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Spotted: TaylorMade SLDR 430 TP Japan driver

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TaylorMade SLDR 430

There has been a lot of chatter in our forums over the past couple of days about the addition of a TaylorMade SLDR 430 TP to the USGA’s list of conforming clubs. Let the chatter continue, because look what just showed up on the TaylorMade Japan website!

According to the TaylorMade Japan website, the head features a 2-gram-heavier SLDR weight that the standard SLDR 460 driver. That change is made possible by the SLDR’s smaller (and thus lighter) lighter 430-cubic-centimeter head.

Much like the SLDR 460, the SLDR 430 allow golfers to choose from 12 positions on TaylorMade’s “Loft Sleeve” within a range of plus-or-minus 1.5 degrees of loft change in 0.5-degree increments to help golfers dial in their launch and spin.

Click here to read our review of TaylorMade’s SLDR 460 driver.

The SLDR 430 has the same crown graphics as the original, but the sole is charcoal-gray, applying the 460’s crown color to the entirety of the club. And of course, there’s the “Tour Preferred” badging loyalists have been clamoring for on the toe of the club. It’s not the original TaylorMade TP logo loyalists wanted, but it’s better than nothing, right?

Screen shot 2013-12-03 at 8.44.07 PM

Speculation has abounded as to whether the SLDR 430 TP will be available in the U.S. However, with the upcoming release of TaylorMade’s Tour Preferred Irons and with pros rumored to be testing the SLDR 430 TP, it seems likely that a U.S. release is in the cards.

Here are the specs and shaft options from the TaylorMade Japan website.

Screen shot 2013-12-03 at 8.41.39 PM

A look at the darker, more compact face of the SLDR 430 TP.

Screen shot 2013-12-03 at 8.43.52 PM

Here’s a look at the crown of the club, which is very similar to the 460 version.

Screen shot 2013-12-03 at 8.43.59 PM

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30 Comments

30 Comments

  1. jc

    Dec 23, 2013 at 7:17 pm

    I got a top secret version of the badge and put it on my G25…wow, another 45 yards instantly!!!

    it went so far, the usga banned the badge on other maker’s clubs…

    it went so far, the FAA banned me from hitting driver near airports…

  2. ams165

    Dec 15, 2013 at 11:32 pm

    Just saw on Golfdiscount.com that the 430 TP version is shipping on Dec 20th. They are taking pre orders…

    http://www.golfdiscount.com/taylormade-sldr-430-tp-tour-driver

  3. Fsubaseball

    Dec 9, 2013 at 6:05 am

    The new “TP” irons can be found on the same taylormade Japan website.. They used to have black carbon ATV wedges as well as different color options on spiders. The prices are insane!

  4. Moo

    Dec 8, 2013 at 12:57 pm

    Wow, Can’t wait to get one of these, and I really wasn’t looking for a new driver. But with the compact head, lighter swing weight and the 45″ shaft, it’s everything I wanted from TM. I’ve been hitting my RBZ Tour well but I’m tiring of the big white blob at the end of a long stick look:) A partial effect of playing a 3Deep off the tee recently. Can I repeat the 45″ thing!!! 46″ shafts for amateurs is just plain stupid. Really hate to have to cut down a shaft with no OEM way to adjust the swingweight. Just hoping these are not Japan only specs… And I just have to mention the goofy badge thing. The new look is way better.

  5. Peter A

    Dec 4, 2013 at 4:09 pm

    Tried out the 430 yesterday. Averaged 200 rpm less on spin numbers. This driver is going to be a runaway hit for high spin players, especially with the Speeder in it.

  6. Dan

    Dec 4, 2013 at 2:11 pm

    TMag, get something right here and you will happen to get more and more of your TP loyalists back…if that damn badge is not on the side of the club, that is an issue! If your re-create the badge, want to “re-brand” your TP line, THEN DO IT WITH THE BADGE! Get it right, quit teasing us with “prototypes that did not make the final production”. Thats garbage, to be honest. I do not like to rip apart what I feel is the greatest company in constructing ground-breaking drivers, but give us consumers what we want FOR ONCE!

    • snowman

      Dec 4, 2013 at 3:52 pm

      Agree..Why the H— won’t TMAG bring back the damn badge that all the players love? This “Tour Preferred” nonsense looks like something from Spalding in the 70’s

    • Jon

      Dec 5, 2013 at 12:30 am

      But dan will the badge lower your scores? Do you buy a club because of cosmetics, or because of the performance?

  7. Pricey

    Dec 4, 2013 at 1:40 pm

    But how much……..? $699 with TP shaft upgrade? Ya gotta be kidding me. Ya might as well go find a R9 T stamp or R11S T stamp on Ebay you’ll hit those just as good

    • Tyler

      Dec 4, 2013 at 1:44 pm

      Or just wait a few months and buy one for half the price.

  8. Conrad

    Dec 4, 2013 at 1:04 pm

    looks great

  9. Carter

    Dec 4, 2013 at 12:32 pm

    This looks exactly like my new driver. haha

  10. Andrew

    Dec 4, 2013 at 12:29 pm

    That is a very, very nice looking club.

  11. Big_5_Hole

    Dec 4, 2013 at 11:57 am

    This is one driver I’ll be testing this spring. I liked but didn’t love the first SLDR, this might be the one……

  12. Jay

    Dec 4, 2013 at 11:14 am

    I don’t get the obsession with having the TP logo on everything. Who cares? Isn’t it about how it performs anyway? I could care less about trying to impress my friends with little logo’s but would rather hit it by them 30yds.

    • KCCO

      Dec 8, 2013 at 2:27 pm

      Like the all charcoal, could careless about badge….just hope TMAG sticks a small head driver to retail shelf, sick of huge 460’s

  13. markb

    Dec 4, 2013 at 11:00 am

    Looks like it still has the glued on toe plate cover that kept falling out on the regular models and had to be screwed in on tour drivers. Did they change the glue?

  14. Tyler

    Dec 4, 2013 at 10:53 am

    Why does TM release different clubs in Japan?

    • christian

      Dec 5, 2013 at 6:35 am

      This driver will probably come to the US market as well, but otherwise TM, Callaway, Titleist, Cleveland have whole lines of JDM only clubs. Usually forged, usually pricey. It’s because the golf eqipment market in Japan is double the size of the US one with less than half the population. Brands bring out their most “premium” stuff in Japan, and then they might release a watered down version a couple of years later in the US market. Or sometimes, as in the case of the Anser line from Ping, interest is so great in the US that they will offer the JDM stuff (Anser Forged irons) in the US too. And as a thank you the then get clobbered with negative comments about being “insanely expensive”.

      • Nattysurf

        Dec 6, 2013 at 3:26 am

        Japan golf equipment market is not even close to being 2X the US – it is less than 50% of the US.

        • hebron1427

          Dec 6, 2013 at 5:23 pm

          probably true, but the prices that japanese consumers will pay for similar products is astronomical.

  15. Scott F

    Dec 4, 2013 at 10:30 am

    that all black 430 SLDR is niceeee looking they should’ve did the TP badge though. Why not listen to the golfers here who are your ultimate focus group? 90% or so would say go with badge on TP. Love the looks of the MC and Im not a TM player. Glad to see that TM finally figured out that golfers don’t want white clubs or NASCAR graphics or dials that no one can figure out.

  16. Mike

    Dec 4, 2013 at 10:26 am

    This will be available in the US…

  17. Keith

    Dec 4, 2013 at 9:25 am

    Oh I want one so bad, if this is anything like the 460 it is going to be the best of 2014! It would be awesome if they would let us get our hands on this gorgeous black one too, Com’on Tmag you can do that for us!

  18. John

    Dec 4, 2013 at 8:53 am

    Take away crown graphics and put tp logo instead… Bam, instant perfection.

  19. Patrick

    Dec 4, 2013 at 8:50 am

    When will it be hitting shelves in the states?

  20. Xerpro

    Dec 4, 2013 at 8:33 am

    Sign me up….Might be the one that can knock out the original SFTP.
    All Black looks awesome!!!

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Equipment

Q&A: Martin Trainer on his Bobby Grace “Greg Chalmers” putter, 6.5-degree driver, and “butter knife” 2-iron

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As unbiasedly as I can put it, Martin Trainer has one of the coolest club setups in professional golf. (At some point soon, I’ll put together a top-10 list of “coolest club setups on Tour,” but I know that Trainer will be in the top-10)

What a lineup. He plays a 6.5-degree Wilson prototype driver, a 13-degree Wilson prototype 3-wood, a true blade Wilson Staff Model 2-iron, and a Bobby Grace “Greg Chalmers Commemorative” putter!

 

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I mean, look at this 2-iron from address…

To quote the great author R.L. Stine: “Goosebumps.”

On Wednesday at the 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open, I caught up with Trainer to learn more about his bag setup.

Here’s what he had to say:

You have the Internet going crazy over your bag setup, and your putter. Where’d you pick the Bobby Grace-Greg Chalmers putter up? How long have you had it?

MT: This was from when Bobby Grace came to my course in California: Cal Club. And for whatever reason, they just started having them in the shop. So then I took my buddy’s, started using it, and made, like, a million putts in a row, which is how every putter story begins, I guess.

And then, I bought a couple of my own, used it for years, got to the Tour with it, won on Tour with it (the 2019 Puerto Rico Open). Then, about a year later, started using another putter, did that for a couple years, but now it’s back in the bag.

When did it come back in the bag?

MT: December of this past year. So a few months ago.

What year would you say was the first time you threw that in the bag, or, like, when you bought it?

MT: God…Probably, 2016, maybe? 2018?

Do you remember how much you paid for it?

MT: I don’t know, actually. Maybe $100-150 bucks or something. I think that’s the only golf club I’ve bought between high school and now. Well, two, since I bought two of them.

The driver is interesting, too. What went into the prototyping process?

MT: That was a version of the current driver, but it was the prototype that they first came out with for Tour guys to try. And for whatever reason, I just never switched out to the new one.

It’s just 6.5 degrees, right?

MT: Yeah. Very low loft, yeah.

What kind of ball speed do you have with that these days?

MT: Like high 170’s.

Yeah, that’ll work. And then a 2-iron blade? We’re seeing fewer and fewer of those out here.

MT: Yeah. The butter knife.

Very cool thing to have in the bag. Have you done any testing with driving irons? 

MT: Yeah, I used to have a thicker one, but it was a little offset, and I never hit it that well. And then finally, I started messing around with the butter knife. And I remember the first time I looked down at it, I was terrified. And then I ended up getting used to it, putting it in play, and it’s been in place since. It’s a pretty good club for me.

How far do you carry that? 

MT: Like 235.

A good little wind club, I’m sure.

MTL Yeah, exactly. I can hit it very low. It’s great.

I love it. You have people shook looking at that. Thanks for the time, man. 

MT: Absolutely.

To see more photos and discussion of Trainer’s bag, click here.

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Equipment

Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (3/28/24): L.A.B. Golf Mezz.1 Max Broomstick with LA Golf Paige Spiranac shaft

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At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals that all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.

It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.

Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, there is a listing for a L.A.B. Golf Mezz.1 Max Broomstick putter with LA Golf Paige Spiranac shaft.

From the seller: (@hibcam): “L.A.B. GOLF Mezz.1 Max Broomstick- LA Golf Paige Spiranac Shaft- 44″/79.5. Brand new, never used brown leather cover. The head was professionally anodized from Orange to Blue (Orange looked bad with the Pink shaft so I had it changed). Only a few rounds on this combo. Please see last pic- slight ding on back corner. 8.5-10 condition. THE SHAFT COST $475/ THE PUTTER $625. $799 shipped in the US. ONLY $699 SHIPPED.”

To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: L.A.B. Golf Mezz.1 Max Broomstick with LA Golf Paige Spiranac shaft

This is the most impressive current listing from the GolfWRX BST, and if you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum you can check them out here: GolfWRX BST Rules

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Spotted: Tony Finau’s driver shaft change at the 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open

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Tony Finau has always been known as one of the longest players on the PGA Tour, but he has recently been working on adding a little more distance. Last year, Finau averaged 118.3 mph club head speed and 178.08 mph ball speed, all while playing a Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 70 TX driver shaft. This year, he has increased his club head speed to 123.93 mph and his ball speed to 183.32 mph.

However, Finau’s overall distance has decreased by two yards in that time. From a fitting perspective, something was amiss. We asked Tony about the shaft change at the Texas Children’s Hospital Open.

“[I’m seeing] better numbers with the spin. My driver’s been a little high spin for me over the last month or so, and so I just figured it was time to probably check out the equipment,” Finau said. “And it definitely showed me that I was using a shaft that’s maybe a little too tip-stiff for me, the way I load the club now. [I’m seeing] better numbers with the spin.”

Finau switched from the Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 70 TX into the Diamana GT 70 TX. The newer Diamana GT has a slightly different profile than the D+ Limited with the stiffest handle section in the Diamana lineup. The mid sections between the two are similar stiffness but the tip is just slightly stiffer in the Diamana GT. Both shafts are within one gram of each other in the 70 TX. The torque rating on the GT is 0.1 higher than the D+Limited’s 2.7 measurement.

Mitsubishi lists the Diamana GT as a shaft between the mid-launching Diamana TB and the new low-launch Diamana WB shafts. For most players, it would be considered a mid/low launch and low-spin shaft option. Mitsubishi’s Xlink Tech Resin System makes sure the maximum carbon fiber content is there for smooth feel without reducing the strength of the shaft. MR70 carbon fiber is used for reinforcing the shaft and boron is used in the tip for its high strength and compression properties.

Finau is still using his trusty Ping G430 LST driver in 9 degrees and has the adjustable hosel set to -1 degree of loft (standard lie angle). Finau’s long-time favorite Lamkin UTX Green grip is installed. He definitely has a few extra wraps of tape under that grip as you can see the bulge down where the grip meets the shaft.

One final note: Per Ping’s PGA Tour rep Kenton Oates, Finau’s driver is also adjusted to play with an additional degree of loft to help dial in his desired launch.

We’ll see how he fares with the new setup this week in Houston!

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