TaylorMade Burner 2.0 Irons - Forum Testing Review

[Josh_Ross]

Man tomahawk, that is a crazy gap. I'm not really seeing that with my set yet, but it's hard to tell with only a few rounds under my belt. I have a round in the morning, so I should be able to tell tomorrow. I'm real excited because today I was with a friend that was getting lessons, and I was trying my new swing. I'm almost dialed in with that thing, so tomorrow will be interesting As far as fixing that gap, I definitely think just a small choke down will fix it. It'll make it into that 6.5 irons you were speaking of. Like you said, some range time will help you figure that out.

 

[Bobby Burner]

Tomahawk, I too struggle to see that single gap you mention... when you listed the pured distances...

Pured 4 iron = 230
Pured 5 iron = 220
Pured 6 iron = 210
Pured 7 iron = 190
Pured 8 iron = 170
Pured 9 iron = 155
Pured PW = 145

Those figures are very similar to my experience with the 2.0s. Like I said, my gaps are about 25yards... or will be. I'm basing my figures on well played shots. There's not much point me basing it on an average of my inconsistent play at the moment. And the more consistent a player becomes, surely distances are all the more thought of as pured shots. There'd never be any sense in over-clubbing to compensate for a potnetial less-than-ideal shot, only to overshoot the green. So I think of my distances with the 2.0s as those I can achieve and hope to grow into consistently hitting.

When I look at your figures I see 9i 150yards + 20yards per club. You're obviously a much better golfer than me, so what do I know, but I suspect that if you can 210 a 6i, you're going to surprise yourself with the 4i & 5i at some point, and then you'll see potential for 20yard/club gaps upto 250 and beyond.

I have been frustrated that I haven't found the 4i and 5i as easy to hit as the 6i+, and I appreciate that strengthening loft becomes a case of diminishing returns, but, as I have said elsewhere, I have seen the potential of the 4i & 5i to be immensely long. I've lost track of the times I've had a fat/thinned/heavy 5i that has somehow still trickled on down to 200yards, giving an idea of what could be possible. And my success with the 4i has been about 1-in-10 shots (but quite nicely twice when needed recently). My first 'pured' 4i was the longest, highest iron shot I have ever witnessed... and sadly in total isolation (early morning, range all to myself). The ball hung in the sky forever. I out-drove the range at a point where the rear fence was at least 230yards. The range is surrounded by farm fields and there is a track immediately behind the fence. I walked around the rear of the range to see if I had landed outside, and there was a ball, just where I expected. Incredibly only a couple of yards into the field outside the track, outside the high fence. The flight shape was so long and high (probably more like a multiplied mid-iron flight shape) that it must have dropped so steeply and stopped dead. So I must have carried about 230-240! I have since twice pulled-off similar shots on-course in company, sadly a little lower in trajectory, but with not much bounce and roll, as on a 464yard par5 teeing over a big valley to a steep hill whose apex is higher than the tee and at least 250 yards away, which is where I've parked it! So again, a massive carry. As a kid I thought the hole impossible, surely even for an adult. It's like a roller coaster. The remainder is a gentle downhill. I've reduced it to a 4i and 7i the last two rounds, hit the green in 2, almost got my first eagle, but took two birdies. So going by sight, google maps, and 464yards split between 4i and 7i, it's still dificult for me to believe it, but I must have pulled off at least 250yards (almost all carry) with my 4i twice. I'll shut up now.

So, do you think there is potential for extra length in your 5i & 4i? Have you felt you have hit them perfectly yet?

I was going to say, I would have thought you might find your PW to be playing a little too long? What are your wedge distances? Does the PW length leave you gaps?

 

[tomahawk18]

My 50* wedge is my 115-125 club. Easy to 3/4 down to 105
My 54* wedge was 90- 100, and can 3/4 to 80. Now I am gaming the Burner 2.0 SW (55*) and we will see how that works out.
My 58* wedge is my 80 and under.

I have never been a strong long iron player, so I am not sure I will get much more out of them, although I am sure if I work enough with them I could get more.

 

[homerdog]

I finally got my Burner 2.0s today - hoping I might be able to offer some feedback on how I get on with them and how they compare to my Burner 09s.

 

[ddxu]

I finally got my Burner 2.0s today - hoping I might be able to offer some feedback on how I get on with them and how they compare to my Burner 09s.

what specs did you get? what were the specs of your previous set?

 

[homerdog]

what specs did you get? what were the specs of your previous set?

My previous set were stock regular, off-the-shelf, 3-AW. I got them when I started playing again after a break of several years. I have to say, they have been brilliant clubs, but a recent fitting suggested that I will be more consistent with stiff shafts. So, I've gone for Dynamic Gold SL S300 - I tried all of the usual suspects and these gave the best results overall. The next best were the stock stiff shafts; it is obvious that TM has designed the Burners as a whole and they are not just a bunch of random components stuck together. In fact, the performance differences between these two shafts came down to a very slightly lower ball flight with the SLs.

I ordered 4-SW this time. While I love the 3 iron in my previous set, I usually only used it off the tee on short par 4s and I reckon the 4 iron will be good enough for that job on most occasions. I will also be interested to see how I get on with the SW, we'll see if it manages to kick my Vokey out of the bag! The clubs are 1º upright with NDMC red grips - I had Lamkin N-DUR white grips previously, which were great, but I got fed up trying to keep them clean! I have had one range session with these already and am playing a few holes this afternoon, so I will post up my initial thoughts later.

The only negative comment I have to make, is that it took TM more than 5 weeks to supply these clubs. They said this was because of component shortages, one of which was AW heads - when they opened the box at the shop yesterday, we saw that the AW has a fairly large scratch on the PVD finish - they offered to send it back, but I'm not sure I want to wait another 5 weeks for a replacement!

 

[Josh_Ross]

So today I got in 9 more holes of golf. This being the first round since my lesson, I wasn't sure what to expect. While my score wasn't great, I walked away very happy with the round. I can't expect to walk out there and dominate after a swing change. I was a little inconsistent with the new swing, but I can tell you that when I hit it right, it was amazing. The irons are especially awesome with this swing. I didn't notice anymore distance, but the flight of the ball was just perfect. Give me a couple of rounds to figure this thing out, and I will be deadly. These irons are still impressing me. I still love the sound and feel of these clubs, and the forgiveness was awesome considering how often I needed it with a new swing. My favorite shot of the day was on a par 5. I drove the ball about 340 (new swing was on for this hole) and was sitting about 140 out. I took out my PW, as the green was up hill. I took a nice smooth swing, and caught the ball perfectly. I was about 15 feet from the hole on the back side of the green, looking at eagle. The putt was just inches away, and I birdied the hole, in the midst of a 4 hole stretch of great golf, and no bogies.

My initial thoughts haven't really changed much. I still think the wedges look, sound, and feel good. I'm still getting about 5 more yards per club, and the grips and shafts are still awesome. I'm hoping to have another round or range session in a couple of days. Keep the questions coming people. Until next time, I wish you all great golf!

 

[yorkem]

That's awesome Josh. I got some good news today. X-rayed my foot, and nothing is broken. Just a deep bone bruise, and most of my foot is purple. Doc says to give it some rest, but if I can stand the pain, do whatever I want because it won't cause any damage. I will definitely be playing this weekend as I was invited down to the Pinehurst area for a round. I will hit the range tomorrow too, just to test it out, but I think it will be ok. I hit them so well the other day, I just can't wait to get them back on the course. After this weekend, I am taking these beauties to the carribean. Leaving Tuesday for 11 days in Aruba of mostly family vacation, but at least 1 or 2 rounds will be played. I will try to post about those rounds from there, and if possible take lots of pictures too.

 

[RedlyneTheory]

That's awesome Josh. I got some good news today. X-rayed my foot, and nothing is broken. Just a deep bone bruise, and most of my foot is purple. Doc says to give it some rest, but if I can stand the pain, do whatever I want because it won't cause any damage. I will definitely be playing this weekend as I was invited down to the Pinehurst area for a round. I will hit the range tomorrow too, just to test it out, but I think it will be ok. I hit them so well the other day, I just can't wait to get them back on the course. After this weekend, I am taking these beauties to the carribean. Leaving Tuesday for 11 days in Aruba of mostly family vacation, but at least 1 or 2 rounds will be played. I will try to post about those rounds from there, and if possible take lots of pictures too.

That's good news your foot isn't broken! That woulda stunk on vacation.

 

[yorkem]

That's good news your foot isn't broken! That woulda stunk on vacation.

Honestly, I would've been more pissed about the lack of golf. I know that may sound crazy, but it is the truth.

 

[tomahawk18]

That's awesome Josh. I got some good news today. X-rayed my foot, and nothing is broken. Just a deep bone bruise, and most of my foot is purple. Doc says to give it some rest, but if I can stand the pain, do whatever I want because it won't cause any damage. I will definitely be playing this weekend as I was invited down to the Pinehurst area for a round. I will hit the range tomorrow too, just to test it out, but I think it will be ok. I hit them so well the other day, I just can't wait to get them back on the course. After this weekend, I am taking these beauties to the carribean. Leaving Tuesday for 11 days in Aruba of mostly family vacation, but at least 1 or 2 rounds will be played. I will try to post about those rounds from there, and if possible take lots of pictures too.

Happy to hear your foot isn't broken. Play on man!

 

[arydolphin]

Happy to hear your foot isn't broken. Play on man!

Tomahawk,
I'm catching up on this thread, and saw that you played the R9 irons before the Burner 2.0. I've got the R9 irons in the bag right now, so I'm interested in your results. You may have already covered this (skimmer alert here), but could you compare the forgiveness of the 2 sets of irons and the turf interaction as well?

 

[Josh_Ross]

That's awesome Josh. I got some good news today. X-rayed my foot, and nothing is broken. Just a deep bone bruise, and most of my foot is purple. Doc says to give it some rest, but if I can stand the pain, do whatever I want because it won't cause any damage. I will definitely be playing this weekend as I was invited down to the Pinehurst area for a round. I will hit the range tomorrow too, just to test it out, but I think it will be ok. I hit them so well the other day, I just can't wait to get them back on the course. After this weekend, I am taking these beauties to the carribean. Leaving Tuesday for 11 days in Aruba of mostly family vacation, but at least 1 or 2 rounds will be played. I will try to post about those rounds from there, and if possible take lots of pictures too.

Glad to hear the foot is doing ok. I bet golf down there will be a blast. Have a great time with that!

Tappin' away from my DROIDX.

 

[tomahawk18]

Tomahawk,
I'm catching up on this thread, and saw that you played the R9 irons before the Burner 2.0. I've got the R9 irons in the bag right now, so I'm interested in your results. You may have already covered this (skimmer alert here), but could you compare the forgiveness of the 2 sets of irons and the turf interaction as well?

Absolutely. I havent' had a chance to hit them side by side at the range yet, so these opinions may change in the coming weeks. First off, I love my R9's and until I gamed the 2.0's they were the finest set of clubs I have ever owned. I was able to get good distance with them and also work it slightly either way, although I am naturally a power fade type player. The R9's also offered good forgiveness on miss hits, and since I am not on the level of high quality ball strikers, I loved the R9's for that since I will often miss it by a groove or 2. The 2.0's surpass the R9 in all of these aspects. I am actually shocked by it. I went into this testing thinking that the 2.0 wasn't going to be able to significantly out perform the R9, but so far I am wrong.

Not only are the 2.0's quite a bit longer than the R9's, (see the stats a couple of pages back), but they are more forgiving on mis hits. I am getting similar distances on my slight mis hits with the 2.0 to what I was getting with pured shots with the R9's. Turf interaction for me has been fairly similar, although I had a bit more of a tendancy to dig with the R9. I will find out more on that when I hit them side by side. The 2.0 head is actually a little bit smaller than the R9 which, to me, was a bit surprising. Here are a couple of side by side pics. Hope this helps and don't be afraid to ask more questions or request a specific test...

White grips are 2.0's, red R9's

 

[mdbuschsr]

That's awesome Josh. I got some good news today. X-rayed my foot, and nothing is broken. Just a deep bone bruise, and most of my foot is purple. Doc says to give it some rest, but if I can stand the pain, do whatever I want because it won't cause any damage. I will definitely be playing this weekend as I was invited down to the Pinehurst area for a round. I will hit the range tomorrow too, just to test it out, but I think it will be ok. I hit them so well the other day, I just can't wait to get them back on the course. After this weekend, I am taking these beauties to the carribean. Leaving Tuesday for 11 days in Aruba of mostly family vacation, but at least 1 or 2 rounds will be played. I will try to post about those rounds from there, and if possible take lots of pictures too.

Glad to hear your little piggy isn't broken. It really would have sucked on all levels, golf, vacation, and just in general!

 

[Chunkylover77]

Can't wait to tee it up with the Burner 2.0 Trio. I'll be hitting 6I while you guys are hitting PW

 

[Toddo]

Well, after hitting my 2.0 6I demo today, have decided they will be the clubs going in as gamers whenever I can get them. I got a tip from my pro today and its actually helped me with my Rac LT2's but it is soon time to upgrade since they are six years old. Maybe after this season.

 

[ddxu]

I finally got one of my buddies to invite me to play his club this Saturday. My wife will be out of town, so I'll be heading down to Louisville to game my 2.0s. I've heard great things about this club and know I will need to be on my game to even keep up. I am really excited to see how these hold up on a tough course I've never played, with good players I never play with, and from spots I've never seen before. Now I need to decide if I go practice or play Friday or if I stay in and watch the Open? I might cheat on the Open and go run my comparison with my 2.0 SW and my Vokey 55*.

 

[yorkem]

I finally got one of my buddies to invite me to play his club this Saturday. My wife will be out of town, so I'll be heading down to Louisville to game my 2.0s. I've heard great things about this club and know I will need to be on my game to even keep up. I am really excited to see how these hold up on a tough course I've never played, with good players I never play with, and from spots I've never seen before. Now I need to decide if I go practice or play Friday or if I stay in and watch the Open? I might cheat on the Open and go run my comparison with my 2.0 SW and my Vokey 55*.

That's awesome bro. Have a blast. As for cheating on The Open Championship, that's what DVR's are for.

 

[mdbuschsr]

Can't wait to tee it up with the Burner 2.0 Trio. I'll be hitting 6I while you guys are hitting PW

I'd let you swing my clubs but you could barely get your mitts around my Mashie grip! Blasted Gigantic hands are as bad as hitting from Yorkems side of the ball.

 

[TRyan]

I finally got one of my buddies to invite me to play his club this Saturday. My wife will be out of town, so I'll be heading down to Louisville to game my 2.0s. I've heard great things about this club and know I will need to be on my game to even keep up. I am really excited to see how these hold up on a tough course I've never played, with good players I never play with, and from spots I've never seen before. Now I need to decide if I go practice or play Friday or if I stay in and watch the Open? I might cheat on the Open and go run my comparison with my 2.0 SW and my Vokey 55*.

Good luck Saturday!

 

[Bobby Burner]

9 Holes on my local course today.

Highlights:-

1st Hole, Par5, 487yards, never ending uphill. Did my usual thing of late, I treat the 1st as a warm-up and try to establish smooth controlled swings. Reached the green in three easy-going 7i shots. 162yards average not bad easy-going uphill! (By the way, I'm only playing 4-SW at the moment, no driver, woods or hybrids) I then tee one club longer for the next three holes - 6i on 2nd, 5i on 3rd, 4i on 4th, as they're potentially long enough to get near greens.

2nd Hole, Par4, 281yards, smooth incline/decline just makes green blind. When I bought my clubs the winter tees at 238 yards made me feel the green was reachable with a 6i. Totally fudged my shot from 281 tees to 20yards past winter tee. Beautiful 6i slight fade sent ball at centre of green, avoiding front left & right bunkers. Ball annoyingly/amazingly 5yards through back of green! So 221yards! Annoyed but equally chuffed!

3rd Hole a write-off

4th Hole, Par4, 266yard gentle uphill. 5i felt low on face, low trajectory, poor energy transfer, still bounded on to 200yards, hilariously rolling into a 5yard gap between two fairway spanning bunkers. Partial SW into green.

5th Hole, Par4, 254yard gentle downhill. Again, it doesn't compute, but I'm stubbornly determined to reach it with my 6i. Perfect fluked fade (I'm tryinig to learn to hit the ball straight still!) which follwed the ideal shot line. Beautiful trajectory shape too. Still only felt 90% pured. Caught bunker 10 yards centre front of green. Nearest to my dream shot on 5th so far. Best SW from bunker yet, to centre of green. Showered myself with sand, still shaking it off!

6th Hole skipped past slow players.

7th Hole, Par5, 464yards, big valley - bigger hill - gentle downhill. 4i 220 yards, 30yards short of apex, blind to green. 6i pured but slightly pushed left, stopping 10yards short of green (downhill, remember) but might have found green if straight, due to final sudden dip to green closer on centre/right. SW shot from slight down-slope, 4m height above green level, chipped about 15 of 20yards to pin, stopped practically dead. I assume lots of spin then! 5yard Birdie putt.

8th Hole. Further impressed with good SW play today. 8yard putt for birdie stopped 1" right of cup. D'Oh!

9th and 18th (replacing 6th!), Par3s, 155/164, 9th high ledge over a large pond, 18th over centre/right front of green bunker. 9i on both. Mediocre on 9th, front of large green. Two balls played at 18th, both on green, two pars!

Fun Fun Fun!


Lowlights:-

One bunker shot today, from an apparently stone-free trap, has gouged a nice 3/4"long pretty deep scratch in the chrome sole of my SW. Not happy! I'll post pics tomorrow. I haven't mentioned this on this site, but when I added my SW and AW, I was a little suspicious of them. The SW developed 4 tiny rust-like marks in the groves after my first round with it! I cleaned it between shots, and the whole set properly several hours after my round. Had a TM guy at a demo event look at it, and said 'genuine, see how it goes, if it worsens I'm sure we'll happily change it'. Well, it now pales into insignificance next to the chrome gouge. I'm just hoping it is a legit club, and hasn't just gouged so bad because it isn't! I bought it online from an authorised dealer... but the only one in the UK who offers single 2.0 wedges as if they're held in stock. I think I'm taking the approach that the SW in particular is a club that's going to end up looking battered. The iron covers I bought shortly after buying the set are going to become pretty redundant pretty quickly! They're a pain in the bleep anyway!

 

[Bobby Burner]

Regarding The Open, guys, I've just seen a preview show on the BBC tonight, and I'm amazed there is solid 11hr coverage here in the UK tomorrow! I won't be getting much done then!

Oh, and the talk was about us English whooping yo collective international ass! (I have no idea what I'm talking about!)

And one final point of hilarity, I was joined by a beeming and slightly lost texan on the 9th hole today. I live in the Black Country (name comes from industrrial revolution times) in the West Midlands, UK. Near Birmingham. I have been joined for parts of rounds by two indian players 'Jahhchaaahhhh' (that's me trying to spell phonically) and 'roger'! LOL. A smiley Chinese pensioner called 'simon'! (?) And today the Texan and his wife (out for the walk). And I can only assume a ball I found on a previous hole was his, because once home I realised it had 'Pechanga Resort & Casino' printed on it, American Indian headdress logo, the lot! LOL. Seriously, if you could visit my locality, you wouldn't take long to see how humorously cosmopolitan my local municipal golf course seems to be!

 

[arydolphin]

Absolutely. I havent' had a chance to hit them side by side at the range yet, so these opinions may change in the coming weeks. First off, I love my R9's and until I gamed the 2.0's they were the finest set of clubs I have ever owned. I was able to get good distance with them and also work it slightly either way, although I am naturally a power fade type player. The R9's also offered good forgiveness on miss hits, and since I am not on the level of high quality ball strikers, I loved the R9's for that since I will often miss it by a groove or 2. The 2.0's surpass the R9 in all of these aspects. I am actually shocked by it. I went into this testing thinking that the 2.0 wasn't going to be able to significantly out perform the R9, but so far I am wrong.

Not only are the 2.0's quite a bit longer than the R9's, (see the stats a couple of pages back), but they are more forgiving on mis hits. I am getting similar distances on my slight mis hits with the 2.0 to what I was getting with pured shots with the R9's. Turf interaction for me has been fairly similar, although I had a bit more of a tendancy to dig with the R9. I will find out more on that when I hit them side by side. The 2.0 head is actually a little bit smaller than the R9 which, to me, was a bit surprising. Here are a couple of side by side pics. Hope this helps and don't be afraid to ask more questions or request a specific test...

White grips are 2.0's, red R9's

Tomahawk, that's great information. It looks from the pictures that the lengths of the irons are the same, whereas the standard lengths of the Burner 2.0 irons are longer than the R9 irons when you use the stock shafts. So do you think the distance gains that you are seeing is due to the shaft change or the clubheads in the Burner 2.0 set? If I remember correctly, you said the trajectory with the Burner 2.0 are a little lower than the R9 irons, that has to be due to the shaft. I didn't hit the Burner 2.0 irons during my fitting at the TMPL earlier this summer, now I'm kicking myself for not doing that, although I'm not sure they would have had a Burner 2.0 iron with a KBS Tour shaft on it.

 

[tomahawk18]

Tomahawk, that's great information. It looks from the pictures that the lengths of the irons are the same, whereas the standard lengths of the Burner 2.0 irons are longer than the R9 irons when you use the stock shafts. So do you think the distance gains that you are seeing is due to the shaft change or the clubheads in the Burner 2.0 set? If I remember correctly, you said the trajectory with the Burner 2.0 are a little lower than the R9 irons, that has to mostly be due to the shaft, and slightly due to stronger lofts. I didn't hit the Burner 2.0 irons during my fitting at the TMPL earlier this summer, now I'm kicking myself for not doing that, although I'm not sure they would have had a Burner 2.0 iron with a KBS Tour shaft on it.

I was fitted for my R9's early last year and the stiff KBS 90 fit me well, but my numbers and trajectory were a bit better with the stiff KBS Tours. I went with the 90 on the R9 because it was a stock offering and there would be no upcharge since the numbers wern't dramatically different. As I continued to improve last year with the lessons and all, I started noticing a higher ball flight and a distance increase. It wasn't bad at all, but the ball flight was pretty high. Higher than I had ever hit it consistantly before, and on windy days I had real trouble. The heavier KBS Tour shaft has a higher kick point than the 90 and has kept my ball flight down around an estimated 10%. It is less impressive, but more ideal for my game. I still hit it higher than most of my playing partners, and the ball lands pretty soft on the greens, even with the 5 iron. I am very excited to see what I will be able to do with this shaft/head combo. The length of the shafts are the same and the transition has been pretty seemless so far, even with the heavier shaft.

The distance increases are almost certainly due to the head. They are 1* stronger lofted across the board than the R9, but the head is much hotter. Pured hits are unreal. It is if you hit nothing. The sound is sweet, the feel is great. Mis hits are audibly different, and you can feel it immediately, yet you still get good distance. Toe hits lose about 20% distance but seem to stay on target. If you hit it a groove or two high on the face, you lose much less distance and I am still getting good results. If you would like more distance and some forgiveness with your irons, the 2.0's are really worth a serious look.