitant about switching from my relatively new FT Tour which had been good to me, but I have no second thoughts about that now. I'm probably hitting it a bit further, though that could easily be my workouts and more efficient swing as well. BUT, it is so damn easy to hit. Haven't been this straight off the tee in years (and mind you this was my first round in 4 months) and working the ball is so easy. I of course lose distance on mishits but they're very straight. Being straight off the tee is infinitely more important than distance for me.

R11 = best driver for me by miles.
 
jnug said:
That has been my only concern about the adjustable sole plate. Since there is not much benefit there for a guy that does not ground his driver and then grip it, I just hope that the sole plate does not result in some mechanical weakness. I have read of a guy that that had the screw for the plate break on him. That is the only one I have read that could be attributed directly to the plate.

As for the Blur, I just wish the darned retail outlets would bring in more of the TP custom shafts so that we can just try them and hopefully buy them. So many people dislike the Blur. I know that the Golfsmiths are bringing in the TP shafts but we don't have one of those around here. So far I have not been to a store around here that had anything but Blurs.

Any of our New England guys, particularly Massachusetts or New Hampshire know of a place that is bringing in some of the TP custom shafts?
Click to expand...

My weights and ASP plate are fine, i checked all the screws and nothing failed, so no worries about the ASP. It is actually something in the head that broke.
 
thepete said:
Played my first round with it today. I am of course supposed to be supporting TM, but I'll gladly vouch for how good the R11 is. I was hesitant about switching from my relatively new FT Tour which had been good to me, but I have no second thoughts about that now. I'm probably hitting it a bit further, though that could easily be my workouts and more efficient swing as well. BUT, it is so damn easy to hit. Haven't been this straight off the tee in years (and mind you this was my first round in 4 months) and working the ball is so easy. I of course lose distance on mishits but they're very straight. Being straight off the tee is infinitely more important than distance for me.

R11 = best driver for me by miles.
Click to expand...

Thats good to hear man. I really wanted to like this driver when I hit it but it just wasn't for me. Glad you're out golfing.
 
JB said:
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.
Click to expand...

Hey JB, have you tested this with other shafts? I've read most of this thread but don't remember seeing that mentioned...maybe I missed it. Also, it seems like you mentioned that there was a variance in testing results above and below a certain swing speed, 100 or 105 area. Is that true?

I have to admit that I gave in to the club ho demons and bought this with a stiff Aldila RIP. I had myself talked into waiting to test it head to head with the Z Star and maybe a couple others but then a moment of weakness occurred...not settled yet and still plan to have fitting session to compare. The great white hype was just too much to resist.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top