2008 TaylorMade TP Forged

[jszot]

need opinion.

I'm playing the Taylormade MB TP's and am looking for a bit more forgiveness. Has anyone played the TP Forged? How did you like them, How was the distance, feel and forgiveness.

[CFGOLFER]

I have set up a 3-PW set for a customer of the TP Forged out of the TM tour Van, they are not like the Japan vs. although they are forged in Japan they have less offset and a different grind on the sole.

[Slugsy]

I have them, bought in the UK - tested alongside the following:

 

Callaway X-Forged

Callaway Proto

Titleist ZM Forged

Titleiest AP2

Macgregor Blade (forget the spec)

Mizuno MP-67

Mizuno MP-57

Cobra CB

Srixon (forget the spec)

 

I have never reviewed a set of irons before but I'm a 6 handicapper, am going through some fundamental changes to my swing so not hitting it pure at moment, had perservered with Callaway X-20 tours but hated cast, chunky clubs.

 

The TM TP's were stunning, I liked them even better than the Mizuno at address. Nice weight and the stats on the monitor proved even on my bad shots length, spin rates and shot dispersion were miles better than the others (closest was the Callaway X-forged).

 

Since I have got them on the course I like them more and more - they are forgiving, no doubt more forgiving than a true blade, but a lovely feeling and are giving me real confidence - you still get feedback but compared to some clubs such as the Mizunos, they are easier to hit. I have noticed that its the shorter irons where I have seen real distance improvements for some reason, I'm hitting the shorter irons much further but that is in part due to me getting the shafts custom fitted where before my shafts were too weak.

 

As I say, I have never done a review before so if there are specifc questions, let me know.

[sabre3487]

where can you get them in UK, any online retailers carrying them? Price?

[Soeren]

http://www.direct-golf.co.uk/golf_irons/ta...olf_irons/p7754

 

You can get them right here - surprisingly almost as expensive as here in Denmark.

 

But well worth it; they're so smooth. LOVE 'EM!! I did clear out the red/yellow paint fill, though :russian_roulette:

 

I have them 4-PW but you can get them 3-PW, and with a great "western" sole grind and face progression. I have no idea why they aren't available in the US yet.

 

To sum up: the softest, most forgiving AND workable players iron I've ever tried - and I've tried most* (work at a huge golf retailer)

-and by the way, I don't even like TaylorMade :bigwhack: Well, maybe I do now :friends:

 

 

*specifically, I tested them against pretty much the same irons as Slugsy mentioned above, and came up with the same results

[Slugsy]

Glad to hear someone else say good things about these irons Soeren!

 

I was out tonight and hit a couple of gorgeous long irons and my 8 iron as well in particular was like butter!

 

Sabre, I got mine from a shop in Newcastle, he said there was only about 10 sets in the North East but didn't know whether to believe him.

[BILL12x]

I HATE THIS THREAD!!! I don't want to know! I think it's one of the best looking irons I've seen. Did you see the video of the Japanese player talking about them?

 

I'm glad they're not for sale here, because they're expensive and if they were here, I'd have to buy them!

 

Gorgeous club.

[Viking Golfer]

I HATE THIS THREAD!!! I don't want to know! I think it's one of the best looking irons I've seen. Did you see the video of the Japanese player talking about them?

 

I'm glad they're not for sale here, because they're expensive and if they were here, I'd have to buy them!

 

Gorgeous club.

 

But my dear friend, you can get them right here - click on the link below and you're in Taylor R7 Tp Forged iron heaven :russian_roulette:

 

Tour Spec Golf - TM R7 Tp Forged '08

[sabre3487]

is there any difference between tourspec set, and a set bought in the uk?

[arkstorm]

For the life of me I can't figure out why Taylormade won't bring these beauties to the US market? They are by far the best looking iron TM has made in 4 years all the while they currently bring to the US market some of the worst looking irons they've ever made. I guess I'll stick with my CB TP's for a while longer.

[BILL12x]

I HATE THIS THREAD!!! I don't want to know! I think it's one of the best looking irons I've seen. Did you see the video of the Japanese player talking about them?

 

I'm glad they're not for sale here, because they're expensive and if they were here, I'd have to buy them!

 

Gorgeous club.

 

But my dear friend, you can get them right here - click on the link below and you're in Taylor R7 Tp Forged iron heaven :russian_roulette:

 

Tour Spec Golf - TM R7 Tp Forged '08

Gee Thanks! I'm trying to reform my ho-ing ways and you are essentially offering me my crack.

 

As beautiful as these are, I just can't pay $1,200+ for a set of 8 irons. For the price difference, I'd actually rather buy a set of 2005 TP's, the second nicest set Taylor has ever made.

[sabre3487]

I have them 4-PW but you can get them 3-PW, and with a great "western" sole grind and face progression. I have no idea why they aren't available in the US yet.

 

 

So to ask again I was not sure. Is there a difference in a set purchased from UK, different than purchasing from Toursec?

 

 

Burn

[Soeren]

I have them 4-PW but you can get them 3-PW, and with a great "western" sole grind and face progression. I have no idea why they aren't available in the US yet.

 

 

So to ask again I was not sure. Is there a difference in a set purchased from UK, different than purchasing from Toursec?

 

 

Burn

 

I wish I could give you a straight yes or no, but I'm not sure I can. What I can do is explain why I wrote that about sole grind and face progression*. On most threads about these clubs and japan-exclusive irons in general, it has been a recurrent theme that they seem to be different than the western ones. What I meant was, that with the ones you get here in europe you don't need to worry about reverse this or that, weird sole grinds or anything - they fall neatly within the realms of general player iron specs.

 

Differences that I DID notice: the stock shaft in europe is DG s300 and all the regular custom options - likewise with grips. And as far as I can tell from the tourspec website, the japanese PW is 48 degrees while mine is 47 degrees.

 

Hope this helps :D

 

 

 

* If I'm correct you get your offset value by "...measuring the diameter of the hosel, and then divide by two. subtract your face progression from this number and that gives you your offset value." -something I got from elsewhere on this site, can't remember where, though

[Soeren]

Btw - why the hell TaylorMade don't show these irons with specs (or even without) on their european website is beyond me. But I have to call TMAG tomorrow anyway, so I will ask if they can email me some sort of spec sheat.

[sabre3487]

I appreciate your answer. I actually have a set that have been sent to black oxide. The offset or progression is nothing like the R7 forged I had. They set up almost identical to the Callaway x-forged iron. I am trying to buy another set, and figured I would get a set from Europe this time, and see how they come.

 

I am having trouble actually finding a set now. What is the website address for TMAG in the UK?

 

 

 

Burn

[GOLFINGGINO]

i have a tour issue set of rac tp's 2005, i was in hong kong a few months ago and looked at thes 2008 forged version, if i was looking for a new set of irons i would go with the 2005 tp's they look just as good to me and are very cheap now, the guy was quoting me somewhere around $700, i could have bought a few sets and made some money, but that is not me , chris

[Soeren]

I appreciate your answer. I actually have a set that have been sent to black oxide. The offset or progression is nothing like the R7 forged I had. They set up almost identical to the Callaway x-forged iron. I am trying to buy another set, and figured I would get a set from Europe this time, and see how they come.

 

I am having trouble actually finding a set now. What is the website address for TMAG in the UK?

 

 

 

Burn

 

http://www.direct-golf.co.uk/golf_irons/ta...olf_irons/p7754

 

Same link as I posted earlier - it still works for me

[whchoclte]

I wrote to Toruspecgolf in reference to the "Reverse Offset" discussed on these irons.

 

My response was that the #'s listed are not offset of the club but Face Progression for the TP Forged as are most Japanese listed clubs. The true offset is taking half the hosel size minus the face progression. This results in the TP Forged having a normal offset from 3-PW.

 

Taylormade confirmed this through a second e-mail.

 

Dont know if this helps anyone.

[Foreleft]

I just received my set and the offset is in the "normal" progression that one would expect in a US set. Just enough in the long .

irons and a hint in the short (of course, that is entirely subjective).

 

I cannot believe TM will not release these in the US. Very soft forging, forgiving enough and just plain great looking! :drinks:

 

Instead, the US gets the irons that look like they were designed by Ronald McDonald.

[CallawaySFH]

I have hit both the MB's and the TP Forged, and I couldn't tell a huge difference to be honest. I liked the Japanese R7 forged Irons much better, huge difference in forgiveness.....

[Foreleft]

I have hit both the MB's and the TP Forged, and I couldn't tell a huge difference to be honest. I liked the Japanese R7 forged Irons much better, huge difference in forgiveness.....

[/quote

 

Didn't the R7 forged have the reverse offset, i.e., less offset in the long irons and more in the short?

 

The 2008 TP's have the offset going the right direction.

[xxio]

People will disagree with you about the R7 forged statement. IMHO it is there but it is very minute, so much so that for me it wasn't an issue as much as it was in older Miz irons or in my Srixon Pro 100s.

 

Sort of like another great TM iron the 04 RAC CBs (Japan) the reverse offset was there but it was pretty negligible. In fact if you don't put the entire iron set lined up together you probably won't notice.

[Fastmover2]

Got a set of these about 3 weeks ago. Custom built by Precision Golf in the UK. Been after some new irons for a while and just loved the look of these so I took the plunge without even hitting one. This turned out to be a good move, from the moment I picked one up I loved them.

 

These are superb clubs. I previously had a set of MP33 3-PW and I like these much better. I did not think it possible but a good strike feels even better than a good strike on the MP's. They very stable,are longer by at least one club and the ball flight is very consistent.

 

If you like a players iron these are the ones to go for.

[lepin63]

What shafts do you guys have for your set?

How do you like them?

Have you tried some other shafts with it like NS-pro 950?

Thanks!

[sekser]

i won from yahoo auction jp, a set of these with project x 6.5 custom ordered from tm. I'm waiting for my buddy to ship them over to me, i can't wait.

[primo]

I think it's pretty obvious why TM isn't bringing that club to the US market.... yet. They want to make sure they get the don't dilute the value of that club in the US market. They can charge $1200 in Japan and EMEA because of the exchange rate, and market price for clubs.

 

if they brought those clubs here now, they would have to drop the price, and the guys in Japan and EMEA would just get them here. once sales flatten in Japan and Europe, I suspect they will bring them here to the US as the new TP iron.

[eggs]

I have hit both the MB's and the TP Forged, and I couldn't tell a huge difference to be honest. I liked the Japanese R7 forged Irons much better, huge difference in forgiveness.....

 

Didn't the R7 forged have the reverse offset, i.e., less offset in the long irons and more in the short?

The 2008 TP's have the offset going the right direction.

In a word, No.

 

Face Progression is the way that most (all?) Japanese manufactures measure the offset in their irons - they are the same thing, just measured and presented in a different way.

The further forward the leading edge of the club is from the center of the shaft, the higher the Face Progression, e.g. a wedge might have a measurement of 6 and a long iron a measurement of, say, between 2 to 4 - the lower the number, the more offset the face is.

 

In fact, it could be argued that Face Progression is actually more accurate across different clubs and manufacturers' product as it is measured from the center of the shaft. Whereas Offset is measured from the outside edge of the hosel and therefore depends on the thickness of the hosel, which can vary.

 

Please erase the term 'reverse offset' from your mind - the next person to use it will be sent to the Principal's office! ;) :rolleyes:

Face Progression is Offset measured in reverse, not actually manufactured that way (...and who on earth would want a set of irons like that?).

 

Btw I play the r7 Forged, their 'Offset' is moderate, like Mizuno MP-60 or similar. Best clubs I've owned.

 

Apologies for the kinda threadjack.

[xxio]

I have hit both the MB's and the TP Forged, and I couldn't tell a huge difference to be honest. I liked the Japanese R7 forged Irons much better, huge difference in forgiveness.....

 

Didn't the R7 forged have the reverse offset, i.e., less offset in the long irons and more in the short?

The 2008 TP's have the offset going the right direction.

In a word, No.

 

Face Progression is the way that most (all?) Japanese manufactures measure the offset in their irons - they are the same thing, just measured and presented in a different way.

The further forward the leading edge of the club is from the center of the shaft, the higher the Face Progression, e.g. a wedge might have a measurement of 6 and a long iron a measurement of, say, between 2 to 4 - the lower the number, the more offset the face is.

 

In fact, it could be argued that Face Progression is actually more accurate across different clubs and manufacturers' product as it is measured from the center of the shaft. Whereas Offset is measured from the outside edge of the hosel and therefore depends on the thickness of the hosel, which can vary.

 

Please erase the term 'reverse offset' from your mind - the next person to use it will be sent to the Principal's office! ;) :rolleyes:

Face Progression is Offset measured in reverse, not actually manufactured that way (...and who on earth would want a set of irons like that?).

 

Btw I play the r7 Forged, their 'Offset' is moderate, like Mizuno MP-60 or similar. Best clubs I've owned.

 

Apologies for the kinda threadjack.

 

 

Before I go to the principal's office can you please read this:

 

 

http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=182493

 

 

I will again reiterate Face Progression is not Reverse Offset.

 

Reverse Offset is a design concept, Face Progression is a measurement that is measured in "reverse of offset".

 

Last example take a look at MP33s the PW has a tad more offset compared to the 6iron.

 

I have sent pics to the guy who requested the 5i, 8i and pw of XForged, Cobra Forged SS, TB1000s and Pro 100s.

 

In the 5 and 8i all of them look low offset. In the PW there is one that obviously has more offset. That is "reverse offset".

[xxio]

Principal sent me back with the pics.

 

The pics are not of the R7TP Forged but show reverse offset.

 

In the 5i and 8i pics all the irons have about the same offset or at least not enough to noctice.

 

In the PW pics there are two which suddenly stand out, 1 even more so.

 

That is reverse offset. I tried to take a pic of the 4i to pw of the Pro 100s as well to show it. I don't think it shows clearly though. Hard to keep them still.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5i

 

 

 

 

8i

 

 

 

pw

 

[Duffy19]

XXIO

 

You are right about the 'reverse offset' that it was a Japanese irons design concept that was popular (JDM spec only) 7 or 8 years ago that never caught on in the west. That's the reason while I love my J spec T-zoid pro irons (pre MP line) but not its PW and AW which look very awkward with the RO.