TaylorMade R11S Driver
Flat-white crown colour and black PVD finish; Adjustable Sole Plate Technology in one and half-degree increments; Movable Weight Technology in heel and toe;
Also Read: Best Golf Drivers
No wonder the advert bragged about ‘Driver Love’.
While the TaylorMade R11 is still an incredibly popular model on Tour, it’s evident the brand has taken its game to the next level in 2012 with its technologically-advanced R11S.
If you’re looking for a driver that is long, accurate, feels good and is more forgiving than ever on off-centre hits, look no further than this beauty.
On first inspection of this R11 in 9-degree stiff flex, the immaculate white head was noticeably larger than the R11 at 460cc, which is the optimum legal limit for any driver clubhead size.
Similar to the R11, the new model features a flat-white crown colour and black PVD face that in my opinion, makes alignment about as easy a one-putt foot.
Okay, so where is it really different to its predecessor?
Well this time around, you can remove the head and change the ball flight to higher, standard or lower in one and half-degree increments. With the R11, you only had the option of 1-degree. And there is now a much broader scale to change the flight in order to suit your game.
While faffing around with a wrench is not something you want to be doing from time to time, it will be extremely beneficial to you, particularly if you’re getting a driver fitting with a PGA pro on the TrackMan.
The R11’s five-position Adjustable Sole Plate Technology Allows you to switch the clubface angle from plus or minus 3-degrees, which makes a remarkable difference in terms of shot shape.
Instead of just giving you the option of neutral, open and closed, as with the R11, you now get the benefit of five different positions of neutral, open, open plus, closed and closed plus.
TaylorMade claims its ASP technology allows the decoupling of loft and face angle by using a sole plate to adjust face angle independent of the loft sleeve setting. Quite simply, that means you can adjust the face angle independently of the loft and vice versa.
And then you’ve also got TaylorMade’s Movable Weight Technology in the heel and toe of the driver. I found this gave me the ability to move discretionary weight elsewhere and shift the centre of gravity location to promote a change in trajectory.
The top of the club is made with a thick crown design and this lowers the CG to provide a nice high launch angle.
The R11S is available in 9, 10.5 and 12-degree with a delightful RIP Aldila Phenom 60 shaft (S, X, R, M), which performed exactly how I wanted it to throughout the swing. It’s a light shaft but it’s not to be confused with whippy.
VERDICT
The R11S has a unique feel and sends a little shiver down your spine when you lay its white head down on the tee box at address. It’s got a nice deep, powerful feel at impact and presents so much versatility that it suits just about every golfer’s needs.
I would say the only negative would be that because there are so many moving parts with the R11S, if not done properly, it could slightly disrupt your game. Definitely consult with your pro, if you're not sure.
But if you like to fine tune your flight, this really is the club for you. I recommend that you play around with the flight control options to find your desired shot shape before you take it to the course, but once you’ve found it, it will be your new best friend.
