MODEL AND SHAFT PLAYED: TaylorMade RocketBladez 4-iron to sand wedge fitted with stiff-flex steel shafts.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: I like how these clubs feel and each iron’s overall weight, plus the thin toplines. However when I look at them – because my irons have larger clubfaces – for an offset-style iron they don’t look so much offset. That makes me a bit nervous because I would like to see more of the clubface. It’s like looking down on a ‘players’ iron.

VERDICT: Impact with the RocketBladez irons feels so sweet. You don’t feel the ball – and the ball flew at least a club further in distance. These clubs also glided through the turf like a hot knife through butter, and it really was surprising how straight the ball flew. I have a tendency to pull or hook the ball left but hitting these irons I found my normal hook disappeared. I was most impressed at being able to generate backspin off the 7-iron too.

Chipping with the wedges was also a confidence-building experience as the clean, sweet contact I found on full shots was also present in half shots. I felt like these shots were easy to control and I noted a little backspin there too. But I’m most impressed that, as a natural hooker of the ball, using offset irons didn’t produce a hook but instead my shots flew straight and with a definite forgiveness on off-centre strikes.

MODEL AND SHAFT PLAYED: TaylorMade RocketBladez 4-iron to sand wedge fitted with regular-flex graphite shafts.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: These clubs look good and feel good. My current irons don’t have graphite shafts and I can really notice the difference in weight through the shaft to the clubhead. I like the line on the longer clubs that you see when you look down on the back of the clubhead. It looks like it would help you address the ball squarely.

VERDICT: I found it took me a little while to get used to the graphite shafts of the RocketBladez irons, but once I slowed my swing down and adjusted my rhythm I was able to take advantage of the benefits.

These are very forgiving irons and shots felt really good coming off the clubface – it’s basically like you’re not hitting anything at all. I confess that I didn’t want to take the 4-iron initially as I don’t normally carry one, but I did end up using it a couple of times and was getting about 180 or 185 metres out of it. I went through the back of the green on one occasion from just on 180 metres away. Through the bag, I noticed about half a club extra in distance with these irons.

I found the wedges good to pitch with and I spent more time in bunkers today than I normally do and generally came out nice and cleanly with the sand wedge.

FACTS FIGURES

SUITABILITY: All golfers.

SHAFTS: Options include the RocketFuel 85 Steel and RocketFuel 65 Graphite shafts in a variety of flexes.

SET COMPOSITION: From 3-iron to lob wedge.

LEFT-HANDED MODELS?: Yes, except for the lob wedge.

HOW MUCH?: $112.50 (steel), $125 (graphite). RocketBladez Tour irons are $135 per iron and RocketBladez Max are $190 each.

TAYLORMADE SAYS: “The Speed Pocket in our new RocketBladez irons is a once-in-a-lifetime innovation that makes every iron without it inferior by design. The Speed Pocket changes iron performance dramatically in terms of distance, trajectory and control. The way it promotes additional ball speed on mis-hits low on the face is unprecedented.

“The Speed Pocket in the 3 through 7-irons works with an advanced, ultra-thin face design to promote consistently high ball speed and distance. Seventeen-and-a-half grams of weight is strategically redistributed to lower and centre the centre of gravity location, promoting a higher launch angle, higher peak trajectory and a steep, soft-landing, quick-stopping descent angle. Fantastic feel is promoted by specially formulated polyurethane developed by 3M that fills the Speed Pocket and quiets vibration.”

Contact TaylorMade on 1800 700 011 or visit www.taylormadegolf.com.au