TaylorMade SpeedBlade Irons Review Thread
Man ... how do I get involved in something like this?? This is fantastic!!
I have the SW, and have had really good success out of the sand with it. Both fluffy and firm sand haven't been a problem. Just open her up a bit and stay aggressive, and the club will sweep through the sand pretty easily.
Keep an eye out for 2015 ultimate testing opportunities
I don't normally use a SW out of the sand. Mostly just around the greens and for shots inside of 70yds or full shots from 90-115 yds
OK. I have also been using it for shots about 75-90 yards with a partial swing. I think there's a little more bounce than the AW. These shots have been point and shoot with the SW and AW. I also have the LW for 50-60 yard shots, and I use the LW and AW around the greens.
If you need less distance than the AW but you want to put the same type of swing on it, the SW should fit in there seamlessly for you.
yahtzee
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I have the new Tour Preferred wedges in 54 (bent to 55) and 60....the standard bounce options, not the ATV grind. Now knowing how easy these irons are to hit I am curious about replacing my 55 with the SB 55....my sand game with my 60 is excellent so not sure I want to mess with that but chipping around the greens with it almost always ensures chunky shot.
mark blanchard
New member
I had the set 55 and 60 wedges, used them awhile, but sold them off replacing them with ATV's. They were fine when used on straight, full shots where the sole interaction and bounce were not an issue. I had significantly more problems with them whenever I tried to open them up for flops or pick thin lies. In those cases the blocky square edged metal shelf on the back of the clubs near the toe seemed to "catch" in the grass on takeaway. This wasn't a problem with the AW, because I never opened it up and I could have kept it, but it was a problem with the SW and even more so the LW.
The ATV's and the Tour Preferreds don't have this shelf, so they don't drag going back. Because the ATV's can be opened and flopped so easily, I found that I don't really need my LW anymore, the SW can mimic it in most situations. I don't bag it unless I'm playing a course with wicked deep bunkers. That said, I did adjust my shaft lengths and have my ATV's bent for loft to 50 and 55 (away from 52 and 56 standards) to better mimic the distance patterns of the SB set. I also regripped them with SB ribbed grips to match the feel across the board. Here's a pic. For those who care, the ATV or TP wedges have milled or micro-etched faces while the set wedges have none.
The ATV's and the Tour Preferreds don't have this shelf, so they don't drag going back. Because the ATV's can be opened and flopped so easily, I found that I don't really need my LW anymore, the SW can mimic it in most situations. I don't bag it unless I'm playing a course with wicked deep bunkers. That said, I did adjust my shaft lengths and have my ATV's bent for loft to 50 and 55 (away from 52 and 56 standards) to better mimic the distance patterns of the SB set. I also regripped them with SB ribbed grips to match the feel across the board. Here's a pic. For those who care, the ATV or TP wedges have milled or micro-etched faces while the set wedges have none.
HuntGolfVols
New member
Those are some Sexy wedges
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LEFTY57
Active member
Best round on my home course in in a dozen or so years with the speed blades, even par 72 . My hcp has dropped from a 12 to an 8 in the last 6 weeks .Only 1 round over 80, just freaking crazy. These things are pure gold point and shoot . I don't work the ball much with them but can if needed , baby fades and draws . Simply put the best irons I have ever played . gb
Lions81
Well-known member
Have been gaming these irons all year and love them. Great distance, high launch and pretty good accuracy and forgiveness. I did have my first jumper/hot spot shot with them yesterday however. Hit a 9 iron 30 yards further than I have ever hit one in my entire life. which lead to flying the green by 25 yards and a crushing double bogey. Glad it happened during just a regular saturday morning rd rather than a tournament. Guess it happening one time in 30 rds isnt too bad. Just hope it doesnt happen again and I'll chalk it up as a fluke.
Overall a great set of irons, and really fun to play.
Overall a great set of irons, and really fun to play.
That's not an awful idea. I love the 4i so I need to see how the 3i feels
mark blanchard
New member
That's all I use my 3 iron for. It goes 235-250. It's a little hard to get airborne off the turf, so I'll hit the 4 iron or 5 wood in those situations.
Good news is I hit an 8i 198 yds today. Bad news is I think the golfshot app was broken. Lol
I feel like I am getting better and better with these. Confidence is always there but my aim isn't always compliant. I hit a 5i to within 5ft from 180 today. Don't think I have ever hit a 5i that far. I did blade a couple aw shots but they were goofy lies and swing flaws more than club issues.
One thing I really am digging is the bump and run with a 7 or 8. Just taking a putting stroke is enough to get the ball moving and feels so crisp.
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I feel like I am getting better and better with these. Confidence is always there but my aim isn't always compliant. I hit a 5i to within 5ft from 180 today. Don't think I have ever hit a 5i that far. I did blade a couple aw shots but they were goofy lies and swing flaws more than club issues.
One thing I really am digging is the bump and run with a 7 or 8. Just taking a putting stroke is enough to get the ball moving and feels so crisp.
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mark blanchard
New member
Weird that you mention that 7i bump and run. I've used it a ton lately with a choked down putter stroke swing. It will go 110-120 pretty accurately. The sole bounce and speedslot makes it easy to get these going. Just don't try to hood them for a ground draw. l also use a 70 yard putter stroke wedge shot.
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ImaBeRealReal
New member
Anyone compared these to the rocketbladez tour or tour preceded cb? Thinking of returning to a more traditional iron as my swing comes back I am finding issues with the length of the shaft and turf interaction :/
The new TP CB are probably my least favorite iron I've hit in a while. My opinion, no where near as good of an option as the speedblades. I did game the 2012 TP CB and those were better than the 2014 model but still not close to the speedblades
Not firsthand knowledge but a club pro I know well absolutely hated his rbladez tours, ditched them within 3 weeks of acquiring them. Even with his incredible swing he said they were tough to hit consistantly, shorter than he'd have guessed given their profile, and real hard to work. He just loves his current speedblades, "no comparison, best all around irons he's ever played" was his description. FWIW he never really tried the regular (non-tour) rbladez and was hitting mine side by side with his speedblades on the range. He stated they played much closer to his speedblades than did his old rbladez tours. This despite his old tours being custom built for him by TM, as are all his sets.
ImaBeRealReal
New member
Good to know thanks. I've heard mixed reviews on the tours. I may look into reshafting the speedblades with something not so long I loved the KBS tours in the r11s
Gotta put things into context to be fair though. I've never personally hit the tours, while the guy I'm talking about is an incredibly advanced golfer and expects (and gets) much more from his equipment than most of us ever could. "inconsistant" and "short" for him is better than anything I'd ever dream of.
I think the majority on this site prefer the Speedblade, I am one of the few that love the TP CB. I prefer the shorter, heavier shaft as for me dispersion and consistency are bigger concerns than distance. Distance wise they can't compete with the Speedblade. All my distance gaps are covered so I can live with not hitting a 7 iron 200 yards. The TP CB are all about consistency for me.
I haven't hit them, but you may also want to consider the SLDR as they have shaft lengths similar to the CB but are kind of a step in between.
ImaBeRealReal
New member
True... Short probably means a 30 vs 5 foot putt short for me means in the water lol. I liked my R11s a lot... I love the SB but the shaft length bothers me at times.
Texasbrons
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There's another great thread on here about the Apex clubs. Hopefully you are reviewing that thread. You can probably find some people that have hit both and can give you a side by side perspective as well.