Not the R7's We've Come to Expect
Written: Sep 10 '07
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: All the Positive Characteristics of a Blade + Forgiveness!
Cons: None
The Bottom Line: ------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
| rancid1993's Full Review: Taylor Made r7 TP Irons |
Taylor Made's R7 label has quickly become one of the most noticeable lines of golf clubs in the golf world. The now icon started with drivers, expanded into fairway woods, hybrids, and eventually irons. Even through there have been TP (tour preferred) versions of the woods, I always had an incorrect belief that the R7 line was more for golfers looking for consistency rather than high performance. However, recently I have seen and played with TP versions of R7 woods and hybrids, and my incorrect ideas were quickly dispelled. This model years (2007) R7 irons are a very diverse offering, with irons to satisfy every type of player - from 5 to 25 handicap.
The R7 irons made for mid to higher are simply called R7 or there's a set made for players who struggle to keep the ball from slicing. The TP R7's look like the regular R7's except in a smaller, less offset package. This means the club has a cavity back, not a pure blade or muscleback like the most advanced players irons. The result is an iron that has the classic, clean appearance and minimal offset found on advanced players clubs, but also has some forgiveness for players who don't hit the ball perfectly every time.
One of the downsides to the cavity back and the steel not being forged is the loss of the buttery feel that goes along with forged irons. Don't be mistaken, through, these irons feel great with center of the face contact, just not as good as forged. They're also not as harsh when the ball is bladed or hit off the heel or toe.
On The Course
The thin topline and sole is my preferred look for a club, nothing too chunky. The size frames the ball beautifully and sets up nicely. The clubs also have a little bit of heft to them - not too much or not too little. Oddly enough, my favorite irons to hit are long irons. Hitting the R7 TP irons is much like any other set of this type - mis hits will result in a less than desirable shot but good contact will be rewarded with a medium height line drive or high majestic shot landing shot when you have a long way to go to the green.
The short irons are also what could be expected from irons geared for the better player. On the rare instance you make poor contact with a short iron, the punishment is less severe as I usually only lose a little bit of distance. The 8-PW also put enough spin on the ball to stick it on the green from the fairway. The R7's also didn't have much trouble from the rough as the head slices through the rough very nicely. I had to go one club up when in the tall stuff, but that's very typical for any iron set.
Final Thoughts
Taylor Made's R7 TP irons are an excellent new set for players in the, oh, 3-9 handicap region. They are forgiving to a point, but won't make up for consistent bad contact. However, for good ballstrikers that like a smaller clubhead, these might be worth a good long look.
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.