TaylorMade R5 Dual Fairway Review

Gxgolfer · July 1, 2005

By SirShanksAlot.com

Link To Article

Titanium fairway woods are tricky… they usually work really well but they cost a lot of money. Many customers can’t justify a 3 or 5 wood that costs as much (or more than) their driver. A lot of average golfers blow the bank on a driver that may only work 30% of the time and then go cheap on a few fairway woods… just so they have something to round out their set.

So what is the “perfect” fairway wood? Most golfers agree that it needs to have a very low center of gravity to aid in getting the ball airborne. Others want a deep face to make the club easier to hit off the tee and out of the rough. A hot face is always a bonus… you can never get enough distance. And while we’re at it… let’s add in extreme forgiveness. There… is that too much to ask? Not really… look no further than the TaylorMade R5 Dual fairway.

The R5 fairway is a full titanium fairway wood that is modelled after the very popular R5 driver. Two rear weight ports give the club a very low center of gravity and a very high MOI (meaning it’s good on miss hits). These two weights are not interchangeable (just like the driver) but are pre-configured to aid the average golfer. These clubs are bigger than most fairway woods… one of the benefits of titanium is that it allows manufacturers to make bigger clubs without making them heavy. This means a bigger face… which means more forgiveness. The R5 fairway woods also feature a very high COR (they have “hot” faces)… something that can only be achieved through the use of titanium. The stock shaft option in this club (M.A.S. 2 graphite) is a good choice for the average golfer. It is a decent lightweight shaft that promotes a high ball flight. Steel shafts are not recommended in this club.

The TaylorMade R5 Dual fairway is one of the best selling titanium fairway woods on the market right now. People love the high ball flight, the forgiveness and the distance that the club provides. Our testers had no problem hitting the club out of all types of lies and we had numerous positive comments regarding the deep face. Some customers shy away from the club because of it’s large price tag but that’s not unusual when dealing with titanium fairway woods. Most golfers are far better off investing in a titanium 3 wood like this one and putting the driver in the closet. We had a few people comment on the lack of options offered by TaylorMade… the R5 fairway is only available in a 3, 5, and 7 wood. I’m guessing TaylorMade probably did some research here and determined that there was not much demand for higher lofted titanium fairway woods. In a nut shell… great fairway wood, a high price tag but still a worthwhile investment for most golfers.

SirShanksAlot Rating Out of Ten: 8

Target Handicap - 10 and above

Ball Flight - High

Lofts - 15, 18, 21 degree

Shafts - TaylorMade M.A.S. 2 graphite, steel not recommended

ShortSticks · July 1, 2005

I love my r5 dual 3 wood! :D It is the longest, most forgiving 3 wood I have ever played. I got mine with the Aldila NV 65s, and it was good, but when I reshafted it with the Accuflex Assassin WC II it really came to life. I am thinking of getting a good club builder to remove the weights for me, but I am hitting it so good I haven't wanted to mess with it yet. Good job TaylorMade. :vava:

ShortSticks · July 1, 2005

I am thinking of getting a good club builder to remove the weights for me, but I am hitting it so good I haven't wanted to mess with it yet. Good job TaylorMade.

what would be the benefits of removing the weights? i ask because i also have the r5 3 wood and i didnt even know that was possible.
12895[/snapback]

The weights are 10g in the heel and 2g in the toe permenently epoxied in place by TM (same in the r5 type N driver) that give them a slight draw bias. Some people have heated them up and removed the factory weights, and replaced them with r7 weights to change the COG bias the club has. I would like to go neutral (two 6g weights) as I can sometimes get a draw when I am not expecting it.

ShortSticks · July 6, 2005

Some people have heated them up and removed the factory weights, and replaced them with r7 weights to change the COG bias the club has. I would like to go neutral (two 6g weights) as I can sometimes get a draw when I am not expecting it.

after doing that, can you purchase a r7 wrench and change the weights at will?
12949[/snapback]

Yes.