TaylorMade SLDR Irons Preview

[Philly Golf Guy]

I hit the demo 7i today for half an hour. I liked it, had a nice feel. Not blown by distance, but stayed straight and had a mid ball flight. Pretty good looking too.


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[ddec]

These are scheduled to arrive today. Hoping the weather cooperates and I get them out to the range along side the CB's to snap some pictures.

 

[Brianbigoats]

These are scheduled to arrive today. Hoping the weather cooperates and I get them out to the range along side the CB's to snap some pictures.

that would be a gread size comparison

 

[JB]

These are scheduled to arrive today. Hoping the weather cooperates and I get them out to the range along side the CB's to snap some pictures.

I was holding both in my hand and they are pretty similar. I like the set. I think its a solid blend of performance and forgiveness in a good looking package. I dont think I like them as much as the Apex set, but that is purely subjective.

I think they would look great in MCers bags however. THey truly fit just about every TM staffer in the event.

 

[ddec]

I was holding both in my hand and they are pretty similar. I like the set. I think its a solid blend of performance and forgiveness in a good looking package. I dont think I like them as much as the Apex set, but that is purely subjective.

I think they would look great in MCers bags however. THey truly fit just about every TM staffer in the event.

I thought they were similar too. Perhaps a little longer blade, but that was going off of memory. Looking forward to them side by side. As for the MC, I'm pretty positive they will be in my bag.

 

[fupresti]

I was holding both in my hand and they are pretty similar. I like the set. I think its a solid blend of performance and forgiveness in a good looking package. I dont think I like them as much as the Apex set, but that is purely subjective.

I think they would look great in MCers bags however. THey truly fit just about every TM staffer in the event.

I'm not giving up on them yet, just want to try them with a heavier shaft.

 

[Brianbigoats]

I'm not giving up on them yet, just want to try them with a heavier shaft.

I bet that would bring the ball flight down a it

 

[ranger1989]

These are scheduled to arrive today. Hoping the weather cooperates and I get them out to the range along side the CB's to snap some pictures.

Some side-by-side pictures of these and the CBs would be awesome.

 

[ddec]

Some side-by-side pictures of these and the CBs would be awesome.

weather was not great last night so pictures on the range/course did not happen. I will get some up tonight though. Holding them side by side there are some similarities. The sole is a little bigger on these, that might be the most noticeable difference when I put them next to each other. Will get some up tonight. If O'Carroll has his SpeedBlades still in the car, might be able to shoot some comparison pics to those as well tomorrow.

 

[O'Carroll]

weather was not great last night so pictures on the range/course did not happen. I will get some up tonight though. Holding them side by side there are some similarities. The sole is a little bigger on these, that might be the most noticeable difference when I put them next to each other. Will get some up tonight. If O'Carroll has his SpeedBlades still in the car, might be able to shoot some comparison pics to those as well tomorrow.

I can make that happen.

Looking forward to getting a peak at these.

 

[ddec]

These did come in last night and I got them out for some practice in the crummy weather that we had. Something about getting a new club in and not going to the course that day just seems wrong in my book. Anyway a few quick observations from what I saw last night.

-distance for me is longer than the CB. I would say they are back up near my AMP Cell's in terms of distance which makes me happy.
-Chrome is going to be brutal on bight sunny days, but as a package they look nice at setup.
-Seemed to be enough forgiveness for me. Had some shots that I missed that still flew really well, better than they would have with the CB.
-Mine are paired with Tour 90's, that combo gave me a nice high ball flight. Not so high that I was losing anything, just high and flying really well.


Sidenote - I had to ice my elbow and forearm right after I got home. It was barking mad at me. Playing 27-36 holes tomorrow with them, will be interesting to see how that is after. May end up throwing some prosoft inserts in there to see if it makes a difference. Otherwise graphite will undoubtedly be in my sticks at The Morgan Cup.

 

[ddec]

I can make that happen.

Looking forward to getting a peak at these.

you don't need to bring the entire set. Maybe just grab a 6-8-PW?

 

[v.man]

I think you will really like these. They felt great in my opinion and if you like a more traditional look with the added forgiveness I don think you can go wrong


Proud Member of #TeamParadise

This sounds really good to me. I love the look of the CBs, but need a little more forgiveness and distance. These might be just the right fit.

weather was not great last night so pictures on the range/course did not happen. I will get some up tonight though. Holding them side by side there are some similarities. The sole is a little bigger on these, that might be the most noticeable difference when I put them next to each other. Will get some up tonight. If O'Carroll has his SpeedBlades still in the car, might be able to shoot some comparison pics to those as well tomorrow.

This is the comparison I really want to see. I'm anxious to hear how they compare performance wise as well. Looking forward to your feedback.

 

[War Eagle]

I was holding both in my hand and they are pretty similar. I like the set. I think its a solid blend of performance and forgiveness in a good looking package. I dont think I like them as much as the Apex set, but that is purely subjective.

I think they would look great in MCers bags however. THey truly fit just about every TM staffer in the event.

Interesting comparison to the Apex, especially since I LOVE my apex irons.

These did come in last night and I got them out for some practice in the crummy weather that we had. Something about getting a new club in and not going to the course that day just seems wrong in my book. Anyway a few quick observations from what I saw last night.

-distance for me is longer than the CB. I would say they are back up near my AMP Cell's in terms of distance which makes me happy.
-Chrome is going to be brutal on bight sunny days, but as a package they look nice at setup.
-Seemed to be enough forgiveness for me. Had some shots that I missed that still flew really well, better than they would have with the CB.
-Mine are paired with Tour 90's, that combo gave me a nice high ball flight. Not so high that I was losing anything, just high and flying really well.


Sidenote - I had to ice my elbow and forearm right after I got home. It was barking mad at me. Playing 27-36 holes tomorrow with them, will be interesting to see how that is after. May end up throwing some prosoft inserts in there to see if it makes a difference. Otherwise graphite will undoubtedly be in my sticks at The Morgan Cup.

I am thinking that the Tour 90s are the way I go, either that or the CTaper 90s (which I believe are similar).

 

[JB]

They seem slightly longer heel to toe than the Apex irons.

 

[War Eagle]

They seem slightly longer heel to toe than the Apex irons.

That is interesting. I find the Apex to be quite large (not in a bad way), so being a bit larger across the face has me intrigued.

 

[ddec]

They seem slightly longer heel to toe than the Apex irons.

If you have a chance to grab a picture I'd be interested to see how the blade length and sole compare.

 

[JB]

If you have a chance to grab a picture I'd be interested to see how the blade length and sole compare.

Unfortunately things are packed for the trip next week, so it will be delayed but I would say 1/2 inch longer

 

[ddec]

Unfortunately things are packed for the trip next week, so it will be delayed but I would say 1/2 inch longer

No problem.

 

[Parshooter36]

I've got a lesson booked for next Wednesday, that will most likely be my 1st chance to see them in person and compare them head to head with the SpeedBlades.

 

[adamw238]

Unfortunately things are packed for the trip next week, so it will be delayed but I would say 1/2 inch longer

That's what I would say too. the Apex head is small for a "GI" iron. They are pretty close to the R11 and RB Tours IMO.

 

[arydolphin]

Interesting comparison to the Apex, especially since I LOVE my apex irons.


I am thinking that the Tour 90s are the way I go, either that or the CTaper 90s (which I believe are similar).

From a KBS online chat that they did yesterday on WRX, the KBS team stated that the C-Taper 90s will play closer to the C-Taper Lite than the Tour 90s. Knowing your love for the Tour 90s, I'd go with those if I was in your shoes.

 

[JB]

That's what I would say too. the Apex head is small for a "GI" iron. They are pretty close to the R11 and RB Tours IMO.

Im not a class guy by any means (in terms of GI, SGI, etc), because I dont think it matters, dont care and think the internet is the only place that makes a bit deal about it. But if I had to classify them, I would never think that area (GI). The only reason some do in my opinion is because there is a pro model available.

The entire classification thing is so flawed, but perpetuated by some that its crazy. "Players" iron? Well would that make the Cleveland MT one, because actual players use it? "It cant have offset". Does that mean Cleveland Altitudes fit the bill because their lack of?

None of this is directed at Adamw of course, just general musings of how much I hate the terms, right up there with "Hot Face", which is absurd. "Butter", which by the way is cast. And a slew of others.

 

[adamw238]

Im not a class guy by any means (in terms of GI, SGI, etc), because I dont think it matters, dont care and think the internet is the only place that makes a bit deal about it. But if I had to classify them, I would never think that area (GI). The only reason some do in my opinion is because there is a pro model available.

The entire classification thing is so flawed, but perpetuated by some that its crazy. "Players" iron? Well would that make the Cleveland MT one, because actual players use it? "It cant have offset". Does that mean Cleveland Altitudes fit the bill because their lack of?

None of this is directed at Adamw of course, just general musings of how much I hate the terms, right up there with "Hot Face", which is absurd. "Butter", which by the way is cast. And a slew of others.

I agree with you JB. That's why I put GI in quotes. With the exception of true blades, there's a ton of "game improvement" type help built into the "players" irons. Clubs look like they're meant for better players because of their size, but underneath the hood there's a ton of help there. The SLDR irons are no different. It's because of talking with you that I've stopped referring to things like "feel" and say sound/feel and it being relative to the person hitting the club. More of a reason why this place is awesome.

Back to the irons. They do look nice. The finish is great and they are classic looking as described by TMaG. This is a different iron than what they've already released in the last 12-15 months. It takes a little of what's been successful from the Rocketbladez, SpeedBlades and Tour Preferred line. The cavity area kind of reminds me of an Adams club. Not sure why.

 

[fupresti]

Any idea on when these should be hitting fitting carts?