LIVE UPDATES: The $5000 TaylorMade SLDR Guarantee Event! Before/After Results Added!

[Carolina Golfer 2]

[quote name='DavePelz4' timestamp='1396892932' post='9039253']
[quote name='hankmoody' timestamp='1396892829' post='9039237']
Great write ups guys! Very psyched for the distance gains, and the experience you had.

Curious, of the 20, was there a golfer with a lower swing speed (90-95) going in?
[/quote]

Great question Hank. My best golf bud is in the market for a new driver. He's a bit older and has been losing yards for a few years now. I gave him a gift certificate for a fitting for Christmas and would like to give him some options to consider.
[/quote]
Count me as interested in this answer as well. I only hit a demo SLDR at Goldsmith. It wasn't to me at all just laying around. And the results weren't very good.

[ThunderBuzzworth]

[quote name='Doc420' timestamp='1396892286' post='9039177']Saturday golf with Austin is a little different. 372 par 4 slight dogleg around the lake, he takes the laser and says it is only 335 carry. He pulls out driver and carries it over the lake and puts it pin high on the left fringe. He really plays a different game then the rest of us.[/quote]
I just had to have a go at it considering it was a driver trip and all. Their TPx ball really held its own in the wind

[Pure745]

[quote name='ThunderBuzzworth' timestamp='1396895603' post='9039567']
[quote name='Doc420' timestamp='1396892286' post='9039177']Saturday golf with Austin is a little different. 372 par 4 slight dogleg around the lake, he takes the laser and says it is only 335 carry. He pulls out driver and carries it over the lake and puts it pin high on the left fringe. He really plays a different game then the rest of us.[/quote]
I just had to have a go at it considering it was a driver trip and all. Their TPx ball really held its own in the wind
[/quote]

It was the right thing to do.

[Doc420]

[quote name='geauxWRX' timestamp='1396894580' post='9039445']
will there be a big recap with actual trackman data? Its great to read I pickup 20+ yards, but it would be much more helpful to see the numbers.
[/quote]Yes, somebody is working on that now, an when TM sends everybody their info it should be out. Numbers are on earlier pages, but can be hard to read because of the sun.

[deck]

[quote name='Pure745' timestamp='1396895839' post='9039593']
[quote name='ThunderBuzzworth' timestamp='1396895603' post='9039567']
[quote name='Doc420' timestamp='1396892286' post='9039177']Saturday golf with Austin is a little different. 372 par 4 slight dogleg around the lake, he takes the laser and says it is only 335 carry. He pulls out driver and carries it over the lake and puts it pin high on the left fringe. He really plays a different game then the rest of us.[/quote]
I just had to have a go at it considering it was a driver trip and all. Their TPx ball really held its own in the wind
[/quote]

It was the right thing to do.
[/quote]

A necessary evil

[Doc420]

@pure745 the mini was easier to hit of the deck. I didn't hit a lot, but I have one coming so I will know more in the next few weeks.

[Doc420]

somebody asked about a release date on the wedges. They should be out April 19 the stock shaft was a KBS Tour V 125. I thought they felt pretty good, but I wasn't 100 percent sure I liked the grinds. I might hit them on the type of grass I normally play to figure out if I like them or not.


Of the many wedges I hit a couple days before at a pga superstore in Atlanta, the Cally wedges really stood out and need some more research. They felt better than Vokey, and the fourteen wedges I tried.

[Pure745]

[quote name='Doc420' timestamp='1396896162' post='9039627']
@pure745 the mini was easier to hit of the deck. I didn't hit a lot, but I have one coming so I will know more in the next few weeks.
[/quote]

Which loft did you hit? And by easy.. how easy? Like in line with the normal SLDR fairways, or easier? My perfect 3 wood is a tall order, low spin and driver-like off the tee but high launch, soft landing off the deck..

[tembolo1284]

[quote name='Pure745' timestamp='1396891418' post='9039065']
@ Tembolo - great write up and a very interesting read. I think that both driver you have will work for you, it just depends on the courses you play and which driver will travel better at most tracks. One of my friends who is a mini tour player had an RFX that was similar to your Wishon, very straight and low but his carry distances were so short and he relied on the roll so much, it really affected the lines he could take or not take on certain holes. He recently switched to the SLDR 460 and has picked up easily 20 yards, because now with the added carry, in the same firm conditions he used to rely on getting roll out, he still gets the roll out with the SLDR, just with an additional 20 yards of carry. He is a lower SS guy, so the distance gain has been huge for his game. Definitely reminds me of the 2 driver setups you have where they both will work, but it just depends on the courses and preference. It sounds like the SLDR is a winner, that's a HUGE gain regardless of the Wishon smash factor issue etc.. I think the SLDR will be able to be dialed in even further and easier as well. My 460 is still in the bag for these reasons.. much more accurate and still have the "fastball" when I really need to step on it.

Congrats again, and thanks for the review! I can't wait to get my hands on that SLDR Mini!
[/quote]

Thanks Pure745! Great post. I'll be tweaking the heads because I definitely think that the higher loft and launch is very helpful!

[GooseHook]

[quote name='tembolo1284' timestamp='1396897835' post='9039829']
[quote name='Pure745' timestamp='1396891418' post='9039065']
@ Tembolo - great write up and a very interesting read. I think that both driver you have will work for you, it just depends on the courses you play and which driver will travel better at most tracks. One of my friends who is a mini tour player had an RFX that was similar to your Wishon, very straight and low but his carry distances were so short and he relied on the roll so much, it really affected the lines he could take or not take on certain holes. He recently switched to the SLDR 460 and has picked up easily 20 yards, because now with the added carry, in the same firm conditions he used to rely on getting roll out, he still gets the roll out with the SLDR, just with an additional 20 yards of carry. He is a lower SS guy, so the distance gain has been huge for his game. Definitely reminds me of the 2 driver setups you have where they both will work, but it just depends on the courses and preference. It sounds like the SLDR is a winner, that's a HUGE gain regardless of the Wishon smash factor issue etc.. I think the SLDR will be able to be dialed in even further and easier as well. My 460 is still in the bag for these reasons.. much more accurate and still have the "fastball" when I really need to step on it.

Congrats again, and thanks for the review! I can't wait to get my hands on that SLDR Mini!
[/quote]

Thanks Pure745! Great post. I'll be tweaking the heads because I definitely think that the higher loft and launch is very helpful!
[/quote]

So I guess by these analogies, the 430 is like the guy who hits cleanup and knocks 50+ homeruns, but leads the league in strikeouts too.

[tembolo1284]

[quote name='GooseHook' timestamp='1396898259' post='9039891']
[quote name='tembolo1284' timestamp='1396897835' post='9039829']
[quote name='Pure745' timestamp='1396891418' post='9039065']
@ Tembolo - great write up and a very interesting read. I think that both driver you have will work for you, it just depends on the courses you play and which driver will travel better at most tracks. One of my friends who is a mini tour player had an RFX that was similar to your Wishon, very straight and low but his carry distances were so short and he relied on the roll so much, it really affected the lines he could take or not take on certain holes. He recently switched to the SLDR 460 and has picked up easily 20 yards, because now with the added carry, in the same firm conditions he used to rely on getting roll out, he still gets the roll out with the SLDR, just with an additional 20 yards of carry. He is a lower SS guy, so the distance gain has been huge for his game. Definitely reminds me of the 2 driver setups you have where they both will work, but it just depends on the courses and preference. It sounds like the SLDR is a winner, that's a HUGE gain regardless of the Wishon smash factor issue etc.. I think the SLDR will be able to be dialed in even further and easier as well. My 460 is still in the bag for these reasons.. much more accurate and still have the "fastball" when I really need to step on it.

Congrats again, and thanks for the review! I can't wait to get my hands on that SLDR Mini!
[/quote]

Thanks Pure745! Great post. I'll be tweaking the heads because I definitely think that the higher loft and launch is very helpful!
[/quote]

So I guess by these analogies, the 430 is like the guy who hits cleanup and knocks 50+ homeruns, but leads the league in strikeouts too.
[/quote]

I don't know much about the 430...I think I just wouldn't get enough spin with it.

I liken the 460 to the cook that consistently comes in and churns out perfect filet mignon after perfect filet mignon...but once in awhile he'll overcook some and have to cook up another one for the customer. So trying to figure out a way to make sure he can read the temp just right to avoid anything more than medium rare.

[Doc420]

[quote name='Pure745' timestamp='1396897664' post='9039809']
[quote name='Doc420' timestamp='1396896162' post='9039627']
@pure745 the mini was easier to hit of the deck. I didn't hit a lot, but I have one coming so I will know more in the next few weeks.
[/quote]

Which loft did you hit? And by easy.. how easy? Like in line with the normal SLDR fairways, or easier? My perfect 3 wood is a tall order, low spin and driver-like off the tee but high launch, soft landing off the deck..
[/quote]I hit the 14 and have one coming. I didn't hit it very much, but the launch off the deck was high with a soft landing. I was talking with Blake Adams on the side of the range, and mentioned that I thought it was better off the deck, and he felt the same way. I will have to do a comparison between the mini and the regular fairway, but I think the mini might be easier to hit.

[Pure745]

[quote name='GooseHook' timestamp='1396898259' post='9039891']
[quote name='tembolo1284' timestamp='1396897835' post='9039829']
[quote name='Pure745' timestamp='1396891418' post='9039065']
@ Tembolo - great write up and a very interesting read. I think that both driver you have will work for you, it just depends on the courses you play and which driver will travel better at most tracks. One of my friends who is a mini tour player had an RFX that was similar to your Wishon, very straight and low but his carry distances were so short and he relied on the roll so much, it really affected the lines he could take or not take on certain holes. He recently switched to the SLDR 460 and has picked up easily 20 yards, because now with the added carry, in the same firm conditions he used to rely on getting roll out, he still gets the roll out with the SLDR, just with an additional 20 yards of carry. He is a lower SS guy, so the distance gain has been huge for his game. Definitely reminds me of the 2 driver setups you have where they both will work, but it just depends on the courses and preference. It sounds like the SLDR is a winner, that's a HUGE gain regardless of the Wishon smash factor issue etc.. I think the SLDR will be able to be dialed in even further and easier as well. My 460 is still in the bag for these reasons.. much more accurate and still have the "fastball" when I really need to step on it.

Congrats again, and thanks for the review! I can't wait to get my hands on that SLDR Mini!
[/quote]

Thanks Pure745! Great post. I'll be tweaking the heads because I definitely think that the higher loft and launch is very helpful!
[/quote]

So I guess by these analogies, the 430 is like the guy who hits cleanup and knocks 50+ homeruns, but leads the league in strikeouts too.
[/quote]

Hahah! I would say doesn't lead the league in strike outs but is in the top 25% but has a lot of long outs and ground rule doubles

[GooseHook]

[quote name='Pure745' timestamp='1396898892' post='9039977']
[quote name='GooseHook' timestamp='1396898259' post='9039891']
[quote name='tembolo1284' timestamp='1396897835' post='9039829']
[quote name='Pure745' timestamp='1396891418' post='9039065']
@ Tembolo - great write up and a very interesting read. I think that both driver you have will work for you, it just depends on the courses you play and which driver will travel better at most tracks. One of my friends who is a mini tour player had an RFX that was similar to your Wishon, very straight and low but his carry distances were so short and he relied on the roll so much, it really affected the lines he could take or not take on certain holes. He recently switched to the SLDR 460 and has picked up easily 20 yards, because now with the added carry, in the same firm conditions he used to rely on getting roll out, he still gets the roll out with the SLDR, just with an additional 20 yards of carry. He is a lower SS guy, so the distance gain has been huge for his game. Definitely reminds me of the 2 driver setups you have where they both will work, but it just depends on the courses and preference. It sounds like the SLDR is a winner, that's a HUGE gain regardless of the Wishon smash factor issue etc.. I think the SLDR will be able to be dialed in even further and easier as well. My 460 is still in the bag for these reasons.. much more accurate and still have the "fastball" when I really need to step on it.

Congrats again, and thanks for the review! I can't wait to get my hands on that SLDR Mini!
[/quote]

Thanks Pure745! Great post. I'll be tweaking the heads because I definitely think that the higher loft and launch is very helpful!
[/quote]

So I guess by these analogies, the 430 is like the guy who hits cleanup and knocks 50+ homeruns, but leads the league in strikeouts too.
[/quote]

Hahah! I would say doesn't lead the league in strike outs but is in the top 25% but has a lot of long outs and ground rule doubles
[/quote]

Hopefully not the ones that get stuck underneath the wall...that's a tough lie!

[HitEmTrue]

Congrats to all of you who got to enjoy this experience! An opportunity of a lifetime.

Have enjoyed what I've read so far, and will read the rest later.

Now, that SLDR Mini looks like a great club. I like how it is a little larger than the Callaway Deep series. Haven't had a chance to hit the deep yet.

[dikaia22]

This was another great trip/thread/event congrats to all the particpants. So cool to be a part of this place and granted its not the same as going, but I have a blast during the threads when stuff is getting live posted/tweeted.

Oh and Temb, only you would equate a golf club to beef and have it make perfect sense....hahahaha. :cheesy

[2zlinks]

[quote name='tembolo1284' timestamp='1396898650' post='9039933']
[quote name='GooseHook' timestamp='1396898259' post='9039891']
[quote name='tembolo1284' timestamp='1396897835' post='9039829']
[quote name='Pure745' timestamp='1396891418' post='9039065']
@ Tembolo - great write up and a very interesting read. I think that both driver you have will work for you, it just depends on the courses you play and which driver will travel better at most tracks. One of my friends who is a mini tour player had an RFX that was similar to your Wishon, very straight and low but his carry distances were so short and he relied on the roll so much, it really affected the lines he could take or not take on certain holes. He recently switched to the SLDR 460 and has picked up easily 20 yards, because now with the added carry, in the same firm conditions he used to rely on getting roll out, he still gets the roll out with the SLDR, just with an additional 20 yards of carry. He is a lower SS guy, so the distance gain has been huge for his game. Definitely reminds me of the 2 driver setups you have where they both will work, but it just depends on the courses and preference. It sounds like the SLDR is a winner, that's a HUGE gain regardless of the Wishon smash factor issue etc.. I think the SLDR will be able to be dialed in even further and easier as well. My 460 is still in the bag for these reasons.. much more accurate and still have the "fastball" when I really need to step on it.

Congrats again, and thanks for the review! I can't wait to get my hands on that SLDR Mini!
[/quote]

Thanks Pure745! Great post. I'll be tweaking the heads because I definitely think that the higher loft and launch is very helpful!
[/quote]

So I guess by these analogies, the 430 is like the guy who hits cleanup and knocks 50+ homeruns, but leads the league in strikeouts too.
[/quote]

I don't know much about the 430...I think I just wouldn't get enough spin with it.

I liken the 460 to the cook that consistently comes in and churns out perfect filet mignon after perfect filet mignon...but once in awhile he'll overcook some and have to cook up another one for the customer. So trying to figure out a way to make sure he can read the temp just right to avoid anything more than medium rare.
[/quote]

You worked in a beef reference. Nicely done sir, nicely done! lol

[AspiringScratch]

Not sure if this has been discussed, but how was the sldr 3 wood for everyone in terms of forgiveness and playability? I am considering purchasing the 3HL version and putting a fuji tour spec 869 in it to play almost like a long 4 wood

[chiguy]

This has been fun to follow. Really nice write ups guys!

[tembolo1284]

That's why tourney play with this baby will be important. If I churn out a filet mignon with it and it's well done, will pretty much be a nail in the coffin for it. Right now I'm extremely confident when I hold and look down at the Wishon.

[QMany]

[quote name='tembolo1284' timestamp='1396902402' post='9040455']
That's why tourney play with this baby will be important. If I churn out a filet mignon with it and it's well done, will pretty much be a nail in the coffin for it. Right now I'm extremely confident when I hold and look down at the Wishon.
[/quote]
What if the Wishon burns one occasionally? Same standard, throw it in the alley for the dogs?

[jongalt55]

Ok—having had some time to recover (and write), here is my comprehensive review of the trip:

[b][u]The SLDR Challenge:[/u][/b]

Before going to Carlsbad, I had been fit twice by TM fitters. I went to the Kingdom when the R11 came out and was fit into a 7 degree head (9 degree with the 2 degree tour adapter turned all the way down) with a blur TS-65 x-stiff shaft. When the R11s came out, I got the same setup in a 7.5 degree (9 degree turned down to the lowest setting). I had the fit on that setup checked on trackman at a Taylormade invitational tournament (by the same fitter that put me in the R11 at the Kingdom). He said he wouldn’t change a thing.

Since buying the R11s, I had tried a slew of other drivers (including the R1 and Stage 2 from Taylormade and a trip to the Ping fitting center while I was down in Phoenix). The results were the same every time, lowest possible face angle to reduce spin resulting in a lower than optimal launch angle. Thus, going into the SLDR challenge, I was expecting more of the same.

Before going to the range at the Kingdom, Brian Bazzel (Taylormade’s Director of Product Creation) gave us a presentation of the tech behind the SLDR. As I understood it, moving the weight forward caused the center of mass of the clubhead to project lower on the clubface. This, in turn, allows for better energy transfer (resulting in higher ballspeed) and better vertical gear effect. Put differently, remember how conventional wisdom said that to reduce spin, your driver shots needed to be struck high on the clubface? Essentially Taylormade has designed a club which creates a similar gear effect, but extends the effect over a larger portion of the clubface. Again, this was my take-away from the talk. Brian also had some cut aways of the SLDR head so we could see what they did internally to move the CG low and forward.

This is a picture of the crown of the SLDR. Note the honeycomb pattern used to save weight.

[attachment=2163647:IMG_2504.jpg]

This is a picture of the face of the SLDR. This was by far the heaviest piece of the three Brian showed us. You can see the inverted cone technology that Taylormade has been using for years. The thing that surprised me was how thick the faces of the drivers are. You think about COR and trampoline effect and you assume the faces are quite thin. Not so.

[attachment=2163653:IMG_2505.jpg]

Finally, this is a picture of the sole of the SLDR. You can see that the majority of the mass is concentrated in the structure that holds that sliding weight. Bottom line, much of the mass of the SLDR is located toward the face.

[attachment=2163659:IMG_2506.jpg]

Once we got done with the tech talk, we all went outside and started warming up. My fitter for the day was Daryl Dyte. Daryl went through my bag to get a look at what type of shafts I was playing in my gamer, irons, 3 wood, etc. Daryl said he likes to fit players into a driver shaft that is similar to their iron shafts. Since my iron shafts were tip stiff (KBS C-Tapers), he suggested that we try tip stiff driver shafts. I didn’t want to impart any of my own bias on the process so I consciously tried to avoid taking note of what shaft Daryl put me in and what he had the loft on the driver set to. He handed me several setups to try. Among them were 12 and 10.5 degree heads along with a Diamana D+ 72 stiff and an Oban Kiyoshi tour limited. We settled on the Diamana D+ 72 in a 10.5 degree head turned down to 9.5 for the comparison test. The test driver was the same length as my current gamer (R11s, 45”, blur ts-65 x-stiff) with the same grip. I hit my gamer first, followed by the test driver. They asked me to identify shots that didn’t feel solid and they threw them out. They averaged the good shots from both drivers. Here is a screenshot of the results:

[attachment=2163661:IMG_2515.jpg]

In short, I gained 13 yards on average (total and carry) and dropped 900 rpms of spin off my shots. Launch angle increased nearly five degrees and peak height increased over 20 feet.

While the “official” test ended with the results above, Daryl continued to work with me to perfect my set up. He swapped the Diamana D+ 72 stiff out for a D+ 62 x-stiff. The switch brought my dispersion down and allowed Daryl to increase the loft from 9.5 degrees to 10 degrees without adversely affecting spin. Final set-up was 10.5 degree head, set to 10 degrees, Diamana D+ 62 x stiff, 45”. I used the driver on the course in Carlsbad after the fitting but was unable to get a solid comparison (both because I was incredibly tired from hitting an entire den caddy of balls at the Kingdom and because the altitude difference from Denver to Carlsbad really does make a significant difference). I did try it out on my home course yesterday. On my well struck shots, I was 10-15 yards beyond my typical landing areas. 10-15 yards is one club less coming into the green. That, for me, is significant. I didn't take pictures of the new driver yet but I will and I will post them later in the thread (or edit this to include them).

[b]The qualitative analysis:[/b]

Since this trip was about the numbers, everyone will be talking about them on the thread. And for good reason. But focusing only on the numbers would be a mistake because it ignores some of the other really significant improvements about this driver. Hitting the SLDR side by side with the R11s showed me exactly how loud and hard the R11s sounds. In comparison the sound (and therefore the feel) of the SLDR is very soft. It is aesthetically pleasing too with the grey crown and silver face contrast and a (comparatively) traditional crown design. In short, the feel and appearance of the SLDR are on par with the best I’ve tried in the last several years. For those of you wondering, I did ask if the rumors about a white SLDR were true. No one would confirm it, but they also didn't deny it (I think the exact response was something along the lines of "Hmmmm, that would be an interesting idea wouldn't it?").

[b]The Takeaway[/b]:

I’ll make this as simple as I can. Taylormade said their SLDR is better than our gamer. [b][u]And they proved it. [/u][/b]That’s not hype. That’s not marketing. That is just the numbers. And while I can’t speak for everyone, my dispersion was better with the SLDR than it was with my old driver (since a 7.5 degree driver with an open face isn’t the most forgiving thing in the world). If you like hitting shorter clubs into greens, you owe it to yourself to give the SLDR a try. Getting fit is critical but in this day and age it is easy to find a retailer that will do that for you (if you live in the Denver area and want a fitting on a real launch monitor—a flightscope—for a nominal fee, PM me and I can point you in the right direction). You’ve got nothing to lose. If your results aren’t better, Taylormade will let you return the driver for a full refund.

[b][u]Other Equipment Stories:[/u][/b]

I, like many of you, am a complete gear junkie. I feel compelled to see and try anything new as soon as I can. While at the Kingdom (and in the ensuing rounds we played with the folks from Taylormade), I hit, felt, tried, looked at, and asked questions about every new release I could get my hands on. Here are my notes.

[b]The SLDR Mini Driver:[/b]

I’m sure you’ve all seen pictures of the new Mini Driver. If you haven’t, here are some more:

[attachment=2163663:IMG_2466.jpg]
[attachment=2163665:IMG_2467.jpg]
[attachment=2163667:IMG_2468.jpg]
[attachment=2163669:IMG_2469.jpg]
[attachment=2163671:IMG_2470.jpg]

They had mini drivers on hand for us to try at the Kingdom and the person who picked up the most yards on site (Evan aka Redside) won one to take home. I hit the mini in both the 12 degree and 14 degree heads. The ball gets up amazingly fast with both heads, yet doesn’t seem to balloon. It obviously isn’t quite as long as the SLDR driver but it is easier to hit off the tee than a three wood (and the shorter shaft affords a significant degree of control). At first it looks like it might be difficult to hit off the deck but it really wasn’t. Both the 12 degree and the 14 degree got up in the air quite well. The feel is similar to the SLDR in that the ball feels lively coming off the face but the sound/feel are softer. All in all, it is a very versatile club that could replace a driver or three wood, depending on the needs of the player. Definitely worth a try when it comes out.

[b]Tour Preferred Wedges (ATV Grind):[/b]

First, a confession. I play the current ATV wedges. I realize they are polarizing—some people love them, others can’t stand them. I fall into the former camp. I love the variety of shots you can play with them and the fact that the ATV sole is significantly more forgiving (read: you can miss more than you’d like and get away with it) than any other wedge I’ve previously played.

That said, I would trade my ATVs in an instant for the new tour preferred wedges with the ATV grinds. Brian Bazzel had the new tour preferred ATVs in his bag when we played after we were finished at the Kingdom. He was kind enough to let me hit them. Turf interaction and feel was even better than my current ATVs. Grooves seem to be improved. The raw finish was a huge improvement over the current version of the ATV. The sole is narrower and the protruding flange is gone from the back. In short, if he had offered to sell me the used ones out of his bag, I’d have bought them in a second.

I know wedges are a touchy subject for many golfers because they become attached to a specific model and are unwilling to deviate. I’ve played TM, Vokey and Cleveland in the past. I never would have tried the ATVs had my pro not given me one and told me to just go mess around with it for a while. Once I tried them and realized how forgiving they are, I bought them (and my short game improved). If you can bring yourself to look past the name on the wedge and truly evaluate how they perform, do yourself a favor and go try the new tour preferred wedges with the ATV grind when they come out. Go to a course where you can hit shots with them. Hit every shot you can think of. Then hit the same shots with whatever wedge brand you were using before. If you’re like me and you can’t practice all the time, you just might find the extra forgiveness and playability quite attractive.

[b]The Tour Preferred X Ball:[/b]

The welcome gift Taylormade provided included a dozen Tour Preferred X golf balls. I’ve seen comments from other attendees that the ball might have been the sleeper of the trip. I would agree. The ball feels very good putting and around the green. Spin control on pitches and chips is excellent. Where I found the Lethal to be too spinny on some shots, I found the Tour Preferred ball to have better balance—I can still generate spin when I want to, but I have seen fewer instances of spinning it too much when I don’t want to. After playing with the ball for three rounds, I believe that it is an improvement over the Lethal and compares favorably to similar balls from other manufacturers.

[b]Existing Product I hadn’t tried yet:[/b]

The Kingdom is like candyland for golfers. They have everything. So I tried everything. The SLDR fairways are cannons. Consistently landed it 5-10 yards past where I was landing my Stage 2 tour fairway wood. Smaller head was not an issue visually and should be helpful in playing the fairway wood from trouble lies.

The new Tour Preferred irons are also very nice. I’m not good enough for MBs but the MCs and the CBs were both exceptional. I currently play I-20s. Coming from those, I found the CB’s particularly appealing as they maintained the lower offset look my eye seems to prefer while the top line was thick enough to make you feel like they’ve got enough forgiveness to minimize the penalty you pay on mishits (which they do).

[b][u]Clothing/Shoes:[/u][/b]

While at the facility, we were fortunate enough to be able to tour the building where they do all the shoe and clothing design for the Adidas and Ashworth lines. They are working on Fall 2015 designs and concepts now. Two new things coming out (or out already) that seemed really cool. First, is Climachill. The Climachill fabric has small aluminum dots built in to help keep you cool. Look for it in upcoming Adidas golf polos. Second cool tech is the soles in the new Pure 360s. The sole itself is made out of a material that makes it pliable and soft, allowing the sole to become part of the cushioning system.

[b][u]The People:[/u][/b]

First, this was an absolutely amazing experience that wouldn't have been possible without Golfwrx and Taylormade. Thank you very much to everyone involved and thank you for giving ordinary golfers like us the chance to test our preconceptions and gain some insight into Taylormade and the products it produces!

While the equipment and tech on the trip was awesome, it was the people that really made the experience. During our visit, we were fortunate to have the opportunity to meet and interact with a large number of Taylormade employees. Our primary points of contact for the trip were Brian Bazzel (Director of Product Creation), Dave Cordero (head of PR) and Tony Santelli (Product Creation Coordinator). They couldn’t have been nicer or more accomodating. Each of them went out of their way to answer our questions and ensure that we had the best experience possible.

Brian, Dave and Tony were joined along the way by a whole group of people. At the Kingdom, we met Tim Huet (the head of the Kingdom) and a whole team of fitters (including my fitter, Daryl Dyte). Tim, Daryl and the rest of the fitters answered our questions and shared some very cool insight. It was particularly cool to see the special role and huge impact that the late Jim Flick had—not just on Tim and the rest of the people working at the Kingdom but on the lives of the countless people he touched throughout the golf industry.

We also ran into a host of other people during our time on campus. Kia Ma was kind enough to say high and let us see his workshop. Dave Cordero’s counterpart with Ashworth/Adidas (unfortunately her name escapes me at this point) was kind enough to give us a tour of their facility. She introduced us to the head of shoe design (again his name escapes me) who was kind enough to talk to us about the current lineup and show us some cool stuff that is on the horizon. And I’m sure there are others I’m forgetting.

The bottom line is that [b][u]everyone[/u][/b] we had an the opportunity to meet and interact with at TMAG was kind, approachable, and genuinely interested in answering all our questions (to the extent they could) and making our visit as enjoyable as possible. They are golfers and golf geeks like those of us on this site (and I mean that in a good way) and they are truely passionate about what they do. To Brian, Dave, Tony, Tim, Daryl, Kia and everyone else who helped make our visit to Carlsbad an experience we will all remember for years to come—Thank you! The experience and information you gave us were nothing short of amazing!

I also want to say thank you to the rest of the guys on the trip (Zach, Bob, Evan, Chris and Marcus). It was a great group and I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to get to know each of you. A special thank you to Zach Heusser—you did a fantastic job chronicling our adventure so we could just enjoy it and take it all in.

[b][u]A few comments on Taylormade as a company[/u][/b]:

A lot of people on these threads like to hate on Taylormade because of its product cycle. While I'm a long way from a hater (I have and happily play a lot of TM gear), I admit that one of the reasons for my skepticism was that I felt like the days of significant performance gains were behind us and that we were to the point where successive product lines would offer only incremental performance gains. In the face of that type of skepticism, what Taylormade did with GolfWRX and what it is currently doing with its SLDR promotion is both gutsy and refreshing. Taylormade created a product that it believes is revolutionary. It believes it so much that it told GolfWRX--a community of golfers that is much more likely to have properly fit and properly educated members--that it would take all comers and beat out their current gamers. And Taylormade had the goods to do it 19 times out of 20 (losing only to one of its own drivers, an R1). Taylormade believes in its product so much that it told the public as a whole to try it and if they weren't happy with it, TM would give them a full refund. What other major manufacturer does that?

After spending a couple days with they guys from Taylormade, I don't see a boastful company built on advertising. Instead, I saw a company that is made of up golfers. They play the products they're selling and they're smart enough to know when they have a product that will make a measurable difference for the people who purchase it. When that happens, they market the product so that people know about it and will buy it. And if people doubt their marketing claims, they've demonstrated that they have the goods to prove it. That's not boasting, that's just good business. You don't get to a billion dollars in sales without knowing how to sell what you've got.

For those who would knock Taylormade for their approach, think about the innovations that Taylormade arguably made part of the mainstream golf culture (metal woods, moveable weights, drivers in colors other than shades of black, high COR irons, speed pockets/slots, etc.). Some of Taylormade's largest successes have come from having the guts to think outside the box and do something no one else is doing (low forward CG when everyone else was going low and back, white when everyone else was doing black, etc.). Science is getting to the point where large performance gains are going to be harder and harder to come by. The only way to we will see something revolutionary is when someone has the guts to step outside the box and try something new. Taylormade has demonstrated a willingness to do just that--and that is a very good thing for the golf industry as a whole. It's easy to hate the leader and root for the underdog. But remember, without an industry leader, there is no one for everyone else to chase. And, whether you like Taylormade or not, as consumers [u][b]we [b]a[/b]ll[/b][/u] benefit from the chase.

[b][u]Other Pictures/comments:[/u][/b]

The welcome gift:

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The new tour preferred wedges (standard sole):

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The front door:

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The lobby:

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Some of the display cases:

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The production floor:

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The TP area:

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Kia Ma and the ghost lab:

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Ashworth/Adidas:

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The Kingdom:

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Shadowridge:

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La Costa:

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[bph7]

JonGalt, wow, just wow, what an awesome, in-depth write-up. Love all the pics too! Thanks for posting!

[sbjinx]

[url="http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/user/91404-jongalt55/"]jongalt55[/url] great write up.

[cphrey]

Scott! Awesome review man, I will do my best to be as thorough as you!

[joey2aces]

[quote name='cphrey' timestamp='1396906440' post='9040973']
Scott! Awesome review man, I will do my best to be as thorough as you!
[/quote]

He definitely set the bar high!!! Great stuff.

[MaydayGSXR]

[quote name='jongalt55' timestamp='1396903910' post='9040641']
Ok—having had some time to recover (and write), here is my comprehensive review of the trip:

[/quote]

Awesome write up!! Great review of all sorts of things that are going to be coming out, very informative, thank you. ClimaChill sounds like it's going to be really nice.. loving all the pictures, especially the production floor... so that's where our clubs come from eh? The wheel of DLL's is cool, haha.

[DavePelz4]

[quote name='2zlinks' timestamp='1396901027' post='9040289']
[quote name='tembolo1284' timestamp='1396898650' post='9039933']
[quote name='GooseHook' timestamp='1396898259' post='9039891']
[quote name='tembolo1284' timestamp='1396897835' post='9039829']
[quote name='Pure745' timestamp='1396891418' post='9039065']
@ Tembolo - great write up and a very interesting read. I think that both driver you have will work for you, it just depends on the courses you play and which driver will travel better at most tracks. One of my friends who is a mini tour player had an RFX that was similar to your Wishon, very straight and low but his carry distances were so short and he relied on the roll so much, it really affected the lines he could take or not take on certain holes. He recently switched to the SLDR 460 and has picked up easily 20 yards, because now with the added carry, in the same firm conditions he used to rely on getting roll out, he still gets the roll out with the SLDR, just with an additional 20 yards of carry. He is a lower SS guy, so the distance gain has been huge for his game. Definitely reminds me of the 2 driver setups you have where they both will work, but it just depends on the courses and preference. It sounds like the SLDR is a winner, that's a HUGE gain regardless of the Wishon smash factor issue etc.. I think the SLDR will be able to be dialed in even further and easier as well. My 460 is still in the bag for these reasons.. much more accurate and still have the "fastball" when I really need to step on it.

Congrats again, and thanks for the review! I can't wait to get my hands on that SLDR Mini!
[/quote]

Thanks Pure745! Great post. I'll be tweaking the heads because I definitely think that the higher loft and launch is very helpful!
[/quote]

So I guess by these analogies, the 430 is like the guy who hits cleanup and knocks 50+ homeruns, but leads the league in strikeouts too.
[/quote]

I don't know much about the 430...I think I just wouldn't get enough spin with it.

I liken the 460 to the cook that consistently comes in and churns out perfect filet mignon after perfect filet mignon...but once in awhile he'll overcook some and have to cook up another one for the customer. So trying to figure out a way to make sure he can read the temp just right to avoid anything more than medium rare.
[/quote]

You worked in a beef reference. Nicely done [b]sirloin[/b], nicely done! lol
[/quote]

Fixed it for you...

[eagles1]

[quote name='OUZO Power' timestamp='1396838433' post='9035731']
I think we should all step back and take a breather.

Most importantly before we start pointing the finger to the participants and brand them let's wait for their detailed reviews. They deserve that.

As nonparticipants we should take this info and reviews as a method of relaying information regarding the product And not as personal opinions or marketing.

Because guys if we don't change our ways. Let me tell you at some point all parties involved, GWRX, OEM's and even members will say screw these trips. It's to much of a headache.
[/quote]

+1

One item that I would like to see is a report six months down the road from the participants as to how the clubs are performing - and whether they are still in the bag. Asking for write-ups immediately after an event like this is akin to asking someone about their marriage immediately upon their return from the honeymoon.

[jashton88]

[u][b]SLDR Challenge:[/b][/u]

Hey guys I’m Jeff and I attended the Sawgrass event. I would first like to thank GolfWRX and Taylormade for the experience and for really going above and beyond with everything. I can’t say enough about the other members I was fortunate enough to meet and get an opportunity to play with. A special thanks Rob (Hipcheck) for making sure we were all taken care of and making sure everything went smoothly. We had some great food and way too much alcohol haha. Getting a little tipsy with Jonas Blixt and the rest of the guys was definitely an experience!

I came in gaming a 913 D2 with a Speeder Tour Spec 6.2 set at 9.5 degrees and fade biased. I had been gaming this driver mainly because of its level of consistency off the tee. The SLDR and Taylormade really had it in for me though come fitting day. Prior to arrivals I had been hitting around 500 balls a day, which I can now say was a huge mistake. Whoops. On fitting day I was last to get fitted and between the sun baking down on me and unlimited range balls for several hours I can honestly say I was burnt out. With that in mind I still went up and swung a measly 98 mph but gained on average 21 yards. I was fit into an SLDR 460 with Oban Kiyoshi Gold (only shaft I even hit) set at just over 11 degrees and two clicks toward fade bias. I almost hit the magic 17/1700 numbers. I hit 16.7 launch and 1751 spin. I was able to get to 279 yards with roll on my best drive, which I was very happy with based on my fatigue and swing. It's really good to know that I'm literally getting every yard I can out of my swing.

Fast forward to Stadium Course, which was a huge surprise, I was paired with tembolo (Nik) and we had a great time. It was time to put the driver to the test and boy did this thing come through. 10-13 fairways and easily 20 yards longer and MORE ACCURATE! Hitting some fairways that were 20 yards wide was just icing on the cake. The best part was I had some really tired swings, which produces a small pull fade for me. It honestly sounds like a fairy tale writing this, but I was able to go out to my home course yesterday and do some further testing. First hole, I’m out with another local WRXer, and I pipe my first drive, 20 yards past the further point I’ve been on the hole, dead in the middle of the fairway. I think he was as shocked as me. I play the course all the time and knew this was no fluke especially after the second hole which was the same thing. I bombed another drive 10-15 yards past a bunker I could barely reach before.

Overall, I can’t say enough about everybody I was fortunate enough to meet and everything that WRX and Taylormade has done for us.

Taylormade officially proved me wrong and has opened my eyes to looking at some of their other clubs. I’m still weary of seeing a new driver come out every six months, but as long as they are putting on products like the SLDR you won’t see me complaining.

I will be adding some pictures later as well!