TaylorMade Rescue 11 Hybrid Review Thread

[9-Iron Man]

Alright ladies and gentlemen i hate to admitt this but the course/wind got the best of me yesterday. We arrived at the clubhouse around 4:15 or so and checked the wind and had sustained winds at 30mph gusting up to 45
This was one of the warmest days of the year so far so the course was packed and the Highschool golf team had taken over the front 9 so we tee off on 10 and play the back. The back 9 at our course is the harder side and also the more open/windy side and i really regret making that choice to play it yesterday lol. Almost everyhole was straight into the wind with only 3 being downwind.

My swing just wasnt there yesterday, i dont know if it was from the long day at work (loaded over 6,000lbs of copy paper by hand into a box truck) or just beginning of the year funk i needed to work out lol. Anyhow on to how the Rescue 11 performed.

TEE Shots- I love this hybrid off the tee, i tee'd off with it on 10 which is a dogleg left that bends around the back of the driving range(1 of the holes with the wind behind me off the tee). Instead of going down the middle with a 5 iron i cut the corner with the Rescue 11, it was one of very few good shots that day, this was a 220-225 yard tee shot with a 21* hybrid, thats pretty good to me anyway, it was just a nice smooth swing (about 80%). Love this thing from the tee.

Wind Performance- This is one thing i cant blame on the hybrid, my swing just wasnt there yesterday so i had a hard time controlling the trajectory to keep it low and under the wind, the couple shots i did it performed perfect, low stingers that i got about 190yards out of. Again i was playing in british open winds yesterday and i hit a couple that felt great and just exploded off the face only to see them go straight into the air and just fall out of the sky(160-170yards). This happened with almost every club not just the hybrid.

Turf Interaction- It didnt matter if it was from the rough, fairway, or tee the Rescue 11 goes through the ground so easy, allot better than the 09 Rescue TP.
The ground was really soft from all the rain we had early in the week and i hit one shot and saw a huge divot flying through the air and looked down and was shocked, it looked like a hit about 3 wedge shots lol, the Rescue11 didnt even break a sweat getting through the ground, i honestly was speachless at how easy it got through the turf. Great job with the sole TM :clapp:

Fairway bunker- Since there was nobody behind us on a couple holes i stopped at the fairway bunkers and hit a couple shots out of them. I plugged a ball to see how it would perform getting out and once again it went through the sand great, it wasnt a great shot by me but the club did exactly what i wanted it to.

Greenside Chipping- I like to do some bump and runs every once in awhile with my hybrid and yesterday was no different. To say this face is hot would be a understatement, the ball really jumps off the face when chipping with it, i struggled to get my distances correct with it yesterday. Looking forward to getting more time in with it in this area.

Feel- I said it after my range session and im saying it again, the Rescue11 feels amazing, its just a solid feeling and sounding hybrid thats all there is to it. The RIP 85 is a very good match for this head, i swaped my voodoo from my 09 Rescue TP into the Rescue11 and it felt a little harsher than it does with the RIP. The RIP is just smooth and the voodoo felt like it was getting a little loose.

Durability What can i say, its only been one long range session and 9 holes but the paint is holding up great. I always clean my clubs after im done playing and this one is really easy to clean up, it gets pretty dirty on the course but everything comes off with just water and a towel.

Im playing again on sunday so i will report back with more info. Hopefully my swing will be better, i kinda felt like a :clown: out there yesterday lol

Great write up!! Playing into the wind sure isn't fun.

Awesome 9i...that's what I'm testing now only dialed down a bit. Looking forward to your thoughts!

Thanks man!

I just showed my boss the club and he was mighty impressed. He plays TM gear and said he's been thinking about going the hybrid route for his long irons. He said he'd take it off my hands if I didn't like it.

 

[10YardDraw]

Nice write up man. Early season golf mixed with high winds is always a good recipe for a tough round so dont feel bad.

haha i know, it was horrible. It was even worse because i started getting PO'd because im an idiot and forgot a lighter so i couldnt have a smoke. If there are any young people reading this NEVER SMOKE lol. Im really loving the hybrid though, its just great

 

[10YardDraw]

Great write up!! Playing into the wind sure isn't fun.



Thanks man!

I just showed my boss the club and he was mighty impressed. He plays TM gear and said he's been thinking about going the hybrid route for his long irons. He said he'd take it off my hands if I didn't like it.

Thanks 9

 

[Mardin]

I know the heads get smaller as the lofts decrease but I wasn't aware the TP heads were smaller still.

They are slightly smaller I think. I hit the tp and it's got a lot of pop.

 

[RatFink]

I just showed my boss the club and he was mighty impressed. He plays TM gear and said he's been thinking about going the hybrid route for his long irons. He said he'd take it off my hands if I didn't like it.

Tell him he'll have to fight me first.

 

[9-Iron Man]

Tell him he'll have to fight me first.

Haha, will do.

 

[blugold]

– I’m a 16 handicap with a driver swing speed of 93-100.

I just got back from the range where I put the Adams and Taylormade hybrids face to face. I brought my Rescue 11 3 (18*) & 4 (21*) and my Adams Idea Pro Gold 3 (20*) & 4 (23*). I brought my 7 iron just for warm up purposes. Took some swings with the 7. And then I moved to the Adams 3h. This is my 200 yd club on the course, that means total distance is 200 not carry distance. The Adams 3 was consistent. Most shots were 200 yards but they had lots of shape. I then took Adams 4 out, my 185 club. Same consistency as I was used to. Good boring ball flight with some roll after hitting the ground. I was overall very happy with the session with the Adams. They sounds at impact is very nice. They have a very compact head at address. I really like my Adams. I know what I’m going to get every time I put a good swing on them.

After my Adams session, I took out the new Rescue 11s. The contrast between the heads is astonishing. The Rescue 11 is a much bigger head than the Adams, not to mention the crown coloring. First swing with the Rescue 3, the ball seemed to climb and climb. I thought I popped it up and short. Nope. The ball landed past the 200 yard flag’s landing area. The path was fairly straight, but I was amazed at the height I got. There seemed to be more carry and more backspin on the ball. I got less of a rollout with the Rescue 11. So after my shock with the initial swing, the next 10 swings followed suit. High ball flight, little roll out, more carry. I would assume I was hitting 210+ with the Rescue 11. The Rescue 11 4 had the same results as the R11 3. I did find it interesting that there was less shape compared to the Adams. I was still hitting a little draw or fade, just not as much as with the Adams. High ball flight with little roll, but added distance, I was hitting it 195+. It is important to note that these distance differences are approximate, but there was extra yardage there.

I will say this, that the results from the Adams 3&4 Idea Pro Gold Hybrids were very nice. Good predictable swings. I knew what I was going to get as far as ball flight and distances. The comparison with the Taylormade Rescue 11 surprised me in a good and welcome way. For my level of play, I am very happy with the Rescue 11 results. I have a feeling that a lower handicap player, or a player with a higher swing speed, would prefer the Adams. I was not getting the back spin with the Adams that I think a higher swing speed player would. I would worry that a high swing speed with the Rescue 11 would produce some balloons that would leave shots short of their intended distances. Granted, the Rescue 11 TP with the heavier shaft may reduce that balloon. Maybe one of the testers with the Rescue 11 TP could comment on that.

 

[Fairway2Green]

I'm testing the 18* TP Rescue 11 and I've had no problem with the trajectory being to high. I've hit it into and with the wind with no problems.

 

[hammerheel]

I hit this on a Golf Galaxy simulator today and I found out it just isn't the club for me. The hybrids I tested with lighter shafts performed much better distance wise, giving me distances of 30 yds more than the Rescue. I really wanted to like this one, but I just can't properly utilize the heavier shaft.

 

[blugold]

I hit this on a Golf Galaxy simulator today and I found out it just isn't the club for me. The hybrids I tested with lighter shafts performed much better distance wise, giving me distances of 30 yds more than the Rescue. I really wanted to like this one, but I just can't properly utilize the heavier shaft.

What ones were you hitting?

 

[10YardDraw]

– I’m a 16 handicap with a driver swing speed of 93-100.

I just got back from the range where I put the Adams and Taylormade hybrids face to face. I brought my Rescue 11 3 (18*) & 4 (21*) and my Adams Idea Pro Gold 3 (20*) & 4 (23*). I brought my 7 iron just for warm up purposes. Took some swings with the 7. And then I moved to the Adams 3h. This is my 200 yd club on the course, that means total distance is 200 not carry distance. The Adams 3 was consistent. Most shots were 200 yards but they had lots of shape. I then took Adams 4 out, my 185 club. Same consistency as I was used to. Good boring ball flight with some roll after hitting the ground. I was overall very happy with the session with the Adams. They sounds at impact is very nice. They have a very compact head at address. I really like my Adams. I know what I’m going to get every time I put a good swing on them.

After my Adams session, I took out the new Rescue 11s. The contrast between the heads is astonishing. The Rescue 11 is a much bigger head than the Adams, not to mention the crown coloring. First swing with the Rescue 3, the ball seemed to climb and climb. I thought I popped it up and short. Nope. The ball landed past the 200 yard flag’s landing area. The path was fairly straight, but I was amazed at the height I got. There seemed to be more carry and more backspin on the ball. I got less of a rollout with the Rescue 11. So after my shock with the initial swing, the next 10 swings followed suit. High ball flight, little roll out, more carry. I would assume I was hitting 210+ with the Rescue 11. The Rescue 11 4 had the same results as the R11 3. I did find it interesting that there was less shape compared to the Adams. I was still hitting a little draw or fade, just not as much as with the Adams. High ball flight with little roll, but added distance, I was hitting it 195+. It is important to note that these distance differences are approximate, but there was extra yardage there.

I will say this, that the results from the Adams 3&4 Idea Pro Gold Hybrids were very nice. Good predictable swings. I knew what I was going to get as far as ball flight and distances. The comparison with the Taylormade Rescue 11 surprised me in a good and welcome way. For my level of play, I am very happy with the Rescue 11 results. I have a feeling that a lower handicap player, or a player with a higher swing speed, would prefer the Adams. I was not getting the back spin with the Adams that I think a higher swing speed player would. I would worry that a high swing speed with the Rescue 11 would produce some balloons that would leave shots short of their intended distances. Granted, the Rescue 11 TP with the heavier shaft may reduce that balloon. Maybe one of the testers with the Rescue 11 TP could comment on that.

nice, which one are you testing? 3 or 4? You sig says 5 but i didnt see anything about the 5 in there

 

[blugold]

nice, which one are you testing? 3 or 4? You sig says 5 but i didnt see anything about the 5 in there

Yeah I am officially testing the 5. I liked it so much that I went out and bought the 3 & 4. So I compared the Taylormade and Adams on my dime and I was happy to do so.

 

[9-Iron Man]

– I’m a 16 handicap with a driver swing speed of 93-100.

I just got back from the range where I put the Adams and Taylormade hybrids face to face. I brought my Rescue 11 3 (18*) & 4 (21*) and my Adams Idea Pro Gold 3 (20*) & 4 (23*). I brought my 7 iron just for warm up purposes. Took some swings with the 7. And then I moved to the Adams 3h. This is my 200 yd club on the course, that means total distance is 200 not carry distance. The Adams 3 was consistent. Most shots were 200 yards but they had lots of shape. I then took Adams 4 out, my 185 club. Same consistency as I was used to. Good boring ball flight with some roll after hitting the ground. I was overall very happy with the session with the Adams. They sounds at impact is very nice. They have a very compact head at address. I really like my Adams. I know what I’m going to get every time I put a good swing on them.

After my Adams session, I took out the new Rescue 11s. The contrast between the heads is astonishing. The Rescue 11 is a much bigger head than the Adams, not to mention the crown coloring. First swing with the Rescue 3, the ball seemed to climb and climb. I thought I popped it up and short. Nope. The ball landed past the 200 yard flag’s landing area. The path was fairly straight, but I was amazed at the height I got. There seemed to be more carry and more backspin on the ball. I got less of a rollout with the Rescue 11. So after my shock with the initial swing, the next 10 swings followed suit. High ball flight, little roll out, more carry. I would assume I was hitting 210+ with the Rescue 11. The Rescue 11 4 had the same results as the R11 3. I did find it interesting that there was less shape compared to the Adams. I was still hitting a little draw or fade, just not as much as with the Adams. High ball flight with little roll, but added distance, I was hitting it 195+. It is important to note that these distance differences are approximate, but there was extra yardage there.

I will say this, that the results from the Adams 3&4 Idea Pro Gold Hybrids were very nice. Good predictable swings. I knew what I was going to get as far as ball flight and distances. The comparison with the Taylormade Rescue 11 surprised me in a good and welcome way. For my level of play, I am very happy with the Rescue 11 results. I have a feeling that a lower handicap player, or a player with a higher swing speed, would prefer the Adams. I was not getting the back spin with the Adams that I think a higher swing speed player would. I would worry that a high swing speed with the Rescue 11 would produce some balloons that would leave shots short of their intended distances. Granted, the Rescue 11 TP with the heavier shaft may reduce that balloon. Maybe one of the testers with the Rescue 11 TP could comment on that.

Great write up blu!! Do you think you got the extra distance from the added loft (Rescues are 2* stronger) of the Rescues or that the face is hotter? Maybe both?

 

[hammerheel]

What ones were you hitting?

Mashie (winner), Adams V3 (close 2nd), Superfast (close 3rd), Rescue 11 (4th). If I'm not mistaken, those are also how they rank in shaft weight, Mashie being the lightest.

 

[blugold]

Great write up blu!! Do you think you got the extra distance from the added loft (Rescues are 2* stronger) of the Rescues or that the face is hotter? Maybe both?

Probably both. It looked like I was getting a very high and spin heavy ball flight. I have a feeling that the shafts have something to do with it also. As we know it is the RIP in the Rescue. My Adams have a Matrix Ozik shaft in them. I will double check the shaft weight because I am not sure off of the top of my head. Clubs are in the car and I need to leave the office in a second to go home. I will update in a bit.

 

[sjf25]

Same here!

I'm testing the 18* TP Rescue 11 and I've had no problem with the trajectory being to high. I've hit it into and with the wind with no problems.

 

[10YardDraw]

Yeah I am officially testing the 5. I liked it so much that I went out and bought the 3 & 4. So I compared the Taylormade and Adams on my dime and I was happy to do so.

gotcha, thought it might of been a typo. Says allot if it made you go out and buy 2 more. Im loving mine

 

[blugold]

gotcha, thought it might of been a typo. Says allot if it made you go out and buy 2 more. Im loving mine

It was the shape of the ball flight that convinced me. The distance is great but once I saw the kind of carry I was getting, I had to have them.

 

[10YardDraw]

It was the shape of the ball flight that convinced me. The distance is great but once I saw the kind of carry I was getting, I had to have them.

I know what ya mean, im getting great carry out of my 4/21*. Im excited to see what kind of totall distance i can get after the ground drys out, its really wet here so im not getting any rollout. I let my dad hit it yesterday from about 185 and he put it dead center on the green lol, i was just thinking you SOB lol, it was one of the holes that was with the wind helping so i thought it would be a good time to have him try it. It was his first time hitting a TM hybrid and he loved it, it might of been only his 4th or 5th(in the last 5-6yrs) time hitting any thing other than Cobra, he hits it pretty good for being in his 50's. I gave him my 09 Rescue TP after the round yesterday, thats how happy i am with the Rescue11

 

[9-Iron Man]

TaylorMade Rescue 11 Initial Thoughts

TaylorMade Rescue 11 Initial Thoughts

As I mentioned earlier, my Rescue 11 arrived at the office today. First off, let me please extend my biggest thanks to THP and TaylorMade for this amazing opportunity. This is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time now and am just tickled pink that I was chosen. I’ll do my best to give the best reviews I can.

A little about myself: I am not the greatest player in the world but am trying hard to get better. This will mark my second full season in the game. I have had an interest in golf for the last decade or so, but never played because I could never get the ball to go straight. I still fight that mighty slice at times. About two and a half years ago, I was with my uncle after attending my company golf tournament and he gave me some pointers. After that, things started clicking for me and I was hooked from then on. I do not have an established handicap yet, but that is one of my priorities for the coming season, along with breaking 100. I faced a complete breakdown in my game late last season at the THP Outing. Since then, I’ve been working hard to get myself mentally prepared so I have fewer blow-ups on the course. I haven’t been able to play on the course since last October due to the crazy anomaly known as snow. We are starting to thaw up here, but there is still a lot of snow up here. So because of that my testing for the next few weeks will be in the simulator. Once the snow is gone I’ll be hitting up the range and course as often as I can. So without ado, let’s get to the club!

Looks
One word: sexy. I’ve been a fan of the white crown since I first saw a picture of it all those months ago on the R11 driver. In person, it does not disappoint. I think the graphics along the tail edge look nice and are a good aesthetic touch. Time will tell if they are a distraction or not. The alignment aid on the crown appears to be too close to the heel as many others have pointed out. This isn’t a deal breaker for me, as lately, I’ve been lining myself up closer to the heel to avoid a hit towards the toe which is my more common miss. I like that it is there on the club, but I think it would be better if it was more central. One of the things I will be looking at as I conduct my testing will be how the alignment aid affects setup and if it indeed should be more central on the club face or if it is ok where it is.

The RIP shaft is great-looking too. It starts silvery at the top by the grip where the RIP and Rescue logos are and such and then becomes jet back which then tapers into a dark, smoky gray pattern for the last third of the shaft which is in keeping with the scheme from the regular RIP shafts. The pattern is really nice and I wish my camera was good enough to capture it. The shaft overall has a matte finish in keeping with the matte white on the crown. Overall, I’d give this club a solid 10 in the looks department.

Shaft
The Aldila RIP 65 is the shaft in my tester. As I mentioned above, the looks are killer. This is my first time with the RIP shaft so we’ll see how she does. It seems a little bendy at times when just shaking the club up and down a bit. I think that’s due to the heavier club head more than anything.

Grip
The grip is the TaylorMade Tour Velvet which is just fine with me. I have this grip on my xFT wedges as well, and it performs well on those, as I’m sure it will on the Rescue as well. I’ve heard the comments about the traction issue when the grip gets wet, and I have yet to play this grip in really moist or humid conditions so I can’t speak to that yet. My testing will include my rounds at PGA National at the Spring THP Outing, so we’ll see how the traction holds up under the humid Florida sun.

Weight/Specs
The first thing I noticed when I picked up the club for the first time was its weight. The Rescue has some mass behind it. I’m sure this will be a benefit when trying to punch a ball out of the rough. TaylorMade website says the Rescue has a swing weight of D4, while my current hybrid is D2, so there will be some adjusting to do. Club length is 40” which is the same as my current hybrid.

Headcover
I have no experience with the previous Rescue headcovers so I can offer no opinion if the 11 headcovers are a step up or not, but I can say that I do like it. The top and back are white with the various logos embedded in it. The part covering the club head is red otherwise saying “Rescue” along the front. The remainder is black with a stretchy sock part in the front to accommodate the club. The cover fits snugly but is easy to put on and off. Rounding out the cover is the number selector. I’m not a huge fan of it mainly due to its size. It is large enough to cover numbers 3-7, and X so you can imagine its size. The numbers lock in securely so your 4 will not turn into a 7.

Performance
Won’t know this until tomorrow when I hit up the simulator. I’ve two hours booked for myself and AdamsGirl. We’ll be doing the range thing for this session so we can figure out some distances and such for all of our clubs. It will be very interesting to see how the 21* Rescue 4 hybrid will stack up against my current 21* MachSpeed 3 hybrid. The lofts are the same, but these are VERY different clubs. Personally, I can’t wait to see the results.

So that should do it for now. If you have any questions, please ask away. I’ll try to do my best to put the Rescue through its paces as much as I can in the simulator.

And now, the important part, PICTURES!!

At Address

Headcover

At Address vs. MachSpeed. The Rescue looks bigger.

The Sole vs. MachSpeed. The Rescue looks MUCH bigger.

The Face vs. MachSpeed. The black face with white grooves looks great.

The RIP Shaft

This pic does not do the pattern justice. Looks WAY better in person.

The Grip

This highlights the anti-glare crown. I put the Rescue and MachSpeed under my desk lamp and you can tell the difference. No glare at all on the Rescue while the MachSpeed mirrors the entire lamp.

Please note that I am not ragging on the MachSpeed at all. It is a good club that has served me well. I am just using it for comparison purposes.

I need to head out for the evening, but will return later. If you have any requests for my simulator session tomorrow morning, please leave a comment!

Thanks for reading!

 

[Hole~Out~1983]

Thanks for the write up man. Im looking forward to your thoughts when you get this beauty in the simulator.

 

[10YardDraw]

Thanks for the write up man. Im looking forward to your thoughts when you get this beauty in the simulator.

+1 i hope it treats you well, i know mine is so far

 

[Staples]

Slowly catching up on the thread....

Great work so far guys! I noticed both RIP shafts are out...85g and 65g. I will be looking forward to the upcoming reviews to compare what you are seeing/feeling with each one. These Rescues certainly look great!

 

[Fairway2Green]

I saw 9I mentioned the grips getting slick. I would have to say I'm the guy to go to on this. I live in Florida where it's always hot and humid plus I have hyperhidrosis and haven't had my botox injections in a few years. My hands sweat like crazy. I use Tour Velvet grips on all my clubs and have no problem with slipping.

 

[biggsy]

Really great info in this thread, thanks for all of the hard work everyone.