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TaylorMade R11 Driver & Fairway Wood Review Thread

SuperStroke
Reading this thread is awesome it's getting me excited. I can't wait till my R11 arrives later this week. Thanks for all of the informative posts.
 
its funny, I have hit this driver quite a few times so I guess my eye got used to it. I get over my R9 SuperTri the other day and I saw my reflection. damn, maybe the white does help. I had never noticed my reflection in my ST til now.
 
You mentioned the 3w didn't have a sound that you liked. I currently have the r9 3w and was considering the r11. How did the sound differ?

Also what shaft was in the r11 your testing? What were your thoughts? I've hit the blur shaft in a driver but was curious how this one felt in the 3w.
 
dzdncfsd....you may wanna quote who you are talking to
 
Review of the R11 from a Callaway FT9 player

Still new to the site so I'll apologize ahead of time if you do or say something I'm not suppose to! Went to the PGA Superstore the weekend these R11's came out. I ended up testing the R11 10.5deg S flex. My Callaway FT9 was a stiff 9.5deg with a Grafalloy ProLaunch Plat. shaft which I loved but always hit more of a mid flight shot, little lower than what I wanted. My initial reaction to the R11 - loved the sound the driver made on the ball. It was crisp and felt good in the hands. I would of bought it right there and then but the simulator was reading that the drives were going 265-275 a good 10-15 yds shorter than my FT9. Houston.....we have a problem. I walked out not feeling right.

The next day I decided to attack it with a different approach. I went to Golfsmith and was there when the doors opened. I asked to hit the same R11 in their hitting bay. It was a different simulator and didn't have the computer screen simulator like the PGA store did. BUT, to ensure I was getting what I thought I was getting with the R11, I brought in my FT9 to hit and compare it to in the simulator. I know how far I hit the FT9 (280-300 on good drives) so if the simulator told me different I would really know. Hit another 15-17 drives with the R11 and again loved the sound and feel to the club. I was hitting a nice 10-15 yrd cut per the simulator but the distance was now hitting an average of 309. Now thats more like it! I hit the FT9 a couple of times to compare and the FT9 was coming in around 290ish. EXCELLENT! Not only did this validate my feels the previous day but I now had my FT9 shots to confirm it. I was getting more distance and better control out of the R11! Funny side story - I asked the Golfsmith rep about the TP version and if I should wait till they had some in stock so that I could hit and then buy. He replies, "You just averaged 309 on the simulator with this club, take the $100 you would of spent on the TP and buy something else". I got the point.

Needless to say, the FT9 came out of the bag and the R11 went in. I finally got out this last weekend and hit it on the range. WOW...better than I ever expected and my ball flight was a good 20-30yds higher than the FT9. Loved it! I set the weights to a draw setting and club face to open. I was hitting a nice little 10 yrd cut and can't wait to hit the course with this thing. I was so excited that I ran back to Golfsmith and preordered the R11 3W that should be in soon.

This is the best driver I've ever had in my bag and thank you Taylor Made for allowing that to happen. I am now looking at the new forged irons Taylor Made is coming out with and hope to have a set of them in the bag soon. Sorry Callaway..........it's time to move on.
 
Nate said:
Review of the R11 from a Callaway FT9 player

Still new to the site so I'll apologize ahead of time if you do or say something I'm not suppose to! Went to the PGA Superstore the weekend these R11's came out. I ended up testing the R11 10.5deg S flex. My Callaway FT9 was a stiff 9.5deg with a Grafalloy ProLaunch Plat. shaft which I loved but always hit more of a mid flight shot, little lower than what I wanted. My initial reaction to the R11 - loved the sound the driver made on the ball. It was crisp and felt good in the hands. I would of bought it right there and then but the simulator was reading that the drives were going 265-275 a good 10-15 yds shorter than my FT9. Houston.....we have a problem. I walked out not feeling right.

The next day I decided to attack it with a different approach. I went to Golfsmith and was there when the doors opened. I asked to hit the same R11 in their hitting bay. It was a different simulator and didn't have the computer screen simulator like the PGA store did. BUT, to ensure I was getting what I thought I was getting with the R11, I brought in my FT9 to hit and compare it to in the simulator. I know how far I hit the FT9 (280-300 on good drives) so if the simulator told me different I would really know. Hit another 15-17 drives with the R11 and again loved the sound and feel to the club. I was hitting a nice 10-15 yrd cut per the simulator but the distance was now hitting an average of 309. Now thats more like it! I hit the FT9 a couple of times to compare and the FT9 was coming in around 290ish. EXCELLENT! Not only did this validate my feels the previous day but I now had my FT9 shots to confirm it. I was getting more distance and better control out of the R11! Funny side story - I asked the Golfsmith rep about the TP version and if I should wait till they had some in stock so that I could hit and then buy. He replies, "You just averaged 309 on the simulator with this club, take the $100 you would of spent on the TP and buy something else". I got the point.

Needless to say, the FT9 came out of the bag and the R11 went in. I finally got out this last weekend and hit it on the range. WOW...better than I ever expected and my ball flight was a good 20-30yds higher than the FT9. Loved it! I set the weights to a draw setting and club face to open. I was hitting a nice little 10 yrd cut and can't wait to hit the course with this thing. I was so excited that I ran back to Golfsmith and preordered the R11 3W that should be in soon.

This is the best driver I've ever had in my bag and thank you Taylor Made for allowing that to happen. I am now looking at the new forged irons Taylor Made is coming out with and hope to have a set of them in the bag soon. Sorry Callaway..........it's time to move on.
Click to expand...

Great story! Glad the R11 is working so well for you!
 
Wow, thats insane. 309?!? Thats PGA tour numbers!

If you dont mind, Can I ask what your SS was and what Ball speed you were seeing with it?

Glad you found a driver that works for you!
 
I hit the R11 better my second time around with it as well. Glad you found yourself a new driver!

Nate said:
Review of the R11 from a Callaway FT9 player

Still new to the site so I'll apologize ahead of time if you do or say something I'm not suppose to! Went to the PGA Superstore the weekend these R11's came out. I ended up testing the R11 10.5deg S flex. My Callaway FT9 was a stiff 9.5deg with a Grafalloy ProLaunch Plat. shaft which I loved but always hit more of a mid flight shot, little lower than what I wanted. My initial reaction to the R11 - loved the sound the driver made on the ball. It was crisp and felt good in the hands. I would of bought it right there and then but the simulator was reading that the drives were going 265-275 a good 10-15 yds shorter than my FT9. Houston.....we have a problem. I walked out not feeling right.

The next day I decided to attack it with a different approach. I went to Golfsmith and was there when the doors opened. I asked to hit the same R11 in their hitting bay. It was a different simulator and didn't have the computer screen simulator like the PGA store did. BUT, to ensure I was getting what I thought I was getting with the R11, I brought in my FT9 to hit and compare it to in the simulator. I know how far I hit the FT9 (280-300 on good drives) so if the simulator told me different I would really know. Hit another 15-17 drives with the R11 and again loved the sound and feel to the club. I was hitting a nice 10-15 yrd cut per the simulator but the distance was now hitting an average of 309. Now thats more like it! I hit the FT9 a couple of times to compare and the FT9 was coming in around 290ish. EXCELLENT! Not only did this validate my feels the previous day but I now had my FT9 shots to confirm it. I was getting more distance and better control out of the R11! Funny side story - I asked the Golfsmith rep about the TP version and if I should wait till they had some in stock so that I could hit and then buy. He replies, "You just averaged 309 on the simulator with this club, take the $100 you would of spent on the TP and buy something else". I got the point.

Needless to say, the FT9 came out of the bag and the R11 went in. I finally got out this last weekend and hit it on the range. WOW...better than I ever expected and my ball flight was a good 20-30yds higher than the FT9. Loved it! I set the weights to a draw setting and club face to open. I was hitting a nice little 10 yrd cut and can't wait to hit the course with this thing. I was so excited that I ran back to Golfsmith and preordered the R11 3W that should be in soon.

This is the best driver I've ever had in my bag and thank you Taylor Made for allowing that to happen. I am now looking at the new forged irons Taylor Made is coming out with and hope to have a set of them in the bag soon. Sorry Callaway..........it's time to move on.
Click to expand...
 
Bridges said:
Wow, thats insane. 309?!? Thats PGA tour numbers!

If you dont mind, Can I ask what your SS was and what Ball speed you were seeing with it?

Glad you found a driver that works for you!
Click to expand...
Bridges, I took it was a grain of salt not knowing how accurate those are but the PGA store was not to my liking! :wink:

To be totally honest with you I can not remember what the ball speed and swing speed was but I remember him telling me that the ball underspin was very low, even zero on a couple of them. When the new forged irons come out, I have a 1.5 hr session with Golf Tech to hit 'em so I will bring my driver back to see what they were.

I took this at the range last weekend: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvHj_q7wyBQ
 
Nate said:
Bridges, I took it was a grain of salt not knowing how accurate those are but the PGA store was not to my liking! :wink:

To be totally honest with you I can not remember what the ball speed and swing speed was but I remember him telling me that the ball underspin was very low, even zero on a couple of them. When the new forged irons come out, I have a 1.5 hr session with Golf Tech to hit 'em so I will bring my driver back to see what they were.

I took this at the range last weekend: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvHj_q7wyBQ
Click to expand...

Awesome. Were you at the Golfsmith in Frisco or the one over by North East Mall in Ft. worth?
 
Tried some more settings today. Been playing with it on +1 loft (10), 2 degrees open and weight on the heel. Changed the weight to the toe and I got a ton more spin on the ball, started hitting drives reminiscent of the days you played the Tour Balata. Not cool! Changed the face to neutral but if anything I was hitting even bigger fades(!?).

Will revert it to my default setting and keep hitting my controlled cuts! Don't mess with a good one.
 
Sorry for the negative post but I have been a huge T.M driver fan for years .I've been trying to like the R-11 but it is just plain ugly to me and the sound is something different as well< going to hit it again tomorrow maybe my eye will like it
 
ogie said:
Sorry for the negative post but I have been a huge T.M driver fan for years .I've been trying to like the R-11 but it is just plain ugly to me and the sound is something different as well< going to hit it again tomorrow maybe my eye will like it
Click to expand...

hey theres nothing wrong with not liking it, it cant please everybody lol, I love mine though
 
Got the email today about my replacement driver and they are backordered until early march so the place i bought it is shipping me one from there stock so i dont have to wait. They should be able to send out replacements as soon as they have a warranty claim.
 
thepete said:
Tried some more settings today. Been playing with it on +1 loft (10), 2 degrees open and weight on the heel. Changed the weight to the toe and I got a ton more spin on the ball, started hitting drives reminiscent of the days you played the Tour Balata. Not cool! Changed the face to neutral but if anything I was hitting even bigger fades(!?).

Will revert it to my default setting and keep hitting my controlled cuts! Don't mess with a good one.
Click to expand...

its pretty cool that with clubs today we are able to do stuff like this
 
Well I was able to get back on the launch monitor yesterday for about an hour with the R11. So I had the R11 set to 8 degrees, heel weighted, face neutral with the stock Blur 60g shaft in Stiff flex. I have to use a stiff for now until my x-flex arrives. This time around I used Pro V1x's instead of the crap high spin, low compression balls they usually have for customers to hit. Anyways after an hour of hitting drives I averaged these #'s.

Swing speed = 123.9
Launch angle = 12.8 degrees
Spin rate = 3100 rpm
Ball speed = 174 mph
Carry distance = 294 yrds
Total distance = 317 yrds

I know the #'s you get on these monitors aren't 100% but they do give you a good idea of where your at. All in all I am really happy with the R11 and I have gained some decent yardage over my R9 .... approx 12 to 15 yrds. I find the face of this driver very hot and didn't notice a lot of lost ball speed or distance on my poorly struck drives. My shot dispersion was a lot tighter with this driver which is a improvement over my R9. I play a small draw but am able to play a small cut as well with this driver which is something I had trouble doing with the R9. To be honest in the beginning I wasn't sure if this driver was for me, but after all the time I have had to adjust it and get used to it on the monitor with the balls I normally play ... I can now say with 100% confidence this is the driver for me. I hit it farther, with a more consistent trajectory and in time I will get even better with it. Confidence is huge on the tee box and this club sure gives that to me. I hope everyone can get fitted and can have the same good results I did, whether it is with the R11 or any other driver. Just cause its cool and white doesn't mean it is right for you. Find the club that fits your swing and game and enjoy this sport we all love...... and shoot lower scores!!!

Cheers!!!!!
 
Last edited:
XXXMOJOXXX said:
Well I was able to get back on the launch monitor yesterday for about an hour with the R11. So I had the R11 set to 8 degrees, heel weighted, face neutral with the stock Blur 60g shaft in Stiff flex. I have to use a stiff for now until my x-flex arrives. This time around I used Pro V1x's instead of the crap high spin, low compression balls they usually have for customers to hit. Anyways after an hour of hitting drives I averaged these #'s.

Swing speed = 123.9
Launch angle = 12.8 degrees
Spin rate = 3100 rpm
Ball speed = 174 mph
Carry distance = 294 yrds
Total distance = 317 yrds

I know the #'s you get on these monitors aren't 100% but they do give you a good idea of where your at. All in all I am really happy with the R11 and I have gained some decent yardage over my R9 .... approx 12 to 15 yrds. I find the face of this driver very hot and didn't notice a lot of lost ball speed or distance on my poorly struck drives. My shot dispersion was a lot tighter with this driver which is a improvement over my R9. I play a small draw but am able to play a small cut as well with this driver which is something I had trouble doing with the R9. To be honest in the beginning I wasn't sure if this driver was for me, but after all the time I have had to adjust it and get used to it on the monitor with the balls I normally play ... I can now say with 100% confidence this is the driver for me. I hit it farther, with a more consistent trajectory and in time I will get even better with it. Confidence is huge on the tee box and this club sure gives that to me. I hope everyone can get fitted and can have the same good results I did, whether it is with the R11 or any other driver. Just cause its cool and white doesn't mean it is right for you. Find the club that fits your swing and game and enjoy this sport we all love...... and shoot lower scores!!!

Cheers!!!!!
Click to expand...

Nice write up MoJo! i espicially liked the last two sentences.
 
XXXMOJOXXX said:
Well I was able to get back on the launch monitor yesterday for about an hour with the R11. So I had the R11 set to 8 degrees, heel weighted, face neutral with the stock Blur 60g shaft in Stiff flex. I have to use a stiff for now until my x-flex arrives. This time around I used Pro V1x's instead of the crap high spin, low compression balls they usually have for customers to hit. Anyways after an hour of hitting drives I averaged these #'s.

Swing speed = 123.9
Launch angle = 12.8 degrees
Spin rate = 3100 rpm
Ball speed = 174 mph
Carry distance = 294 yrds
Total distance = 317 yrds

I know the #'s you get on these monitors aren't 100% but they do give you a good idea of where your at. All in all I am really happy with the R11 and I have gained some decent yardage over my R9 .... approx 12 to 15 yrds. I find the face of this driver very hot and didn't notice a lot of lost ball speed or distance on my poorly struck drives. My shot dispersion was a lot tighter with this driver which is a improvement over my R9. I play a small draw but am able to play a small cut as well with this driver which is something I had trouble doing with the R9. To be honest in the beginning I wasn't sure if this driver was for me, but after all the time I have had to adjust it and get used to it on the monitor with the balls I normally play ... I can now say with 100% confidence this is the driver for me. I hit it farther, with a more consistent trajectory and in time I will get even better with it. Confidence is huge on the tee box and this club sure gives that to me. I hope everyone can get fitted and can have the same good results I did, whether it is with the R11 or any other driver. Just cause its cool and white doesn't mean it is right for you. Find the club that fits your swing and game and enjoy this sport we all love...... and shoot lower scores!!!

Cheers!!!!!
Click to expand...

Impressive numbers. Nice to hear you are digging the driver and that it works well for you. I am very impressed with mine. Now if I could only swing 124mph....
 
View attachment 2067

Got my R11 yesterday, already has a new grip! Taking it to the range this afternoon to do a little tunning before California in 5 days.
 
XXXMOJOXXX said:
Well I was able to get back on the launch monitor yesterday for about an hour with the R11. So I had the R11 set to 8 degrees, heel weighted, face neutral with the stock Blur 60g shaft in Stiff flex. I have to use a stiff for now until my x-flex arrives. This time around I used Pro V1x's instead of the crap high spin, low compression balls they usually have for customers to hit. Anyways after an hour of hitting drives I averaged these #'s.

Swing speed = 123.9
Launch angle = 12.8 degrees
Spin rate = 3100 rpm
Ball speed = 174 mph
Carry distance = 294 yrds
Total distance = 317 yrds

I know the #'s you get on these monitors aren't 100% but they do give you a good idea of where your at. All in all I am really happy with the R11 and I have gained some decent yardage over my R9 .... approx 12 to 15 yrds. I find the face of this driver very hot and didn't notice a lot of lost ball speed or distance on my poorly struck drives. My shot dispersion was a lot tighter with this driver which is a improvement over my R9. I play a small draw but am able to play a small cut as well with this driver which is something I had trouble doing with the R9. To be honest in the beginning I wasn't sure if this driver was for me, but after all the time I have had to adjust it and get used to it on the monitor with the balls I normally play ... I can now say with 100% confidence this is the driver for me. I hit it farther, with a more consistent trajectory and in time I will get even better with it. Confidence is huge on the tee box and this club sure gives that to me. I hope everyone can get fitted and can have the same good results I did, whether it is with the R11 or any other driver. Just cause its cool and white doesn't mean it is right for you. Find the club that fits your swing and game and enjoy this sport we all love...... and shoot lower scores!!!

Cheers!!!!!
Click to expand...

Wow you are bringing it!! SS 124, BS 174. Impressive
 
I am going to use the launch monitor with my R11 this weekend. Wish me luck. HAHA
 
tomahawk18 said:
I am going to use the launch monitor with my R11 this weekend. Wish me luck. HAHA
Click to expand...

good luck lol, its a great driver you should do fine.
 
its doing wonders for Luke Donald! Cant wait to get one of these in my hands
 
Alright I took this to the rang this afternoon and I made the right choice.

My initial reaction when I tested this club was that it was very numb but when I was hitting it today it felt solid. I do like the black face because I can really see where I making contact after each shot and it was a nice grouping at the sweet spot. The one thing I was worried about was the ball flight, now I was hitting in a dome so the balls they use are like restricted flight but I was hitting this a little higher than I thought I would be given my low spin and launch angle while testing on the monitor.

All in all I am happy with it right now, but the true test will be next week on the range and the course.
 
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