Golfers spend a lot of time each year trying out drivers to get that extra “something” out of technology and often times the fairway woods that are put in the bag are a little overlooked. I know that has been the case for me over the past decade or so playing golf and it usually goes something like this.
1. Demo drivers until I find what works best for me.
2. Get 3 wood that matches driver.
3. Struggle with 3 wood repeatedly for a season of golf.
4. Repeat starting with step 1.
Recently I decided to take a different stance and try and find a fairway wood that matched my game and how I play rather than the name on my driver.
Technology
*Improved SuperFast technology package promotes more swing speed, more ball speed and more distanct 10 yards longer than standard fairways.
*Super light 30-gram WINN grip that doesn’t sacrafice feel or traction.
*Bigger, more exapansive clubface, and largest steel head Taylormade has ever offered (200cc 3 wood) is easier to hit and confidence building.
*Matrix Ozik X-Con 4.8 with soft tip is lightweight for a faster swing speed, high launch angle and high spin for long carry.
Price Tag – $199.99
Looks
This is definitely a “different” looking fairway wood and at first glance (via pictures) I was not sure what to expect, but in hand, the club looks edgy, modern, sharp, and begging to be hit. The crown of the club features a glossy black paint that is filled with a honeycomb type of pattern in a feint gray color. In front of the pattern (it stops about half an inch short of the face) is a red alignment aid that is actually the Burner Logo we have grown to know over the years. The shape of the head is more noticeable at setup and the back edge features a thin red outline that helps make the 3 wood appear more traditional when setting up to the ball. The sole of the club is incredibly unique compared to just about any fairway wood I have ever picked up. It features a large number that is “etched” into it and there are gradual “steps” from the back edge to the center of the club that are distinctive and were called by our testers “gills”. The overall package is very different than what we have come to expect out of woods, and more specifically fairway woods, but we found it quite satisfying once we had the club in our hands.
Range Testing
THP gathered up 5 golfers and went over to the range and had them hit some balls with the new Taylormade Burner SuperFast 3 wood and compare it to their current fairway wood of choice. We asked each golfer to hit balls both teed up and off the grass to get a comparison since we find that so many struggle with the 3 wood off the deck. Their thoughts:
Teed Up – 10 out of 10. All five golfers said that this may in fact be the best fairway wood they have ever tried off the tee. The distance they were achieving was closer to 15 yards longer than their current 3 wood of choice (based on VectorX Launch Monitor Numbers) and people were talking about how this could replace their driver in many situations. Shot dispersion was right on line as far as accuracy goes and the testers could not get enough of it in teed conditions.
Off the Turf – 7 out of 10. The five golfers were struggling somewhat with fairway woods off the grass with both their regular model of choice and the new Taylormade Burner SuperFast. What they found with this club is that it was again significantly longer in distance than their current model, but the tight dispersion they saw off the tee was not the same off the ground. This had more to do with the golfers than it did the golf club and 4 out of 5 of the testers preferred this model off the grass to their current club.
Course Testing
This club was thoroughly tested by myself and several others on the course at the recent THP FL Golf Outing. Since the first time I tested this club several months ago, it has been firmly planted in my golf bag as my fairway wood. It does not match my driver (right now) and it is not going anywhere anytime soon. The distance and accuracy I am seeing with this club is unlike any 3 wood I have seen before off the tee. It is giving me the distance of a 2 wood with the accuracy of a 5 wood in a lot of ways, and that is something we really had not seen before.
I have actually been using this club to tee off with almost as much as my driver because the distance is simply exploding compared to others and the accuracy is phenomenal. Off the deck, I did not experience the same issues that the testers were having, as I found this to be long and straight. As straight as any other we have tried at least. The ball flight is extremely high compared to most, but it is not a fall out of the air trajectory at all.
The technology in this club seems to fit well with what Taylormade is trying to accomplish. Light is good, but without balance it can be a nightmare to control. The Burner SuperFast 3 wood has come through in a certain harmony that has incredible balance and after a few range sessions most golfers that tried this club out forgot that it was lighter than most. Does it increase swing speed? The answer is yes, it did for most of our testers by upwards of close to 5 mph according to our VectorX launch monitor. For me, I was seeing 3 mph increase with this compared to my previous 3 wood with no loss of control.
Pros & Cons
Pros – Great look & great feel that was universally liked by those that hit it.
The distance was incredible. As mentioned, it plays like a 2 wood despite being 15 degrees.
The lighter grip was better feeling and gripping than most stock grips.
The shaft and club head combination is like a new marriage the way they work together.
Cons – Taylormade may have the worst headcovers in the sport. For a company that has so much going on under the hood in the technology of their clubs, most golfers want to dress them better.
Overall
It is a rare case in deed to have a club perform this well universally by all the testers that got a chance to try it out. The Taylormade Burner SuperFast 3 wood did that very thing. While the pictures left us puzzled going in to the review, the actual club itself left us with our questions answered coming out of the review. Long, straight, solid feel, good ball flight, and tons of forgiveness left us craving more, so stay tuned for the Taylormade Burner SuperFast Driver review coming up very soon. You can check out the THP Forum for thoughts from individual consumers that got a chance to try this one out at the recent THP FL Golf Outing as well. For more information on this or any other Taylormade Golf product, check out their website at www.taylormadegolf.com.
Till Next Time
Josh B.
