TaylorMade Tour Preferred MC Review Thread

[RxGus]

Hey Gus and Co I was thinking about something today while hitting at the range, do you think the matts you're hitting off of indoors have any effect on the shots you're seeing?

Thats a really good question! Matts have a tendency to hide "fat" shots and that could certainly be skewing things for me. I noted after my time in Georgia that the clubs did really well with "slightly" fat shots but REALLY lost distance with balls hit high on the club face. If I have taken a punishing miss and eliminated it by playing on a matt then yes, I would have to say it causes some amount of bias. I am not sure if a matt would play a big part in changing ballflight/distance on other miss hits though. Does anyone else have information on that? The Golftec matts seem pretty good and give you a lot of good flight information.

I have also learned my lesson and wont try to speak for any of the other testers, though I know some have been able to test on grass throughout the entire process.

 

[ddec]

Hey Gus and Co I was thinking about something today while hitting at the range, do you think the matts you're hitting off of indoors have any effect on the shots you're seeing?

I was thinking about that earlier too. I have yet to hit these off of anything but a mat. Which also could be why I have found that these are launching slightly higher for me than for others.

 

[Tmex]

Thanks man. I would think matt quality also plays a role as well. The typical "throw" matts I hit off of are tough and are more like carpet haha. The gentlemen next to me was talking about he changed his swing for matts so naturally it just got the old brain thinking. Hope you get on some grass soon

Thats a really good question! Matts have a tendency to hide "fat" shots and that could certainly be skewing things for me. I noted after my time in Georgia that the clubs did really well with "slightly" fat shots but REALLY lost distance with balls hit high on the club face. If I have taken a punishing miss and eliminated it by playing on a matt then yes, I would have to say it causes some amount of bias. I am not sure if a matt would play a big part in changing ballflight/distance on other miss hits though. Does anyone else have information on that? The Golftec matts seem pretty good and give you a lot of good flight information.

I have also learned my lesson and wont try to speak for any of the other testers, though I know some have been able to test on grass throughout the entire process.

 

[Tmex]

It will be interesting to see. I know some absolutely hate matts and others aren't bothered.

I was thinking about that earlier too. I have yet to hit these off of anything but a mat. Which also could be why I have found that these are launching slightly higher for me than for others.

 

[golf4life]

I was thinking about that earlier too. I have yet to hit these off of anything but a mat. Which also could be why I have found that these are launching slightly higher for me than for others.

I can attest that these seem to launch higher off of mats for me than off the natural turf. I hit a bucket yesterday off of mats because of the rain and all the irons (except for the treacherous 3 iron) were launching a little higher than I was seeing at the course and grass range. Not sure, why that is... maybe I shallow out my swing a little on the mats to avoid destroying my hands and club head....

 

[SethO]

So, I tried to get some hard numbers on a launch monitor yesterday with the MC 6 iron and a Razr X Tour 6 iron, but the jerks at the PGA Tour Superstore were not very helpful at all. I was very tired after my GolfTec lesson and I was not hitting the ball very well anymore, so it would have been a perfect time to test for forgiveness, but I only had 2 minutes on the launch monitor. I have some conclusions, but they are not very conclusive. Forgiveness seemed to be similar on heel strikes with the Razr leaking right a little more in the 2 minutes that I was able to check side by side. Please don't draw any conclusions from this test though because 2 minutes is no real test at all. Basically, I made this post to say that I tried science, but I was c*** blocked by the PGA Tour Superstore.

Edit: Most of my shots with both irons in that small time were good shots. I was tired, but still swinging well while the monitor was running. My misses started coming strong after the time ran out and I was just hitting in a bay with a blue screen that was asking for a pass word.

 

[Bobby M]

These irons are sweet!!

 

[SethO]

These irons are sweet!!

They are epically sweet to be sure! My swing coach hit them at my lesson yesterday without warming up and he said he was surprised how good they felt when he was not catching them clean.

 

[Hanks]

I've been thinking the same thing with my CB's....can't wait to have everythig dry out so I can hit off the grass

Hey Gus and Co I was thinking about something today while hitting at the range, do you think the matts you're hitting off of indoors have any effect on the shots you're seeing?

 

[golf4life]

I snuck out to hit a bucket at a range with grass (mostly mud) hitting area this lunch hour. There was a good 15-20 mph wind into my face on the range, which actually suits these clubs just fine.

I started out hitting PW for about 25 shots. I really enjoy hitting this club. I find it easy to control distance and direction with this club in my hands. The weighting and feel of this iron is excellent. The sound when struck is also about as good as it gets. Out of the 25 shots, I probably struck 20 shots I'd be happy with out on the course, and the other 5 were playable.

Next, I switched to the 8 iron. Here I tried to shape some different shots to see how they stood up in the wind. I found a lower trajectory draw to be a great shot into a 20mph wind with this club, allowing the ball to travel out to the 150 yard mark despite the wind. Again, after about 15 balls, I hit probably 12 good shots. I did toe about 2 of them that came up about 15-20 yards short and slightly right of target (about 5-7 yards right).

Moved on to the 5 iron for about 15 swings. A little more mixed bag results on this club.... probably 8 or 9 good shots out of 15. Misses are exaggerated more with this club, 2 toe shots came up at least 20 yards short and 5-10 yards right of my target line. Not horrible, but not ideal either. Again, on the well struck shots, this club has a nice trajectory and cuts through the wind well.

Next, the 3 iron. Out of 15 shots, I probably only hit 5 I would be happy with on the course. I really have to catch this club close to perfect to get the yardage and launch angle that would work for my game. I find it difficult to launch this iron high enough to be useful in many situations ( elevated, bunkered greens, long carries over hazards, etc). I think part of the issues I'm having with hitting this club are definitely attributable to my swing, and my uncontrollable tendency to overswing on the longer irons to try to max out the distance.

After hitting the 3 iron, I pulled the M3 Hybrid and the difference in ball flight was significant. The M3 launched it so much higher, and even into the wind, probably still 10 yards further than the 3 iron. Out of about 10 M3 swings, I probably hit 7 really good ones, 2 acceptable ones, and 1 below average, but playable shot. I just have much more confidence in the hybrids than long irons in general, and specifically with MC versus Mashie.

Overall, still really enjoying the feel of these irons, and the ability to hit targets and control distance. They work best for me on 80% swings to ensure the center face contact, where they perform as well as any clubs I've hit. The longer the irons, the more punishing the misses are for me. At this point, I'd say an ideal set makeup for me might be the MCs from PW through 7 iron, and the CBs from 6 iron to 5 or 4, with Hybrids making up the rest of the bag to driver. I'm looking forward to another opportunity to test these sticks out on the course, and I'll continue to work on the longer irons (and my mental game) as there is room for improvement here for sure.

 

[Hanks]

sounds like the 3i may need to stay home...the M3 bully is scaring it

I snuck out to hit a bucket at a range with grass (mostly mud) hitting area this lunch hour. There was a good 15-20 mph wind into my face on the range, which actually suits these clubs just fine.

I started out hitting PW for about 25 shots. I really enjoy hitting this club. I find it easy to control distance and direction with this club in my hands. The weighting and feel of this iron is excellent. The sound when struck is also about as good as it gets. Out of the 25 shots, I probably struck 20 shots I'd be happy with out on the course, and the other 5 were playable.

Next, I switched to the 8 iron. Here I tried to shape some different shots to see how they stood up in the wind. I found a lower trajectory draw to be a great shot into a 20mph wind with this club, allowing the ball to travel out to the 150 yard mark despite the wind. Again, after about 15 balls, I hit probably 12 good shots. I did toe about 2 of them that came up about 15-20 yards short and slightly right of target (about 5-7 yards right).

Moved on to the 5 iron for about 15 swings. A little more mixed bag results on this club.... probably 8 or 9 good shots out of 15. Misses are exaggerated more with this club, 2 toe shots came up at least 20 yards short and 5-10 yards right of my target line. Not horrible, but not ideal either. Again, on the well struck shots, this club has a nice trajectory and cuts through the wind well.

Next, the 3 iron. Out of 15 shots, I probably only hit 5 I would be happy with on the course. I really have to catch this club close to perfect to get the yardage and launch angle that would work for my game. I find it difficult to launch this iron high enough to be useful in many situations ( elevated, bunkered greens, long carries over hazards, etc). I think part of the issues I'm having with hitting this club are definitely attributable to my swing, and my uncontrollable tendency to overswing on the longer irons to try to max out the distance.

After hitting the 3 iron, I pulled the M3 Hybrid and the difference in ball flight was significant. The M3 launched it so much higher, and even into the wind, probably still 10 yards further than the 3 iron. Out of about 10 M3 swings, I probably hit 7 really good ones, 2 acceptable ones, and 1 below average, but playable shot. I just have much more confidence in the hybrids than long irons in general, and specifically with MC versus Mashie.

Overall, still really enjoying the feel of these irons, and the ability to hit targets and control distance. They work best for me on 80% swings to ensure the center face contact, where they perform as well as any clubs I've hit. The longer the irons, the more punishing the misses are for me. At this point, I'd say an ideal set makeup for me might be the MCs from PW through 7 iron, and the CBs from 6 iron to 5 or 4, with Hybrids making up the rest of the bag to driver. I'm looking forward to another opportunity to test these sticks out on the course, and I'll continue to work on the longer irons (and my mental game) as there is room for improvement here for sure.

 

[Puttin4Bird]

Excellent write up G4L. An 8 iron going 150 into that kind of wind is very solid! I certainly see the room for improvement in the long irons on my end as well. I appreciate your honest and thorough feedback! Keep em coming guys!

 

[SethO]

Great writeup G4L! I have a date with the range after my krentist appointment today. You post just made me that much more excited.

 

[ddec]

Great writeup G4L! I have a date with the range after my krentist appointment today.

your dentist's name is krentist? Weird

Good stuff g4l. I have struggled with the 3 iron as well, I haven't hit one in a few years but it seems to be getting better each time out.

 

[golf4life]

sounds like the 3i may need to stay home...the M3 bully is scaring it

Yeah, the M3 is a notorious driving range bully.

Excellent write up G4L. An 8 iron going 150 into that kind of wind is very solid! I certainly see the room for improvement in the long irons on my end as well. I appreciate your honest and thorough feedback! Keep em coming guys!

Great writeup G4L! I have a date with the range after my krentist appointment today. You post just made me that much more excited.

your dentist's name is krentist? Weird

Good stuff g4l. I have struggled with the 3 iron as well, I haven't hit one in a few years but it seems to be getting better each time out.

Thanks guys.... yeah, if I were honest with myself, I'm going to be more successfull with hybrids than the long irons in this set, at least for now. For the scoring irons though, I am very happy with how they are working for me, and there's still room for improvement to be had here too! Could I see removing the 3 and 4 from the bag and dropping in a 5M Mashie? Yes, I could.

 

[CraftyLefty]

After hitting the 3 iron, I pulled the M3 Hybrid and the difference in ball flight was significant. The M3 launched it so much higher, and even into the wind, probably still 10 yards further than the 3 iron. Out of about 10 M3 swings, I probably hit 7 really good ones, 2 acceptable ones, and 1 below average, but playable shot. I just have much more confidence in the hybrids than long irons in general, and specifically with MC versus Mashie.

G4L,

Do you normally play a hybrid(s) in your bag instead of a long iron?

 

[ddec]

Thanks guys.... yeah, if I were honest with myself, I'm going to be more successfull with hybrids than the long irons in this set, at least for now. For the scoring irons though, I am very happy with how they are working for me, and there's still room for improvement to be had here too! Could I see removing the 3 and 4 from the bag and dropping in a 5M Mashie? Yes, I could.

I really like how I have been hitting the scoring irons. I would say from 7-PW I'm very comfortable hitting them. I have planned a great testing experiment for the weekend so hopefully the range won't be packed because I'm going to take my time, use some impact tape and try to track every shot that I use the impact tape for.

 

[golf4life]

G4L,

Do you normally play a hybrid(s) in your bag instead of a long iron?

Yes, so it should come as no surprise that the long irons in a GE set are causing me some trouble when I traditionally have shelved the long irons in my GI sets too. The R7s I've played for the last 4 years I only gamed the PW to 5 iron.

 

[CraftyLefty]

I really like how I have been hitting the scoring irons. I would say from 7-PW I'm very comfortable hitting them. I have planned a great testing experiment for the weekend so hopefully the range won't be packed because I'm going to take my time, use some impact tape and try to track every shot that I use the impact tape for.

Nice! Thanks for the effort!

 

[ddec]

Nice! Thanks for the effort!

I'm looking forward to it. I think it will yield some pretty accurate data.

 

[RxGus]

I had a chance to put these on the "tech matt" at my golftec lesson tonight. Since this was my lesson, and not a practice session, the entire hour was devoted to my swing. As a side note: If you are on the fence about golftec lessons- get off the fence. I saw more improvement in my swing tonight (and my understanding of the golf swing) than I did all of last season.

I am learning a new backswing position and a new swing trigger- meaning all of my swings tonight were half speed. My average distance with the 7i was a whopping 120 yards. BUT I was still seeing "smash factors" in the 1.25-1.32 range on good swings. I posted similar numbers earlier. No heel shots today- my miss was on the toe. Smash factor on mild mishits was 1.2ish (5-10 yards of distance loss on a full swing). Smash factor on full toe shots- 1.12-1.15 (15-20 yards of distance loss on a full swing). A had two shots that did hit a groove and left me with 1.08 and 1.06 smash factors. Please remember that these were on half swings and may not reflect the distance loss on full swings. It is, at best, a good estimate of the energy transfer on parts of the clubface that are not dead center.

I don't have any information about off line shots based on these mishits.
I am also going to take a cue from DDec... I am spending some time this weekend on a SIM and instead of playing a course I am going to hang out on the "range" and compare distance loss/off line with impact tape. I used impact tape last time I played a round but I didn't hit many irons and most were pretty good. Using the range I should be able to get much more data. Throw it in Excel and BAM!

I'll let you know how that goes this weekend- likely sunday night.

 

[ddec]

good stuff gus. I'm looking forward to see what you come up with this after this weekends testing. I know I'm really looking forward to it. It's be nice if some snow could melts so my depth perception was a little more spot on. My parents returned from PHX yesterday. I brought the irons up to show my dad and he couldn't stop asking questions about them.

 

[Puttin4Bird]

I really like how I have been hitting the scoring irons. I would say from 7-PW I'm very comfortable hitting them. I have planned a great testing experiment for the weekend so hopefully the range won't be packed because I'm going to take my time, use some impact tape and try to track every shot that I use the impact tape for.

Now we're talking! I can't wait to see what you have to say about it when you're done.

 

[SethO]

I have to be short because I am at work, but I had my first terrible day with these irons yesterday at the beginning of my range session. I had a case of the S.... I can't bring myself to say it. When I was hitting the ball OK, I saw a consistent 10-15 yard fade. Needless to say, SethO was very angry. I stormed around a little and decided to quit being a hack. I grabbed an alignment stick and started working out my issues and by the end of the range session, I was hitting lasers again. My bad shots that were not s****s were playable, but I would have been scrambling a lot during the round. Through all my bad shots, I still had confidence in the irons and that misses would still go relatively straight. I can't tell you distance numbers because my range slopes down hill and the distances are not accurately marked. By the end of the range session, I was nailing my 3 iron right to where I was aiming.

If you have trouble hitting GI irons straight, these are not for you, but if you are looking to get into the GE category, I would give these serious consideration as they are more forgiving than you would expect yet are still workable. Even when I was having a terrible time striking the ball, I still felt confidant standing over the ball.

On an unrelated note, I had a driver lesson at GolfTec and my driver has really improved. I am able to put a good swing on the ball and I was hitting some real bombs that flew straight. This felt mighty good let me tell you because the driver has been absolutely killing me. I love TaylorMade clubs, I just wish they would start coming stock with Miyazaki shafts.

 

[Hanks]

Good stuff Gus...looking forward to your thoughts

I had a chance to put these on the "tech matt" at my golftec lesson tonight. Since this was my lesson, and not a practice session, the entire hour was devoted to my swing. As a side note: If you are on the fence about golftec lessons- get off the fence. I saw more improvement in my swing tonight (and my understanding of the golf swing) than I did all of last season.

I am learning a new backswing position and a new swing trigger- meaning all of my swings tonight were half speed. My average distance with the 7i was a whopping 120 yards. BUT I was still seeing "smash factors" in the 1.25-1.32 range on good swings. I posted similar numbers earlier. No heel shots today- my miss was on the toe. Smash factor on mild mishits was 1.2ish (5-10 yards of distance loss on a full swing). Smash factor on full toe shots- 1.12-1.15 (15-20 yards of distance loss on a full swing). A had two shots that did hit a groove and left me with 1.08 and 1.06 smash factors. Please remember that these were on half swings and may not reflect the distance loss on full swings. It is, at best, a good estimate of the energy transfer on parts of the clubface that are not dead center.

I don't have any information about off line shots based on these mishits.
I am also going to take a cue from DDec... I am spending some time this weekend on a SIM and instead of playing a course I am going to hang out on the "range" and compare distance loss/off line with impact tape. I used impact tape last time I played a round but I didn't hit many irons and most were pretty good. Using the range I should be able to get much more data. Throw it in Excel and BAM!

I'll let you know how that goes this weekend- likely sunday night.