TaylorMade R15 TP Driver - THP Review

[Canadan]

Forgiveness wise I strongly feel it's very forgiving.

Someone also commented I. The sound and it is different but not a turnoff.


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This was a surprise for me. I expected them to continue on the positive path of the SLDR and I found it hugely improved as compared to R1 but I feel as though they have regressed a bit.

Seems as though they've taken a typical driver sound and added a muted element to it. It's definitely interesting and not in a bad way. Just different.

 

[TM_Bobby723]

I had the SLDR but recently switched/got fitted into the R15 430 TP. I picked up 4-5 yards carry & some roll yards, too, based on the launch monitor #'s(I'd assume because the head/shaft combo works better together than what I had in the SLDR). I had a 9.5 in the SLDR set at standard loft, but the R15 is a 10.5 set 1 "notch" lower in loft. For me, the R15 does launch a little higher, but the flight is less spinny and has more of a piercing flight. In short, I love it! It's the most comfortable I've felt with a new driver since I had the R7 425 TP way back in the day, which is really why I made the change. The shape & sound kinda reminds of that 425. I've heard this from quite a few people that hit it, but the SLDR just had too much "left" in it for whatever reason. My bad misses with other drivers were always flares to the right, but the SLDR was too much anti-right for me. My misses became left and WAY left. Weird. I don't think anyone will see a dramatic improvement from SLDR to the R15. You could probably see some minimal to decent yardage gains & some consistency gains when getting the right head/loft/shaft combo in it, though. I hit the R15 with approx. 12-15 different shafts in it, but the Graphite Design DI-6 was the CLEAR standout performance wise.

 

[TM_Bobby723]

Sorry if that post looks weird - I copy/pasted from another forum.

 

[Canadan]

Spent a LOT of time at the range tonight with R15 TP. Man, I can REALLY tag the golf ball with this driver.

I'm a high spin player by design, so I've never really struggled between SLDR and R15 with regards to toe and heel contact generating massive distance losses. In the case of this particular driver, I am living a happy, happy life with the weights buried at the neutral setting, with the adapter set to the TP 8.5 and slightly open setting.

Working on getting you guys actual numbers but it's going to take a little bit to get them uploaded. In any case, my speed is, if anything, improved. My accuracy is the least of my concern, and even when I'm swinging as hard as I can (without losing control) I am still finding high quality shots that are destined for the fairways.

Anyone else hitting this driver and enjoying the results? What settings are you liking and why?

 

[TM_Bobby723]

I am absolutely RIPPING my R15 and I am very happy I made the change from the SLDR. I have the TP 430cc 10.5 w/Graphite Design DI-6s. I have the loft set one "notch" lower, a weight all the way on the toe and the other weight between Neutral & Draw. With those settings, I was always right at/just over 300 total distance and I had some balls that rolled out nearing 315-320, the longest of which rolled out to 327(during my fitting on the launch monitor). I pretty much hit a straight ball with this setup, but I can hit a fade or draw fairly easily when I want. I'm dying for this weather to break & snow to melt so I can get out!!!

 

[Canadan]

Let me lay it out with visuals. I've put numbers on the R15 a few times, and each time I have the swing speed I've generated is slightly higher than i am used to seeing. Tonight at the range, it was no different, with the numbers matching my expectations from previous experiences, but what I was really searching for was the results in the open range -- Not some monitor.

The first thing I did was move the weights way to the outside which is supposed to improve the stability and forgiveness of the head.

Drive one.

Drive two.

Drive three.

Next, I moved it to what I assumed would be the perfection zone.

Drive one.

Drive two.

I know a lot presume the R15 is going to be ultra punishing on shots off center, between distance and offline shots. Fact is, when you hit near the heel or way high on the face towards the toe, what do you expect? For me, at my swing speed and skill level, I'm satisfied with 20 yards of distance loss with how far I missed the center of the face. What shocked me, was that it really wasn't all that far off my target line, and certainly not sweeping in a hook or slice motion. In fact, I hit countless shots that resulted in ideal ball flight. It was refreshing!

When i really started to gain confidence, I was going after the ball and getting impressive speed from the R15. I could generate a few extra miles per hour without the cost of accuracy, and that's something I can't wait to expand on.

 

[MWard]

The 10 yard loss between slightly off center and low face really isn't that bad at all. The SLDR certainly had worse losses on that kinda miss.

 

[Canadan]

The 10 yard loss between slightly off center and low face really isn't that bad at all. The SLDR certainly had worse losses on that kinda miss.

An extra couple MPH on the swing speed, so it's not apples to apples, but man, I was expecting the 250s on that one.

 

[MWard]

An extra couple MPH on the swing speed, so it's not apples to apples, but man, I was expecting the 250s on that one.

There was a bit between the two yeah but I too expected something in the 250's for the kind of miss.

 

[tequila4kapp]

Skim alert but what's going on with the technology and design of this club to give it the extra forgiveness the SLDR doesn't have?

 

[GolfFest]

Skim alert but what's going on with the technology and design of this club to give it the extra forgiveness the SLDR doesn't have?

I'd like to know this too. I have hit the club on the range a couple times and really liked it. It felt like it might be more forgiving, but I wasn't measuring where each impact to know if it actually was anymore forgiving. All I could tell was I liked the results.

 

[Daddio]

and there goes the myth that this is just another SLDR!! Well conceived test Canadan. A TM sponsored pro I know (who never liked his various SLDRs) told me as much, but seeing your results cements it for me. Impressive forgiveness up n down and in n out.

 

[TM_Bobby723]

Skim alert but what's going on with the technology and design of this club to give it the extra forgiveness the SLDR doesn't have?

What I was told, is since the "weight channel" or "slot" is closer to the face, it allows for more face flex/ball speed/forgiveness. Also, the 2 adjustable weights were said to help that, too.

 

[Pkielwa]

I hit this today at a demo day. It had a Speeder 7.2 TS X shaft in it... It was LONG! I really liked the feel/sound, ball flight, etc. This head and shaft combo were fantastic. My misses weren't that bad at all, which is a noted improvement from the R1 I had, and the SLDR I tried last year. The rep didn't have a LM so I'm not sure about the numbers...

 

[Trout Bum]

The pics tell the truth, those are some pretty impressive results Dan. This is on my radar in a big way, oh man I can't wait to hit it.

 

[JB]

Dan,
I am curious if you know what your normal smash factor is when you hit one well? It looked like you flushed one there and was still in the high 1.30s and 140. One thing to note is that you are (as you call it) and ridiculously high spin player. So missing for you with a very low spin head and having it reduce the spin even more might not be as punishing than it might be for someone that sees a large drop in spin and their carry get zonked. Thinking out loud here based on our early testing down here with several like myself and Tadashi.

 

[Canadan]

Dan,
I am curious if you know what your normal smash factor is when you hit one well? It looked like you flushed one there and was still in the high 1.30s and 140. One thing to note is that you are (as you call it) and ridiculously high spin player. So missing for you with a very low spin head and having it reduce the spin even more might not be as punishing than it might be for someone that sees a large drop in spin and their carry get zonked. Thinking out loud here based on our early testing down here with several like myself and Tadashi.

This is always on my mind -- Wish I had spin numbers to run alongside what I offered on the last page but don't, sorry. To the smash factor, I don't know if it's the unit reading my contact or whether I live around 1.35-1.40 but that's what it seems to register lately. In either case, when I'm hitting the ball well, I'm certainly not anticipating 280+ yards of carry, or am I expecting 265+ with bad contact.

I've seen a couple other guys hit the R15 while I've had it, and neither had massive drops in carry unless they REALLY missed the center of the face or their swing. AMart hit it the other night, and while he couldn't avoid hitting a fade with the head (typically for any driver he hits), it was producing numbers comparable if not better than his gamer, and I certainly don't think he's a high spin or high launch player.

 

[AMart]

I was surprised by the forgiveness from the R15. My initial thoughts where the TP shaft is not for me. That aside I hit some really nice drives and saw decent forgiveness when I missed the center. Most surprising was the XR that I hit second left something to be desired. I guess that's the beauty of being fit/trying everything.

 

[e1iterate]

I'm finally back from my vacation so I'll be able to give some feedback after I play Sunday.


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[JB]

This is always on my mind -- Wish I had spin numbers to run alongside what I offered on the last page but don't, sorry. To the smash factor, I don't know if it's the unit reading my contact or whether I live around 1.35-1.40 but that's what it seems to register lately. In either case, when I'm hitting the ball well, I'm certainly not anticipating 280+ yards of carry, or am I expecting 265+ with bad contact.

I've seen a couple other guys hit the R15 while I've had it, and neither had massive drops in carry unless they REALLY missed the center of the face or their swing. AMart hit it the other night, and while he couldn't avoid hitting a fade with the head (typically for any driver he hits), it was producing numbers comparable if not better than his gamer, and I certainly don't think he's a high spin or high launch player.

Very very interesting. Just so different than what we saw down here, but glad its working for you.

 

[Canadan]

I was surprised by the forgiveness from the R15. My initial thoughts where the TP shaft is not for me. That aside I hit some really nice drives and saw decent forgiveness when I missed the center. Most surprising was the XR that I hit second left something to be desired. I guess that's the beauty of being fit/trying everything.

I suppose it makes sense with the 661 profile of being mid-mid, where you're more apt for the high launch/mid spin characteristic shaft. We'll have to spend some more time on this.

 

[GolfFest]

Interesting thoughts on the spin there JB. With all the love the 815 is getting I really, really wanted to like it. It just spun more than I wanted. While I was hitting into a light head on breeze, pretty much everything on the R15 was longer for me, miss hit or not. I'd like to try the 815 with a different shaft pairing, but as of now I see an R15 in my future.

 

[JB]

Interesting thoughts on the spin there JB. With all the love the 815 is getting I really, really wanted to like it. It just spun more than I wanted. While I was hitting into a light head on breeze, pretty much everything on the R15 was longer for me, miss hit or not. I'd like to try the 815 with a different shaft pairing, but as of now I see an R15 in my future.

Different drivers. One is going to be more low spin than the other. A closer comparison would be the Double Black Diamond and R15. The 815 is going to offer more lateral forgiveness due to the where the weighting is placed.

I believe you said previously that you did not notice any forgiveness issues with the SLDR, so if that is the case, I would think just about any super low spin driver of this type would dominate for you in all honesty, whether that be R15 or anything else.

 

[GolfFest]

Different drivers. One is going to be more low spin than the other. A closer comparison would be the Double Black Diamond and R15. The 815 is going to offer more lateral forgiveness due to the where the weighting is placed.

I believe you said previously that you did not notice any forgiveness issues with the SLDR, so if that is the case, I would think just about any super low spin driver of this type would dominate for you in all honesty, whether that be R15 or anything else.

I thought the double black diamond was more comparable to the 430 head, but I should definitely give it a try. I'd like to hit the standard 815 with a different shaft pairing as well. It may not have been a fair comparison as I was able to use my same shaft in the R15 and was instantly comfortable with it, where the 815 was an inch longer and not a club I was familiar with yet.

 

[Canadan]

I thought the double black diamond was more comparable to the 430 head, but I should definitely give it a try. I'd like to hit the standard 815 with a different shaft pairing as well. It may not have been a fair comparison as I was able to use my same shaft in the R15 and was instantly comfortable with it, where the 815 was an inch longer and not a club I was familiar with yet.

Contact changes a lot for me when I'm reviewing and changing club length -- I get that completely.

Sorry I haven't hit the DBD to at least attempt to draw a direct comparison.