TAYLORMADE BURNER

CHRISTIAN PAYNE
HANDICAP: 20

WHAT OUR TESTER SAID: I never felt like I had to smash the ball ... I could simply put a smooth swing on the ball and it would explode off the face.

MODEL AND SHAFT PLAYED: TaylorMade Burner Superlauch 4-iron to sand wedge fitted with Burner ReAx 60g regular flex graphite shafts.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: The Burner Superlaunch iron has an oversized head, but not too big to be off-putting. There’s a solid, meaty look to the shorter irons with just the right amount of offset and thickness to the topline of the club.

VERDICT: The first thing that I noticed was how light these clubs felt in my hands. I assumed from the big clubhead that they’d be really heavy but they were noticeably lighter than my current set. This made me feel as though I could swing the club easily and allowed me to stay in touch with what the clubhead was doing through the swing.

Performance-wise, I really enjoyed these clubs. After two or three holes I was more than comfortable with them and especially enjoyed the longer irons, which looked a bit hybrid-ish. At one stage, I hit a 4-iron nearly 190 metres into the wind and it just felt so easy. Again the combination of the lightness and solid head seemed to work well for me and I never felt like I had to ‘smash’ the ball.

I also liked the shorter clubs. With the pitching wedge, I could simply put a smooth swing on the ball and it would explode off the face. They were similar to my current set in distance but it seemed easier to get good distance with these, without having to work hard for it. Shots fl ew a little lower than I’m used to, but still stopped reasonably quickly whenever I hit the green.

TYSON MANGIONI
HANDICAP: 20

WHAT OUR TESTER SAID: These irons really make a difference on your bad shots. They were very forgiving on off-centre hits.

MODEL AND SHAFT PLAYED: TaylorMade Burner Superlauch 4-iron to sand wedge fitted with ReAx 85g stiff fl ex steel shafts.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: The head is really big – honestly, it looks like a hybrid at address with the thickness of the topline. It’s bigger than what I’m used to in an iron, but it has a really good feel in the hands when you pick it up, nice and balanced.

VERDICT: It may not have had the right look for me, but I was convinced once I started hitting the ball. The feel was tremendous – the strike felt effortless, like the ball wasn’t even there, but there was still a good pop off the face. And for such a big clubhead, the sound at impact was really solid. The best thing about the Burner irons was probably the trajectory. The ball flight was high – probably a bit too high – but it was the way the ball would maintain its trajectory through the air. I didn’t get extra distance out of them – I expected each iron to be maybe an extra club longer than my current set – but that helped with the distance control, which was exceptional.

One area where these irons really make a difference is on your bad shots. They were very forgiving on off-centre hits. During the road test, on the first par-5 of the round, I hit a bad one that kicked off to the right that still travelled most of the distance.

I ended up making bogey on the hole when it probably should’ve been worse. That kind of forgiveness is useful for a golfer like myself, who goes long stretches between trips to the course.

FACTS AND FIGURES

SUITABILITY: Mid-to-high handicapped players.
SHAFTS: Burner ReAx Superfast 85g steel and 65g graphite are standard.
LOFTS: 6-iron 29º, pitching wedge 41º; 51º and 56º wedges also available.
LEFT-HANDED MODELS?: Yes, but not available in 3-iron.
HOW MUCH?: $125 (steel shaft), $160 (graphite).

TAYLORMADE SAYS: “The Burner Superlaunch is engineered to help slower swingers launch the ball higher and carry it longer.

“A wide bevelled sole offers great playability, while establishing a low centre of gravity. Generous offset helps straighten a slice and promote a distance-enhancing draw. The low-profile long iron design is easy to launch on a high, long, soft-landing flight.

“The ultra-large and deep cavity creates massive perimeter weighting, and is forgiving on all types of mis-hits – toe or heel, high or low. Inverted Cone Technology promotes faster ball speed on mis-hits for consistent distance.”

Contact TaylorMade-adidas on 1800 700 011 or www.taylormadegolf.com