Sergio Garcia, Paula Creamer Switch to TaylorMade's New R9 TP Irons

Retief Goosen made a switch to TaylorMade's new R9 TP irons before the start of the Presidents Cup in San Francisco in September. Now two more high-profile TaylorMade players have made the switch to the company's newest better-player irons.

Sergio Garcia put a set of R9 TP irons in his bag before the start of the Madrid Masters in early October, and has them in the bag again this week at the Castello Masters in Castellon, Spain.

Garcia started the 2009 season using TaylorMade's Tour Preferred irons and switched during the summer to a set TaylorMade RAC MB blades that he'd played in previous seasons.

According to the company, Garcia's R9 TP irons are fitted with Project X 6.5 shafts and Golf Pride New Decade 60 grips with four to five layers of tape under the grips.

This week Garcia is also playing new TaylorMade RAC wedges that feature grooves that conform to the new 2010 regulations.

Meanwhile, Paula Creamer, who is playing a Japanese LPGA Tour event this week, has been Twittering about her new irons:

Thurs. 5:55PM Eastern: I am using new TaylorMade irons this week. They are the new R9 TP irons and are awesome. I haven't changed my irons in almost 3 years!

Thurs. 6:05PM Eastern: These R9 TP irons are the new groves. I loved my r7 irons but it was time for a change. Plus in January I have to change to the new groves.

Fri. 5:26AM Eastern: The new irons worked well today. I missed 4 greens. Still trying to figure out how far I hit them. That is the hard part for me right now.

Here is what GOLF Magazine had to say about the game-improving R9 irons in its November issue.

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(Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images)

TaylorMade Releasing R9 and R9 TP Irons

TaylorMade successfully launched the new Burner irons in early 2009, touting them as the longest, most-powerful irons the company had ever produced.

Those clubs will continue to be available in 2010, but for players who are looking for more workability and control, TaylorMade is releasing the new R9 and R9 TP irons in November.

One of the most unique features of the R9 irons is something you can't see—a chamber behind the face of the club that is filled with an almost-weightless foam and a silicone shock absorber positioned directly behind the center of the face in the 3- through 6-irons (above). While the foam and shock absorber help to soak up unwanted vibration, TaylorMade claims the design also leaves the face more free to flex at impact and rebound—like a thin-faced driver—for added distance.

The heads of the long- and mid-irons are large, with a low center of gravity to help players get more distance and height on shots. The heads of the short irons are slightly smaller to increase playability, but they still have an undercut channel in back to add height and spin.

TaylorMade says the soles of the R9 irons are specially beveled to reduce turf resistance and help the bottom of the club glide through impact.

The R9 TP irons (right) feature the same foam-filled chamber and silicone shock absorber in the 2- through 5-irons, but the heads themselves are smaller through the set. Although the heads are about the same size as TaylorMade's Tour Preferred irons—a popular choice for accomplished players—the company says the R9 TP has a larger hittable face, so they should be more forgiving.

Both the R9 and R9 TP irons will come standard with KBS steel shafts in stiff and regular flexes; the TP version will also be available in an extra-stiff flex. Custom shaft options will be available, but look for the R9 irons (3-PW) to cost around $999 in steel and $1,249 in graphite (Fujikura Motore) when they hit pro shop shelves on Nov. 1. The R9 TP will cost about $1,125.

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Mizuno Releasing New MP-68 and MP-58 Irons for Better Players

Among players who demand workability and feel, Mizuno's forged irons have always been well regarded. This fall, the company is set to release irons that not only cater to purists, but to golfers looking for more forgiveness and game-enhancement features too.

MP-68
Chuck Couch, Mizuno's director of marketing, says of the MP-68 forged blades: "This is a club that golfers expect from Mizuno."

By studying the vibrations and sound created at impact, Mizuno has tried to make a muscleback blade with even better sound and feel. Made from milled carbon steel, weight has been removed from non-critical areas of the MP-68 near the heel, toe, and top of the hosel, then repositioned in the back-toe area. The result, according to the company, is a sweetspot that's lower in the face along with a neutral ball flight preferred by many accomplished players. And yes, the grooves in the MP-68 irons conform with the new USGA regulations.

The MP-68 irons will be available with several different custom shafts, but come standard (3-PW) with True Temper Dynamic Gold shafts ($899) or Project X shafts ($999).

MP-58
The new MP-58 irons were designed to combine the forgiveness of a full cavity back with the workability, feel and compact size of a classic muscleback.

To achieve that goal, Mizuno engineers got crafty. They positioned a lightweight piece of titanium in a pocket behind the hitting area of the forged carbon steel heads. During the forging process, as the steel cools, it contracts around the titanium to create the feel of one solid piece of metal. Because only 11 grams of titanium are required to fill the area that would have needed 20 grams of steel, Mizuno could then reposition nine grams of discretionary weight to make the MP-58 irons more forgiving and slightly more stable on off-center hits.

A standard set of MP-58 irons (3-PW) will retail for about $1,000 and come with True Temper Dynamic Gold shafts.

Hybrids Ruled at Bethpage, but Irons Could Be Back at Turnberry

Before the start of U.S. Open at Bethpage, many players put hybrid clubs in their bags and pulled out long irons. With several long par 4s and wet conditions to contend with, they were looking for a way to hit high-flying, soft-landing shots from 220 to 230 yards out.

Now, as the best players in the world get ready to take on Turnberry's Ailsa Course in Scotland in the British Open, those long irons may be going back in the bag.

On Tuesday, Paul Casey said on Twitter:
"Thinking the 5 wood will be coming out and the 2 iron will be making a guest appearance for the Open. No other changes."

I asked him which model and he wrote back, "Still the Nike Pro Combo OS. I have 2 or 3 of them that I'm hanging on to."

Turnberry is located on the western coast of Scotland, so players can expect windy conditions. Since hybrids are designed to hit the ball high, irons would seem to be a better choice.

Here is a list of the clubs that Casey used to win the blustery 2009 Shell Houston Open:

Driver: Nike SQ Tour (8.5°) with a Mitsubishi Diamana Blue Board shaft
Fairway woods: Nike SQ II (13°)
Irons: Nike Pro Combo OS (2), Victory Red Forged Split Cavity (3, 4), Victory Red Forged Blades (5-PW)
Wedges: Nike Victory Red (52°, 59°)
Putter: Nike Prototype
Ball: Nike One Tour

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(Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)

Tiger Woods Talks Irons and Driver Loft at Bethpage

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. -- At the Memorial, Tiger Woods hit 14 of 14 fairways on Sunday after changing to a Nike SQ Dymo 380 driver with 10.5° of loft (the effective playing loft was 10°). That adjustment got a lot of press, including in this blog.

Another equipment tweak, which didn't get as much attention, was his iron switch at Muirfield Village. Tiger had been playing a set of Nike Victory Red forged blades this season, but he switched to a set that appeared to be the Nike forged blades he'd played with in previous seasons.

In his press conference today at Bethpage, Woods didn't go into much detail about his irons, but he did give some more insights into his driver. Here is his complete answer:

"I went back to an old set that I had played before and had some success with, so I went back to that.

"As far as my driver is concerned, as we all know, loft is your friend. The reason why you hit a 3-wood straighter is because it has more loft, and that helps. My release has changed over the years, and I just need a little bit more loft now. It's working out and I'm driving the ball more efficiently. I still have the same power, but I just need the loft now.

"When I first came out here on Tour, I used a 6.5° driver, and now I'm up to 10.5°. Jeez, I'd hate to see what I'm going to hit when I turn 40. I wonder how that's going to be. Maybe a 46" driver, with about 15° of loft.

"But you know, it is what it is and technology has changed and the ball doesn't spin as much as it used to, and you have to have a little bit more loft than you used to play."

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(Photo by Fred Vuich/SI)

High-Spinning Davis Love weighs in on grooves issues

It's always interesting to talk with a Tour player who relies on older, battle-tested equipment. Davis Love is that kind of player.

"I'm trying to hit it lower, and with less spin, on everything," he told me recently.

For that reason, Love uses a classic muscle-back blade, the Titleist Forged 680. The old-school clubs are about as forgiving as a Rottweiler, but they give the pure-hitting Love the ability to shape shots and control his ball flight effectively.

"I test stuff for [Titleist] all the time because they want my feedback," he said. "But the guys are honest, and don't say to me, 'Hey Davis, we could sell more AP2s if you would play them.'"

Like every other pro on Tour, the looming rule changes on grooves are on Love's mind these days. He has started testing clubs to see how his game will be affected, but the winner of the 1997 PGA Championship is in a unique situation. 

"I'm going to lose less [spin] than a lot of other guys," he said. "I don't play with the Vokey Spin Milled wedges, I play the regular wedges. And in fact, Vokey grinds mine down to make the edges less sharp. My wedges produce about 20% less spin than in most guys'."

For this reason, Love will not have to make as large an adjustment as lower-spinning players who have relied on U-grooves to help them.

"It'll be like when I first came out, when everybody had V-grooves," he said. "It's hard for the USGA to look back, but what we're doing is going back about 20 years."

Because Love spins the ball so much, it might seem odd that he chooses to carry a 17° hybrid club. Hybrids and rescue clubs typically launch shots higher than irons. But Love said that his Titleist 909H is the first hybrid that he can hit either high or low, so it has earned a spot in his bag.

Here is a complete list of Davis Love's golf clubs:

DRIVER: Titleist 909D3 (8.5°) with UST ProForce V2 X 76 shaft
FAIRWAY WOOD: Titleist F305 Prototype (13°) with UST ProForce V2 X 86 shaft
HYBRID: Titleist 909H (17°) with UST ProForce V2 Hybrid X 104 shaft
IRONS: Titleist Forged 680 (3-PW) with True Temper Dynamic Gold X-100 shafts
WEDGES: Titleist Vokey Design (55°, 60°)
PUTTER: Scotty Cameron for Titleist 009 Newport
BALL: Titleist Pro V1x

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Tiger Woods makes equipment adjustments at Memorial

On Thursday at Memorial, Tiger Woods shot a three-under 69 after making two subtle equipment changes.

In his post-round interview, the world's No. 1 player said, "I went with a little more loft, a 10°." Woods had previously used a 9.5° Nike Dymo 380 driver.

"As my release has changed over time with Hank [Haney], I needed a little more loft to get the ball in the air, little more spin."

Woods said that he is hitting the ball just as far with the 10° driver. And while .5° is not a big change in loft, for at least one day, Woods was clearly more accurate off the tee. He hit 13 of 14 fairways at Muirfield Village on Thursday.

"I don't have all my length back," Woods said. "It's getting better each and every week. My speed is coming back. My power's coming back. It's taken a lot longer than I thought it would, but then again, most people that play other sports take two years to come back. So it's a little bit different."

Woods also used different irons on Thursday. He did not use the Nike Victory Red Forged Blade irons he had used in each of his previous 2009 appearances. Instead, he used a set of Nike Forged Blades that in photographs appear to be identical to the irons Woods used in 2008. Click on the photo of Woods taken Thursday for a better look. The insert image was taken during final round of the Players.

Nike's tour field manager, Rick Nichols, said in an e-mail, "This is not the exact set of irons Tiger played last year, but they are similar."

According to a video featuring Tom Stites, Nike's director of product creation, nearly every aspect of the Victory Red Forged Blades were inspired by Tiger Woods and what he looks for in an iron. It is very possible that the only differences between the Victory Red Forged Blades and the older set Nike blades Tiger used Thursday are cosmetic.

However, just two weeks before the U.S. Open at Bethpage, the fact that Woods has chosen to put an old set of irons back in his bag could signal that he is looking for a subtle difference in feel or look.

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(Main photo, Fred Vuich/SI; inset, Scott Halleran/Getty Images)

Adam Scott goes back to a 2-Iron at Colonial

Colonial Country Club's golf course is not especially long by PGA Tour standards, and in the sunny and wind conditions, the fairways tend to play firm and fast. So Adam Scott has decided to put a Titleist AP2 2-iron into his bag this week. Interestingly, the 2-iron actually has a True Temper X100 3-iron shaft to make it feel more for added stiffness and control.

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Video: TaylorMade's New Burner Irons

This video is a part of the new TV series, Inside GOLF Magazine, which is now airing on Fox Sports. Check your local listings for channels and times.

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TaylorMade Releases new Burner Irons

Stop by your local pro shop today, the first official day of spring, and you are likely to see TaylorMade's newest Burner iron prominently displayed. Along with the R9 driver, these irons are likely to be the flagship product for the company in 2009.

When TaylorMade's designers set out to create the new Burner irons, their goal was simple: Make the world's longest, easiest-to-hit irons.

The designers took a different approach in the development process. Benoit Vincent, TaylorMade's chief technical officer, said, "We felt that if we could make a long iron that was far easier to hit than any other, we'd learn a lot about how to make the middle and short irons easier to hit too."

So instead of starting with a 6-iron and then building a series of complementary clubs, which is how many sets are created, TaylorMade started with a 4-iron.

Sean Toulon, TaylorMade's executive vice president of innovation, said the idea was to make the 4-iron have the playing qualities of a wood. When compared with the 4-iron of the previous Burner irons, the head is larger, which increases MOI and helps the club resist twisting on off-center hits. The face of the new Burner 4-iron was also made significantly thinner (1.9mm) to increase ball speed. They kept the undercut channel behind the face but made the sole wider to lower the center of gravity. That should make it easier to hit higher-flying, softer-landing shots.

The shaft of the new Burner 4-iron was also extended by a quarter of an inch, which should help to increase swing speed and therefore add distance. Because the irons have a bigger head, however, TaylorMade says the extra shaft length is imperceptible to golfers.

On the back of the clubs is a circular disk with an X-shape extending from its edges. That's TaylorMade's "Inverted Cone," a technology first used in TaylorMade's drivers. It puts more mass behind the sweetspot and, according to the company, helps to maintain distance control on off-center hits.