Pro’s and Con’s of the Taylormade 2.0 irons

[clemsontiger1]

I am going to post this question out here, since I found it useful in the past. Right now I have a chance to get some brand new Taylormade 2.0 Burner irons extremely cheap, however I have never hit them. Can someone give me the good, bad and ugly about these irons? I am not a “Taylormade” guy per se, and my current irons are Callaway X18s. My irons are aging, and this deal I have been offered is almost too good to be true. Thought? Thanks!

[FlopShotFred]

i play the 2.0s and i like em. i need help cause i'm not a very solid iron player and these bad boys are pretty forgiving, not much distance lost on mis-hits (i know, i'm all over the face). i think a pro for a high capper, may be a con for a better player, is that these clubs fly pretty straight, so i would think working them would be tough if that's what you're going for. i like the black face and the thicker topline, but stuff like that is personal preference. i've enjoyed mine, they've helped the scores quite a bit.

[Eternal]

These were the first "upgraded" irons i've played since i started out with a box set. Was happy to get them when the price dropped, and i'll say its the best investment i've made. The good: very forgiving, mis-hits don't really loose too much distance as said before. They look very slick and are very easy to look at at address. When you hit it perfectly it feels like butter coming off the face. My only complaint (and this is my fault too) is that if you don't it it on the face (mishit) the dark finish chips. But other than that, they are an awesome set of irons and i would recommend them.

[Cwebb]

Not to be negative, but you asked, so here's my opinion

Negatives:

1: Lofts are rediculous and don't make any sense

2: Massive progressive offset (low in the wedge, very high in the 4/5)

3: Clicky sound/feel

4: Strange looking shape/profile and color

5: Not very "playable" from a variety of lie conditions

Positives:

1: If your impact pattern is scattered all over the face, they're forgiving for that kind of player

[FlopShotFred]

[quote name='Cwebb' timestamp='1336413368' post='4866184']
Not to be negative, but you asked, so here's my opinion

Negatives:

1: Lofts are rediculous and don't make any sense

2: Massive progressive offset (low in the wedge, very high in the 4/5)

3: Clicky sound/feel

4: Strange looking shape/profile and color

[b]5: Not very "playable" from a variety of lie conditions
[/b]
Positives:

1: If your impact pattern is scattered all over the face, they're forgiving for that kind of player
[/quote]


#5 - I haven't really found this to be true, could be the type of courses I play. Care to elaborate? I wanna know what to look out for.

[Sixcat]

[quote name='FlopShotFred' timestamp='1336413988' post='4866232']
[quote name='Cwebb' timestamp='1336413368' post='4866184']
Not to be negative, but you asked, so here's my opinion

Negatives:

1: Lofts are rediculous and don't make any sense

2: Massive progressive offset (low in the wedge, very high in the 4/5)

3: Clicky sound/feel

4: Strange looking shape/profile and color

[b]5: Not very "playable" from a variety of lie conditions
[/b]
Positives:

1: If your impact pattern is scattered all over the face, they're forgiving for that kind of player
[/quote]


#5 - I haven't really found this to be true, could be the type of courses I play. Care to elaborate? I wanna know what to look out for.
[/quote]


I have been gaming these for over a year and I am amazed at how many times I play against guys who look in my bag and say "what we playing for", then want to hit my irons after I take their money.

[tdelam]

I used to play these, I gave them away after 1 season.

The BAD:

- ball flight was awkwardly too high, this left me puzzled a lot because even when I would shape a low one; it went high. I grabbed my partners same iron and did the exact same shot and it flew true.
- had no chance of really working the ball.
- hard to hit in the rough. Maybe it's the dark head or the ultra thin shaft but rough shots felt like sheeps fescue
- they felt cheaply made, PW and 8 irons snapped in half in the middle of the shaft but that could be the "ultra-thin" stock shaft. I've googled the breaking and apparently others are having the same issue. Google burner 2.0 breakage and do your research.
- offset is kind of ridiculous

The GOOD:

- Distance was good but I would much prefer control over distance.
- Forgiveness is very good. This obviously depends on your skill level.

My recommendation is to stay away from the 2.0's personally, I've given mine away so if you're getting them for a really low price then there is probably a very good reason.

Can't too much more than that really. I've given mine away for free and picked up a set of TaylorMade TP Forged CB Irons; amazing set of irons. I am even thinking of getting a set of TaylorMade TP MC as a second set and work those into my bag.

[suwdawg]

They are solid irons great distance when hit properly and forgiving one con as the other poster mentioned the black chips sometimes but it doesnt affect playability.

[bullie76]

They do the job for me. If you are a scratch golfer, you may not like them because it is hard to work the ball. But I'm 57 years old and most people I play with are as old or older and several play them with good success. A very forgiving iron.

[bob1]

I've been playing them for a season and have no problems, super easy to hit and very forgiving.

[OldGolfer87]

I have multiple sets and wanted to try them ,mid summer last year i bought a set with regular flex steel shafts that were stock ,overall i thought they just felt terrible , like i was hitting a brick , and all the clubs were 1 short ,i was playing r9 tp's then and there was no comparison , maybe i should have tried graphite because it just was not happening with stock steel

[G N R]

These irons helped me play "proper golf" and gave me a lot of confidence.. Super forgiving and mega distance.

Only negatives for me: very hard to work and too many shots would fly an extra 10-15 yards on occasion.

[RJD]

These clubs are long, forgiving, and I have found them to hit through the rough better than any other GI club I can think of. The primary "con" I would echo is that it is harder to work the ball with these. I've tried to hook - bend the ball around trees as I do with player's cavity backs and blades, and the ball goes pretty straight with the 2.0s.

[teeboxer]

I've had mine since earlier this year and love them, graphite - stiff flex. They do hit higher than I was used too, it took some range time and a few rounds to dial them. They hit one club longer than my previous irons too. I recommend them highly to anyone looking for a good GI iron. Very easy on the hands and forgiving. The only thing I changed were the grips, to Lamkin X10's.

[paztormike]

I am a low single digit handicapper and have played with blades as well as the better player cavity backs (good cavity backs with little to no offset, like the titleist 704cb's.) The specs that I have been fitted for by a trusty fitter is .75 inches long and 1-2 degrees upright. The funny thing is that the TM Burner 2.0's are .75 inches longer than the standard that my fitter uses. Only the lofts are stronger than what is considered standard. So basically, a 7 iron in the TM Burner 2.0 has the same loft and length of the 6 iron in my last set. So basically, the TM Burner 2.0's go about 1.5 clubs farther than my last set of irons. (I don't care about what distance the number on the club hits as long as I can count on hitting it that same distance every time.)

I actually love a little wider sole than what is standard on some blades because I am taller and have a steeper impact.

I personally thought that I would hate the Burner 2.0 irons, but a friend was playing with some and I decided to try them. I loved the feel and the sound. I was shocked because I have not liked anything by TM for a long time.

Anyway, I was at a local golf store and they were clearing out their 2.0's and I had a gift card and a discount that they would honor, so I thought "what the heck."

I LOVE these irons now. I have tried 2.0's with 3 different shaft options, the KBS shafts flew too high and were inconsistent, but the stock TM shafts fly perfect for me. I also love the sole on these irons. It has a rounded leading edge which keeps me from digging, but the angle of the sole near the heel of the club allows me to close the face or open it up to hit different shots without giving me too much bounce or putting me in a negative bounce situation.

I can control my distance and trajectory more accurately than I have ever been able to do on any set of clubs that I have ever owned. I can shape shots, I only have to use a little more exaggerated motion, which I personally like. I was playing with a really accomplished golfer last week, and he mentioned several times how well I was hitting my irons. It was a windy day, and I was trying to hit some low, short irons into the wind, my distances were really good, and I was keeping my trajectory low. In fact, I had a 155 yard shot into a stiff wind. I normally would hit a 9 iron with my burners, or an 8 iron with my last set with no wind. I choked down on an 8 iron and hit a low driving punch into the wind. It stayed straight and stuck right next to the hole. My last set of clubs, I probably would have tried to hit a low 7 iron, but would have had to aim to the right because I knew it would draw a lot, and I would have been worried that because I was closing the face, that I had to hit it perfect or else I would catch it thin or fat because I was de-lofting so much. But on these burners, I just de-lofted and felt confident to drive a low piercing shot into the wind with no draw, just straight. It's a shot that I could not have hit before I used these irons.

Irons are certainly an individual preference thing... but I have to say that my iron game has gotten more accurate and more versatile since I put them in the bag. I can't imagine wanting to even try another set for a long time. I've had them for about 2 months and I am far more excited about them now than I was when I bought them.

Of course, you should try them yourself. If you don't like the look or feel, get out. If the seller is not reputable, they could well be counterfeit. (Apparently a huge percentage of these irons on ebay are counterfeit.) If you can hit them before you buy them, make sure that you can hit your variety of shots. But I would certainly say... these clubs, for me, have made me a better iron player. They have, for me, given me a larger variety of shots to hit. Don't listen to people who tell you that because you play a GI iron that you will lose your accuracy; I tried my last set of player's clubs on the range side by side the other day and could hit them every bit as good as I ever could, but still not as well as my burners. Remember that just like any iron, you have to make sure that they fit your specs. Mine fit great, I just had to bend them upright about 1 degree to make them feel perfect to me.

If you can get them for cheap and you are sure that they are not counterfeit. Give them a try. If you don't like them, put them on craigslist and get your money back while they look new-ish. A bunch of the people that I have played with who are accomplished golfers make comments about these being irons that are for people who need help. Without being prideful, I can tell you this... ALL of those guys play blades, and NONE of those guys played as accurately as I have. They think it's a fluke, but in the past couple of months, I have played better iron shots that any one that I have played with, AND I have played better with my irons than at any time in my life.

I love 'em.

[V-twin]

I have a set and they play great. Way better than the RBZ irons. I would look at Wilson Staff Di11 or Di9 irons way more workable. The Di9 in my opinion is one of the best in that class very underrated and you can hit any shot with them.

[HateTheHighDraw]

Cons: hot spots all over the face. No distance control whatsoever, which defeats the point of irons.

[Sean2]

Overall very good irons, but as h0ss said, they do have hot spots. It didn't happen often, but once in a while I would find a hot spot and the ball would go 15 more yards then anticipated.

Also, if you like your irons looking clean, the black wears off fairly quickly, though that doesn't affect playability at all.

[nickdamm]

I've been playing these irons for about a year and a half. My HC is around 4.

I swapped out the stock shafts and get the clubs to a more normal 1/2" progression between each iron. Once I did that, I don't have much of an issue with distance control. I do think it is a little more difficult to hit finesse shots with these clubs than players CBs that I played previously. But, I will give that up and take the confidence I have from 160-200 yards any day. The irons are very long and very forgiving. You can miss 1/2" on the toe and your shot will be just a few yards short and left.

One other con is the limited of bending capability with these irons. I need 2 degrees flat, and it was difficult to get the irons bent that way by a club maker. Many clubmakers will not bend these irons due to the risk of breakage.

All that being said, I've played them for a year and a half, they are still in the bag. So overall, I recommend them.

[obedt]

As a high handi, I have enjoyed these irons. The long irons are very easy to hit and extremely forgiving. My only problem with them was distance control. On a very good swing day, and on full swings, there were no issues... but trying to hit partial shots/knowckdowns, etc became more difficult to control than other irons.

[inthefairway]

[quote name='clemsontiger1' timestamp='1336412027' post='4866044']
I am going to post this question out here, since I found it useful in the past. Right now I have a chance to get some brand new Taylormade 2.0 Burner irons extremely cheap, however I have never hit them. Can someone give me the good, bad and ugly about these irons? I am not a "Taylormade" guy per se, and my current irons are Callaway X18s. My irons are aging, and this deal I have been offered is almost too good to be true. Thought? Thanks!
[/quote]

I actually had the x18's and switched to the 2.0's right when they first came out and is the best move I ever made. Stronger lofts than the 18's and easier to hit with less effort. I have been able to draw or fade the ball when I was in trouble and had to get around something but I enjoy hitting the sweet spot and watching the ball fly towards the target. I was surprised how good the black finish held up and actually have an extra 2.0 wedge that I hit balls 7 days a week with for practice and only wear is normal wear on the face!! It did take me a few rounds to get use to them but once I did was very happy. If I were you I'd believe you'd have not only a deal to good to be true but a set of clubs to good to be true also!!!!!!!!!!!!! By the way I'm a 6 handicap and have hit rounds from 67 to 77. So they can do the job and my handicap will be dropping.

[highcapper]

I think they are awesome. Their distance is stupid. Kinda surprising to see the comments on these things balloning for some people especially since they are defloted. I hit lowish straight wind penetrating bullets with these things. I do agree they have a hot spot when you pure them that is why I take a club less and leave it short on a mishit or stop it in the middle of the green on a good swing.

As someone pretty new to golf I have been trying to take variables out of the game to try and simplify it as much as possible and these help me do that, becasue I can play only irons for an entire round and not get killed on distance. The rounds I have scored the best are because I only hit irons no drivers or woods. I play 4 iron off the tee,usually as long or longer than my partners due to the roll out, to pitching wedge or 9-iron on par 4's and score better if I do the same on Par 5's. Kinda boring but if I want to shoot MY lowest score it's what I have to do right now.

[golferlaird]

I won the most improved player award after switching to the 2.0s. Went from a 6 to a 3 handicap.

[golfer912]

I found these irons very playable and easy to hit from any lie. Very easy to hit for any handicap. What i didnt like was the jacked up lofts, high offset in 4/5 iron with very low offset in pw, little control/workability, springboard effect off face so distances with a club were very inconsistent. Not a terrible club but i think theres much better sets out there.

[mozgolf]

[quote name='h0ss66' timestamp='1336479466' post='4871078']
Cons: [b] hot spots all over the face[/b]. No distance control whatsoever, which defeats the point of irons.
[/quote]

Hot spots all over the place, right!- and the scientific explanation of this phenomena would be what?

This is as intellectually sound as Cobras advertisements for clubs with 9 sweet spots!

Hot spots aka [i][b]"occasionally you flush one"[/b][/i]

[gprubes]

Nothing but great things to say about these irons. In the hands of a good player they are point and shoot. You can work the ball with these irons, but you dont need too. All they want to do is go straight. Very long too, but thats due to the delofting from TM. These will be my last set of irons until I cave the faces in. I might buy another set just incase.

[Toph84]

[quote name='mozgolf' timestamp='1336491669' post='4872330']
[quote name='h0ss66' timestamp='1336479466' post='4871078']
Cons: [b]hot spots all over the face[/b]. No distance control whatsoever, which defeats the point of irons.
[/quote]

Hot spots all over the place, right!- and the scientific explanation of this phenomena would be what?

This is as intellectually sound as Cobras advertisements for clubs with 9 sweet spots!

Hot spots aka [i][b]"occasionally you flush one"[/b][/i]
[/quote]


Tom Wishon did a little clarification as far as hot spots go. To quote Tom Wishon's response to some questions I asked him:

"I've heard the "hot spots" comment on castings many times in my career. I have never seen it in any form of robot hit testing done with cast iron heads and I have done a lot of robot hit testing in my life. It is true that the internal structure of a casting shows a more "disorganized" grain structure with more tiny holes, while forgings show a more "organized" grain structure. This obviously happens because molten metal is used in casting while in forging, the metal never loses its original grain structure because it is never melted.

There is no scientific explanation that can possibly be used to explain how any difference in the grain structure of a metal alloy could generate a higher or lower ball speed upon impact. None of the factors which do control ball speed at impact have anything to do with the internal grain structure of the metal used to make the head. As such, if a cast iron shows differences in shot distance, the differences have to be explained by variations in one or more of the specifications of the club that have a bearing on clubhead speed or point of impact on the face - which also means it is possible for such distance inconsistencies to occur in any forged iron as well. Hot spots in cast clubheads is a myth based on my 27 yrs of clubhead design experience and study and research."



My opinion, a lot of people misconstrue the meaning of hot spots or lack of distance control. It is probably the fact that the lofts are generally stronger on GI and SGI irons which makes it seem like a "hot spot" or "unpredicable distances" because you are used to a pitching wedge of 47* and the GI or SGI has the PW at 45* and you caught it flush. That and the higher capper is probably hitting all over the face and when they do flush one and it goes the distance it should they are surprised and blame it on the mythical "hot spot".

Now all that being said about hot spots. Here are some pros and cons on the Burner 2.0 Irons that are simply my opinion...

Look: Love the smoke/black look. Frames the ball nicely. Didn't hit them enough to notice any wear, was just hitting them for the sake of hitting them at a range. Topline and sole are too thick for my liking but I could see how the generous offset and thicker lines would inspire confidence in the mid-high capper.

Feel: Did not care for the stock grips or stock shafts. Feel at impact on the sweet spot was alright, nothing to write home about but not bad either. Mishits were muted and not harsh at all, which is best for the mid-high capper not wanting to feel punished for a poor strike. That is not good for the improving player going from mid-low cap who wants feedback where they struck the ball.

Performance: Distance was great, but assuming the lofts are a bit jacked (haven't actually looked into the specs). Ball flight was quite high but that is to be expected with GI and SGI irons, that's the nature of the beast. A bit too much bounce for my liking, especially if I was hitting of some harder surfaces. As far as workability from a directional standpoint you can hook a Burner 2.0 the same as you can a "players" club. If I wanted a draw, I got a draw. If I wanted a fade, I got a fade. There is also misconception on the main point of a cavity back. It is not so much for directional control as it is for distance control. It helps retain some distance on off center hits hence the extra weighting around the perimeter. If you come in at the ball at a low plane and make a large inside to out move or release the hands early, you are going to get the ball moving left regardless of cavity back or players club.

Overall: If you like these clubs they are a good buy especially for the price they are being offered at new. Personally I would go back a year or so and purchase a used set of TM R9 irons over these if I were in the market for a GI or SGI club. Take into account I play Callaway X-Proto's and prefer blades or a forged players cavity and play to a 6 handicap currently and going lower, so my view may be a little skewed as far as looks of the club, and feel.

[Eternal]

[quote name='obedt' timestamp='1336482642' post='4871316']
As a high handi, I have enjoyed these irons. The long irons are very easy to hit and extremely forgiving. My only problem with them was distance control. On a very good swing day, and on full swings, there were no issues... but trying to hit partial shots/knowckdowns, etc became more difficult to control than other irons.
[/quote]

I've had the same issue, even with the PW and AW. More than likely going to take the AW out of the bag and replacing it with 56*.

[obedt]

[quote name='Eternal' timestamp='1336499884' post='4873396']
[quote name='obedt' timestamp='1336482642' post='4871316']
As a high handi, I have enjoyed these irons. The long irons are very easy to hit and extremely forgiving. My only problem with them was distance control. On a very good swing day, and on full swings, there were no issues... but trying to hit partial shots/knowckdowns, etc became more difficult to control than other irons.
[/quote]

I've had the same issue, even with the PW and AW. More than likely going to take the AW out of the bag and replacing it with 56*.
[/quote]

This was exactly the reason I moved on. I tried to knock down a PW and couldn't... the ball felt like it had been shot out every time I tried. I would recommend replacing the AW with a 50deg, though.

[Roddy1]

I've been playing them with a rifle xs for the past 9 months. My iron play has been good with them other than the ocasional jumper. No problem working a draw with them. No clue how to cut them. They are sure enough anti fade. Also I had to add an extra wedge for the strong lofts.