TaylorMade SLDR Driver - Review Thread

[PhillyV]

Got some range time in today. And once again Mother Nature wasn't the kindest. Real bad wind the entire time with gusts up to 45mph made for a frustrating large bucket, but one thing I wanted to work on was launch. I posted a little bit back about how I was getting 7* launch angles all night in a simulator and it just didn't seem right. So today, after a few swings, I cranked my loft all the way up to 12* (I have a 10.5* driver so 12 is max) and moved the weight back to center. Every ball from there on out was so much better. Not exactly a "high" launch, I would say more mid, but it was so much better than before. And the club felt so much better at impact. Really promising stuff. Seems like this spring I'm having to re-discover myself with this club as if it were brand new again

 

[TyJohnston]

Got some range time in today. And once again Mother Nature wasn't the kindest. Real bad wind the entire time with gusts up to 45mph made for a frustrating large bucket, but one thing I wanted to work on was launch. I posted a little bit back about how I was getting 7* launch angles all night in a simulator and it just didn't seem right. So today, after a few swings, I cranked my loft all the way up to 12* (I have a 10.5* driver so 12 is max) and moved the weight back to center. Every ball from there on out was so much better. Not exactly a "high" launch, I would say more mid, but it was so much better than before. And the club felt so much better at impact. Really promising stuff. Seems like this spring I'm having to re-discover myself with this club as if it were brand new again

Dude I was not affected one bit when we went over to hit our buckets. Still was a steady wind but the balls cut right through it like butter. I wanna hit that sldr again

 

[PhillyV]

Dude I was not affected one bit when we went over to hit our buckets. Still was a steady wind but the balls cut right through it like butter. I wanna hit that sldr again

Our bags blew over twice. My bucket full of balls blew over. It was bad lol but Brian hit the SLDR a few times. All he's done for months is tell me how he won't get one because he hates the look of it and doesn't buy in to the whole loft up idea. So I let him hit it. And he carried the trees the first three swings. They were absolutely murdered. He looks at the club and just says "oh boy" lol

 

[TyJohnston]

Our bags blew over twice. My bucket full of balls blew over. It was bad lol but Brian hit the SLDR a few times. All he's done for months is tell me how he won't get one because he hates the look of it and doesn't buy in to the whole loft up idea. So I let him hit it. And he carried the trees the first three swings. They were absolutely murdered. He looks at the club and just says "oh boy" lol

Haha mind changing day for him I guess. First sldr then seemore lol

 

[WPoz]

I was skeptical when it first came out but after hitting it a few times with the back tie shaft I really like the feel of it. Now to find a had to buy that isn't overpriced right now.

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[blugold]

I was skeptical when it first came out but after hitting it a few times with the back tie shaft I really like the feel of it. Now to find a had to buy that isn't overpriced right now.

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That's subjective. I thought what I paid was more than fair. I paid less than retail, but still not heavily discount.

 

[WPoz]

That's subjective. I thought what I paid was more than fair. I paid less than retail, but still not heavily discount.

I've been looking on eBay for a while now and most prices for heads are almost the same as the full club right now. I know a lot them have the toe screw and hotmelt which i am not even considering. On top of that some want $40+ for shipping and I would have to pay customs as well coming into Canada. Certainly not worth it for me.

 

[blugold]

I've been looking on eBay for a while now and most prices for heads are almost the same as the full club right now. I know a lot them have the toe screw and hotmelt which i am even considering. On top of that some want $40+ for shipping and I would have to pay customs as well coming into Canada. Certainly not worth it for me.

If this promo is running I'm Canada it's worth it. You should buy from an authorized retailer. If you don't gain yardage you can return it for a full refund. eBay can't offer that

 

[BamBooBender]

Ran into the Taylor made guy( was at GB DSG a few weeks ago) here in Marinette yesterday at a demo day. Had to try the same SLDR set up (460 12* OD6s) on the range with a flightscope. Nice to see the same good things I saw on the indoor lm. Seriously pondering this right now as well as another driver.

 

[WPoz]

If this promo is running I'm Canada it's worth it. You should buy from an authorized retailer. If you don't gain yardage you can return it for a full refund. eBay can't offer that

Sadly not available here. I know I would gain distance just from some testing I have done over the R1 but I was also hitting a slight draw which never seems to happen. I will just keep looking and hope.

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[Marengo]

I recently picked up a 14* and the first thing I noticed was how heavy the head felt. I immediately cut it down to 44.75" and it brought the SW down to about D3. It still felt too heavy though. I prefer lighter SW and my G15 is about a C7. I had my local shop pull out the weight from under the draw/fade slider and I shaved about 6g off of it. D1ish now. I am still trying to get it down some and I am currently looking around for a shaft with a high balance point. I am assuming the stock Speeder is a balanced shaft because of the way it feels. Can anyone recommend a high balance point shaft to try out? I think the UST pro force ones are but wanted to see if there might be others to try.

 

[Golf Ghost]

Sadly not available here. I know I would gain distance just from some testing I have done over the R1 but I was also hitting a slight draw which never seems to happen. I will just keep looking and hope.

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Might want to double check that. I'm pretty sure the return promo is available here in Canada.

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[WPoz]

Might want to double check that. I'm pretty sure the return promo is available here in Canada.

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Ok, oddly enough I just saw a commercial for exactly that and went to Taylormade's website and it is offered here. I hadn't seen that offer in the stores so I didn't think it was available here. Thanks for pointing that out.

 

[Golf Ghost]

Ok, oddly enough I just saw a commercial for exactly that and went to Taylormade's website and it is offered here. I hadn't seen that offer in the stores so I didn't think it was available here. Thanks for pointing that out.

No problem. We didn't receive any marketing material for it either, but have been told to inform customers about it and to fill out the info on Taylormades website.

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[WPoz]

No problem. We didn't receive any marketing material for it either, but have been told to inform customers about it and to fill out the info on Taylormades website.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

Ha ha, so in an off note now I no longer have a driver in my bag. Was mentioning to a friend that I might be selling my R1 as I was contemplating buying the SLDR and told him if he knew anybody looking for one to let me know. Next thing I know he says sold as he wanted it.

Guess I'm in the market for a new driver now. Any suggestions? :doh:

 

[Mckeon]

I spent the weekend testing the SLDR and the Big Bertha. Loved both, long story short = SLDR is less forgiving on mishits of the face, it will lose distance in a hurry if you don't hit the center of the face... However with that said, its more forgiving if you hit a slice/hook (I think this is due to the low spin). I found the Big Bertha is very forgiving in regards to mishits on the face but isnt very forgiving in terms of a slice/hook...

With that said I can see how straight hitters would love the Big Bertha, as my "mishits" are usually slices, I found the SLDR to be a game changer... It turns a hard slice into a fade and often keeps my "mishits" in the right hand rough vs. the woods..

 

[ddec]

pardon me if this has been asked or talked about already.

Has anyone tried the SLDR with a shorter shaft? Like 44.5-44? See if your contact improves and what kind of numbers you get from that setup? Just curious

 

[Mckeon]

pardon me if this has been asked or talked about already.

Has anyone tried the SLDR with a shorter shaft? Like 44.5-44? See if your contact improves and what kind of numbers you get from that setup? Just curious

Not sure about a shorter shaft but I choked down on the SLDR I was testing this weekend and loved it.

 

[Jman]

pardon me if this has been asked or talked about already.

Has anyone tried the SLDR with a shorter shaft? Like 44.5-44? See if your contact improves and what kind of numbers you get from that setup? Just curious

I like the way you're thinking Dean, especially since its vital to find the center of the face with this one, shorter could definitely mean more control in that for many.

 

[ddec]

I like the way you're thinking Dean, especially since its vital to find the center of the face with this one, shorter could definitely mean more control in that for many.

I think it's a little crazy to manipulate a club that much to make it work, but heck if it works why not? But from the outside looking in, sounds like if it's hit on the sweet spot it performs extremely good. But when you stray outside of that area it's a dud. Wonder what would happen with a much shorter shaft option. Let's say 44.25", crazy short by today's standards. But if you are finding the face more, and the shaft is fit for your swing, could this driver still outperform others out there? Just a random thought that popped in to my head.

 

[JB]

pardon me if this has been asked or talked about already.

Has anyone tried the SLDR with a shorter shaft? Like 44.5-44? See if your contact improves and what kind of numbers you get from that setup? Just curious

I have 3 of these drivers Ddec.
Standard
Shorter (cut to 44.5)
Standard with more loft

The shorter one helps with center of the face contact, with which a driver like this is needed for me, because when I miss even a little bit, the distance loss is absolutely substantial. But then I have to ask myself, why? Not why am I missing, or why is shorter better for me, but why do I need shorter here, if I can play at 45" (my normal length) something else and get the distance that more length gives me without the absolute penal shots that seem to come by slightly missing.

 

[ddec]

I have 3 of these drivers Ddec.
Standard
Shorter (cut to 44.5)
Standard with more loft

The shorter one helps with center of the face contact, with which a driver like this is needed for me, because when I miss even a little bit, the distance loss is absolutely substantial. But then I have to ask myself, why? Not why am I missing, or why is shorter better for me, but why do I need shorter here, if I can play at 45" (my normal length) something else and get the distance that more length gives me without the absolute penal shots that seem to come by slightly missing.

Like I said I think it's somewhat silly to manipulate a club that much to make it work when there are other options out there that will do the job without that manipulation. Just random thoughts going through my head as the road to the MC hits the 100 day mark. I know I mentioned recently that I didn't want to go back to a 44.5 inch shaft based on my efforts with the AMP Cell. However the more I think about this club, the more I think I would have to go that direction if it did end up in the bag.

 

[v.man]

Like I said I think it's somewhat silly to manipulate a club that much to make it work when there are other options out there that will do the job without that manipulation. Just random thoughts going through my head as the road to the MC hits the 100 day mark. I know I mentioned recently that I didn't want to go back to a 44.5 inch shaft based on my efforts with the AMP Cell. However the more I think about this club, the more I think I would have to go that direction if it did end up in the bag.

I think I know where you're coming from, Dean. There's a good chance this may be your choice come July, and if so, there's got to be a way to make it work. I'm in the same boat, and worried about the distance losses on miss-hits.

 

[ddec]

I think I know where you're coming from, Dean. There's a good chance this may be your choice come July, and if so, there's got to be a way to make it work. I'm in the same boat, and worried about the distance losses on miss-hits.

exactly buddy. If it ends up in the bag, need to figure out a way to get the best all around performance from it that I can. Seems like that is a challenge to many out there.

 

[Brianbigoats]

I have 3 of these drivers Ddec.
Standard
Shorter (cut to 44.5)
Standard with more loft

The shorter one helps with center of the face contact, with which a driver like this is needed for me, because when I miss even a little bit, the distance loss is absolutely substantial. But then I have to ask myself, why? Not why am I missing, or why is shorter better for me, but why do I need shorter here, if I can play at 45" (my normal length) something else and get the distance that more length gives me without the absolute penal shots that seem to come by slightly missing.

It really seems that the SLDR does not like your Swing i have had a few peices of equipment like that no matter what i do just can't get to work for me