TAYLORMADE R7 DRAW IRONS

REVIEWED BY: Steve Brann
Handicap: 16

MODEL AND SHAFT PLAYED:
TaylorMade r7 Draw irons (4-iron to pitching wedge) fitted with regular TaylorMade RE*AX graphite shafts.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS:
This is an eye-catching set of irons. The solid heads and thick topline gave the impression there is plenty of power at the business end of the club. The graphite shafts were also very attractive, and the clubs felt quite light in the hands at address.

VERDICT:
My current irons are hard-to- hit blades I’ve had for years, so I was interested to see how much difference these cavity back irons would make.

The verdict was returned on the first shot of the day, a 9-iron from around 120 metres. I struck it sweetly and barely felt it. The shot flew straight and long over the back of the green. I was sold!

These clubs gave me an extra five to 10 metres in distance, and they certainly were a lot more forgiving on shots I didn’t quite hit out of the sweetspot.

The shots I hit well flew on a high trajectory and straighter than I’m used to. I was surprised that I adapted so quickly to a new set of irons and after just a few holes I felt really comfortable with these clubs.

I really liked the shorter irons and during the course of the road test I hit three pitching wedge shots from around 100 metres to within 10 feet of the pin. For me, this is almost unheard of!

The short irons had a crisp feeling at impact, which I found allowed me to control the accuracy and distance nicely. Although these clubs are promoted as ‘draw’ irons, I found they generally flew straight, with no pronounced flight bias at all.

PLAYER RATING

Appearance Great looking clubs 9/10
Playability Very easy to get used to 9.5/10
Balance Good shaft/head combination 9.5/10
Feel Excellent, especially the
short irons 9.5/10
Total 93.75%

From the February 2007 issue of Golf Australia