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TaylorMade SLDR Irons Preview

SuperStroke
Well custom orders are back up and I found out that Taylormade doesn't carry the .370 tip KBS Tour X-flex required to fit the SLDR head. So my options are to go with the Tours in Stiff, but they did not perform as well for me as the X-flex. I was longest and straightest with the X-flex.

They the C-Tapers in stiff and x in .370, but I didn't hit either. And I think the X in the c-tapers would be too stout.

Another option would be to go with the CB's or MC's in the KBS Tour X-flex. I've hit them both but not lately. I liked the MC's over the CB's when I hit them. But I liked the idea of the SLDR head because they were a similar profile to what I was using but with a little added forgiveness.

I know the MC's are similar in size to the AP2's. Other than that they have a little more offset so they should be the same or more forgiving than the AP2's right?

Anyone have any input or insight into my dilemma?
 
Honestly, I'd the CB's a little more thought if you aren't going to go SLDR. They are the most similar. Or see if if you could hit the C Taper combo.
 
ddec said:
Honestly, I'd the CB's a little more thought if you aren't going to go SLDR. They are the most similar. Or see if if you could hit the C Taper combo.
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Most similar to the SLDR or AP2's?
 
-CRW- said:
Most similar to the SLDR or AP2's?
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Of the TP lineup, the CB is the most similar to the SLDR. I actually never got the talk about the SLDR being like the MC's. Even talked about it with the designer of the irons.

EDIT: If you can, I would try the C Taper in a stiff flex instead of the X. Should give you a touch more height than the C Taper X.
 
War Eagle said:
What are you gaming right now?
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Sorry, didn't see this post until now. I'm gaming my Morgan Cup irons from last year, Bridgestone J40 DPC with PXi shafts.
 
The fitter got back with me and said he wouldn't recommend the C-Taper for me at all (don't know why and I've never tried them).

He said to go with the CB's or maybe the SLDR heads with X100 shafts if TM had them. I thought the KBS Tour X-flex felt better than the S300's I have now, so I'm not sure the X100's would be for me.
 
-CRW- said:
The fitter got back with me and said he wouldn't recommend the C-Taper for me at all (don't know why and I've never tried them).

He said to go with the CB's or maybe the SLDR heads with X100 shafts if TM had them. I thought the KBS Tour X-flex felt better than the S300's I have now, so I'm not sure the X100's would be for me.
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Couldn't they hard step a set of stiffs. There's also the possibility buying the SLDRs with the proper lie angle, finding a set of x100s online and putting them in. You could then flip the c-taper 90s to recover your cost. They'd probably sell in a heartbeat on hear. Plenty if guys wanting high launching shafts.

Just a couple ideas


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Even though I've been doing a lot of day travel this week, I have spent every night at the range and then the course. My focus has really been on these irons. Been working hard on the 5-8 irons. I think those clubs are going to be important down in Myrtle. Really going to be interested to see what kind of flight I get out of the graphite shafts. I tend to hit them kind of high right now, which I'm not bothered by at all.
 
ddec said:
Even though I've been doing a lot of day travel this week, I have spent every night at the range and then the course. My focus has really been on these irons. Been working hard on the 5-8 irons. I think those clubs are going to be important down in Myrtle. Really going to be interested to see what kind of flight I get out of the graphite shafts. I tend to hit them kind of high right now, which I'm not bothered by at all.
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Interesting, wouldn't the stock graphite launch higher than the steel?
 
I was planning on going with the graphite, but my fitter suggested I go back to steel.
 
I'm sure all of the TM Morgan Cup guys will chime in after this weekend with a lot of feedback on these irons, but I wanted to add onto my comments from a few days ago. I went back to the fitting place that I had hit the SLDR irons at to do a driver fitting. Anyways, at the end of the driver fitting, the fitter had some extra time so we went back through the irons. While the SLDR irons with Steelfiber shafts were better on the first go-around, this time I hit the Callaway Apex irons a little better with PXi shafts. However, I will stress that the differences were not big at all, and I could have easily gone with the SLDR irons again. I think that my familiarity with the PXi shafts won out over the Steelfiber shafts, and hitting that shaft in the Apex vs. the SLDR had the Apex performing slightly better. My top 3 irons in the fitting were the Apex, Nike Covert Forged, and the SLDR; all 3 are wonderful irons that have a pleasing shape at address and tons of technology packed into them.
 
Good feedback, Doc.

I do enjoy my Apex irons, but the shafts in them (Kbs tour v) more often than not make me be super aggressive.

I can't wait to get the SLDR irons with the C Taper 90s in them, hello trajectory!
 
After spending the day on the range with these, I am really impressed. I tend to hit my Rbladez fairly low even though they have graphite shafts in them.
With the c taper 90 in the SLDR's I was getting great height and seemed to get at least the same distance if not more.
 
I was incredibly impressed with the SLDR irons. They were launching great for me with a nice high flight, a ton of distance, and the dispersion was very nice.
 
I ended up going with the CB's and KBS Tour X shafts. So I'll be moving over to the CB thread with my thoughts after I spend more time with them. So far they are probably 5-10 yards shorter for me than the SLDR heads with the same shaft, but I expected that. They feel very similar to the AP2's I was hitting before though.
 
So I now have 3 rounds under my belt with the SLDR irons and color me impressed. I love my 2014 TP MC's, but the SLDR irons are kicking them to the curb.

When we hit them in April, I was put off my the chrome finish and the size. They didn't feel very good for me, but then again I have never gotten along with lighter weight steel shafts. When we found out we were playing them in the Morgan Cup, I thought since I had to at least eliminate a variable and was able to order them with standard C-Taper shafts like I have in my MC's. I did not know what the combo would do, so it was a hopeful match that would work.

Boy was I right. My first club was a 7 iron that I pulled and just aimed at a random post on the True Blue range. I had no idea the distance, but funny that the first shot just screams off the face high and drops pole high about 5 yards to the left. I decided to check to see the distance and come to find out I hit the 7 iron on the fly about 185, about 10 yards longer then my MC's. Insanity. Shot after shot +/1 5 yards depending on the shot. The club was able to work the ball as easily as my MC's when I needed it to move. Sure, there is a bit of a feel difference, but these are light-years above the RocketBladez Tours they replaced.

The 5 and 6 iron got me into some Par 5's in two as well with some powerful ball flight. The club is also forgiving enough that I never worried about carrying water or the like. I knew they had the juice to get where I needed them to go.

I will do some more thorough testing now that I have some more time to focus on dialing them in, but so far I am indeed loving what I see.
 
fupresti said:
...I decided to check to see the distance and come to find out I hit the 7 iron on the fly about 185, about 10 yards longer then my MC's. Insanity...
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I saw the same thing when I hit them (though my 7 iron only carried 180). But still, they are a full club longer than the TP CB's I ended up with. I was carrying the CB 6i 180 at the range during my lesson last weekend. My 712 AP2 6i with S300 shafts only carried 170, but I think the X flex shafts I have now lowered my flight slightly to help with the extra carry I'm seeing.
 
When I went into my MC club fitting, I told the fitter I was going to be playing the SLDR irons, here are the options as far as shafts I can choose from, work your magic. After about 30min, numbers came back showing the C-Tapers were the best fit. I did a double take, as I just never would have guessed that was a shaft that fit for me based on its profile. Numbers don't lie, and the fitter knows more than I do so C-Tapers it is. I had decided to go 5-AW opposed to using a 50 degree wedge as I thought that would gap better than the 50 degree TP wedge I had been using.

After a weekend of play, these were absolutely awesome to play with. The ball flights were high and easy to swing. They were at times too long, but I still can't figure out if that was adrenaline. I didn't experience any jumpers from the rough (despite actually needing to on one swing) and I hit more greens than not with them when given the opportunity. They were workable when needed in any direction or shape. Most of all, they were just fun irons. It's fun hitting a muscleback in the center of the face and watching it fly. It's even more fun hitting these in the center of the face and wave to the muscleback iron's ball as it's still going.
 
Slap a different finish on them and I would be infinitely more inclined to game them. They're fun irons though, they really are.
 
Jman said:
Slap a different finish on them and I would be infinitely more inclined to game them. They're fun irons though, they really are.
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I'm not sure if it was the weather being just cloudy enough or I was just used to them enough, but I never got the glare back effect from them. If they were in satin though, oh man. Bet they'd be even prettier.
 
Mward said:
I'm not sure if it was the weather being just cloudy enough or I was just used to them enough, but I never got the glare back effect from them. If they were in satin though, oh man. Bet they'd be even prettier.
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The glare wasn't there with me either, I just love satin. Put the Apex finish on these and hoooooooly hotness!
 
Jman said:
The glare wasn't there with me either, I just love satin. Put the Apex finish on these and hoooooooly hotness!
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Apex or the i25 finish
 
These are in the bag for the foreseeable future. The C Taper 90 shafts were just money for me, and the launch I got out of these screamed SpeedBlades to me. Got up quick, and carried exactly the distance I wanted out of them. Small profile which I like as well, and cut through the turf with ease.

Not going anywhere.
 
You hit them silly well.
 
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