Skysports.com takes to the course to try out TaylorMade's flagship R11 white driver.
Skysports.com tests the R11 driver from TaylorMade
They caused a huge stir when hitting the market, but do the white drivers and fairway woods of TaylorMade's flagship R11 series really offer a serious improvement to anybody's game? We took them out for a spin to find out...
Click here for review of R11 fairway woods.
These new white drivers are now all the rage on Tour, but as is the case with white and brightly-coloured football boots the old adage of 'you have to be good to get away with using them' still comes into play on many a course.
It's a slightly less daunting prospect as these drivers take hold on your average golf course as well as on Tour, but it's still with a distinct sheepishness that I pull out the gleaming white R11 on the first hole whilst road-testing - with the murmurs behind me on the tee not helping.
You cannot help but have a sly grin on your face though when pulling the R11 out of the bag, immediately everyone wants a go to see how the massive white face will prove to be anything different than the norm.
The white finish is intended to make it easier to align the ball, reduce glare and also to look bigger to promote confidence, and apart from wanting to avoid the 'all the gear no idea' remark - confidence is exactly what you get when you line it up.
Technology
Not that the colour alone is the only selling point for 'the number one driver in golf', as it is jam-packed with technology including its 3D tuning systems which offers three ways of adjusting your shiny new driver that make up 'The 3 Dimensions of Distance.'
Not only is the white driver head aerodynamically designed to flow faster, but thanks to its Flight Control technology it can be adjusted in loft by one degree either way to promote either a higher or lower launch angle.
The second feature is the Adjustable Sole Plate technology, a little red plate sits on the sole of the driver and just by making an innocuous move with this it can change the club face from neutral to being either two degrees open or closed.
This surprisingly can make a difference off the tee straightaway, even those of us with massively inconsistent swings can still see a trend of shot shape developing when you give it several slaps on the range.
Third and finally comes the Moveable Weight technology, with two tiny screws, one weighing 10g and one 1g, inserted into the heel of the club to alter the centre of gravity on the face which in turn promotes either a draw or straighter drive.
Confidence
In short, as with all the technological advances that come with these new drivers on the market, better players will notice more of a difference and can obviously make more use of the different shot-shaping effects.
However, everyone down to your Sunday hacker would not fail to be slightly smug at having one of these in the bag to call upon, the looks are tremendous - thought provoking at the very least.
If you like to cause a stir I could not put you off diving in for an R11, you can at least look like a top pro even if the results are slightly different!
The darker face of the club also helps in spotting where you have been hitting the ball, as in most cases it may not be dead centre every time, but there is a definite forgiveness in the R11 that gets the ball airborne and away off the tee even when not being middled.
In terms of looks and feel it's easy to see why so many top names have put the R11 in play, and who can blame them? Anyone would be delighted to get hold of an R11 for the new season or for Christmas. Just make sure you can go out and do it justice.
Available in 9 and 10.5 degree lofts, the R11 Driver is priced at £329 and the R11 TP Driver is £399, go to http://www.taylormadegolf.eu for more details.
