TaylorMade R11 Driver & Fairway Wood Review Thread

[Mardin]

You go and find yourself a good club fitter and hit them side by side and go with the one that gives you optimal numbers. I mean you could use other reasoning but this would be the best path to take.

+1....I think the fitting process is key, especially when spending so much money on a club of such importance. I would also recommend trying other clubs other than TM to see if anything peaks your interest. Good luck on your search.

 

[Staples]

Taylormade R11 T3 - 14* Fairway Wood:

Initial Thoughts:

My fairway wood arrived today and ended up being the T3. I have only hit a strong 3 wood once before and found it to be long off the tee, but hard to hit off the turf. They seem to resemble "mini-drivers" to me, but not the R11. The R11 T3 appears to have a shallower face and actually resembles a traditional fairway wood. I gamed the R9 3 wood last year and the R11 T3 seems very similar in size. I measured the face height of each and they were the same. The R11 T3 head is 155cc compared to the R9 T3's 168cc. The Fujikura Blur shaft seemed a little weak for a "stiff" when I swung it back and forth in the house. The shaft says its a 70, but it actually comes in at 59 grams. I love the white crown against the black face.

On Course Testing:

Tee Box:
I was able to play a few holes tonight before it got dark. I didn't warm up, but instead just hopped on the tee box and swung away. I decided to keep all setting on neutral for this round. I hit 2 balls with the R11 T3 and 1 with my R9 3W. Both shots with the R11 were hit fairly low for a 3 wood and had a slight fade. The R9 was hit well and I expected it to be longer than the shots with the R11. Boy was I wrong, the R9 came in at 205 yards while both shots with the R11 were at 218 yards within 10' of one another. The next hole was a par 5 and I teed off with the R11. My swing was slowly coming around and this time I ended up hitting a small fade that went a little higher than the 1st tee shot. The second hole is a lot dryer than the first, so I got some roll this time. The final yardage was 239. The third hole is another par 5 and I teed off with the R11 once more. This time I struck the ball very well and it shot off like a rocket. It had a high trajectory and took a nice bounce and rolled a few yards after it landed. I actually hit this one 257 yds! I out drove my R11 driver by 5 or 6 yards on this hole. I hit several other tee shots tonight with the R11 T3 and the final yardages were : 244, 259, 247, and I popped one up about 150 yards like a former world #1 last weekend.

Fairway:
I seem to struggle most of the time getting balls airborne from the fairway with a 3W. I was really worried when I found out I had to test a T3 from the turf. The first shot I tried was from 225 yards out and hit it thin and to the right. I tried another on the next hole from 220 yards out. This time I managed to stay down and hit it flush. It went high and faded about 10 yards, but sat right down behind the green. I measured and the ball went 229 yards. I was very happy with this shot and hope to be able to replicate it. I can probably count on one hand how many times I have been able to do that with my R9 3w. Later in the round, I played a par 5 and had 261 yards to center. I think front yardage was 252 and decided to see how close I could get the R11 T3. I hit a piercing shot and ended up 7 yards from the green. The flight wasn't like the previous shot from the fairway, but went straight and had some roll once it landed. I would definitely take that shot any day of the week in a normal round.

Final Thoughts:

I walked away very impressed with the R11 T3 today. The club is a monster off of the tee and isn't difficult to hit from the fairway like some people would fear with a strong lofted 3 wood. I am definitely looking forward to testing this and hopping on the range to try the different settings. The Blur does seem a little weak for a stiff shaft, but performed nicely tonight. The testing is still quite young, but I am very excited for this club. Definitely more to come later this week after the rain passes.

 

[Dent]

Great writeup Dawg, this post got me super excited to hit mine for some reason. I love how you were getting some solid distance off the tee man that's great. How was the shaft? From first impressions how do you feel about it?


Looking forward to the post where you start tweaking.

 

[T_REX]

Good review. I am definitely looking at this as a replacement to my R9 3WD

 

[Ole Gray]

Taylormade R11 T3 - 14* Fairway Wood:


Initial Thoughts:

My fairway wood arrived today and ended up being the T3. I have only hit a strong 3 wood once before and found it to be long off the tee, but hard to hit off the turf. They seem to resemble "mini-drivers" to me, but not the R11. The R11 T3 appears to have a shallower face and actually resembles a traditional fairway wood. I gamed the R9 3 wood last year and the R11 T3 seems very similar in size. I measured the face height of each and they were the same. The R11 T3 head is 155cc compared to the R9 T3's 168cc. The Fujikura Blur shaft seemed a little weak for a "stiff" when I swung it back and forth in the house. The shaft says its a 70, but it actually comes in at 59 grams. I love the white crown against the black face.

On Course Testing:

Tee Box:
I was able to play a few holes tonight before it got dark. I didn't warm up, but instead just hopped on the tee box and swung away. I decided to keep all setting on neutral for this round. I hit 2 balls with the R11 T3 and 1 with my R9 3W. Both shots with the R11 were hit fairly low for a 3 wood and had a slight fade. The R9 was hit well and I expected it to be longer than the shots with the R11. Boy was I wrong, the R9 came in at 205 yards while both shots with the R11 were at 218 yards within 10' of one another. The next hole was a par 5 and I teed off with the R11. My swing was slowly coming around and this time I ended up hitting a small fade that went a little higher than the 1st tee shot. The second hole is a lot dryer than the first, so I got some roll this time. The final yardage was 239. The third hole is another par 5 and I teed off with the R11 once more. This time I struck the ball very well and it shot off like a rocket. It had a high trajectory and took a nice bounce and rolled a few yards after it landed. I actually hit this one 257 yds! I out drove my R11 driver by 5 or 6 yards on this hole. I hit several other tee shots tonight with the R11 T3 and the final yardages were : 244, 259, 247, and I popped one up about 150 yards like a former world #1 last weekend.

Fairway:
I seem to struggle most of the time getting balls airborne from the fairway with a 3W. I was really worried when I found out I had to test a T3 from the turf. The first shot I tried was from 225 yards out and hit it thin and to the right. I tried another on the next hole from 220 yards out. This time I managed to stay down and hit it flush. It went high and faded about 10 yards, but sat right down behind the green. I measured and the ball went 229 yards. I was very happy with this shot and hope to be able to replicate it. I can probably count on one hand how many times I have been able to do that with my R9 3w. Later in the round, I played a par 5 and had 261 yards to center. I think front yardage was 252 and decided to see how close I could get the R11 T3. I hit a piercing shot and ended up 7 yards from the green. The flight wasn't like the previous shot from the fairway, but went straight and had some roll once it landed. I would definitely take that shot any day of the week in a normal round.

Final Thoughts:

I walked away very impressed with the R11 T3 today. The club is a monster off of the tee and isn't difficult to hit from the fairway like some people would fear with a strong lofted 3 wood. I am definitely looking forward to testing this and hopping on the range to try the different settings. The Blur does seem a little weak for a stiff shaft, but performed nicely tonight. The testing is still quite young, but I am very excited for this club. Definitely more to come later this week after the rain passes.

Great job DirtyDawg! I enjoyed your review :thumb:

 

[Staples]

Great writeup Dawg, this post got me super excited to hit mine for some reason. I love how you were getting some solid distance off the tee man that's great. How was the shaft? From first impressions how do you feel about it?


Looking forward to the post where you start tweaking.

This club is really long off the tee. My friends used to tell me I hit my 3w long, but I can't wait for them to see this. The Blur feels kind of "whippy". I just compared it to the Motore shaft in my R9 and it definitely feels a little weaker than that. I didn't really seem to notice it though on the course. I am going to hit the range tomorrow or Thursday to get some more swings in.

 

[Staples]

Great job DirtyDawg! I enjoyed your review :thumb:

Thanks Ole Gray....and thanks for the congrats in an earlier post. As to the wrench, the R9 and R11 wrenches are the same, so you should be fine using it.

 

[Hole~Out~1983]

Good to hear man, I like to hear that it has a shallow face since really that is the only thing that seems to hinder me from hitting a club off the deck. So next time you take it out would you mind leaving it on nuetral for a little bit and seeing how easy/difficult it is to work the ball? Thanks for the write up.

 

[Staples]

Good review. I am definitely looking at this as a replacement to my R9 3WD

Thanks T-Rex. I will definitely have a lot more info in the coming weeks. I was very impressed with what I saw today, though.

 

[Staples]

Good to hear man, I like to hear that it has a shallow face since really that is the only thing that seems to hinder me from hitting a club off the deck. So next time you take it out would you mind leaving it on nuetral for a little bit and seeing how easy/difficult it is to work the ball? Thanks for the write up.

No problem. I will give it a try and see what happens.

 

[Hole~Out~1983]

No problem. I will give it a try and see what happens.

Thanks buddy.

 

[hammerheel]

No problem. I will give it a try and see what happens.

As well as that, can you take a couple of swats with it on draw bias and see how drastically it affects your ball flight?

 

[Staples]

As well as that, can you take a couple of swats with it on draw bias and see how drastically it affects your ball flight?

Will do. I am going to hit a bunch of balls with each setting to try and get a feel for how each one works.

 

[sjf25]

I did the same thing. Loved my Supertri but my R11 with the proper shaft in it is far superior for me.

Congrats again on that amazing experience, I also played the Supertri with RIP 70 Alpha before the R11. They are both very very solid drivers but for ME the R11 is the best.

 

[BigCov]

I am not a tester, but I have been playing my R11 driver for awhile now. I love it. I was playing the R9 before and I hit the R11 on a better trajectory. Lower, more piercing ball flight. I'd encourage anyone looking for a new driver, to hit the R11. You never know.

 

[royalwulff]

Great write up dawg! I am really looking forward to taking my 5 Wood out and putting its through its paces.

 

[Adam0304]

Just a rumor, war_mongering may be close to a two team trade where the home team receives an r11 and the away team receives a supertri with stock shaft, superfast 3 wood and Adams 2 hybrid. The deal is pending launch monitor results.


Tap before talk.

 

[Dent]

Just a rumor, war_mongering may be close to a two team trade where the home team receives an r11 and the away team receives a supertri with stock shaft, superfast 3 wood and Adams 2 hybrid. The deal is pending launch monitor results.


Tap before talk.

Not bad WM. Throw the Miyazaki in that bad boy?

 

[Adam0304]

Not bad WM. Throw the Miyazaki in that bad boy?

If it provides the best results. I'm assuming they have a shaft cart and I'm going to hit all the shafts I can and decide if I'd like a lower spin driver and what shaft will benefit me. Also, if I end up having to add a lot of money to the transaction, I'll keep my supertri.

Edit: I love the smaller club heads. R11 4 wood>>>>superfast. Hopefully the r11 driver>>>supertri.


Tap before talk.

 

[Dent]

If it provides the best results. I'm assuming they have a shaft cart and I'm going to hit all the shafts I can and decide if I'd like a lower spin driver and what shaft will benefit me. Also, if I end up having to add a lot of money to the transaction, I'll keep my supertri.

Edit: I love the smaller club heads. R11 4 wood>>>>superfast. Hopefully the r11 driver>>>supertri.


Tap before talk.

I thought they should be adding money, not you. I think the value of all those combined is higher than the R11

 

[Adam0304]

I thought they should be adding money, not you. I think the value of all those combined is higher than the R11

I hope so. The supertri has some dings on the crown where a faulty golf cart strap left my bag plummeting the ground.


Tap before talk.

 

[Adam0304]

I hit the r11 17* 4 wood against my 3 wood again this afternoon. I'm not sure if this is attributed to the honeymoon effect or what, but this club just stays in tempo. My backswing is 1-2 and my downswing is 3. With the superfast, I try and try to stay in tempo, but the longer and lighter shaft just does wonders for my duck hook. The superfast is out of the bag, as is my Adams 2 hybrid because the r11 (and mashie) fill the spot of the 4 clubs.

My one gripe is the grip. I have never been a fan of tour velvets, and have replaced them from every TM club I have owned. The r11 has a date with a red/black multi-compound as soon as I get around to it. I love handing out all this praise to a club from what I have seen on the simulator, but I really can't wait to get some video from it on the course - I have a feeling this club will be in the bag for a LONG time...and maybe her big sister will be there as well.

 

[smclemon]

Bought a R11 the other day after demos for a couple days. I love it. The ball really jumps off the face. I can't wait to get it out on the course once this snow melts.

 

[sjf25]

Hi W_M, I traded my Supertri in which was in very good shape for $130.00 through a retail golf store. I played with a friend of mine last weekend and he had to my surprise a new R11 which was great. He told me that he put his Supertri on Ebay and 2 guys bid it up to $250.00. I was shocked and bummed that I did not go this route as well although it is a crap shoot. Hope this info helps.

If it provides the best results. I'm assuming they have a shaft cart and I'm going to hit all the shafts I can and decide if I'd like a lower spin driver and what shaft will benefit me. Also, if I end up having to add a lot of money to the transaction, I'll keep my supertri.

Edit: I love the smaller club heads. R11 4 wood>>>>superfast. Hopefully the r11 driver>>>supertri.


Tap before talk.

 

[Colt]

I was gonna head to the range with the Blueboard in my R11 yesterday but UPS didn't deliver the new shaft until 7:30 at night. Gonna go today and compare against the Blur. Will post results.