A new generation of the Burner and r7 families have appeared in the past few months and are among the new drivers, fairway woods, irons, hybrids and putters that will carry the company into 2009.
The following is a look at what you will see from TaylorMade at this year’s fall buying shows. For more information, see the website, www.taylormadegolf.com.
Burner, Burner TP Drivers
The latest generation of Burner drivers from TaylorMade has been introduced with the arrival of the Burner and Burner TP models.
The new models combine the SuperFast technology of the 2007 Burner with the Dual Crown technology of the Tour Burner, which was introduced earlier this year.
Dual Crown technology reduces the size of the clubhead’s crown, while increasing the size of its base to lower the centre of gravity for a higher launch angle and lower spin rate, leading to more distance. As a result, the latest generation of Burner drivers weigh less than 300 grams to promote a faster swing speed, higher launch angle and lower spin rate. The high-MOI clubhead also has Inverted Cone Technology imbedded into the back of the clubface for greater forgiveness.
The Burner comes with a lightweight grip, SuperFast Re*Ax 49-gram graphite shaft in various flexes. Lofts include 9.5 and 10.5 HT (High Trajectory).
The Burner TP (Tour Preferred) for professionals and low handicappers features a slightly open clubface and offers the choice of SuperFast 55 or 65-gram graphite shafts in various flexes. Loft include 8.5, 9.5 and 10.5 degrees.
The Burner is available in men’s right and left-handed models and women’s right-handed, while the Burner TP is available in men’s right and left-handed models.
Burner High Launch, Tour Launch Fairway Woods
Dual Crown Technology is also a feature of the new Burner fairway woods, available in two models. High Launch is engineered for more towering, longer flights at average swing speeds, while Tour Launch is designed for a lower, penetrating and workable balls flight for players with high swing speeds.
The Burner fairways also feature Ultra-Thin Technology, with its deep centre of gravity that is 35 per cent lower than previous Burners for easier hitting and lower spin for longer distance. Both new Burner fairway woods feature a triangular head shape that looks large at address to inspire confidence, while its deep, far-from-the-face centre of gravity location is not only designed to easily launch the ball, but also offer greater stability and forgiveness.
The moment of inertia (MOI) in the Burner High Launch measures six per cent higher that previous Burner fairways, while the Burner Tour Launch has a slightly more compact head, with a more forward centre of gravity location.
Both new fairway woods feature TaylorMade’s SuperFast technology to promote a faster swing speed for increased distance.
The High Launch combines a SuperFast 49-gram graphite shaft with an Arrow 2 ultra-light 44-gram grip, while the Tour Launch combines a 70-gram graphite shaft with a Tour Velvet Lite 44-gram grip.
The High Launch fairways come in three (15 degrees), five (18) and seven (21), while the Tour Launch also offers three in Tour Spoon (13), T3 (14.5) and T5 (17.5).
Burner Rescue High Launch, Tour Launch Hybrids
High Launch and Tour Launch models are also available in the Burner Rescue Hybrids, which also feature Dual Crown Technology.
A triangular Burner head shape is also in place with a deep centre of gravity location to help launch the ball high and long. The centre of gravity in the Tour Launch is more forward, closer to the clubface, than the High Launch to offer a lower flight and greater degree of workability for lower handicappers.
The High Launch also has a shallower face than the Tour Launch to keep the ball in the air longer for better carry and distance. The High Launch is also engineered with a slight draw bias to prevent slices.
The Tour Launch is designed with a taller face profile and larger toe area and has a slight fade bias to prevent hooks.
With both models offering SuperFast Technology, the High Launch comes with a SuperFast 60-gram graphite shaft and Arrow 2 ultra-light 47-gram grip, while the Tour Launch combines an 85-gram graphite shaft with Tour Velvet 52-gram grip. The High Launch Rescues come in three, four, five and six models, while the Tour Launch Rescues come in T2, T3 and T4.
Burner Plus Irons
The new Burner Plus Irons are developed for the 10-plus handicapper. The Burner Plus clubhead has a thin, fast and large clubface with significant perimeter weighting and a low, deep, back centre of gravity to launch the ball high, leading to improved distance.
Inverted Cone Technology is in place on the back of the clubface to promote faster ball speed and more distance on off-centre hits. The Burner Plus Irons also have SuperFast Technology, with their light, slightly longer shaft and light grip.
The wide beveled sole is designed to power through turf on a variety of descending downswing paths and the Burner Plus’ bulk and weight work to get thin shots off the ground, while the thin clubface is designed to provide higher coefficient of restitution. In addition to a standard set, the Burner Plus Irons are also available in a combo set that includes two Burner Rescue clubs.
“We took special care to address a common problem that has plagued many of our competitors’ combo sets and that’s the distance gap formed between the lowest irons and the highest hybrid,” said Scott White, TaylorMade’s category director for irons.
“For example, if you average 170 yards with your five iron and 190 yards with your four hybrid, you’ve got a 20-yard gap between those clubs and that’s a problem. We avoided that issue by carefully configuring the two Rescues in the Burner Plus combo set to deliver a distance increase that’s consistent with the distance delivered from iron to iron, from the lob wedge all the way up to the five iron.
Thus, if a player’s distance difference between each iron is 10 yards, he can be confident that his Rescue four will be 10 yards longer than his five iron and that his Rescue three will be 10 yards longer than his Rescue four,” he said.
Burner Plus irons are equipped with 47-gram TaylorMade Arrow grips and TaylorMade SuperFast Re*Ax 60-gram shafts in various flexes or SuperFast 85-gram lightweight steel, also in various flexes.
Rossa Core Classic Putters
The new Rossa Core Classic putters include two blades (the Daytona and Lambeau) and two mallets (Fontana and Suzuka), each with a stainless steel head construction that is finished in Tusan nickel and each with an AGSI face insert for 50 per cent softer feel than previous Rossa putters.
“Rossa Core Classics deliver an extremely soft, pleasing feel, especially with today’s two-piece balls,” said Bret Wahl, TaylorMade’s senior director of iron and putter creation.
“Combine that with the proven effectiveness of AGSI+ technology, which negates backspin and promotes forward spin for a smoother roll off the putter face and the pleasing head shapes, and you’ve got four exceptional putters,” he added.
The Rossa Core Classics come with a big bird black tour grip that displays the Rossa logo. All are available in right-handed models, while the Daytona is also available in left-handed.
Rossa Itsy Bitsy Monza Spider Putter
The new Rossa Itsy Bitsy Monza Spider is a midsize putter that is designed to perform like the Monza Spider, an oversized mallet introduced earlier this year.
“Through market research, we’ve identified four types of players – those who prefer classic blades, classic mallets, midsize mallets and oversize mallets,” said Bill Price, TaylorMade’s director of Rossa putter development.
“Monza Spider appeals to players who prefer oversize mallets,” he added. “The Itsy Bitsy Spider’s putterhead is 20 per cent smaller, which puts it in the midsize mallet category. However, we expect some crossover from classic mallet players and even classic blade players.”
There are two visual differences between the Monza Spider and the new Itsy Bitsy Monza Spider. The wings, where MWT cartridges are located, of the Itsy Bitsy are pulled inward and don’t protrude as much. Also, the alignment decal is a smaller version of the original.
The Itsy Bitsy has a moment of inertia measurement of 5505 g-cm2 to offer stability and forgiveness.
Both putters have a steel wire-frame head construction that allows engineers to position increased weight at the perimeter to add stability on mis-hits and resist twisting when impact is made towards the heel or toe.
A light, strong aluminum core in both models allow more weight to be positioned on the perimeter to increase MOI, while Movable Weight Technology in both allows substantial weight to be concentrated in areas away from the face to move the centre of gravity back to increase MOI and stability.
Movable Weight Technology also offers players the option to customize feel by changing weights to make the putter head heavier or lighter or to change the putter’s balance.
r7 Limited Driver
In the tradition of its predecessors, the new r7 Limited Driver uses Movable Weight Technology.
“The r7 Limited is targeted at r7 driver users, whom we have labeled technicians, players who like having the ability to adjust their equipment to promote and improve the quality of their shots,” said Tom Olsavsky, TaylorMade’s senior director of metalwood creation.
The r7 Limited promotes a side-to-side change in trajectory of 35 yards, with the use of just three weights, one 16 grams and the other two one gram each. The r7 is neutral compared to its draw biased predecessors.
If the user wishes the shot to bend right, the 16-gram weight goes in the toe, but if the desire is to have the shot bend left, the heavy weight goes in the heel. The heavy weight goes in the middle for straight shots. All three weights and an MWT wrench are included.
The clubhead shape of the r7 Limited is triangular and longer from front to back than the r7 SuperQuad head to allow for a high moment of inertia measurement for greater stability and forgiveness. Inverted Cone Technology is also a feature.
The r7 Limited comes with a 60-gram Matrix XCon 5.5 MOI graphite shaft, designed to work with today’s high MOI driver heads to reduce twisting when contact is made towards the toe or heel. With its radium ion-plated finish, available lofts include men’s and women’s 8.5, 9.5, 10.5 and 11.5 degrees in right-handed and 9.5 and 10.5 degrees in men’s left-handed.
Tour Preferred Iron
“The first thing you notice about the Tour Preferred iron when you position it behind the ball is the classically thin topline and that it’s shorter from heel to toe than the average iron you see today,” said Brian Bezzel, TaylorMade’s manager of iron creation.
“What you don’t see at address are the sole design and features in the cavity that help drive the performance of this club,” he added.
The sole features a softened leading and trailing edge designed to work together to minimize resistance and discourage digging, helping the sole power smoothly through the turf for purer ball-striking.
The shallow undercut cavity allows substantial weight to be distributed to the perimeter of the clubhead for high moment of inertia and, ultimately more stability and forgiveness in off-centre hits.
The cavity also houses a vibration management sound badge that is shaped and positioned over the Inverted Cone to fine tune its pitch and resonance.
The Tour Preferred Irons come with True Temper Dynamic Golf steel shafts and Golf Pride Tour Velvet grips and are available in two through nine iron, pitching wedge, attack wedge and sand wedge.
