TaylorMade Launches R11 Irons

[adwillingham]

I definitely have some comments to add to this thread in the next couple of days. Very quickly though - As someone who has been playing the Burner 2.0s all year, I am absolutely in love with these irons after this weekend. Very similar distances to the Burner 2.0s (within 5 yards), much more consistent distance, better spin, much tighter dispersion. These clubs are absolutely a brilliant mash-up to me of the best characteristics of both the Burner 2.0s and the TP CBs. TaylorMade did a fantastic job in the design and execution of these, and I would ask anyone who is considering new irons to at least see them in person and try a few swings...they won't be for everyone, but a lot of people will really like the result that they see. I think all six of the Morgan Cuppers who gamed the R11s really liked them...and that represents a good range of low to mid handicaps and very different types of players.

 

[INgolfer]

Is there as much offset on these as there is on the 2.0?

 

[cheffor]

I've never been a huge Taylormade fan but they've definitely caught my interest this year. I did not, however, get a long with the Burner 2.0's for whatever reason but these have my interest piqued and will definitately check them out when they arrive locally.

 

[Toddo]

I hit a 6I again today in a simulator with regular graphite and came away really impressed. I have yet to try the steel shaft, that will be the next test, though the graphite is really growing on me.

 

[adwillingham]

Is there as much offset on these as there is on the 2.0?

I confirmed my thoughts via the specs on the TaylorMade website. The R11s have a bit less offset 3 iron through 7 iron than the Burner 2.0s, and a bit more than the CBs, so again, in between the two sets in terms of offset.

 

[Wake]

Consider me VERY interested. I am buying irons in the near future, and will certainly have to hit these before I do.

 

[INgolfer]

I wish I lived near a big golf store, it seems as though most of them already have a demo club to try. I'm hoping to move to Indianapolis within the next couple of years once I finish school, so then I will be near a Golfsmith and Golf Galaxy. Anyhow, these release in just over a week so I am looking forward to hopefully trying them out at Dicks Sporting Goods if they get them in right away. After seeing some of the in-hand pics of the MC players they look a lot nicer than I thought and they are really peaking my interest. I have been going back and forth all year about what new set to purchase, and while I still have about another month or two of saving to do, I really want to nail down my next set. These could definitely be near the top of my list if they perform like everyone claims they do.

 

[Buckjob]

I definitely have some comments to add to this thread in the next couple of days. Very quickly though - As someone who has been playing the Burner 2.0s all year, I am absolutely in love with these irons after this weekend. Very similar distances to the Burner 2.0s (within 5 yards), much more consistent distance, better spin, much tighter dispersion. These clubs are absolutely a brilliant mash-up to me of the best characteristics of both the Burner 2.0s and the TP CBs. TaylorMade did a fantastic job in the design and execution of these, and I would ask anyone who is considering new irons to at least see them in person and try a few swings...they won't be for everyone, but a lot of people will really like the result that they see. I think all six of the Morgan Cuppers who gamed the R11s really liked them...and that represents a good range of low to mid handicaps and very different types of players.

this is exactly what i was hoping for.... i can't wait to test these out.

 

[cg13]

this is exactly what i was hoping for.... i can't wait to test these out.

Far exceeded my expectations; can't wait to put them through the paces in the coming weeks and determine how they perform after the honeymoon

 

[arydolphin]

I saw these up close and personal at the MC over the weekend! A few of the boys had them in their bags. I couldn't wait to get my hands on them.
In my career I have hit hundreds of different irons. I've only felt this way about two other sets upon first swing. I actually grabbed a 1/4" long 2*upright 8 iron and took a smooth cut. The ball launched high and strong. It bore through the lite Florida breeze like a fat kid through cake. I tried to pump it up and found that you don't need to.
I'm sure the clubs I was swinging were built to the specs of each player. If I buy a set they will be customer ordered. I can't imagine playing with a club like this off the
shelf.
I hit the 4 iron out of this same set and though I pushed each shot right it was still so solid.
As the day wore on I wanted to hit the clubs again. When all the promos where completed, my man Arydolphin was still on the range. I wandered over and hit his PW, so easy so smooth. Then his 9iron, another high launch. Then the 8 iron, pure as I chased it down the line. These are setup 1/4" long 1* flat, they felt so good. I pulled his 5iron and hit some of the highest 5 irons I have ever hit. I was setup to hit a mid flight draw. The ball really springs off the face. Taylormade got it right, once again.


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Tadashi was smooth, he just came up to my bag and took the PW out of the bag without me even noticing! Anyways, my set is 1/4 inch over standard, only 1/2 degree flat. Those are the same specs I had on my R9 irons, and when we ordered them for the Morgan Cup, we didn't know specs for the R11 irons, so I just went with the same specs even though the lengths and lie angles are not the exact same on the R11 irons as the R9 irons as I now know.

In terms of the R11 irons, they perform really well, and the transition from the R9 irons was pretty smooth. I haven't put the R11 irons side-by-side with the R9 irons yet, I got the R11 irons last Thursday and put them straight into the bag, and never compared them to the R9 irons on the range. I know that some people are bothered by the red screw in the back of the clubs, but you never see that screw at address, and it adds a little color to the clubs when they are in your bag, which I don't mind. I think that the short irons (8-AW) are a little smaller in the size of the clubface as compared to the R9 irons which took a slight bit of adjusting to, but I got into a groove with the irons by my singles match on Sunday.

In terms of performance, here's a quick review: my distances anywhere from the exact same as how I used to hit my R9 irons to 5 yards longer with the same club. The distance control on these things is really good as well, I didn't get very many shots that flew a lot longer than I thought they would. As CG13 said, when you hit these in the center of the clubface, you barely feel the ball coming off the clubface at all, and the ball just goes! These are also pretty forgiving on off-center hits. I remember a couple of shots with long irons that I used off the tee on short par 4's, and I hit them out on the toe, still got really good distance off the toe instead of losing 10-20 yards, which was really nice to see.

If people are interested, I can put up side-by-side pictures of the clubheads of the R9 and R11 irons so that people can compare those sizes.

 

[War Eagle]

Tadashi was smooth, he just came up to my bag and took the PW out of the bag without me even noticing! Anyways, my set is 1/4 inch over standard, only 1/2 degree flat. Those are the same specs I had on my R9 irons, and when we ordered them for the Morgan Cup, we didn't know specs for the R11 irons, so I just went with the same specs even though the lengths and lie angles are not the exact same on the R11 irons as the R9 irons as I now know.

In terms of the R11 irons, they perform really well, and the transition from the R9 irons was pretty smooth. I haven't put the R11 irons side-by-side with the R9 irons yet, I got the R11 irons last Thursday and put them straight into the bag, and never compared them to the R9 irons on the range. I know that some people are bothered by the red screw in the back of the clubs, but you never see that screw at address, and it adds a little color to the clubs when they are in your bag, which I don't mind. I think that the short irons (8-AW) are a little smaller in the size of the clubface as compared to the R9 irons which took a slight bit of adjusting to, but I got into a groove with the irons by my singles match on Sunday.

In terms of performance, here's a quick review: my distances anywhere from the exact same as how I used to hit my R9 irons to 5 yards longer with the same club. The distance control on these things is really good as well, I didn't get very many shots that flew a lot longer than I thought they would. As CG13 said, when you hit these in the center of the clubface, you barely feel the ball coming off the clubface at all, and the ball just goes! These are also pretty forgiving on off-center hits. I remember a couple of shots with long irons that I used off the tee on short par 4's, and I hit them out on the toe, still got really good distance off the toe instead of losing 10-20 yards, which was really nice to see.

If people are interested, I can put up side-by-side pictures of the clubheads of the R9 and R11 irons so that people can compare those sizes.

Ary, would love to see the comparison pics when you get time! These irons have me thinking...A LOT!

 

[Wake]

I hit them today. Color me impressed. I had a fitting today and hit many clubs. I've narrowed it down to the R11 and the CG16. The R11 is the leader right now. But I am taking them back to the range tomorrow and am going to hit them on the simulator again tomorrow afternoon. I'm going to do a full thread on my experience today, but here are my impressions of the R11.

Looks:
Great, I didn't know if I like them since I don't care for the looks of the 2.0, these look great however. They aren't my favorite when looking at the cavity, I prefer the classic look to the busy cavity's you have on many irons today. But they looked much better than some other irons like the 2.0's. At address the irons look GREAT. They have a fairly thin topline, and a very rounded classic looking toe. At the range tonight I mentioned how nice they looked at address, compared to the CG16's, my dad said "almost blade like", i didn't disagree. Obviously a little bigger and a little thicker topline. But overall they are very confidence inspiring.

Feel:
By far the best feeling clubs I hit. Someone above mentioned you don't feel the ball when you hit it pure, and I completely agree. When you hit one in the sweet spot, it almost feels like a practice swing. There is a lot of feedback, without feeling harsh at all. I could feel when I hit it off center, but it was not an unpleasent feeling per say. Some clubs are almost painful when you miss, this was not the case with these.

Distance:
In the first go around, the longest iron was the Titleist AP1, The R11 was farther down the list around 4th or 5th. The R11 was the first iron I hit, so I think that played a big part in that.

The second time around, The r11 was the farthest 6 iron I was hitting (several clubs demos were 7 irons instead, CG16's included). They weren't ballistic long, most of the clubs that made it to the 2nd round were the same vicinity, but they were the longest of the 6 or so irons. There was a a 10 yard gap between the CG 7 iron and the R11 6 iron, and my gut is iron to iron the CG's will be a couple yards longer.

Accuracy. I'm never completely confident in launch monitors, but these irons seemed to be very accurate. All of the balls I hit well were within 5 yards of each other distance wise, and within 15 yards of each other right or left. Out on the range it was hard to tell due to the sun beginning to set, making it hard to follow balls. I will have more to report after my morning range session tomorrow, I might even slip out and play 9 holes if its not busy, and stop and hit a few shots on one hole.

Overall:
Like I said I am very impressed. I thought the 2.0's might be more in my range, but I hit the r11's MUCH better. The CG's seems to have a touch more forgiveness, but lack a little bit in feel in comparison. If i was making my decision right now I would have the R11's on order right now.

 

[Buckjob]

I hit them today. Color me impressed. I had a fitting today and hit many clubs. I've narrowed it down to the R11 and the CG16. The R11 is the leader right now. But I am taking them back to the range tomorrow and am going to hit them on the simulator again tomorrow afternoon. I'm going to do a full thread on my experience today, but here are my impressions of the R11.

Looks:
Great, I didn't know if I like them since I don't care for the looks of the 2.0, these look great however. They aren't my favorite when looking at the cavity, I prefer the classic look to the busy cavity's you have on many irons today. But they looked much better than some other irons like the 2.0's. At address the irons look GREAT. They have a fairly thin topline, and a very rounded classic looking toe. At the range tonight I mentioned how nice they looked at address, compared to the CG16's, my dad said "almost blade like", i didn't disagree. Obviously a little bigger and a little thicker topline. But overall they are very confidence inspiring.

Feel:
By far the best feeling clubs I hit. Someone above mentioned you don't feel the ball when you hit it pure, and I completely agree. When you hit one in the sweet spot, it almost feels like a practice swing. There is a lot of feedback, without feeling harsh at all. I could feel when I hit it off center, but it was not an unpleasent feeling per say. Some clubs are almost painful when you miss, this was not the case with these.

Distance:
In the first go around, the longest iron was the Titleist AP1, The R11 was farther down the list around 4th or 5th. The R11 was the first iron I hit, so I think that played a big part in that.

The second time around, The r11 was the farthest 6 iron I was hitting (several clubs demos were 7 irons instead, CG16's included). They weren't ballistic long, most of the clubs that made it to the 2nd round were the same vicinity, but they were the longest of the 6 or so irons. There was a a 10 yard gap between the CG 7 iron and the R11 6 iron, and my gut is iron to iron the CG's will be a couple yards longer.

Accuracy. I'm never completely confident in launch monitors, but these irons seemed to be very accurate. All of the balls I hit well were within 5 yards of each other distance wise, and within 15 yards of each other right or left. Out on the range it was hard to tell due to the sun beginning to set, making it hard to follow balls. I will have more to report after my morning range session tomorrow, I might even slip out and play 9 holes if its not busy, and stop and hit a few shots on one hole.

Overall:
Like I said I am very impressed. I thought the 2.0's might be more in my range, but I hit the r11's MUCH better. The CG's seems to have a touch more forgiveness, but lack a little bit in feel in comparison. If i was making my decision right now I would have the R11's on order right now.

awesome write up can't wait to hear how you make out tomorrow... do you have both sets of irons or just the R11s

 

[GrantD]

I am really excited to see the reviews from the MC guys. I love my R9 irons and expect these to be a better version of them. Please put them through the full paces in the next few weeks to help me make a choice.


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- Tapatalkin

 

[cg13]

I am really excited to see the reviews from the MC guys. I love my R9 irons and expect these to be a better version of them. Please put them through the full paces in the next few weeks to help me make a choice.


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- Tapatalkin

Working up the energy to head out to the course now...I'm just whooped.

Writing a recap, and probably get 9 in. I am curious to see how they perform on courses I am comfortable with.

 

[TC]

I hit coolbreeze's and they rocked.

 

[biggsy]

I have a lot of feedback to give on these irons and I'll do so shortly. These irons are the real deal.

 

[GrantD]

I tell you one thing is that they look good. My second goal at golf is to look good, no matter how I play. HAHA

 

[TC]

I tell you one thing is that they look good. My second goal at golf is to look good, no matter how I play. HAHA

Time for a staff bag bro.

Yeah, they do look good. But they feel better.

 

[SethO]

They are also forgiving. I didn't hit a single good shot with them whenever I swung them, but they flew straight.

 

[coolbreeze]

I LOVE these irons and will have a full write later. The R11's with the Px 6.0 shafts are LONG, like really long, and just feel sooooo good. I'm about a half club longer than I was with my previous irons, and my dispersion is much tighter.

 

[GrantD]

Time for a staff bag bro.

Yeah, they do look good. But they feel better.

HAHA That is all I need is a staff bag. I already put enough crap in my stand bag. I would hate to see how heavy my staff bag would be.

 

[GrantD]

Tadashi was smooth, he just came up to my bag and took the PW out of the bag without me even noticing! Anyways, my set is 1/4 inch over standard, only 1/2 degree flat. Those are the same specs I had on my R9 irons, and when we ordered them for the Morgan Cup, we didn't know specs for the R11 irons, so I just went with the same specs even though the lengths and lie angles are not the exact same on the R11 irons as the R9 irons as I now know.

In terms of the R11 irons, they perform really well, and the transition from the R9 irons was pretty smooth. I haven't put the R11 irons side-by-side with the R9 irons yet, I got the R11 irons last Thursday and put them straight into the bag, and never compared them to the R9 irons on the range. I know that some people are bothered by the red screw in the back of the clubs, but you never see that screw at address, and it adds a little color to the clubs when they are in your bag, which I don't mind. I think that the short irons (8-AW) are a little smaller in the size of the clubface as compared to the R9 irons which took a slight bit of adjusting to, but I got into a groove with the irons by my singles match on Sunday.

In terms of performance, here's a quick review: my distances anywhere from the exact same as how I used to hit my R9 irons to 5 yards longer with the same club. The distance control on these things is really good as well, I didn't get very many shots that flew a lot longer than I thought they would. As CG13 said, when you hit these in the center of the clubface, you barely feel the ball coming off the clubface at all, and the ball just goes! These are also pretty forgiving on off-center hits. I remember a couple of shots with long irons that I used off the tee on short par 4's, and I hit them out on the toe, still got really good distance off the toe instead of losing 10-20 yards, which was really nice to see.

If people are interested, I can put up side-by-side pictures of the clubheads of the R9 and R11 irons so that people can compare those sizes.

I can't wait to see the comparison pictures and I thought most said the R11s were longer. I wonder why that was not the case for you?

 

[Toddo]

I've only been able to hit a 6I in this club so far, those of you who have the short irons and even a 4 or 5, what have been your impressions?

 

[arydolphin]

I can't wait to see the comparison pictures and I thought most said the R11s were longer. I wonder why that was not the case for you?

Because I suck.

In reality, I would probably say that the majority of my shots gained a little distance over the R9 irons. I know that there were more than a few shots that I hit where the ball carried a little longer than I expected. In particular, my layup shot on the par-5 17th hole on Sunday illustrated that. I was 250 out with the wind a little into me, so I took out a 7-iron. That is my 165 yard club with my R9 irons, and I thought that the wind would affect it a little bit so that the ball would go 160 yards, leaving me 90 yards in. I hit a really nice shot, and the ball probably rolled another 5 yards after it landed....I got up to the ball and the GPS said that I had 79 yards left! So basically I hit my 7-iron about 170 yards into a slight headwind, pretty strong stuff.

I'm going to take the R11 irons out to my local muni sometime this week, should get a better sense of distances during that round.