What was your normal miss with your previous driver?
TaylorMade SLDR Driver - Review Thread
What was your normal miss with your previous driver?
It's hard to define a miss for me. I am quite consistent with my driver, and I have played a very predictable cut with my driver for quite some time.
I typically take a line down the left of the fairway, and play it down that line with my fade bringing back to the right-center of the fairway. A typical miss for me has more to do with my alignment and not being far enough left more than my ball flight not being predictable.
We used to play a very similar ball off the tee. What I'm noticing now that I have to do, and it's been a real struggle, is set up completely closed and play a draw with my target line at the far right fairway.
Until I was comfortable setting up for the draw, my misses were pull hooks and block fades
mikedean441
6X HOF
Perhaps dont miss off center?
KnightLightPro
Active member
For anyone in the market for a new driver, the SLDR is a must try. If it works for you, it's a freaking cannon
mrvandelay
Member
I agree with this. It's not the right driver for everyone, but if you can hit the center of the face consistently, and struggle with too much spin, it's fantastic!
jt2929
Equipment Junkie
I got out on the course yesterday and had a really good driving day. I hit 12 of 14 fairways, which is a big improvement over the last time I got on a course with the SLDR. I have found that the key for me is to keep my mind focused on good contact and then just take a smooth, controlled swing. If I do this, then I can hit the center of the clubface on a consistent basis. I was hitting two shots on each tee, one with the SLDR and one with the Classic so I could compare ball height and distance.
With the SLDR, the ball flew slightly higher, but if I didn't have the Classic with me, I probably wouldn't have even noticed the difference. For some reason, on the range it seemed much higher. Maybe becaues there were no trees or anything like that to compare against the height of the ball. Distance wise, the SLDR was a good 10 yards longer. I am certainly hitting the ball shorter because of the colder weather, but to still be 10 yards longer is a pretty good deal.
My two misses were off the toe and both ended up in the right rough. They were playable, but only because those particular holes were pretty wide open. On a tight driving hole, I will probably start to go with a 3 wood more often now because of the severity of some of my misses. I'm starting to fall back in love with the SLDR, I just have to keep my concentration and not swing too hard.
With the SLDR, the ball flew slightly higher, but if I didn't have the Classic with me, I probably wouldn't have even noticed the difference. For some reason, on the range it seemed much higher. Maybe becaues there were no trees or anything like that to compare against the height of the ball. Distance wise, the SLDR was a good 10 yards longer. I am certainly hitting the ball shorter because of the colder weather, but to still be 10 yards longer is a pretty good deal.
My two misses were off the toe and both ended up in the right rough. They were playable, but only because those particular holes were pretty wide open. On a tight driving hole, I will probably start to go with a 3 wood more often now because of the severity of some of my misses. I'm starting to fall back in love with the SLDR, I just have to keep my concentration and not swing too hard.
Franklin51
On the Verge
Anybody compared this to an anser
I went to TaylorMade demo day at Dicks and gave the SLDR a few swings. Unfortunately it was inside and on a simulator, so I couldn't see the ball flight but I liked the sound, feel, and looks of this one. They only had the 10.5 with the stock stiff shaft and the weight slide thing in the neutral position. Highlight of the session was when the guy working at Dicks told me I swing like a gorilla. I can't remember the exact numbers but launch was around 13 and spin around 3200. I was relatively accurate with it according to the simulator. I don't have a whole lot else to report other than I am interested in hitting this one again and could see myself getting along with this one.
Ya the one thing that will make you completely sold on it is the ball flight. It's literally addicting
I would love the opportunity to hit it outside. This one makes you feel like you are crushing it.
When hit on the button, you are
RPBGator
New member
Haha...not sure if a gorilla is a good thing or bad thing. I really want to see what you think. I know you hit hard and far...I guess gorilla-ish!
I Tapped that with my iPhone using Tapatalk
haha. i think he meant it as a compliment. i think.
Hard to know what to think only after hitting it about 5 times but initial impressions were really good.
I'll second this. There's something really, really gratifying about getting an adjustable driver dialed in. Watching a shot go from doing something else to doing what you want it to do, is just really fun. This club pulls it off, and in a very logical and visual way.
One thing I always found odd about adjustable weights, shifting loft/face angles, is that it seems sort of arcane about how it all works. There's a certain amount of PFM about it (if you don't know what PFM means, google it), and drivers like the R11, the R1, and the drivers where the face angle and loft are changed on the hosel, all make it a little more difficult for me to feel confident that the changes are accomplishing what you want them to. Unless you're on a launch monitor, the changes will be either very subtle or very dramatic.
The SLDR has, literally, dragged that change to the surface. Not sure if a supposed weight change really changes where the weight is on your driver? The SLDR makes that change tactile and visual. It really lends a lot of confidence that the club will do what you want it to. I've horsed around with other adjustable drivers, and while I like the simplicity of some, I really like the idea that I'm watching the weight move to where I'm confident it's creating ball flight I'm seeking, and with consistency.
The driver is a funny thing. On the one hand, it's your swing at it's highest amplitude in terms of your successes and flaws. On the other, it's the one club you'll swing the same every time. No above/below the feet. No 3/4 swings. So everything you can do to gain confidence in swinging the driver you want to bring to the party. Being able to see and feel that the club is where you want it to be does a lot to build that confidence, and knowing you made those changes feeds that positive feeling that the club is doing what you want. To a certain extent, it pins your swing's flaws on you. The club is set up the way it needs to be set up for your good/best swings. Not putting it square on the screws is now your fault.
jt2929
Equipment Junkie
Hitting the SLDR inside on a monitor has its benefits, but you really have to get it outside to see it shine. You can't really tell the effects of off-center hits when you are indoors, and those mishits can be quite punishing at times as a couple of us have found out.
Aaronthehack
one hack at a time
I hit the range today and after I hit my speedblades I pulled the sldr. My first couple of swings were easy swings nothing fancy. I hit a mid flight ball not high at all. Then I moved the weight a notch towards the draw side and put a few nice swings. The ball went a bit higher not to much though. I then adjusted the loft up one notch and was really pleased with this setting. It made a nice ball flight a little higher than I normally produce. I moved the weight one more notch closer to the draw side and then this driver really shined. A nice high ball, good penetrating ball flight. I moved the loft up once more and this setting didn't work to we'll for me so I moved I'd back to the lower setting and am going to see how it plays my next round.
Overall I am very happy with this driver. I would guess my longest driver was in the 260-270 ranged. The course I was at the yard markers stopped at 200. I can't wait to get out and play this club.
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Overall I am very happy with this driver. I would guess my longest driver was in the 260-270 ranged. The course I was at the yard markers stopped at 200. I can't wait to get out and play this club.
Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk
Snuck out with my dad today to get a quick 9 holes in. Went 6/7 FIR and two of them it was the first time I hit driver on the hole because of how tight the fairway is. But I wasn't going to waste an opportunity to hit the SLDR. And then I started to realize something. We call this club a game changer but it really hit me today the truth of that statement. I can't see many situations from here on out where I won't be hitting driver off the tee. Before it was better to hit a 5 wood and play to a number. But now I have so much confidence that I can hit any fairway and have some sort of wedge shot into most greens.
Some quick updates on how the club is holding up quality wise:
As stated before, I'm OCD when it comes to keeping clubs clean. This has been one of the easiest drivers I've had to keep clean. Not much is getting stuck in the slider slot like I was worried about earlier. The face is holding up well too. I've hit a ton of range balls and that normally scares me because range balls are close to white colored rocks. Not many ball marks on the face and the top of the driver head is still as shiny as new. I may end up replacing the grip for next season to a chord grip but that's 100% just a preference thing. I've had no issues with the stock grip slipping or not feeling "right"
I literally can't hit this club enough. Very addicting results
Some quick updates on how the club is holding up quality wise:
As stated before, I'm OCD when it comes to keeping clubs clean. This has been one of the easiest drivers I've had to keep clean. Not much is getting stuck in the slider slot like I was worried about earlier. The face is holding up well too. I've hit a ton of range balls and that normally scares me because range balls are close to white colored rocks. Not many ball marks on the face and the top of the driver head is still as shiny as new. I may end up replacing the grip for next season to a chord grip but that's 100% just a preference thing. I've had no issues with the stock grip slipping or not feeling "right"
I literally can't hit this club enough. Very addicting results
- Thread starter
- Admin
- #446
Played this driver today and can say that when I hit it well, it was a thing of beauty. I am playing the 12 degree and when I hit it well, I am getting a nice high ball flight that carries a long way for me. The issue I am having is pretty simple. When I miss, its just awful. I know on the internet, that most people never miss, but for me, I can count on about 2 misses a day with the driver. Bad contact usually either high or low on the face, or by about half an inch out towards the toe.
It is so penal when that occurs that it kills me. Today showed that on the course playing with War Eagle. When hit well, I am getting great distance. On the two that I hit poorly, the distance loss is downright staggering. One of those today I hit slightly high on the face and about a half inch from the sweet spot towards the toe. It was a decent swing, just bad contact. The result was about 45 yards loss in distance. For many that does not seem like much, but teeing it up on a par 4 from 415 and having 220 yards into the green that is completely surrounded by bunkers is just not ideal.
Its something I did not experience with my previous driver. I get a bit more distance when hit on the screws (about 6 yards), but the penalty for missing is staggering. Yet for some reason, because of the good ones, I just cannot stop hitting it.
More coming soon.
It is so penal when that occurs that it kills me. Today showed that on the course playing with War Eagle. When hit well, I am getting great distance. On the two that I hit poorly, the distance loss is downright staggering. One of those today I hit slightly high on the face and about a half inch from the sweet spot towards the toe. It was a decent swing, just bad contact. The result was about 45 yards loss in distance. For many that does not seem like much, but teeing it up on a par 4 from 415 and having 220 yards into the green that is completely surrounded by bunkers is just not ideal.
Its something I did not experience with my previous driver. I get a bit more distance when hit on the screws (about 6 yards), but the penalty for missing is staggering. Yet for some reason, because of the good ones, I just cannot stop hitting it.
More coming soon.
JRod
Well-known member
I never miss except when I shoot 90.
And JB to add to your last statement, I chalk it up to this. When I catch it on the button, it's a ball flight I never thought I was capable of. And I love it. And I think that's why the risk is worth the reward
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- Admin
- #450
I have not decided if the risk is worth it long term for me. Im not a great golfer. So for me to score well, I have to keep the ball in front of me and rely on my short game. Twice today I put up 6s on the card. I shot 41 and 39 for an 80. Not a bad score, at all but my issue is that my goal at all times is to have nothing higher than a 5 on the card ever. Both of my 6s came from those two missed drives.