Pinoy Golfer Blog

Custom Search

Since the Golfer’s Network lost the distributorship of TaylorMade golf equipment, news has been thin about the industry giant’s new products. This was a real shame since TM has come out with some really interesting product since then. They’ve found a new distributor and we managed to wrangle demos of two of their new irons; the R9 and Burner.

R9 Irons
I eagerly anticipated the arrival of these irons since I was very impressed with last year’s Tour Preferred set; they looked the business (as they say) and backed it up with soft feel at impact, a very versatile sole that performed admirably in a variety of conditions and a look that a touring professional would love.

R9 5-iron cavity

R9 5-iron sole

R9 5-iron address

The R9 irons perform similarly but are worlds apart from a technological standpoint. The R9 features a dual head design made for both performance and control. The 3-5 irons feature a high repulsion face with hollow cavity structure (called the Velocity Control Chamber) for increased distance and ease of use. The 6 through pitching wedge possess a more compact undercut pocket cavity with a focus on feel, control and accuracy.

The Velocity Control Chamber in the longer irons is filled with soft foam and augmented by a localized silicone shock absorber to dampen vibrations and soften the feel at impact. The chamber distributes weight to the perimeter of the clubhead making the long irons much easier to hit. The clubface is ultra thin and features TM’s Inverted Cone Face technology CNC-milled into the back of it which effectively enlarges the club’s sweet spot further adding to the long irons’ ease of use.

R9 7-iron cavity

R9 7-iron sole

R9 7-iron address

The short irons are every bit as forgiving as the longer ones but offer a more finely tuned sense of feel. The slim undercut cavity deserves the credit here and a multi-material badge helps filter out unwanted vibrations. TaylorMade also milled the Inverted Cone Face onto the rear of the clubfaces on the shorter irons and it performs admirably here as well.

Both the long and short irons have the same sole grind as the Tour Preferred irons of which I had come to respect for their versatility and performance. The R9 irons perform similarly. The bevelled sole reduces turf resistance and promotes crisp contact. It works well on a variety of turf conditions too; hard and fast or soft and wet conditions are handled with aplomb.

Working the ball remains an option for those so inclined; this is important given that the R9 irons are intended for the more accomplished golfer and those that aspire to become one. I got a bit more distance than I bargained for on certain shots, so get familiar with these things before pressing them into service for an important tournament. The Japanese market model (which we will get here) have markedly less offset than the American market models, making the need for the R9 TP model moot in our market. The long irons, in particular, are remarkably easy to hit. The feel isn’t buttery soft like a forged iron, but feels extremely solid when hit flush in the sweet spot. They are an effective tool for negotiating a golf course and in the short time I had with them, I really came to like them a lot.

Burner Irons
The new Burner irons take the idea of a blended set to another level. TaylorMade claims that each individual iron in the set is specifically designed for ultimate utility and ease of use.

New Burner 5-iron cavity

New Burner 5-iron sole

New Burner 5-iron address

The 3, 4 and 5-irons have larger sole widths, more offset and less bounce than every other new Burner iron. This reduces turf resistance, promotes pure contact and increases ball speed off the clubface. The long irons also feature longer blade lengths; the larger head size and application of the Inverted Cone Face make them tremendously forgiving. The wide sole pulls the center of gravity low and to the rear of the clubhead making it easy to launch the ball and deliver huge distance. Indeed, the lofts have been strengthened to compensate for the higher launch, so expect greater distance with each Burner iron.

New Burner 7-iron cavity

New Burner 7-iron sole

New Burner 7-iron address

The 6 and 7-iron utilize slightly smaller sole widths than those of the longer irons. That, combined with less offset and more bounce, add versatility to the repertoire of the mid-irons. Toplines are also thinner to promote confidence and shotmaking stability. The 8-iron, 9-iron and wedges are engineered with less offset, more bounce and a slightly larger sole than the mid-irons. This configuration makes the scoring irons more accurate and responsive. Toplines of the scoring irons are thinner still, yielding a player’s look at address to increase confidence playing shots into the green.

TaylorMade has applied the lessons learned from its touring professionals. The Multi-function sole is bevelled at the back to make it perform much thinner than it looks. This increases playability from a variety of lies without giving up ease of use. Indeed it is ridiculously easy to launch the ball with a powerful, penetrating ball flight from a variety of conditions.

The Burner is a game improvement iron targeted at mid-to-high handicap golfers and should do very well in this segment. Feel has been compromised in favour of forgiveness but is by no means objectionable; in fact it feels much better than many irons in this category. The Burner should do very, very well with golfers for which it was designed.

2 Responses to “A quick 18 with the new TaylorMade R9 and Burner irons”