TaylorMade R11 Driver & Fairway Wood Review Thread

[Super Tuna]

Launch Monitors in terms of distance can certainly be off, espcially on the roll after the carry (waaay off) but even half decent ones in stores are usually pretty good with launch angle, smash factor and ball speed. Looking at any of the rest of the numbers generally isn't going to be that helpful in my experience.

Mark: I know 15cc isn't a huge difference in actualy space but it certainly seems to be in looks. Perhaps that's why the R9 (if you have the 460 model) looked so much bigger then the R11 (445). I found the same thing with the D2/D3. That extra 15 cc's make the head look waaay bigger to me.

 

[Mark]

Launch Monitors in terms of distance can certainly be off, espcially on the roll after the carry (waaay off) but even half decent ones in stores are usually pretty good with launch angle, smash factor and ball speed. Looking at any of the rest of the numbers generally isn't going to be that helpful in my experience.

Mark: I know 15cc isn't a huge difference in actualy space but it certainly seems to be in looks. Perhaps that's why the QR9 (if you have the 460 model) looked so much bigger then the R11 (445). I found the same thing with the D2/D3. That extra 15 cc's make the head look waaay bigger to me.

Hi folks

I agree the club face seemed to look smaller. For those who have been hitting this club outside, was there a ling transition period before the beast came out? I am still a little skeptical and need to hit outside to see my ball flight and distance. My eyes will guide the way.

 

[T_REX]

Hi folks

I agree the club face seemed to look smaller. For those who have been hitting this club outside, was there a ling transition period before the beast came out? I am still a little skeptical and need to hit outside to see my ball flight and distance. My eyes will guide the way.

Once it's dialed in, you'll know. I was happy with it on the SIM, but I totally got it roaring today. You can tweak it any way you like to find the ball flight that's right for you

 

[Adam0304]

From my experience and of course this is just my opinion!!! Unless you are using a LM like Trackman or Flightscope outdoors, I would take any numbers on the indoor simulators with a grain of salt. I have found them inaccurate and in some cases they are set to sell clubs!! I feel there is nothing better than hitting outdoors on Trackman where you can actually see your ball flight. But like I said this is only my opinion and others may trust sims more than I do.

Cheers!!

Most in store launch monitors are relatively accurate. He was most definitely being honest with my launch and spin being way to low. The only thing is my swing speed is up from 87 to 95ish in a month - I plan on going to another store tomorrow and hitting on there launch monitor to make sure my numbers are as they were at the other store (I sure swing speed is).


Tap before talk.

 

[GrantD]

Has anybody seen Ian Poutler's R11? He has a white grip, white shaft and the white head. SICK!!!

 

[Ole Gray]

Has anybody seen Ian Poutler's R11? He has a white grip, white shaft and the white head. SICK!!!

Poulter has switched over the TaylorMade? That is interesting as he was playing the Cobra white ZL driver.

 

[GrantD]

Poulter has switched over the TaylorMade? That is interesting as he was playing the Cobra white ZL driver.

That was my B. HAHA I meant to say Cobra and how sick it would be to have an R11 like that. Need more coffee!

Thanks, Gray for the fix.

 

[Dent]

Alright guys, the moment I've been waiting for. I waited all day for the postman to drop it off and it finally arrived. I rip open the box and I got......The 4 wood!

Appearance

I love the white. I was so skeptical when they first came out but it's such a chance from seeing the black I have been playing for 10 or so years so I just was so amazed at how new and refreshing this looked. The white head and black face contrast so well that I can even see the white grooves on the face at address with ease. The combination of a dark red, white and black is just beautiful and Just looking over the club makes me want to bomb it. The shaft is great as well, it is more of a flat and dull black on the blur rather than a shiny black you see in most clubs. I assume they did this for visuals to make you focus on the white even more. The techy looking decals on the white gives it a great little special effect that really adds a little flash to the club at address. I don't mind it at all. I think this club would look deadly with a white/black multi-compound in it. The headcover is just great. It feels as if they made the headcover much larger than the club instead of a snug feel for easy removal and covering. They have a great strap (see pictures) that you can squeeze 3 fingers under and pull if you have trouble, but my guesses are you won't need it.

Pros: Great colour combination, great looks, everything is glare free and dull looking, great change of visuals.
Cons: None

Feel

More will be posted on this later, but just from the feel of the club in my hands the first thing I notice is that the grip is very tacky. I don't think I'll mind the stock grip at all. On the downside though for a small test I wet my hands with water, dried them to make them damp and noticed when I grabbed the club, the grip became very slippery all of a sudden. For me this would be a bit of a problem in hot summer days as my hands often sweat. The best I could do is some small back swings and some quick waggles. While I can usually gain nothing from this, something tells me the shaft won't be too whippy for me like others have said.

Performance

I'll edit this spot later if I can when I actually test. Hoping to get out tomorrow or on the weekend.



To start I am wondering if I can make this work with my clubs in the bag. I usually think in terms of degrees for club gaps, and I currently have 15* (3 wood) 17* (4 wood) 19* (3H) I'm not sure if that is a good combination or not (anyone feel free to chime in on that), but on the flip side if this club performs well enough I may remove either the 3 wood or the 3H depending on yardages, consistency and dispersion.

Like I said I will update a TON more including more videos and pictures when I get to the range/simulators!

Couple More Pics:

 

[biggsy]

Great start Dent, looking forward to how you hit it.

 

[Dr. Teeth]

That was my B. HAHA I meant to say Cobra and how sick it would be to have an R11 like that. Need more coffee!

Thanks, Gray for the fix.

I put a white Iomic grip on my R11 and it looks amazing! I don't have a white shaft, but the white grip with the white head and the R11 graphics on the shaft is a killer combo!

Hi folks

I agree the club face seemed to look smaller. For those who have been hitting this club outside, was there a ling transition period before the beast came out? I am still a little skeptical and need to hit outside to see my ball flight and distance. My eyes will guide the way.

I agree with T Rex that once you get this club dialled in, it is like the heavens open and a chorus of angel start singing!

 

[Dr. Teeth]

Dent really excited that you got yours in. You are going to love it!

 

[Dent]

Thanks Teeth!

FYI - If anyone was wondering I noticed some got a wrench and a booklet for their clubs, wrench and booklet was not included with mine either.

 

[Dr. Teeth]

Thanks Teeth!

FYI - If anyone was wondering I noticed some got a wrench and a booklet for their clubs, wrench and booklet was not included with mine either.

I would give TM a call cause as far as I understand the wrench and booklet are supposed to be included.

 

[9-Iron Man]

Great stuff Dent! Glad you got it, looks like I'll be the last. Mine left Winnipeg at 9:30 last night so it should be here for tomorrow as scheduled.

 

[Hole~Out~1983]

Dang buddy now I really feel like I live in BFE I still havent gotten mine. It will be here probably in a couple hours but still, being in Idaho I may as well live in Mexico haha. Congrats my man and thanks for the pics and the initial thoughts, cant wait to hear how you hit this baby.

 

[Adam0304]

Alright, so I got to use an outdoor range today (still off winter turf) but it was nice to be swinging in the elements. I hit the r11 17* 20-30 times and had a mixed day. My miss today was a pull, and I think it could be because my left bicep/shoulder was giving me problems later in the session. I noticed I was hitting it MUCH lower today, and my distance seemed to be suffering. I was hitting it right passed the 180 yard mark when struck well. Although I couldn't get the ball up, my distance was much better on thin shots than it was on the simulator. No scuffs yet, and I had numerous people staring at this beauty. Hopefully I can get this launch angle issue fixed, because I left A LOT of distance out on the range today.

 

[9-Iron Man]

Alright, so I got to use an outdoor range today (still off winter turf) but it was nice to be swinging in the elements. I hit the r11 17* 20-30 times and had a mixed day. My miss today was a pull, and I think it could be because my left bicep/shoulder was giving me problems later in the session. I noticed I was hitting it MUCH lower today, and my distance seemed to be suffering. I was hitting it right passed the 180 yard mark when struck well. Although I couldn't get the ball up, my distance was much better on thin shots than it was on the simulator. No scuffs yet, and I had numerous people staring at this beauty. Hopefully I can get this launch angle issue fixed, because I left A LOT of distance out on the range today.

You think you are having loft issues due to the pull or just hitting them thin? Maybe both? I take it you weren't having the pull issue on the sim.

 

[Dent]

9I you are still waiting on yours? It looks like one of you are going to get the 3 wood!! or maybe both.

 

[9-Iron Man]

9I you are still waiting on yours? It looks like one of you are going to get the 3 wood!! or maybe both.

Yup, I'm still waiting. Should have my Rescue tomorrow though. Apparently it arrived in Calgary 45 minutes ago. So I should have it tomorrow, which is good cause I booked sim time for first thing Saturday morning. Assuming I get it, I'll be posting my thoughts in the Rescue thread by tomorrow evening.

 

[Drumdog]

Dent...glad to hear you got it in.

I didn't hit the 4 wood at the Kingdom, but I did hit the 14* and the 15* 3 woods and absolutely loved them!
The ball just exploded off the face of both of them. I've never had any problem getting a fairway wood up off the turf and that continued with the R-11's.
I was curious to see if that 14* would be a problem for me, but....nope. I love the white head and black face. They really frame the ball well.
I have no doubt that you will enjoy this club. Maybe almost as much as I enjoy my R-11 driver.
Looking forward to your reviews.

 

[Hole~Out~1983]

What can brown do for you?...I'll tell you what brown can do for me. Then can start showing up to my house a little earlier instead of making me wait all day. Haha as you can tell Im anxiously awaiting my club.

 

[Staples]

Great write up Dent! The R11 FW's are amazing clubs.

 

[TC]

Nice initial thoughts Dent! Can't wait to hear more buddy.

tapatalk: even available for lefties!

 

[Adam0304]

You think you are having loft issues due to the pull or just hitting them thin? Maybe both? I take it you weren't having the pull issue on the sim.

Loft is always fine on simulators, but the launch monitor tells otherwise. I just know I cam get 240-250 if loft and spin goes up.


Tap before talk.

 

[Dent]

Thanks guys. I'll have to go out and buy a wrench so info on tweaking wont be up for a bit.