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Anyone else give up on the SLDR?

SuperStroke
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bigdaddy

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I recently purchased the SLDR and put in my Matrix Black Tie (per my driver fitting last fall). I hit the ball OK, but felt it wasn't as good as my Adams Super LS w/ the Matrix in it. I tend to spin the hell out of my driver and that is why I have been in low spin heads/shafts for ever. Drives were all over the place, just didn't feel right to me. I tried it in the 9.5 and the 10.5 and both felt terrible to me. I had it up for sale here since Sunday, but then realized that my golf retailer has a 90 day playability guarantee. Why sell it when I can get full retail ($399+tax it turned out)

I went to our local golf store and was trying other options and the fitter suggested the R1 as a trial with the Black Tie. I kinda was skeptical that the R1 was the answer, but I had good success with the R11S in the past, so why not try it. I think the SLDR may have been too low spin for the combo I was trying.

Well, to my surprise, it was a match made in heaven. I am hitting the ball the best I have all year (it was that noticeable a difference) and it was way longer than the SLDR. According to the fitter, it was a fairly common occurrence for SLDRs to be returned and switched to the older R1. I was making good swings and was killing it. I purposely made a poor swing (when I hit it bad, I get lazy on my turn and hook it. To my surprise, contact was still good and the hook minimized.

The kicker was I got a $400+ merchandise credit and purchased a $159 R1, 2 dozen balls (Tour Preferred X), 3 footjoy gloves, a pair of rain gloves, a Taylormade microfiber towel, and a chipping mat for my 11yr old son. The best part is I feel like I now have a driver I can keep in play and hit long. I took it to the range and was hitting it into the trees at the end of our range on the fly (our range is 270 to the tree line). So most likely was hitting it 280+ with range balls.

Can't wait til the weekend comes!!!
 
Sounds like you found something that works great for you, and that is what it is all about.

Playing golf with equipment that doesn't suit you, is a difficult thing. Play what works for you!
 
I gave up on it before it was it was in stores. R1 was definitely a better driver for me, though I didn't go back to it at that time.
 
I never gamed a SLDR and coming from strictly Tmade drivers over the last 8 years I REALLY wanted to like the SLDR - however, numbers don't lie and I just like the way the BB felt - also, you aren't the only one whom I have heard about the SLDR working out for them....I am glad you found the R1 to work for you!
 
I'm on the other side I've loved my SLDR as THPer Diabolo can attest I just hit bombs with it. Yes I know not every driver and every shaft works for everyone, but for me it's a keeper for sure
 
I couldn't imagine playing the SLDR with a Black Tie shaft in anything less than a 12* head. Sounds like the combo of a lower lofted head and low spin shaft with the low spin head was no bueno.
 
Sounds like you found a combo that works I am sure you could have found a shaft that would have made the SLDR work i have found for me low spin shafts and the SLDR do not work that great that is why i choose a mid spin i have tried a 7m3 in my SLDR and just did not get the distance i wanted but in my R1 it is a beast
 
I think that was the major issue. With the stock shaft, I was all over accuracy wise. With the Black Tie, it was long, but had a nasty draw that was troubling. The R1 was nailing it last night. Even better than my Super LS which will be on the market later today....
 
I liked my Super LS over the SLDR 430 that I tried in terms of feel at impact. My only issue was the LS was enormous. I like a smaller headed driver around 400cc or less if I can find it. Going to check out an Ezone 380 soon if I can let go of some of my old irons and wedges. I just hate buying something that I can't try anywhere around here.
 
I wasn't a fan until I got rid of the stock shaft. Now warmed up after a long winter and a better shaft I love the driver.
 
The numbers were silly. My spin numbers were right on with the R1 and all over with the SLDR. No idea how or why. I tried all the lofts, but the 12 was better, but hit it too high and was shorter than anything else. The interesting thing was the R1 in Neutral everywhere was good, dropping a spot on the loft was even better.
 
I couldn't hit the SLDR at all until I put a TP shaft in it.
 
I think the SLDR is something you really need to be fit into even if you have a previous shaft that works in other heads. It seems the people that really really love the SLDR are ones that have been fit into a combo\ experimented and found something that works for them.
 
I gave up on the SLDR once upon a time.

However, I went back to it, and decided that it wasn't so much the equipment as it was the golfer. I worked on my swing, and put in the time to adjust what I needed to do in order to make it playable.

I think it's easier to just find something that works, as with the market that is out there it allows us to plug and play what we want with decent success regardless if availability.

In my case, it was personal for the Mc, and instead if just throwing my hands up and giving up, I went to work, and did the hard work to make this one an asset for me on the tee box.
 
Ive hit 3 balls with it, that was all I needed to see. Definitely not a driver for me.
 
fupresti said:
I couldn't imagine playing the SLDR with a Black Tie shaft in anything less than a 12* head. Sounds like the combo of a lower lofted head and low spin shaft with the low spin head was no bueno.
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Precisely what I was thinking. I played with a guy in my tournament this weekend who loved his. Another of my friends who has it hated it until I told him to crank the loft up. Now he can't put the club down.

I had the SLDR for a while but never lofted up and came away disappointed. After I bought my Alpha, I was in GG talking and the TMaG rep was there and asked me to try the 430 at 12*. I was hammering the ball just as well as with my Alpha. A lot has to do with getting that club dialed in correctly. But, if it's not a fit, then it's not a fit and there's nothing wrong with that.
 
I miss my R470. It was more forgiving and "springier" on the club-face. It didn't have the bolt-on shafts though which is why I switched, so I could mess with shafts. I haven't given up yet cause it was over 600 for the head and an Oban Devotion and it's a matter of principle.
 
For whatever it's worth, I was recently fitted for a driver. During the session I hit Pings i25, G25, Nike Covert, Titleist, 913 D2, Callaway Big Bertha and X2 and TM Sldr. Not even close, the Sldr was the worst club of the bunch for me. I also had two friends who bought the Sldr, and both are not happy with them. One of them has already gone back to his Titleist 910, which he hit much further and straighter. The other also admits the Sldr is not nearly as good his old one, but hasn't given up on yet.
 
I hit this thing about 10 times on a monitor and it didn't even sniff the numbers I get with my g20 on flush hits. We won't even talk about slight misses.
 
As someone who gamed TaylorMade drivers from 2001-2012 and really liked the R1 (was my second favorite driver last year, I gamed the Amp Cell) the SLDR did not do anything for me. I demoed it multiple times, with multiple shafts, and multiple lofts and each time I came away frustrated. TO ME, it felt terrible, sounded terrible, and the performance was just not there for me. I can't explain why I just couldn't hit the SLDR
 
JRod said:
I hit this thing about 10 times on a monitor and it didn't even sniff the numbers I get with my g20 on flush hits. We won't even talk about slight misses.
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The G20 is a beast! Looks like crap, but just hits bombs.
 
A cautious tall of trying to fit a shaft into a head. I hope the R1 works out well for you.
 
mikedean441 said:
Ive hit 3 balls with it, that was all I needed to see. Definitely not a driver for me.
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This was me too...although I may have hit...4 balls with it. I got a ridiculously low spin number at the Golfsmith in Indianapolis. Like 1,200 rpms of spin.
 
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