DawgDaddy
Old Coot
Certainly did, fairly significant amount for me. about 25/30 yards.
TaylorMade SLDR Fairway Wood - THP Review Thread
Certainly did, fairly significant amount for me. about 25/30 yards.
Matthew
Well-known member
Mayday, great initial thoughts. The tempo of the swing is something that intrigues me as I tend to get a little quick and step on it a little bit.
Brianbigoats
Active member
I have found this to be true with my TP 5w
Matthew
Well-known member
I'll have some pics and initial thoughts up tonight and hopefully hit some balls this weekend, if it's not snowing.
mayday1775
New member
Tempo is one thing you have to watch for. I was pausing for just a second at the top to keep me from getting to quick and snappy on the way down.
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- Thread starter
- Staff
- #182
I'm seeing a good deal of success with my quicker tempo, it all depends on the individuals swing.
I will say though for me the deeper face makes it tougher to hit off the deck and much more effective from the tee.
We're all different, gotta love that, there is no hard and fast rule.
I will say though for me the deeper face makes it tougher to hit off the deck and much more effective from the tee.
We're all different, gotta love that, there is no hard and fast rule.
mayday1775
New member
I wonder why we are having such different results with the tee and off the deck. Could be the difference between the 3 and 5 wood designs or just that a steeper swing makes it easier off the deck.
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Matthew
Well-known member
I'll definitely have the note pad ready when I get it to the range/course this week.
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- Staff
- #185
You'll do fine dude, just say what you're seeing, might not be the same as others, but there's nothing wrong with that at all, we're all different!
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- Staff
- #186
Likely does play a role to an extent.
golfinFF
Active member
Some great thoughts so far guys.
Interesting that the club is dead on the heel side, I underside its not a common miss for many but I'm intrigued by it.
Interesting that the club is dead on the heel side, I underside its not a common miss for many but I'm intrigued by it.
TNTCigarguy
2014 #THPMC @TntCigarguy
And I am loving it off the deck. I moved it a hair back in my stance and really I am quite impressed with the ball flight.
Matthew
Well-known member
I was sent the SLDR 15* 3W with Stiff Fujikura Speeder 77 to test and couldn't wait to rip into the box. I'm talking Christmas morning pysched.
First things first. I was really impressed with the color scheme and how it paired with the shaft. I'm not a huge blue & silver fan but it just sorta works as a combo. It came out of the box looking good and got a few looks during the unboxing at work. I will probably swap out the head cover though just to keep my color theme going throughout my bag, I'm just not a huge blue guy. I LOVE the flat/matte grey of the club head. I don't think glare will be a problem for anyone. I am, however, not a huge fan of the small, muted alignment aid on the front of the club. It blends in with the head a little and might be a little difficult to see in low light. They made up for it with the larger "stripe" on the back of the head, find the middle there and you're there.
Secondly, this club definitely has some heft to it. It felt heavy but well balanced. As a guy that was built my share of fishing rods, balance is on the 1st things I notice when picking up a club. Since I didn't have my current 3W (3Deep) with me I wasn't sure how they compared but made a guess that it was a touch heavier. When I got home and held them side by side, I think I'm right but it's not by much. My scale is dead but I can certainly check that if anyone is interested.
It was dark when I got home so I was unable to hit any balls but I did take a few swings and must say that it feels solid as I would expect this shaft to feel. I've swung a few stiffs that felt like pine limbs, enough backbone to be there but a little limp. Yes, I know how that sounds, get your minds outta the gutter. I like how the slot has the cover of sorts over it. I always saw that as just somewhere to catch dirt & grass and be a little difficult to keep clean.
Initial thoughts versus my current gamer. The SLDR looks a little closer to neutral at address than the 3Deep, which for me a probably a good thing as I tend to fight a big fade. To me eye, I like the sleekness of the SLDR, more rounded, than the bulbous head of the 3Deep. Face to face the 3Deep is slightly taller at 1 5/8" tall versus the SLDR at 1 3/8". This will probably help me a little off the deck as I tend to make contact on the bottom half of the face most often. While 1/4" in height doesn't sound like much, it's something I foresee paying a lot of attention to off the tee where I tend to catch it a little higher on the face here.
Now on to some pics.
Head Cover
At address
Face
Sole
Back
Grip
Shaft
3Deep and SLDR at address
Face to face
I also have an old school Cobra S9 3W that I will be happy to snap some side by side shots with anyone is interested.
I'm going to get it to the range/course sometime this week/end get some swings in. Truth be told, I'm pretty excited as the times I thought about going for it in two, my gamer just didn't agree with me.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Or if you would like any additional pics, let me know and get them as quick as I can.
Again, Taylormade & THP huge thanks for this opportunity.
First things first. I was really impressed with the color scheme and how it paired with the shaft. I'm not a huge blue & silver fan but it just sorta works as a combo. It came out of the box looking good and got a few looks during the unboxing at work. I will probably swap out the head cover though just to keep my color theme going throughout my bag, I'm just not a huge blue guy. I LOVE the flat/matte grey of the club head. I don't think glare will be a problem for anyone. I am, however, not a huge fan of the small, muted alignment aid on the front of the club. It blends in with the head a little and might be a little difficult to see in low light. They made up for it with the larger "stripe" on the back of the head, find the middle there and you're there.
Secondly, this club definitely has some heft to it. It felt heavy but well balanced. As a guy that was built my share of fishing rods, balance is on the 1st things I notice when picking up a club. Since I didn't have my current 3W (3Deep) with me I wasn't sure how they compared but made a guess that it was a touch heavier. When I got home and held them side by side, I think I'm right but it's not by much. My scale is dead but I can certainly check that if anyone is interested.
It was dark when I got home so I was unable to hit any balls but I did take a few swings and must say that it feels solid as I would expect this shaft to feel. I've swung a few stiffs that felt like pine limbs, enough backbone to be there but a little limp. Yes, I know how that sounds, get your minds outta the gutter. I like how the slot has the cover of sorts over it. I always saw that as just somewhere to catch dirt & grass and be a little difficult to keep clean.
Initial thoughts versus my current gamer. The SLDR looks a little closer to neutral at address than the 3Deep, which for me a probably a good thing as I tend to fight a big fade. To me eye, I like the sleekness of the SLDR, more rounded, than the bulbous head of the 3Deep. Face to face the 3Deep is slightly taller at 1 5/8" tall versus the SLDR at 1 3/8". This will probably help me a little off the deck as I tend to make contact on the bottom half of the face most often. While 1/4" in height doesn't sound like much, it's something I foresee paying a lot of attention to off the tee where I tend to catch it a little higher on the face here.
Now on to some pics.
Head Cover
At address
Face
Sole
Back
Grip
Shaft
3Deep and SLDR at address
Face to face
I also have an old school Cobra S9 3W that I will be happy to snap some side by side shots with anyone is interested.
I'm going to get it to the range/course sometime this week/end get some swings in. Truth be told, I'm pretty excited as the times I thought about going for it in two, my gamer just didn't agree with me.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Or if you would like any additional pics, let me know and get them as quick as I can.
Again, Taylormade & THP huge thanks for this opportunity.
Same here. I thought it held up pretty well when I tried to step on it. I think a smooth swing is always a good thing, but I do tend to get a little fast from time to time. I need to either find a grass range or grab a new tee holder for the mats at the heated range. I'm really curious to see if I just hit low bullets with it cranked down to 12.5˚.
Matthew
Well-known member
Snuck out of the office early to hit a few before it got dark but they decided not to pick any range balls today. I did have a few of the whiffle balls at home so I ran home & hit a few of those. While not ideal, it still gave me a chance to at least swing it a little & get an idea of what I'm in for.
The chances for a change at the top of my bag are looking pretty good. Again these were just plastic whiffles but the club felt great, dispersion was very tight and they ballooned off the face. I think a real ball will bring the flight down some but I consider the experiment a success.
My current gamer was crazy hit or miss using the same balls, tees & as close as I can replicate swings.
Hopefully, I can sneak out tomorrow and hit some real balls, if there's a range with any.
The chances for a change at the top of my bag are looking pretty good. Again these were just plastic whiffles but the club felt great, dispersion was very tight and they ballooned off the face. I think a real ball will bring the flight down some but I consider the experiment a success.
My current gamer was crazy hit or miss using the same balls, tees & as close as I can replicate swings.
Hopefully, I can sneak out tomorrow and hit some real balls, if there's a range with any.
Matthew
Well-known member
TaylorMade SLDR Fairway Wood - THP Review Thread
Just booked a tee time for Sunday afternoon, forget the cold. It's what I do for THP
Just booked a tee time for Sunday afternoon, forget the cold. It's what I do for THP
mayday1775
New member
Matthew
Well-known member
Let me start off by retracting my previous statement regarding the alignment aid on the front of the club. I guess it was the reflection or something in my office but I had no trouble getting it lined up today at the range.
Secondly, WOW this club is long. This range is also a barely range in a cow pasture so all of my work today was off the tee.
I warmed up with some wedges to loosen up a little and started banging. As I thought, I had to lower my ball position a little to account for a slightly shorter face but after 5-10 balls I had it pretty dialed in. I still have it set at the stock 15* and before I wanted to experiment, I thought we should get to know one another a little better. My normal gamer tends to launch and climb but the SLDR just shot off the face and initial launch was so much higher. Not ballooning, it just got in the air in a hurry. The range I went to has a hill that drops off past the 200 yard marker and I didn't see any hit the ground, they just kept going. It was high, baby fade every swing. I've never hit a ball that high AND get that kinda of distance with it even off towards the toe. They just went. I am very excited about how this will translate to the course.
I would like to tell you I hit some off the heel to see what the results would be but I'm not that good. Every heel shot was pure accident. Did I lose distance? Yes. Was it terrible? Yes. Where they bad enough to scare me away? Not really, I knew I had that coming.
There was discussion and watching your tempo and how getting quick might cause some undesirable results. As I mentioned earlier, I tend to get fast and to be honest that had me worried. I didn't notice any harsh consequences when I went fast tempo and that's kinda my natural speed.
Personally, I've never been a big fan of tinny sounding clubs, I prefer a more muted thud/crack. I was more than happy when the first one off the center gave me that crack. Not thunder in a can but a nice "thunk", even on very severe mishits. Also, I prefer a club with some weight to it so I know where it is in my backswing and this club gives me the feedback to know when to stop.
All in all, I could see this being a real challenger to my gamer off the tee. Also, anyone who struggles getting a higher flight would do themselves a huge benefit by giving this a go. If the courses don't close this weekend, I'll certainly get it back out there. If anyone has questions, don't be afraid to ask.
THP & Taylormade, thank you again for this opportunity.
Secondly, WOW this club is long. This range is also a barely range in a cow pasture so all of my work today was off the tee.
I warmed up with some wedges to loosen up a little and started banging. As I thought, I had to lower my ball position a little to account for a slightly shorter face but after 5-10 balls I had it pretty dialed in. I still have it set at the stock 15* and before I wanted to experiment, I thought we should get to know one another a little better. My normal gamer tends to launch and climb but the SLDR just shot off the face and initial launch was so much higher. Not ballooning, it just got in the air in a hurry. The range I went to has a hill that drops off past the 200 yard marker and I didn't see any hit the ground, they just kept going. It was high, baby fade every swing. I've never hit a ball that high AND get that kinda of distance with it even off towards the toe. They just went. I am very excited about how this will translate to the course.
I would like to tell you I hit some off the heel to see what the results would be but I'm not that good. Every heel shot was pure accident. Did I lose distance? Yes. Was it terrible? Yes. Where they bad enough to scare me away? Not really, I knew I had that coming.
There was discussion and watching your tempo and how getting quick might cause some undesirable results. As I mentioned earlier, I tend to get fast and to be honest that had me worried. I didn't notice any harsh consequences when I went fast tempo and that's kinda my natural speed.
Personally, I've never been a big fan of tinny sounding clubs, I prefer a more muted thud/crack. I was more than happy when the first one off the center gave me that crack. Not thunder in a can but a nice "thunk", even on very severe mishits. Also, I prefer a club with some weight to it so I know where it is in my backswing and this club gives me the feedback to know when to stop.
All in all, I could see this being a real challenger to my gamer off the tee. Also, anyone who struggles getting a higher flight would do themselves a huge benefit by giving this a go. If the courses don't close this weekend, I'll certainly get it back out there. If anyone has questions, don't be afraid to ask.
THP & Taylormade, thank you again for this opportunity.
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Matthew
Well-known member
After reviewing my notes from the range, I'm almost convinced that after a little playing with the stock setting I can really get this club dialed in.
I'm really excited to get more acquainted with this young lady.
I'm really excited to get more acquainted with this young lady.
mayday1775
New member
I really can't believe I had to go back three pages to find this thread. I thought here was much more hype to these clubs! Anyways, I did get out today to hit the SLDR and I have to say that is the last time I will be hitting any golf balls for a couple weeks. I should not have went out with the hernia hurting like it was but did anyways and only made it through a bucket of balls before I had to walk off the range and go home.
This club still impresses me when you put a smooth swing on it. I was swinging really soft today and was seeing better shots than last week. I was losing some yardage due to the soft swings but was still just a straight and good penetrating flight. I did try moving the ball back today and hitting some slow stinger shots, but really didn't get good hits on them. Every time I tried to do it I was leaving the face open just a little and slicing it hard.
I am not all that great of a player when it comes moving the ball fade or draw on purpose, but today did notice that standing a little open and then a little closed I was moving the ball nicely about 5 yards to a draw and bout 15 to a fade. I am sorry that I won't be able to hit it for the next two or three weeks and for the short write up today. Hopefully I will come back at the beginning of January when I spend 10 days in San Diego golfing and give y'all some good write ups.
As always, I am waiting for any questions you have.
This club still impresses me when you put a smooth swing on it. I was swinging really soft today and was seeing better shots than last week. I was losing some yardage due to the soft swings but was still just a straight and good penetrating flight. I did try moving the ball back today and hitting some slow stinger shots, but really didn't get good hits on them. Every time I tried to do it I was leaving the face open just a little and slicing it hard.
I am not all that great of a player when it comes moving the ball fade or draw on purpose, but today did notice that standing a little open and then a little closed I was moving the ball nicely about 5 yards to a draw and bout 15 to a fade. I am sorry that I won't be able to hit it for the next two or three weeks and for the short write up today. Hopefully I will come back at the beginning of January when I spend 10 days in San Diego golfing and give y'all some good write ups.
As always, I am waiting for any questions you have.
Matthew
Well-known member
I'm planning on getting out this week to the range and the course this weekend. Then the true test, going back to South Georgia and seeing how much distance I loss from Texas fairways. Still need to grab a wrench though & do a little fine tuning.
mayday1775
New member
Bumping it back to the top. I don't know if people turned off by these clubs because of the driver or what, but it is a solid club.
Tappin away
Tappin away
Definitely appears so this far in. Old man winter bit the local area pretty good this weekend. Once it lets up enough for the heated ranges to open up, I'll be heading out again to get some more time in.
Matthew
Well-known member
Since this is my 1st adjustable club & I finally snared a wrench today, I'll add that it's very easily adjusted. That might not mean much to most but as a complete noob, I thought it was pretty easy. Now I just need some course time.