Hybrid or utility golf clubs haven’t been around too long in the game of golf, but they have gained a lot of popularity with both recreational golfers and players on the Tour, because of how easy they are to hit. It’s the ease of use and versatility from almost any lie on the golf course, that make hybrids a great long iron replacement. The Ping i15 (23 degree) is a competition/better player grade hybrid that is designed to deliver tour preferred medium-high trajectory and performance in a traditional hybrid shape.

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Look and Feel
The Ping i15 hybrid has a very traditional compact shape and size with its 17-4 stainless steel body and shallow face. The Ping i15 hybrid setups really nicely at address with its compact shape and contrast of the silver face that blends into the topline. At first the i15 hybrid did feel a bit on the heavy side when I first gave it a waggle, but I found out later that this was a good thing. The shaft on the i15 hybrid is the 74g Ping TCF 700H graphite regular flex shaft that is designed for golfers with fast swing speeds who want more control, feel, and optimal launch conditions.

Performance
My first impression when hitting the Ping i15 hybrid was how hot off the face the ball would fly. Once the ball is in the air you’ll notice that the Ping i15 hybrid produces a tour preferred trajectory that is medium-high and with a lot less spin, so the ball will carry after it lands, which is great when laying up from 200 yards. How the i15 achieves the penetrating ball flight is the internal weighting that is used in the golf club, that positions the center of gravity low and back in the club.

One of the main reasons anyone uses a hybrid golf club is because they are easier to hit and versatile in almost any lie on the golf course. The weight issue I mentioned earlier isn’t a factor on the golf course once you start hitting the i15 hybrid in variety of conditions. From the deep rough to the fairway sandtrap, I found the i15 super easy to get the ball up in the air without having to swing hard and almost effortless at times.

In terms of forgiveness, the Ping i15 hybrid doesn’t disappoint and is very forgiving due to the high MOI and low center of gravity. What I also liked about the i15 hybrid is how you can shape your shots, thanks to the Ping TCF 700H shaft that produces a nice medium-high penetrating ball flight for better control.

Overall, the Ping i15 23 degree hybrid is a great 4 iron replacement for a player looking for a traditional hybrid shape and tour preferred trajectory.

Ping i15 Hybrid $189

TaylorMade R9 Irons

TaylorMade has introduced the R9™ iron, designed to deliver modern performance and tremendous distance in a more classic package.

Like the Burner irons, the new R9 long-irons and middle-irons were designed separately from the short-irons to optimize performance in each club. The result is that the 3-iron through 6-iron are extremely long and easy to hit, and the short-irons are engineered to promote great feel, control and accuracy.

Velocity-Control Chamber in the Long- and Middle-irons
Each R9 long-iron and middle-iron (3- through 6-) houses a large and fully enclosed compartment positioned behind the clubface, underneath the cavity badge. Called the Velocity-Control Chamber (VCC), it makes it possible for an immense area of the ultra-thin (2.0 mm) clubface to exist unsupported.

TaylorMade calls it a wrap-around clubface because it acts like a face that wraps around the top-line and the leading edge, which gives the face more freedom to flex and reflex at impact, much like a thin-faced driver.

Inverted Cone Technology
The VCC makes it easier to launch the ball with the long- and middle-irons, yet TaylorMade engineers have gone to great lengths to ensure that the R9 irons deliver controlled power by incorporating Inverted Cone Technology on the inner side of the clubface. In addition to promoting higher ball speed on off-center hits, the Inverted Cone has been carefully calibrated to eliminate “hot spots” so that ball speed is consistent across the clubface, resulting in keen and consistent distance control in all of the R9 irons.

Perimeter Weighting
Although the R9 long- and middle-irons don’t immediately appear to be perimeter-weighted they are, given that the VCC is occupied by a nearly weightless foam, as well as a silicone shock absorber positioned directly behind the center of the face; both serve to absorb unwanted impact vibration. The foam starts as a powder sealed within the VCC; heating the clubhead turns the powder to foam that expands to completely fill all open areas of the chamber, ensuring that the sound and feel at impact is soft, agreeable and consistent across the face.

R9 Short Irons
R9 short-irons are engineered to deliver increased playability, control and feel in the scoring zone. The simple, straightforward teardrop shape and clearly delineated leading edge make it easy for any player to aim these irons target-ward and fire the ball at the flag.

R9 short-irons also incorporate a vibration-quieting layer sandwiched between the backside of the clubface and the thin, protective black badge in the cavity. The vibration-quieting is a visco-elastic adhesive made by 3M that also absorbs unwanted vibration and sound

Additionally, at the bottom of each short-iron cavity (hidden behind the badge), more weight has been concentrated at the heel and toe to more stability and forgiveness on mis-hits.

Beveled Sole in Every Iron Promotes Solid Contact and Playability

New and Conforming Grooves for 2010
The R9 irons incorporate a new groove design that conforms to the USGA and R&A ruling that goes into affect in 2010 for high-level competition.

KBS Steel Shafts
R9 irons come equipped with KBS 90-gram steel shafts, available in S and R flexes.

The standard set of R9 irons includes 3-iron through pitching wedge at a manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of $999 steel and $1,249 graphite. An attack wedge and sand wedge are available separately. R9 irons become available starting on November 1, 2009.

Visit TaylorMade Golf for more information.

R9 TP Irons

TaylorMade R9TP Irons

As part of TaylorMade’s revered Tour Preferred® product line, R9 TP irons are engineered to, above all, deliver an exceptional degree of distance control and consistency, which is critical to any player who competes at a high level or wants to.

The R9 TP iron’s classic shape and size are characterized by a compact head featuring a semi-straight leading edge, semi-square toe, thin topline and thin, cambered, beveled, multi-functional sole.

R9 TP Technology
In terms of technology, the R9 TP irons offer plenty. The 2- through 5-iron incorporate TaylorMade’s Velocity Control Chamber (VCC), a fully enclosed compartment positioned behind the clubface that allows a large area of the 2.0 mm face to exist unsupported, increasing COR to promote more distance.

The open space within the VCC is fully filled with a light yet dense foam that manages vibration energy to deliver excellent feel and sound at impact. The VCC allows the re-distribution of mass within the clubhead to give the R9 TP long-irons an exceptionally low CG and high MOI, which combines with the fast clubface to make them easier to launch high and long.

Progressive face thickness is incorporated throughout the set starting at 2.0 mm in the 2- through 5-iron, 2.3 mm in the 6- and 7-iron, and 2.5 mm in the 8-iron through pitching wedge. The result is progressively higher COR where you need it in the middle-irons and long-irons, and fantastic feel in the short-irons

R9 Compact Shape
R9 TP heads are similar to the compact shape of the Tour Preferred® irons (which are the most popular and successful irons on the PGA Tour today), yet the R9 TPs offer a larger hittable face area due in part to differences in the way the head blends into the hosel.

The top-line is beveled along the back edge to give it a thin and elegant appearance, and the sole is beveled to reduce resistance so it can perform “thinner” when it meets the turf. Each R9 TP head is perimeter-weighted and equipped with a vibration-controlling cavity badge.

The 6-iron through pitching wedge feature an undercut cavity that’s visible because the cavity badge is smaller than that used in the R9 irons. The undercut cavity allows us to push more weight to the perimeter of the head in order to increase MOI and distance-control

New and Conforming Grooves for 2010
The R9 TP irons incorporate a new groove design that conforms to the USGA and R&A ruling that goes into affect in 2010 for high-level competition.

Tour-Proven KBS Steel Shafts
The R9 TP irons come equipped with KBS Tour Series steel shafts, which is currently the fastest growing steel shaft brand on the PGA Tour. Several of TaylorMade’s Tour Staff pros are in the same KBS shaft that’s in the R9 TP including Kenny Perry, Dustin Johnson and Rory Sabbatini who have each used them to win once.

Designed for better players, the KBS Tour Series shaft is engineered with “moment of inertia analysis” to increase stability from grip to clubhead, which promotes enhanced results on well-executed swings.

R9 TP irons are available in men’s right- and left-handed models, steel shafts only, X, S and R flexes. The standard set consists of 3-iron through pitching wedge; a 2-iron and attack wedge are available separately.

R9 TP irons become available starting on November 1, 2009; the MSRP for a standard set is $1,125.

For more information visit TaylorMade Golf

“Modern Technology meets classic design”, is the tag line used to describe the new TaylorMade Tour Preferred Irons and I’ve had the opportunity to test out the latest offering from TaylorMade to see if the Tour Preferred irons live up to their billing.

Look and Feel

The Tour Preferred irons is the latest addition to the TaylorMade product line, aimed at a wide-range of golfers who prefer a club that has a classic look, but the forgiveness of a cavity back iron.  The first thing you’ll notice when you sole the TaylorMade Tour Preferred iron is the thin topline and shorter blade-length from heel to toe for a compact clean look at address. What you will not see at address, is the sole and the cavity features built into this club that make it a very forgiving and high performance golf club. This is a feature you don’t see in a lot of irons today, especially in a cavity back iron.  The tour configured sole was shaped based on the feedback from the TaylorMade Professional Tour Staff professionals, and features a thinner sole that will promote less digging and better turf interaction. By softening the leading and trailing edge, the sole of the club glides effortlessly through the turf for better ball striking. The face of the TaylorMade Tour Preferred irons do not feature an alignment line, like you have on most golf clubs, so this could be a problem for some golfers.

The Tour Preferred irons does feature the same Inverted Cone technology that is used in the TaylorMade drivers to promote a larger sweetspot and more forgiveness on off-center hits. The cavity back of the TaylorMade Tour Preferred irons also feature a shallow undercut design to push the weight of the club to the outer perimeter of the clubhead, to create a very high MOI and forgiving golf club. In the cavity, you’ll also notice a vibration management sound badge over the Inverted Cone, to fine-tune the club’s pitch and resonance, ensuring that sound at impact is solid and satisfying. This is what gives the TaylorMade Tour Preferred irons their forged iron like feel. It’s amazing how this club does give you that forged iron feel, I was quite impressed to see a cavity back replicate that. The Tour Preferred irons come equipped with True Temper Dynamic Gold steel shafts and Golf Pride Tour Velvet grips. The Dynamic Gold shafts are a little bit on the heavy side in my opinion for a stock shaft offering, and aimed at golfers with a higher swing speed. I did like the fact that they used Tour Velvet grips, which are my grip of choice on all my golf clubs.

Performance

Do the new TaylorMade Tour Preferred irons live up to the hype of having modern technology blended with classic design? The answer to that question is, Yes!
What I really liked about the Tour Preferred irons, is how solid they felt at impact. I noticed immediately, how the club would respond, in terms of sound and feel at impact, just like hitting a forged iron. The next thing that really made this club stand apart, is how easily the club would just glide through the turf. During my tests, I used these clubs on both the fairways and moderate rough, and had no problems with the club’s sole digging into the ground during my swing. As mentioned before, this was due to the softening of the the trailing and leading edge of the sole of the club. The results were purer ball striking and you’ll really appreciate this in the moderate rough.

The other nice feature of the sole design, is the minimal offset of the club, which makes the Tour Preferred very playable. The Inverted Cone technology used in the face of the TaylorMade Tour Preferred irons, really expanded the sweetspot on the face of the club, which made it so forgiving. The face was very resistant to twisting on mishits and provided a consistent shot to shot distance on all my shots. Couple the Inverted Cone technology with the shallow undercut cavity, which redistributes the weight to the heel and weighted toe pockets, you have a club that is going to have increased MOI and all around forgiveness. I was very impressed how easy it was to hit these irons and really pleased with my results, even on off-center hits. The trajectory on my shots using the Tour Preferred irons was more neutral biased and on the low to mid launch angle, which is what you would expect from a high performance iron.

Overall, the TaylorMade Tour Preferred irons are able to mix both modern technology with classic design to produce high performance irons that have a tour look, with the forgiveness of a cavity back.

TaylorMade Tour Preferred Irons are available in 2 through 9 iron, pitching wedge, attack wedge, and sand wedge and retail for $899