Opinion & Analysis
TaylorMade doubles down with SpeedBlade
TaylorMade’s CEO, Mark King, said the company has changed the dynamics of the iron business. The company’s Executive Vice President of Product Development, Sean Toulon, said it’s the biggest advancement in golf equipment since woods became “metal woods.”
Say what you want about TaylorMade’s speed pocket, a slot in the sole of its irons that the company claims makes “all other irons inferior.” But there’s one thing you can’t say: that TaylorMade executives aren’t betting the farm on it.
Click here read our tech story on the SpeedBlade irons.
TaylorMade’s newest iron, SpeedBlade, was announced Monday night at the BMW Championship in an event that felt more like an iPhone launch than a golf equipment event. In attendance were the usual golf equipment writers, but also veteran PGA Tour scribes, who would have likely taken the night off had it been any other golf equipment company’s event. But with PGA Tour superstars Sergio Garcia, Jason Day, Dustin Johnson and Justin Rose in attendance, the SpeedBlade event slipped past the realm of golf equipment and into that of golf culture.
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Maybe that’s why King, Toulon and iron guru Brian Bazzel spent little time on head-to-head comparisons between the RocketBladez and SpeedBlade irons. Instead, TaylorMade executives chose to discuss what Toulon called the “mind-blowing,” “myth-busting” performance of the speed pocket itself.
In a round table, Garcia, Rose, Johnson and Day discussed how TaylorMade’s previous iron model, RocketBladez, had changed their attitude toward technology in irons. Garcia, who was the first golfer to win with TaylorMade’s RocketBladez Tour irons, talked about how their larger sweet spot nullified slight mishits, helping him hit shots closer to the pin more consistently.
Rose discussed the process he went through of individually testing each RocketBladez Tour long iron in the spring of 2013. He started with the 3 iron, which impressed him enough to put that club in the bag. Then he went on to the 4 iron, the 5 iron and finally the 6 iron.
“I didn’t want to change,” Rose said. “Because I was hitting it really good [with my old clubs].”
Justin Rose compared a SpeedBlade 4 iron to the TaylorMade MB Forged 4 iron he used in early 2013. The results? SpeedBlade flew noticeably higher and as much as 20 yards farther.
But Rose said the speed pocket in his RocketBladez Tour irons allows him to hit higher, more consistent long-iron shots, like the towering 4 iron he hit into the 72nd hole of the U.S. Open at Merion that sealed his first major championship victory.
It’s Johnson’s and Day’s experiences with the clubs that are more typical of most Tour players, however. Johnson put RocketBladez Tour irons in play in the first tournament of the 2013 PGA Tour season, the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. He went on to win by four shots, but then benched the clubs for the rest of the season.
Day used a strong-lofted RocketBladez Tour 2 iron in both the U.S. Open and British Open, ripping 1 iron-like shots in excess of 300 yards at Merion and Muirfield. He said that the slotted long iron allowed him to do what similarly lofted hybrids simply couldn’t, keep the ball under the wind. But his runner-up finish at the U.S. Open and T32 finish at the British weren’t enough to convince him to keep the club in the bag. Like Johnson, he was intrigued, but not ready for an iron makeover.
All four Tour stars spent the evening in Lake Forest, Ill., demonstrating just how game-changing the SpeedBlade irons can be. Garcia hit a SpeedBlade 7 iron more than 200 yards. Rose hit a SpeedBlade 4 iron nearly 256 yards, while Johnson crushed one 271 yards and Day hit a SpeedBlade 3 iron 280 yards. And it was no tomfoolery. According to Bazzel, the SpeedBlade irons were built to the same specifications as their current irons.
The fact remains, however, that there’s almost no chance that any of the four superstars will put a SpeedBlade iron in their bag until TaylorMade releases a smaller, shorter-flying version.
Above: Dustin Johnson celebrates his 271-yard shot with a 4 iron, which bested the drive of former Chicago Bears defensive end Richard Dent.
Yes, the SpeedBlade irons are more compact than their predecessors, RocketBladez. They also fly higher, are more forgiving, better looking, better feeling and more consistent on mishits. But golfers like Garcia, Rose, Johnson and Day simply don’t trust an iron that flies two-to-three clubs farther than the forged blades they grew up playing.
It’s not that the SpeedBlade irons are worse than the irons they’re playing. According to Bazzel, the SpeedBlade irons are the most technically advanced model TaylorMade has ever produced. They’re just different.
But different is good. Different is what changed golfers from woods made of wood to ones made from metal, and from wound golf balls to solid-core models. It’s also what gets average golfers out of bed early on weekends, hoping that today’s round might be different.
With the SpeedBlade irons, TaylorMade’s executives proved to the golf world that they’re committed to distance irons for the foreseeable future. They’re convinced they can change golfers’ minds, and in turn change their games.
Not everyone will agree with them, of course, but no drastic change has even been without skeptics. Often, the kind of exceptional criticism hurled at a product like RocketBladez and SpeedBlade irons can mean something else — that a company is on to something.
Click here to see what GolfWRX members are saying about the SpeedBlade irons in the forum.
As the editor-in-chief of this website and an observer of the GolfWRX forums and other online golf equipment discourse for over a decade, I’m pretty well attuned to the grunts and grumbles of a significant portion of the golf equipment purchasing spectrum. And before you accuse me of lording above all in some digital ivory tower, I’d like to offer that I worked at golf courses (public and private) for years prior to picking up my pen, so I’m well-versed in the non-degenerate golf equipment consumers out there. I touched (green)grass (retail)!
Complaints about the ills of and related to the OEMs usually follow some version of: Product cycles are too short for real innovation, tour equipment isn’t the same as retail (which is largely not true, by the way), too much is invested in marketing and not enough in R&D, top staffer X hasn’t even put the new driver in play, so it’s obviously not superior to the previous generation, prices are too high, and on and on.
Without digging into the merits of any of these claims, which I believe are mostly red herrings, I’d like to bring into view of our rangefinder what I believe to be the two primary difficulties golf equipment companies face.
One: As Terry Koehler, back when he was the CEO of Ben Hogan, told me at the time of the Ft Worth irons launch, if you can’t regularly hit the golf ball in a coin-sized area in the middle of the face, there’s not a ton that iron technology can do for you. Now, this is less true now with respect to irons than when he said it, and is less and less true by degrees as the clubs get larger (utilities, fairways, hybrids, drivers), but there remains a great deal of golf equipment truth in that statement. Think about it — which is to say, in TL;DR fashion, get lessons from a qualified instructor who will teach you about the fundamentals of repeatable impact and how the golf swing works, not just offer band-aid fixes. If you can’t repeatably deliver the golf club to the golf ball in something resembling the manner it was designed for, how can you expect to be getting the most out of the club — put another way, the maximum value from your investment?
Similarly, game improvement equipment can only improve your game if you game it. In other words, get fit for the clubs you ought to be playing rather than filling the bag with the ones you wish you could hit or used to be able to hit. Of course, don’t do this if you don’t care about performance and just want to hit a forged blade while playing off an 18 handicap. That’s absolutely fine. There were plenty of members in clubs back in the day playing Hogan Apex or Mizuno MP-32 irons who had no business doing so from a ballstriking standpoint, but they enjoyed their look, feel, and complementary qualities to their Gatsby hats and cashmere sweaters. Do what brings you a measure of joy in this maddening game.
Now, the second issue. This is not a plea for non-conforming equipment; rather, it is a statement of fact. USGA/R&A limits on every facet of golf equipment are detrimental to golf equipment manufacturers. Sure, you know this, but do you think about it as it applies to almost every element of equipment? A 500cc driver would be inherently more forgiving than a 460cc, as one with a COR measurement in excess of 0.83. 50-inch shafts. Box grooves. And on and on.
Would fewer regulations be objectively bad for the game? Would this erode its soul? Fortunately, that’s beside the point of this exercise, which is merely to point out the facts. The fact, in this case, is that equipment restrictions and regulations are the slaughterbench of an abundance of innovation in the golf equipment space. Is this for the best? Well, now I’ve asked the question twice and might as well give a partial response, I guess my answer to that would be, “It depends on what type of golf you’re playing and who you’re playing it with.”
For my part, I don’t mind embarrassing myself with vintage blades and persimmons chasing after the quasi-spiritual elevation of a well-struck shot, but that’s just me. Plenty of folks don’t give a damn if their grooves are conforming. Plenty of folks think the folks in Liberty Corner ought to add a prison to the museum for such offences. And those are just a few of the considerations for the amateur game — which doesn’t get inside the gallery ropes of the pro game…
Different strokes in the game of golf, in my humble opinion.
Anyway, I believe equipment company engineers are genuinely trying to build better equipment year over year. The marketing departments are trying to find ways to make this equipment appeal to the broadest segment of the golf market possible. All of this against (1) the backdrop of — at least for now — firm product cycles. And golfers who, with their ~15 average handicap (men), for the most part, are not striping the golf ball like Tiger in his prime and seem to have less and less time year over year to practice and improve. (2) Regulations that massively restrict what they’re able to do…
That’s the landscape as I see it and the real headwinds for golf equipment companies. No doubt, there’s more I haven’t considered, but I think the previous is a better — and better faith — point of departure when formulating any serious commentary on the golf equipment world than some of the more cynical and conspiratorial takes I hear.
Agree? Disagree? Think I’m worthy of an Adam Hadwin-esque security guard tackle? Let me know in the comments.
@golfoncbs The infamous Adam Hadwin tackle ? #golf #fyp #canada #pgatour #adamhadwin ? Ghibli-style nostalgic waltz – MaSssuguMusic
Episode #16 brings us Cliff McKinney. Cliff is the founder of Old Charlie Golf Club, a new club, and concept, to be built in the Florida panhandle. The model is quite interesting and aims to make great, private golf more affordable. We hope you enjoy the show!
Last week, I came across a reel from BBC Sport on Instagram featuring Scottie Scheffler speaking to the media ahead of The Open at Royal Portrush. In it, he shared that he often wonders what the point is of wanting to win tournaments so badly — especially when he knows, deep down, that it doesn’t lead to a truly fulfilling life.
View this post on Instagram
“Is it great to be able to win tournaments and to accomplish the things I have in the game of golf? Yeah, it brings tears to my eyes just to think about it because I’ve literally worked my entire life to be good at this sport,” Scheffler said. “To have that kind of sense of accomplishment, I think, is a pretty cool feeling. To get to live out your dreams is very special, but at the end of the day, I’m not out here to inspire the next generation of golfers. I’m not out here to inspire someone to be the best player in the world, because what’s the point?”
Ironically — or perhaps perfectly — he went on to win the claret jug.
That question — what’s the point of winning? — cuts straight to the heart of the human journey.
As someone who’s spent over two decades in the trenches of professional golf, and in deep study of the mental, emotional, and spiritual dimensions of the game, I see Scottie’s inner conflict as a sign of soul evolution in motion.
I came to golf late. I wasn’t a junior standout or college All-American. At 27, I left a steady corporate job to see if I could be on the PGA Tour starting as a 14-handicap, average-length hitter. Over the years, my journey has been defined less by trophies and more by the relentless effort to navigate the deeply inequitable and gated system of professional golf — an effort that ultimately turned inward and helped me evolve as both a golfer and a person.
One perspective that helped me make sense of this inner dissonance around competition and our culture’s tendency to overvalue winning is the idea of soul evolution.
The University of Virginia’s Division of Perceptual Studies has done extensive research on reincarnation, and Netflix’s Surviving Death (Episode 6) explores the topic, too. Whether you take it literally or metaphorically, the idea that we’re on a long arc of growth — from beginner to sage elder — offers a profound perspective.
If you accept the premise literally, then terms like “young soul” and “old soul” start to hold meaning. However, even if we set the word “soul” aside, it’s easy to see that different levels of life experience produce different worldviews.
Newer souls — or people in earlier stages of their development — may be curious and kind but still lack discernment or depth. There is a naivety, and they don’t yet question as deeply, tending to see things in black and white, partly because certainty feels safer than confronting the unknown.
As we gain more experience, we begin to experiment. We test limits. We chase extreme external goals — sometimes at the expense of health, relationships, or inner peace — still operating from hunger, ambition, and the fragility of the ego.
It’s a necessary stage, but often a turbulent and unfulfilling one.
David Duval fell off the map after reaching World No. 1. Bubba Watson had his own “Is this it?” moment with his caddie, Ted Scott, after winning the Masters.
In Aaron Rodgers: Enigma, reflecting on his 2011 Super Bowl win, Rodgers said:
“Now I’ve accomplished the only thing that I really, really wanted to do in my life. Now what? I was like, ‘Did I aim at the wrong thing? Did I spend too much time thinking about stuff that ultimately doesn’t give you true happiness?’”
Jim Carrey once said, “I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it’s not the answer.”
Eventually, though, something shifts.
We begin to see in shades of gray. Winning, dominating, accumulating—these pursuits lose their shine. The rewards feel more fleeting. Living in a constant state of fight-or-flight makes us feel alive, yes, but not happy and joyful.
Compassion begins to replace ambition. Love, presence, and gratitude become more fulfilling than status, profits, or trophies. We crave balance over burnout. Collaboration over competition. Meaning over metrics.
Interestingly, if we zoom out, we can apply this same model to nations and cultures. Countries, like people, have a collective “soul stage” made up of the individuals within them.
Take the United States, for example. I’d place it as a mid-level soul: highly competitive and deeply driven, but still learning emotional maturity. Still uncomfortable with nuance. Still believing that more is always better. Despite its global wins, the U.S. currently ranks just 23rd in happiness (as of 2025). You might liken it to a gifted teenager—bold, eager, and ambitious, but angsty and still figuring out how to live well and in balance. As much as a parent wants to protect their child, sometimes the child has to make their own mistakes to truly grow.
So when Scottie Scheffler wonders what the point of winning is, I don’t see someone losing strength.
I see someone evolving.
He’s beginning to look beyond the leaderboard. Beyond metrics of success that carry a lower vibration. And yet, in a poetic twist, Scheffler did go on to win The Open. But that only reinforces the point: even at the pinnacle, the question remains. And if more of us in the golf and sports world — and in U.S. culture at large — started asking similar questions, we might discover that the more meaningful trophy isn’t about accumulating or beating others at all costs.
It’s about awakening and evolving to something more than winning could ever promise.
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Henny Bogan
Oct 5, 2013 at 5:54 pm
Taylor made is not bad since they replaced my driver head that blew out a hole in it. Happy they stand by their products. With that in mind, I preferred the R11 to the R11s they sent me since it sounded better and felt better. I’m still playing my buttery soft Hogan apex edge pro irons. I am a bogey golfer (85-92) broke 80 once with a 78 but the feel of hitting the sweet spot is more important for me than where the ball ends up. Sounds crazy, I know. But I just love the real feel of a pro v or b330 solid in the middle. In fact my next clubs I would prefer a little smaller head just to force me to concentrate a bit more.
Longpar5
Aug 23, 2014 at 10:10 pm
What, in the world, does that have to do with this article. This is why golf forums full of hackers get so tiresome…People commenting on themselves and their set up and recommending something totally different than what the article/original post was about.
OVER THE TOP GOLF
Oct 4, 2013 at 2:40 pm
I will never give up my Ping Eye2s or my forged steel Zaap putter. I also only play old school Maxfli A10s which are pretty much extinct now but I managed to hoard about 100 dozen of ’em. I laugh when I talk to 30 handicap golfers who won’t pay $15 for a lesson but will drop a grand every year on new sticks.
reggie jaggers
Oct 2, 2013 at 9:22 pm
Strange to say the least, it seems to me that every club, be it iron or driver is “pushing the PGA’s limits, if that’s true then how can this iron possibly be any longer than the Rocket blades? it’s pure bull. Every club they come out with is supposedly longer but still their under the limits, explain that to me? it’s marketing BS
Anthony Maccioli
Oct 3, 2013 at 1:14 am
And sadly people still buy the “latest and greatest”.
Keith
Oct 2, 2013 at 5:31 pm
Looks like a winner.
carp
Sep 21, 2013 at 12:51 pm
HYPE ALERT! I found on the Golfblogger’s site that Wilson had irons in the late 70s called Reflex. They had a slot very similar to these.
http://www.golfblogger.com/index.php/golf/comments/wilson_reflex_irons_had_a_slot_in_1978/
If these had really been that great…well, do the math.
Pete
Sep 20, 2013 at 10:03 am
I absolutely despise taylormade I have two taylormade clubs in my bag a R11 driver set to 9 degrees of loft with adila rip phenom red eye alpha x stiff shaft and there old white smoke putter my other clubs are birdgestone j38 3-pw and i have ping I15 tour stiff 3w and 5w with a mix of cleveland reg 588 wedges and sometimes i use my titleist sm4 but to get to the point I hit my driver on average about 280 carry so i can hit it around 300 with good roll ” im only 16″ but to get to the point my girlfriend who plays on the AJGA tour went to sea island fitting center and got fitted for all new taylormade gear the R1 2.0rbz rocketblades the whole works she was also using bridgestone clubs before this 6 months later she absolutely despises these clubs there GAME IMPROVEMENT they have no feel forged irons with feel is where you need to be these game improvement irons do nothing there for hacks and for hype nothing more
spazo
Sep 30, 2013 at 5:56 pm
the period key is what you need
it’s located between the space bar and the enter key
use it.
t120
Oct 5, 2013 at 10:35 pm
I rather liked the egocentric ramblings of a ready-for-the-pga poster with TMAG gear he hates and no actual point, or punctuation. And no, ALL CAPS, isn’t punctuation, just annoying.
I would also challenge him to buy a comma. Wait, nevermind, I’ve got a few lying around you can borrow.
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Doug
Sep 17, 2013 at 10:31 pm
Any input on JPX EZ forged irons? The lofts are crazy long and makes me suspicious on how accurate they may be.
Doug
Sep 17, 2013 at 10:27 pm
Yes! A 200 yrd iron sounds like a sandtrap to me?
Tyler
Sep 17, 2013 at 11:10 am
I wonder how “EXCITED” Dustin, Sergio, and the other pro’s were to be there!
Shane
Sep 16, 2013 at 3:30 pm
I laugh when I read, “TaylorMade is simply strengthening the lofts of their irons.”
UPDATE: Every club manufacturer is doing this; Mizuno; Titleist; TaylorMade. Look at the specs.
That particular argument is getting old.
FYI, I play a Scotty putter, Vokey wedges, TaylorMade R9 TP irons, an RBZ 3-wood and a Titleist 910D2 driver, so I’m not basing my post on an exclusive love for TMaG products – just stating something that so many others seem to have missed.
Kc
Sep 26, 2013 at 11:25 pm
Speedblade has the same lofts as other company’s clubs (same as my callaway diablo forged irons). I currently play rocketbladez tours, which have weaker lofts than speedblade or rocketbladez regular ( pw-47.5 loft). They fly higher, go farther and land softer. I can score better with these clubs than previous clubs and isn’t that the point in new iron technology? I’m really hoping the new speedblade will improve on rocketbladez tours. I’m having trouble with the long clubs, 4-6i. These speedblade look sweet and the reviews online sound promising. Can’t wait.
Anthony Maccioli
Oct 3, 2013 at 1:12 am
Do you see the problem with that logic?Despite the whole idea of having the long irons be easier to hit you still have trouble hitting them. Then how are the flying higher, going father, and landing softer?… how does it make sense to go out and basically buy the same irons and get the same results?
Kc
Oct 5, 2013 at 8:39 pm
I didn’t plan on getting the speedblade in place of my rocketbladez tours. I said the technology in these newer TM irons have improved my ball striking and lowered my scores. Demo the tours or speedblades and see if you hit them better than your current clubs. Btw, next year TM will release forged irons, probably an update of the forged models from a coupl years ago. Will these new forged offerings included the speed pocket? We’ll see.
David T
Apr 14, 2014 at 12:03 am
I think everybody is missing the point here. What realy matters is who buys the beer at the 19th. My 24 year old EYE 2 + BECU’s have provided me with more than my share over the years. Yes, these new clubs are very nice but at the end of the day it’s not how but “how many”.
Lee
Sep 12, 2013 at 2:56 am
The irons are so good the Pro’s say whilst thinking why do they keep making me take my blades out of the bag for a few days! More Tosh from TM I don’t think even their marketing machine believes this latest installment.
Sagamore
Sep 11, 2013 at 9:37 pm
How much for a set of irons? Assuming 4 thru pitch…
When Rocketbladez came out, they were about $800.
Zak Kozuchowski
Sep 11, 2013 at 10:23 pm
$799 with steel for eight irons. Full tech story here: http://www.golfwrx.com/135671/tech-talk-taylormade-speedblade-irons/
– Zak
Stanley
Sep 11, 2013 at 9:30 pm
TM create new clubs constantly they are still trying to make ones as good as Titleist. Even the Pros driver heads are completely different than the rack or TP stuff. Real golfers can stick with the real gear.
Trygve Ekern
Sep 11, 2013 at 5:46 pm
The reality is a bit of everything that we have heard… Yes… Taylor made makes some very nice products, of which I bag several myself, yes… They are shameless whores for coming out with new models every few months… But… In their defense they have done the market research that tells them people will keep buying the latest version of things… Capitalism pure and simple, contant releases may come back to bite them, but for now people seem to be eating this s*** up!?
David D Banks
Sep 11, 2013 at 8:56 pm
I play 1999 Callaway Hawkeyes and I think their as good if not better than anything out there
Tom
Oct 4, 2013 at 2:22 am
1996 Big Berthas… still going strong.
Caleb
Sep 11, 2013 at 5:40 pm
So they come out with technology a year later that is that much more of an improvement? Sounds just like apple….going one small step at a time with their so called “new technology.” Rippin peoples heads off
Shankerton
Sep 11, 2013 at 5:40 pm
What happens when I cake them with mud after 6 chilli dips in #1 fairway?
jontyrees
Sep 11, 2013 at 3:45 pm
So much outrage over a new set of irons! TM likes to have a new product on the mkt, with associated hype, at all times. That doesn’t mean you have to ditch the rocketbladez you bought a yr ago to buy these. It means that the guy who is in the mkt to replace the clubs he bought 5yrs ago looks at articles on new clubs and sees the newest TMs, and possibly buys them. I fail to see why so many people have a problem with that. They make good clubs, and they always have something fresh on the rack. Sounds like a solid business model to me.
Shane
Sep 16, 2013 at 3:35 pm
Finally, a rational post.
It’s terrific business. Since when does a smart business model justify anger, hatred, etc.?
And let’s not forget that TaylorMade is owned by Adidas – a global sports brand. I’m willing to bet that their business marketing folks know what they’re doing.
stoneydukes
Sep 11, 2013 at 3:40 pm
What about RocketSpeed?!!
Joda
Sep 11, 2013 at 3:24 pm
I was entertained enough to read all the comments – thanks guys. Here’s my 2¢… I played the Callaway RAZR irons since they came out. I just upgraded to the RBZ irons (not the rocketbladz) and have found I not only hit them farther but straighter. I’m a 6 handicap. I do believe the technology is getting better but my RBZ’s are already outdated by what 3-4 models? It is nice to find someone on Craigslist to buy my old sets at a high price and find Dick’s or Sports Authority coupons to buy the clearanced new sets at such a cheap price. So the best thing about new irons every few months is that TM (or other companies) clear out the older models and I get a new set every two years for almost nothing 🙂
Chris
Sep 11, 2013 at 12:40 pm
Isn’t SpeedBlade simply a color update to match the SLDR?
Ola
Sep 11, 2013 at 12:32 pm
I dont get these rants. I am a 12 hcp but short hitter (150 yds w 7 iron) i use ping g25. With rocketbladez that i tried last week i get 160 yards, AND same or even higher trajectory. AND freakin straght. Lofts shafts lenghts who cares?? Ill be approacing greens w one club less wich will amount to one club better targeting. Mizuno blades make me cey, but they are not for my lousy swing speed. And dont tell me to practice, ill take you out on chipping any day
chowchow
Sep 11, 2013 at 3:13 pm
try out the new Mizuno JPX Forged irons that are coming out or the non forged. They are a more forgiving club than the 825 pros. The new Mizuno stuff will be on the shelves any day now. My ordr came in today. Heading out back to hit some balls with the H-4 – MP-54’s and The EZ 825’s. The black heads I like. H-4’s you can see thru the set the muscle area changes thru the set. Mizuno has some winners once again.
Why do all you guys throw nut fits when TM releases a new club. There are lots or idiots out there just like you guys snieveling like 8 year old school girls on the play ground fighting over Barbie. It must work.. I sell lots of their products. Companies don’t do things unless there is a market their.
HOW MANY OF YOU HONESTLY CAN BREAK A 100 and GOLF MORE THAN TWICE A WEEK? NGF says this is the norm. Twice a month and can’t break a 100. Less than 1% are single digit.
Remember be honest(no lying & counting all your stokes). after all it is a gentle mans game. so all you say
Philip
Sep 11, 2013 at 12:09 pm
Lets fault Taylormade for attempting to make profits. They are the Apple of golf. Prior to Taylormade’s recent marketing, all other companies fit to a uniform process. Taylormade is creating buzz and hype to a somewhat boring sport (to outsiders). While you guys are bashing them for selling their products, they are on the way to the bank with your friend’s money.
Scott
Sep 11, 2013 at 6:50 am
Lol @ the golf snobs in here.
If you don’t like a brand ignore their adds and don’t buy their gear.
Alex
Sep 11, 2013 at 5:32 am
As somebody who works in Golf retail, you guys have to understand whose buying golf clubs these days. 90% of people I fit do not understand the basic components of a golf swing let alone differences in equipment. All they see us that one club is going slightly further than the rest, and its most likely the newest model in the store (because tmag release new sticks every fortnight). Tmag aren’t fussed whether or not low handicap golfers get frustrated with there frequent releases.
zach
Sep 11, 2013 at 1:46 pm
good point
Richard
Sep 11, 2013 at 4:52 am
I think Taylor Made gives the consumer choice – which I believe is a good thing
I hit the Rocketbladez irons when they came out – I didn’t get on with them, so I purchased a set of Cobra AMP forged irons, which I think are incredible irons. They are long and soft. Give me a set of forged cavity back irons any day of the week.
NG
Sep 11, 2013 at 1:28 am
Cannot believe the posts on here comparing Speedblade irons top player forged type irons…are you serious? of course your not going to like them…i’m sure there will be a tour model to appeal. I remember everyone saying the same things last year about Rocketblades and guess what TMaG sold a bunch of those too! Don’t give up your day jobs people!
Chock
Sep 11, 2013 at 12:14 am
Some call it a SLINGblade…….. Hehehehehe
Chock
Sep 11, 2013 at 12:15 am
Come on you knew somebody had to say it
SN
Sep 10, 2013 at 11:51 pm
I like to buy new clubs.
Every time I buy one, it reminds me of my swing flaws.
and it makes me go out and practice…
Gregory
Sep 10, 2013 at 11:44 pm
I hit my 7i 190. I play Mizuno MP 53 +1″ project x 6.5. I’m 6’3″ 240.
Chock
Sep 11, 2013 at 12:13 am
Sounds about right
Jake T
Sep 11, 2013 at 1:28 pm
Congratulations
Jake
Sep 10, 2013 at 8:46 pm
I think I’m just going to wait till next month to get the SpeedBlade 2.0 at the same time i pick up my Iphone 5s(c) in blue so they can match………………. Not! Fail…..wait for it….Fail 2.0!!!!!!
pooch
Sep 10, 2013 at 8:36 pm
The only thing that makes the ball go further is “Club Head Speed”
III
Sep 10, 2013 at 9:22 pm
Well, TM would like to think that the CT and the COR is maxed out to the limits with these latest clubs
WM
Sep 10, 2013 at 7:44 pm
Wait for it next spring we will see Speed Bladzi-er.
Weekendwillie
Sep 10, 2013 at 5:36 pm
How is this different than any other “toy” someone buys? I hate TMAG stuff but I’m pretty sure they do their research to know what sells and gets people excited. Any time I play, there are r1s and rbzs galore so it’s working. people like new things so whether its new clubs , TV, a new phone ( think about that for a second), a new ATV, snowmobile(people upgrade yearly to this crap, so you really need 50 more HOrse power) , a new compound bow( do you really need to go from 300 ft per second to 310?) it’s all what you like and want to spend your money on. The nice thing is I am %100 positive that a new club will marginally improve my game.. maybe..but if I like it and can wait 6 months after its release, eBay is wonderful and it’s a pretty inexpensive hobby in the grand scheme of things .
Blanco
Sep 10, 2013 at 4:22 pm
This is getting really, REALLY old.
Canadian Golf Pro
Sep 11, 2013 at 12:42 pm
I have no problem with companies introducing new products, the bottom line is those companies have to make money and to do that they need to innovate. What I don’t like is the distance claims they make. I never hit the RBZ Stage 2 any farther than i hit my X-Hot or my old launcher titanium….I tested the rocketbladez and did not hit the 5 iron any farther than my R11 5 iron or PING s57
sleeper
Sep 11, 2013 at 1:31 pm
Completely agree. This is just silly. I took the rocketbladez “bucket challenge” and they failed. Hit my current irons just as far.
By their own standards, I think Taylormade is slowing down. I expected them to have replaced the “speed pocket” with something just as ineffective by now.
Side note: When did GolfWRX start doing advertorials? Taylormade’s credibility is gone, but I’d like to think this site tries to be objective.
Argentinian Golfer
Oct 3, 2013 at 9:55 am
Please, not compare the loft of a Ping S 57 with any TM from TM Burner 1.0.
TM are 2 (two) degrees stronger than any Ping and Titleist irons.
Ping i15 7 iron: Loft 33.
TM speed, blade, bla bla bla 7 iron: Loft 31.
Yeah …. the champion of the distance …. with less loft!
Roger
Sep 10, 2013 at 4:14 pm
Cool Product.
Yes i have tried the Mizuno Fli Hi.
Yes i had a Ping ISI 2 iron back in the day.
Looking forward to buying a 3 or 4 SpeedBlade used around xmas
when they are one model old.
Marketing WORKS.
Distance Sells.
WRX’rs are say the top 5 to 8 % critics of the buying public.
It is the other 92 to 95% the Marketers target.
Have a Happy Day.
mike
Sep 10, 2013 at 3:31 pm
I dont understand why you think this is bad marketing. Its great marketing, but potentially poor business strategy. If you look at golf club sales, they tend to sell high volume toward the first month or two of a products release and then taper off quick. So instead of having 1 set of irons sell for the entire year, they are increasing their lineup to have 2 sales bumps for the year. The marketing of their products generate the hype and interest. But sooner or later, they will oversaturate the golfing population and it could bite them in the a**.
LB
Sep 10, 2013 at 6:25 pm
You won’t believe how unsaturated the market is, though.
yo!
Sep 10, 2013 at 3:12 pm
You guys aren’t going to be playing this upcoming year with last year’s equipment and be behind the times, are you?
Billy
Sep 10, 2013 at 3:05 pm
What a Joke!! TM is the worst.
Young
Sep 10, 2013 at 2:58 pm
no thank you
150 with 7 iron is perfect for me
michael
Sep 10, 2013 at 2:43 pm
chunky irons dont look like blades to me …
Joel
Sep 10, 2013 at 2:58 pm
I agree, they are playing fast and loose with the term blade…
Swoosh
Sep 10, 2013 at 1:40 pm
Funny to listen to comments because EVERY golf company pulls these same tricks. Titleist 913s are the same exact clubs as the 910s but nobody gets mad at them.
Joel
Sep 10, 2013 at 2:40 pm
The difference is the 910’s were good…and the 913’s are good.
Meanwhile, the rocketbladez were terrible…and these look like about the same.
paul
Sep 10, 2013 at 2:42 pm
Im glad they are the same. someone stole my titleist 710 cb out of my bad one day. now i can order a 712 and it still fits my set 🙂
Baba Booey
Sep 10, 2013 at 2:50 pm
except Titleist does this every 2 years. Taylormade is every 2 weeks
RH
Sep 10, 2013 at 1:36 pm
Is it just me or does TMAG seem to be shying away from the whole “white” theme and going with a new blue color scheme brand
Joel
Sep 10, 2013 at 12:37 pm
Well…I do think they look better than the rocketbladez, plus at least speed blade doesn’t have weird z’s or abbreviations like sldr in it. I don’t know, I miss not having to carry a gap wedge since most pw’s are damn near a classic 9 iron loft. All that being said, tmag is going to sell a ton of them I’m sure and as long as so many tards keep buying this stuff they will keep producing this weird slotted stronger lofted garbage.
JHM
Sep 10, 2013 at 12:14 pm
My new set make up –
SLDR Driver – 315
Stage 2 TOur 3w – 285
Stage 2 Hybrid – 275
Speed Blade 4,5,6,7,8,9,PW – 255,242,230,215,200,188,172
Gap Gap Wedge – 160
Gap Wedge – 148
Sand Wedge – 138
Lob wedge – 125
Had to take my putte rout to make room for the extra Gap Wedge, and I never get to hit the SLDR or Stage 2 off the tee, cause I cant get closer that 125 to the flag, but I’m killing my 4 iron!!
george
Sep 10, 2013 at 8:49 pm
at what altitude
Chock
Sep 11, 2013 at 12:11 am
Lol
chris
Sep 11, 2013 at 1:28 pm
They hit the ball far because they have great swings and club head speed.. unlike the weekend warriors whos swing mostly kinda stink. There’s not a person I know who can even try and pretend to hit a 7 200 yrds.. and I know a few good golfers
Canadian Golf Pro
Sep 11, 2013 at 12:37 pm
Love the sarcasm, it actually did make me laugh. But i’d love to have that problem. I’d love it if i had nothing longer than a 6 iron and carried 6 wedges. Long irons blow.
Brian
Sep 10, 2013 at 12:00 pm
That notch at the heal looks a little like Ping’s notch. Ah lawsuit??????
LB
Sep 10, 2013 at 6:27 pm
Ah no? If that is worthy of a lawsuit, the blatant copy in the whole design of this iron to the Mizuno MP-58 should be examined.
NG
Sep 11, 2013 at 1:24 am
I heard Ping and TM had a trade of patents…TM got the bending notch and ping got an orginal FCT sleeve design.
tim
Sep 10, 2013 at 11:57 am
So…
(me)How is the Speedblade better than the Rocketblade?
(TMAG) Uh…umm, It’s Blue…Next question please.
Well done TM marketing guys.
BL
Sep 10, 2013 at 11:33 am
Umm…. what club is J. Rose hitting in that photo? I don’t see a slot – and by the loft of it, it should, right?
LB
Sep 10, 2013 at 6:20 pm
He is swinging his own MB 4 iron with the C-Taper. May be it was meant to be a comparison analysis so the Pros hit their own one and then the SpeedBlade.
JnRadioActive
Sep 11, 2013 at 5:02 pm
its there, angle nd glare make it looks like its not but if you look close you can see the ends of the slots (bigger than rest of slot)
Mizuno Zeke
Sep 10, 2013 at 11:05 am
Why would you want to hit a 200 yard 7 iron?
mike
Sep 10, 2013 at 3:27 pm
so i dont have to try and hit my 4 or 5 iron 200
David N. Simms
Sep 12, 2013 at 6:59 pm
I hit a TM TP CB 7 iron 180…dang 3 iron goes 230-240. Irons go so far already, I rarely have the need to use a driver any more. It’s more about the ball construction and club head speed than the club IMO.
Brian
Sep 10, 2013 at 5:27 pm
Don’t worry, 99% of amateurs won’t
Canadian Golf Pro
Sep 11, 2013 at 12:34 pm
Why wouldn’t you? If you can use a shorter, easier to hit club from 200 yards wouldn’t you want that? I’m a 2.5 index and i’ll hit the green maybe 1/5 times with my 5 iron, but i’ll hit it 4/5 with my 7 iron…distance is a good thing. All the best players in the world are long hitters.
CD
Sep 11, 2013 at 1:18 pm
Geometry dictates that your logic is incorrect, particularly for the average golfer. Let’s say you’re hitting your 7-iron to a 150 yard par 3, and you launch it offline by a mere 5 degrees (for example). At that distance, you’ll land about 13 yards left or right of your target. Maybe you still catch a piece of the green, maybe not. Now, hit your 7-iron to the 200 yard green (same size green, but 200 yards away), still offline by that same 5 degrees…. you’re now 17.5 yards left or right. That’s a 35% increase in distance away from the target. That 15-20 feet difference left or right may have just put you in the bunker or water.
Sagamore
Sep 11, 2013 at 9:35 pm
You are 100% spot on. A miss is accentuated the farther the distance traveled.
Under normal conditions, with a target just short of the flag, I am using a 7 iron from 160 yards. I hit maybe, 50% of the par 3’s and 4’s in regulation. The rest I will miss because I am off target due to a miss hit. If I am 160 out, with one of these clubs, theoretically, I am at a 9 iron. What am I accomplishing?
I can miss with a 9 iron too.
Alex
Sep 26, 2013 at 3:08 am
You forget to realize that the lie and length of the clubs are a variable that would not be the same. While it’s true that distance magnifies errors, shorter clubs with more loft tend to be easier to hit.
So, while it might make sense to assume the same error, the likelihood is that the 7i shot is more accurate than the comparable 5i, thus reducing the amount off target.
Mizuno Zeke
Sep 11, 2013 at 3:22 pm
Canadian Golf Pro,
I can see your point and I have a GHIN 2.0 handicap. But with all this distance, won’t this take away the finesse of the game? Short courses will become extinct and I think it hurts the game.
Alex
Sep 26, 2013 at 3:11 am
Face it…people aren’t hitting it too far for short courses.
People on here like to complain about it, but the fact is, most amateurs can’t hit it solid enough to be hitting it too far.
The short course going extinct thing isn’t relevant to the large majority of golfers.
Kc
Sep 20, 2013 at 3:49 pm
I don’t think most of us have to worry about hitting a 7i anywhere near 200 yds. Only pros and single digit handicappers are close to that. Just hope that 7i flies higher, goes a little farther and lands softer than your current clubs. If its easier to hit, than its worth a demo.
Mattias
Sep 10, 2013 at 10:07 am
New Taylormade and Callaway irons fly longer, but probably not from the “speedpocket”. An iron head is to hard and thick in the sole for that to make any difference i guess. Stronger lofts, thinner faces, longer and better shafts make a difference though. Remove all the crappy plastic emblems and strange decals and use proper lofts then also experienced golfers could give it a try.
Tom
Sep 10, 2013 at 10:37 am
+1
Baba Booey
Sep 10, 2013 at 10:00 am
TMAG sells to weekend golfers that want to go to Dicks and have the latest equipment to one up their buddies. They go out on the weekend and shoot 100 and hit a few shots to keep them coming back. The next guy in their 4-some who’s wife allows him to buy clubs goes and buys the next thing TMAG puts out next month to one up his buddies. These guys suck at golf, but it makes them feel like a golfer to shell out to buy the latest and greatest.
I have friends like this. They go to Dicks, buy the R1 off the rack, post it to Facebook, go out and shoot 110. Next month it’s the irons, need speedpocket. Go buy them, post photo to facebook and go shoot 110.
Nike and Taylormade are made for one another.
george
Sep 10, 2013 at 8:48 pm
so true Baba Booey so true lol!!!!!
Mike
Sep 10, 2013 at 11:55 pm
you are absolutely right. this is for weekend golfers, also for beginners to step into golf course easier
Fooshee
Oct 9, 2013 at 9:52 am
Not quite. I had some Cobra Forged CBs. A lot closer to a player’s club as opposed to a game improvement club. I wasn’t hitting them as well as I used to due to lack of playing. I tried the Rocketbladz and was wowed. I hit shots now that I never have before. My distance control is a lot more consistent with mishits and I can still work the ball. I can hook all the way to slice at will. The deal is that I hit them consistently straighter. As long as I hit a straight enough tee ball, there’s no need to work the ball as much. They are plenty good enough for me.
leftright
Sep 11, 2013 at 7:40 pm
That is why I have neither in my bag…
Stewie
Sep 14, 2013 at 8:36 am
Well put!… You’re SO right!
David Smith
Sep 10, 2013 at 9:52 am
OH. MY. GOD. This is just silly now. TaylorMade has become the fisher price of golf and sadly people are buying this nonsense up like crazy.
I overheard one guy in the club house saying the “Speedpocket Technology allowed him to work the ball better and easier with distance and precision while landing it softly”, the guy can barely hit the thing let alone work the ball, I guess this is TMaG’s niche market; people who can’t golf but want to fit in.
NC
Sep 10, 2013 at 10:16 am
The thing is, no other company is doing it – therefore, TM is simply filling up the room on the shelf. If the other competitors came up with stuff as much as TM is, there wouldn’t be room, the profit margins would drop, the costs would rise, and there wouldn’t be so many. But because the margins are good, the clubs can be made cheaply, and because there is a lot of room on the shelf at your local golf shop – why not just fill it?
It’s working, obviously, as they can just a certain number of the current models at a certain cheap price point and turn around a quick profit. And then they can just make another one. Until somebody else steps up to fill the void, and use as much money in advertising, it will continue to be this way.
Steve
Sep 10, 2013 at 11:07 pm
Cally and the FT Optiforce say hello…
Chock
Sep 11, 2013 at 12:10 am
You mean the Apex? But that thing’s obviously not ready
Larry Sherer
Sep 11, 2013 at 1:32 pm
Wrong, Callawy has had 3 THREE new drivers this year alone, the new one is comming out with the slider like TaylorMade just minutes after their last one had the head cover pulled off. And Balls, what is happening there? WIth balls I think they are running out of names for each new product.
Stewie
Sep 14, 2013 at 8:40 am
I agree… I think they finally jumped the shark with their ‘slider’… This is getting STUPID!… I have a feeling TM is about to go over the cliff, taking some of the others with them. Consumers are going to suddenly hit the wall, and just walk away because they’re being treated like cash cows… The 25 year old Cobras in my garage are looking better every day!
Eric
Sep 10, 2013 at 8:51 am
Taylormades marketing is solid and draws people in. I just don’t understand how you release Rocketbladz at the beginning of the season and then release a new set at the end of the season. The technology and innovation cannot be that different from it’s predecessor.
A lot of you may be asking why Taylormade is using this strategy. It is simple answer growing there profits and margin. The parent corporation is pushing them to grow there business to help grow the stock price. I have insight to this being I worked for division of Nike and they pushed us to grow our business beyond expectations each year.
I just question the distance iron play. I think golf is a game accuracy and shot making. With big hitters like Bubba, Tiger and Dustin golf has become about the long ball. Most casual golfers struggle to drive the ball 225 straight let alone 300 yards. All this distance is making golf courses longer and making it tougher on the casual player. No club or ball is going to make the ball fly straight if your swing is flawed.
It is all smoke and mirrors
Gino
Sep 10, 2013 at 12:37 pm
Actually the Rocketbladez were released in Oct. LAST year. Google is your friend.
J
Sep 10, 2013 at 5:26 pm
And October is the start of the season for some…
Chock
Sep 11, 2013 at 12:09 am
Exactly! There’s a whole Southern Hemisphere !
Chris hunter
Sep 17, 2013 at 5:19 pm
I have heard that more this year than any other, these new clubs are great with distance but folders are having more trouble moving the ball at will. The newer clubs are just helping them hit starighter but have no feel.
John
Oct 2, 2013 at 7:15 pm
Exactly! I have the Rocketbladez, and was wowwed by the gain in distance. However, I can no longer work the ball. A draw is a pull – hook and a fade is a push – slice.
Rob
Sep 10, 2013 at 7:53 am
Hmm… I guess the Rockbladez HPs will be coming out for $399.99.
Danny
Sep 10, 2013 at 7:52 am
Zzzzzz
Wake me up next week when they come out with Speedblades 2.0
Taylormade has deminished their brand so much in the past 3 years. Start making clubs guys can hit 200 yards on a dinner plate, not 9 irons with jacked up lofts so guys can hit them farther.
milton
Sep 11, 2013 at 1:44 am
your my friend hit it on the head, you can’t drop a new club every week and be considered serious about your brand. this just shows your in it for ONLY…..the money. Not to build technology
scott
Sep 10, 2013 at 7:22 am
Why has the game of golf become all about distance? I play golf with guys who say; “I hit a 7i 170” me, what did you shoot? 170 7i guy, “92” makes sense!
Jack
Sep 10, 2013 at 5:01 am
LOL yeah if the pro’s can hit their 7 iron at 200, then going down, their 8 at 188, 9 at 176, PW would be about 164. How many wedges do you need below the PW for your short game? That’s one of the reasons. The other would be that Pro’s probably think it’s weird to play with game improvement clubs. I’d say their ego is getting in the way of them winning (see Dustin Johnson). If DJ really took the irons out of his bag after he won with them, he’s an idiot. Still really good at golf and now has bagged a hot wife, but I guess he’s a golf purist by sticking to his blades or whatever he games.
MorikawaTMaG
Sep 10, 2013 at 1:09 pm
they ususally have 4 wedges and also he was the first one to win this year. Also he never played the rocketbladez, he stuck with his MB’s
Kc
Oct 5, 2013 at 8:32 pm
Most pros don’t hit their 7i 200 yds. This “demonstration” is just for show. It’s Taylormade’s chance to wow regular joes to fork over $800. Hitting at a driving range without any hazards is different than tournament play with the pressure and intimidation staring the player’s in their face. Most tour players use a 5i or 6i for a 200 yd. a weekend player will use a 7i for 150-165 yd shot. Lets see if the real gains are higher ball flights and more consistent and accurate hits.
tjw
Oct 9, 2013 at 12:07 pm
funny ! but true
BOC
Sep 10, 2013 at 2:45 am
Oh marketing, I love you.