TaylorMade RSi 1 Irons Review Thread

[tpluff]

These are interesting to me, especially the Rsi2. Not that I want you guys to all the time, but I wonder how the face pockets will hold up to being hit. The pockets on the sole of SBs held up well, but they aren't being hit directly with a ball with all that stress. Just something I'm curious about over the long run, but I'm sure Tmade has tested it exhaustively and wouldn't put out something not durable.

 

[ddec]

Any chance you got a picture of the RSi irons at address? I'm interested how those speed slots frame the ball.

they frame the ball rather nicely. When I first opened these I'm pretty sure my reaction was like 95% of everyone else. I was thinking what the heck? Now there are slots in the face of my irons? My biggest concern was going to be if they were distracting at address as every iron from the 8 down, has these. However just like with everything else, I barely notice them now. The more distracting part to me is the finish. While I like what they did with the topline, it doesn't look that big in person, I just wish they stayed with a finish that was more of like the SpeedBlades. That two toned darker finish was kind of perfect.

 

[Erky]

These are interesting to me, especially the Rsi2. Not that I want you guys to all the time, but I wonder how the face pockets will hold up to being hit. The pockets on the sole of SBs held up well, but they aren't being hit directly with a ball with all that stress. Just something I'm curious about over the long run, but I'm sure Tmade has tested it exhaustively and wouldn't put out something not durable.

I am curious too. I hit the ball out on the toe quite a bit.

 

[ddec]

These are interesting to me, especially the Rsi2. Not that I want you guys to all the time, but I wonder how the face pockets will hold up to being hit. The pockets on the sole of SBs held up well, but they aren't being hit directly with a ball with all that stress. Just something I'm curious about over the long run, but I'm sure Tmade has tested it exhaustively and wouldn't put out something not durable.

I am curious too. I hit the ball out on the toe quite a bit.

I am with you guys. My miss with the iron is out near the toe, so I assume those slots on that side of the club will get plenty of action.

 

[Paladin]

they frame the ball rather nicely. When I first opened these I'm pretty sure my reaction was like 95% of everyone else. I was thinking what the heck? Now there are slots in the face of my irons? My biggest concern was going to be if they were distracting at address as every iron from the 8 down, has these. However just like with everything else, I barely notice them now. The more distracting part to me is the finish. While I like what they did with the topline, it doesn't look that big in person, I just wish they stayed with a finish that was more of like the SpeedBlades. That two toned darker finish was kind of perfect.

Yeah, I know it's my reaction to the Arizona sun talking, but high polish finishes just don't do it for me. These look nice all chromed out and all, but the SpeedBlades were a nicer look across all conditions for me. Also, playing desert golf you're bound to put a scuff or 3 on the sole of a club, and those really stand out on a highly polished iron.

 

[TeedUpThoughts]

It's only ridiculous if it doesn't perform as advertised. I am sure traditionalists will scoff, but then again I don't see them surrendering their "gimmicky" adjustable hosel drivers.

That's fair, I posted before I had my morning coffee so I might be a bit cynical. I'll follow along.

 

[tpluff]

I am with you guys. My miss with the iron is out near the toe, so I assume those slots on that side of the club will get plenty of action.

Like I said, I'm sure it's been durability tested a lot and shouldn't be an issue, but just something I immediately thought about. Appreciate the initial thoughts TM staffers.

 

[Howzat]

Good stuff so far guys. Some very interesting tech in a very nice looking package. Even more so for an SGI iron.

 

[Canes]

These look real nice. The speed pocket slot thing on the face is interesting. If it makes toe and heel mishits even more forgiving, sign me up.

 

[PhillyV]

Awesome gesture by TM to hook the Morgan Cup guys up. Love the technology that goes into these but not crazy about the look of them. Seems like a step back from the SpeedBlades as far as looks go. And I find it hard to believe there can be an iron that launches higher lol

One thing to add. I saw in here the PW and the 9 are 2* stronger. So is there a stock offering for the AW at 48*?? That's almost the same as a normal PW

 

[ddec]

PW is at 44. 1 degree stronger than the Speedblades, 2 stronger than the SLDR.

 

[MWard]

Awesome gesture by TM to hook the Morgan Cup guys up. Love the technology that goes into these but not crazy about the look of them. Seems like a step back from the SpeedBlades as far as looks go. And I find it hard to believe there can be an iron that launches higher lol

One thing to add. I saw in here the PW and the 9 are 2* stronger. So is there a stock offering for the AW at 48*?? That's almost the same as a normal PW

Stock AW is still at 50 if I recall

 

[PhillyV]

Stock AW is still at 50 if I recall

So if stock PW is 2* stronger, that should put me close to 150. And my 50* SpeedBlade AW is around 130. I'm gonna need another gap wedge lol

 

[#Cookie]

Very cool of TM to get this new release into the hands of the MC staffers.

I was a fan of the Speedblades and am liking what I'm hearing/seeing here. I would also prefer a matte finish but it wouldn't be a deal breaker.

I think the biggest thing that speaks to me here is that they are putting out a club that offers max forgiveness in a non SGI look. tpluff with a great question about how that insert lasts out on the toe.

 

[Miller Time]

As someone who misses out on the toe regularly, I'd be really interested in how these work for me. Looking forward to seeing these in action!

 

[fupresti]

When you receive an email from Dave Cordero letting you know he has a surprise for you, you tend to get a bit giddy. When FedEx notifies you that you have a package coming that weighs 9 pounds, your mind starts racing. A few days later, a box arrives and you know inside is a set of irons. Here is a note that was in the box from Dave Cordero:

In addition was this little teaser. Don’t tell anyone till 10/15!

Here is the lineup (All 8 Clubs) of the RSi1. I received a 3-PW set. You can see the slots in the faces of the applicable clubs. It is a bit weird to see them first thing, but I have learned to have an open mind with technology and how it helps.

Here are some additional comparison shots vs. my SLDR irons
Profile

Face

SLDR vs. RSi1 Comparison

Shaft is a 90-gram REAX TM model.

Grip

I immediately went to the range to hit these. I was excited to see how they felt and how they performed.

I was first leery of the 90-gram shaft. My normal gamers have the 130-gram C-Taper so I was unsure how they would react. I was amazed however with the feel and stability. Never once did it feel soft or out of control. In fact, there was a calm reassurance that I could take a more measured and methodical swing and still generate club head speed. I have changed my outlook on lightweight irons shafts as a result.

The launch is simply spectacular. I know much will be made of the stronger lofts, but these things launch high, real high. However, it’s not a balloon launch. The trajectory is strong and penetrating. Never once did I see a ball float or fall out of the sky. They stayed on target and produced amazing results. These clubs are the embodiment in my experience so far of taking modern technology to create optimum launch for amateurs.

Now, the face slots from what I understand are there to create more uniformity in shot control regardless of where you hit the ball on the face. Now, I am no robot but I can tell you that even on off center strikes, there is very little difference in feel. You can tell, but it’s a muted difference. The ball still travels on its intended path with minimal deviation. Now, that’s not to say that bad swings wont produce bad shots, but these are literally the most forgiving irons I have ever swung. Here is an example. I didn’t warm up at all, grabbed the 8 iron and this was the result.

The ball launched on its intended line and started to fade about 10 years right of the target. Yes, I would likely be chipping but its in play. And the funny thing was it still felt like a solid strike. People who demand feedback on bad shots will want to steer clear, but in all likelihood you have already written these off as typical TM gimmicks. Your loss.

They are long. Longer then the SDLR irons. Distance control is a bit of a challenge with my game so in all honesty these are not long term gamers. But then again I am not the target demo. But if distance and accuracy were something that excites you (and it should) I would seriously consider these irons.

The face slots are a non-issue for me. I never even noticed them when I was lining up for a shot. If they were something to focus on, I would use it as an opportunity to improve my face to target. I think it might even be a selling point for high cap amateurs who need help with alignment.

And as I stated, they are long. Here are some examples from my testing

3-Iron

5-iron

6-Iron

7-Iron

Giddy up!

 

[Tadashi70]

TaylorMade RSi Irons Review Thread

TaylorMade RSi Irons Review Thread

Wardy how big of a gap are seeing in your scoring clubs?

 

[adwillingham]

A great gesture for the eight TaylorMade Morgan Cup staffers...and it will be very helpful to have guys that can do a direct comparison to the prior models.

Thank you all for the early pictures. I would have never thought to put the slots in the face, but I can see how that would be a good thing. They look pretty solid.

 

[Wake]

I was able to hit a couple shots with Wards Irons, and got some pretty great results. One was a 7 iron from the rough that was well struck and ended up just left of the pin, right in line with the distance of my Apexs. The other was a skunker. Hit very low on the face with a ott swing. Despite all this I ended up on the green with a manageable putt. That was pretty impressive.

 

[drp3434]

Wow, how cool for the TM MC staffers to get these. Great stuff so far. Great question on the long term durability of the slots. And holy smokes fupresti, that's some distance! How do those compare to your normal distance?

 

[MWard]

So if stock PW is 2* stronger, that should put me close to 150. And my 50* SpeedBlade AW is around 130. I'm gonna need another gap wedge lol

For the most part, I could swing smooth and get a 140pw instead of what I have to do a little harder to get that with my SLDR irons. If I went at it, then I would have issues with gapping between that and my AW.

The times they went too long really came down to when I swung at it hard, thinking I had to squeeze a couple extra yards out of what I thought was the max I could hit it.

 

[fupresti]

Wow, how cool for the TM MC staffers to get these. Great stuff so far. Great question on the long term durability of the slots. And holy smokes fupresti, that's some distance! How do those compare to your normal distance?

I would say 10-15 yards longer then my normal gamers.

 

[Golf Ghost]

Wow amazing stuff from Taylormade hooking up the MC staffers. Some great initial thoughts. Not a huge fan of the looks, as I'm not a huge chrome fan on GI clubs, but sounds like the performance is there.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

[Wake]

Reading the press release, I am confused by the forged face scoring Irons and forged Wedges of the rsi2 as well as the rsi tp Irons.

I thought Taylormade was all in with the forged makes no difference line of thinking.

 

[drp3434]

I would say 10-15 yards longer then my normal gamers.

That's crazy. That would make the bottom of the bag a little tricky for me. Or make gapping issues if the 9i/PW/GW go roughly the same as my current gamers.