When TaylorMade launched their Burner Irons they knew they had a great club. The Burner 2.0 has made TaylorMade the number one selling iron company in golf. While that was great for a large segment of the golfing world, the Burner’s supercharged speed and distance didn’t always work for those who occupy the mid-to-low handicap ranks. Sure, TaylorMade has their Tour Preferred lines, but what’s the guy who shoots in the low 80′s to do?
TaylorMade hasn’t forgotten about you. Having recently launched their R11 Irons ($799+), which aren’t white (you didn’t seriously think they were white did you?), they’re a monumental leap forward for blending technology. Let’s explain further: by combining the speed and forgiveness of the Burner family and its predecessors with the precession shot shaping and accuracy technologies of the Tour Preferred lines, the R11 provides an amazing blend of traits that gets the salivary glands watering.
Anyone familiar with TaylorMade has undoubtedly heard of their Inverted Cone Technology, which provides faster ball speeds, especially on off-center hits. That paired with a Precession Weighting Port, moves the center of gravity away from the heel and more into the center of the club to give a uniform feel and performance across the set. The thing that really caught our eye though were the refined cast groves that TaylorMade touts are the best they have ever made. We have to agree — they’re a true blend of power and accuracy. Do you really want to sacrifice one for the other? Yeah, me neither.
We’ve played several rounds with the R11 Irons and they’ve found themselves a secure place in our bag for this season. While the top line is thinner than other irons in the good player/semi-game enhancement market (6-18ish handicap), ball compression is effortless so we hardly noticed. These clubs have some welcome heft to them, which for us, makes all the difference for a smooth feel and tempo. We have to commend TaylorMade for the use of specifically designed KBS shafts to round out a stellar set of irons. Distance irons and musclebacks have their place in the market, but for those of us in the middle do yourself and your game a favor and play the best of both worlds.
