REVIEW: TaylorMade Burner SuperFast 2010 Driver

[Oaks]

Overall - SuperGood Driver - just not for me...

So last night my great friends at FedEx dropped off a package for me that included a Brand New Superfast 9.5 Driver with the Stock Matrix Ozik 4.8 shaft.

Back in the day I loved TM drivers, 300 Tour, R510 TP, R580XD Tour, and the original R7 Tour Issue were all I played for a few seasons, and the 300 Tour and R580XD Tour are still some of the best drivers I have ever hit. Since that time period I have been on a kick of FT-3, J33R's and the HiBore XL Tour, all really good drivers for me over the past few seasons, and my current gamer, J33R 8.5 with a ACCRA DYMatch is among the best combos that I have hit.

You might say that when it comes to aesthetics, I am kind of a traditionalist (with the exception of the HB XL) but when I opened up the box last night and quickly looked at the Superfast, my initial thoughts were, for a new take on technology and aerodynamics, this is a good looking stick from address. The crown is a little busy, but it actually looks 1000% better in person than it did in the initial pictures that I had seen of it. Up close the graphics are a little busy, but at the end of the 46.5" Ozik shaft they blend in nicely.

The sole is a little interesting, but the technology appears to be there, and who cares what the sole looks like, except to my playing partners on my follow through as I just busted another drive by them?

I haven't gotten a chance to get this baby out to the course yet, and might not be able to for a few days or so, but I am genuinely excited to try and get this baby set-up to my specs. What does everyone else think of the driver?

Beauty is in the middle of the fairway - let's hope that this driver delivers for me.

Please read below for my review of this driver.

Oaks

[Superquad 09]

i love mine!!! find it easy to work and to bomb!!! amazing sound too!

[jons1]

i found the shaft isn't great for anyone with higher swing speeds (108+), especially if you don't have a problem hitting the ball high. i have it in an x flex, and the tip is still very lively and you can put a lot of spin on the ball. the head, and the whole setup itself, is all about distance, and you'll get it with this club. I found the dispersion hasn't been great, but your results may vary. if you let the club "do the work", you're fine. i'd say many people could pick up 5-10 yards on average with the club over their own driver.

[Oaks]

I am looking forward to trying it out, but unfortunately this rain in the Northeast is not helping my cause...

[Captain Morgan]

I just hit one at a demo day outside. IMO its light and little long. Closed face doesn't work for me. I like everything about the SuperTri better. Looks, sound, feel, distance, and more consistant. There was one thing I liked better. That is the grip. Club is not for me. Good luck with yours. Hope it works out.

[adam10]

funny that you say that because I picked it up the other day and was impressed with how much I liked the grip! hearing great things about this driver but I'm not sure I'd ever be able to get over the shape.

[dbleag]

I compared it to R9, R9 460 and SuperTri and the SuperFast performed best for my 100mph one-plane swing style. I got the 10.5* in S-flex - my launch characteristics are low. I almost wish I had tried a HT in S-flex, but couldn't find one to try. All in all, I'm really happy knowing that the Burner kicked butt in comparison with the other TM models.


Has anyone out there seen or tried a Burner SuperFast HT in S-flex?

[realitycheck]

[quote name='dbleag' date='30 March 2010 - 11:16 AM' timestamp='1269962181' post='2350068']
I compared it to R9, R9 460 and SuperTri and the SuperFast performed best for my 100mph one-plane swing style. I got the 10.5* in S-flex - my launch characteristics are low. I almost wish I had tried a HT in S-flex, but couldn't find one to try. All in all, I'm really happy knowing that the Burner kicked butt in comparison with the other TM models.

So if you're on the fence of 9.5 v 10.5, it sounds like it's better to go 10.5 in this head (shaft dependent of course)?

[cj78]

Got the superfast 3&5 wood, I'm killing them off the deck, great flight and hang time, easy to hit. This coming from a taylor made hater............ might just try the driver out!

[falken19150]

The Driver is amazing. I'm actually surprised how good it is. If you look at the numbers for the Taylormade staff guys, there is definitely an increase in the number of Superfasts being played. I went 9.5 degree and stock shaft in a Stiff flex just to cut costs in case the driver ended up sucking, but its been a great combo. Tourspecgolf has the TP version out there with some really nice shafts (Fubuki, Tour AD etc).

The 3 wood is even better than the driver. I cannont believe how easy it is to hit off the deck and the distance is unreal. I found myself on the green in 2 this weekend on some Par 5's which I was not able to reach before.

I thought both of these clubs were going to be el stinko, but they are monsters. The pics do not do them justice.

[jons1]

yes, the 3 wood has way more buzz among tour players then the driver. the fairways are super hot, super long, and super easy to hit off the deck. highly recommend them.

[wdwfan78]

Ordered mine with a 45.5" Motore 65 shaft and could not be happier. I can work the ball with ease and the distance is phenomenal. The feel is what gets me, it clicks and just feels perfect.

[craz-e]

Thinking of getting a Superfast built up for me, sounds like a fun club. I am thinking a Miyazaki black or maybe a Project X. Will post my decision and results.

[moonshine]

That black tp version is sweet...looking forward to hitting both at a demo day soon! I will have to check the fwy woods too...anyone having fun with a 5 wood?

[Fechiko]

It would be an excellent club on a different shaft... It is very light though and has a fairly large torque rating for a stock shaft.... if you have a decent swing speed i've seen it produce excellent results, but in the hands of someone with a high swing speed, on my monitor anything over 110, it was not that great... In fact it left me wondering if TM is going to try and force TP model clubs down the throats of players with high swing speeds in the future. You almost need to dump the stock Ozik shaft and upgrade imeadiatlly if you fall into that catagorey unless youre an exception....

The fairway woods on the other hand look, feel and hit excellent! Very much a rebirth of the 09 model with the generous feel they have been found to have. It felt great to hit these and im looking forward to a few more rounds with them to get the most out of them.

[J13]

I would recommend the Miyazaki as I have one in my nike Vr tour and it's the best move I've ever made. Outstanding performance but unfortunately they are hard to come by as they are tour only right now.

[aquinas]

J13

If you are looking for Miyazaki shafts, get in touch with Ken at Victory Custom Golf ([size=2]888-261-1156). [/size][size=2]He has a full line of Miyazaki shafts and does a great job installing and building clubs.[/size]
[size=2]
[/size]
[size=2]Ken is very knowledgeable and is great to work with.[/size]

[J13]

[quote name='aquinas' date='31 March 2010 - 10:17 PM' timestamp='1270088235' post='2354025']
J13

If you are looking for Miyazaki shafts, get in touch with Ken at Victory Custom Golf ([size="2"]888-261-1156). [/size][size="2"]He has a full line of Miyazaki shafts and does a great job installing and building clubs.[/size]
[size="2"]
[/size]
[size="2"]Ken is very knowledgeable and is great to work with.[/size]
[/quote]


No I'm good but thanks I already have one in my driver. The black is awesome. I got a pull for a good price, once in a while you'll see one on the bay but not many.

[PAYLEE]

How does the Superfast compare to the R9? I have an R9 with a Motore shaft. I can get TM clubs wholesale so Superfast for about $142. Has anyone compared the two?

[signalauto27]

If there as good as the 3 wood, then I might have to look at one.

Oh, and Ken at Victory Custom Golf is awesome to work with. He hooked me up with a Miyazaki blue for my ST.
I live in Seattle, but send all my business to him.

[Dub]

I've really enjoyed my Superfast 3&5 woods. Outstanding feel and sound. Love the Ozik shaft but hated the stock grip.

[Oaks]

So I have had some time to play with and digest the new 2010 TaylorMade Burner SuperFast driver, and my initial impressions are that this is a very good driver.

Looks: When I first took this driver out of the box my initial response was, "I don't know about this one" but when I set the driver down at the address position I realized that the driver is actually pretty good looking. The bright red pin-striping on the crown looks good and helps frame the shape of the driver well. The shape of the driver is something that I am not that custom with, as my gamer is a Bridgestone J33R 460, but you can see the aerodynamics that TaylorMade put into this head. The sole of the driver is a little different looking, and quite busy with the notches and the large 1 on the sole, but who cares, I don't look at the sole when I am playing, do you?

Feel: When this driver is hit on the screws it does feel really good, but the light weight and the extra long shaft did throw me for quite the loop. The clubhead itself does feel good when it is well struck, but due to the forgiving nature of the head, heel and toe shots also felt good, which for most is a good thing, I just prefer to have a little more feedback on ill struck drives. The stock Ozik 4.8 shaft feels pretty good through impact, and although the driver is almost 1.75" longer then my current gamer, it does take some getting used to. The longer shaft with a softer tip then I am used to made me swing more in control then ever before and when I did go after the ball with a swing or two I would turn it over and it was Watch OUT LEFT! The grip of this driver was the surprise to me, I have never been a fan of Winn Grips, but this one feels pretty good to me considering how little it actually weighs.

Distance: I play at a golf course that borders water, and we generally are battling a SW wind, and in the afternoons that wind is generally blowing pretty well, so I tend to need to be able to hit a low driver that doesn't spin a lot into the wind. This is where the Superfast was left behind for me. Into the wind, on two equally struck golf shots, my J33R 460 was easily about 15 yards in front of the TM Superfast. I attribute this to the loft differential as well as the longer lighter softer shaft that caused the ball to get up into the air and get bothered by the late afternoon winds. On holes that were downwind, I found that this driver was equal in distance to my J33R, which has been fit to my swing as opposed to the Superfast.

Overall: Overall, I think that this driver is a surprise contender in the driver category for 2010. The looks were very deceiving to me at first, and if I had the time/money to play with set-ups and shafts, I feel that this driver would contend for a spot in my bag, but those are two things that I don't have and I am just so comfortable with my J33R driver. I am sure that if this driver fit someone perfectly, then they would be seeing a gain in distance over other drivers, and I am sure TM knew what they were doing when they released this driver.

On a Scale of Eagle to Double Bogey, I would rate this driver as a Birdie. It has some great attributes, and it did really surprise me. Take a look at this driver when you are in your local store, as once you get past the busyness of the crown and sole, you will be pleasantly surprised by the outcome.

[T REX]

Great review.

[Oaks]

Great review.

 

Thanks!

 

BTW - Toy Story 3 Comes Out this Summer...

[easyyy]

Thanks for the review. I have to try this out ASAP. Heard they are testing well at local Mega stores that do fittings.

[T REX]

Been able to hit it again?

[Oaks]

Unfortunately I was a little under the weather last week, and the weather here didn't cooperate with my schedule. I should be trying it again in the near future, and am thinking that a reshaft might be inplay if I see favorable results.

[Sakman]

Nice review Matt. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts after dropping a different shaft in it....or talking Richard into the tour issue model he has.

[Oaks]

Hmmm... now that is an idea...