390 replies to this topic

[HipCheck]

******CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE START OF THE ARCHIVED Q&A ******

EXCLUSIVE GolfWRX HOUR! LIVE Q&A with TaylorMade about 2013 products:
R1, RBZ Stage 2, RocketBladez, Lethal Ball



TaylorMade’s 2013 line-up debuts in retail locations this Friday (2.1.13) and they’ll be taking fans’ questions on Thursday, January 31. They know GolfWRX members often have the BEST and most technical questions so they’ve offered to come online to WRX and answer our members’ questions for a one-hour exclusive GolfWRX Q&A before opening their chat up to the public.

The exclusive GolfWRX Q&A session will be led by TaylorMade Product Evangelist Tom Kroll and a team of experts that cover metalwoods, irons, and golf balls. The event is Thursday, January 31, 12-1 p.m. EST; feel free to leave your questions starting now in the thread. After one hour, the TaylorMade team will continue answering questions for the general public 1 - 3 p.m. EST on their site http://www.youtube.com/taylormadegolf. You are welcome to join the discussion there as well.

** Any GolfWRX member who submits a question answered by TaylorMade in the GolfWRX thread below will have a chance to win an R1 or RBZ Stage 2 driver (up to $499 value). There will be three winners chosen by random drawing by GolfWRX on Friday, February 1 – the day TaylorMade products hit retail.

Beyond the live chat, if you have questions for TaylorMade, you can find them on Twitter at @TaylorMadeGolf (tag your tweet #AskTaylorMade)

Have questions?  Fire away below!

******CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE START OF THE ARCHIVED Q&A ****

3 winners chosen.  Thank for participating everyone!
cwbrion
drifter12
blblco02

Edited by HipCheck, 04 February 2013 - 03:25 PM.
winners

[Dscvrr St Louis]

okay...liked the Penta, Loved the TP5, have gotten the LETHAL out for a spin a couple of times now...what gives! how can you keep improving on the ball so much? what is the new tech in the core or layers to produce a ball this good for all shots, enough where I don't worry about the ball's behavior changing on similar shots???

thanks for taking the time guys!!

[HISPL]

What is the idea behind the graphics on the crown of your drivers?

Is it to stand out on TV during coverage of PGA events?

Or is there some kind of theoretical performance improvement?

[Tim Delgado]

Thanks to TM and GolfWRX for this unique opportunity to get detailed information about the new driver lineup.

I am VERY happy with my RBZ Tour driver, and have been won over regarding the adjustability (that I didn't think I would ever need).

My question is this... How can a one-loft program work for two advanced golfers that both need an open-face driver, but with significantly different lofts.

I understand how a head can be adjusted up and down for loft, but how can the guy wanting 8* + open face get there, while also allowing the guy wanting 11* + open face to ALSO get there when using the same head?  How can loft changes be separated from face angle?

Also, how would you compare the new drivers to the original RBZ drivers in terms of spin rate?

I'm sure that I'm not the only guy out there with a less-than-perfect swing that produces too much spin!  

Thanks very much for going out of your way to provide us with access to this kind of information.  This is the kind of think that makes this site so valuable IMO.

Tim

Edited by Tim Delgado, 30 January 2013 - 12:33 AM.

[Kadin 25]

With the launch of the new Adizero line, will this now be the trend moving forward? Is there or will there be a lightweight Adipure?


Secondly with the slot technology, will this feature be in all future iron designs and is there a way to utilize that in scoring clubs (8,9,PW) ?

Thank You for your time!

Kadin

Edited by Kadin 25, 29 January 2013 - 11:54 PM.

[Dave Feldman]

The R1 line looks great, but wondering what the target market for the R1 Super TP is?  What is the rational for this price point; i.e., why pay so much?

Any plans for a Rocketbladez "B" iron version?

Thank you for your time and comments.

D

Edited by Dave Feldman, 30 January 2013 - 12:03 AM.

[blblco02]

Are the tour player's head's really "better" than what can be bought off the rack?  Why is there such a cult following for tour only clubs if there is no performance advantage?

[BILLYMALOOLY]

Is the clicking sound on my rocketbladez stand, from the face compressing and hit the back of the club ? it is clicky. and the tours looks like the is more room from face to back so prob dont make that clicking sound ? Thank you so kindely for your time , and putting up with us.

[masamitsu]

Why did the speed pocket in the RocketBladz stop at the 7-iron.  Wouldn't this lead to a large gap between the 7-iron and 8-iron?

[Boogaloo_Jones]

Thanks Taylormade and Golfwrx for allowing us to ask questions about the new upcoming products!

My question is, Are there any plans to release a R-series fairway wood (i.e. R1 fairway line)?  If not, going forth, will the RBZ/RBZ Stage 2 line be the only fairway offered from Taylormade?

The R11 and R11s fairways to me were seriously under-appreciated and thought they were fantastic fairways, so it is surprising to me that there was not any R-series fairways announced.

Thanks again!

[WRXClarky]

Hello TMag, Thanks for your time today.

I asked this question to the Callaway guys and they decided to sort of fluff it off so I will ask for your opinion on this. I would like to know why the stock driver shafts keep getting longer and longer while the top players in the sport play on average a 44.5 inch driver. The average golfer can't hit the sweetspot effectively with these longer drivers and they would almost all be better off with much shorter driver shafts. Even though swingspeed will likely be reduced, I believe that distance will increase since they will be hitting the sweetspot more often.

Thanks.

[Txstcatman]

I'm a bit of a golf ball tinkerer so here goes:

What is TaylorMade's stance on a ball fitting for players of differing abilities?  It seems like some competitors take opposing views (Bog T's "anyone can use our premium ball" to Bstone's "find the right ball for you" mentality). By offering various types of golf balls (construction and materials) are you trying to great a product range that fits all golfers, or are you of the mindset that the company wants product at certain price points to simply reach consumers?

Thanks GolfWRX and TaylorMade for this awesome forum experience!  I played the fire Penta TP and the TP5. Loved them both and am anxiously waiting to pick up some of the new Lethal model.

[deck]

When will we see the TMAG and Adams technology blended more?

[Txstcatman]

Sorry just thought of a second question, this time related to wedges.

I recently acquired a pair of xFT wedges and love them. I know you went from the ZTP to the replaceable face tech, then back to a solid body design for the ATV. Are there any plans for a multi-versatile soled wedge (ATV style) with replaceable face tech (xFT style)?  Again, many thanks!

[akrite4]

When will the release be for the R1 carry stand bag and will D.J.'s staff bag be offered to the public for sale? Thank you for your time?

[rharvey3]

What are the details of the new putter line. Rumor has it, it will be a Daddy Long Legs (DLL). Will it be adjustable in anyway & what type of face insert will used.

Thanks for the information!

[drifter12]

First off thanks again TMAG for this live chat! A great way to engage with us all and the giveaway makes it even better .

I have a couple of questions and both relate to my interest in the TM drivers and RocketBladez Tour irons:

(1) can you elaborate a bit more on the difference between the new R1 driver and last years R11S, as well as the difference between the new RBZ Stage 2 driver and last year's RBZ driver? In particular I'm interested in spin, feel, sound. As a current owner of a RBZ driver I'm really interested in what to expect from the new R1 and RBZ Stage 2.
(2) I've heard the pros talk about the softness and consistency of the RBladez Tour irons. I love the feel of forged irons, can you tell us more about the build and materials used in the RBladez irons and how it contributes to the softness and feel of the irons?

Thanks very much!!

[dmasix1]

What exactly is the purpose of creating "Tour" and a "Tour TP" versions of woods? Thank you!

[jonesbr2]

Hi Taylormade,

All your products this year seem to be focusing on higher launch with lower spin from the initial reviews thus far. Does the new Lethal ball match these flight characteristics? If so did you design the ball to sound, feel, spin a certain way off your own clubs, or is it more general than that? Thanks

[deck]

Ok so you are going to be here. Might as well ask away

Why do the professionals have the lofts offered and not one loft like retail of the r1?

Difference in v1,v2 and v3 heads please.

[bouch640]

How difficult is it to market your products to golfers who have largely played traditional looking products? White club heads with graphics on the crown can be distracting to some. How and why do you think you can win those customers over?

[jokerusn]

First off, I'm a long time TM wood user - all the way back to the system 2 with the flex-twist shaft.  I've had woods from almost every generation.  They've always worked great for me...  until recently.   The problem for me started with the 07 Burner driver and the crown graphics.  I got over the graphics only to find a head that spun too much.  It took a lot of waiting and trial and error to find a driver head that worked well for me after the r7 quad - r9 SuperDeep.  Then the R11 came out and I was overspinning it again.  At the time, there was no 8 degree head at retail so I bought a competitor's driver that fit me.  Now, with the R1, you have essentially only a 10 degree head at retail.  If I go and demo it only to find that I'm launching it too high in the lowest loft setting, what can I do if all other measurements are really good?  Can I order a TD1 head or request a head measured to be lower loft?  I know I'm in the minority but I'm feeling left out by TM and other OEMs with this Uniloft thing.

Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions!

[wilavic]

Thanks tmag for your time.Will you be offering custom color options for driver heads,kind of along the lines of some of the other oems are doing.I would like to see a black r1 head with the graphics ghosted in different shades of black or very faint greys.Wishful thinking perhaps.Thanks

[KC4441]

From the looks of it, I see more and more Tour Pros going to the RocketBladez Tour irons.  Do you anticipate the majority of your Pros playing them by the end of the year?  What do they say is the main reason for the switch?

Thanks TMAG and golfwrx for once again going above and beyond!

[jwfgolfpro]

TMAG,

Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions.

My question is about ball fitting. I am a big fan of golf ball fitting starting at the green and working back.

Premium balls are not just designed for high swing speed players. All players can actually benifit from a premium golf ball.

Ever think of offering a "Ball Fitting Pack/Dozen

Include each of the balls that TMAG has to offer. Let the golfer experience the difference.

Thanks again for you time.

JWFGOLFPRO

[ram01002]

Assuming equal lofts, compare r1 and r11s in terms of spin rate. Thanks!

[Imp]

Thank you GolfWRX and TaylorMade for taking the time to answer some of these questions!!

1) What's the technical reasoning for flattening the sole of the stage two 3W?

I'm a sweeper and I find that the flatter sole has more turf interaction than the original RBZ 3W with a rounded crown and I lost about 5-10 yds on a LM comparing the RBZ vs Stage 2, given same swing speed.

2) Are you going to sell Stage 1 stickers so I can put them on my RBZs?

3) Regarding the Rocketbladez irons, would a digger experience the same distance gains as a sweeper on mishits? We'd been told that the slot improves the thin shots by getting them up. If one hits down on the ball and finds the center of the face, what is the added benefit from the slot?

4) 49ers or Ravens?

--kC
(I tried the R1 last weekend. I put 15-20 yds over the Cally XHot and New Nike whateveritscalled. It'd be put to good use! )

Edited by Imp, 30 January 2013 - 07:48 AM.

[JPNC1977]

Great job on the 2013 Releases.

I'm looking forward to trying the RBZ stage 2 fairway.  Can you speak a little about the change in spin rates from the original RBZ?

Thanks again!

[Wvallwheeldrive]

If the speed Slot works so well on the RBZ woods and Irons why hasn't it been incorporated into the R1?

[Imp]

5) I would love to know what mystical powers one has to be able to convince the staffers to paint their faces for the ads. I want some of that, because I could use some of those powers here at work. Not for painting faces, but to get others to finish their parts of the projects!

6) There's been some discussion if non-staffers get paid to use TM drivers if they're with someone else for irons on the tour. Is this true? How does that work? What conditions have to be met to get a TM payout for use?

7) How does it make you feel when you see Phil pull out the painted RBZ 3W?

--kC

Edited by Imp, 30 January 2013 - 08:25 AM.