TaylorMade R7 425 TP....longer or just straighter?

Mister 64 · May 2, 2006

Well.......I did it. I went a Taylor Made Performance Van event and got fitted for a R7 425 TP. The professional fitters said "your numbers are perfect" ie spin, launch, etc. So I drop the $$$$$ and they build me one to my specs on the spot. One hour and I am out the door. I take it to the range and the course; very straight but nothing special about the distance. I "cold nutted" a couple with a swing I would probably not try to PLAY with and they went well over 300; 317 and 320 according to SkyCaddie. It just seems like my average drive is shorter than normal. I said all that to say this....what has been your experience with this club? I am a TAYLOR MADE enthusiast, best driver on the planet, but I am scratching my head. I sold my TOUR R7 to move up and have just moved sideways for the moment. On a sidenote, I demo'd a Callaway X460 8.5 Tour for a couple days and ended up buying two; one with a Tour Platform 26.5 and the other has Diamana 63. They go FARTHER than anything I have ever hit but lack the control I want so far.

I am taking them all to THE COURSE this afternoon. On the range, they are ALL the bomb.

Remember, its not how FAR, its how many.

Thanks for listening and your input.

Mister 64

golfhawaii · May 2, 2006

Well.......I did it. I went a Taylor Made Performance Van event and got fitted for a R7 425 TP. The professional fitters said "your numbers are perfect" ie spin, launch, etc. So I drop the $$$$$ and they build me one to my specs on the spot. One hour and I am out the door. I take it to the range and the course; very straight but nothing special about the distance. I "cold nutted" a couple with a swing I would probably not try to PLAY with and they went well over 300; 317 and 320 according to SkyCaddie. It just seems like my average drive is shorter than normal. I said all that to say this....what has been your experience with this club? I am a TAYLOR MADE enthusiast, best driver on the planet, but I am scratching my head. I sold my TOUR R7 to move up and have just moved sideways for the moment. On a sidenote, I demo'd a Callaway X460 8.5 Tour for a couple days and ended up buying two; one with a Tour Platform 26.5 and the other has Diamana 63. They go FARTHER than anything I have ever hit but lack the control I want so far.

I am taking them all to THE COURSE this afternoon. On the range, they are ALL the bomb.

Remember, its not how FAR, its how many.

Thanks for listening and your input.

Mister 64

If you are hitting it well over 300 and expecting more, I'm not sure what response/comment you are looking for. You are hitting it farther than 90% of the guys on TV and wanting more? Not sure what you are looking for with results, but I'd take em'!

AR8007 · May 2, 2006

I love this Driver, I find myself longer and straighter it was a great fit for me, I did put a new winn grip on it, now if I could just find a wedge that would get me within 3' every time!!!! :)

Mister 64 · May 2, 2006

I understand 300 yards is a long way. I am not saying its not or boasting in any way. Its just has not been the HOT-FACED club I thought it would be so far. I am just asking for others experience with this driver; did they gain or lose any distance?

And ya know, sometimes its the operator and not the equipment. Naaaaah....my swing is perfect. NOT!

I am going to monkey with the weights a little today too so no telling what could happen. I could be on here posting tomorrow how I bombed it......or how much it is for sale for. Heck, I have only had it a week!

Good luck !

M64

abewley · May 2, 2006

cor for all drivers.. .830.. only thing that makes the go further is perfect hits with perfect launch conditions..

seems you had that before and have it now.

stop complaining about hitting it 300 yrds.. :)

Orientblue3 · May 2, 2006

Try a tour head, they are handpicked for COR. Your TP, which I assume is retail might have a lower COR since the manufacturing tolerances of retail clubs are pretty variable.

taylormadefan · May 2, 2006

Try a tour head, they are handpicked for COR. Your TP, which I assume is retail might have a lower COR since the manufacturing tolerances of retail clubs are pretty variable.

I can understand manufacturing tolerances for loft (erring on the high side, can't ever remember hearing of one lower than stated loft) and face angle. However lower than standard COR I don't see happening. Club companies go out of their way to make clubs go farther (stronger lofts, longer shafts, etc.). Producing a club that's lower COR would be something I doubt any club company would allow to happen. If anythign I'd exepect there to be clubs with higher than .83 COR, but then again, have you ever heard of a retail driver being illegal?

With Tour equipment, you're assured that COR is tested and right up to the limit (or lower), but that's not to say that retail doesn't.

Besides, with a 100mph swing, .86 vs .83 COr works out to be about 1.3 yards or soemthing to that effect. So a driver with .80 COR would only be a couple of yards shorter for most swing speeds.

mosesgolf · May 2, 2006

If you have 2 properly fit drivers say the R7 400cc and your R7 425 TP, one will not be longer than the other. They both have the same .830 COR. If anything the 425 is slightly more forgiving. I don't understand the mentality where every new driver that comes out has to be longer than the previous model. This has been going on for years and with all these "longest driver I've ever hit" remarks, it's a surprise no one's average 350 yds around here.

themouth1 · May 2, 2006

If you have 2 properly fit drivers say the R7 400cc and your R7 425 TP, one will not be longer than the other. They both have the same .830 COR. If anything the 425 is slightly more forgiving. I don't understand the mentality where every new driver that comes out has to be longer than the previous model. This has been going on for years and with all these "longest driver I've ever hit" remarks, it's a surprise no one's average 350 yds around here.

I agree totally. What people should say is that it is "the longest driver I've ever hit when I miss the middle". All that is changing is forgivness. With all things being equal on a properly fit driver(launch angle, spin rate and shaft), all clubs go the same distance when hit in the middle. I hit my 905R further on average than I did my 905T because my misses are a lot better. I am not good enough to hit it in the middle everytime :)

tugolf08 · May 2, 2006

I recently hit this driver at a demo day here in Philly and i was not impressed at all. I have hit the 905R and that went atleast 10 yards further than my 983K. Then when i hit the R7 425TP it didn't even go as far ak my K, big disappointment of a club if you ask me.

puresurfr · May 2, 2006

Try a tour head, they are handpicked for COR. Your TP, which I assume is retail might have a lower COR since the manufacturing tolerances of retail clubs are pretty variable.

if you want a hotter face, you need to go to a good golf store and handpick a hot head.....all tour heads are guranteed below COR, they are on avg 0.815...with retail models, you will occasionally find one that is hotter than the legal limit but you will never find a super hot tour head !!!!!

phillypete · May 2, 2006

If you have 2 properly fit drivers say the R7 400cc and your R7 425 TP, one will not be longer than the other. They both have the same .830 COR. If anything the 425 is slightly more forgiving. I don't understand the mentality where every new driver that comes out has to be longer than the previous model. This has been going on for years and with all these "longest driver I've ever hit" remarks, it's a surprise no one's average 350 yds around here.

I agree totally. What people should say is that it is "the longest driver I've ever hit when I miss the middle". All that is changing is forgivness. With all things being equal on a properly fit driver(launch angle, spin rate and shaft), all clubs go the same distance when hit in the middle. I hit my 905R further on average than I did my 905T because my misses are a lot better. I am not good enough to hit it in the middle everytime :)

Totally agree.

Heck I had my 975 out on the range the other day. Every bit as long as any new driver when hit well.

I'll even go as far as saying that the 425 isn't even that much more "forgiving" than the R7. That is to say the sweet spot is about the same size. Where I feel this latest crop of drivers goes beyond the previous iterations is in MOI. The increased MOI of these drivers help keep them on track and square. The 425 just feels stupid easy to hit well. This allows me to swing harder without fearing the results and thus increases my distance. So I can see where people could say that the 425 is longer and forgiving.