Tuesday, February 28, 2012

TaylorMade R11S Driver Review #2

Well, decided to follow up a little bit on the R11S driver. After hitting it again, I realized that I like it more and more. The shape of the head, IMO, is better than the R11 from last year. Being that it has a deeper face, it also spins less than last years model. The 5 way ASP (Adjustable Sole Plate) still seems like a bit of a marketing ploy than an actual technology, because if you elevate the club before takeaway, the club will be square anyways.

I really enjoy the adjustability. I want to try the driver in 8*, but can only find it demo in 9 right now. With my swing right now, I hit the ball high (like 17* launch with the 9) so the fitter and I decided to tune the club down to 7.5 (1.5* of adjustability with the R11s). After doing that, it brought the launch down to around 15*, but the high launch then was more attributed to the fact that I was using the Phenom 60 in Stiff flex which is too soft of a shaft for me.

Overall, the feel of this driver is head and shoulders above the R11 model of last year. It actually feels like the ball is powering off the face instead of the dead feeling from the R11. It has the feel of the Superfast 2.0 TP, which was my driver of the year last year. This makes it much more satisfying to hit, because I would like to feel the ball speed off the face rather than a dead thud. The sound is also pretty good. Most of the complaints about the Rocketballz (RBZ) have been that it is too loud and tinny. I had none of that experience with the R11s.

All in all, I really want to be able to find this club in 8* with a shaft that fits my swing. Hopefully I can find a reputable fitter and we can make this happen. One of the better drivers of the year so far!

7 comments:

  1. Hi Alex, I have just read the review, I had a fitting last night for the R11s, I found the shaft Phenon 60 also to soft, the Taylor made rep put a Phenon 65 stiff shaft in, and this worked a treat, give it a try, hope this helps.

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  2. Hey, thanks for the comment. Did you end up getting the driver? If so, would you like to write up a full review of it and have it posted here? It would be awesome if you could, that would help many others out there!

    And I really want to try this driver with another shaft, but need to find one. Hopefully at the Madison Golf Show tomorrow they have some different options

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  3. I just got mine yesterday & fitted it with a Matrix Radix 70 shaft & I seriously gained about 30-40 yhards. Unreal, was averaging about 275, had mot of my drives about 310, with the longest at 370...wow, worth every freakin penny . the 2 guys I was partnered up with were absolutely floored

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  4. Sorry for typos, typing on phone...I will mention i switched from the original R11

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  5. Sweet! What are the specs of the driver? And what is your game like, i.e. handicap, strengths, weaknesses, swing speed? I would love to learn more about it and maybe have you help some others who read!

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  6. I had the R11 TP with the Diamana Kai'li 60 stiff shaft in it, that I love. Normally hit it in the 280's (adjusted to 8.5- heavy toe) few times in the 300's if conditions are right. My weight screw stripped out in the head and am unable to adjust anymore. TaylorMade is sending me the new 2012 R11s TP with the Kai'li 60 stiff as my replacement. Needless to say I can't wait for it to come in!

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  7. Today i played with my new R11S driver for the first time. My brother has the same driver ... only with a more flexible shaft. (Mine is stiff ... his is senior) My driver is making a totally different sound at impact as his. (more a tjak-sound) He told me that my driver is not sounding the right way ... did i buy a fake driver?

    Regards,
    Ronald

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