R9 10.5 tour with TP7HD X Flex - Review

[Ray Jackson]

Some comparison to my Tour Burner LCG with TPHD Blue X

First club review on this site so go easy on me......ha ha.....

Review of Tour R9 10.5* with TP7HD X Flex

First I want to say that the purpose of this club for me is to consistently hit a soft fade. My natural shot is a soft draw however my home course has most of the par 4’s setup for a fade from the tee. If you hit a long straight ball you run out of hole so you have three choices, layup with 3 wood, take it over trees with a draw or hit a cut with the driver.

I had been doing the first two dependant on whether it was a casual round or match play or stroke play, but I wanted to take some risk out of the tee ball and have a go to shape when under pressure.

So my prior gamer was a Tour Burner LCG 10.5* with an X TPHD Blue played at 44.5”. The face looks about 2* open but the loft still looks like 10.5*. The shaft has a fairly soft tip and is able to launch the ball high, but I have a hard time hitting a fade with this club. My numbers with it were

Swing speed approx 113
Ball speed 165
LA 15*
Spin 2700

This club is nearly all carry as the angle of descent was steep, probably a factor of too high launch and also that the spin could be reduced to maybe 2300-2500.

So two things to change for me from this club were;

1. Be able to hit a fade (aim left side of fairway and fully release hands without fear of a draw)
2. Reduce my angle of descent to get more roll on landing

I had used the MWT before in a Superquad so knew what I was getting with the R9. I really liked the weight, consistency of the trajectory and direction from the TPHD Blue so I thought lower launch TPHD with a lower launch adjustable head would work.

R9 with TP7HD at 45”

The head is a 10.5* that is approx 1* open in N position and came with 2x 2g and a 12g weight. The TP7HD was installed untipped, as new uncut butt sticker cpm was 278. The club did feel a little light with these weights to be honest but as I haven’t had it measured then it may not actually be a low swing weight, but just may feel that way due to counterbalance or something. I know some of you might look at the rest of the clubs in my signature and say why does he have X in the woods and stiff in the irons? The reason for me is that we have postage stamp hard greens and I need to hit a really high shot into all the greens and so the softer iron shaft enables that as long as I can control the head at impact. It works for me. With the woods I use the extra stiffness to reduce the spin from my swing and my driver ss is enough for X.


Shaft
I have played the following shafts in drivers/ 3 woods and 5 woods before-
Fuji 757
Xcon 5 and 6
Code 7 and 8
Altus
Xcon 8M2
TPHD Blue

Yes the TPHD’s are expensive and yes many will say not worth the money, but I would say if you can get one within your price range then do so. They are so consistent and cover up user error very well. The TP7HD does feel different than the Blue, maybe its more counter balanced or maybe the tip stiffness is causing it. For me the Blue feels kind of ‘soft’ and the TP7HD like cracking a whip through the ball. My swing speed has increased over winter so the Blue may work in X for someone around the 105-110mph mark. Both are definitely point and shoot shafts and even at 278cpm untipped the TP7HD doesn’t feel like a telephone pole. It is seriously low spin, now I haven’t been able to get on a monitor but I can already tell by how the ball is taking off when it hits the ground that my spin rate has come down a lot on the center hits. The ball flight is much flatter and just pierces through the wind. The first round with this club was at a windy Sonoma Golf Club and the wind didn’t affect my tee ball, it was confidence boosting. Launch is much lower than the Blue also, I would guess 2-3* but I can’t say how much of that is the shaft or the head.

Head appearance
The head at 420cc is significantly smaller and different in shape to the eye from the Tour Burner. For me I don’t mind either shape and actually the smaller head makes me think of a more piercing ball flight in my mind rather than a floating knuckle ball from the bigger more triangular head. It sets up nice behind the ball, meaning it literally sits on the ground in a good position for me that doesn’t need fidgeting with my hands to fix. However in the R position (which gives me confidence to swing hard with the open face) I have a hard time not lining the club head up to the left in my stance etc…..so I need to work on that and ‘trust’ the face will do the work.

Head feel, strike and launch
Center hits feel so much better than the TB. They feel solid like the strike from the center of a forged muscle back iron. Now I know the setup of the two clubs is different with the shafts but on center strikes this club combo is longer than the TB I have and I feel the head is the equivalent of the TB LCG. However on off center strikes I lose a lot of carry compared to the TB. However with the shaft run out total distance on miss hits isn’t too punitive. The head is supposed to be lower launch but I think that somewhat depends on what center weight you have in it. I started with the 12 in the back and 2’s upfront and it did launch a little low, by eye maybe 11* (but that was with the head 2* open) and when I moved to a 14g in the back it looked something like 13*. That is the great thing about the fine tuning with this head, it is very responsive.

Setup scenarios
So I tried the following setups on course (with TP Black LDP) and range-

1. On course @ Sonoma - N setting (so 1* open), heel 6g, back 12g, toe 2g. I was looking to counter the open face with the heel weight to hit a straight ball but also to increase the swing weight a little which felt good. This worked very well in the windy conditions and most of the good strikes were straight (no draws which was a good outcome). Launch was a little low but that was fine for the windy day.
2. On course at Marin (home course) - R setting (so approx +2*-2.5* with 2g toe and heel, 14g back weight. This does feel a little light and funnily the launch was higher even though the loft may have come down nearly 1*. Mainly straight or small fade in this setup, not as much of a fade as I need.

3. Range time -
a. N setting with 6g toe, 2g heel, 14g back. The idea here was to keep a fade and the higher launch but still have a slightly open face to fit my eye. The problem is that it feels a little heavy but the 10-15 yard fade is there now consistently which is good. Launch was at the top end of the range I was looking for.
b. Still to try, N (so 1* open) setting with 6g toe, 2g heel and back to 12g back weight. I am hoping this keeps the fade, the swing weight feels good and the launch is back at 13* which would be ideal.

Conclusion
This is a players club for someone who can hit the center of the face 7-8/10 times and wants to move the ball and wants different setups from course to course or wind conditions. It gives a lot of feedback and is very responsive to setup changes. You can set this club up many different ways such as mid launch or high launch shafts and it should be a club builders dream for fitting better players. I would not recommend this to the general golfer; probably the R9 460 is the better choice for those in double digit handicap (just MIHO).

Off center hits are not as forgiving as the Tour Burner and so maybe the ideal is to play the R9 at a shorter length like 44.5” (currently I choke down a little to play it like that anyway).

Any feedback from other players with the R9/TPHD combo most welcome…….
RJ


--------------------
Taylormade PGA R9 10.5* Matrix TP7HD X 45"
Taylormade PGA Tour Burner 14.5* Matrix Ozik XCon 8M2 X(42.75")
Taylormade PGA Tour Burner 17.5* Matrix Ozik XCon 8M2 X (41.5")
Taylormade PGA Tour Burner 20* Matrix Ozik XCon Altus Hybrid sx (39.5")
Taylormade Tour Issue 24* Rescue TP Matrix Ozik Altus Xcon Hybrid stiff (39")
Taylormade Tour Burner PGA Taper 5-PW Black gold stiff (soft stepped)
Taylormade Tour Z groove 50*, 55* & 60* with Black chrome DGS400's
Taylormade Rossa TP Kia Ma Tour Issue Monte Carlo 35"

Adidas 360-3 (Black/Silver & Red/White) & T360 (Lime green/white)
Taylormade TP Black #0's only
Taylormade 2006 British Open R7 Staff Bag

Rotation
Taylormade Tour Burner LCG 10.5* Matrix TPHD Blue X(44.5")
Taylormade TP Y cutter Proto 48*, Fe2o3 (2 dot) 50*, Fe2o3 black carbon Y cutter 56*, 61*

[leonard]

Great review!!!

[ctrolle]

nice review, do you have pics? would love to have a driver like that.

[5under]

Good Review.
I have about the same driver swing speed and I was surprised to see that you are sticking with a 10.5* lofted head.
Most golfers in our swing speed range use no more than a 9.5* loft and more commonly use 9* or less.
I assume you have test hit many drivers in assorted brand, models, lofts, and shafts as have I.
I know that our swings are not the same, but I have found that even a 9* lofted driver creates too high of a ball flight for me.
Looking at your original LM numbers, which are very good other than your 15* launch angle, it appears that a 1* or 2* reduction in face loft would have reduced your 15* launch angle and helped reduced your 2700 rpm backspin rate to close to optimum levels.
It seemed clear to me that if you liked everything else about your driver shaft combo except the couple degrees high launch angle and the 200 or so high rpm backspin, that a 1* or 2* reduction in face loft was the answer.
Have you test hit 8.5*, 9* and 9.5* lofted drivers with the same model head and shaft that you use in your 10.5* lofted set up?

[robbie91]

278 cpm is more like an xx than an x isnt it??

[5under]

[quote name='robbie91' post='2070618' date='Nov 17 2009, 11:28 PM']278 cpm is more like an xx than an x isnt it??[/quote]
Yes

[Ray Jackson]

Installed untipped at D4 swingweight it cpms at 275, which is an X.

I am hitting some flat out bombs with this thing and I get tons of roll. However it seems this low launch shaft in this low launch head is now launching a little low.

I am experimenting with teeing it super high and really coming up into the ball and it seems to be working most of the time.

I am going to try a Fubuki 63X in the head too for a little more carry in wetter conditions over the winter too.

[Ed Settle]

Nice review. Great to see you here, Ray. You got a bag full of nice toys.

Is the 460 head too much spin? I remember trying the R9 when it first came out at a TM demo day
and was told that in the TP model I needed the 10.5* to get max distance. The 9.5* didn't spin enough
to stay in the air for carry. I have not compared the 460. (Waiting on the Tri-spec. haha)

Ed

[Ray Jackson]

So far I have loved being over here (convert from the other site btw).......back to topic

I would say yes the R9 in a lower loft (for me anyway) would not spin enough, however I think a lot of this is the super low spin TPHD.

I experimented with a [u]11.5* [/u] 460 head would you believe and even with that loft the ball flight didn't balloon on me. The only problem with that head was that in the R setting the face looked square and I couldn't hit a fade.

If i was going to persevere with the TPHD I would go with that head I think.

The Fubuki 63x with the [u]R[/u] sleeve gets a run tomorrow. Have to say that sleeve in the R setting is crazy as it really does look 3-4* open! The lighter weight shaft has enabled me to put a 14g weight in the center and it still feels less than D4 weight.

I am working on the 'pump' move as my first move down with my hands from the top, keeping the butt pointing away from the target for a number of reasons. 1. to give me time to get my hips turning left early and 2. to maintain the wrist angle as long as possible.

If i manage to improve this then maybe the TPHD will make its way back in the bag as my power through the impact zone will be better.

Off topic....just read that Sergio plays his driver at 43.75*, what a stud. How do these guys develop that club head speed and stay so in balance!!!

[ksavy17]

[quote name='Ray Jackson' post='2072690' date='Nov 18 2009, 08:52 PM']So far I have loved being over here (convert from the other site btw).......back to topic

I would say yes the R9 in a lower loft (for me anyway) would not spin enough, however I think a lot of this is the super low spin TPHD.

I experimented with a [u]11.5* [/u] 460 head would you believe and even with that loft the ball flight didn't balloon on me. The only problem with that head was that in the R setting the face looked square and I couldn't hit a fade.

If i was going to persevere with the TPHD I would go with that head I think.

The Fubuki 63x with the [u]R[/u] sleeve gets a run tomorrow. Have to say that sleeve in the R setting is crazy as it really does look 3-4* open! The lighter weight shaft has enabled me to put a 14g weight in the center and it still feels less than D4 weight.

I am working on the 'pump' move as my first move down with my hands from the top, keeping the butt pointing away from the target for a number of reasons. 1. to give me time to get my hips turning left early and 2. to maintain the wrist angle as long as possible.

If i manage to improve this then maybe the TPHD will make its way back in the bag as my power through the impact zone will be better.

Off topic....just read that Sergio plays his driver at 43.75*, what a stud. [b]How do these guys develop that club head speed and stay so in balance!!![/b][/quote]
magic!!!

[Ray Jackson]

Well i need that pixie dust because when I swing at 115 for sure i am not building up to the highest speed in the swing at the impact zone.....its as jerky as that stuff that you buy on a road trip at a bad gas station!