TaylorMade R11 Irons - Review Thread - Forum Testing Reviews

[Dr. Teeth]

Great post TC! I got to play a round with these and I came away completely impressed! I love my MCs, but I could just as easily see these in my bag. There is so much to like about these irons, and very little to dislike.

 

[TC]

Great post TC! I got to play a round with these and I came away completely impressed! I love my MCs, but I could just as easily see these in my bag. There is so much to like about these irons, and very little to dislike.

You really are spot on Doc. Like I said, the only people I could see not liking these are guys who find it impossible to play an iron with a somewhat "thicker" topline. And even these aren't that thick. I am becoming a massive fan of the stock shafts as well. I don't hit them near as high as I may have feared at first, and they just don't make me tired like iron shafts have in the past.

 

[2Shoes]

If there's just one thing I cannot stand about them it's got to be that channel on the sole of the club. I'm constantly cleaning it out.

You just had to say it didn't ya. Just when I had that outta my mind! Thanks man, I can always count on you!

 

[TC]

You just had to say it didn't ya. Just when I had that outta my mind! Thanks man, I can always count on you!

LOL, I'm just trying to find a negative man. There really aren't many with these irons. I can't believe how much my GIR % has increased since having them. My goal in 2012 is to get down to a sub 3 hcp and I think these will help tremendously. If I can consistently hit 13-14 GIR's per round, there's just no way I'm shooting higher than 75/76. Hopefully I can convert more birdies, which I'm also seeing in my statistics. Prior to these irons I was avergaing 1.18 birdies per round, and since having them I'm averaging 2.74 birdies per round, and in all honesty, it should be more than that. These are game changers man.

 

[Kmac]

Man those are some sick GIR numbers my ocho cinco loving friend. I have to play 4 rounds of golf to get up to 14 GIR's. You need to get those birdie numbers up a bit. Id like to see you getting at least 4-5 birds a round. Step it up. Lets do this!

 

[2Shoes]

Your want negatives, I'll offer negatives. These things call my name from the back seat of my truck. It's hard to get work done when you're trying to figure out how to leave and if nothing else hit the range before dark. They quickly become obsession as I want desperately to get better with these clubs. They stick in my mind throughout the day as I can play 9 holes in my head visualizing each shot as I go.

There's your negative my friend, and you can't make stuff like that up.

 

[Tmex]

Taylormade R11 Iron Testing
Date- 11/5/2011
Irons Used- Taylormade R11 Irons 4-AW Graphite shafts Regular flex
Previous Irons-Callaway Razr X Tour
Ball Used- Bridgestone B330RX
Testing Conditions- Sunny 35*
Location- Pilgrim Oak Golf Course


This past weekend I was finally able to meet up with Bucky for a round of double R11 iron testing. We've been trying to get together ever since the R11 testing started and finally we were able to make it work. This was my first round at this course so I was excited to see something new even if the conditions were a bit chilly.


I arrived first and immediately went to the range as it was chilly, windy and Ive had very little range time lately. The golf game has been a constant, frusterating flux of a mess lately so I was eager to hit some balls and see what I was dealing with for the day. I'll give Pilgrim Oaks props for having a very nice range, chipping green and putting green. I love a complete practice facility. I was hitting most of my shots a bit thin and they were all going in this odd sort of ball flight to the right. I didnt expect much better so I took it all in stride.


Once Bucky showed up though is when things got a little more fun and interesting. He took my 8 iron and I grabbed his 8 iron for a little comparison testing of R11 steel vs graphite shafts. I was shocked at first. The steel really didnt feel that much different. Ball flight, distance and overall feel felt very very similiar. I was expecting something much different to be honest. Its not like Ive hit graphite for years and years now as this is my first set but I thought there would be a much more discernable difference. To be honest there wasnt. So the real and much more accurate test was watching Bucky crush shots. The dude does not get cheated when he hits a golf ball. He hit a few of my irons and all of them were just as good as what I saw with his steel shafted versions. He was peppering the 200 yard sign with my 4 iron. After holding both 8 irons in hand I could tell the steel was a little heavier but not by much. I sat there thinking and wondering if I had to choose between the two at a golf shop, how would I pick one? Its a very good question that Im not sure of the answer just yet. They both performed so close that if money was no issue then would it come down to looks?


The reoccuring theme every round for me is bad, short drives that leave me very long approach shots. This round was no different. We also played the blue tees which was probably not the best choice either with my current game. Funny how when I struggle off the tee either I putt and chip really well or hit great iron shots. But if the driver is on the irons arent. This round saw me hitting a ton of 4 and 5 irons from all over the course. Ive come to be quite comfortable with the 4 iron by now too. Ive hit that sucker so much I dont think Ive ever hit another 4 iron as much. I only hit a couple GIR's the whole round and one of them was a 192 yard to the stick par 3 that I hit with the 4 iron. And then my putt feel off the redge and off the green. Two putt back into the hole for a bogey LOL. Anyway, I feel like my testing has been a little void of good scoring iron testing but I'll get that changed soon enough. And with how good the long irons are I already know the scoring irons will be just as good. I came away from another round with the R11's still impressed with how easy the long irons are to hit. They really reward the good tempo'ed swing. I was also happy to hit the steel shaft brothers and not have any club envy at all. Thats not to say they arent great clubs but more about the graphite shafts being just that good.

OEM, I have really been following your results closely and I'm pretty intrigued. I honestly wasn't a fan of the R9's at all and was almost ready to write these off until I saw them and hit them in person. Now hearing your feedback I really want to give the graphite shafted R11's a spin! Great job with your feedback.

 

[Nicklausfan]

I will be going through this review thoroughly. My coach and I have decided that we're going Taylormade. He mentioned R11 in particular. I'm curious to see what you guys have to say.

Alex

 

[Kmac]

OEM, I have really been following your results closely and I'm pretty intrigued. I honestly wasn't a fan of the R9's at all and was almost ready to write these off until I saw them and hit them in person. Now hearing your feedback I really want to give the graphite shafted R11's a spin! Great job with your feedback.

Funny you say that bro, I wasnt much of a fan of the R9's either. There might have been for a few reasons that they didnt work for me and most of which probably had nothing to do with the actual irons. Thanks for the feedback bro.

 

[Tmex]

Funny you say that bro, I wasnt much of a fan of the R9's either. There might have been for a few reasons that they didnt work for me and most of which probably had nothing to do with the actual irons. Thanks for the feedback bro.

You're doing great. As are the others. You know my infatuation with graphite shafts. Also having played a round with you at the MC I can really identify with what you're saying and it helps.

 

[Chunkylover77]

Funny you say that bro, I wasnt much of a fan of the R9's either. There might have been for a few reasons that they didnt work for me and most of which probably had nothing to do with the actual irons. Thanks for the feedback bro.

I'm with you guys in that I didn't care for the R9's. The R11's have me intrigued though. Good stuff so far Kev

 

[TC]

What was it about the R9s that you guys didn't like?

 

[Chunkylover77]

What was it about the R9s that you guys didn't like?

I didn't like the feel of them to be honest. I probably was just not hitting well that day and just attributed it to the irons.

 

[Buckjob]

Taylormade R11 Iron Testing
Date- 11/9/11
Irons Used- Taylormade R11 Irons 4-AW Stiff Flex KBS Steel Shafts
Previous Irons-Taylormade Burner 2.0 4-AW Stiff Flex Steel Shafts
Ball Used-Taylormade Penta TP
Testing Conditions- Sunny 55*
Location- Blue Bell Country Club


Well had my lesson at golftec yesterday and got out to play afterwards at a tough private course with my instructor. I got a chance to play this course the week before i got my R11s and i really didn't play well. I shot a 94 that round with 3 GIR. So i was embarrassed with my play that round and have been itching to get back there to play to my potential and yesterday i finally got my chance. We ended up playing the Blue Tees (6600 yards) and moving back to the championship tees on a few holes to add a challenge to some of the holes. the one par 3 was 245 yards from the championship tees all carry over water with water on the right side for example. My instructor said the pros wouldn't even play from those tees for 4 days in a row but hitting a hybrid just off the green and getting up and down from there was awesome. That being said i got a chance to hit a lot of different irons yesterday since we were playing a lot of longer holes. So it was a good test to see where my game is at. I ended up shooting a 83 with 11 GIR so 8 more GIR from my last round with my old irons and 11 strokes better. i actually had 2 more putts yesterday than my last round cause i was scrambling more the first round. Now that being said i know i didn't play my best the other round and it was my first time playing the course so theres always a learning curve there but 8 more GIR is a pretty big difference and yesterday my drives weren't that great i only hit 6 fairways. My driver was amazing on one hole, i pulled it left on the next hole, and hit a fade on the next. i was really frustrated and had some big blow up holes which i really had limited lately especially due to my irons getting me back out of trouble from my drives. this was huge yesterday i made some really nice shots from thick rough yesterday and from some pretty tough lies. Thats another thing that i havn't really touched on is that these clubs really have been getting the job done from the rough. i can really crush the ball off the tee but i don't hit a great number of fairways so im in the first cut and rough a lot. especially yesterday but i keep getting GIR even from there which has been a big improvement from my old set of irons. i felt like those were even more inconsistent distance wise in the rough and the R11s really have been consistent and still pretty good dispersion from these lies. it was nice talking to my instructor about the differences in my iron sets and getting his perspective. He honestly told me when i hit them in golftec when i wanted to try them after they were released that he wasn't a huge fan of them. But after seeing my shots yesterday i think i changed his mind, and agreed these are a much better set for my game compared to the Burner 2.0s. I again was putting some nice shots together and close within 10-15 feet of the flag and about 4 within like 6-8 feet. I again was frustrated with my putting a little bit i almost drained a bunch of putts and just had tap ins for pars almost every hole. i just missed a lot of the 10' putts but again my instructor reminded me that the pros only make 48% of 7' putts so i again i think i expect to much from myself. i ended up paring 11 holes, 4 bogeys, 2 doubles, and a 9 on the one par 5 that i hit 2 balls OB from the tee box. Again my drives were either amazing or horrible and this is a course where you need a good tee shot or you can get in a lot of trouble like my double bogeys and 9 show you. But again the R11s came through for a huge rebound round from my last round that i played and my last round on this course. i couldn't be happier with my score and the way they performed for me yesterday. Im gonna keep working on my putting and now that i have a putter that seems to be working better for me, im hoping to drop some more birdies soon and lower my handicap even more.

 

[GrantD]

I thought the R9 was a great iron. I still miss them at times. I have only played with the R11 one time and haven't made it to the range yet with them. I hope that they fulfill the spot that the R9s had in my bag. I think they will, it will just take some time to get used to them.

 

[TC]

Nice bucky! That right there is called redemption. Solid round from what seems like a lot of golf course.

 

[Buckjob]

I thought the R9 was a great iron. I still miss them at times. I have only played with the R11 one time and haven't made it to the range yet with them. I hope that they fulfill the spot that the R9s had in my bag. I think they will, it will just take some time to get used to them.

good thing for me was the learning curve was pretty quick. once i got a couple days without 50 mph winds to get my distances squared away.

 

[GrantD]

good thing for me was the learning curve was pretty quick. once i got a couple days without 50 mph winds to get my distances squared away.

Yeah, I just have to get out there. I had a busy week this week and I was in charge of the kid most afternoons. He isn't old enough to go to the range yet. I can't wait for those days to come along. I will get so much more range time in as I take care of him.

 

[Buckjob]

Nice bucky! That right there is called redemption. Solid round from what seems like a lot of golf course.

its a tough track such a nice course though i don't get to play private courses very often so i was really embarrassed after my last round especially in front of my instructor and a couple of members so it was really nice getting back out to show i don't suck that bad. plus playing with people way better than me really makes me bring my game out and try to match them shot for shot. yesterday was that round. It was funny when he hit a tight shot from 150 and i hit one closer he asked me why im coming in for lessons.

 

[TC]

I thought the R9 was a great iron. I still miss them at times. I have only played with the R11 one time and haven't made it to the range yet with them. I hope that they fulfill the spot that the R9s had in my bag. I think they will, it will just take some time to get used to them.

I also thought the R9 was a great iron. One of the best I've ever hit in fact. The R11's, to me, are very similar, but where they do differ, it's a great difference. Obviously, the KBS stock shaft paired with a head using inverted cone technology offers a nice feel, for me, one of the best ever. The R11's incorporated the thinner face tech, similar to the 2.0s, which gives them a better audible tone at impact for me. More crack like! But where the R11s really stand out above the R9 to me is with the use of the PWP. I swear it gives these a perfect balance and assists in delivering a square club face more often. The fact that they are also a bit stronger lofted is just icing on the cake for me. My recommendation to those who may have had some struggles or dislikes with the R9 irons, would be to really narrow down what those dislikes were. Was it the feel, or the sound, or distance?

 

[Hawk]

Congrats on another great round, Buck and TC. It says alot that you are looking for little things like a channel that collects dirt when trying to find negatives about these irons.

 

[TC]

Congrats on another great round, Buck and TC. It says alot that you are looking for little things like a channel that collects dirt when trying to find negatives about these irons.

I'm sure it serves a massive purpose but dude, it drives me nuts. You have to have a brush handy to keep it free of stuff.

 

[Buckjob]

I'm sure it serves a massive purpose but dude, it drives me nuts. You have to have a brush handy to keep it free of stuff.

you must be massive OCD TC i take HUGE divots constantly on every shot with every iron and i don't think ive cleaned stuff out the back more than a few times. i wonder if they are completely full of dirt since i havn't even noticed it. prob adding a lbs or 2 to my head weight and i don't even know it. lol

 

[TC]

you must be massive OCD TC i take HUGE divots constantly on every shot with every iron and i don't think ive cleaned stuff out the back more than a few times. i wonder if they are completely full of dirt since i havn't even noticed it. prob adding a lbs or 2 to my head weight and i don't even know it. lol

I'm terrible about my equipment dude. I rarely have to take the clubs out for a bath b/c I keep them so clean. I've been through 3 Frogger brushes and two THP spotless swing towels in the last year. I wear them out. You sound like my old man. I can't stand looking in his bag. It makes me quiver.

 

[GrantD]

I also thought the R9 was a great iron. One of the best I've ever hit in fact. The R11's, to me, are very similar, but where they do differ, it's a great difference. Obviously, the KBS stock shaft paired with a head using inverted cone technology offers a nice feel, for me, one of the best ever. The R11's incorporated the thinner face tech, similar to the 2.0s, which gives them a better audible tone at impact for me. More crack like! But where the R11s really stand out above the R9 to me is with the use of the PWP. I swear it gives these a perfect balance and assists in delivering a square club face more often. The fact that they are also a bit stronger lofted is just icing on the cake for me. My recommendation to those who may have had some struggles or dislikes with the R9 irons, would be to really narrow down what those dislikes were. Was it the feel, or the sound, or distance?

I agree with you on the stronger lofts. I think that is the reason I left the R9s. I was playing some solid golf with them, but the distance gain of the R11s lured me in. I think the sound of the R11s is a bit more crack like. The R9s sounded a bit softer and the R9 TPs had a small crack sound. I still have not played with the R11s enough to comment on the feel. I think the R9s were one of the best feeling irons I have ever used. I think the R11s are going to offer that, but I just have to get some reps in with them.