jt2929
Equipment Junkie
I would have never even thought about teeing the ball differently if it wasn't mentioned in this thread. Hopefully I don't put any sky marks on this beauty!
TaylorMade SLDR Driver - Review Thread
jt2929
Equipment Junkie
I guess I was playing the Classic at the wrong height too since that is what I used before the SLDR! Oops...
the only time i pull it is when i over swing. this driver makes it hard to not over swing. if that makes sense lol
chas
Active member
I have the epoch THP tees and that's where I tee mine up, I have even went to the first line from the bottom, but using that height means the ball is not to steady on the tee, so I use the next one up
played my first round today with the SLDR going 9/13 in FIR, average of 275 off the tee with a high of 310 and low of 250. I came away from my round with two things i MUST figure out. First, trust your swing and second, trust the results. ive spent the last 10 years never being able to hit a draw with the driver let alone playing one consistently. so to me, setting up to play a draw is completely uncomfortable. and after a couple swings with the SLDR and feeling how good it feels and seeing the ball fly like it does, it gets very easy to start overswinging. when i would overswing, thats when the fade would come back. and when your setting up for a draw and you hit a fade.... well you all know the rest. i have my SLDR set at 11* loft and 3 spots towards draw. i may eventually move towards the draw side a little more, but right now i want to keep the settings the same and see the true results instead of jumping the gun.
many of my opinions from early in this thread are the same. i love this driver and im convinced its right for me. i love the feel, sound and results im seeing with it. the only thing i need to work on is swinging the same swing each and every time. Dave Stockton preaches this. make every swing like your signature so that theres no thinking involved. once i get to that point, i feel like i can be absolutely automatic with this driver. not that i hit the ball poorly, i just demand a lot out of myself. i always have.
A couple more things about todays round. i was in places today i havent been before. carrying creeks that are 265 to carry, laying within chips on longer par 4s. i had an excitement today each time we got to another tee box. this club really is a game changer
many of my opinions from early in this thread are the same. i love this driver and im convinced its right for me. i love the feel, sound and results im seeing with it. the only thing i need to work on is swinging the same swing each and every time. Dave Stockton preaches this. make every swing like your signature so that theres no thinking involved. once i get to that point, i feel like i can be absolutely automatic with this driver. not that i hit the ball poorly, i just demand a lot out of myself. i always have.
A couple more things about todays round. i was in places today i havent been before. carrying creeks that are 265 to carry, laying within chips on longer par 4s. i had an excitement today each time we got to another tee box. this club really is a game changer
Kchauv
New member
Philly, thanks for the update and on course review. I don't like to depend on launch monitors for assessment.
Whats your SS? How did you shoot? What will your desired shot shape be in the future?
SS is 115ish shot a 79 and desired shot shape is a draw. And I'm pretty much hitting a draw now when I put a smooth swing on the ball and don't try to kill it
Heading out to a new course to play 18 tomorrow. The course also features a 600+ yard (from the whites!) par 6...so if I end up out there alone, I may test the SLDR off the turf just for fun. Kinda bummed there aren't really any local THPer's to test this club with me. Who wants to come on down to the Mexican border tomorrow and play a round?
tucsondivots
Fairways and Greens
Is that the Naco course? I have about it, but never played it.
Yup, Turquoise Valley. I played it back in 2007, but that was the first or second time I had ever played, to be honest. I'd like to think I'm a marginally better golfer now.
Just got an email that my local course is having a Demo Day for the SLDR next Friday. I think after reading some of these reviews, I'm gonna have to stop by and try it out.
You won't be disappointed
jt2929
Equipment Junkie
This is a must hit club. Don't forget to try a club that is higher loft than your current and let us know what you think.
Lots of positive reviews on it, so I'm excited to see what it's all about.
I will definitely post my thoughts.
Thanks for the reviews, guys. Keep up the good work.
- Staff
- #241
This one has been interesting to read through.
I know I adore the look of this one and love that the sound is SO improved, but for me the lack of lateral forgiveness compared to other heads and the LOOOOOOOOOOOOW spin just killed me. Knucklers all day. That said there is clearly a large segment that it will fit well and you have to love that! Its the beauty of this game, we're all so different!
I know I adore the look of this one and love that the sound is SO improved, but for me the lack of lateral forgiveness compared to other heads and the LOOOOOOOOOOOOW spin just killed me. Knucklers all day. That said there is clearly a large segment that it will fit well and you have to love that! Its the beauty of this game, we're all so different!
jt2929
Equipment Junkie
Did you hit it with the stock shaft, Jman?
- Staff
- #243
I hit it with the stock shaft as well as 3 others in Orlando at the Ultimate TM testing event. I could probably take a 12* head and put something like a Red-Tie in it to get the spin up a touch and play it, but for where my miss is there are still some pretty noticeable distance losses. On the center of the face though, MONSTER, sadly I'm not a center of the face all the time guy. Sad Jman.
RPBGator
New member
I actually like seeing this because I feel like I work for Taylormade with the success I've had. Really is amazing how one different aspect of a swing can have such different results. Thanks for sharing!
John Jeff definitely go hit it. Try and hit a high loft and one of those stout low launching shafts that you use and see what it does. The few drives I did you see you hit at Mission Inn were Bombs and straight so I want to see what you think!
While my praise for this driver has been rather mild at times, I can say that after playing 18 today at Turquoise Valley in Naco, AZ, I'm a huge, huge fan. Long, accurate, and pretty forgiving. Admittedly, some of this comes as I've made a new dedication to hit up on the ball and keep my chest a bit farther back. Launch angle came down, and this club creates this beautiful, high shot, straight or slight draw, even on neutral settings. I'm still going to say that the sweet spot on this driver is a bit small compared to a lot of its competitors, but even slightly off-center hits produced great flight. Combined with the Top-Flite Gamer (the last of which I lost on a par 3), I was hitting 240+ total distance, with a sweet little draw. The course was using a lot of alternate tees while they do maintenance, and as a result a few greens were driveable, but I'm not that accurate. Still, this driver is just fun to hit, with the sweet spot producing a slight crump to go along with a notable ping sound.
This is an awkward question to ask...do I get to keep the SLDR? Because if not, you're going to need to hire a good negotiator.
This is an awkward question to ask...do I get to keep the SLDR? Because if not, you're going to need to hire a good negotiator.
Man I did this driver absolutely no justice today. My swing was so bad. Trying to over swing and take advantage of an easy course with wide open fairways. The beauty of this club is I was never in THAT much trouble. My misses were still in play and I attribute that completely to the driver. Had a couple bombs today and was able to reach a 520 yard par 5 in 2 going 305 off the tee and reaching home with a 4 iron. On my best day before the SLDR I'm looking at a 3hybrid to get there. This driver is a good 10-15 yards longer than my r11s when both hit well. Hopefully tomorrow I'll find my swing again when I'm using the trackman
Rebel420
Wishing it was spring
I definitely want to give the SLDR another good try. My first demo of it showed almost no improvement over my R1, however my move from stiff flex in irons and FW to r flex has me thinking, the low spin of this head my low me to get away with a softer (Rflex) shaft, which are traditionally too spinny for me, to allow me to take a smoother swing to aid in my consistency and not lose any distance.
Off to th range now to have some fun with my SpeedBlades...May have to talk to the Pro there about trying a demo again
Off to th range now to have some fun with my SpeedBlades...May have to talk to the Pro there about trying a demo again
Mark
Active member
Rebel that would be a great idea!
On another note, my buddy and I were comparing numbers on flightscope with a fitter who he is friends with. Is it just me, I am not seeing super low spin like many other people are. We comapred, 913d3, RFX w/7m3, Covert Tour, and the anser with a ahina. We used our SLDR's. The numbers indicated that there was a variance of top 700 rpm to low 260ish. Spin numbers varied between 1900 and 3500 (some poor shots incl). What we did notice and can confirm, is the higher launch of the SLDR overall by a degree or two. We were having some pops so we did not get all scientific, nor did I take pics to bolster my claims. So a grain of slat for many. We still liked the SLDR the best outta the bunch as carry distance for both of us was better.
Taking the SLDR out to the course today. Set at 10* two notches to the draw. OBTW, SLDR mech is still no gimmick and pure genius.
On another note, my buddy and I were comparing numbers on flightscope with a fitter who he is friends with. Is it just me, I am not seeing super low spin like many other people are. We comapred, 913d3, RFX w/7m3, Covert Tour, and the anser with a ahina. We used our SLDR's. The numbers indicated that there was a variance of top 700 rpm to low 260ish. Spin numbers varied between 1900 and 3500 (some poor shots incl). What we did notice and can confirm, is the higher launch of the SLDR overall by a degree or two. We were having some pops so we did not get all scientific, nor did I take pics to bolster my claims. So a grain of slat for many. We still liked the SLDR the best outta the bunch as carry distance for both of us was better.
Taking the SLDR out to the course today. Set at 10* two notches to the draw. OBTW, SLDR mech is still no gimmick and pure genius.
Just tested out the SLDR at TM fitting and bought it. Huuuuge difference for me with the 6.3 shaft vs the 57. My numbers were much better 3200-3500 rpm and on bad shots 4500rpm (occasionally would be at 6000 with 57 on bad shots) I was at about 108-112mph ss and 265+ carry. I am happy with it so far but can't wait to get out on the range and mess with the settings to try and really dial in with it.
jt2929
Equipment Junkie
Just got back from the range and somehow my golf swing was completely absent. I couldn't hit a solid 7 iron let alone the SLDR. That's the last time I cut up a tree before heading to the range! On the plus side, I got to see how forgiving the SLDR is since I only hit a handful in the center of the clubface. My misses were on the toe and heel of the club and there was a very noticeable sound difference between the two. Hits on the toe sounded like a normal SLDR hit while misses on the heel were very aluminum baseball bat like. I caught one high up on the face and didn't really lose much distance, but hitting it low on the face was a killer. I also noticed more distance loss towards the heel than the toe. Hopefully my swing comes back to me before tomorrow's round. I won't be cutting up any trees beforehand, that's for sure.