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Click here for pics and info on the Rocketbladez Tour Irons
By Zak Kozuchowski
GolfWRX Managing Editor
Longer and more forgiving.
That's what TaylorMade promised in 2012 with its RocketBallz line of fairway woods and hybrids, and what the company is promising again with the release of its latest iron sets, "RocketBladez."
Like the fairway woods and hybrids before them, they key technology behind Rocketbladez irons is their speed pocket, a 2 mm-wide slot in the sole of the 3-through-7 irons that flexes and rebounds at impact, which the company says promotes faster ball speed, a higher launch angle and a ball flight that lands on a steep, quick-stopping angle. The Speed Pocket is filled with a specially formulated polyurethane developed by 3M that quiets vibration without significantly slowing or inhibiting the flex of the pocket. It keeps debris out of the pocket as well.
TaylorMade studies showed that 68 percent of iron shots by amateur golfers were mishits below the center of the face, which is where the Speed Pocket helps golfers the most. It was designed to significantly increase ball speed and distance on those low-face mishits, adding up to 10 COR points to the face compared to TaylorMade's Burner 2.0 irons.
TaylorMade will also be offering RocketBladez in more compact Tour model that will appeal to better players and its professional staff.
“We created RocketBladez irons for amateurs, but when our Tour Staff pros tried it, they wanted it,” said Mark King, TaylorMade's President and CEO. "The genius of the Speed Pocket is that not only does it deliver more speed for more distance, it delivers consistent speed, so shots fly a consistent distance. That combination of speed and consistent distance is what made the eyes of our tour pros light up.”
Both versions of RocketBladez are made of maraging stainless steel and employ TaylorMade's improved Inverted Cone Technology, which the company says delivers two critical benefits:
TaylorMade engineers fine tuned the CG in both models to a low-and-centered location on the face by shortening the hosel to save weight. They also removed weight from the top of the club and redistributed it more optimal locations. In the RocketBladez non-tour design, 17.5 grams of redistributed weight enabled engineers to lower the CG 2.5 mm more than the Burner 2.0 iron.
Both models also feature an external notch on the outside rear-portion of the hosel, as well as an internal notch on the inside of the hosel that makes it easier to adjust loft and lie angle.
RocketBladez irons are priced at $799 with steel shafts and $899 with graphite shafts. They are available for pre-order on Oct. 23. The irons will be available at retail Friday, Nov. 30. RocketBladez Tour Irons will be available at retail Feb. 1 for $899.
All images, iron by iron, are below. What do you think?
By Zak Kozuchowski
GolfWRX Managing Editor
Longer and more forgiving.
That's what TaylorMade promised in 2012 with its RocketBallz line of fairway woods and hybrids, and what the company is promising again with the release of its latest iron sets, "RocketBladez."
Like the fairway woods and hybrids before them, they key technology behind Rocketbladez irons is their speed pocket, a 2 mm-wide slot in the sole of the 3-through-7 irons that flexes and rebounds at impact, which the company says promotes faster ball speed, a higher launch angle and a ball flight that lands on a steep, quick-stopping angle. The Speed Pocket is filled with a specially formulated polyurethane developed by 3M that quiets vibration without significantly slowing or inhibiting the flex of the pocket. It keeps debris out of the pocket as well.
TaylorMade studies showed that 68 percent of iron shots by amateur golfers were mishits below the center of the face, which is where the Speed Pocket helps golfers the most. It was designed to significantly increase ball speed and distance on those low-face mishits, adding up to 10 COR points to the face compared to TaylorMade's Burner 2.0 irons.
TaylorMade will also be offering RocketBladez in more compact Tour model that will appeal to better players and its professional staff.
“We created RocketBladez irons for amateurs, but when our Tour Staff pros tried it, they wanted it,” said Mark King, TaylorMade's President and CEO. "The genius of the Speed Pocket is that not only does it deliver more speed for more distance, it delivers consistent speed, so shots fly a consistent distance. That combination of speed and consistent distance is what made the eyes of our tour pros light up.”
Both versions of RocketBladez are made of maraging stainless steel and employ TaylorMade's improved Inverted Cone Technology, which the company says delivers two critical benefits:
- It increases the size of the clubface area that delivers high ball speed.
- It influences how the face flexes and rebounds at impact to control the angle at which the ball leaves the face, promoting straighter shots and a tighter dispersion.
TaylorMade engineers fine tuned the CG in both models to a low-and-centered location on the face by shortening the hosel to save weight. They also removed weight from the top of the club and redistributed it more optimal locations. In the RocketBladez non-tour design, 17.5 grams of redistributed weight enabled engineers to lower the CG 2.5 mm more than the Burner 2.0 iron.
Both models also feature an external notch on the outside rear-portion of the hosel, as well as an internal notch on the inside of the hosel that makes it easier to adjust loft and lie angle.
RocketBladez irons are priced at $799 with steel shafts and $899 with graphite shafts. They are available for pre-order on Oct. 23. The irons will be available at retail Friday, Nov. 30. RocketBladez Tour Irons will be available at retail Feb. 1 for $899.
All images, iron by iron, are below. What do you think?
