TaylorMade R9

[polloloco1976]

Guys I got mine in the mail directly from TM and it goes. Its not the "TINGY" loud sound that most Ti Drivers make. It actually feels like a solid strike and the ball comes off the face hot. The head is by far one of the best one I have seen in a long time from ANY manufacture and I hope that more manufactures begin to get away from the 460CC designs. As for distance......I picked up about 12-15 extra with the stock MOTORE 65S and set up 1* up. Over all its a great little sawed off shotgun. (I also got it shorter for control and still picked up distance) Way to go TM.

[18th Legion]

I will get a new R9 and I predict that later this year or next they will come out with a R9 460. 3 weight ports, FCT, and 460cc. Please recall the r7 425 Quad and the later release of the r7 SuperQuad. We know that TM had developed both, but purposely spread the release dates out.

 

And while I too sometimes hate how TM always does this, I too, like their Drivers and will contiue to be that sucker. Nuts.

[18th Legion]

Might I ask TM Bob . . you seem to be a TaylorMade supporter, so why you carry a Nike bag? I mean no offense, just curious.

[im a doughball]

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.

 

+1

 

Its not like a PW, where a couple * of lie angle can move the ball 30 feet. I would be intrested to see if lie angle on a 10* club even moves the ball in relation to target.

[TMBob]

Might I ask TM Bob . . you seem to be a TaylorMade supporter, so why you carry a Nike bag? I mean no offense, just curious.

 

Answered via PM, since this has nothing to do with the topic

[ironplayer]

What's the flat lie angle (flatter in the setting option) ?

[rblmp32]

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??

 

Yes. There is a difference; aside from graphics, torque is lower on the REAL aftermarket tour version verses what comes from TM as the F1. I suspect butt diameter is different is slightly different too. Torque is 3.0 on the aftermarket version where as it's 3.4 on the one I am ordering.

 

I am ordering TP 9.5 with 75 gram "S".

 

Same is true for the Fubuki 73X as well... torque is completely different (3.4 on Mitsu's site vs 2.6 on TM's). Makes you wonder doesn't it? Perhaps they're measuring torque themselves, for a consistent measurement shaft to shaft, as most shaft manufacturers don't do it the same way.

[g8a_golf]

i believe in the N position its like 1 or 2 degrees flatter than a standard TM driver. in the NU setting its about 1 or 2 degrees more upright than a standard TM driver. in the R setting i think its a little flatter than the N setting too... hope this helps

[TMBob]

i believe in the N position its like 1 or 2 degrees flatter than a standard TM driver. in the NU setting its about 1 or 2 degrees more upright than a standard TM driver. in the R setting i think its a little flatter than the N setting too... hope this helps

 

 

What? How could this help?

[Pepperturbo]

i believe in the N position its like 1 or 2 degrees flatter than a standard TM driver. in the NU setting its about 1 or 2 degrees more upright than a standard TM driver. in the R setting i think its a little flatter than the N setting too... hope this helps

 

If we're talking about other TM drivers like Tour Burner (use to own), it has 60* lie angle. With R9 - "N" is 1* flat, NU is 1* upright from R9's stock 59*, making that setting the same as TB. R is 2* open and standard or 59* lie angle. At least these are what I know to be true.

 

It's an amazing club. Even when I hit it poorly it goes rediculosly straight, but that's another subject. :clapping:

[broth518]

Tremendous ball speed lost if you don't hit it square also it's not 460CC

[joeyshowgolf]

I absolutely love playing around with the FCT. Feels like I lost distance, but I'm not a long hitter to begin with. I only care about the fairways, where I improved with fairways in regulation missing only two that day in 27 holes.

 

Of course the next day, what do I see? A commercial for the r11. "Coming soon- 11/11/2011."

It comes with FCT, MWT, GPS, SCUBA, and QWERTY keyboard system!

[Lobes]

I was in the market for a new driver this spring so I tested a number on the range and decided I liked the R9 from both a feel and distance standpoint. From there I decided to gather some additional information before I pulled the trigger .

 

After initially checking into the ratings on this site, I was surprised to see that the R9 was rated much lower than what I expected. But, after reading the posts more closely it seemed as though the only negative feedback was from people who don't like TM for various reasons. For those who actually hit the club, it seemed like the feedback was all good.

 

That said, I ended up going ahead and buying the club based on my initial liking of the club anyway and after playing several rounds with it, I can honestly say it's been great...decent length, pretty acurate, nice set up, and great feel.

[rblmp32]

Got my R9 TP 10.5 with Fubuki 73X in the mail (ups) Thursday and took it to the range yesterday evening.

 

The short of it. WOW

 

The long of it...

 

This is the most accurate driver I've ever owned. Granted my swing was really locked in last night (for me...haha), and so I was really able to put the club through it's paces. I started out with Neutral FCT and MWT (16 in the back). Ball flight was medium high, flat and about a 5 yard fade. I wasn't 100% comfortable with this setting though, so I flipped the 16 over to the heel for a draw bias and teed it up. Sure enough, without any adjustment in swing, I was getting a very very tight draw (less than 5 yards) the sort that goes out straight and then starts falling over right (I'm LH remember) on the way down. Gorgeous. I was able to hit about a 5 yard fade easily with this setup as well. I was loving it. So next I go for the R FCT setting (for me that's a hook) and leave the weights where they are. Expecting a higher ball flight, and a harder draw. First swing... noticeably higher, 5ish yard draw. Coool. A fade swing produced a straight ball that may or may not have turned over left on the way down.

 

At this point, I'm completely geeked b/c my swing is in such a groove, that I could really see the differences in ball flight. Made me feel like a tour player from a consistency standpoint....haha

 

Next I went for the wide open FCT setting and left the weights in the draw config. This was one I thought up beforehand and was excited to try. Ball flight was lower, much more penetrating, and stayed straight. I could easily produce a fade with this, and a slight draw as well. I already hit the ball medium height, so I had to work to get one up there for distance, and so I decided it was back to Neutral.

 

I have never hit a more accurate driver. It really fits my swing great and so the results showed it. Even mishits stayed within about 15 yards of my target line. I had to really make a horrid swing to get the ball off line big time (which I am definitely capable of doing...haha).

 

Sound was perfect... a somewhat loud ping (akin to the Callaway Hawkeye of old, but more deep in pitch). Very appealing.

 

The head is hot if you nut it. Mishits were noticeably shorter (toe for me), but flushed ones were very deep. Close to where my Sumo carries to, but not quite there. I think I'll be getting more roll with this club though, as the angle of descent looked very appealing.

 

The shaft is excellent. I was concerned that it might spin the ball too little for me, but I think it's just about right. On course testing will tell that story. It feels great, was very very stable, and overall is an excellent shaft. Very pleased with the Fubuki.

 

Notes...

When you are messing with FCT, naturally the grip is going to change orientation. That was a slight surprise, as I hadn't thought of that previously. Not an issue for me, as I'll likely stick with the neutral setting. :)

[ironplayer]

Can you set it up so that the head is 1 degree open and the lie angle is ...little flatter?

 

I just can't find the darn lie angle anywhere online. anyone knows ?

 

Thanks much,

 

i'm really really leaning toward this one...

[rblmp32]

Can you set it up so that the head is 1 degree open and the lie angle is ...little flatter?

 

I just can't find the darn lie angle anywhere online. anyone knows ?

 

Thanks much,

 

i'm really really leaning toward this one...

 

Its on TM's site. I'm looking on my FCT booklet and it doesn't define two of the positions from a lie angle standpoint. Neutral is 1 degree flat... Right is square though (as is Left). So I'm not positive. I believe more detail can be found on TM's site though, which isn't functioning properly for me currently. :)

[Lsutiger]

My thoughts on the R9 is that when nutted it's the longest driver I've owned. It's not the most forgiving driver, but what it lack in forgiveness it makes up in accuracy. I'm hitting more fairways than I've hit in a long time. It's the smaller look of the head makes me feel like I can stay behind it and complete my swing. Lastly, the feel is unmatched of any driver out there by far. If you swing anywhere from 100-110, try the R9 with the Fubuki 63 stiff. The stock shaft isn't bad, but no comparasion to the Fubuki.I give it 2 big thumbs up!

[Duckfandan]

Does anyone know where I can find the swing speed ratings for the stiff and X-stiff stock Fujikura Motore 65 shaft that comes in the R9? I have looked on Taylor Made's Website and Fujikura's as well and cannot find it.

[rblmp32]

Took mine to the course for the first time today and wow. I pulled a couple drives, but geez beautiful trajectory and height, great distance, great looks. This is the best driver I've owned I do believe. It inspires alot of confidence in me and that really goes along way. No pun intended. I'm not gonna bore you guys with tales of 330 yd drives (that definitely didn't happen...haha) or beautifully shaped drives (1 was...lol) but suffice it to say that I was swinging good today, and while I didn't put the best swings of they day on any of my drives, they were all in play and that is a huge bonus. This thing just wants to find fairways :)

[milfordj]

Can you set it up so that the head is 1 degree open and the lie angle is ...little flatter?

 

I just can't find the darn lie angle anywhere online. anyone knows ?

 

Thanks much,

 

i'm really really leaning toward this one...

 

Its on TM's site. I'm looking on my FCT booklet and it doesn't define two of the positions from a lie angle standpoint. Neutral is 1 degree flat... Right is square though (as is Left). So I'm not positive. I believe more detail can be found on TM's site though, which isn't functioning properly for me currently. :)

 

"FCT booklet"? I bought mine on EBay and it did not come with ANY booiklet. I haven't been able to find any info re Settings on TM site either. I'd love to find info re the effect of different combinations of WCT and FCT on flight of ball. Is that in your booklet, and do you know where I can get one of those booklets? Thanks.

[johnye]

Can you set it up so that the head is 1 degree open and the lie angle is ...little flatter?

 

I just can't find the darn lie angle anywhere online. anyone knows ?

 

Thanks much,

 

i'm really really leaning toward this one...

 

Its on TM's site. I'm looking on my FCT booklet and it doesn't define two of the positions from a lie angle standpoint. Neutral is 1 degree flat... Right is square though (as is Left). So I'm not positive. I believe more detail can be found on TM's site though, which isn't functioning properly for me currently. :)

 

"FCT booklet"? I bought mine on EBay and it did not come with ANY booiklet. I haven't been able to find any info re Settings on TM site either. I'd love to find info re the effect of different combinations of WCT and FCT on flight of ball. Is that in your booklet, and do you know where I can get one of those booklets? Thanks.

 

Not sure if you saw this, but may help.

http://www.taylormadegolf.com/#600

[thespectator]

I gave this driver a chance, and I rarely change drivers. This was one of the biggest disappointments of my golfing career with equipment. It truly was nearly 35 yards shorter than my Titleist, which of course could have been partly due to the shaft, but it just didn't even feel good. I had the TP version with the Fubuki 63x shaft and a 9.5 head. I tried every face setting, every weight setting... It just didn't work for me at all. I read all of the reviews and figured people reviewing them were just being negative because it's a TaylorMade driver. Well, I'm here to tell you that I came into it with an open mind and simply could not stand it.

[jwo]

http://www.taylormadegolf.com/#300S0

 

 

Here's a link that shows what each line on the sleeve does. My 10.5* with Fubuki 63 just showed up. I'll take it out tomorrow but, the demo I tried at 1* open and .5* flat looked like the one I just got set at 2* open. That "manufacture tolerance" is going to make all of them a little different. Anyway the demo was pure money, I hope mine is as good.

 

edit: after the link above open's, click on "configure R9" and play with it.

[Swashbuckler]

I gave this driver a chance, and I rarely change drivers. This was one of the biggest disappointments of my golfing career with equipment. It truly was nearly 35 yards shorter than my Titleist, which of course could have been partly due to the shaft, but it just didn't even feel good. I had the TP version with the Fubuki 63x shaft and a 9.5 head. I tried every face setting, every weight setting... It just didn't work for me at all. I read all of the reviews and figured people reviewing them were just being negative because it's a TaylorMade driver. Well, I'm here to tell you that I came into it with an open mind and simply could not stand it.

 

Man, this is an honest assessment. I can tell you this is EXACTLY the way I felt. I bought a new one and wanted to love it so bad. It felt good to me and is a solid straight driver, but I can honestly say it was 30 yards shorter than my Titleist

 

It's really hard to believe, I kept thinking, this can't be real, after 4 rounds it went back and I got a 909 D2 and never looked back

[mul1gan]

+1

I too wanted to really like it bc I love my superquad r7. I demo'd one for a few days and 2 rounds and could not hit it for the life of me. Big pushes and big slices.. not to mention being shorter then the SQ. I brought both out to my rounds for comparison and it was not my swing that day.

The club really looks good and maybe someday i will give it another try.

[darnoldil]

I have been demoing the R9 with the stock shaft in an "S" and it is 20 yards longer than my current driver that has a Graffaloy Pro Launch Blue "x". It feels awesome and the MWT and Face Angles did alter ball flight. I will admit that the Nike drivers have a really hot face, so much so that they had to detune them a while back because they were over the limit. Most of the reviews on this thread have been positive not negative, also the Nike has a number of negative reviews on it as well. Some drivers fit better than others, both the R9 and the Nike Str8 Fit are great drivers but I prefer the greater adjustability of the R9 instead of Nike's set weight placement depending upon loft. Some have gotten as much distance as their former best drivers and some have gotten less but enjoyed increased accuracy.

[touch]

Ok driver, want to try the 460 version

[darnoldil]

We will have to see how well it does. At this point the jury is still out on BOTH drivers as 50%+ of the reviews for the Nike (4 threads) are negative on distance and or accuracy. It is also important to remember that 20-30 reviews only statistically covers an "n" of about 60 people. If Taylormade and Nike are selling 10K+ apiece of these drivers then you would need closer to a 1k sample size and as popular as WRX is I have yet to see 1,000 reviews on either of these two drivers.

 

I only bring this up to put our reviews into some perspective. Even Nike's "testing" results are highly suspect because we don't know the testing methodology, the numbers, the SD, the internal/external validation threats, etc. All they have to do is have 1 more person get either more distance, more accuracy or some combination of both and they can say "we're long and straighter" than the R9. If we really want to see what the distance variables are between the two club heads then we would have to isolate the heads on an iron Byron and test them. Of course the USGA already does this with its' COR limit test so we could utilize their methodology or data since it would isolate both shaft and adjustment criteria from the heads.

 

You see one of the problems with comparing these adjustable heads is that the combination of adjustments can make all of the difference in the world. Nike limits some of this variability by only giving 8 vs. Taylormade's 24. Add to this equation the individual needs of the golfer such as launch angle, backspin, sidespin, angle of attack, speed, smash factor etc. and it could be very easy for a combination to work for one and not another. The more variability via adjustment that can be made the more two things can happen; having a better opportunity to maximize personal fit and having a better opportunity to miss the opportunity to maximize personal fit.

 

Taylormade also makes other weights than the stock ones with the R9 which offer even more optimization opportunities and some on this thread have reported that simply changing the 16 gram weight for a 12 gram weight that they called for and got from Taylormade gave them increased distance.

 

In the end the ability to optimize a driver for personal use is being won by Taylormade due to the increased options but it is also a potential source of aggravation as well. In order to get the best setup we need to go to the range with the stock setup and hit 4-5 balls and then go through every option one degree at a time and see what it does. My suggestion from there would be to pick the characteristics of each type of adjustment (face angle, loft, lie, MWT) and put them together at their maximum settings and dial each of that combination back 1 degree at a time from there.

 

In the end while it is definitely possible that one head is a little hotter than another it is more likely that TM's or Nike's range of adjustments work better for some than others. It is also completely unfair to match our tested customized driver/shaft combinations against TM's and Nike's stock offerings because the stock offerings haven't been given the same opportunities. For instance those that are saying that the didn't like the R9 a question that comes to mind would be did you order and try different weights? Another question would be how many combinations did you try? Another question that would need to be asked would be did you take your best combination back to a launch monitor to see what was going on with ball spin and then try to figure out what shaft could adjust those numbers for you?

 

My thought is that some may have but most didn't which is why it's unfair to compare the stock offerings to our customized tried and true's which we HAVE done this with. The stock Motore shaft is a very good shaft but that does NOT mean that it is the RIGHT shaft for everyone or for particular combinations on the R9.

 

Last Note: I have read on a number of different driver threads how various shaft combination's made that driver head really "wake up", or play "dead" distance wise and of course we also know that different heads DO provide different ball speeds. Even within the same driver lineup the law of probability dictates that we can get a hotter head out of "x" amount due to manufacturing tolerances. That is why I believe we should follow the advise that one Tour pro gave bout trying out 8-10 of the same one, just in case one of them is hot and really suits us. At the very least we should buy the driver that we are testing that really seems to suit us and not get another one in the box from the back.

[golfer64]

I hit the r9 for about 3 weeks could not get comfortable with it. The miss hits would not get the distance that I expected. I switched to the cobra s9-1 S. love it sets up great.

[darnoldil]

I am glad you found something that works for you as that is the most important thing. I am curious what you best setting was with the R9 and what type of miss do you have. I am wondering if certain misses like a bad hook or a low draw are harder to correct with the R9 than say a high draw (not a hook) or slice are? What do you think?