Equipment
Proof of a TaylorMade TP line in 2014?
For months, there has been speculation in our forums about the revival of TaylorMade’s TP (Tour Preferred) line of clubs, the company’s famed lineup of tour-inspired designs that target better golfers.
Finally, a photo of a TaylorMade SLDR 430 driver with a TP logo hit the forums (thanks member ZJohnson), the first real indication that TaylorMade is likely to launch at least one TP-branded club in 2014.
Recent drivers such as TaylorMade’s R11, R11S, R1 and SLDR models have been offered in a TP version, but that has only indicated a change in shaft, not a change in the design of the head. The last time golfers saw a TP-branded driver that had a different club head design was in 2011, when the company launched the Burner SuperFast 2.0 TP driver.
A TP driver is the least anticipated of TaylorMade’s rumored TP releases, however, as the company’s adjustable hosel system has removed much of the need for a special TP driver head.
While the original TaylorMade R510 TP driver had a distinct head design, later glued-hosel drivers had an identical head design, with the exception of a more opened face angle at address. TaylorMade’s latest adjustable hosel system on its SLDR 460 driver, called “Loft Sleeve,” allows golfers to set the face as much as 2-degrees closed or 6-degrees open, with several different variations in between.
The biggest hope from most members of our forums is that TaylorMade will release a new line of forged irons in 2013 with the TP logo. Although TaylorMade’s 2010 line of forged irons carried the “Tour Preferred” name, they did not include a TP badge like TaylorMade’s R9 TP and R7 TP irons.
Above: TaylorMade’s 2008 RAC TP Smoke irons.
The R7 TP and R9 TP irons were both cast, however, which is why they are not held in the same regard as TaylorMade’s RAC TP 2005 irons and the RAC MB Smoke 2008 irons, which were both forged and carried TP badging.
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Whats in the Bag
Kevin Streelman WITB 2024 (April)
- Kevin Streelman what’s in the bag accurate as of the Zurich Classic.
Driver: Titleist TSR3 (10 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Black 6 X
3-wood: Titleist TSR3 (15 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 8 X
5-wood: Ping G (17.5 degrees)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 10 X
Irons: Wilson Staff Model CB (4-9)
Shafts: Project X 6.5
Wedges: Wilson Staff Model (48-08, 54-08), Titleist Vokey Design WedgeWorks (58-L @59)
Shafts: Project X 6.5 (48), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (54, 58)
Putter: Scotty Cameron TourType SSS TG6
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Check out more in-hand photos of Kevin Streelman’s clubs here.
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Equipment
Choose Your Driver: Which 2012 driver was your favorite?
The year was 2012. Gangnam Style ruled supreme, its infectious beats and ludicrous horse-riding dance moves hypnotizing us with their stupidity. Everyone was talking about the Mayan calendar, convinced that the end of days was near. Superheroes soared on the silver screen, with the Avengers assembling in epic fashion. Katniss Everdeen survived The Hunger Games. And the memes! The memes abounded. Grumpy Cat triumphed. We kept calm and carried on.
In much the same way that automotive enthusiasts love classic cars, we at GolfWRX love taking a backward glance at some of the iconic designs of years past. Heck, we love taking iconic designs to the tee box in the present!
In that spirit, GolfWRX has been running a series inspired by arguably the greatest fighting game franchise of all time: Mortal Kombat. It’s not “choose your fighter” but rather “choose your driver.”
Check out some of the standout combatants of 2012 below.
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Nike VRS
Often harshly critiqued during its years releasing golf equipment (right, Phil Mickelson?), Nike’s tenure in the club-and-ball business gets a gloss of nostalgic varnish, with many of its iron and putter designs continuing to attract admirers. Among the company’s driver offerings, the 2012 VRS — or VR_S, if you will — drew high marks for its shaping and toned-down appearance. The multi-thickness, NexCOR face was no joke either.
Check out our coverage from 2012 here.
Callaway RAZR Fit
Callaway’s first foray into moveable weight technology (married with its OptiFit hosel) did not disappoint. With a carbon fiber crown, aerodynamic attention to detail, and variable and hyperbolic face technologies, this club foreshadowed the tech-loaded, “story in every surface” Callaway drivers of the present, AI-informed design age.
Check out our coverage from 2012 here.
Cleveland Classic 310
Truly a design that came out of left field. Cleveland said, “Give me a persimmon driver, but make it titanium…in 460cc.” Our 2012 reviewer, JokerUsn wrote, “I don’t need to elaborate on all the aesthetics of this club. You’ve seen tons of pics. You’ve all probably seen a bunch in the store and held them up close and gotten drool on them. From a playing perspective, the color is not distracting. It’s dark enough to stay unobtrusive in bright sunlight…Even my playing partners, who aren’t into clubs at all…commented on it saying it looks cool.” Long live!
Check out our coverage from 2012 here.
Titleist 910
While there’s no disputing Titleist’s “Titleist Speed” era of drivers perform better than its 2010s offerings, sentimentality abounds, and there was something classically Titleist about these clubs, right down to the alignment aid, and the look is somewhere between 983 times and the present TS age. Representing a resurgence after a disappointing stretch of offerings (907, 909), The 910D2 was a fairly broadly appealing driver with its classic look at address and classic Titleist face shape.
Check out our coverage from 2012 here.
TaylorMade RocketBallz
The white crown. The name. You either loved ‘em or you hated ‘em. TaylorMade’s 2012 offering from its RocketBallz Period boasted speed-enhancing aerodynamics and an Inverted Cone Technology in the club’s titanium face. Technology aside, it’s impossible to overstate what a departure from the norm a white-headed driver was in the world of golf equipment.
Check out our coverage from 2012 here.
Ping i20
Long a quietly assertive player in the driver space, Ping’s i20 was more broadly appealing than the G20, despite being a lower-launch, lower-spin club. Ping drivers didn’t always have looks that golfer’s considered traditional or classic, but the i20 driver bucked that trend. Combining the classic look with Ping’s engineering created a driver that better players really gravitated toward. The i20 offered players lower launch and lower spin for more penetrating ball flight while the rear 20g tungsten weights kept the head stable. Sound and feel were great also, being one of the more muted driver sounds Ping had created up to that time.
Check out our coverage from 2012 here.
GolfWRXers, let us know in the comments who “your fighter” is and why!
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Equipment
Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (4/29/24): Krank Formula Fire driver with AutoFlex SF505 shaft
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 Krank Formula fire driver with AutoFlex SF505 shaft.
From the seller: (@well01): “Krank formula fire 10.5 degree with AUtoflex SF505. $560 shipped.”
To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: Krank Formula Fire driver with AutoFlex SF505 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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mikey tee
Mar 1, 2014 at 11:25 pm
There was a TP logo on the ’09 Super Deep driver !
Supedefy
Dec 14, 2013 at 10:26 pm
lol
Just wait few more months after TP version launches. TM will launch the WHITE SLDR woods.
ttgolf
Nov 10, 2013 at 8:47 am
What really sucks on the retail side is they come out with more product before you can even get your precook order in. I prebooked my 2014 order two months ago and I’m going to have to go back and see what all has already changed. Getting to where I hate TM. I’m seeing where customers are now not buying TM new product, they wait on the price to drop in 30 days or see it on the used rack. TM was definitely not my best seller in 2013.
tallPK
Nov 8, 2013 at 1:13 pm
Taylor Made, Taylor Made, Taylor Made…. If you ask me Taylor Made toooooooo many clubs!!!!! How about giving the R&D… I mean… the marketing department a vacation TM? At least let the golf “super” stores get rid of the model you put out 2 months ago. I don’t know how you can have any brand loyalty when you’ve saturate the market with “the latest and greatest” every month. Titlist get’s it – every 2 years irons and woods.
J Duf
Nov 8, 2013 at 9:34 am
Me Likey! Looks like a deep faced compact head that also has the most current adjustability technology.
Pingback: TaylorMade announces extension of SLDR lineup | Adam Stanley Communications
joro
Nov 7, 2013 at 10:13 am
Come and get while you can. It will be obsolete in a few months.
By Taylor Made,,,,,,,,, AKA Engulf and Devour
joro
Nov 7, 2013 at 10:10 am
Come and get it while you can, it will be obsolete in a few months.
By Taylor Made,,,,,,,,,,,,,,AKA Engulf and Devour
paul
Nov 4, 2013 at 1:21 pm
This is so awesome!! Another TM product. if this comes out in January then i will be even more excited about what comes out in march, June, September and December. No wonder they take up so much space at golftown, if you need to have 20 of every driver on the shelf ad you have 3-5 models a year and there is any stock from the previous year you need half a store for the drivers!
K
Nov 8, 2013 at 1:29 pm
Haha I work at Golftown, 20 of each at least on the floor… another 60 of each in the back.
P
Nov 9, 2013 at 2:48 pm
Just checked on RPRO SLDR 430 coming soon at Golf Town
Zachary yaz
Nov 4, 2013 at 11:12 am
just what we needed another taylormade line
Just sayin'
Nov 3, 2013 at 11:26 pm
Taylormade releases too many different clubs
ZJohnson
Nov 3, 2013 at 5:13 pm
You are welcome for the photos everyone…
Jeff Holman
Nov 4, 2013 at 8:30 am
Is this going to be more of a deep faced driver, like the superdeep or just a 430 version of the original head? I can’t really tell from the pics. Thanks
ZJohnson
Nov 4, 2013 at 11:13 pm
Oh yeah…cg moved up even more.
David
Nov 7, 2013 at 9:59 am
Thanks Zach! You’re a great guy .
naflack
Nov 3, 2013 at 3:29 pm
i would like to play a round of golf with someone who could consistently hit those irons.
Jon
Nov 3, 2013 at 5:39 pm
its not that hard to hit those, the taylormade musclebacks are actually pretty forgiving
naflack
Nov 3, 2013 at 5:50 pm
there isnt anything forgiving about the iron shown in the above photos. i hit the original smoke blades cause a buddy who is scratch had them. he got rid of them in a months time cause even he didnt have the time to practice enough to always be on when playing them. yes, there are more forgiving blades available on the market as a whole, i dont buy for a second these are in that category.
that said, if theyre easy for you to hit then good on you.
Jon
Nov 4, 2013 at 11:38 am
Well I guess it could be my ball striking, but I find these irons more forgiving and softer than the Nike MB’s
WILSON
Nov 4, 2013 at 10:47 pm
Same thing here man. I had the old Tiger blades (before the VR anything) and the next set I had were MB Smoke TP’s. I found the taylormades more forgiving as well.
Jack
Nov 4, 2013 at 3:17 am
The 08 Rac TP looks anything but forgiving. You better have some serious ball striking skills along with supreme swing speed to hit those puppies in the long irons.
WILSON
Nov 4, 2013 at 10:48 pm
I played em for 3 years. not that unforgiving, I promise.
naflack
Nov 5, 2013 at 10:05 pm
you got some ocean front property in arizona?
Dick Nuggets
Dec 22, 2013 at 11:11 am
Play ’em too and they’re a great club. Then again, I’m a +1. Naflack, stay away from these clubs. You obviously sound like you should stick with your oversized Big Berthas.
lloyd duffield
Nov 3, 2013 at 3:11 pm
ITS GOOD TO SEE THE TP LOGO BACK ON THERE CLUBS AND ITS ABOUT TIME THEY RELEASED SOME NEW FORGED IRONS BRANDING THE TP LOGO. AS IVE HEARD TAYLORMADE IS NOT RELEASING A SPEEDBLADE TOUR IRON SO DO THIS INDICATE THAT THERE BE A TP RANGE NEXT YEAR ? HOPE SO
mike
Nov 3, 2013 at 11:24 pm
WHAT!? WHY ARE YOU SCREAMING!?
Blair
Nov 4, 2013 at 4:48 pm
LOUD LOUD NOISES
WILSON
Nov 4, 2013 at 10:48 pm
I LOVE LAMP
tallPK
Nov 8, 2013 at 1:05 pm
you win Wilson
tyler
Nov 3, 2013 at 1:50 pm
I played the r7 TP’s and the r9 tp’s iron sets. Both really solid clubs. I’m a Ping man now but I’m glad to see TM going back to the TP.
Rich
Nov 3, 2013 at 1:20 pm
Well, TM is back tracking to the LOGO that looks like it came off a corvette. TM is just like a spoiled woman who can’t make up her mind.
Jealous of the Wilson Staff shield logo! Ho Hum!
CR
Nov 4, 2013 at 2:14 am
Yeah, they should at least update the logo a bit and make it a bit more non-comic looking.