Questions about TaylorMade fairway woods and Nike's STR8-Fit drivers
On January 3, reader Ron C. asked, "Does anyone know if they [TaylorMade] are coming up with new fairway woods to match the new 2009 Burner Driver?"
I spoke with TaylorMade's Dave Cordero and was told that there are no plans for releasing a new Burner fairway wood anytime in the first half of this year. TaylorMade released a new Burner fairway wood in 2008. However, I am hearing rumors about a completely new family of TaylorMade drivers and fairway woods to be released this spring. I'll give you all the details, and photos, as soon as I can.
On January 4, Alan, another reader of The Shop blog, asked, "Does anyone know if the shafts [of the yet-to-be-released Nike Dymo STR8-Fit drivers] will be interchangeable like the Callaway I-Mix?”
The Callaway I-Mix system combines interchangeable heads and shafts, allowing you to customize your driver quickly and easily. There are more than 70 different shafts available from companies like Aldila, Fujikura, Graphite Design, Grafalloy, Matrix, Mitsubishi Rayon and UST that can be fitted onto four different heads—the FT-5, FT-5 Tour, FT-i and FT-i Tour.
The stock shaft of the Nike Dymo STR8-Fit and Dymo2 STR8-Fit drivers will be a UST Proforce AXIV Core built especially for Nike. Nike's Gretchen Wilhelm told me, "The clubs will have the ability to interchange shafts like Callaway’s I-Mix driver. However, unlike the Callaway system, we will be selling a finished club with a single shaft."
Posted by: billy malooly | Jan 12, 2009 12:27:40 PM
R9
In stores mid March.
retail street price: $399 (R9 TP will be $499)
The most advanced and finest performing driver in the history of golf club design per TaylorMade. The R9 will feature full adjustability in that it will combine 3 moveable weights with our newest technology-Flight Control Technology (FCT). FCT gives the golfer the ability to adjust the club head to affect face angle and loft. MWT and FCT give 75 yards of left to right adjustability, 3 degrees of launch angle adjustability, and up to 1800 rpm of spin adjustability. The club head can be rotated into one of eight positions, giving the ability to adjust from 2 degrees closed to 2 degrees open (actual measured face angle will be square to four open, though visually, 4 open looks 2 open to the golfer). This is done by a wrench and turning the club head onto the axis of the shaft. The three moveable weights are in similar positions to r7 Limited. The result to the golfer will be the ability to have an open club face while still promoting a draw, for example. It's really 24 drivers in one.
The club head has a large address, similar to the r7 SuperQuad, though we did not make this as large a clubhead as Burner, for example. This is, according to TaylorMade, the optimal size demanded by the most discerning players.
We are launching this on Tour at the end of January, though many of our Tour pros have been testing the club already. They have declared this the best driver ever produced.
The stock shaft on it will be Fujikura's brand new Tour platform, called "Motore" and it will be the only club in the market with Motore in the stock offering.
TP shafts will be offered at a $100 ($499 street retail) upgrade and will be assorted offerings from Fujikura, Mitsubishi, Matrix, and Aldila.
Posted by: Cash | Jan 9, 2009 1:06:52 PM
TM has announced the R9 Series of driver will be released in March, with movable weights and adjustable face angles. Not to be too harsh here, but this info was available WAY before yesterday - new media is only relevant if it is current...