Hahah. Never say never. Haha.
TaylorMade SLDR Driver - Review Thread
Hahah. Never say never. Haha.
Minarets
Well-known member
So what is driving people to the 430 model? Other than the obvious 30 less cc, what is it's purpose? Is it really any less forgiving? I was hitting it better and more consistent than the silver s model. Same shaft in the 460 model?
Without explanation I had better numbers off of the 430. No clue why.
mark blanchard
New member
Played 9 with two others yesterday, both SLDR users, as I was testing my new SLDR against my Optiforce. One guy broke his Speeder 57 regular shaft on a drive, the other guy had a SLDR S at 10.5 and loved it. He was a natural high ball hitter and loved the fact that the 10.5 brought him down a bit. I hit a couple of foozles with my SLDR, then switched back to the Opti and nailed it the rest of the way home. But the second guy with his SLDR was keeping right up with me when he hit it straight even though I thought his swing speed was slower than mine. We all agreed that while the SLDR definitely lets you feel it when you hit it off center, but its stiff face doesn't necessarily translate into unforgiveness. The mishits still get out there nicely even though you don't think they will.
Brianbigoats
Active member
I think the lower spin characteristics for some players make this a super long especially if you hit the sweet spot
Minarets
Well-known member
It just surprises me so many find it not forgiving. I really would like to take this one to the range outside. The indoor numbers at Golfsmith were great for me with it and it didn't feel harsh or punishing at all. Must have had a good day in the bay. I need to hit it again I guess. I don't want to buy one to fall out of love within a week.
Brianbigoats
Active member
I was reminded how much i love my SLDR today took my R1 with 7m3 to the range to hit it against my SLDR it was still no contest 10-20yards behind the SLDR in carry and the higher balls from the R1 roll out a lot less
Yeah not sure why all these comments about how " unforgiving" the sldr is......I've got 3 1/2 rounds under my belt and I've missed a total of ONE fairway .....slightly intentional to avoid the maintenance worker........these haven't all been center strikes. ....a few towards the toe but still adequate distances especially with the low spin. Oh well, to each his own.
Brianbigoats
Active member
from what i can tell after 9mo with this driver the heal toe miss are more penalizing on distance but they still go straight my normal miss is high low which the SLDR is fairly forgiving
My SLDR was trying to play its way OUT of my bag. This week I went to the range trying to work out my issues with it and brought my Covert 1.0 driver as well. All week at the range I was hitting my covert MUCH better. So today I brought both to the course. The SLDR was bad on 2 holes, other than that it was pretty straight and really long. I hit 2 drives on the first 3 holes before putting the covert away for the rest of the round. It wasnt close. Just had to put some pressure on the SLDR. 
On two holes I was hitting from spots I have never hit from before. I was pretty giddy when I saw my ball. (chunked both, but that is another story)
On two holes I was hitting from spots I have never hit from before. I was pretty giddy when I saw my ball. (chunked both, but that is another story)
ehamady.6
Vulgar Display Of Power
I found a 3 1/4" tee on the range today when warming up for my round and used it on the first hole. I usually use 2 3/4" tees. Had a little more than half the ball over the crown and drove the green (315 yard par 4) for the 2nd time this season. This time the ball landed on the front edge of the green whereas the first time it rolled on when I had the SLDR loft set at 9.5*. Broke the tee on that first shot (and missed the 25' eagle putt) and promptly bought a big bag of 3 1/4" tees at the turn to go on and crush the ball on the back 9. I guess that's also part of "lofting up".
Good to see yet another SLDR driver in the hands of a winner on Tour today (Justin Rose).
Good to see yet another SLDR driver in the hands of a winner on Tour today (Justin Rose).
rallo
#FYF
Another round, and so many more reasons why I love this club. The track was soggy and long, but the SLDR didn't miss a beat. The best/worst drive of the day happen on a short par 4 that was into the wind. It is a severe dogleg left, and only plays about 285ish. There is a lateral ravine/no-mow area that curves across the left side of the fairway and guards the green from tee shots. I tried to hug the left center of the fairway. I crushed it, but had a little too much draw that was magnified by the wind. It tailed over towards the green, but had to clear the trees, ravine, and no-mow. I thought for sure that ball would never be found... yet it was there... about 15 yards in front of the green... 2 feet from it's ball mark. I'm not going to claim that it was a full 270 of carry, as I inadvertently cut the corner a tad, but it had to be at least 255 of carry... into the wind... which is huge for me! I also hit probably one of the longest drives on my life (with help of the wind and an elevated tee box) to a 650 yard par 5... Love this club so far!
Brianbigoats
Active member
I find the heel the most dead part of the club if you hit to far towards it i lose 15-20 yards but it still goes straight enough
mark blanchard
New member
Played another 18 with the SLDR going head to head with my Opti. I'm trying hard not to like the SLDR, but it is winning me over. It was virtually a dead heat with the Opti on distance, but it found the fairway almost twice as often and it has only a one-sided miss. The Opti will both draw and fade and I'm never quite sure what I'll get. The SLDR either goes straight or has a slight draw. It does bounce and roll more off of a lower ball flight. Into the wind, I'm less afraid with it in my hands.
It's a tough call. The Opti almost always feels good, even when it doesn't hit good. The SLDR rarely feels or sounds pleasing, yet the mishits still perform well. I'll need about six more rounds or range sessions before I know for sure.
It's a tough call. The Opti almost always feels good, even when it doesn't hit good. The SLDR rarely feels or sounds pleasing, yet the mishits still perform well. I'll need about six more rounds or range sessions before I know for sure.
Well stated.......I thought it was just me......definitely taking out one side of courses for me too.
mark blanchard
New member
I've come to believe that the SLDR gets a rap as "unforgiving" because it doesn't feel or sound good on mishits. In fact, it doesn't feel all that good when nutted! But when you walk out to the results and tabulate them, you realize they weren't as bad as they felt.
Last edited:
- Thread starter
- Admin
- #2,096
Actually in my case it gets that label because it is unforgiving on mishits based on numbers and ball flight. That is the nature of the beast of moving CG closer to the front. As discussed by someone that helped create this very club here.
http://www.thehackersparadise.com/forum/showthread.php?58703-Tech-Talk-Driver-CG
Feel is purely subjective and should not be brought to the table in discussing anything about performance or forgiveness. Thankfully the THP writers distinguish those things rather well.
- Staff
- #2,097
When I was out in Carlsbad for the SLDR S event TaylorMade made no bones about it that this was not an MOI driver. They talked about how they just viewed the positive distance gains better than the distance loss. I think a lot of that comes from what many people remember out on the golf course. Do you remember the 280 yard drive or the one you miss hit that went 200.
Brianbigoats
Active member
Feel is totally subjective i prefer the feel of the SLDR to almost all other drivers
as far as bad feel/sound on mishits that is what i would want i want to know when i am not getting all of the ball
People always remember the good, and try to forget the bad.
I find it interesting how defensive people get over this driver, as if at times it's there to justify the purchase of this one. We have quotes and what not from TM saying repeatedly on why this might not be a great fit for most golfers, the need to loft up, the fact that they make no excuses for the misses across he face... Yet people still want to say otherwise.
Me... On the other hand... I'm hammering this one right now. Call it a confidence thing, a fluke, or whatever else, but I am crushing it. Unless I miss on the toe. Then I'm. Not so crushing it.
TaylorMade SLDR Driver - Review Thread
As an Internet golfer, would somebody explain a "bad drive"
As an Internet golfer, would somebody explain a "bad drive"