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TaylorMade RBZ Stage 2 Fairway Review Thread

SuperStroke
Canio said:
After some computer problems, I'm finally able to post a hitting session. I'm reviewing the Stage 2 3HL 17* FW. As I posted earlier, I'm comparing the Stage 2 to my R11 15.5* 3W and my R11s 19* 5W. Just to preface, I had a lousy session. I couldn't hit the center of the club face to save my life.

Looks: The white crowns are so common place that it's no longer
'different' from so many other clubs. The designs on the Stage 2 FWs do not detract at all, and actually do help with alignment. The shaft on my 3W is a Rocket Fuel by Matrix in Regular flex at 60 grams. My R11 3W has a Fujikura blur in Stiff flex at 70 grams, and my R11s 5W has a Rip phenom in Stiff flex also at 70 grams.

Feel: At first, I thought that the difference in weight might be noticeable. But after a few swings with all three the difference was negligible. The stage 2 did feel a little lighter while I was hitting it, but not by much. My 3W and 5W were a little heavier to swing.

Stats:

Stage 2 3W: SS: 87.1 to 91.4
Ball speed: 118.5-126.4
Launch: 11.9-14.4
Carry: 179-194
Total Distance: 189.9-214.7

Interesting that the longest carry and total distance was with the lowest Launch angle. I didn't particularly like the 20 roll out, but I'm sure that it was because of the launch angle. For a second shot into a par 5, I would like less roll out if I hit the green.


R11 3W: SS: 86.3-90.3
Ball speed 118.5-128.3
Lost the launch angles.
Carry: 169-181 ugh!
Total Distance: 190.7-198

I had a horrible day with my R11 3W. I was coming over the top, I had bad swing planes, just awful.

R11 5W: SS: 87.0-91.2
Ball Speed: 117.5-126.3
Best launch angle: 15.7
Carry: 178-193.2
Total Distance: 185-195.3

All in all, not a bad day for the Stage 2 3W. I had the longest distance with it with inconsistent hitting with all clubs. At first, I thought that comparing it to my R11 3W at 15.5* as opposed to the Stage 2 17 would not be a fair comparison. Not today! Good results with a bad day of hitting. I'll be using tape to see if I can get ALL my hits centered. I will do another test with the same settings on my 3W & 5W. In the future, I plan to adjust my 3W up to the max from 15.5* to 17*, and lower my 5W from 19* to 17.5* to get a more fair comparison. I think that I would consider the Stage two 3W more of a 4W. But my thinking will probably change in the weeks and months to come with the testing.
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Canio--thanks for posting those stats. Always a good way to compare. Did the launch monitor also measure your peak height for the ball flight? I would be interested in seeing how they compare as the Stage 2 is lower launching for you but getting just as good if not better carry distance. I am seeing a slight increase in carry distance for the 15* with a slightly higher launch angle than what I am comparing to.

When I hit on the LM, it was measuring me with a bunch of roll out as well, which I do not want and fortunately have not seen on the course.
 
I have a question for all the testers that find the length to be hindrance. I'd this club longer than you driver? Do you have issues with you driver or so have to manufacture a swing to hit that.

My guess is no to both my questions. So why is the length of the Stage 2 so bothersome.
 
Tadashi70 said:
I have a question for all the testers that find the length to be hindrance. I'd this club longer than you driver? Do you have issues with you driver or so have to manufacture a swing to hit that.

My guess is no to both my questions. So why is the length of the Stage 2 so bothersome.
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Because I, for some reason, have always struggled to hit a sweeping swing with a fairway wood. I have always struggled getting steep (regardless of club), and for some reason for me it translates to the Stage 2 more so than it does my Mashie.
 
Tadashi70 said:
I have a question for all the testers that find the length to be hindrance. I'd this club longer than you driver? Do you have issues with you driver or so have to manufacture a swing to hit that.

My guess is no to both my questions. So why is the length of the Stage 2 so bothersome.
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Good question, I think for me at this point in the testing it is mental.

With my Nike I feel very comfortable and have for almost the entire time I have had the club, I am not sure why but I just hit the Nike a little better right now.

I have not had enough time with the RBZ off the deck so I can only speak to a very small sample size. I feel that because I knew that the club was longer than my gamer I was making an unnecessary adjustment to my stance before I hit the ball. I am not saying that this was the only reason that my results have not been ideal, it very well could be my own swing and where I am in my development as a golfer. Again going back to my initial thought that part of my issue is mental.
 
Tadashi70 said:
I have a question for all the testers that find the length to be hindrance. I'd this club longer than you driver? Do you have issues with you driver or so have to manufacture a swing to hit that.

My guess is no to both my questions. So why is the length of the Stage 2 so bothersome.
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So, are you saying that if you hit a 45.5" driver, you should be able to hit a 45.5" 3 wood off the deck? If that is the case, why not just make a 45.5" 3 wood and say - "15 yards longer"? ( Well, I'm sure that is coming! ) I know you are a top notch player, so maybe you can handle that... but I'd venture to say most of us would struggle quite a bit.

Not being a jerk Freddie... just making sure I understand what you are saying!
 
Tadashi70 said:
I have a question for all the testers that find the length to be hindrance. I'd this club longer than you driver? Do you have issues with you driver or so have to manufacture a swing to hit that.

My guess is no to both my questions. So why is the length of the Stage 2 so bothersome.
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I have not had any issues with it but I will throw my two cents in. The Stage is almost .5 of an inch longer than my Ping and have I no problem with that extra length. Maybe it's because I am taller or play my irons +1" over standard but I feel comfortable at address and swinging it.

Typically for me there is an adjustment period and growing pains with new equipment but I have been surprised how quickly I've gotten accustomed with the Stage 2.
 
Tadashi70 said:
I have a question for all the testers that find the length to be hindrance. I'd this club longer than you driver? Do you have issues with you driver or so have to manufacture a swing to hit that.

My guess is no to both my questions. So why is the length of the Stage 2 so bothersome.
Click to expand...

My R11 3W with the blur shaft is only about 1/8-1/4" shorter than the Stage 2 shaft. So, I don't have any problem. I am going to experiment with my SuperTri Miyazaki shaft in my R11 3W, but that'll be after a few more sessions to compare my R11 3W & R11s 5W to the Stage 2.
 
Tadashi70 said:
I have a question for all the testers that find the length to be hindrance. I'd this club longer than you driver? Do you have issues with you driver or so have to manufacture a swing to hit that.

My guess is no to both my questions. So why is the length of the Stage 2 so bothersome.
Click to expand...

I don't think the .25" over my Mashie is bothersome, as much as it does take a bit to get adjusted to. I mean, it is just a quarter of an inch, but a quarter of an inch in golf can be an inch in just about everything else. To be honest, I don't have much of an issue with the club playing longer, but as War eluded to, I get steep in my swing and if you are adding a quarter of an inch that you haven't trained yourself to account for, it can be quite the adjustment for a while. Clubs are getting longer and there is an adjustment period, whether it is this club, or a set of irons, whatever.
 
Jeff Spicoli said:
Canio--thanks for posting those stats. Always a good way to compare. Did the launch monitor also measure your peak height for the ball flight? I would be interested in seeing how they compare as the Stage 2 is lower launching for you but getting just as good if not better carry distance. I am seeing a slight increase in carry distance for the 15* with a slightly higher launch angle than what I am comparing to.

When I hit on the LM, it was measuring me with a bunch of roll out as well, which I do not want and fortunately have not seen on the course.
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My last shot in the session was with the Stage 2. I don't know how I got the most carry for the Stage 2 at 194 yds. with the lowest launch of the Stage 2 of 11.9. For that shot I understand the 20 yds. of roll out. I had 17 yds. of roll out with the highest launch for the Stage 2 at 14.4, carry 179 and roll out to 196.

It just may be my inconsistent swings at this session. I have another session tomorrow afternoon. I hope the numbers from the clubs will be much better. I'll let you know what happens, of course. I'm also going to report the spin rates. Maybe someone can make sense of the spin and how it affects everything. BTW, I had pretty good dispersion with the Stage 2 after I stopped trying to kill the ball. Since I have stiff shafts on my 3W R11 & 5W R11s, and a regular shaft on the Stage 2. I had to settle down with the Stage 2 and put a much smoother swing with it. Otherwise, I was pulling it for the first few balls
 
JeffReedMO said:
I apologize for not being able to have any on course thoughts or range time the last week. We are just getting absolutely obliterated with snow in Missouri right now and I honestly didn't see this happening when I signed up to participate. So, apologies to my fellow testers and everyone else for that matter. This week isn't looking great either (matter of fact, it's looking downright grim). But I will do my best to answer any Stage 2 questions that might come up and give some thoughts from my limited time out thus far. The Stage 2 will be the only three wood making the trip to Dallas, so if that is my next time being able to hit a ball, so be it. You will have a full review and thoughts upon the completion of my rounds and range time.

Again, apologies, but I am working with the insanity Mother Nature is throwing at me right now.
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I completely understand. I haven't been able to go on ANY course in Northern NJ because of the snow. I've driven by my course with all the snow on the fairways and greens. I can't wait to get the Stage 2 out there. My course has several par 3s with the average of 195 yds!!! We shall see.
 
Canio said:
My last shot in the session was with the Stage 2. I don't know how I got the most carry for the Stage 2 at 194 yds. with the lowest launch of the Stage 2 of 11.9. For that shot I understand the 20 yds. of roll out. I had 17 yds. of roll out with the highest launch for the Stage 2 at 14.4, carry 179 and roll out to 196.

It just may be my inconsistent swings at this session. I have another session tomorrow afternoon. I hope the numbers from the clubs will be much better. I'll let you know what happens, of course. I'm also going to report the spin rates. Maybe someone can make sense of the spin and how it affects everything. BTW, I had pretty good dispersion with the Stage 2 after I stopped trying to kill the ball. Since I have stiff shafts on my 3W R11 & 5W R11s, and a regular shaft on the Stage 2. I had to settle down with the Stage 2 and put a much smoother swing with it. Otherwise, I was pulling it for the first few balls
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If you post your spin numbers, I'm sure you'll have plenty of opinions about them.

I've found that if I remind myself to "swing easy" I see better results with the Stage 2. Don't know if it is the lighter weight shaft.
 
I have not gotten out since Sunday to hit the Stage 2. I have been busy testing out the iron choices for my bag. I really need to get some new ones and the last 2 days have been the best opportunity for me. I should be able to get to the range Thursday for some work with it, but if not, I will Saturday and I am playing Sunday with a group of THP'ers. Really looking forward to trying some things to be able to work the ball a bit better. I am having a hard time hitting a left to right shot. It would be handy to be able to produce a fade when needed.
 
afwcardinal said:
I have not gotten out since Sunday to hit the Stage 2. I have been busy testing out the iron choices for my bag. I really need to get some new ones and the last 2 days have been the best opportunity for me. I should be able to get to the range Thursday for some work with it, but if not, I will Saturday and I am playing Sunday with a group of THP'ers. Really looking forward to trying some things to be able to work the ball a bit better. I am having a hard time hitting a left to right shot. It would be handy to be able to produce a fade when needed.
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I feel like the Stage 2 could be a 3 wood I could work a little bit it would not be a shot that comes up very often. Do you typically try to work the ball with your 3 wood? I usually don't try to work it other than my natural draw. Some holes I may try to straighten it out more but for the most part, I usually don't try to it left to right. When there is a right to left dogleg, I try to hit over it haha
 
afwcardinal said:
I have not gotten out since Sunday to hit the Stage 2. I have been busy testing out the iron choices for my bag. I really need to get some new ones and the last 2 days have been the best opportunity for me. I should be able to get to the range Thursday for some work with it, but if not, I will Saturday and I am playing Sunday with a group of THP'ers. Really looking forward to trying some things to be able to work the ball a bit better. I am having a hard time hitting a left to right shot. It would be handy to be able to produce a fade when needed.
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What's your current ball flight with the Stage 2?
 
War Eagle said:
What's your current ball flight with the Stage 2?
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My ball flight from the tee is mid to mid high. Perfect for me so far. The the deck is probably mid. As far as wanting to work the ball, I am looking for this from the deck. I ran into a part 5 the other day that from the tee box, I played for the wind to move the ball, but that didn't happen. So, my second shot was on the far right side of the fairway and there was a tree over there that I had to negotiate around. I could not pull off the face. It stayed straight as an arrow and put me in a bad position. I did do a second ball and attempted to hit the shot as close to the tree as I could, really did not think I could get by it at that angle, but it turned out perfectly, in the center of the fairway. I would not have attempted that shot with anything else in my bag, that is for sure. But, then again I could have faded my 3W or a hybrid.
 
Jeff Spicoli said:
I feel like the Stage 2 could be a 3 wood I could work a little bit it would not be a shot that comes up very often. Do you typically try to work the ball with your 3 wood? I usually don't try to work it other than my natural draw. Some holes I may try to straighten it out more but for the most part, I usually don't try to it left to right. When there is a right to left dogleg, I try to hit over it haha
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Jeff, I use the 3W similar to you the way it sounds. I typically try to hit it straight or with a slight draw, but I just had a situation Sunday that required a fade and I could not pull it off. But I did find out how accurate I could be from the deck. I was very impressed with that.
 
afwcardinal said:
Jeff, I use the 3W similar to you the way it sounds. I typically try to hit it straight or with a slight draw, but I just had a situation Sunday that required a fade and I could not pull it off. But I did find out how accurate I could be from the deck. I was very impressed with that.
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Kudos to you for trying to pull it off. I have pretty much given up on trying to hit a fade; it usually gets me in big time trouble and the risk/reward isn't there for me.
 
Just had a range session with the Stage 2 and saw some good results. I will get a full write up posted after work tonight but I will say that the more I hit this club the more I like it.
 
Jeff Spicoli said:
Just had a range session with the Stage 2 and saw some good results. I will get a full write up posted after work tonight but I will say that the more I hit this club the more I like it.
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That sounds like a winner. Looking forward to your thoughts
 
Looks like some range time through the weekend! Hopefully snow will be gone next week as well!

LtEvO TaPpEd
 
I was at Golf Galaxy today making sure that I had picked out the best choice for my new irons, which I will be fit for on Saturday, and I had to get the Stage 2 on the launch monitor.
They did not have a regular flex Rocket fuel shaft or the 15* head to let me hit, unless they pulled it from the shelf, so I hit the 14.5 with the stuff Rocketfuel. I just wanted to see what the numbers looked like versus what I had been seeing on the range/course. If you all have been following along with this testing, you have seen quite a few of the testers putting up some big yardage, some close to 300yds. Well, the monitor numbers were not as good as the real thing. Head speeds ranged from 93.8 to 102.5. Ball speed ranged from 135.9 to 148.5. Carry range was 208 to 244.
I need to let you all know that all the lie numbers were from my last swing, before I ran towards the door to leave. I had already hit 3 or 4 irons for about an hour and a half and a handful if hybrid swings. I was rather tired by this point. The best ball was the first one I hit. All these shots were of the tee.
My first 4 swings with this club were (carry distance) 244, 235, 242, and 240. I believe these were all probably close to what I have been seeing on the course. I know I have carried it farther on one occasion, because I had to carry it around 250 to clear the trees on that par 4 I drove 2 weeks ago.
This club has really been a big surprise to me in that it seems to be very easy to control and the distance has been incredible. It has also really forgiving on miss hits. Thin shots produce exceptable yardages, yet it seems to always find the fairway. Not sure how all the tests are fairing with this shot though.
The only problem at all that I have had with this club has been over swinging what the shaft can give. If I want to stand on it, and why would you need to with these yardages, I hook this ball almost every time. The stiff shaft Rocketfuel that I hit today seemed to be the shaft for me possibly. I could draw it nicely, but it was quite a bit harder to produce a hook.
I am going to the range this weekend and playing golf with 10 THPers on Sunday. We will try it out in a couple of different hands then, and maybe get some feedback from a few others.
I still have a smile on my face from being chosen to do this testing.
THANKS THP and TaylorMade. This is fun. :)
 
Nice AFW. Which irons are you leaning toward?

I have my first lesson on Sunday with Golf Tec and seriously pondering bringing the Stage.2 with me. Hahaha why not right
 
TheCrest4 said:
Nice AFW. Which irons are you leaning toward?

I have my first lesson on Sunday with Golf Tec and seriously pondering bringing the Stage.2 with me. Hahaha why not right
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Looks like JPX825 pros. Best dispersion than any other club I tested. Shaft ????
 
Cool AFW, I like hearing about it.
 
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