SLDR S Driver

WHEN TaylorMade released its hugely successful SLDR Driver for £300, there were inevitably players who were aghast at the price.

The brand has taken this into consideration and produced a stripped-down version of the big stick for £70 less, catering to those who do not want to make too much of a dent into their bank balance.

The adjustability of the SLDR has gone – the SLDR S comes in 10°, 12°, 14° and 16° - and the colour scheme is reversed.

The crown of the club has an appealing grey matte finish which contrasts nicely with the black face and sole. I really enjoyed looking down at this club which has a futuristic feel.

So what are you paying for if the adjustability has gone? The SLDR S has a 20-gram sliding weight on the sole – the technology which made its famous brother so successful.

TaylorMade’s Loft Up campaign is all about the centre of gravity being moved forward and down in the clubface which creates high launch, low spin shots which adds distance.

The SLDR S is long, as expected. It produces a ball flight which just seems to keep on going and it rarely balloons into the sky, even when playing into the wind.

It has a reassuringly hard feeling off the face which lets you know that you are hitting a golf ball. This meant I really felt in control of the ball and it allowed me to control my shots better and work the ball both ways.

The driver is slightly more head heavy than I am used to but after a few strikes I began to enjoy this. There is around a 4-gram difference between the SLDR and SLDR S but it hardly makes a difference.

There is also a heap of forgiveness on offer with the SLDR S. It has a 460cc head, the same as the SLDR, but I found that off-centre hits still travelled a good distance.  

Verdict

The SLDR S is undoubtedly one of the best drivers on the market today when you take into account the price. It’s long, forgiving and easy to work – if you don’t mind about adjustability, this should be high on the pecking order.