GolfWRX TaylorMade SLDR Driver Fitting Sessions Review and Recaps

[Dave Feldman]

[quote name='Zach Heusser' timestamp='1374980021' post='7552880']
[quote name='Scott@84' timestamp='1374979598' post='7552838']
[quote name='Zach Heusser' timestamp='1374978192' post='7552738']
Honestly every one of them really liked the head. A couple guys didn't like the feel of the 7.2 tour spec so I put in the Di and they loved it. All of them commented on how they liked the sound and feel. The face feels softer not as harsh.
[/quote]

That was my impression of the face as well, feels really good when hit solid. It was the first thing that jumped out at me.
[/quote]
Yup! My first comment was the ball feels like it melts on the face
[/quote]Looking forward to giving it a go. At work all day today.

[Dave Feldman]

[quote name='Locked' timestamp='1374882261' post='7546836']
[quote name='golfnut5438' timestamp='1374879071' post='7546512']
[quote name='Hairpie' timestamp='1374878534' post='7546474']
[quote name='golfnut5438' timestamp='1374877749' post='7546418']
[quote name='rbilramz' timestamp='1374872661' post='7545998']
[quote name='icec0ld' timestamp='1374872381' post='7545972']
anyone know what the headweight is on this?
[/quote]

212 grams if I remember correctly. D4 swing weight.
[/quote]

We were told it would be just over 210g with the tip. I just weighed mine w/o the tip and it was 203g.

Unfortunately mine also came in at a stout D-7. Shafted at 45.5" with the Speeder 6.2 TS shaft. Might have to see what can be done about that. May need to cut down to 45" or so and see where we stand after that. I usually hit my driver between D-3 and D-4. Anybody else have a heavier than expected swingweight?
[/quote]

Takling a 1/2 inch off should get you pretty close to D-4...I haven't had a chance to measure mine yet but did request it at 45" so I'll see when I get home...
[/quote]

I remember talking about swingweights at the fitting, but never checked his notes of my fitting afterwards to see if he noted it. I am fine with 45" or a little less, so that might be my answer. I'll give it a try at full length and then choke down a little and see which works best before performing any "surgery".
[/quote]

Maybe I'm missing something but if you were fitted with that shaft and liked the results why would you care that it is D7 instead of D4?
[/quote]Looks awesome. Can't wait to try it.

[Hairpie]

Don't get a day off work til Monday....will most likely play Monday and Tuesday and will report back...

[clubnut17]

I thought I just got my driver where I wanted it, but this might change everything.
Thanks Taylormade.

PS-Anyone else looking forward to the Tmag livestream on Monday.

[Banker]

I played 90 holes in the last 3 days over 2 courses that played close to 7,000 yards long. I think I have enough to do a mini review for the on course performance.

First, I was fit into a px 6.0, 9.5* with the weight 3 to fade. My miss is left, so I have been using tip stiff shafts, 7A3 & Oban V430 xs most recently.

We started out the first day, I was fresh and swinging loose. Had a big case of the lefts, partly my swing of course, but I don't think the shaft will work for me. During the practice round, I played with the weight some & moving it all the way to fade, helped the big hook turn into a draw with the occasional fade when I put a good move on it & waited for the shaft.

The more I hit the better I hit it. I left it in the fade position & really hit some bombs. I figured out how to compensate and got used to the shaft, but I want to focus on the head & the flight.

First, everybody I played with oohed & awwed over the head. Every match on the first or second hole, somebody would ask what it was, look it over & the consensus was that this is the best looking head Taylormade has ever made. Everybody is planning on testing it, with 2 of the guys ready to buy as soon as it hits stores.

The sound is so solid, so much better than any other driver I've hit. I loved the thwack from my RHT, but this sounds better. Especially when you roast one.....it's just a cool sound, that's the best way I can describe it. It's fun to hit.

The set up behind the ball is better than my RHT, the SLDR sits dead square. The markings on the back of the club are a pretty cool alignment aid. Very subtle, but I could tell it was there & it helped every time. The other posters are right, when it's behind the ball, it just begs you to hit it hard!

The flight is very strong. My best drives got up in the air quick and just flat out flew. Where other guys drives were landing & taking a few little bounces, mine were bounding down the fairways after they landed.

I am really happy with this head & I think I made a few sales for taylormade this weekend....,

The weight system was well received, everybody thought it was a very cool idea & looked good too. I have a feeling I won't be the only one with a SLDR next year.....

I'm going to have the tip put on my Oban this week & after I recover from the weekend, I'll hit it & post another review, if it warrants.

[dave s 316]

sorry guys, looked through the thread and didnt see an answer. anyone know beyond speculation why no white head, and if a white one will be offered? thanks

[bvmagic]

Glad the driver arrived just in time for your outing Banker. Are you going to install a R1 tip on your Oban? I may wait a bit to see if they release some official tips for the SLDR.

I played twice over the weekend with my SLDR. Driver came with a motore speeder 6.2 tour spec instead of the regular speeder 6.2 shaft I was fitted for. Even though I played with a shaft that did not really fit my swing I was still impressed with the on course performance. Both courses I played were familiar and on good drives I was finding new spots I've never been on from the tee. The launch was very low for me, I adjusted the loft a little higher to help it get higher. I think the tour spec shaft has something to do with my launch.

Like I said in my review, this driver is REALLY forgiving on misses. I tried to actually hit some with my razr fit extreme and I would instantly know I missed it on feel and by watching the flight. With the SLDR I would feel some misses but when I look up the ball still went pretty far without much curve compared to my callaway.

I really can't wait to get the original shaft I was fitted for so I can see the full potential of this driver for me. Will post an updated review later when I get the correct shaft installed.

[Ti-Cip]

I understand the speeder 6.3 ts is the stock tp shaft for the sldr. and the speeder 6.2 ts is like a $200 shaft upgrade. does anyone know what the diff's are between these 2 shafts? from what I understand the main diff is the 6.3 ts will launch tad higher. the 6.3 is not on fujikura's website, so it seems like it's a made for shaft.

[Hokie2k5]

[quote name='Ti-Cip ' timestamp='1375052222' post='7557058']
I understand the speeder 6.3 ts is the stock tp shaft for the sldr. and the speeder 6.2 ts is like a $200 shaft upgrade. does anyone know what the diff's are between these 2 shafts? from what I understand the main diff is the 6.3 ts will launch tad higher. the 6.3 is not on fujikura's website, so it seems like it's a made for shaft.
[/quote]

The 6.3 TS is designed to be a tad softer in the butt and tip compared to the .2 counterpart. It launches slightly higher and will spin a little bit more. It's a great shaft, especially for those of us that think the .2's are just a bit too much.

Not sure if the actual TP shaft will be the real deal or a made for but the 6.3TS is a sick shaft for a stock driver shaft if its the real deal.

[rbilramz]

Time for a mini-review now that the club is in-hand:

 

My wife texted me Friday afternoon letting me know that a white TM package had arrived. I found a way to get out of the office early so I could spend some time with the club before dark. A pretty good looking set-up all together, thanks TM for such a quick turnaround.

 

 

After reading some responses talking about the swing weight being different than what was expected I wanted to check mine out. Just swinging it felt fine and I couldn't remember it feeling different at the fitting day. Then I drove it down to Alameda Golfworks (shout out to a local store that provides top notch service) and had it checked out. The driver came in at 45.5" (exactly what I requested) with a D7 swing weight. I was expecting a D4, but I didn't put that on my spec sheet. Everything else came per my specs; SLDR weight one click from the far FADE end, plus my shaft graphics & grip graphics were down so everything looked perfect.

 

The next day I was hoping to play 36, but my buddies schedule wouldn't allow for it. A nice long range session and 18 holes would have to do. The first thing I noticed was the feel of the shaft. I love the feel of the Oban Kiyoshi White, but man it feels stout. Coming from a RIP Phenom 50 the Kiyoshi 65 feels much better, but also much stiffer. The light weight shaft trend is not for me. All together the set-up felt great but wouldn't mean anything until it was out on the course.

 

The best way for me to describe the club on the course is sneaky long. At least 3-4 times I hit a drive that felt good but I didn't think was super long, only to find the ball noticeably farther down the fairway than usual (10+ yards several times). I think the stout feeling of the shaft hides some serious kick. Combining that with a few more MPH of ball speed (~2-3 from fitting day) and ~500 less RPM spin made for a wicked combination. I had one drive of 303 and two in the 290's, which is long for me. More impressive than the distance for me was the control; I hit 9 of 13 fairways (this course has 5 par 3's). Only one of my drives was a pure miss left and it was one of those swings that no movable weight or shaft could possibly help.

 

Based on TM's email it sounds like they are going to market this head on pure distance. I think that's a mistake; the SLDR really seems like a more traditional player version of a distance-driven club. It's not loud, it's not flashy; but man does it perform. I would describe the SLDR as a hybrid between the distance of the RBZ and the adjustability of the R-series.

 

As of today the SLDR is definitely going to stay in my bag. We'll see how it continues to peform once the honeymoon period is over.

[Banker]

Bvmagic, I'm just going to have my guy pull the SLDR tip & put it on the Oban.

FYI, Orange County national is in horrendous shape. Panther's rough is mostly a slimy mess of grass & mud. Crooked cat has been resodded around the course, greens punched & verti cut.

[Caesar Palache]

[quote name='rbilramz' timestamp='1375059509' post='7557760']
I found a way to get out of the office early so I could spend some time with the club before dark.
[/quote]

best comment so far in this thread

[golfnut5438]

[quote name='dave s 316' timestamp='1375047840' post='7556652']
sorry guys, looked through the thread and didnt see an answer. anyone know beyond speculation why no white head, and if a white one will be offered? thanks
[/quote]

Color was briefly discussed with the TM engineer at our fitting, but it did not sound like any other colors would be available any time soon, if ever. Probably a marketing decision. The color is the same as the old 300 Series drivers, Taylormade gray. It looks great on the course and everyone I've shown the driver to, loves it.

btw...I'll leave my initial playing thoughts after my tournament tomorrow. Played a match play match today. So far, so good.

[Scott@84]

This is purely speculation but I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't have the option of picking what color driver you wanted a la Cobra sometime down the road.

[Rebel420]

Other than DJ's OOB slice on the 17th hole today (that block was noticeable before the ball left the face of the club), he was putting up some good drive numbers, though. His overall driving distance average was over 310 yds. I know he had a few today over 330yds (one was 352). He put up some equally long drives all week, with the longest in round one of 338, round 2 of 376!, a 358 yarder yesterday and today's 352. I know the course layout and wind helped a bit, and DJ is a long hitter to begin with, but those were some good numbers even for him.

[Mustng5]

They told us white wasn't going away but it just wasn't on this driver as of now...

[cwesleyc]

I've got an R9 460 TP. Will that tip work with this head?

[deck]

[quote name='cwesleyc' timestamp='1375070918' post='7558970']
I've got an R9 460 TP. Will that tip work with this head?
[/quote]


No. It won't. R1 or Stage 2 will work with it

[Golfrnut]

Although this is looking ahead, as outside the winners of the giveaway no one has the head yet, but I am a little concerned about how we are supposed to adjust the SW value. I am pretty partial to SW values so if it doesn't hit in the area that I want, how am I supposed to attack getting the weight proper? Anyone know the default SW value they are looking at going with? I mean, if I got a head, decided to throw my DI shaft in it, this seems like it would make it a little harder to weigh out properly. With the R1, you have the weights, and with the RBZ you have the weight screw which can be atleast filed down or removed to add hot melt, etc. Just wondering how they are going to approach that unless they offer the option to remove the weight. Head looks sealed up to me so outside of drilling, you are stuck with lead tape and such.

Just some concerns to throw out there. But, TBH, I am actually thinking about preordering one and I have never been that proactive towards getting clubs before. Must be all the reviews on here. Thanks a lot jerks!

[golfnut5438]

[quote name='cwesleyc' timestamp='1375070918' post='7558970']
I've got an R9 460 TP. Will that tip work with this head?
[/quote]

Sorry, but only R1 and preferably RBZ Stage 2 tips will work with the SLDR.

R9, R11, R11S and RBZ tips are SOL.

[Bill 241]

-Thanks for all the reviews. I have an R1 with a senior shaft and set at 8.5. I am 72 and hit it about 220 to 230, and have a 12 Handicap. I pllan to test my R1 against the sldr as soon as I can. If better I will buy it. Upon reading the preorder info at golfsmith,I see that you must order a 8.5, 9.5 0r 10.5. I thought that the sldr was adjustable like the R1. Am I missing something? My greatist misses are pulls left (over the top probably). I may not have an opportunity to test the club and would appreciate any suggestions if I have to preorder. Sorry for being so verbose.

[falken19150]

The website has the ordering up now both verisons TP and Non-TP

[the_saint_siwa]

Good morning GolfWrxers,

Hmm, where do I start? I received the driver this past Friday. OMG, so pretty! I went home during my lunch break because I had a tee time at 4:00 pm. Had to slammed my break twice because the State Troopers had 2 speed traps. Anyway put the driver in play for Friday. Not swinging so good on the front nine. I tend to baby my new stuff but when I'm down, things changed. Start really hit the driver. Overall, the distance was good. Since I played in the course that I wasn't familiar with, plus my playing partner isn't at Iong off the tee, I can't really compare the distance.

So Friday was just a warm up day for my Sunday round. I played with my normal foursome. My playing partner always longer off the tee and I always measure my drive based of his. I normally either behind or almost equal with him when I really nutted one. However yesterday, playing in the course that I'm familiar with, I always in front of him. The only time that I wasn't in front of him is when I hit a tree, lol! It happened twice. Other than that, It's a bye-bye

There is no doubt that this driver is definetly longer than my current driver (which I thought was pretty long). It's also VERY forgiving. One lesson though, the weight screw came out loose on the 8 hole, and I didn't bring the wrench! Fortunately on the turn, someone with an R1 had a wrench.

The driver is perfect in anyway, except 1 tiny pin drop paint chip close to the hosel, but that being a GolfWrx picky! LOL. This driver is a [b]BEAST[/b] for sure! Did I mention that it FEEL good! [b]It's like James Brown I Feel Good! [/b]

[b][size=5]Taylormade SLDR, simple technology that works![/size][/b]

GolfWrx, Taylormade, Golf Gods, THANK YOU! I can't wait for this weekend, again.

[Caesar Palache]

http://youtu.be/ZCk2jJNyOGg

tell me this isnt the best "commercial" youve seen from TM in a long time. no crazy gimmicks, no face paint. i feel like more people will like this side of Taylormade if they continue with it

[J13]

The driver looks great at the address position and that does look like a deep face too. I give TM a lot of credit for creating a driver that isn't white yet you can still very clearly tell what it is on TV. No doubt that was their main reason for adding the silver to the back of the crown.

[Rebel420]

[quote name='Caesar Palache' timestamp='1375108493' post='7560516']
http://youtu.be/ZCk2jJNyOGg

tell me this isnt the best "commercial" youve seen from TM in a long time. no crazy gimmicks, no face paint. i feel like more people will like this side of Taylormade if they continue with it
[/quote]
Quit saying what I want to 10 minutes before I do!

I think this is the best TM commercial. Much more "mature"...no hipster catch phrases, or craziness. IMHO this commercial addresses pretty much all of the issues the "hater crowd" has with TM marketing. The flexibility of this company never ceases to amaze me.

[Doc Mcstuffins]

Darn it....just looked at the TM website and the TP shaft is TM graphics. Oh well....can't win them all. Sort of looks like the Aldila ATX design.

[TheMoneyShot]

[quote name='Caesar Palache' timestamp='1375108493' post='7560516']
http://youtu.be/ZCk2jJNyOGg

tell me this isnt the best "commercial" youve seen from TM in a long time. no crazy gimmicks, no face paint. i feel like more people will like this side of Taylormade if they continue with it
[/quote]

I agree, great commercial by TM. Seems like they are finally going back to their roots and dropping all of that over the top marketing.

[jay65]

[quote name='Doc Mcstuffins' timestamp='1375110078' post='7560698']
Darn it....just looked at the TM website and the TP shaft is TM graphics. Oh well....can't win them all. Sort of looks like the Aldila ATX design.
[/quote]

I can't get the Custom options to be shown under the 'Custom option' section. Are all the Custom options TM Graphics for the TP version then?

[DRRicks]

Is this replacing the R1 line or the RBZ line...just curious?