GolfWRX TaylorMade SLDR Driver Fitting Sessions Review and Recaps

[Rebel420]

Ya know.... At one point, I USED to like you guys...and WAS happy for you......
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OK, still do, and still am... Thank you for sharing your experiences. Sounds like you found a winner. Sounds like we have a few new fellow Kool-Aid drinkers among us. Love, hate, or are indifferent to their marketing, they simply make great clubs that perform. It's great seeing real world numbers from regular guys. Very impressive. Driver looks awesome!

So my question is..... Which wait is worse...the wait you had up until the night of your fitting, or now the wait to get your new driver?

[bellken]

great write ups. I am glad to see the results of a sub 100 mph club speed guy. And, I am happy to read the stock length will be 45.25(?) I can appreciate lighter, but, a longer shaft isn't going to help me.

Did anyone hit it with the stock shaft?

thanks,

[golfnut5438]

[quote name='Rebel420' timestamp='1374327673' post='7497728']
So my question is..... Which wait is worse...the wait you had up until the night of your fitting, or now the wait to get your new driver?
[/quote]

Oh, the wait for the driver is far worse. I've got my next round of Match Play in a week and I really need my SLDR!!

[Fish-N-Chips]

So I had to to opportunity to attend the Dallas fitting. I'll lead off with how I am one of the biggest TM haters on this board. I couldn't stand the white club heads, I couldn't stand the marketing gimmicks, I couldn't stand how they have 15,000 different club heads every year.

Well that all changed over three hours.

When we first arrived we were welcomed by Ryan our fitter, Brian from TM, and a very pretty young lady, (she was behind the bar and I'm only 21, I'm allowed to say that). They were all very nice and welcoming. After some snack and some drinks we were talked about the SLDR a little bit as well as some other technical stuff.

First I'll talk about looks, as previously stated I couldn't stand the white head. I'm also a fan of a silver face over the black face. Combine that awesome gray head with a silver face and you have a club that fits my eye. I also prefer a 460 head, something about the way bigger heads set up for me just works better for me. The SLDR just looked right. It fit my eye, it looked sharp, and it just breathed confidence.

Then we headed outside for the good part. After hitting some warm up shots with my back up driver, (I was the big dummy who sold his gamer the day after he knew he got selected) I was handed a 10.5 SLDR head with the weight neutral and a RIP Beta stiff shaft. I wasn't able to hit on the Flightscope so I can't tell you any numbers. I do know that I was carrying it 260+ every single time because I used my range finder the hit a tree and it was 267 from where I was. The sound feel also were very important to me. The sound was hard to describe, not at thuddy as a Covert Tour but not pingy like a typical TM head. It just felt and sounded solid.

My bad misses are snap hooks, and my barely misses are balls that start right at my target and just kinda fall to the left, a baby hook is what I like to call it. With the RIP and a neutral setting I wasn't really getting much change from my back up driver that I could see (a 910D2 with the stock Kaili). Then we threw the weight all the way out in the toe. That helped my ball flight a lot. I could really go after it without worrying about it going hard left. My flight was straight, and high, but still not too long.

Then he handed me my magic blue stick. An Oban Devotion stiff. We threw that puppy in the head with the weight all the way out in the toe and I knew love at first swing. The flight was magical for me, high, straight piercing, and rolled hard for what I could tell. The ball would only go left if I made an awful swing, and I mean AWFUL swing. I even hit a few high cuts which was nice to see!

The SLDR is not only going in my bag the minute the package hits my doorstep, they may have just converted me to the DARK SIDE!

Now I'm eyeing some Rocketbladez Tours, and an ATV 54*!

[kyle75]

Thanks for the info guys, sounds like it was a really cool experience. After reading the reviews, I can't wait to try one of these drivers out. It appears Taylormade has a driver that is different from anything on the market right now. I might have missed it, but is the TP version coming out at the same time as the regular version?

[golfnut5438]

[quote name='bellken' timestamp='1374327948' post='7497742']
Did anyone hit it with the stock shaft?

thanks,
[/quote]

Two comments, or should I say, no comments from the TM engineer we spoke to were about the stock shaft and whether or not fairway woods would follow. But by the grin on his face, I believe fw will be coming next year. Also he would not answer about what the stock shaft would be. So I'm sure we all hit anything/everything in the rack that was available to us.

One other question was whether they would continue to field R1, RBZ [u]and[/u] SLDR. He said that's up to marketing to decide.

[Fish-N-Chips]

ALSO, I asked a few hard hitting questions!

And they wouldn't tell me anything....

1) Do they have any idea on any details of the retail release.
2) Do they have any plans on releasing one of the milled face putters like Rose was using at one point.
3) Are there any new forged irons in the future?

No beans on any answers.

[Kadin 25]

Nice job guys bet that was a lot of fun!!

[TWshoot67]

Very nice and thanks for sharing your experience. Looks like everyone had a whole lot of fun and if its true this driver is like the old R510 TP then TM should have a winner! The R510 TP was in my opinion the best driver TM has ever made. Now I will have another Driver to test or put up against my gammer. Obviously I'll need to swing this baby and see how it works for me, but I'm getting a little excited as TM drivers seem to work best for me. The only driver that ever kicked out a TM driver was the Tour Issue Callaway FT-9 TA all my drivers have been TM since the Titleist 975D.

[deck]

Sounds like all of you had a great time and an even better experience.

Make sure you all keep us updated on the on course reviews

How much does the slide weight effect what the ball does?

[Fish-N-Chips]

[quote name='deck' timestamp='1374336154' post='7498550']
Sounds like all of you had a great time and an even better experience.

Make sure you all keep us updated on the on course reviews

How much does the slide weight effect what the ball does?
[/quote]

A lot more than I would have thought. I could definitely feel a change in the club head.

As I said, my setup had the weight all the way in the toe. After we had decided it was for me, I watched the other guys hit and took a little break and cooled off.

When I went back to hitting it about 45 minutes later I was hitting cuts because I wasn't rolling my hands over like I typically do. I could feel the weight in the toe holding the face open for me.

[Mustng5]

[quote name='Rebel420' timestamp='1374327673' post='7497728']
Ya know.... At one point, I USED to like you guys...and WAS happy for you......
.
.
.
.
.
.
OK, still do, and still am... Thank you for sharing your experiences. Sounds like you found a winner. Sounds like we have a few new fellow Kool-Aid drinkers among us. Love, hate, or are indifferent to their marketing, they simply make great clubs that perform. It's great seeing real world numbers from regular guys. Very impressive. Driver looks awesome!

So my question is..... Which wait is worse...the wait you had up until the night of your fitting, or now the wait to get your new driver?
[/quote]

The wait is driving me nuts!!!! I don't know if its built already or if it shipped, when it will ship....but I need that driver!

[rodneyp11]

I was hoping they built them on Friday and sent out for Saturday delivery... I'm sure it's wishful thinking but I can't wait.

[Will Par]

I want to post some follow up comments to the review above. Rebel420 asked which wait was the worst, the wait for the event, or the wait to receive the driver? Once I saw my name on the list of those selected, it was like jumping on a huge rollercoaster of anticipation. Just like a kid waiting for Christmas. Time almost slows down. But Thursday at 6PM did finally arrive, and we were told during the initial presentation that the club would be built and shipped later. If there was a moment of disappointment it was fleeting because we were in the middle of an awesome experience. Yes I have anticipation waiting for the driver, but it is no where as intense as waiting for the event.

At TPC Sawgrass, the range balls were Titleist NXT Tours. At first I was digging in the pyramid of balls looking for a PRO V1, but soon realized the balls were all NXTs. But after hitting a few shots, Avery pitched me a ball saying, "Here, hit a good ball." It was a new TaylorMade Lethal. By then I had adjusted to the feel of the ball at impact with the SLDR driver and was very pleased. But the feel with the Lethal ball was amazing. The trill of hitting a solid drive jumped about three levels of great. Through the rest of the fitting I got to hit another five or six shots with the Lethal ball. I normally play the ProV1, but I still have a very clear memory of how that Lethal ball felt with the SLDR driver. I'm going to buy a dozen before the driver arrives just to keep the Karma going and get off to a good start.

One other bonus from the event. I finished my fitting before some of the others. Dave Cordero asked if I wanted to go over to the putting green so I grabbed my putter and three balls. He followed me over and had the Spider Blade putter like the one Justin Rose won the US Open with. This putter had a plumbers neck so it wasn't exactly like Rose's. Of course I wanted to try it. First putt from fifteen feet... drilled right in the center of the hole. This putter is very stable and comfortable to putt with. If you get a chance to try one, don't pass on the opportunity. Just one more item on my wish list. TaylorMade is raising the bar on putters as well as drivers.

[Hairpie]

[quote name='Mustng5' timestamp='1374339359' post='7498988']
[quote name='Rebel420' timestamp='1374327673' post='7497728']
Ya know.... At one point, I USED to like you guys...and WAS happy for you......
.
.
.
.
.
.
OK, still do, and still am... Thank you for sharing your experiences. Sounds like you found a winner. Sounds like we have a few new fellow Kool-Aid drinkers among us. Love, hate, or are indifferent to their marketing, they simply make great clubs that perform. It's great seeing real world numbers from regular guys. Very impressive. Driver looks awesome!

So my question is..... Which wait is worse...the wait you had up until the night of your fitting, or now the wait to get your new driver?
[/quote]

The wait is driving me nuts!!!! I don't know if its built already or if it shipped, when it will ship....but I need that driver!
[/quote]

And I hope they ship a wrench with it because I don't have one....

[chickenpotpie]

Sounds like a blast....pretty impressive that everyone here (so far) has seen some gain from the SLDR, over their current gamer. And being on here, that means that most of the existing drivers were fit at one point or another. Solid.

[shootstill]

Wow - sounds like it was a great experience! I wish I would have seen the entry post when it opened. Looking forward to hearing the on course reviews of the SLDR.

Congrats!

[FSCMatt]

So awesome to read all of the write ups. Congrats guys!

[Sean2]

Thank you for the write up, comments, and pictures. It looks like you all had a terrific experience, which gives me the chance to experience it vicariously. :-)

Nice job, and good luck with your new drivers!

[Huntingchris0000]

Thanks for the detailed write ups. When I saw the opportunity, I was so excited then I checked my calendar and found out work messes up everything. I am excited for everyone that got to experience this wonderful fitting. One day I hope to experience one of these fittings. Keep us updated on the on course experience

[mike johnston]

I have heard that the SLDR is replacing the RBZ not the R1. Any confirmations?

[ROBOPTI]

LOVE this thread !!! ... Keep the 411 comin. May have to wander over and sample the darkside on this one

[ladahl]

[quote name='ROBOPTI' timestamp='1374370039' post='7501742']
LOVE this thread !!! ... Keep the 411 comin. May have to wander over and sample the darkside on this one
[/quote]

You take it back!

[Zach Heusser]

Here are some pics from the Nor Cal event at the Bridges.

[Zach Heusser]

I thought it would be fun to take Nor Cal WITB pics

[mike johnston]

Question is when will the 440 and 420 be released?

[tbowles411]

[quote name='ROBOPTI' timestamp='1374370039' post='7501742']
LOVE this thread !!! ... Keep the 411 comin. May have to wander over and sample the darkside on this one
[/quote]
You know, just to see to see what the deal is....

[rbilramz]

[quote name='mike johnston' timestamp='1374368221' post='7501600']
I have heard that the SLDR is replacing the RBZ not the R1. Any confirmations?
[/quote]

I've got ZERO info on this, but that would surprise me. The R&D rep told us several reasons why the slider was better than moveable weights from a physics perspective.

Maybe the next "R" driver will use slider technology? That wouldn't surprise me at all actually.

[TheMoneyShot]

[quote name='tbowles411' timestamp='1374377213' post='7502532']
[quote name='ROBOPTI' timestamp='1374370039' post='7501742']
LOVE this thread !!! ... Keep the 411 comin. May have to wander over and sample the darkside on this one
[/quote]
You know, just to see to see what the deal is....
[/quote]

You need to just stay on the lighter "Cally" side T.....

[tbowles411]

[quote name='TheMoneyShot' timestamp='1374378220' post='7502618']
[quote name='tbowles411' timestamp='1374377213' post='7502532']
[quote name='ROBOPTI' timestamp='1374370039' post='7501742']
LOVE this thread !!! ... Keep the 411 comin. May have to wander over and sample the darkside on this one
[/quote]
You know, just to see to see what the deal is....
[/quote]

You need to just stay on the lighter "Cally" side T.....
[/quote]
Are you saying I'm not man enough for this driver??