TaylorMade GAPR MID - THP Review Thread
Got one of these coming that I traded for. Unfortunately, it has a regular flex shaft so another purchase will have to happen. I'm hoping for lower launch and spin than a traditional hybrid with similar forgiveness.
Will any of the more recent TM hybrid adapters swap straight in? I know some brands UT irons and hybrids have different adapters.
Will any of the more recent TM hybrid adapters swap straight in? I know some brands UT irons and hybrids have different adapters.
- Staff
- #28
Yep, they're backwards compatible.
Molten,
I've enjoyed following along. Great pictures BTW.
I am definitely interested in either the HI or MID. With my recent improvements in ball contact I might be able to game a MID. Hopefully, I will be able to demo them both soon.
I've enjoyed following along. Great pictures BTW.
I am definitely interested in either the HI or MID. With my recent improvements in ball contact I might be able to game a MID. Hopefully, I will be able to demo them both soon.
You're killing it with this review Molten and I can't wait to see if your next test reveals similar results to what I recently experienced. I was able to sign out a GAPR MID #3 for a few days of testing H2H versus my current #3 hybrid and my set 4 iron. I don't want to muddy up your official review with my own results yet, but suffice to say I've been shopping hard for a #2 hybrid since I wound up that testing. I want that GAPR MID #3 in the bag but prefer to have a traditional hybrid in there too. Sooo the hybrid will need to be longer than what I have now to make sense. Two new clubs...yay.
- Thread starter
- #32
Glad you are enjoying random musings and the MID (god knows I am!). Muddy away btw - more the better in my book.
This club has been a lot of fun and has exceeded expectations. The UDI is unlikely to regain its spot in the bag.
Cool - Thanks Molten
I recently had a few days to put a Gapr MID 18* up against my M3 3H gamer (set to similar lofts). For reference; I'm in my early 60s and never had close to Molten's club speed in my best days. With a lot of work I've increased my average driver speed to 95-96 over the past few years. I've also never had issues hitting long irons decently, my sets up to 2014 always went up to 1 iron, so the MID profile suits me well. Hybrids OTOH took me some time to figure out and still can bring out my worst miss (over cooked draws/hooks) at the worst times. My impetus to begin looking into driving irons again came from being selected to a traveling senior golf association this summer. It got me on a lot of top notch venues I'd never otherwise have access to but the forward tees absolutely killed me in many of these events.
These results were all collected outdoors, rotating between clubs in the same sessions. I'd sometimes install the Tensei Blue (@ 1/2" longer) from my M3 into the MID. My little launch monitor is limited. The only actual measurements are club head speed and ball speed, other results are observations or calculations. The blue references my M3 hybrid, the green is gapr MID. I played the full shots scored below from short tees, mats, and fairway lies, similar percentages of each for both clubs.
Full shots scored: 108 63
Average club speed: 88.17 87.04
Average ball speed: 124.53 122.62
Smash Factor: 1.412 1.409 (a little lower than my typical hybrid SF which indicates I wasn't swinging optimal during these tests - a good thing when I'm seeking a fix IMO).
Average carry yards: 190.41 187.02
% fairway hit: 63.9 49.2 (worse than my typical with hybrid, even significantly worse than driver %, another indicator that I wasn't swinging optimal).
Likely TROUBLE MISS %: 4.6 11.1 (Trouble Misses are bad enough to likely reach SEVERE trouble and/or cost penalty shots).
Observed 'Launch' difference: M3 higher by @ 1.8* on average
Throughout my bag I am more prone to miss big left than I am right, therefore I favor clubs that best mitigate that tendency, especially distance clubs. Here is a breakdown of the percentages of the shot shape distribution I got from each club from left to right:
HOOK 8.9% 19.0% / DRAW 24.1% 33.3% / BABY DRAW 28.7% 25.4% / STRAIGHT 27.8% 17.5% / BABY FADE 9.3% 4.8% / FADE 1.9% 0% / SLICE 0% 0%
In addition I compared a few 'other' shots with each club as follows:
LIGHT ROUGH EVEN / HEAVIER ROUGH adv M3 / FAIRWAY BUNKERslight adv M3 / NEAR GREEN CHUTT/CHIP slight adv GAPR / LOW PUNCH adv GAPR / PUNCH WITH CONTROLLED CURVE big adv GAPR (especially if needing to come out low and then curve right).
Overall I'm very impressed with the gapr MID and will look to add it soon. It's straight! My issue is I still want a long hybrid for when I need it but the MID rolls out to the same spot (or a couple yards further) as my M3 hybrid. I might need to replace my M3 3H with a looonger 2H to make sense with my gaps.
I recently had a few days to put a Gapr MID 18* up against my M3 3H gamer (set to similar lofts). For reference; I'm in my early 60s and never had close to Molten's club speed in my best days. With a lot of work I've increased my average driver speed to 95-96 over the past few years. I've also never had issues hitting long irons decently, my sets up to 2014 always went up to 1 iron, so the MID profile suits me well. Hybrids OTOH took me some time to figure out and still can bring out my worst miss (over cooked draws/hooks) at the worst times. My impetus to begin looking into driving irons again came from being selected to a traveling senior golf association this summer. It got me on a lot of top notch venues I'd never otherwise have access to but the forward tees absolutely killed me in many of these events.
These results were all collected outdoors, rotating between clubs in the same sessions. I'd sometimes install the Tensei Blue (@ 1/2" longer) from my M3 into the MID. My little launch monitor is limited. The only actual measurements are club head speed and ball speed, other results are observations or calculations. The blue references my M3 hybrid, the green is gapr MID. I played the full shots scored below from short tees, mats, and fairway lies, similar percentages of each for both clubs.
Full shots scored: 108 63
Average club speed: 88.17 87.04
Average ball speed: 124.53 122.62
Smash Factor: 1.412 1.409 (a little lower than my typical hybrid SF which indicates I wasn't swinging optimal during these tests - a good thing when I'm seeking a fix IMO).
Average carry yards: 190.41 187.02
% fairway hit: 63.9 49.2 (worse than my typical with hybrid, even significantly worse than driver %, another indicator that I wasn't swinging optimal).
Likely TROUBLE MISS %: 4.6 11.1 (Trouble Misses are bad enough to likely reach SEVERE trouble and/or cost penalty shots).
Observed 'Launch' difference: M3 higher by @ 1.8* on average
Throughout my bag I am more prone to miss big left than I am right, therefore I favor clubs that best mitigate that tendency, especially distance clubs. Here is a breakdown of the percentages of the shot shape distribution I got from each club from left to right:
HOOK 8.9% 19.0% / DRAW 24.1% 33.3% / BABY DRAW 28.7% 25.4% / STRAIGHT 27.8% 17.5% / BABY FADE 9.3% 4.8% / FADE 1.9% 0% / SLICE 0% 0%
In addition I compared a few 'other' shots with each club as follows:
LIGHT ROUGH EVEN / HEAVIER ROUGH adv M3 / FAIRWAY BUNKERslight adv M3 / NEAR GREEN CHUTT/CHIP slight adv GAPR / LOW PUNCH adv GAPR / PUNCH WITH CONTROLLED CURVE big adv GAPR (especially if needing to come out low and then curve right).
Overall I'm very impressed with the gapr MID and will look to add it soon. It's straight! My issue is I still want a long hybrid for when I need it but the MID rolls out to the same spot (or a couple yards further) as my M3 hybrid. I might need to replace my M3 3H with a looonger 2H to make sense with my gaps.
interesting stuff. pretty much as i expected out of something with this profile
- Thread starter
- #35
Took the MID out to the range to see if I could get some swings in before the rain. I had what can only be described as my “C-“ swing today. The forgiveness was getting a real test and it was pretty solid. For example, unintentionally fading balls were still carrying 200 and not tracking too far off line. Lost 10 yards carry but would have stayed in play and likely the fairway or first cut. That’s a win for me with that swing.
Mercifully the rain ended my session early and before a hybrid comparison took place - that data would have been compromised by the user anyway.
One negative I’ve found - the finish on the sole wears a bit faster than I would like, particularly where the speed pocket is. You never notice it unless it’s just sitting there in the bag but worth mentioning.
Mercifully the rain ended my session early and before a hybrid comparison took place - that data would have been compromised by the user anyway.
One negative I’ve found - the finish on the sole wears a bit faster than I would like, particularly where the speed pocket is. You never notice it unless it’s just sitting there in the bag but worth mentioning.
- Thread starter
- #36
Another weekend round on a very wet course with the MID. On the first tee, a partner (I did not know) commented on the club unprompted and said he didn’t like the shape and that it wasn’t a ping club. He changed his tune after a few holes - wouldn’t be surprised if it didn’t get some ponder for his bag. It is so darn easy to hit despite its low loft.
I wanted to update things coming out of the rough. If the ball is sitting up a bit and you have a good lie, swing away and have no fear. It will cut through rough and flies as expected with a decent lie. With questionable lies, I’ve seen the ball come out low but with a TON of roll. The MID out of the rough set up several birdie looks today.
Off the tee it was absolutely point a shoot for ~210 carry. I hit it as often as I could and the low launch worked wonders in the wind.
I’m beyond sold on the head. The shaft pairing might be worth playing with, although I’m content with its performance too.
I wanted to update things coming out of the rough. If the ball is sitting up a bit and you have a good lie, swing away and have no fear. It will cut through rough and flies as expected with a decent lie. With questionable lies, I’ve seen the ball come out low but with a TON of roll. The MID out of the rough set up several birdie looks today.
Off the tee it was absolutely point a shoot for ~210 carry. I hit it as often as I could and the low launch worked wonders in the wind.
I’m beyond sold on the head. The shaft pairing might be worth playing with, although I’m content with its performance too.
- Admin
- #37
Haha, I love the first tee feedback.
That’s just dirty. I like it!
- Thread starter
- #40
The wind had plenty to do with the total distance being the same but keeping it under the wind was all it took to show off. Off the tee it shines, good off the turf, and good out of the rough.
As I said, opinions changed quickly. He asked about it again on the 4th tee box when I did the same thing again.
- Thread starter
- #41
Another day with the MID in the bag and another day where the ball speed all over the face impressed. Also, the early results are showing this as longer (and more adjustable) than my current 3 hybrid in the bag. The downside as compared to the other hybrid is pretty clear - it doesn't get up as fast or land quite as soft. Could be a shaft pairing issue because the launch has been solid. If you need a hybrid to land really soft, this may not be a perfect club with the stock offering.
- Thread starter
- #43
As I’m reflecting on the MID review period right before I’m putting fingers to keyboard, I’m really taken by the versatility of this club. I might tinker with the shaft a bit but the MID has a place in my bag. The most “duh” comment I have to make is that speed foam is great at producing killer ball speed all over the face (and as a 12 I tested the whole face)
The sound is reasonably good and iron like too. Simply put, you know when you hit the sweet spot and it rewards you with a bit of a solid crack. Off center shots are more muted. My sound testing was done indoors so it was louder than normal in all respects but I find it pleasing, particularly when you catch one.
I did some LM testing altering the loft to various settings and found I could launch as low as 9 degrees or as high as 17. Funny enough, the carry differences weren’t all that different between the lowest and the standard setting (due to my swing speed I’m guessing). The carry changed a bit as I went north of standard. The flight was flatter than a typical hybrid in large part because of the shaft and my swing. Sorry for the lack of numbers - I had a little software hiccup (rookie mistake, I know I know). I’m going to try to recapture the data Sunday night.
For those looking for a direct comparison with the 3 hybrid in my bag, I got some time with a direct comparison between them. Slightly better ball speed off the MID and carried about 8 yards longer at the same loft. Tuning things in, I found a great setting where the draw distance was a great fit between the 4 iron and 3 wood but the fade distance was pretty close to a 3 iron. I’m going to keep it here for a while.
As always, this thing is deadly off the tee. It’s a driving iron for the rest of us.
The sound is reasonably good and iron like too. Simply put, you know when you hit the sweet spot and it rewards you with a bit of a solid crack. Off center shots are more muted. My sound testing was done indoors so it was louder than normal in all respects but I find it pleasing, particularly when you catch one.
I did some LM testing altering the loft to various settings and found I could launch as low as 9 degrees or as high as 17. Funny enough, the carry differences weren’t all that different between the lowest and the standard setting (due to my swing speed I’m guessing). The carry changed a bit as I went north of standard. The flight was flatter than a typical hybrid in large part because of the shaft and my swing. Sorry for the lack of numbers - I had a little software hiccup (rookie mistake, I know I know). I’m going to try to recapture the data Sunday night.
For those looking for a direct comparison with the 3 hybrid in my bag, I got some time with a direct comparison between them. Slightly better ball speed off the MID and carried about 8 yards longer at the same loft. Tuning things in, I found a great setting where the draw distance was a great fit between the 4 iron and 3 wood but the fade distance was pretty close to a 3 iron. I’m going to keep it here for a while.
As always, this thing is deadly off the tee. It’s a driving iron for the rest of us.
BigBear
Member
Is this really that much different to the Adams Pro mini Hybrids from 2015?
- Thread starter
- #45
I presume you mean the Pro DHy. I never had that club but I can say that the shape appears similar. The insides and technology appear to be quite different between the two, however.
I have a Pro Mini and Proto DHy
GAPR Mid is comparable to the Pro Mini
GAPR Lo is comparable to the DHy
however the GAPR Mid and Lo both have flat faces, different weighting, and injected foam
BigBear
Member
Will go give them a hit this week. Need to find a club that gives me 200-210 yards with a lot of spin for those long par 3’s.
I can get there with my 5 iron but they just roll to the back of the green.
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I can get there with my 5 iron but they just roll to the back of the green.
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- Thread starter
- #48
The ability to adjust your loft may help with your goal but it will all come down to your swing. If you are a high spin player, this might do the trick but I haven’t been seeing a lot of spin at my swing speed (certainly less than my 5 iron).
Either way, it’s worth a test - sneaky good club.
BigBear
Member
I think you are on the money with that statement. It will probably come down to descending angle more than spin.
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- Thread starter
- #50
For those of you interested in seeing how much you can tune by moving +/- 1.5 degrees, check these two shots out:
Club Ball Ball Speed Launch Angle Side Angle Backspin Sidespin Tilt Angle Total Spin Carry Total Descent Angle Peak Height
GAPR MID Standard 132.9 13.5 2.4 R 3483 849 L 13.7 L 3585 206.6 223.6 40 28.7
GAPR MID Standard 132.4 13.8 1.3 R 2807 726 L 14.5 L 2899 212.1 231.1 37.7 27.6
The other huge difference is the angle of descent - on average (30 shots) it was 42 at 19.5 degree and 38 at 16.5. The average peak height over 30 shots was 5 yards (!!!) higher with the 19.5 degree loft compared to 16.5.
So much data to pour through today.
Club Ball Ball Speed Launch Angle Side Angle Backspin Sidespin Tilt Angle Total Spin Carry Total Descent Angle Peak Height
GAPR MID Standard 132.9 13.5 2.4 R 3483 849 L 13.7 L 3585 206.6 223.6 40 28.7
GAPR MID Standard 132.4 13.8 1.3 R 2807 726 L 14.5 L 2899 212.1 231.1 37.7 27.6
The other huge difference is the angle of descent - on average (30 shots) it was 42 at 19.5 degree and 38 at 16.5. The average peak height over 30 shots was 5 yards (!!!) higher with the 19.5 degree loft compared to 16.5.
So much data to pour through today.