TaylorMade R11 Irons Reviews

holy smokes this is going to be huge! Such a great time to be apart of THP, with exciting new testing already underway and now an R11 test as well as all the awesome info coming through "in the rough" (yes I'm talking about you 588), I cant get enough! (sorry for the tangent...)
 
I still drop by Golfsmith every weekend to salvate over these. The funny thing is they put them next to the R9-TP-B's which are the blade-like R9 irons which are freaking beautiful as well. A lot of drooling in the TM section for me!
 
The dude gets picked because he gives excellent excellent reviews. I love reading the threads he is involved in because they seem to just take off with tons of participation.

+1. TBT is in the Greensaver thread with me, and he is simply amazing. Only good things to say about him!


I wish golf was as easy as Tapatalk.

Thanks guys! It's good to know that others appreciate the work that your doing. I have to say though, in both those other tests, we have a great team of testers and great products to work with, not to mention the questions and comments from the rest of the community make the reviews easier and more enjoyable.
 
Had a chance to game these the other day with some very positive results.

I was trying to gauge if I was actually losing some distance due to the high ball flight. I can safely say that I haven't lost distance from my previous iron set, but feel that I could probably gain some distance if I had a lower ball flight. As it stands, I get a good majority of my distance from pure carry with very little roll out.

Case in point with the shot of the day.

Par 3 196, with little to no wind. The greens had been very hard all day and this was the case on this par 3. I took at a 6 iron and hit a full towering shot that never left the pin. Ball hit about 3 feet short and rolled to about 18" from the cup. From the tee box, I was urging the ball to disappear, but it wasn't meant to be. I ended up pulling the putt slightly off center of the cup, but the cup was kind and swallowed the birdie putt.

The rough at this particular course was higher than some I had played recently and the ball would tend to sit down, which made shots difficult to gauge. I generally take one extra club and make sure to try and take a solid, aggressive swing. I also try and strike down on the ball first. No matter what I did, I could not make a good strike on the ball without getting a good amount of grass between the club face and the ball. It resulted in a couple of low fliers. I couldn't get the ball in the air. I think it was the result of the rough and no club could make a difference. I will say that the club has no issue cutting through the rough, something I am very happy with.

I was also experimenting with trying to flight the ball lower by taking an abbreviated follow through. This resulted in a lower ball flight, but a loss of distance of about a club and a little more roll out.

Again, I am seeing a very straight ball flight with swings in general, but I was able to impart some rope hookedness on a shot with a palmetto bush in back swing. I lined up my swing so that I would not have the bush in my back swing, hooded the 6 iron and then set my stance up for a draw by sliding my right foot back and open. I hit a curler that ended up in the fairway to 85 yards on this par 5. I hit a wedge to 15' feet and missed the birdie. Although it did not result in a birdie, the fact that I was able to create this shot and so so confidently with this club, gave me the opportunity.

I have a round and range session planned tomorrow, so I'll have some more feedback after that.
 
Great write up Biggsy. I love reading reviews of these and comparing them to my R9's!


I wish golf was as easy as Tapatalk.
 
Great write up Biggsy. I love reading reviews of these and comparing them to my R9's!
I don't have a lot of experience with the R9s. Before I decided on my Clevelands, my next favorite was the R9 TP, which I tested several times and really liked. When I decided on the R11s, I was told they looked and performed very similarly to the R9s. I found a set of R9s to try out and liked the way they felt better than the forged iron offerings from TM. After hitting the R11s, they felt and performed even better than that. Really thrilled with these irons in every aspect.
 
Thanks for the write Biggsy. Just have a quick question and I apologize if you've covered it.. Whats your normal miss with the irons? Has that changed with the R11's?
 
Dude, almost a hole in one! That would've been the icing on the cake. You do hit these high, but I don't think you're losing much distance. The ball just goes and goes. Are you hitting the long irons at all (3 & 4)? If so, what kind of success are you having?
 
I would love to see these go head to head vs the CBs but I'm afraid of what I might find out.


Tapatalk
 
Great write up biggsy! Sticking a 6i from that distance? Great testimonial to the distance and accuracy of these irons
 
Thanks for the questions.

Thanks for the write Biggsy. Just have a quick question and I apologize if you've covered it.. Whats your normal miss with the irons? Has that changed with the R11's?
I would tend to miss right. It used to be a cut right, and then it became a push. It is still right. I am still adjusting to not being able to draw these on a normal shot. I have to work to draw the R11s and still line up like I am drawing my old irons, so it's more of an alignment issue.


Dude, almost a hole in one! That would've been the icing on the cake. You do hit these high, bu I don't think you're losing much distance. The ball just goes and goes. Are you hitting the long irons at all (3 & 4)? If so, what kind of success are you having?
When I got in the simulator, it sure seemed that way, but now I am seeing the same distance. I feel like I am losing the full potential of the iron with the height, but it's what I used to, so I am not seeing added distance. I've tried to hit the 3 and 4, but I just don't like long irons in general. I really like what hybrids offer me and anything above a 5 iron, just doesn't suit my game. I'll still continue to practice with them, to see if I can develop a shot with them to use down the road. They just can't compete with what the hybrids offer me.

I often ponder what C-Tapers would do with the irons for me.

Great write up biggsy! Sticking a 6i from that distance? Great testimonial to the distance and accuracy of these irons
Thanks buddy. My heart was thumping and was hoping it would push the ball a little more. :D
 
I don't have a lot of experience with the R9s. Before I decided on my Clevelands, my next favorite was the R9 TP, which I tested several times and really liked. When I decided on the R11s, I was told they looked and performed very similarly to the R9s. I found a set of R9s to try out and liked the way they felt better than the forged iron offerings from TM. After hitting the R11s, they felt and performed even better than that. Really thrilled with these irons in every aspect.

Good to know,i LOVE the r9 tp irons. If these are better than that then these are definitely worth a try
 
Thanks for the questions.

I would tend to miss right. It used to be a cut right, and then it became a push. It is still right. I am still adjusting to not being able to draw these on a normal shot. I have to work to draw the R11s and still line up like I am drawing my old irons, so it's more of an alignment issue.


When I got in the simulator, it sure seemed that way, but now I am seeing the same distance. I feel like I am losing the full potential of the iron with the height, but it's what I used to, so I am not seeing added distance. I've tried to hit the 3 and 4, but I just don't like long irons in general. I really like what hybrids offer me and anything above a 5 iron, just doesn't suit my game. I'll still continue to practice with them, to see if I can develop a shot with them to use down the road. They just can't compete with what the hybrids offer me.

I often ponder what C-Tapers would do with the irons for me.

Thanks buddy. My heart was thumping and was hoping it would push the ball a little more. :D

Appreciate you taking the time to answer them Biggsy. Do you have a place where you might be able to hit an R11 with the CTaper? I'd be curious as well to see what results you get. I am a fan of carry distance but I also know the feeling of wanting a lower flight.
 
Good to know,i LOVE the r9 tp irons. If these are better than that then these are definitely worth a try
Let me just be up front and say they look a little different in that there is a little more offset and top line. But coming from the CG7 BPs, which are similar to the R9 TP, I am thrilled with the performance and forgiveness gained.
 
Appreciate you taking the time to answer them Biggsy. Do you have a place where you might be able to hit an R11 with the CTaper? I'd be curious as well to see what results you get. I am a fan of carry distance but I also know the feeling of wanting a lower flight.
Not without reshafting it myself, but I am keeping my eyes peeled!
 
I have a date tonight with these. I don't have a clue what to wear, but i do know a good time will be had. After reading so many post that mention the shot height these are capable of I'm pondering very hard. It's a little aggravating because I just got the 2.0's and while I love them, I'm a guy who likes equipment. Consistent performance is what I keep hearing, and the "2.0 flier" shot bugs the living heck out of me, took a 6 on a par 3 Sunday due to overshooting a green and getting wet.

I do know the KBS 90 works very well for me in other irons so I'm hoping it will be a winner in these as well.
 
Great write-up Mr. B and nice shot on the par 3!
I really enjoy reading all the reviews on these and can't wait for the testing signup.
 
Update time from my round yesterday afternoon with the R11 irons. It has taken me about 6 rounds or so, and about 6 range sessions to dial in my distances with these irons, but now that I have, they are deadly consistent and long.

Looks: We've all seen the pics, and I think they look fine, but in hand they are a great looking iron. In terms of performance which we will get into in a sec, they are a GI iron, but the head size and lines of this head look to me like more of a GE iron. The tour sole is quite thin, and while it doesn't have the topline of a blade, it is not a thick topline at all, and it blends nicely into the hosel. The pocket cavity at the back of the iron, cannot be seen at address ever (at least by me), and while it wouldn't bother me if you could. The Project X shafts don't hurt either as they are IMO the best looking steel shafts made.

Sound/feel: I'm going to be taking some video and sound from my round I will be playing this friday so you can get a better idea of what they sound like at contact, but the best thought I have so far is a muted crack. This is going to sound crazy, but on well struck shots in almost sounds "warm" like a soft, muted, deep, "warm" sound. I can tell just by the sound at contact, if I caught it perfect with these irons, and since IMO sound is very closely related to feel this adds to the feel I get from these irons. Of course feel is totally subjective and I don't really like to talk about it a lot, but here we go. You can feel the entire clubface and know exactly where you hit the ball, which is something I do like to look for. When you catch the ball on the sweetspot its like a lot of irons where it just feels almost like nothing was there. I think the iron feels better on shots struck closer to the heel, and is a little harsher on shots further out near the toe, but you can tell where either was hit. Thin shots are obvious as they are with most irons, and the sound and feel of a ball higher off the face is obvious as well.

Forgiveness: When I first picked up these irons, I thought there was no way these would be all that forgiving, the head was just too small, but man was I wrong. I won't say they are forgiving like other irons out there like Burner 2.0's or Di11's, but they are plenty forgiving. Balls hit low on the face and a little thin, still get surprisingly high and while they do go a little too far with roll out, they are not overly punished. There is much more forgiveness, closer to the heel than out on the toe, but you only lose 10-15 yards in either case, which is fine by me, just keep me in play. If you catch the ball fat, well, thats on you, and not many irons can help with that.

Distance: Long! Oh, and they are long. As many people can attest, I am not a long hitter of the golf ball, but these have made me a lot longer. I'm seeing consistent 10 yard gaps between all my irons, with my 6 iron carrying 175, which might not be long for some, but for me thats a ton. In my old distance iron sets, my 6 iron would go about 165-170, so not only are the R11 irons longer, but far far more consistent for me.

Overall: For now I can already safely say these are the best all around irons I have ever played. They look great, they are long, they are forgiving, they sound great, and most importantly I think they have lowered my scores. My dispersion with the R11 irons is much tighter, which has put me in a lot less trouble around the course. More to come as I have two more rounds schedualed this week, but for now, I like them just a little bit.

Oh, and yes you can work them.
 
Really good update. Lots of good information there.
 
Outstanding write up CB! You have me really wanting to try these now. I loved the fact that you were getting the feedback through the sound/feel but still quite a bit of forgiveness. Can you immediately tell from the sound/feel where your miss was without seeing the ball flight?
 
Thanks for the update CB! Really sounds like you're finding something special with the irons. Are you finding that youre playing a certain shot more than others now that you have had more time with them?
 
Outstanding write up CB! You have me really wanting to try these now. I loved the fact that you were getting the feedback through the sound/feel but still quite a bit of forgiveness. Can you immediately tell from the sound/feel where your miss was without seeing the ball flight?

Thanks buddy, yes, I would be able to tell where I hit the ball on the face, and what my ball flight is about to be just on feel. I don't know if that is good or bad really, but definatly different for me, than irons I have played in the past.
 
Thanks buddy, yes, I would be able to tell where I hit the ball on the face, and what my ball flight is about to be just on feel. I don't know if that is good or bad really, but definatly different for me, than irons I have played in the past.

Very good - thanks for the info! That is a feeling that I had not experienced prior to my existing irons but something that I definitely want going forward.
 
Thanks for the update CB! Really sounds like you're finding something special with the irons. Are you finding that youre playing a certain shot more than others now that you have had more time with them?

I'm seeing a slight draw Yoccos with every iron, which is different than the normal fade that I thought my swing produced, but since these are the first irons I have played truly fit to my swing, there is a good chance that is my stock shot. Its not much of a draw, maybe 0-5 yards, but my miss with them if I put a lazy swing on the ball is a push hook, which is new for me.
 
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