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GOLF.com first told you about the five-piece TaylorMade Penta TP golf ball in August. In this video from TaylorMade, Dean Snell, senior director of ball research, explains how he got the company's staff pros—including Sergio Garcia, Justin Rose and Retief Goosen—to try it.
TaylorMade's new TP wedges with xFT (Exchangeable Face Technology) allow golfers to unscrew a face plate that contains the club's grooves and replace it with a new plate in about a minute.
TaylorMade had planned to sell face plates separately so golfers could play with fresh grooves more often, but the USGA informed TaylorMade in October that it could not sell face plates with the company's Z grooves—which will soon become non-conforming for professionals—in 2010. However, TaylorMade could sell a whole TP wedge with Z grooves and face plates with a conforming groove.
TaylorMade appealed the ruling, and on Wednesday the USGA reversed itself, saying that TaylorMade will be able to separately sell Z-groove face plates, which will cost about $45, in 2010.
Dick Rugge, the USGA's senior technical director, refused to comment on the case on Friday morning.
Before the ruling was announced, Benoit Vincent, TaylorMade's chief technical director, said the root of the USGA's initial dispute wasn't with the interchangeable face technology. In his mind, the real question the USGA had was, "Are the additional faces that might be sold in 2010 a threat to the clean-up goal that the rules [and deadlines for implementation] intrinsically have?"
According to Vincent, the USGA is hoping that wedges and other clubs with U grooves will naturally start coming out of amateur golfers' bags as they get worn out. By the time weekend players need to start using the conforming V grooves in 2024, it is hoped that the vast majority would already be replaced with equipment that conforms to the new guidelines.The interchangeable face plates, presumably, would make it possible for golfers to stockpile non-conforming grooves.
TaylorMade will not be able to sell or ship wedges or face plates that contain non-conforming grooves after December 31, 2010. However, pro shops and retailers will be able to sell their remaining inventories until they are depleted.
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.
(Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images)
Here is a complete list of the clubs used by Martin Laird to win the 2009 Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open at TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas:
DRIVER: TaylorMadeTour Burner (10.5°) with Mitsubishi SHAQ shaft
FAIRWAY WOODS: TaylorMade Tour Burner (17.5°, 19°) with Mitsubishi Diamana Blue Board 83X shafts
IRONS: TaylorMade Tour Preferred (3-PW)
WEDGES: TaylorMade RAC (56°, 60°)
PUTTER: TaylorMade Rossa Corza long
BALL: Titleist ProV1x
(Photo by Stan Badz/Getty Images)
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.
Here is a complete list of the clubs that Tim Clark used at Harding Park:
DRIVER: TaylorMade r7 Limited (9.5°) with a Fujikura Rombax TP 55 X shaft
FAIRWAY WOODS: TaylorMade Burner TP (14.5°) with Grafalloy Prolite shaft and Callaway Steelhead + (17°) with an Aldila RCH 36 X shaft
HYBRIDS: TaylorMade Rescue Dual (19°, 25°) with UST Irod X shafts
IRONS: Srixon I-404 (5-9) with Project X 6.5 shafts
WEDGES: Cleveland CG 14 (48°, 56°, 60°) with True Temper Dynamic Gold S-400 shafts
PUTTER: Odyssey 2-Ball long (45")
BALL: Srixon Z-Star
(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Here is a complete list of the club that Sean O'Hair is using this week at Harding Park:
DRIVER: TaylorMade R9 (10.5°) with Mitsubishi Diamana Blue Board 74 shaft
FAIRWAY WOODS: TaylorMade TP Burner (15°) with Mitsubishi Diamana Blue Board 83 shaft; r7 TP (17.5°) with Mitsubishi Fubuki Tour shaft
IRONS: TaylorMade Tour Preferred (4-9)
WEDGES: TaylorMade Z TP (48°, 50°, 54°), Cleveland CG 12 (60°)
PUTTER: Rossa Daytona
BALL: Penta TP
(Photos by David Dusek)
SAN FRANCISCO – Like many other TaylorMade staff players, 2009 PGA Championship winner Y.E. Yang has switched to the company's new five-piece Penta TP golf ball.
However, at a recent corporate outing at The Institute Golf Course in San Marin, Calif., Yang noticed that he only had one ball in his golf bag.
Because the Penta TP is not in stores yet, Yang considered buying a few sleeves of his old ball, the TaylorMade TP Red, in the pro shop. However, the shop only carried Titleist and Callaway golf balls, so Yang was stuck.
According to his interpreter, Brian Park, a pro shop worker told Yang to wait a moment and then returned with six TaylorMade balls he'd collected from members of the UCLA golf team who were practicing at the facility.
Ironically, Yang played at the outing with Jamie Lovemark, a
former All-American at USC who recently turned pro.
No word on whether Lovemark remarked about the Trojans' 28-7 win on the football field last season.
SAN FRANCISCO — In the foursomes (alternate-shot) matches this week, the players who are paired together will often play different brands of balls. The prevailing wisdom is that the teams should tee off with the ball preferred by the player who will hit the approach shot. Performance of most low-spinning, multilayer balls is fairly similar off the tee, the thinking goes, but the players would notice a different feel when hitting irons and wedges. Since distance control from the fairway is critical to setting up birdies, you want the player who is going to hit the approach shot to use his preferred ball. The rules allow the teams to switch balls after completing a hole.
On Wednesday morning, as the American team practiced
on the back nine at Harding Park, I snuck a peek at the balls the
players used off the tee, and I used that information to make a guess as to Thursday's pairings, which will be announced later this afternoon.
1. Jim Furyk and Justin Leonard: Furyk was teeing off on the even-numbered holes using a Nike ONE Tour ball. He typically plays a Srixon Z-Star X.
2. Anthony Kim and Phil Mickelson: Kim, who plays a Nike ONE Tour, used a Callaway Tour ix ball off the tee on the even-numbered holes (photo).
3. Zach Johnson and Kenny Perry: They both use a Titleist Pro V1x, but Perry asked Zach if he could use one of his balls on the tee at 13. "His is a little bit different than mine," Perry told a bystander. It's very possible that they use a Pro V1x ball from different model years.
4. Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker: Woods teed off on the odd-numbered holes using a Titleist Pro V1 instead of his Nike One Tour.
5. Hunter Mahan and Sean O'Hair: After hitting O'Hair's TaylorMade Penta TP off the tee on 13, Mahan said, "Wow! It spins a lot." Mahan uses a Titleist Pro V1x.
6. Stewart Cink and Lucas Glover: Both players use a Nike ONE Tour D ball.
TaylorMade will soon offer an easier, and less expensive, way to get new-groove performance. Known for its adjustable r7 and R9 woods, the company's new TP wedges with xFT, short for Exchangeable Face Technology, offer a new innovation in the market: replaceable face plates.
By using a torque wrench that is identical to the one that comes with the R9 driver, players can remove the face plate and screw in a new one with fresh grooves. Presto! In effect, you have a new wedge. The whole procedure can be done in about 60 seconds.
For professionals and amateurs who have custom grinds on the heels or toes of their wedges, being able to replace just the grooves could mean less time tweaking new wedges.
The new TP wedge will also offer an elegant solution to new USGA groove regulations. They will come with a Z groove plate that offers maximum spin and can be used by most golfers until 2024. A ZTP groove plate, which conforms to the new USGA regulations that go into effect Jan. 1, 2010, will be sold separately. The faces will cost $39 each.
Available in even-numbered lofts between 50° and 60° (as well as 64°), the TP wedges have a classic teardrop shape, several bounce options and come standard with KBS High-Rev shafts.
The new TaylorMade TP wedges will be available in October for $129.
