Just recently, TaylorMade previewed their 2009 launch.  Unable to see this for myself, I got the following review from someone that was in attendance:

Something told me as I made my way from L.A. to Carlsbad that in no way was I about to be shown another typical new club launch. Not that TaylorMade ever disappoints.  Alright, I know they do like to release new models quite frequently.  However, I have never felt such an electric atmosphere from a club manufacturer. Where were the claims of added distance for the new R9 woods? Larger face? Increased sweet spot? No, this was definitely different – not only a club that is long, but one that can totally adjust to your swing, really?   

Exactly 10 feet in front of me sat a bag of promise the new R9 line of woods, Rescue, and Burner irons. Appearance for me is spot on, the woods look great -and how about being able to not only adjust the club in 8 positions, but to also disperse weight and change shafts!  Sign me up! As we talk specs and the clubs are being passed around I am mentally already on the range shaping shots with ease, wrench in hand, moving weights and changing shafts, imagining color combos – you name it. 

The driver at 420 cc does not look like it is lacking in size compared to the other 460 heads I have been hitting.  Actually, it just looks right. We touch on the R9 fairway, another nice looking wood also offering the adjustability, but without the movable weight and again I cannot find a lot aesthetically wrong with setup since you can do so much with adjustment. If anything was making me skeptical it was the Burner irons.  Hearing that the Tour guys would play an iron that is not what we consider a standard players iron would take a lot of convincing.  Yes, even more than Nick Price’s praise on YouTube. 

Some of the best news for hybrid users is that the Rescue will be returning to its roots and not trying to do more than possible leaving a lot of us baffled at which model to buy.  There will be just two models including a TP version. The presentation was awesome and Dr. Benoit Vincent, TaylorMade’s chief technical officer is not your typical club designer/doctor.  This gentleman actually has a sense of humor and personality to go along with a great team of engineers. 

Next, we are off to the Kingdom and go through a complete driver simulation showing each setup and the ability to tailor the flight of the shot while Iron Byron hits the balls at 160 mph. Even with a stiff wind the results are impressive with the balls landing in a very consistent pattern backing up their claim of 75 yards of adjustability from left to right on each of the greens and good distance. The Burner irons are next and we consistently see a 5 mph ball speed advantage over a competitors irons increasing distance anywhere from 12-15 yards. 

A little lunch and we are ready for the range.  First off let me start with my specs – 10 hdcp., swing speed avg. 118, very fast transition, and usually hit a slight fade. I start off with a Burner 7 iron and after adjusting to the added length I am able to hit some really good shots, the ability to work this club is great, toe and heel shots are beyond respectable with the trajectory mid-high. Appearance-wise these are definitely not going to be confused as a blade, but for some reason they look very good at address and the feel is hot due to them being able to increase M.O.I. by thinning down the face. The lower irons have a bit larger of a head, but nothing too overwhelming and as expected could not be easier to hit, hybrids watch out.  I would have liked to hit these in an x-stiff with a heavier shaft, but other than that if I could set aside my ego.  I could easily see these in my bag. 

There were no Rescues available so I moved on to the R9 fairway wood 15 degree non-TP with a stiff shaft and it felt close to the R7, but obviously with the ability to open the face -2 to +2 degrees the playability is even more enhanced. My best setting was at neutral which looked slightly closed, but was assured that it did sit square, it is just too hard to argue with the designer. Nice piercing trajectory but again, I would have loved to hit this with a different shaft.  The results were still pretty impressive. 

Next, the R9 TP Driver with the Motore in a 9.5 stiff 65g set again at neutral with the weight set to counter my draw. I am in no way an easy person to impress, but I must say that the amount of adjustability with this driver is insane. The ball flight was mid-high, but with no ballooning and carry seemed on par with almost all of the latest drivers.  There was no Trackman on the range at the time. The wrench included allows you to change the shaft and move weights but there is not a way to adjust the driver without loosening the screw.  I know it would have been nice to have some numbers.  By the way, Jim Flick just happened to be watching everyone hit along with the Tour fitters and designers so, uh,  no pressure. The sound was just right somewhat muted but let you know when hit on the sweet spot. The Motore is a phenomenal shaft very stable and provides good feedback; no other combos were available so the verdict is still out on the Matrix, Fubuki, and Voodoo shafts in this head. With some tweaking this technology should allow all golfers to take a huge step in the right direction with respect to their game and scores even when swings are less than perfect.  It looks like 2009 will be an expensive year for the club ho in all of us.

Here are a few of the day’s pics – you can find more in the forums: