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TaylorMade Tour Preferred MC Review Thread

SuperStroke
I'm pretty sure Martin is using the older Rac MBs at the WGC.

Has anyone who hit the MC's hit the R9 tp's. I had the R9's but never got comfortable with the offset of them, which I know isn't much. Just curious if anybody has tried both irons. Thanks
 
stape2000 said:
I'm pretty sure Martin is using the older Rac MBs at the WGC.

Has anyone who hit the MC's hit the R9 tp's. I had the R9's but never got comfortable with the offset of them, which I know isn't much. Just curious if anybody has tried both irons. Thanks
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I have only hit the R9TP sparingly, and a while ago at that so I am not sure how much help I can offer you.

I can't imagine there is enough offset in these irons to upset even the most fickle of golfers. Then again- I don't really think offset significantly changes the way a golf club plays so that could just be me


Tapatalk- USGA non-conforming
 
Went to a golf expo in my town this weekend and got to hit these. Made me confident I made the right choice when i ordered these.
 
How many people have bought these site unseen? How many have them on their shortlist and are waiting till they come out to demo them?
 
I was able to sneak out this afternoon for a range session with these clubs. They had the grass area open, even though it was in pretty bad shape. I continue to enjoy hitting these irons. I'm getting my distances dialed in, and getting better and better at directional dispersion as well. I think I'm hitting these irons about as solidly as I can now, and the distances are maxed out, about 10 yards shorter than my previous irons. I'm OK with this, and happy to have consistent distance to take the course.

I'm now hitting the PW through 5 iron pretty consistently. I'm even able to hit the 3 and 4 irons reasonably well, but feel the ball flight for both of those clubs is lower than I'd like. The 3 iron in particular, it seems I can only hit low missiles consistently. In some cases, that could be a great option, but to this point I prefer the higher ball flight that hybrids provide for those distances. I'll continue to try to improve my results with those clubs though as I would love to be able to game those in certain situations. Overall, I'm enjoying the lower trajectory of the PW through 5 iron in general. This club head and shaft combination fights ballooning like no clubs I've ever gamed before. Yet my experience with approach shots into greens has been that they provide plenty of spin to stop those lower shots, so that has not been an issue at all.

Overall ball striking, I was just having a so-so day, so I got a good assortment of toe hits and even a few chunks. Hitting the ball high on the face causes a pretty significant distance loss, as does the severe toe hit (up to 25 yards). Slightly thinned shots or shots just off center perform more than adequately, which I'm inclined to attribute to the subtle perimeter weighting of the muscle cavity. But I'm starting to think that if you were going to have a bad day ball striking, these clubs are going to cause you pretty serious problems scoring.

I continued to hit different shot types, like the low punch and the high fade. Minor adjustments to face angle and swing path provide significant effects to the ball flight. Again, when you're on top of your game, these subtle changes are a joy to have. If your swing is all over the place, I think this could cause significant frustration at the links.

To summarize, I continue to find these a joy to hit. In fact, I'm enjoying hitting my irons on the range with these more than I ever have with any irons before. Swinging smoothly to ensure good contact is a MUST with these. I'm happy for the forgiveness that is there, as my swing does not produce perfect results, and by swinging within myself I can usually avoid the big mistakes that cause these clubs to underperform.

I continue to love the sound they make (couple people at the range even commented on their lovely "crack"), and the cotton ball feel at center contact never gets old.
 
Great summary G4L....love how comfortable you are with these irons already


^^^^^^ I Tapped That ^^^^^^
 
RxGus said:
I have only hit the R9TP sparingly, and a while ago at that so I am not sure how much help I can offer you.

I can't imagine there is enough offset in these irons to upset even the most fickle of golfers. Then again- I don't really think offset significantly changes the way a golf club plays so that could just be me


Tapatalk- USGA non-conforming
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Thanks RxGus,

I am fickle, but just wasn't happy with the feel of the R9's. Currently I am back to my TM musclebacks and to be honest I am not a good enough player these days to continue with these irons, so I thought maybe something with a little more would help over the MB's. I coach golf and get TM products about 40% off. Just picked up the R11 with the RIP for under 300. So I may have to order these MC's. Thanks for the help!
 
Enjoyed your thoughts G4L! And to answer your question Gus, these are definitely on my short list, I don't know if I could ever buy a club site unseen.
 
stape2000 said:
Thanks RxGus,

I am fickle, but just wasn't happy with the feel of the R9's. Currently I am back to my TM musclebacks and to be honest I am not a good enough player these days to continue with these irons, so I thought maybe something with a little more would help over the MB's. I coach golf and get TM products about 40% off. Just picked up the R11 with the RIP for under 300. So I may have to order these MC's. Thanks for the help!
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I would say these are a happy medium between MBs and a full GI club. As you can see, several of us are getting reasonable forgiveness in a club that shouldn't be well known for forgiveness.

I am a big believer in the try before you buy- so I would encourage you to hit these side by side with your current irons and see what you think. As far as feel goes, I have never hit an iron that felt as consistently nice as these do. Its wonderful to not catch a ball perfect and still get an above average feel and know what the miss was. IMO these feel better than I remember the R9TP feeling, and the club balance is certainly better. I am not sure which has more forgiveness but I would be tempted to lean on the side of the R9TP. Remember though, I hit them for one range session almost 9 months ago so my memory could be clouded as well.
 
Nice write up G4L .... I am getting a sense from your write ups that you are much more willing to sacrafice distance in exchange for the ability to flight balls with your MC's more to your liking. I can't help but wonder what happens on a day when you may be over cooking the intentional draw or fade, is that something that you are ok to live with? I'm not so sure that I could give up 10 - 15 yards in distance per club like that.
 
TC said:
Nice write up G4L .... I am getting a sense from your write ups that you are much more willing to sacrafice distance in exchange for the ability to flight balls with your MC's more to your liking. I can't help but wonder what happens on a day when you may be over cooking the intentional draw or fade, is that something that you are ok to live with? I'm not so sure that I could give up 10 - 15 yards in distance per club like that.
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I overcooked a draw on the course the other day and I ended up about 10 yards shorter than I thought I was going to end up. Granted my distances are still not quite dialed in, but even with that factored in, I did not end up where I thought I was. The good thing is that I thought I was going to be right in the bunker, but I fell just short. FYI, I had to go around a tree because I hit a terrible tee shot and it only needed to be a gentle draw, but I turned it into a sweepeing draw that went just a little more left than I wanted. Still got up and down though.

Edit: On a positive note, the straight ball is very easy to hit with these and I am not one to shape my shots unless I absolutely have to. My game is the straight ball with a slight draw and I am perfectly happy with that. I try to have the shot shapes in my bag in situations where I have to go around stuff when my driver gets me in trouble. Like I said earlier, I only use it once or twice a round at most. I am finding that these irons are excellent for players like me who predominately hit the straight ball, but the option to shape is easily there.
 
SethO said:
I overcooked a draw on the course the other day and I ended up about 10 yards shorter than I thought I was going to end up. Granted my distances are still not quite dialed in, but even with that factored in, I did not end up where I thought I was. The good thing is that I thought I was going to be right in the bunker, but I fell just short. FYI, I had to go around a tree because I hit a terrible tee shot and it only needed to be a gentle draw, but I turned it into a sweepeing draw that went just a little more left than I wanted. Still got up and down though.
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Nice! Sometimes one needs the rope-hook-me-heysoos .... I guess my thing is, I much more prefer more distance myself. I like being able to hit my 9iron 140-145 as opposed to an 8iron. As gorgeous as these are, I don't think I would be willing to sacrafice the loss in distance.

Keep the feedback coming guys. These irons are on a lot of people's radars and they are looking to you guys for information, thoughts, and findings.
 
TC said:
Nice! Sometimes one needs the rope-hook-me-heysoos .... I guess my thing is, I much more prefer more distance myself. I like being able to hit my 9iron 140-145 as opposed to an 8iron. As gorgeous as these are, I don't think I would be willing to sacrafice the loss in distance.

Keep the feedback coming guys. These irons are on a lot of people's radars and they are looking to you guys for information, thoughts, and findings.
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I can certainly understand that TC. I don't mind the loss in distance though. I am learning more and more that my game is not about distance, but accuracy and short game are going to be my bread and butter. As a little fella, I am learning that I just can't hang with some of the bigger hitters and that length is just not going to be my game. Now, don't get me wrong, I have another gear I can tap into if I need to, but I am learning that tapping into that all the time is not the smart way to play. I am taking my ego out of the equation and am learning to tap into my artsy side on the course and these irons are really starting to feel like paint brushes that allow me to create a masterpiece on the course. My distances may have suffered slightly, but they are really suiting the game that I am built to play.
 
SethO said:
I can certainly understand that TC. I don't mind the loss in distance though. I am learning more and more that my game is not about distance, but accuracy and short game are going to be my bread and butter. As a little fella, I am learning that I just can't hang with some of the bigger hitters and that length is just not going to be my game. Now, don't get me wrong, I have another gear I can tap into if I need to, but I am learning that tapping into that all the time is not the smart way to play. I am taking my ego out of the equation and am learning to tap into my artsy side on the course and these irons are really starting to feel like paint brushes that allow me to create a masterpiece on the course. My distances may have suffered slightly, but they are really suiting the game that I am built to play.
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Well, it sounds to me like you are fully embracing some Course MGMT! and there's nothing wrong with that at all. There's nothing wrong with taking the approach to a golf course that you are going to carve it on the day either, except that when the carving isn't controllable on the day, which let's be honest, can happen. What then?
 
Alrighty,
This is my first post here so hello to all. I'm about a 12 handicap based out of Omaha, NE. I played on the high school golf team but had to give it up during college because I was playing football (time constraints are a mother). Anyway I started playing again in 2009 after I finished my undergraduate and got out of coaching. I had purchased some off brand GI clubs that worked reasonably well, but my game has improved to a point where I want something a little more interesting.

I went through a fitting session at GolfTec yesterday and they recommended the R9TP as my top choice.

Based on what I have been reading here it looks like the MC will be the replacement for the R9TP.

Would I be ok ordering the new MC's? I'm not sure if I can still get a custom lefty R9TP set.

Wonderful thread by the way. Very informative.

Best-

CraftyLefty
 
From what I gather, yeah, these would be a newer/different version of the R9TP's. I dare say you weren't fit for the MC's b/c they just aren't out yet. When you say custome lefty set, what exactly do you mean?

Welcome to THP my man, I'm loving all the new lefties lately.
 
TC said:
From what I gather, yeah, these would be a newer/different version of the R9TP's. I dare say you weren't fit for the MC's b/c they just aren't out yet. When you say custome lefty set, what exactly do you mean?

Welcome to THP my man, I'm loving all the new lefties lately.
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Thanks!

I'm 6'3" 210, so I need 1" long and 2* up with a DG X100 shaft and a + 1/16 grip.

It sounded like TM is sunsetting the R9TP so I didn't know if they would be available for custom order.
 
CraftyLefty said:
I'm 6'3" 210, so I need 1" long and 2* up with a DG X100 shaft.
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That won't be a problem to order to those specs. I'm a big lefty as well buddy, and have most of my stuff ordered to similar specs as you.
 
Ok. I was just worried about the availability. The GolfTec rep wasn't sure if they would be available with production moving to the new Tour Preferred line. Guess I better pull the trigger and get them ordered.

Thanks for the help!
 
My range session yesterday was fantastic. I said in an earlier post that I wore headphones on the range for the first time in a while and it really seemed to help my rhythm. The shanks were gone, which was great. The sound of these irons are still fantastic. I have some videos that I shot yesterday that I will load today that you can really hear the sound of these irons.

As for shots. I had a solid day, I was able to hit the ball with ease and the distances seemed to be fairly good. It was still in the 30's so the ball wasn't flying as far as it could however I was still hitting my 8 iron around 140(which I normally hit around 150ish). I still think these things have a good amount of forgiveness. Once again I worked a little bit on flighting the ball differently. I tried to hit some knock down shots with some success and then tried to work the ball a little. Overall I saw some real good things yesterday, possibly the best range session I've had to date with them.

After my session I went inside to hit an M1. While I was going to the back hitting area that faces the range, one of the employees was in there hitting the Ping Answer, Razr X Tour and Razr X Forged. When I told him what I had sitting in my bag he asked if I wouldn't mind bringing one in. I was really curious as to how it felt against the Ping Forged(as I am a ping fan). After explaining to him how I ended up in this wonderful testing scenario courtesy of :taylormade: and :thp: he took some swings. Of the 3 forged clubs, this was his favorite. He thought the Razr Tour(non forged) felt better than the Razr Forged. He like the Razr Tour better than the Anser as well. After some swings he was very excited for this to come in to the shop so he could test them some more. I have let a few people take some swings with these irons so far and every person has liked them. They like the look, the feel, and love the sound.
 
Nice reviews everyone! I am happy to see these are working out for everyone!!
 
ddec0418 said:
My range session yesterday was fantastic. I said in an earlier post that I wore headphones on the range for the first time in a while and it really seemed to help my rhythm. The shanks were gone, which was great. The sound of these irons are still fantastic. I have some videos that I shot yesterday that I will load today that you can really hear the sound of these irons.

As for shots. I had a solid day, I was able to hit the ball with ease and the distances seemed to be fairly good. It was still in the 30's so the ball wasn't flying as far as it could however I was still hitting my 8 iron around 140(which I normally hit around 150ish). I still think these things have a good amount of forgiveness. Once again I worked a little bit on flighting the ball differently. I tried to hit some knock down shots with some success and then tried to work the ball a little. Overall I saw some real good things yesterday, possibly the best range session I've had to date with them.

After my session I went inside to hit an M1. While I was going to the back hitting area that faces the range, one of the employees was in there hitting the Ping Answer, Razr X Tour and Razr X Forged. When I told him what I had sitting in my bag he asked if I wouldn't mind bringing one in. I was really curious as to how it felt against the Ping Forged(as I am a ping fan). After explaining to him how I ended up in this wonderful testing scenario courtesy of :taylormade: and :thp: he took some swings. Of the 3 forged clubs, this was his favorite. He thought the Razr Tour(non forged) felt better than the Razr Forged. He like the Razr Tour better than the Anser as well. After some swings he was very excited for this to come in to the shop so he could test them some more. I have let a few people take some swings with these irons so far and every person has liked them. They like the look, the feel, and love the sound.
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So far I agree completely with this guy. Out of the three irons this guy was testing I prefered the RAZR Tour as well. The fact that he liked the TM better than the others makes me even more excited about these MCs.
 
TC,

I can completely understand your concern regarding the days where your irons just aren't on and you are overcooking the draw or loosing control over the fade. As you pointed out, those days happen and it is a part of golf.

The answer to you question about what you do is simple. You throw a bandaid on it (Instread of a draw, play a fade) and then sort it out on the range. Essentially, these irons won't prevent a bad day. My impression is that they perform at 95% on an average day, but that they likely won't do you any favors on a really bad day.

That said, my SGI RACs weren't much better on a bad day. If I was cooking the draw (I used to play one back in the day) the club didn't fix it. Minimize it, maybe... although that is debatable how much good they actually did.

Based on your last couple of posts, it seems like these aren't going to offer what you are looking for in irons. If you aren't ok with stepping back in loft (I won't say distance because I think degree for degree these are as long as any other iron I have tested) and you want a ton of forgiveness on the bad iron striking days then perhaps the Burner 2.0 is exactly where you want to be in the TM lineup this year.

For my swing- just a couple of thoughts.

1. I really need help flighting the ball down and these irons are helping me learn to control the trajectory.
2. My distances are pretty conistent with what I used to play, and the lofts between the sets are very similar
3. I am not a good ball striker, let alone a great one, and yet I have not had problems with losing the Mid-Low irons even on really bad swings. The long irons I am struggling with, but to be fair I have never been able to hit long irons... GE or otherwise. I would say my miss is a heavy fade (instead of a light one) that drifts and extra 5-10 yards to the right with a similar distance. I didn't find it leaving me in traps, only longer putts (or chips) than my previous irons.
4. Until I get on the course more I won't know about my scoring- but at the moment I feel more confident in my game with these than I did with the old SGI, which is REALLY surprising for me.
 
Crafty,

I played the R9tps all last year. I will say that I did not think I could control the trajectory near as much with the R9's. I also, must admit that I have not hit the MC's yet. However, where I play keeping the ball down is huge in central illinois and no matter how hard I tried I could not do so. It got to a point where I was focusing so much on hitting a low shot that my ball striking was suffering. As, Rx stated to me earlier. Wait for a demo day and try each iron. I made the mistake of that with my R9s and do not plan on making the same again. Can't wait for a demo day but that normally doesn't happen around here til end of may but I would rather wait than throw away some money on clubs I can control. Visually the MC's look a lot better than the R9's in my opinion!

How about Bubbas, 287 yard 3 iron this weekend!
 
TC said:
Nice write up G4L .... I am getting a sense from your write ups that you are much more willing to sacrafice distance in exchange for the ability to flight balls with your MC's more to your liking. I can't help but wonder what happens on a day when you may be over cooking the intentional draw or fade, is that something that you are ok to live with? I'm not so sure that I could give up 10 - 15 yards in distance per club like that.
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Yeah, I think I'm willing to sacrifice 10 yards of distance to be more consistent hitting balls to a number accurately. Part of that equation is being able to consistently hit a lower shot (at least for me). One thing I've always struggled with is hitting into a wind, as every set of irons I've gamed over the last several years launches the ball very high for me. And with some of these new, explosive GI irons like the S3s or Burner 2.0s, I've struggled to hit to a number even in non windy situations (flying over greens, etc).

To the other point, if I find that I'm struggling with making good contact and overcook shots a large percentage of the time round after round, then I would certainly consider a more forgiving set of irons as well. Its just that to this point (2 rounds of golf, 1 simulator round) I've never had so much success hitting greens and getting close to the flag.

I also might feel very differently about losing distance if I didn't have the length I do off the tee. If I was regularly forced to hit 180+ yard shots into par 4s, I would probably have a different answer here.
 
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