by Jaacob Bowden
A lot of people ask me what's my favorite driver...and although I really like the Wishon 919 THI for it's high COR on off-center hits and it's very minimal roll (the vertical curvature on the face of the driver) which makes for a very consistent launch angle, I would have to say that it's the Taylormade r9 driver series due to their incredible amount of customization. Never before have a I seen a driver that can fit so many people.
As you may know from previous emails and other things you have seen from me, I'm a big fan of custom club fitting. Like finger prints, we all have our own unique swings and swing tendencies. Their may be indeed similarities amongst swings, but no two swings are exactly alike. Most all professionals have their clubs built and adjusted to fit their own swings, and amateurs would be wise to do the same in part because they stand to gain more in distance, accuracy, and consistency.
It's fairly easy to find a good clubfitter that has the equipment to bend the hosels on your irons to adjust the lie angles. If a particular iron tends to cut or slice for you, the lie angle can be made more upright to straighten out the ball flight. Conversely, if your shot tends to be a draw, hook, or pull, you can have the hosel bent more flat. However, it's much more difficult to find someone that has the tools do the same with a driver like the guys on Tour have available.
Equipment companies finally recognized this problem and have since come out with drivers where with the twist of a wrench, in a matter of seconds one can adjust their own lie angle on the driver to help promote a certain shot shape. The beauty of this is that you don't need any special tools and you can do it on your own on the fly.
TaylorMade isn't the only company to be doing this...there are also similar new drivers like the Nike SQ Dymo2 STR8-FIT, Callaway I-MIX, Cobra L5V, etc, that are doing the same thing. However, there are several things I prefer about the Taylormade r9 series that make it my favorite:
1) Adjustable Lie Angle - Of course, as I already mentioned above, the r9 can be configured up to one degree more flat...or one degree more upright.
2) Adjustable Face Angle - Personally, I tend to miss to the right when I'm under the gun...so being able to close the face angle gives me confidence that the ball will not go to the right when I need to hit a pressure drive. Not only can the r9 be configured up to two degrees closed...it can also be moved up to two degrees open, if that is your preference.
3) Movable Weights - If you don't like the look of an open or closed club face and still want to promote a certain shot shape, the r9 has retained the movable weight technology from the old r7 series so that you can change the club's center of gravity at your discretion.
4) Traditional Shape - I don't know about you, but I have a difficult time looking at those square-headed drivers. The r9 series has more of a traditional head shape. Thank goodness!
5) Multiple Head Volumes - For those of you that are good ball-strikers, like to hit a driver "off the deck", or just prefer smaller heads, you can get an r9 around 420cc. If for whatever reason you prefer or need a larger head, there is also a 460cc option.
6) Other Options - If that wasn't enough, you can also get an r9 with a variety of different shaft options...including different flexes, torques, weights, brands, etc.
Not only did I personally fall in love with it while I was testing it on the driving range, but it is also getting rave reviews from amateurs all over the world and it is the only driver to ever become the #1 played driver on Tour in it's debut week! The winner that week, Pat Perez, hit all of his fairways in his first two practice rounds with his r9 and went on to set the tournament scoring record.
Sean O'Hair and Y.E. Yang have also since gone on to win with the r9...and many other Tour players have already switched over, including Brian Davis, D.A. Points, Scott McCarron, Dustin Johnson, John Mallinger, John Senden, Sergio Garcia, Justin Rose, Robert Garrigus, Paul Goydos, Vaughn Taylor, Michael Allen, Arjun Atwal, Eric Axley, Briny Baird, Brian Bateman, David Berganio Jr., Matt Bettencourt, Bart Bryant, Daniel Chopra, Jason Day, Retief Goosen, Cliff Kresge, Spencer Levin, Greg Owen, Rod Pampling, Scott Piercy, Charles Warren, Aaron Watkins, Jay Williamson, Dean Wilson, Casey Wittenburg, Gary Murphy, Graeme Storm, Paul McGinley, and Darren Clarke.
It might be hard to find one to take for a test drive since they are on back order due to their popularity, but as soon as you get a chance to try one, I definitely recommend it!
To learn more, visit TaylorMade Golf.
