TaylorMade SLDR Driver - Review Thread

But they sort of try to cover that up by saying that the forgiveness of having the second weight (and splitting them all the way out) is needed for the new more forward, even lower CG.
Exactly my point
 
I understand what you are taking about, but when every manufacturer is doing the exact same thing right now with their clubs making minor alterations to the design each year I'm not sure how Taylormade could be faulted for this.

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I'm not faulting Taylormade for adding the weight. I'm just saying that the SLDR design sorely missed lateral forgiveness. And forgiveness in general.

It's just a design shortcoming with the sldr.
 
Not 100% sure I get this? Seems like they made the R15 even better (like all OEMs strive to do with each release) and the visible tech has some SLDR owners wondering if it will make their SLDRs (which are probably great drivers for them) even better. I can see where some '14 Alpha owners might add some tape on either side of the gravity core to try and hopefully improve the forgiveness on that driver as the 815 looks like that was one of the changes CG made. They are prominently displayed about 1/2 inch on either side of the core and my assumption is that was in some part done to improve forgiveness, as they themselves said was required.
 
I'm not faulting Taylormade for adding the weight. I'm just saying that the SLDR design sorely missed lateral forgiveness. And forgiveness in general.

It's just a design shortcoming with the sldr.

A lot of people that gamed the SLDR said it was not forgiving at all, but one of the longest (or the longest) they've ever gamed. Now, Taylormade says that having the two weights in the R15 adds "stability" (forgiveness?), but the two weights centered next to each other offers max distance. So that mean that max distance and "forgiveness" are mutually exclusive - or at least, is that what Taylormade is suggesting? It seems that way.

I don't care either way, and am not faulting Taylormade either. I'm just making observations.
 
I had mine in the bag for about 3 months before I went back to my 913 d2. Great driver but the slide got jammed and I cracked the hosel when my bag fell in the parking lot. I could've replaced it but just gave it to my buddy to have and repair for his bag. The Titleist .......I don't know what it is but I keep going back to it. Could be the straight piercing drives idk.
 
I have to say I'm one who likes the SLDR. I got the 430 head and more often than not hit the center of the face and very rarely toe it (some heal shots here and there) and yes you do loose some distance when I do so. That being said I haven't tried a driver where that isn't the case.

As for my Frankenstein club now I have to say that having the two 10 gram weights spaced out a bit makes the head feel more solid. I have a friend who has the exact same setup, 430 head and AD-DI 6 in a stiff flex and he hit it as well and said the same. I'm not sure it helped with the forgiveness but I liked the feel of the ball coming of the head better now. I'm stuck hitting in sims tough now since it will be another 4-5 months before the snow is gone here. This will be an interesting experiment come the spring time and for $15 not an expensive one.

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I have to say I'm one who likes the SLDR. I got the 430 head and more often than not hit the center of the face and very rarely toe it (some heal shots here and there) and yes you do loose some distance when I do so. That being said I haven't tried a driver where that isn't the case.

As for my Frankenstein club now I have to say that having the two 10 gram weights spaced out a bit makes the head feel more solid. I have a friend who has the exact same setup, 430 head and AD-DI 6 in a stiff flex and he hit it as well and said the same. I'm not sure it helped with the forgiveness but I liked the feel of the ball coming of the head better now. I'm stuck hitting in sims tough now since it will be another 4-5 months before the snow is gone here. This will be an interesting experiment come the spring time and for $15 not an expensive one.

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If I ever do get another slider it will be the 430cc mini. I've heard they go further and straighter but not sure if it would for everyone's swing. Different strokes for different folks for sure.
 
I had another range session today with the 430 and it was the best session with the driver I've ever had. To be fair though I've been working on different feelings or swing thoughts to stop pushing/slicing my driver shots. I ended up feeling like I was casting or unhinging very early in the swing. But it was working and resulted in long hits, 280+ and mostly draws (but some pulls depending on ball position). My swing coach noticed and looked and said I was definitely not casting so it's just the way it feels to me and not reality. I also got compliments from the guy behind me on the range of how long and straight my drives were. He actually asked me what flex shaft I was using because it flexed so much in the swing. He suggested I hit an x-flex and was shocked when he found out mine was an 83 gram X-flex shaft.

Anyway, as far as the weights go, 2x10 gram weights is much better than the 2x20's. It definitely made the club more balanced feeling to me. I still cannot drop the inner weight to any of the draw settings. It definitely causes me to shut the face way down and results in frequent low straight-hooks and even pull-hooks. I ended up leaving one weight in the factory (blue marked) setting and the other all the way out to fade. I had the most solid shots with it set up that way. But I had plenty of good shots with the two weights centered as well. I haven't hit it on a monitor though, so couldn't tell you if having both weights centered resulted in any extra distance for me.
 
He actually asked me what flex shaft I was using because it flexed so much in the swing. He suggested I hit an x-flex and was shocked when he found out mine was an 83 gram X-flex shaft.

/QUOTE]

I had someone tell me the same thing while on the course and range this week. Then it was recommended that I tip the shaft. To compensate or look for a XX-Flex. Being that I'm not getting any younger nor do I get out and play enough to continue to see swing speed increases I may just go with the Tipping Point.

Anyone out there have any experience with tipping this driver? Notice any significant changes?
 
I had someone tell me the same thing while on the course and range this week. Then it was recommended that I tip the shaft. To compensate or look for a XX-Flex. Being that I'm not getting any younger nor do I get out and play enough to continue to see swing speed increases I may just go with the Tipping Point.

Anyone out there have any experience with tipping this driver? Notice any significant changes?

The stock shafts on the TP models are tipped 1" from the factory. I play mine at 44.5 and it's an 8.3, so I don't think any extra tipping would be beneficial for me with my shaft.
 
10.5º head showed up today. It is a 55º December day so some range time seems necessary.

Edit: I liked it. Hard to tell too much because the range balls were really beat up and don't spin, I took a normal ball out of the shag bag and hit that and it flew like it should.
 
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Is there a separate thread for the SLDR S driver? Didn't see anything.


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I need to get a new driver and I think the SLDR is going to be at the top of the list.
 
Is there a separate thread for the SLDR S driver? Didn't see anything.


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I don't believe there is. I look for one a while ago.
 
I currently play a G25 set at 10 degrees. I hit it high and straight but get minimal roll out. The most success with a driver I have had to date. I have demoed the SLDR a number of times. Always seem to find the middle of the club face with it at the range. 12 degrees seems to be the magic loft for me. I definitely see more distance with the SLDR at the range (mostly in terms of roll out) but my bad swings don't end up as well. I am intrigued by the possibility of low spin possibly getting me a few more yards though so I bought a demo off eBay for a great price and will see how it goes. White model, 12 degrees, stock stiff shaft. I will of course keep the G25 as my trusty go to if it doesn't work out but am excited about having 2 totally different clubs to experiment with.
 
Still very impressed with the performance of my SLDR driver, seeing nothing negative about this driver.
 
New SLDR S owner checking in, can't wait to go hit some balls with it.
 
The SLDR was beastly today, made me feel 30 years younger, all the stars were aligned.
 
I finally got my SLDR dialed in. While I'm disappointed at how long it took to get the settings and swing just right, the wait and effort were definitely worth it as I'm killing the ball now. Great workability and distance. Glad I stuck with it!
 
I finally got my SLDR dialed in. While I'm disappointed at how long it took to get the settings and swing just right, the wait and effort were definitely worth it as I'm killing the ball now. Great workability and distance. Glad I stuck with it!

Did you have a fitting or did you go through a few rounds of trial and error?
 
Did you have a fitting or did you go through a few rounds of trial and error?

I actually did both. However, we found that the fitting had the club set up in a way that was not the best for me. It was trying too hard to create a draw and had over closed the club face (and messed with the loft).

The solution was actually playing a round with my club pro and hitting multiple tee shots per hole with the adjustment tool out. We finally got it dialed in very close for my swing, and a minor swing change brought it all together.
 
I actually did both. However, we found that the fitting had the club set up in a way that was not the best for me. It was trying too hard to create a draw and had over closed the club face (and messed with the loft).

The solution was actually playing a round with my club pro and hitting multiple tee shots per hole with the adjustment tool out. We finally got it dialed in very close for my swing, and a minor swing change brought it all together.

Ahh well that sounds like a solid plan and I'm glad it worked for you. From your first post it sounded like you just went out there and tinkered with settings until you found one that worked for you. Nothing wrong with that, just not as effective as having a professional dial you in. Good luck with the sldr. It's a monster when you connect on it
 
Ahh well that sounds like a solid plan and I'm glad it worked for you. From your first post it sounded like you just went out there and tinkered with settings until you found one that worked for you. Nothing wrong with that, just not as effective as having a professional dial you in. Good luck with the sldr. It's a monster when you connect on it

Yeah. The final conclusion was reached through the 'eye' test, nothing scientific about it and it took a long time. We used the machine to get into the ball park, but I'm not entirely convinced we couldn't have just skipped the machine and just played together and tinkered until it was dialed in.
 
I have played 3 rounds with mine so far. 12 degree set at 11.5 with stock stiff Speeder 57 shaft. First 2 rounds were off the charts. Hit the ball longer than I ever have. Carried it 10-15 yards longer than my G25 set at 10 degrees. Wet turf so all carry. It was so fun! 3rd round was a different story. My swing was off. I did hit 3 bombs reminiscent of the previous 2 rounds, but was all over the club face; the SLDR definitely felt less forgiving than my G25 when missing the center of the face but the end results weren't terrible. Anxious to see what happens next time out!
 
I have played 3 rounds with mine so far. 12 degree set at 11.5 with stock stiff Speeder 57 shaft. First 2 rounds were off the charts. Hit the ball longer than I ever have. Carried it 10-15 yards longer than my G25 set at 10 degrees. Wet turf so all carry. It was so fun! 3rd round was a different story. My swing was off. I did hit 3 bombs reminiscent of the previous 2 rounds, but was all over the club face; the SLDR definitely felt less forgiving than my G25 when missing the center of the face but the end results weren't terrible. Anxious to see what happens next time out!

Nice. I really like my SLDR. I see about 5 to seven yards more carry and a little more roll. The good news for me is that the weight forward design of the head has not produced any significant loss of distance issues for me when my impact AREA is not precisely and exactly all in the sweet spot, with no overlap outside that zone. All I expect out of a driver is one that will still give me a good enough result to keep me in the hole when hit very reasonably close to the sweet spot, for me my SLDR does that, no problems. Also it has been my experience with the Sldr ("and for that matter any of my drivers") if there is a significant off center toe or heel impact ( this can happen at times) , I won't be in love with the result and my game plan from there is to do whatever needs to be done to score at least a bogey or even come back for a par if I finish the rest of the hole well.
 
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