MODEL AND SHAFT PLAYED: TaylorMade R1 driver fitted with a stiff-flex shaft. The loft setting was configured to 10.5° and the face setting to neutral. The 10-gram clubhead weight was positioned in the heel and the one-gram weight in the toe.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: The R1 feels nice and I also like being able to sense where the weight is as I take practice swings. I’m a fan of the more simplified face-angle setting options and being able to choose and adjust the loft. It’s a designer club.

VERDICT: In a word, this driver is user-friendly. It’s a really comfortable club to use and I found I was able to shape drives in both directions with ease. The sense of weight I said I liked before teeing off was definitely noticeable using the R1 out on the course and it sounds awesome when you catch one out of the middle of the clubface. I didn’t notice any additional distance on my drives but what I did note with the R1 compared to TaylorMade’s R11S driver is that the R1 is more lenient on off-centre strikes. While I loved the sensation of hitting one out of the middle, drives that missed the sweet spot weren’t treated harshly at all, which gives you confidence.

MODEL AND SHAFT PLAYED: TaylorMade R1 driver fitted with a regular-flex shaft. The loft setting was configured to 9.5° (upright) and the face setting to slightly closed. The 10-gram clubhead weight was positioned in the heel and the one-gram weight in the toe.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: This looks like a club that would be great fun and beneficial to tinker with the various setting options. You’ve just got so much scope for change.

VERDICT: I found the weight in the head of the R1 made it more beneficial to me because of my smaller build. When I was at the top of my swing, coming back down I could feel the weight of the head, which helped me get through the ball better. I did lose a few early drives left with the slightly closed face setting but soon found my way and hit a lot of drives straight with a nice, ‘chasing’ trajectory. I found it easier than usual to strike the ball out of the middle of the clubface and a couple of drives finished further down the fairway than I had ever been before. Given time, I’d try various settings to find the one that works best for me.

FACTS & FIGURES

SUITABILITY: The superior level of adjustability makes the R1 driver suitable to all golfers.

SHAFT: The R1 is equipped with an Aldila RIP Phenom 55-gram shaft, which is ultra-light to promote faster clubhead speed, yet is strategically weighted to deliver the feel of a heavier, 65-gram shaft.

LOFTS: Unlike most drivers, the R1 lacks a loft number stamped on the head, because its ‘Loft-Sleeve Technology’ offers 12 different loft settings to deliver a four-degree range of lofts, meaning golfers can play anywhere from an 8° to a 12° driver.

LEFT-HANDED MODELS?: Yes.

HOW MUCH?: $499. The R1 TP version is $599.

TAYLORMADE SAYS: “The new R1 continues TaylorMade’s mastery of adjustable drivers by offering the greatest range of adjustability of any driver in the brand’s history. R1 gives golfers 12 loft-sleeve settings and seven face-angle positions, as well as two moveable shot-shape weights. R1 also allows the loft and face angles to be adjusted independently of each other – a critical benefit. The R1’s three adjustability technologies allow it to be tuned 168 different ways to specifically fit a player’s swing to optimise distance and accuracy.

“The R1’s seven face-angle settings help golfers attain a precise, confidence-building look at address: neutral/square, slightly open, more open, maximum open, slightly closed, more closed and maximum closed. Face angle can be easily changed without affecting the loft, an adjustability benefit offered only by TaylorMade.”

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