TaylorMade R9

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R9

In stores mid March 2009.

There is NO difference in the head between the TP and non TP versions. The driver will not have any TP graphics on the head. Only the shaft upgrade makes up the difference.

Will the regular be .350 and the TP .335 like other releases?

Edit: and kudos to Fuji for getting the motore in the stock regular version

Does anyone know if the R9 will be released in a left hand model?? thanks

yes, but only a 9.5 and 10.5 as far as I can tell.

My buddy just bought one and had a "I'll let you hit it as many time as you want but I will ask for it back when you start hitting better than me" side by side with R7 SQ.

Distance was overall same. It seemed easier to fade the shot with normal face setting.

Feel is completely different.

It felt a lot softer than my R7. There were no vibration coming back or harsher feeling.

I think I can get passed the triangle shape because of the feel.

His old Driver is FT-5. His distance were longer. At this range, there is a ridge at the 250 mark. He usually hits the ridge but with R9, he was clearing it easy.

It looks like you can give it all you got and be OK.

I don't know the actual weight setting but it was heavier on front two.

Pretty nice. But I can wait till it goes on sale. :D

let you know tomorrow. ;)

my initial thoughts after a range session...

Distance.. I'm hold off on this one until I can get on my course and see where it ends up.

Feel : This is a solid feeling driver. I was hitting it along side on my J340 which has always been my best feeling driver for years. Well the R9 is very close. Great sound..solid solid solid.

Looks : the face is not that deep, but overall a great shaped head and size is good. Dont get me wrong it has a modern shape from the top, not classic like my J340.

Launch : shafted with the Diamana Kai-li right now I'm launching it a little higher then I want and I can tell the descending angle is too steep to get max roll out. Need to hit the LM to get my spin numbers, but initially I think I need to tip this shaft 1/2 and see what happens. Good thing it's playing @ 46" right now....so I have room to adjust. Remember I'm coming from a 7.5 driver with a RombaxZ, but I was hitting some moon shots with this R9. (9.5 open 1*) maybe I'll open it 2*

Spin : waiting for LM or course action

Right now the best thing this driver has going for it, is the feel. Honestly, I think it feels better then any TM driver to date..including the R510DF. Really nice to have a 400cc+ driver feel this nice. Even tourstage could not keep the feel right when the drivers went 405cc and 430cc in my opinion.

More to come later... need to get in some rounds and play with FCT some more.

Hit it yesterday...along with the new Exotics xcg-v. guy above is right. feel is awesome on the R9. but i swear it's coming off hotter with the xcgv. I don't know if it's mental or what, cuz i already play an xcg with a v2. i had my brother plug his ears and just watch ball flight without seeing the club i was hitting with and every time he was saying it was coming off hotter with the xcg-v. regardless, i'll wait till summer when the balls aren't so f'ing cold so i can judge with my normal range spots i usually hit. the 28 (or whatever) drivers in one deal does seem like a sweet selling point, but once you find the one that's right, if it's ending up 10 yards short of the xcgv, guess which one i'm buying...

Just got it love it from what i got to hit on the simulator we will see what happens outside. So far this is the best feeling driver i have ever hit

they opened it the next one for me...and said it was 8.5 and it made a BIG difference i thought.

my initial thoughts after a range session...

 

Distance.. I'm hold off on this one until I can get on my course and see where it ends up.

 

Feel : This is a solid feeling driver. I was hitting it along side on my J340 which has always been my best feeling driver for years. Well the R9 is very close. Great sound..solid solid solid.

 

Looks : the face is not that deep, but overall a great shaped head and size is good. Dont get me wrong it has a modern shape from the top, not classic like my J340.

 

Launch : shafted with the Diamana Kai-li right now I'm launching it a little higher then I want and I can tell the descending angle is too steep to get max roll out. Need to hit the LM to get my spin numbers, but initially I think I need to tip this shaft 1/2 and see what happens. Good thing it's playing @ 46" right now....so I have room to adjust. Remember I'm coming from a 7.5 driver with a RombaxZ, but I was hitting some moon shots with this R9. (9.5 open 1*) maybe I'll open it 2*

 

Spin : waiting for LM or course action

 

Right now the best thing this driver has going for it, is the feel. Honestly, I think it feels better then any TM driver to date..including the R510DF. Really nice to have a 400cc+ driver feel this nice. Even tourstage could not keep the feel right when the drivers went 405cc and 430cc in my opinion.

 

More to come later... need to get in some rounds and play with FCT some more.

I was just wondering about the loft adjustment. I understand that you can change the loft on the R9 by 2 degrees +/-. Correct? So with an 8.5 degree driver I could have it at 6.5 degrees or 10.5 degrees? Also, I was wondering if someone could give their thoughts/experiences on the durability of these adjustable drivers. (Cobra L5V, I-Mix etc) All the adjustability/changes occur at or near the hozel where there are massive forces at work at impact. I worry that over time the adjustability would become compromised, or worse, the head would come flying off. Thoughts?

I am demoing the R9 right now and it great! Very low spin rates from this head... The adjustments work as advertised. I have my concerns about the fct getting loose down the road, but TM will have another head out in 4 to 5 months as always.

I was just wondering about the loft adjustment. I understand that you can change the loft on the R9 by 2 degrees +/-. Correct? So with an 8.5 degree driver I could have it at 6.5 degrees or 10.5 degrees? Also, I was wondering if someone could give their thoughts/experiences on the durability of these adjustable drivers. (Cobra L5V, I-Mix etc) All the adjustability/changes occur at or near the hozel where there are massive forces at work at impact. I worry that over time the adjustability would become compromised, or worse, the head would come flying off. Thoughts?

I am also curious about the loft adjustment. All I ever hear people talk about is the lie and face angle adjustments. I personally think being able to adjust the loft would be the coolest thing about the club.

Has anyone received the R9 TP that they pre-ordered? I think I was one of the first people to order and the wait is maddening. I ordered the 10.5 with the Motore F1 with plans to open it up 1-2 degrees to deloft it some. I'm hoping this was the right call because I know nothing about how high it will launch, etc.

Does anyone know if there is any difference in the stock Motore F1 shaft on the R9 and the F1 Motore shaft one can get thru a distributor/golf professional? I know the color is different but anything else in the specs??

Just an FYI the R9 has been on the rack at GolfSmith in Indianapolis for a week.

Has anyone received the R9 TP that they pre-ordered? I think I was one of the first people to order and the wait is maddening. I ordered the 10.5 with the Motore F1 with plans to open it up 1-2 degrees to deloft it some. I'm hoping this was the right call because I know nothing about how high it will launch, etc.

I also have an order in(9.5 tp w/HD-6), from what i heard is they will start shipping it out on March 20th. Hopefully mine will be in before the end of this month.

just the fitting that fits the R9 head i think

Does anyone know if there is any difference in the stock Motore F1 shaft on the R9 and the F1 Motore shaft one can get thru a distributor/golf professional? I know the color is different but anything else in the specs??

I was just wondering about the loft adjustment. I understand that you can change the loft on the R9 by 2 degrees +/-. Correct? So with an 8.5 degree driver I could have it at 6.5 degrees or 10.5 degrees? Also, I was wondering if someone could give their thoughts/experiences on the durability of these adjustable drivers. (Cobra L5V, I-Mix etc) All the adjustability/changes occur at or near the hozel where there are massive forces at work at impact. I worry that over time the adjustability would become compromised, or worse, the head would come flying off. Thoughts?

Actually +/- 2 degrees adjustability is FACE ANGLE. As far ar loft goes it's +/- 1 degree. So if you bought 8.5 then you get go up to 9.5 or down to 7.5.

This is also my first adjustable driver, so I cannot really comment on durability of the driver. I guess only time will tell?

I also have an order in(9.5 tp w/HD-6), from what i heard is they will start shipping it out on March 20th. Hopefully mine will be in before the end of this month.

BALLER! :D

so here's the random question...

I know heads are the EXACT same...but does the TP have the TP logo on it or literally the EXACT same head?

so here's the random question...

 

I know heads are the EXACT same...but does the TP have the TP logo on it or literally the EXACT same head?

samehead.. TP has more shaft options and the portion for shaft sleeve is .335 (shaft half) head interface is same.

Actually +/- 2 degrees adjustability is FACE ANGLE. As far ar loft goes it's +/- 1 degree. So if you bought 8.5 then you get go up to 9.5 or down to 7.5.

This is also my first adjustable driver, so I cannot really comment on durability of the driver. I guess only time will tell?

Thanks for the reply. I refer to the advertisement in Golf Digest, "increase or decrease loft within a range of 2 degrees..." It's only in the ads where adjusting loft has been mentioned. Even on the Taylormade site, the video with Nick Faldo makes no mention of loft when talking about the Flight Control Technology. So I'm a bit confused.

Great driver IMO. Feels incredible, looks sexy, and is loooong. What more do you want. Hands down my favorite driver of 2009.

Actually +/- 2 degrees adjustability is FACE ANGLE. As far ar loft goes it's +/- 1 degree. So if you bought 8.5 then you get go up to 9.5 or down to 7.5.

This is also my first adjustable driver, so I cannot really comment on durability of the driver. I guess only time will tell?

 

Thanks for the reply. I refer to the advertisement in Golf Digest, "increase or decrease loft within a range of 2 degrees..." It's only in the ads where adjusting loft has been mentioned. Even on the Taylormade site, the video with Nick Faldo makes no mention of loft when talking about the Flight Control Technology. So I'm a bit confused.

Hope that I can clarify some of your confusion. When you open the face you are taking away some of the effective loft of the golf club, so if you have a 9.5 degree driver and you open it 1 degree, you are taking it down to a 9.1-9.3 degree driver (cant remember exactly how many degrees of loft are lost for each degree it is opened) and if you close the face, you are adding effective loft to the golf club, so if you have the 9.5 and you close it a degree, you are adding to the loft and are now making it 9.7-9.9 degrees (again not sure on the numbers exactly). So that is how you are able to change the loft on the r9, there is no specific setting to leave everything neutral and just change the loft of the club, that comes with the other settings of the golf club. Hope that helped clear up some of your confusion on that issue.

Anyone had the chance to test out the r9 with the fubuki shaft option?? I am waiting for mine to arrive with a 73x fubuki in it and give it a shot, really excited for that, but in the mean time, has anyone had the chance to hit the combo? If so, what were your thoughts??

what's the headsize?

just searched TM website...420 cc for 9.5 head..

Played 18 with it today and I am impressed, 9.5 stiff. I set it up for a draw just because all I have ever done is fade/slice the ball. I hit two ob left but just because I couldn't quite carry the ravine that I was trying to clear. I managed to draw 3 drives and played from the left side of the fairway all day. I hit more fairways today (10) than usual and played a tighter course than my home course.

The r9 is shorter than my past gamer but mainly because of shaft length, 48" down to a 45". This is the straightest driver I have hit but I have a short list of drivers to my credit. Previously owned 580xd, r5, ft3, ft5 and r7 quad tp. I can't wait to play with the settings a bit more and maximize this driver. I would like to compare the r9 to the customizable models from cobra and nike to really get a feal of who has engineered the best. I would rate this driver a 9/10 based on the single round. I am still in shock at the fact that my ball flight was straight to a slight draw all day. I will have to adjust my setup slightly but I look forward to the center and left side of the fairway. I recommend highly.

looked at one in the store - not impressed, not at max size and seems like a deliberate copy of nike's idea for Dymo - then they're already dropping another driver this year that is at max size called R9Max - -WTF? their putting stores at a disadvantage because they need to stock R9 because it's hot now, but what about all the clubs they wont sell and then they'll have to buy more R9max's when they come out due to hype and it just perpetuates needing to have stock, then being stuck with it...just my two cents

Do you like it better than your 909D3?? I'm asking because I have a 909D3 and was thinking about switching to the R9. Can you tell me how they compare against each other?? Thanks.

I hit it today. Definitely goes a long way, however I just was not a fan of the feel/look of it. I'd buy it if I wasn't so picky. Gets a rating of "3" from me.