TaylorMade RBZ Irons Review - Forum Testing

I have hit Ole Gray's RBZ irons and I could not hit the 4 and 5 iron for the life of me to start with. I took them to the driving range at his course and hit about 15 balls with each and began stripeing them straight and long. They take a little getting used to and then they are pretty awesome like the rest of the RBZ irons. Good luck bjz, keep us posted on your progress.

I had the same problem. I removed them and replaced them with my RAC OS 4i and a 3 hybrid. The RBZ 5i is the same loft as the RAC 4i.
 
I too am having problems with the 4i and 5i

I hit the 6-AW perfectly ... I would definitely say it's an improvement over my old set but I feel like I haven't quite figured out the 4 and the 5. Which kind of sucks because my 4i from my old set was my go to club when I wanted some safe distance off the tee. I made a post that directed me here ... i'll quote it below.

" I hit the normal irons great but when i pick up the 4 or the 5 the club literally opens up in my hand when I hit the ball, I can feel it move with both clubs more often than not.

Anyone ever heard of problems like this with the RBZ long irons?"
 
I too am having problems with the 4i and 5i

I hit the 6-AW perfectly ... I would definitely say it's an improvement over my old set but I feel like I haven't quite figured out the 4 and the 5. Which kind of sucks because my 4i from my old set was my go to club when I wanted some safe distance off the tee. I made a post that directed me here ... i'll quote it below.

" I hit the normal irons great but when i pick up the 4 or the 5 the club literally opens up in my hand when I hit the ball, I can feel it move with both clubs more often than not.

Anyone ever heard of problems like this with the RBZ long irons?"

You are not alone shocktop. I stuck with the 4/5 RBZ irons all spring and summer and just recently took them out of the bag. Just couldn't figure them out for my game. I couldn't get the darn clubs airborn off the ground. I could hit them off the tee pretty well but would have to tee them up higher than a normal iron. But at the DFW outing a couple weeks ago, I had 200 yards for my 2nd shot to a par 5 and almost hit it OB, 40 yards to the right with the RBZ 5i. That was the last straw.

I've put the TM MC 4/5 irons back in and have been very happy. Getting the confidence back and have hit some great shots with 'em already. Still love the 6-AW RBZ for sure!
 
Hello everyone,

Wow what a great forum. After reading all 146 pages I decided to buy the RBZ irons. Little back story. I played with a Dunlop set starting out many years ago and in 96' I bought my first REAL set of irons, the King Cobra II oversized. I played these irons all the way until last year when I bought some AP2's. I hit the AP2's pretty decent but there was something that just didn't feel right. Needless to say I put the Cobras back in the bag 2 months ago and then realized I hit my Cobras 10 yards farther each club than the AP2's. So I sold my AP2's to my cousin and took the money to Golf Galaxy here in Salt Lake.

I asked to hit the RBZ's and the kind gentlemen set me up on the virtual machine. He asked my club head swing speed and I told hit usually between 108 - 115. He grabbed a 6 iron and holy ****! I was crushing the ball. The machine was set at sea level and I was hitting the 6 iron on the fly about 190 on average. Translated to Utah elevation about 215. I proceeded to go to my car and grab my Cobra 6 iron and hit it on the machine. The Cobras were about 5 yards shorter than the RBZ's. I had some miss hits, off the toe so to speak with my Cobra iron but every RBZ hit was Pure. Needless to say I bought a set immediately, I went with the 5 - SW which I'm hoping will be here this week. Another cool thing is they just added Arizona to my territory last week, so I will be in AZ half the month for now on. So I'm hoping next week I'll have these baby's on TPC Scottsdale.

Just wanted to say thanks to all the testers and forum members for their input and recommendations for these irons. Great job guys.

Fox
 
Hello everyone,

Wow what a great forum. After reading all 146 pages I decided to buy the RBZ irons. Little back story. I played with a Dunlop set starting out many years ago and in 96' I bought my first REAL set of irons, the King Cobra II oversized. I played these irons all the way until last year when I bought some AP2's. I hit the AP2's pretty decent but there was something that just didn't feel right. Needless to say I put the Cobras back in the bag 2 months ago and then realized I hit my Cobras 10 yards farther each club than the AP2's. So I sold my AP2's to my cousin and took the money to Golf Galaxy here in Salt Lake.

I asked to hit the RBZ's and the kind gentlemen set me up on the virtual machine. He asked my club head swing speed and I told hit usually between 108 - 115. He grabbed a 6 iron and holy ****! I was crushing the ball. The machine was set at sea level and I was hitting the 6 iron on the fly about 190 on average. Translated to Utah elevation about 215. I proceeded to go to my car and grab my Cobra 6 iron and hit it on the machine. The Cobras were about 5 yards shorter than the RBZ's. I had some miss hits, off the toe so to speak with my Cobra iron but every RBZ hit was Pure. Needless to say I bought a set immediately, I went with the 5 - SW which I'm hoping will be here this week. Another cool thing is they just added Arizona to my territory last week, so I will be in AZ half the month for now on. So I'm hoping next week I'll have these baby's on TPC Scottsdale.

Just wanted to say thanks to all the testers and forum members for their input and recommendations for these irons. Great job guys.

Fox
Congrats! You are really going to love them!
 
Hello everyone,

Wow what a great forum. After reading all 146 pages I decided to buy the RBZ irons. Little back story. I played with a Dunlop set starting out many years ago and in 96' I bought my first REAL set of irons, the King Cobra II oversized. I played these irons all the way until last year when I bought some AP2's. I hit the AP2's pretty decent but there was something that just didn't feel right. Needless to say I put the Cobras back in the bag 2 months ago and then realized I hit my Cobras 10 yards farther each club than the AP2's. So I sold my AP2's to my cousin and took the money to Golf Galaxy here in Salt Lake.

I asked to hit the RBZ's and the kind gentlemen set me up on the virtual machine. He asked my club head swing speed and I told hit usually between 108 - 115. He grabbed a 6 iron and holy ****! I was crushing the ball. The machine was set at sea level and I was hitting the 6 iron on the fly about 190 on average. Translated to Utah elevation about 215. I proceeded to go to my car and grab my Cobra 6 iron and hit it on the machine. The Cobras were about 5 yards shorter than the RBZ's. I had some miss hits, off the toe so to speak with my Cobra iron but every RBZ hit was Pure. Needless to say I bought a set immediately, I went with the 5 - SW which I'm hoping will be here this week. Another cool thing is they just added Arizona to my territory last week, so I will be in AZ half the month for now on. So I'm hoping next week I'll have these baby's on TPC Scottsdale.

Just wanted to say thanks to all the testers and forum members for their input and recommendations for these irons. Great job guys.

Fox

Hey thanks Fox and good for you with your new sticks on the way! They are very solid irons and they will be in my bag for a long time. Enjoy your new puppies and let us know how they work on the course for ya.
 
I will definitely keep evryone informed when I get them. I think the hardest thing is waiting for them to get here. Since I changed from the standard 4-AW to the 5-SW they had to order them. That was 2 weeks ago, they should be here this week, fingers crossed for my Labor Day round with the boys.

Fox
 
After getting fitted at the TM Performance Lab I have just picked up my new RBZ, the whole kit and kaboodle (the two week wait gave me enough time to read all of this thread!). RBZ Bag, Driver, 3W, 5W, 4H, 4 - PW, AW, SW and a Ghost Manta putter. I can't wait to get to the range and see what these things can do. I'm coming off some 14 year old TM LCG irons with the old Ti Bubble 2 shafts. If my test shots with the RBZ are anything to go by it should be a fun time.
 
It's great seeing people with the RBZ's and chas, wow, awesome bag.
 
After getting fitted at the TM Performance Lab I have just picked up my new RBZ, the whole kit and kaboodle (the two week wait gave me enough time to read all of this thread!). RBZ Bag, Driver, 3W, 5W, 4H, 4 - PW, AW, SW and a Ghost Manta putter. I can't wait to get to the range and see what these things can do. I'm coming off some 14 year old TM LCG irons with the old Ti Bubble 2 shafts. If my test shots with the RBZ are anything to go by it should be a fun time.

You are going to be pleasantly surprised to say the least :thumb: I had a friend pull my 7 iron out at the clubhouse for a little whack. He pulled out an old ball and aimed toward the lake which is a pretty good ways off. He flew it into the middle of the lake and his eyes lit up like Beagle Hound on a Rabbit :bulgy-eyes:. Congrats on your new bag!
 
After getting fitted at the TM Performance Lab I have just picked up my new RBZ, the whole kit and kaboodle (the two week wait gave me enough time to read all of this thread!). RBZ Bag, Driver, 3W, 5W, 4H, 4 - PW, AW, SW and a Ghost Manta putter. I can't wait to get to the range and see what these things can do. I'm coming off some 14 year old TM LCG irons with the old Ti Bubble 2 shafts. If my test shots with the RBZ are anything to go by it should be a fun time.

Congrats. That's a great set up. I'm really happy with my RBZ clubs.
 
Glad you guys like em. They're a fun set of irons for sure.
 
Tried a demo iron out on the course. Thought it felt clunky. Hope they work well though.
 
Well I got the call this morning that my clubs have arrived. I'm flying back to Salt Lake in about an hour and will go pick them up. It's going to be a long 1 hour flight....LOL!
 
Hello all,

So I picked up my irons Friday night and was a little disappointed to arrive here in Salt Lake to rain. So yesterday I got out for nine holes on the coarse I live on here called Glenmoor. We played the back nine and I played some irons off the tees to get some reps with the new irons. I have to say I'm in love with the 5 iron. I crush that thing, I was keeping yardage with my buddies hitting utility clubs. The rest of the set felt very good. Very clean contact and even a few I hit off the toe didn't lose considerable distance. The attack wedge is very fun to "attack" pins. Overall I'm very pleased so far, true test will be Monday morning as I get to play Red Ledges which is the 2nd hardest coarse to get on here in Utah. Hopefully the caddie has some good advise for me tomorrow.

Fox
 
I've played most of the summer with these clubs. Driver, 3w, 3 hybrid and 4-AW. All RBZ.

Driver three wood have been great. The 3 hybrid may be the most improved club over existing clubs. it's 200 plus every time and generally money. 6-pw have been fine. Nothing spectacular and not noticing a lot of distance changes like some have. I did change my swing to get rid of the over the top that I developed so distance isn't a fair comparison. I can always hit it further going over the top with the irons.

The AW has been a bit of a thorn. Just can't seem to find the right distance. One minute it goes 100 yards and the next it goes 80. It's not the clubs fault but however I swing it is not consistent.

the 4 and 5 have gotten better. I've actually made some decent shots with them recently. However, I could see pulling them out of the bag as well. I have tried a lot of things with these clubs and just cannot get the consistancy for distance and direction I would like.

My handicap has gone from 14 this year to 8. My goal is 7 but i'm running out of time. I've worked pretty hard this year. If I could putt really well, i'd probably be closer to 6. Hit 8 out of 9 greens in regulation the other day.... zero birdies and one three put bogey. Unfortunately the "other hole" was two balls in the water for a 7.

So they are working well. Really like the driver through 3IH and the upper clubs are solid and hold greens really well. Still not convinced on the 4 and 5 yet.
 
Righto then. I've managed to get to the range 3 times since I picked up the sticks. As with my test shots, the first thing I noticed was that I didn't miss-hit anywhere near as much as normal. I'm sure that has a great deal to do with the clubs being fitted properly rather than the clubs themselves, but even so, I have noticed that when I am a bit off centre these seem to be much more forgiving than my old clubs.

As with a lot of people who've commented in this thread, I have found that slowing down my swing (even just a little bit) makes the shots with these much cleaner. Whether that's a case of my normal swing needing a slightly stiffer shaft (I was pretty close to the line between regular and stiff and went with regular) I don't know.

Aesthetics
I thought the thicker topline might bother me at address, but I really haven't noticed it, even with the 4 and 5 irons which are significantly thicker on the topline than my old clubs. I think it's because the matt finish on the clubs and the colour contrast against the ball focuses my attention there so I just don't notice it.

Distance
As with most of the commenters and reviewers in this thread I have found these irons long. Significantly long. Even taking the change in loft out of the equation (eg hitting a 6 RBZ and a 5 in my old sticks) the RBZ are definitely at least a club longer with the long - mid irons. It's proportional (at least for me) in that the distance increase becomes smaller as the iron numbers move up (which I suppose makes sense as the difference in loft between my old clubs and the RBZ is smaller at the higher numbers), but it's still there right across the board.

4 and 5 irons
I thought I'd put a separate section in for these as they seem to be the clubs that cause the greatest disparity in the thread. I think they are a bit of a love 'em or hate 'em kind of thing. For me, I'm loving the 5 - huge distance, forgiveness, at my level of ability, it's all the things I want. I'm not having the same kind of success with the 4, but it's not anything that I think a bit more time won't fix.

Mid - short irons (6 - 9)
Rock and roll. From the first swing I just loved these irons. They feel right, they go like the clappers and as I said above, even if I don't get the ball as cleanly as I'd like, they seem to be incredibly forgiving.

Wedges (P, A, S)
Feel great on the range - same as the mid irons. I seem to be able to get pretty consistent distance with them and certainly get the height I want. It's a bit hard to say with wedges, I think I need to get out on the course to comment properly. I can say that they seem really easy to hit though!

Grips
There have been a fair few comments about the stock grips. I too have found them a bit rough (and have the band-aids to prove it), but I think I'll get used to them. It's not too bad. Wait and see....

Non irons
This shouldn't really be part of this thread, but I thought I'd throw it in because it's all rocketballz stuff and kind of related.
Driver - It's big, it's white, it's adjustable. I like it. I certainly hit the ball further and straighter with it, which I suppose is pretty much all you can ask for.
Fairway woods (3, 5) - Unbelievable. Probably the biggest surprise in the bag. They are so easy to hit off the deck, the distance is spectacular. I had a couple of guys on the range near me (who couldn't see the club, just the sound and the result) asking what type of driver I was hitting - it was the 3 wood.
Hybrid (4H) - Much like the fairway woods, spectacularly easy to hit. I've hit a few hybrids in the past and haven't liked them. This was a whole different ball game. Great height, straight, distance, everything. Loved it.

Conclusion
Well, obviously I'm really happy so far. I'm heading out to my local on the weekend so it'll be interesting to see how they go when the rubber meets the road.

Lastly, I'd like to put up a couple of thankyous. One to the TM Performance Lab (Darryn Lowe in Moorabbin in particular). The fitting seems to have made a huge difference in my ability to hit the ball cleanly - which I'm sure will make a huge difference to my scores. Second, I'd like to thank all the reviewers and the commenters in this thread. It's a really enjoyable and educational read. THP couldn't have picked you guys better.

I'll keep you posted.
 
well i have just added to my RBZ collection, I just snagged myself a set of RBZ max irons and they should be here next week, cant wait.
 
4 and 5 irons
I thought I'd put a separate section in for these as they seem to be the clubs that cause the greatest disparity in the thread. I think they are a bit of a love 'em or hate 'em kind of thing. For me, I'm loving the 5 - huge distance, forgiveness, at my level of ability, it's all the things I want. I'm not having the same kind of success with the 4, but it's not anything that I think a bit more time won't fix.

Mid - short irons (6 - 9)
Rock and roll. From the first swing I just loved these irons. They feel right, they go like the clappers and as I said above, even if I don't get the ball as cleanly as I'd like, they seem to be incredibly forgiving.

I wanted to highlight these two here as I think they're absolutely spot on.

I'm having a hard time with the 4/5 still. I don't know if it's the looks, the sound change or the fact that they're just in my head now but consistent I'm not. The 6-AW on the other hand. I'll admit to being skeptical at first since it's such a change from what I'm use to. However I've been quite suprised by them and I really like your description. Forgiving, goes like stink.

As another note though, I think the two keys here for me in the performance turn around has been getting the lie angle adjusted and swapping the shaft. Goes to show just how important a fitting is.
Standard lie and stock shaft = hook city with everything
2 Flat with C Taper R+'s = Goodness smothered in cheese.

What's even more disturbing is that the combo is so good, my father in law when using them is able to keep up with me when I'm normally 25+ yards ahead loft for loft. I think he might steal them. Gonna have to hide them me thinks.
 
Can anyone confirm that the RBZ PW utilizes the ATV technology? The TM site says the "wedges" use it, but in the ATV thread, someone said only the SW and GW had it.


Thanks
 
Only the AW does. PW does not.
 
Im going to give these irons a little bit more time before I make my final decision but I really think I am going to end up returning these (I got about 60 more days left to return to golfsmith to exchange them for full value for another set).

My thoughts on these irons:
Overview: These clubs are definitely longer than my old set. The shafts on the longer irons are longer, I hit the 5 as far as my old 4 (when I get decent contact), 6 as far as my old 5 and so on. The shorter irons are more in line with my old shorter irons. The grip: I ended up getting the Lamkin Crossline grips from TM, in short ... these grips are too thin. My old set had standard tour wraps which are just the slightest bit thicker, but much more comfortable on the hands. These clubs are also heavier than my old 10 year old knock off cavity backs. The Look: The flat grey looks cool with the chrome highlights, but the overall fatness/clunkiness of the clubs throws off my confidence. I think a club with a little thinner topline and much less bulk on the back of the 4 or 5 would inspire more confidence with my typical divot taking swing.

4-5 Iron:
These two clubs have been the bane of me since I put them in my bag. My 4 iron used to be my go to iron off the tee when I didn't want to, or couldn't hit a driver for distance sake. My old 4 Iron was a solid 205 club with about 5-8 yards of draw. I'm having a very hard time hitting these two clubs. How chunky they look to me when looking down at them inspires literally zero confidence. I've always been one to hit a little more down on the ball (which may account for my draw), take a little bit of a divot and get good feel. I can't get that solid feel consistency with these two clubs. I hook the crap out of them, I suppose some of that could be that they are 1/2" longer than my old 4-5 but even choking down gives me problems. I typically have very high ball flight and the weighted sole just doesn't seem like it is for me. I don't have problems getting the ball up. Good luck taking any sort of divot with the 4 or 5 ... they seem more like a pickers club being somewhere in between a normal iron and a hybrid.

6-PW:
These clubs aren't too bad. The length of the 6-AW seems to be a little more standard especially as you get to the shorter irons. I feel much more confident with these clubs than I do the 4 or 5 but still nowhere near as consistent as my old clubs. I've even gone as far as taking some of my old clubs out on the course with me to compare my shots and I still feel better hitting my old clubs which stinks considering my old clubs are 10 year old knock off brand crap irons. I experienced my first RBZ wtf shot the other day I was about 175 out which is a typical 7 iron for me. I made amazing contact with the ball, so much that I felt like I didn't even strike a ball after contact. My 175 club mysteriously flies the green, and ends up in another teebox about 190 yards away. I was shocked how far the ball went. I play this course all the time and have my distances down so I know for fact I was 175 out, and flew the ball 190. Generally these clubs are much more consistent for me than the 4 and 5.

SW/AW:
Solid clubs ... nothing much more to stay. They seem to be in line with what I expect out of a SW/AW.

I think I am going to do things in a little bit of a reverse order, or what should have been what I did initially. Since I get a free exchange I think I'm going to get fitted by the golftec people and see what they say the best club for me is, rather than randomly pick a set off the shelf and struggle with it. I do know for sure that I will be going with a tour wrap midsize since I have big hands and the stock TM crossline grip is just too thin. I am glad I bought them at golfsmith and have a free return back to them.

Side note: I cannot say enough about the 60* ATV wedge. I absolutely love this club. Great feel, soft, easy to pitch, lob, or chip with this club (I chip with my 60 which probably isn't the best club to chip with but It's what I've always chipped with.) It's a solid full swing 95 yard club for me but I can half shot it anywhere from 60 to 95 yards.
 
I wanted to highlight these two here as I think they're absolutely spot on.

I'm having a hard time with the 4/5 still. I don't know if it's the looks, the sound change or the fact that they're just in my head now but consistent I'm not. The 6-AW on the other hand. I'll admit to being skeptical at first since it's such a change from what I'm use to. However I've been quite suprised by them and I really like your description. Forgiving, goes like stink.

As another note though, I think the two keys here for me in the performance turn around has been getting the lie angle adjusted and swapping the shaft. Goes to show just how important a fitting is.
Standard lie and stock shaft = hook city with everything
2 Flat with C Taper R+'s = Goodness smothered in cheese.

What's even more disturbing is that the combo is so good, my father in law when using them is able to keep up with me when I'm normally 25+ yards ahead loft for loft. I think he might steal them. Gonna have to hide them me thinks.

I've had mine for about a month now and I'm finding my experience very similar to you Super Tuna. I've read your review with interest as I seem to be having the exact same issues. I'm going to put up a full review soon but I took my 5 and 6 to be flattened 2 degrees and it's going "better". Still have a bit of a hook/pull that I've never had before. Went out today and things are starting to come along. Again I'll put up a review soon and hopefully we can compare notes to get these baby's dialed in. Oh, and yes these sticks are stupid long!
 
Good stuff guys! Glad to see the reviews are still coming. I'm still using the RBZ irons (AW-6) and will be taking them to the Iowa outing this weekend.
 
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