Well I guess so far I'm the minority. I feel like the stock tp shaft is right for me. I will take it to a fitting and go through that whole process but I'm not in a hurry to replace the Speeder
TaylorMade SLDR Driver - Review Thread
- Moderator
- #102
The Speeder is a great shaft. I look forward to seeing this in action next weekend.
This is my first time gaming one. Heck it's my first time gaming a tp driver. Maybe it's what I've been missing off the tee
TyJohnston
'Murica
This has me very excited! I just mentioned to Phil while we are at the range the other day and I felt the SLDR for the first time that it felt lighter and more aerodynamic compared to my r11s and that I would love to get my hands on an Optiforce to compare the two because all I've heard is how sick that thing is
- Moderator
- #106
I believe all the difference regarding "TP" is in the shaft.
45.25 in the Fujikura Motore Speeder TS (tour spec) 6.3 which weighs 65g with 2.7 torque (although Fujikura site says 3.4 and offers low spin, mid launch).
45.5 inches in the Fujikura Speeder 57 at 58g, 3.4 torque. Not really sure what aligns with that shaft on Fuji's site, but I would guess it's more like mid spin mid launch based on their weighting breakdowns of non TS speeders.
Yes. From what I've read the only difference from regular and tp is the shaft. My speeder says 67grams
TyJohnston
'Murica
Loving the Motore!
I actually think that is a great thing.
In an ideal world, sure, a company would make a driver that fit the needs of the guy who swings 115mph and looks to move the ball on demand and the guy who swings 90 and wants it to go dead straight eevry time as they hit it from toe to hosel. Realistically, that clubs doesn't exist. One of the things that makes product testing by forum users so great and so useful is the fact that we don't feel like we have to sugar coat anything. If the club(s) is the cure to all your ails, fantastic, if it is the source of every bad shot, let's hear that too. Either way there are very constructive ways to describe both initial and ongoing thoughts with these, and you all have started those discussions very nicely.
bogeybrain
New member
I see it kinda differently, I think it doesn't matter what is on the end of the club when comparing swing speeds etc. what matters is the shaft. The head itself can benefit everyone equally.
- Moderator
- #111
That's an interesting assessment, but I tend to disagree. I'm a high spin player, and have had MUCH better success with lower spinning heads regardless of the shafts I utilize.
bogeybrain
New member
that's actually my exact point. I probably didn't get it out right. technology in the head such as lower spin and lower cg will benefit everyone. i cant imagine someone looking for a higher spin driver that has a high center. if that makes sense... my point was that this is a good head and would benefit everyone using it but using the wrong shaft would more than likely yield not so desirable results appearing that the head wasn't right for them.
I will agree that a shaft can make a bigger difference than a head, but the spin and weighting characteristics of the head may not be ideal for what individuals look for. As an example, for me, the ideal would be a lowish spinning head that provided good forgiveness across the entire face since my swing isn't consistant enough to hit the same spot on the face every time. If I was playing a higher spinning head, with a small sweet spot, I may be able to pair a shaft that brings the spin down some, but a shaft for me can't fix the sweet spot. As a different thought on head design, the driver I was playing this weekend (which shall remain nameless since it is irrelevant to the SLDR testing) has internal, fixed waiting to promote a draw. That may be great for people who slice the ball, or for someone who wants to hit it with a small draw, but it sucked for me when I was pulling the ball off the face of the planet.
Again, I don't view it as a bad thing, but I know I have played the same shaft now in six different heads, and gotten six different results...only one of which was any good for me.
bogeybrain
New member
where did you see the difference? rollout? dispersion?
Keeping a shaft at a constant, with different head of the same loft, I have seen differences in distance, trajectory, and dispersion. Again, I can't say that somewhere in the catalog of shafts there isn't one that would have been better for me as a pairing to each driver, but each head is definitely not the same.
Matt E.
Member
With a custom paint job........really hope it's plasti dip lol
Wow this is a Great review thread! I feel that in the past with most review threads, almost everyone's feelings were the same if not slightly different...however I am hearing terms like "very forgiving" and "A pros driver" in the same thread...going to be very interesting where this goes....I myself game an R11S and love it (I Had an R1 for about a month and didn't like it at all - not consistent)
Keep up the great reviews gents!
Keep up the great reviews gents!
Ya I'm actually shocked at how different everyone's take is on this club. To me, it makes for the perfect testing thread. We have a wide variety of swing speeds testing this so the feedback will be similar to that.
I was reading some comments from tour players about the SLDR. Troy Matteson had a real good quote about this driver that I think can be applied here too.... "The guys who don't like it are the ones who already spin it low. For the guys who are high-spin long hitters, it goes a mile."
I was reading some comments from tour players about the SLDR. Troy Matteson had a real good quote about this driver that I think can be applied here too.... "The guys who don't like it are the ones who already spin it low. For the guys who are high-spin long hitters, it goes a mile."
Played 18 today, using the SLDR exclusively off the tee for all par 4's and 5's (screw you, course management!) and realized two things: 1) my biggest miss is caused by swinging to the ball instead of through the ball, and; 2) this driver is really, really good. I mean really good. I wouldn't say I'm all the way locked in, and it was frustrating to make contact dead-center on the club-face and still see a slice because I leave my hands open instead of swinging through the ball, but that's not the club's fault. I think I've about got the slide-weight to the right spot, a little center of the second hashmark on the draw side and neutral loft (though that may change).
When you get it dialed in, this club is a cannon. My "misses" were usually low on the face and toward the heel and still good for 210-215 with more fade than I like, and my hits were 230-240 total distance and straight. I know I'm not a bomber by any stretch of the imagination, but these are darn good numbers for me. The dispersion is a bit more than I was hoping, but that's more my fault. I had the course to myself and, once I felt like my swing was really grooving, I hit 5 or 6 drives that were all in the fairway and within 20 or 25 yards of one another, all on the fairway. Bummer that that was the 17th hole, or else my score would probably have been a bit better. Still, much of my home course's difficulty lies in clearing hills off the tee, and being able to do that from the white tees today was a real plus.
So yes, I'm a believer. I still don't think this is an "off-the-rack" club or even a weekend warrior driver the way, say, the Amp Cell or the Cleveland Classic XL is something a player can just about pick up and immediately see some success off the tee. I think it can afford to be a bit unforgiving because a more serious player with a consistent swing will get the club dialed in how he likes, and as a result get more distance than a less customizable driver. The reward is, I believe, players who really love this club. I'm turning into one of them.
When you get it dialed in, this club is a cannon. My "misses" were usually low on the face and toward the heel and still good for 210-215 with more fade than I like, and my hits were 230-240 total distance and straight. I know I'm not a bomber by any stretch of the imagination, but these are darn good numbers for me. The dispersion is a bit more than I was hoping, but that's more my fault. I had the course to myself and, once I felt like my swing was really grooving, I hit 5 or 6 drives that were all in the fairway and within 20 or 25 yards of one another, all on the fairway. Bummer that that was the 17th hole, or else my score would probably have been a bit better. Still, much of my home course's difficulty lies in clearing hills off the tee, and being able to do that from the white tees today was a real plus.
So yes, I'm a believer. I still don't think this is an "off-the-rack" club or even a weekend warrior driver the way, say, the Amp Cell or the Cleveland Classic XL is something a player can just about pick up and immediately see some success off the tee. I think it can afford to be a bit unforgiving because a more serious player with a consistent swing will get the club dialed in how he likes, and as a result get more distance than a less customizable driver. The reward is, I believe, players who really love this club. I'm turning into one of them.
jt2929
Equipment Junkie
I just had a pleasant knock at the door during a huge thunderstorm. To my surprise it was FedEx with my SLDR! My first impressions upon opening the box: Wow, this club is awesome to look at. I love the color scheme on the bottom of the club. Silver with blue accents looks so good. The crown looks more grey than black to me, and I like it. At this moment in time just setting the club up as if I were to hit a ball, the silver on the back of the crown is very distracting to me. Maybe it is because I'm not actually hitting a ball yet and I won't even notice it at the range or on the course, but time will tell. I was given a 12* head for this testing. I've never hit anything higher than a 10.5* driver, so I'm very interested to see the ball flight at 12*
I've seen a few complaints about the grip on this club, but to me it is very much like a Tour Velvet. I play GPTV grips on all my other clubs and this one feels very similar. Below is a close up pic of the grip.
Next up is the shaft. I was fully expecting the stock shaft in my SLDR, but to my surprise I was given the Aldila NV 44 Magnum in stiff flex. This is a 45g shaft and only 2g heavier than the Miyazaki I have been gaming.
Needless to say, I am very anxious to hit this baby and will be hitting the range first thing tomorrow morning. I'd like to thank TaylorMade and THP again for this awesome opportunity and I can't wait to add to this already rocking review thread.
I've seen a few complaints about the grip on this club, but to me it is very much like a Tour Velvet. I play GPTV grips on all my other clubs and this one feels very similar. Below is a close up pic of the grip.
Next up is the shaft. I was fully expecting the stock shaft in my SLDR, but to my surprise I was given the Aldila NV 44 Magnum in stiff flex. This is a 45g shaft and only 2g heavier than the Miyazaki I have been gaming.
Needless to say, I am very anxious to hit this baby and will be hitting the range first thing tomorrow morning. I'd like to thank TaylorMade and THP again for this awesome opportunity and I can't wait to add to this already rocking review thread.
Was able to sneak out of work early and get to the range tonight. Got a medium bucket which was 75 balls. Hit about four 7i just to loosen up and then went right to the SLDR. I hit a total of 50 balls with the driver. My night was cut short by rain. I gave myself a target line which would be my fairway. There were two lines of yard markers that formed a perfect target line and the markers were about 20 yards apart so that was my fairway. Out of the 50 balls, 34 hit the fairway, 12 just left or right but in play and 4 brain farts. The 68% fir is a 7% improvement to my stats on obb. And honestly, this was a tight "fairway" I was hitting into. I messed around with the loft a little because i felt I was getting too high if a ball flight but I never liked the feel after the change so after a couple balls I went back to neutral (10.5). I'm real happy with how this club reacts to a smooth swing. Like Paladin, my only slices came when I felt like I was reaching out a little too much. All in all, I'm going to be gaming this driver exclusively from now on.
One more thing to add. I find it difficult to make the right adjustments for myself with the settings on the driver. Maybe I don't have the trained eye to notice the problems, but I really feel that if I went and got tuned in with a club pro/teacher and a launch monitor, it would only be to my benefit.
One more thing to add. I find it difficult to make the right adjustments for myself with the settings on the driver. Maybe I don't have the trained eye to notice the problems, but I really feel that if I went and got tuned in with a club pro/teacher and a launch monitor, it would only be to my benefit.
RPBGator
New member
First of all I want thank TaylorMade Golf and THP for the opportunity to test out this new driver. I am beyond excited to see what this driver can do for me and my game!
Here are some of my initial thoughts:
- Non-white crown looks great. I was a fan of the white but not the R1 graphics. This top looks great!
- Driver looks great at address. The marks in the back look like they help get square but hard to notice at address.
- The adjustment on the bottom is very easy. Slides and locks down with no problems at all.
- There is no face angle adjustment as there was with the R11 - R1's. I was always neutral or closed, so it will be interesting to see how this performs without that option.
- I was given the Fujikura Fuel 50g Stiff Shaft. So glad to try and get something that is close to what I had and not the stock. Should be a medium to low launch according to their site.
- Headcover is very nice. It's big but already has the broken in feeling to it. Slides easily on and off right from the start.
- The stock grip is bad. Just swinging in the yard and a little Florida humidity and I felt like I could lose it. Easy fix and change!
Here are some photos and if anyone needs or wants more detailed photos, please let me know. Playing in the morning with troyefl and cannot wait to give this thing a spin! Taylormade sent the driver set up in 11* loft, so I'm leaving it there for now.
One other note. The face is deep and reminded me of my Cleveland Classic. Here are a few pics next to the Classic and Amp Cell.
Edit: Not sure why some are upside down. Not showing up that way in Photobucket. Trying to fix
Here are some of my initial thoughts:
- Non-white crown looks great. I was a fan of the white but not the R1 graphics. This top looks great!
- Driver looks great at address. The marks in the back look like they help get square but hard to notice at address.
- The adjustment on the bottom is very easy. Slides and locks down with no problems at all.
- There is no face angle adjustment as there was with the R11 - R1's. I was always neutral or closed, so it will be interesting to see how this performs without that option.
- I was given the Fujikura Fuel 50g Stiff Shaft. So glad to try and get something that is close to what I had and not the stock. Should be a medium to low launch according to their site.
- Headcover is very nice. It's big but already has the broken in feeling to it. Slides easily on and off right from the start.
- The stock grip is bad. Just swinging in the yard and a little Florida humidity and I felt like I could lose it. Easy fix and change!
Here are some photos and if anyone needs or wants more detailed photos, please let me know. Playing in the morning with troyefl and cannot wait to give this thing a spin! Taylormade sent the driver set up in 11* loft, so I'm leaving it there for now.
One other note. The face is deep and reminded me of my Cleveland Classic. Here are a few pics next to the Classic and Amp Cell.
Edit: Not sure why some are upside down. Not showing up that way in Photobucket. Trying to fix
Chicken Man
New member
Going out to play my first round with the SLDR tomorrow. I thought my SpeedBlades irons were coming today, but they shipped my 7 iron back to me that I left at The Kingdom at my fitting. That's the bad thing about being a lefty, everything just takes a little longer.
i will let you guys know how it went.
i will let you guys know how it went.