subject: Game Improvement Club Taylormade R9 [print this page] TaylorMade seems to have made it its mission in recent years to reinvent what the phrase "classic golf club" means. For example, they have taken the pear-shaped driver and morphed it into a geometrical tinker toy that looks both modern and classic at the same time. Now, their researchers and designers have turned their attention to creating a classic/modern iron.
The R9 Iron Set 4-PW, GW with Steel Shafts offers distance and control-enhancing technologies in a classic shape. The Velocity-Control Chamber in 3-6 irons provide increased consistency, ball speed and power while the innovative shock-absorption system in 3-6 irons give a satisfying feel and sound. A deep undercut cavity and heel-toe weighting in the short-irons allow for increased forgiveness and the expertly beveled sole in every iron reduces turf resistance and promotes crisp contact. Comes with a KBS steel premium shaft.
Design and Technology
Like the r7, the clubface of the R9 uses the inverted cone technology on the inner side of the clubface for consistent ball speed on off-center hits. Using that as their foundation, the new R9 irons long and mid irons were designed separately from the short irons to optimize performance in each club.
The 3- through 6-irons house a fully enclosed, foam-filled compartment located directly behind the clubface and beneath the cavity badge. TaylorMade refers to this chamber as the "Velocity Control Chamber" because it is meant to create a higher launch angle, more power, and optimal feel. Moreover, the weightless soft feel foam allows the engineers to have an ultrathin (2.0 mm) face that wraps around the topline and leading edge. When the face flexes at impact, it is meant to act like a thin-faced driver and result in a higher CoR, faster ball speed, and added distance.
Performance
The performance of the R9s defied logic. They are oversized, game-improvement clubs. They are meant to hit the ball long which usually means that you sacrifice feel and workability.
My first shot with the R9s came on course from about 195 yards out to an elevated green. Normally, I would pull out a 5-iron and take a nice, easy swing expecting the ball to fade just a touch and land on the green dead. I took out an R9 5-iron, took a nice, easy swing, and watched the ball land about five yards over the green. This trend would continue for the rest of my day; any time I hit a 3-, 4-, or 5-iron I found that the ball was traveling much farther than expected despite a very similar trajectory. The 6-, 7-, and 8-irons all seemed to travel slightly farther than normal but at least the ball was landing on the back side of the green. Needless to say, this was not my best round but it certainly demonstrated the length of the R9s.
