Irons

TaylorMade Tour Preferred Irons – They’re an Experience

BY Tony Covey
Jan 5th 2014
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Written By: Tony Covey

You might not remember given how long it’s been, but…

Once upon a time when TaylorMade said “Tour Preferred” it meant something. Tour Preferred products represented the very best of what TaylorMade had to offer. Tour Preferred products were specifically designed not just for better players; Tour Preferred products were designed for the very best players in the world.

No. Seriously…it’s true.

Those inside TaylorMade would almost certainly tell you that Tour Preferred is the heritage, the foundation, and the very soul of the company…at least it was.

As product cycles accelerated, TaylorMade’s focus drifted away from the better player towards the average (and arguably below-average) player. The company’s product lines lost nearly all differentiation.

I’ll stop just short of saying TaylorMade abandoned the better player, but why make a product for a specific somebody, when you can make a product for the non-specific everybody and absolutely rule the industry?

Nearly every TaylorMade product was designed with nearly every golfer in mind. Own the middle, own the market.

As time passed, Tour Preferred was condensed to TP and before anyone realized what had happened, true better player offerings from TaylorMade were harder to find than a straight man at a Justin Bieber concert. The TP badge had been devalued to the point where it meant nothing more than the shaft in your new RBZ Stage 2 Tour TP driver was the real deal.

Don’t miss our article on why it matters that TaylorMade’s new irons are Tour Preferred

And Then It Just Got Silly

Think about this for just a moment; if you expand out RBZ Stage 2 Tour TP to its full name, what you get is RocketBallz Stage 2 Tour Tour Preferred. That bit of discombobulated redundancy is supposedly one of TaylorMade’s more recent better player offerings. RocketBallz Stage 2 Tour Tour Preferred was for the serious golfer…seriously.

Dammit, stop laughing.

All the while, much to the consternation of those in the know, what was once Tour Preferred had become exclusively Tour Issue; unavailable to the average or even better golfer unless he was willing to pay a black market premium.

Wanna play what the pros really play? Tough shit.

Is it any wonder why a growing consumer segment (which certainly includes a high percentage of better golfers) has grown intolerably frustrated with TaylorMade?

The Rebirth of Tour Preferred

I can’t say when it happened, or why it took so them so damn long (it’s probably hard to see the forest through the trees when you’re raking in millions – I wouldn’t know), but it’s abundantly clear that TaylorMade has finally figured out they need to get serious – or at least serious about the better player – again.

You’ll be forgiven for not noticing it among the onslaught of new drivers (6 different models hit shelves in 2013) the continuation of the ridiculous, though infinitely enduring, RocketBallz (Stage 2) series, and the addition of three more almost as ridiculously-named product lines (Lethal, SpeedBlade, and JetSpeed), but TaylorMade has spent the last several months laying the groundwork for today, and the rest of what’s to come.

The new Tour Preferred experience is about more than equipment. While a refocus on the better player is a key element of the product line, Tour Preferred is about paying attention to every detail, providing an exclusive tour van-like experience to the Tour Preferred player (more on that below). Tour Preferred is about recapturing the heritage, and perhaps even the soul of the TaylorMade brand.

And it all begins with 3 sets of new irons; the first in what I expect will be a full line of products to bear the Tour Preferred name.

We don’t believe you can call yourself a great iron company unless you create irons that great players want to play. Irons that meet a Tour pro’s requirements for look, feel, sound and workability,” –Sean Toulon, Executive Vice President, TaylorMade-adidas Golf

TaylorMade Tour Preferred CB – $899

“The Ultimate Union of Speed and Precision”

While the Tour Preferred CB is the direct replacement for the RBladez Tour, the new irons have been completely redesigned. The CB is more than just RBladez Tour 2.0. It’s new. It’s different. It’s better (and yes…TaylorMade always says that).

The new design features an open-channel cavity (similar to what others call a slot cavity or pocket cavity), and as you might expect, retains TaylorMade’s now signature goo-filled Speed Pocket sole design.

By now you should all be familiar with TaylorMade’s Speed Pocket, and its reported benefits, but it’s worth mentioning that, like TaylorMade’s distance irons (SpeedBladez, RocketBladez), the CB’s Speed Pocket is also engineered to produce more consistent shots, higher launch, and, yup, more distance.

Anchored by a 46° pitching wedge, I suppose the CBs qualify as strongly lofted, although it should be pointed out that the strong lofts aren’t simply about cheating the distance equation. The lower loft actually help create the desired ball flight at the specified length.

Short irons are compact with minimal offset. Middle and long irons are slightly larger, with progressively more offset as the clubs get longer.

In case it’s not entirely clear; while still positioned as a better player’s offering, the Tour Preferred CB is the most forgiving of the 3 models released today.

Buy TaylorMade Tour Preferred CB Irons Now

TaylorMade Tour Preferred MC – $999

“Ideal Blend of Beauty, Feel & Consistency”

If my recollection is correct, it’s been 3 years since TaylorMade’s last Muscle Cavity release (remember the Frankenstein swing weight nuts that TaylorMade called a Precision Weight Port?), so everybody is going to have to take the day off from complaining about TaylorMade’s ridiculously short product lifecycles.

If you’ve seen the previous MC offering, you shouldn’t need me to point out that the new Tour Preferred MC is a radical, yet pleasant, departure from the previous model. It’s a huge aesthetic upgrade, unless you’re a guy who genuinely prefers irons that look like they were assembled with spare parts from an Erector set.

While the 3-7 irons do feature a Speed Pocket, the MC implementation functions differently than it does in the CB. Like all Speed Pocket equipped designs, consistency remains part of the design spec, however; instead of height and distance, the MC’s Speed Pocket is designed with an emphasis on feel. The goal is to retain the feel of a true muscleback while maintaining more consistency than you’d get without the Speed Pocket.

Seriously…you can be a solid ballstriker and still benefit from TaylorMade’s goo slot. There’s no mutual exclusivity here.

Embrace the goo.

A Different Type of Combination Set

The most intriguing design feature of the Tour Preferred MC Iron will likely prove to be its most polarizing. As is the case with SpeedBlade and Tour Preferred CB, the 3-7 irons (open-channel cavity) are cast.

Like the new Tour Preferred MB, however, the 8-PW in the MC set are forged from 1025 carbon steel. While TaylorMade has tried to mitigate the material differences with the Speed Pocket, the expectation is that there will be a pronounced difference in feel between the scoring irons and the rest of the set.

I’m certain some are going to have a real problem with it. I’m equally as certain that others won’t give a damn. I’m not sure which corner I’m in just yet.

As I mentioned in my PING i25 article, discontinuity in iron sets is becoming a trend of sorts as manufacturers seek to integrate beneficial aspects of game improvement and distance iron design into iron sets designed for better players.

The thinking is that even better golfers will be happy to trade a little bit of feel for a few extra yards and more forgiveness, so long as they’re able to retain enhanced feel and control in their scoring clubs.

The Tour Preferred MC features a progressive shaping, with the scoring clubs being noticeably more rounded than the long and middle irons. That’s not an unusual design choice these days, and TaylorMade certainly hasn’t taken it to the extremes that we’ve seen in other designs.

Most will appreciate that, even as the shape changes, there’s very little difference in topline thickness, and sole width increases only as much as functionality dictates. For reasons that should be fairly obvious, the cast long and middle irons feature the bending notch common to all Speed Pocket designs.

Without question, the Tour Preferred MC is the most compelling of the 3 new TaylorMade irons, if only for the fact that it’s the first set to blend a Speed Pocket with more traditional forged scoring clubs.

Best of both worlds? The holy grail of iron design? That, of course, remains to be seen.

I am personally very curious how this unique combo set is going to play, which is why the Tour Preferred MC irons will be in the bag I’m taking to this month’s PGA Show. If all goes as planned, I’ll have a chance to test them out over the course of several rounds.

See what are our readers have to say about the Tour Preferred MC in the MyGolfSpy Forum.

Buy TaylorMade Tour Preferred CB Irons Now

The Tour Preferred MB – $1099

“The Ultimate Blade Iron for the Purist”

Without question, the Tour Preferred MB the sexiest of the new iron offerings. As they have with the MC, TaylorMade has thankfully dispensed with the previous incarnation of the MB’s Precision Weight Port. In terms of functionality, the PWP was damn near brilliant, but as far as fitting in with the desired aesthetic of a true muscleback…meh.

What about new technology? Here’s the reality: a blade is a blade, and well, if we’re being totally honest here, that means there really isn’t any.

Instead the focus is on refinement. TaylorMade has improved the overall shape of the iron, smoothing lines and, at the request of their Tour pros, reducing camber. Did I mention they ditched the weight nuts?

Frankly, the more I see the Tour Preferred MB Irons, the more I wish I had decided to give them a try instead of the MCs. Not that I have any business playing blades, but seriously, they’re just so damn pretty (said with the acknowledgement that it’s difficult to screw up a blade). Let’s be honest again…pretty isn’t a word which one normally uses to describe TaylorMade irons.

Functional, sure. Pretty…it’s about time.

For the Speed Pocket averse, I should probably specifically mention that from the 3-iron to the pitching wedge, the Tour Preferred MB is a true blade, You’re not going to find any cavities or goo here. The MBs are a 100% forged set from end to end.

Enjoy it.

Buy TaylorMade Tour Preferred MB Irons Now

What is Tour Preferred All About?

“Our mission with Tour Preferred is to make equipment that pleases the better player in terms of look, sound, feel and performance, through a collaborative creative process between tour professionals and TaylorMade designers and engineers. Much the same, we build and service that equipment with the absolute precision and care that the better player insists on and requires.”

As I suggested at the beginning, TaylorMade’s new Tour Preferred (fyi…I’m really fighting the impulse to say “TP”) lineup is about much more than just the clubs. Beyond SpeedPockets, what differentiates the new TP Tour Preferred offerings from the multitude of products from TaylorMade’s competitors is the quality, and the personal experience that will be a part of every Tour Preferred purchase.

What does that actually mean?

With their new irons, TaylorMade is claiming that meticulous attention is paid to every detail. Every curve, line, and angle is checked and re-checked throughout the manufacturing process to make sure it’s true to spec.

Your Tour Preferred order, even if it’s 100% stock, will be hand assembled to exacting specifications by TaylorMade’s custom department, and with your irons you’ll receive a spec card signed by the technician who built them.

Tour Preferred is special. It’s a cut above…at least that’s the perception TaylorMade hopes to create.

The Welcome Package and Beyond

One you’ve registered your Tour Preferred product you’ll receive a welcome package from TaylorMade (stuff actually worth having), and among other things, access to concierge service via a dedicated Tour Preferred hotline.

Got a TaylorMade question?

Me neither, but I suppose you never know when something may come up.

As part of the Tour Preferred experience you’re also entitled to free annual loft/lie checks, as well as annual grip replacement (both are limited to two years).

TaylorMade is finalizing plans for additional Tour Preferred benefits which, based on the preliminary ideas I’ve seen (but can’t discuss), are truly a step beyond anything being offered by any other manufacturer right now.

It’s not about owning clubs; TaylorMade wants to make the Tour Preferred player part of something bigger.

Whether you want to draw parallels to a high-end car dealer experience, or the treatment you’d receive at a country club a little nicer than mine, Tour Preferred is about bringing a near tour van quality, personal experience to the better golfer, or if we’re being honest, any golfer with $900-$1100 to spend on new irons.

You’re not simply buying clubs, you’re buying membership into a semi-exclusive club that promises to offer the best of all things TaylorMade.

TaylorMade no doubt hopes you’ll be more loyal to the brand as a result.

Barely the Beginning

Irons are almost certainly just the beginning. While SLDR 430 just missed the cut (I suspect it was a timing issue more than anything else), it’s reasonable to assume that metalwoods, wedges, and balls will eventually be part of the Tour Preferred lineup, and many of those additional products will likely offer benefits similar to what you get when you purchase a set of Tour Preferred irons.

Because TaylorMade can build-up the Tour Preferred franchise in parallel to their existing lines for average golfers, there’s very little risk of negatively affecting the bottom line. If executed properly this Tour Preferred thing has the potential to positively impact how the TaylorMade brand is perceived by golfers; especially among the low handicap crowd that TaylorMade CEO Mark King has suggested has always been the company’s core audience.

If TaylorMade is able to create the perception (real or otherwise) that a Tour Preferred Product is truly a premium, higher-quality, offering – and to do that, I believe they’ll need to extend the lifecycle of Tour Preferred Products out to two years while maintaining the premium price point for the duration – then for the first time in a very long time, better players will have a concrete and tangible reason to take TaylorMade seriously again.

Don’t miss our article on why it matters that TaylorMade’s new irons are Tour Preferred

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Tony Covey

Tony is the Editor of MyGolfSpy where his job is to bring fresh and innovative content to the site. In addition to his editorial responsibilities, he was instrumental in developing MyGolfSpy's data-driven testing methodologies and continues to sift through our data to find the insights that can help improve your game. Tony believes that golfers deserve to know what's real and what's not, and that means MyGolfSpy's equipment coverage must extend beyond the so-called facts as dictated by the same companies that created them. Most of all Tony believes in performance over hype and #PowerToThePlayer.

Tony Covey

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Tony Covey

Driver Titleist TSi3	3-Wood Titleist TSi2 13.5°
5-Wood Titleist TSi2 18°	7-Wood Titleist TSi2 21°
Irons (5-9) PXG 0311 GEN5 T	Wedges Vokey SM9 (46° F, 50° F, 54° D, 60° T)
Putter PXG Blackbird	Ball Titleist Pro V1x Left Dash

Tony Covey

comments

Join The Discussion

Mike martin

8 years ago

Looking for a Taylormade mc pitching wedge 2014….

Jocko

9 years ago

I’m a scratch/ tournament player and have played 2 sets of irons in my life until I recently purchased a set of the Speedblades. The first set were Titleist blades from 1985. I played those all the way through college until 1998. Then I switched to a set of 690CBs. I never considered switching and always loved their feel. However, after getting stuck with a set of rocketbladez irons for rentals while traveling (and having a great round), I started wondering if I could adapt to something that it silly forgiving and has no feel, etc. I ended up buying the speedbladez on a whim. I was nervous to switch and put them into tournament play, but the transition was about 1 round. They just hit it high, far, and straight. I’ve always considered the weakest part of my game to be the 190-230 range and these just erased that. So, I’d just encourage any good players out there to not dismiss them without trying them.

David Potts

9 years ago

Can you bend the TP/CB easy on loft/lie machine???

Gisle Solhaug

10 years ago

Hi,
I just tried to adjust the lie angle of a set of Taylormade CB Tour Preferred. I am just not able to do it. It feels like they are going to brake. The clubs are fitted with a notch that indicates that they made for bending. Any advice?
Thanks,
Gisle

Travis

10 years ago

It seems like a lot of people are looking for TM to hit a homerun with these irons. I’m just happy to see that there getting on base (figuratively, of course). It’s probably going to take them a couple of years before they can even compare their irons to Titleist or Mizuno, but at least their starting to make an effort to consider the better player.

Lawrence

10 years ago

I’m a lefty and have used every major manufacture…..I have a preference for forged but it’s not a deal killer……played with set of 320’s , 2009 TP and short stint with RBT’S……..really excited about getting the mc’s. …….the look and functionality is perfect for an aging , former scratch player. Oversized , bulky and offset aren’t things I want or need despite the so called forgiveness advantage.
Ping has for years made decent feeling cast clubs and with the technology advances, I feel these will work out fine.
To those who have issues TM , thank you for sharing your “OPINION” but remember others have them too!

dunn

10 years ago

Thats total marketing bs…how you can say tour Preferred actually means something is beyond me…cast mid and long irons really?..the badging looks hokey, mid and long irons feel odd and different from rest of set….same ol TM to me…no different than last few years….their RAC MB was last decent club

as for the service…a guy on golfwrx couldnt even get his set swingweighted properly…tm rep said he couldn’t guarantee it to be accurate….prolly.because some dude in china( where there built and made) doesnt know how…..get loft lie checked and new grip…wow, and be out a set for how long while in transit….local store can do that for 5-10 dollars while you wait…its there to make people think they’re getting something when really no one is gonna use it cause you wont need it…

since their quality cant sway customers they have to offer some bs service to sway them

if you make quality clubs you dont have to strategically market them…they market themselves.

just make 3 nice forged sets of irons..cb,mc,and mb…use good forging process and quality steel progressively more to least forgiving….thats all you have to do….they will sell themselves, no slots, no service, no foam or polymer filled cavities….just good clubs

mizuno does it no problem!

Tony Covey

10 years ago

Ok…we get it you don’t like the badging (don’t love the CB myself, and just barely don’t mind it on the MC), and you’re one of those guys who attributes the differences and reasons for forging vs. cast as one of quality. By that logic, Vokey wedges and Titleist AP1s are also low quality.

But if you heard something in a forum, it must be true, because they can’t put anything on the internet unless it’s true. It’s also equally possible that a TM rep gave some bad info (every company has bad/lazy reps in the ranks). It’s also possible the “rep” was just some dude at Golf Galaxy. It doesn’t make it true. Regarding lie/loft checks. They run $3-$5 per club. Going rate for regripping around here is $3 plus the cost of the grip. Incidentally, TaylorMade will send you the grips, you don’t actually have to send the irons to them. There’s a few hundred bucks worth of savings there. It’s not the be all and end all by any measure, but it’s more than you’ll get with most.

I’m a big believer in Senator Moynihan’s line “Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts”, and so, here are the facts EVERY TaylorMade USA club is assembled in the USA. Again..fact.

As for swingweighting…it is my opinion that TaylorMade can properly swing weight clubs with anybody else.

Finally…I know everyone loves Mizuno and with reason…it’s a nice product, but seriously, have you ever pulled a set apart? You’ll find more random tip weighting (some irons are some not…different sized weights, etc.). They don’t hit their head weights from the factory any better than anyone else…and so they compensate.

AWOL

10 years ago

Sigh…..another person that thinks the quality of a club is based off the least amount of advertising. The companies that don’t advertise at all are the best clubs right? I’m sorry Dunn but part of being an adult fish in a big pond is knowing when to bite. Why don’t you let the people try them out and sort out what is hype or gimmick for themselves. These clubs could be the best thing for one person or like yourself not that good. To each his own. I personally have no interest in these because i don’t think they are what my game needs at this point, but i’m not going to go around saying they suck even if i didn’t like them. And you are completely wrong about the cost for lie/loft checks and re-grips. Around here in Cali the cheapest re-grip is $3 a club and have even seen up to $5. All people in the forums, not just dunn, when you have such a hatred towards a company and then you bring in politics, scams, marketing and other off the wall comments into the mix, it just lessens the validity of your comments. If you don’t like something just say that and tell us why with reason. I’m totally fine with different opinions but don’t go around saying how much a company sucks because you don’t like one of their product lines. All you are doing by that is creating doubt in a new-comers mind, so what they do is trade in their cavity backs for blades, because someone said blades are the best. Before you know it we got another person leaving the game that is already hurting. The ultimate goal should be the growth of the game and everyone should be encouraged to try all brands and products to find what works best for them.

Ray

10 years ago

As a lefty who went from Mizuno MP68 blades to downgrade (not playing enough golf to have true player irons) to the Speedblades, I am very curious about this new series. I am a 10 hdcp and wanting to get consistency and plan on lowering my hdcp to a 7 by the end of golf season. Should I stay with Speedblades or go to the MC’s? Also, what is the true difference between Speedblades and the CB? I see slight loft angle differences only. I truly think I belong somewhere between blades and “better player” irons…Thanks.

Jeff

10 years ago

Hi,
Stick with a good set of Cavity irons.
Miura is what I am using for the last 3yrs I find them excellent.Blades are not as user friendly as cavities.Have gone from a 1hcp to now 9. Old age.

AWOL

10 years ago

Hey Ray
I don’t know the actual number difference between the MC’s and Speedbladez, but i did look at a right handed set @ Roger Dunn’s and compared them. The heads were smaller but the thing i notice first was the sole it looked a lot thinner and shorter club. I know that probably doesn’t help much, but if you know the lofts are weaker and the heads are smaller it would be safe to say that they will probably be a little harder to hit. Seeing that my HCP is almost the same as yours, i’m 34 i choose to stick with GI type of irons, you can still shape them if that’s what you do. I would agree with Jeff, more blade like performance probably will hurt your HCP. Most pros use blades because of feel and the ability to shape a shot easier they aren’t too worried about distance. So ask yourself do you shape a lot of shots? If not then the Speedbladez will be fine. I plan on keeping my set for 5yrs so by then i will almost be 40 getting past my prime in golf. The Speedbladez can possibly last me even longer when i start to slow down.

Mike

10 years ago

I hav tried Mizunos and they are very nice, as long as you are in the MP-range. The JPX and EZ I don’t like at all. I found them to bulky and for some reason unresponsive (I am talking about the forged models). I especially liked the MP-59 with the tungsten insert. Great feel and sound, which isn’t surprising given that Mizuno “tune” their clubs to make a “soft” sound.

Unfortuntately for me, I’m not really at a level were MP-irons suit me. I need (or at least prefer) a little more offset and bounce. Miura is the only company I know, at least until now, that makes a club that combines a high quality forging of a classic looking, sleek head with good bounce and offset. The Mizuno MP-H4 could have been an option, but that is not available in Europe.

RON

10 years ago

Mike I play dyn gold s300, if I were you Mizuno irons would be a great call over miura and cally but to each his own i geuss but like I said when you get mizuno yes the specs are going to be a gamble which is the one great thing I like abt miura but boy you are going to pay fr it, but the thing is abt golf clubs is that if you perceive them to be the best feeling and quality before you tried em then yr mind will make it feel that way to you even if they really aint, brain is that powerful, that might and I beleive that explains why they might feel good to some people. I at one time tried the pings and thought they were kinda hard , then a few weeks later a heard guys at my club saying how soft they were so I figured Id give em another shot and sure as shit they felt totally different this time much softer and I hit them both times on the screws when I practiced with em and then 2 weeks later. But if they feel soft to you great go for it.

Mike

10 years ago

Ron

Yes Nippon is on their website, but so are KBS, True Temper, Project X and 5 different manufacturers of graphite shafts. When I did my fittings several of those were tried, and I didn’t get a feeling that any particular shaft was “standard”

I cannot for the life of me understand how you can call them clunky, not crispy, and too dense? But since this is about feeling, I really can’t argue. I am far from single HCP and I still think they feel very soft. When you hit the sweet spot it’s butter, and when you don’t you get feedback, but not to the extent that it hurts. I play the MC-102 so it their “easier” club with more bounce, so I can’t judge the sharpness of the grinds, especially since I am European and used to slightly harder conditions.

I guess we just have to disagree on their feel, but I will agree the fact that the prize point is high. I can accept that, and will pay extra for the feeling, precision, general quality and (I will admit) the “luxury factor”. But it is borderline.

@jeff. I play MC-102 with Nippon NS Pro 950GH in my current set. But I have done a fitting for a PP-9003 set that I might order. I’m still arguing with myself if I should change at all, and if so if Miuras are my best option. I do like the new specs on the new Callaway Apex.

ron

10 years ago

The fact is Mike that it is so miniscual of these processes that it should warrent the 1600 dollar price of these clubs , KJ used em yes but if they were that good dont you think he would have stayed with em thats just plain common sense. If you go to miuras website it will say shaft recommendations and nippon is right there. They only reason frddie and Else used em when they were with TM was because TM happened to make some racs sets fr the gys on tour and even I would take those over TMs irons, I just dont understand why people in here have such a hard on fr these miura irons I wanted to like like these irons bad so I wouldnt have to worry abt swing specs being off anymore on my irons but they just felt way too dense there was no crisp feeling of them and and mini tour guys Im lucky enough to know thru freinds of mine said they were hard and clunky not to mention grinds are way to sharp for play here in the states and that alone will make em feel terrible thats how important to grind is as well.

Mike

10 years ago

I partly agree with you statement on both 1025 and the forging process. In general they are the same, but all manufactuing processes have tolerances. Those tolerances matter. So even if you use the same type of machines, and the same classification on steel there might be differences. Personally I don’t think they actually purchase “better” 1025 steel (even if it possible), but I do think that they have better quality controls on the line producing the clubheads.

It’s also very possible that spin welding creates a process that is easier to control. But in my mind that doesn’t mean it isn’t better. I still claim that better tolerances and precision in specifications is the ONLY way to make a forged club better than another forged club, given that the basic design works. Since BOTH weight and dimensional specifications are very exact, they need to get better than average forgings already in the first step. If there is variation in the density of the metal, weight would be off, and then you will have to modify dimensional tolerances to get the correct weight.

Then you can argue that the differences are too small to make a difference and too small to warrant the higher cost. That is hard to measure and I guess it’s up to what the individual feel. But that is a far cry from your first statement “Miura irons suck I wouldnt pay 600 bucks fr a new set of those , of all the sets i played and tried they were dense and clunky had no feel at all”.

When it comes to shafts you are just plain wrong. I’ve been fitted for 2 different Miura sets and in both fitting processes I tried shafts from several manufacturers. One ended up with Nippon (because I said it felt best) and the other with a True Temper since it gave the best Trackman data. At no point were there any “recommendations” from the club fitter to go with Nippon.
But regardless of that, Nippon is a high quality shaft that is a bit more expensive, so if most people like the feel of those, that would also be an actual quality improvement of the club that warrants a higher price. Miura might not make them, but they have the knowledge to recommend them.

Finally I didn’t say tour players wanted Miura, you did. In one of your posts you said that Ernie Els and Freddie had irons made by Miura. I strongly doubt that they just told TM to go out a get another company to make the clubs without any input on who should make them. Also KJ Choi have been playing Miura CB-501 on several occasions over the last years, without any sponsorchip.

Jeff

10 years ago

Nippon NSPro 950 GH shafts with my Miura cavitys are excellent.What model are you using?
These are light weight
Jeff

RON

10 years ago

I forgot to mention that where do you get this idea that tour players want miura bs , Im curiuos because ever good real good player I know does not like miura, there is so many rumors on here abt miura that is all bs abt tour gys wanting their clubs and I know this for a fact.

RON

10 years ago

The other reason miura irons come with and play better in feel with nippon shafts is cuzz it makes it feel softer and miura always recommends this shaft with their irons another reason to let you know that it aint no secret mtal.

RON

10 years ago

mike I heard that the spin welded hozel was easier for miura to get the head weights more even because its easier to control a smaller process weight wise with the head and neck being seperate plus Tom Wishon will tell you that all metal carbon in these companies are all checked and tagged before being forged so they know what they are getting a metal forging expert said and I quot There is no secret to make 1025 carbon better than another 1025 , its all the same with the same metal content or it wouldnt be 1025 the same with 1020 and 1030 etc. He also mentioned and laughed at this so called miura process and said its the exact same process with every manufacture, its the shape of the club the shaft etc that makes it feel different than others. Not one guy on tour right now uses miura decorated to look like something else thats all bunk rumors that started when miura made some rac heads for TM and I said they were better than what TM had as their retail irons that looked like them , anything is better than TM forged irons I always knew miura was better quality than TM thats a no brainer and so is ping and mizuno and bridgestone and nike vr series etc.

Jeff

10 years ago

Mike,
Well said and true re the spec,s.My Miura cavity LH have preformed extremely well over three years but I cannot upgrade to a newer model as Miura are not that big in LH.Re the price..
Company’s have to make a dollar ,some more than others so for me no big deal.
If you ever come to N Z pls look me up via email .

Mike

10 years ago

@Ron

Now you don’t make sense to me at all. First you claim TM is crap because they have different clubs on tour than retail (which I can believe in itself), then you claim Miura is crap and has no special feel, or anything special. Thirdly you claim that the tour version at TM were made ny Miura (which I also can believe)…talk about going in circles.

I the Miuras aren’t noticable better than average then 1) why would tour pro’s – guys I think would notice differences more than most – want Miura and 2) why is stock TM worse than tour TM if Miura isn’t any better?

Finally you actually agree that Miura are spot on specs and weight…what else would there be that creates a difference in club quality on a one piece forging? And maybe more importantly, exactly how do you get that increase in precision on a one pice forged club, a techology that indeed is BASICALLY the same for all manufacturers?

The only possible answers are 1) You select the highest grade 1025-steel with the least variation in crystal structure and carbon content – because not all 1025 is the same due to manufacturing tolerances. 2) You control you forging process better and/or reject more pieces that doesn’t have the correct density. Being precise on density is the only way to be precise on weight if you also are precise on dimensional tolerances. 3) Spending extra time grinding to hit the narrow dimensional tolerances. This I would argue is the very essence of a higher quality club.

With my engineering and manufacturing background I can tell you that all 3 of these steps will add a lot of cost to the process, which actually do warrant a higher than average price. With that said I can agree that there is a substantial markup due to the hype of the brand. If not, the marketing boys in Canada wouldn’t be doing their job. But I wouldn’t be surprised if a brand like Mizuno or Titleist acually have a higher markup percentage on their clubs compared to actual manufacturing costs. They have much larger marketing, and R&D divisions to run.

Of course you can claim that Miura doesn’t have all the latest technolgy, bells and whistles. But neither does Titleist MB, Mizuno MP-4 or any other blade or blade-like club. If you want inserts, multimaterial constructions, and all that, then you probably should select something else. But that becomes a feel based decision. Some people prefer and perform better with a more classic club style.

Oh, just for clafication – yes I do play Miura and love them even if I am not a low handicapper and yes, I agree that they have become a bit too expensive and, No I do not hate TM, I have owned TM clubs, and No I don’t work for any golf related company.

Sandor

10 years ago

I bought the speedblades back in October. I had forged Ben Hogan’s for over 20 years, tour blades. Now starting to wonder if I made a mistake in buying the Speedblade and should have waited for the Tour Preferred MB which, I am thinking are closer to the tour blades I had with Ben Hogan…. Ideas anyone?

AWOL

10 years ago

Hey “Sandor” i wouldn’t be too concerned about your purchase IMO. If you initial thoughts to buy the Speedbladez was to get more distance and a little more forgiveness then i think they are hard to beat. Speedbladez they call a Game Improvement iron even though i hate that terminology. It should be rated more like SGI=most forgiving, GI=forgiving, and Players (aka blades) least forgiving. I am a decent golfer, i think, and the models that interested me of the three tour preferred were the MC and CB. I feel my game is good enough to try blades but i’m hesitant because i don’t want to go backwards. The thing i do like about this line up, is there is a club for all people. I also think it fills a niche for people that still want cavity back performance but would like to have more traditional lofts and shaft lengths. I would imagine that if you went with the MB’s you would probably lose some yards compared to the Speedbladez because of weaker lofts and more punishing if you dont flush it. But if you wanted a tour level forged feel than the Speedbladez are not the right choice. You didn’t mention how old you were or your hcp, but if you are getting older and your ball striking is going down along with clubhead speed than you should stay with the Speedbladez. There is a time in golf where everyone has to leave the egos at the door and be honest with yourself. Golf would be more fun for everyone if everyone didnt claim they drove the ball 300 yds, they need to play from the black tees, and that they are so good they need blades, when reality is different.

markb

10 years ago

Sandor,

Finally an intelligent, articulate question in a thread awash in barely-readable, unpunctuated hater drool. I hope I can give you some useful information in return.

I’ve had a chance to hit the MB’s, MC’s, CB’s and compare them with my current Speedblades. In 2013 I hit the Rbladez, and before that I was a 25 year user of Ping Eye 2’s. So I’m somewhat of an old schooler like yourself. I admired the Edges and Apex’s but they were simply too hard for me to hit consistently. I’m a 2 hcp, but my scores are better with a GI iron. Standard deviation of mishits is just lower and IMO golf is all about where your worst shorts end up, not your best.

I was surprised at how different the new CB, MC and MB’s were from the SB and RB’s. The SB/RB’s are more like each other than they are like their three younger cousins. The SB/RB’s are definitely GI irons. Big faces, wider soles. Like ’em or dislike ’em, but don’t compare them to forged blades. That’s apples to persimmons.

The new TMag trio are surprisingly “traditional” clubs in both look and specs, with the MB’s being the most old school. All are 1/2″ shorter than the SB/RB in standard set-up. The MB’s spec’s are basically what you’re used to with the Hogans. Square soles, 47 degree PWs, shorter shafts. You get the picture. Honestly, as far as specs go, a blades a blades a blade. They haven’t changed much in 40 years. Do not expect substantially different performance specs from anybody’s blade.

Now, “feel” is a different story and those who hit blades can argue “feel” all they want. I don’t care because the predominant “feel” I get are the clanks from my many blade mishits. So I’ll leave that “feel” discussion to the semi-literate, pseudo plus handicappers here, while I rest content with the knowledge that the easiest clubs to buy used in any golf shop are the MB’s that wannabee’s buy and discard after they learn they can’t hit them.

Back to the data. My numbers and results with the MB’s were exactly like what I used to get with my “old school” irons. Short, low, hard to hit, lots of clanks on mishits. I saw no reason to try them again and as a result I could care less how they feel compared to a Miura or Mizuno. Like you’d expect, the MC’s were about half way between the MB’s and CB’s for me. A bit more forgiving, a bit easier to hit, but still no numbers that jumped out and screamed “Buy me!”

Even the CB’s, which are the most like the Speedblades, were still quite a bit different. Smaller heads, smaller offsets, more metal higher in the face — just more traditional all the way around. Yes they still have the speedslot, but it made less of a difference to me than it did on the SB or RB. My distances on the GC2 monitor went down as well. To give you a comparison, I hit my “old school” 7 iron around 160, same with this new MB. The MC/CB’s I hit maybe 165, so no big deal. But the SB/RB I hit 175-180 and HIGHER than with any of the new trio. The SB/RB’s also drop and stop on greens as well as my old square-grooved Eye 2’s. I want distance and I want height, so I’m sticking with the SB’s.

As a result of this testing, I’ve changed my thoughts on the speedslot a bit . I think it creates a trampoline effect, but only if you have a club with a big face and you catch it kinda low on the face. This trampoline effect diminishes the smaller the head and the higher the loft of the club. It disappears completely if you hit a ball high on the face, as you tend to do with many of the shorter, higher-lofted clubs.

I personally like the speedslot and I like that I can catch shots thin and they’ll scream. I like the extra distance and height of my Speedblades and I have no temptation to trade up to the CB’s, MC’s or MB’s. I guess I wouldn’t be saying this if I were a TMag homer, as I’ve been accused of being, but there it is. BTW, I don’t like the gray metal finish of the SB’s and I hate the zigzag blue graphics on the back. I like traditional looks, but I’ll take tech over tradition when it comes to numbers. Besides, the blue zigzags are nothing that a little spray paint can’t fix.

In conclusion, if you want a conforming 2014 iron that “feels” like your old Hogans, you can buy an MB from whichever company you choose and I don’t think it will make much of a substantive difference. All MB’s will behave very similarly to each other, but very differently to the SB’s you’ve got now. All the MB’s will go lower and shorter and they’ll be fussier to hit. Beyond that, only you can tell if you like their “feel” more or less than the SB’s, or if your scores improve with them. Since you’re an older golfer like myself, I would tend to agree with AWOL and I’d bet your scores will improve with these GI Speedblades. Try them and tell us what you think.

ron

10 years ago

I meant greedy with a D my bad, but theres simply no unique forging process that they use they just bang the hell out of a club until it forms to their desired shape, theres no special metal they use its simply 1025 but they dont mention that because thats part of there advertising allure to make people think its some kind of metal mystery and it makes people think its special when its simply not, the spin weilded hozel is just a cheaper way fr them to get head weights more matched up thats all. If they made a cast club they could never make it as good as ping, and in Japan their clubs are not even in top 5 best irons out there, bottom line is if Titleist didnt have miura make a club to match the mp14 mold that Tiger was looking fr not one person on here would have heard about em because their clubs certainly dont stand out as being special to play with, if they were 75 percent of the good golfers would have em., that alone should tell people everything.

Jeff

10 years ago

Ron,
I now understand what is going on.Thanks for the info and again enjoy your golf.

ron

10 years ago

Jeff I play to 2 now used to be alittle bit better few yrs ago havnt put as much into my game of late. If you like em then thats great hell knock yourself out , I mean I wish other companies like miura would be more precise on weights and specs but we live in a greety country and they only care about selling clubs as fast as they can to make more money which is one good thing I respect abt miura but it comes at a huge cost which is a joke.

RON

10 years ago

JEFF Im not a nike guy I just recently tried and got their mbs and they were the perfect feeling iron not too soft not too firm and just a tad of click to give em perfect feed back , Miura may make a decent quality club but to me and alot of other good players I happened to be in contact with think their too dense not much feed back and there just not a very good club now back when they made some versions fr Taylor Made they were pretty solid but thats because TM had guys on tour give TM feedback and the company wanted them made and shaped a certain way, today their irons are not like that or else guys like KJ would still be using them. My head pro carries all sorts of oem models and was curious to try them out and it so happens miura stopped buy, and accually couldnt wait to try em but walked away extremley disapointed in the feel and feedback not to mention the grinds were terrible he said, he said the cally xforged were much better feeling and he doesnt even carry em, comming from a guy who won alot of state titles so Im sure he would be a pretty good candidate to go buy as well . For the guys and you that brag about em are so brainwashed into their allure that mentally they are going to feel good to you regardless , if it didnt say miura on em your mind which is so powerful would realize that their not that good a feeling club their brainwashed out to be, They say they dont pay players but they are paying Frank Lickliter to use them and their bag, if they were that good tour guys without club deals would be all over em, but none of em use em, Tiger used em one time when he was with Titleist and the only reason Titleist used miura is because they knew he could clone a model that matched his mp 14s THATS THE ONLY REASON, and it had NOTHING to do with the forging either. miura had the right mold to match the 14s or else they would have easily gone to someone else, I know this fr a fact from a reputable source. Im a 45 years old not an old bugger who is stuck in the past either, you come off as a jerk telling the forum miura makes the best period when you dont have a clue what goes into a good iron.

Jeff

10 years ago

Ron,
No one is brainwashed and bragging.Just a fair and reasonable opinion and as I said no offence calling you an old bugger.
A little titchy maybe.You have not mentioned your hcp yet.
Still love my Miura cavity,s.LH.
Loved MarkB comment re lofts on the 7th Jan which included Miura.
Have a nice day.Relax and enjoy your golf

RON

10 years ago

AWOL How do I know TM irons are diff from tour from retail, well lets start with the 04 racs the ones on tour were limited from miura , the public got a totally different feeling and different club, even the 300 iron series before that that Freddie and Ernie Else got were made from miura ,public got different version. r9 irons everyone knows about had totally different versions and even makes than the retail r9, lets see then there were the the mc irons and mb with the bolt in the back of the club, to me it felt like crap and then I found out from a very reputable source who WORKED fr TM said the ones on tour looked identical BUT were much softer, it did not surprise me because if I didnt like the feel I know dam well the tour gys wont . I know most companies give the the public the same stuff as the tour gys , Bubbas club is the same as retail just a different shaft and specs, titleist clubs are the same as the one on tour including nike now but years past nikes irons wernt the same but now they make a solid retail offereing which is the same as most of the gys on tour are getting except head weights and specs are more precise But TM since Addidas bought em wernt the same, there more of an advertising company now . What gets me is that this company refuses to give the public the same quality of irons that are on tour and that is just plain WRONG in everyway, then they lie about , I understand most people shouldnt get what tour guys get but they shouldnt have to make the product fr the public so much of a cheap make version and charge em that kind of money, then they sell the public a tour version driver with a quality shaft and charge them 600 bucks like the r1 and r7 and god knows how many more, not to mention the shafts on the retail drivers from them are by and large the cheapest 10 dollar made shafts one can produce and still charge the public 400 bucks come on , the reason they do this stuff is because of people like you buy their clubs so they know they can get away with this and make huge profits, which means good golfers cant get a quality made tour version that they wish to have.

RON

10 years ago

Jeff I play nike vr pro mbs and the miuras are no comparison and I also played some Titleist 710 mb which were also sweeter feeling that that miura shit, j40s felt better as well even the scratch irons felt alittle better but they were too soft , got rid of those fast, and I know miura isnt 600 new I meant that I wouldnt pay 600 even fr a new set, all yr paying fr with miura is their specs and head weights are spot on thats all yr paying fr. A miura dealer wanted my head pro sell them for him and after he hit them he said there terrible and nobody is going to pay that kind of cash fr em at his club , he said its rediculous that they cost that much, there using 1970s technoligy and blade molds fr petes sake and there not easy to play with their sweet spot so close to the hozel not to mention there way too head heavy. People on here that brag about em are just looking to justify the fact that they paid too much money fr a set of irons.

AWOL

10 years ago

Ron don’t get offended but you sound like an absolute prick. From this comment it sounds like you manage or work for a golf course. Which makes your comments sound even more like a country club, conspiracy theory, jerk. Have you looked back at your own comments? How do you know TM products are different on tour vs retail? And by what way? By fitting? Then yeah your right i’m sure tour pros get a much more specific fitting than anyone else. Or are you going to tell me that they use different molds, casting and forging techniques for the handful of pros that are on staff with them. Are you saying they also use different metals? Bubba Watson’s G20 driver had a reinforced face to handle his clubhead speed does that make the G20 retail versions crap? And for gods sake man you play NIKE equipment the only reason they are in the PGA is because of Tiger. I have owned Nike equipment but didn’t care for it too much but you don’t see me going around dogging on them. Because i’m 100% sure it works for some people and you will even catch me trying new Nike equipment because you never know what works for you. IMO Nike’s main concern is the apparel not the equipment. Nike doesn’t even make their own balls, Bridgestone does that for them, so who is the copy cat now. Is this your whole argument? Is it a Nike vs Adidas thing? Are you yourself on staff with Nike, which would explain your bias? Do you go around to every article about TM just to dog on them?

Jeff

10 years ago

Ron,
Maybe your head pro is biased on his comments towards Miura.I have had mine for 3 yrs and being curious I have trialed other brands which still leaves me with no desire to change.As you know golf is all about feel.
I do not as you do call other brands (shit) and as far as Nike is concerned no one plays them at my a golf club to my knowledge.
Are you a cantankerous old bugger?No offence intended.
I was a1hcp now 9 so I do have some idea on what constitutes a good iron and a BETTER iron.
Enjoy your next game.

Joe

10 years ago

I think most brands play a part of importance in the grand scheme of things. I think many times, we find what works for us, and can’t imagine it not working for everyone else. I don’t care for most TM stuff. It has nothing to do with them changing models seemingly every 6 months. I don’t think they’re sub par quality wise…they just don’t appeal to me. My son has mostly TM, and loves them. To each his own. I think we take things too personally sometimes.

Jv

10 years ago

On behalf of all my fellow 15 handicaps, you guys sound like elitist single digit aholes, talking about 15 handicappers like we’re idiots. Btw I got fit into mp54s (I say I got fit so you single digit guys can blame the fitter) and they feel just like the rocketbladez tours I had. I just couldn’t get past the graphics. The MCs look really nice. If I hadn’t just bought some irons I’d take a look.

RON

10 years ago

Awol For one thing when it comes to innovation yes they are good I wont take that away from em, when it comes down to outward lying to the public thats another thing and that pisses me off they are no different than the government, their drivers are a totally different club on tour except maybe the sldr , their irons are def different on tour than the retail jobs, and I know this for a fact, when it comes to their putters, there totally different on tour another fact, their atv wedges are the same retail and tour not a bad club pretty good grind which is a surprise to me, their rbz driver and fairways with the slot they got thats from Adams , their sldr sliding weight they got that from mizuno, they are pretty much a copy cat company and trust me Im no 15 handicap I know good quality when I feel and play it. The slot they have on the sole of their irons is an out right gimmick instead they jack the lofts up and to top it off their bubble shaft of 1995 burner another highway robbery gimick, and their club specs are the worst in the business and you said their clubs made you a better player is BS its the indian not the arrow. Last thing is that if you think their retail clubs feel good than that alone tells me you are 15 handicapper.

AWOL

10 years ago

You are right Ron i am not a single digit hcp, I am right at 11 still trying to break the 80 mark when it comes to my golf game. And i will apologize for my 15hcp comment because i was once there, the point i was trying to make was, there are a lot of high hcpers that want to play tour equipment even if it is wrong for them. So they fall into this cycle that a company sucks because they jacked their lofts even though they are trying to help the average player. However i have been playing golf for 13yrs and have had a slew of clubs from all brands, Cobra, Mizuno, TM, Nike and cleveland. Now i will flat out admit that my mizunos felt the best hands down but i also suffered from shorter distances with them. For me the shorter iron i can use to get to the green the better i am. TM allowed me to reach some par 5s in 2 that i couldnt before and generally shorter irons on all my approach shots. There is reason for stronger lofts with higher launching clubs. The low CG promotes higher launch and to prevent the balls from ballooning they crank the lofts, this allows a higher launching club to travel the desired distance. You are right they dont feel like blades and a tour pro wouldnt be caught dead with them but that doesnt negate the fact that they are still good clubs that average golfers can benefit from. I never mentioned anything about the slot because i dont think it helps with distance but i do think it helps take some click away from the feel.

Kevin

10 years ago

wish you know it alls would explain how lowering loft angles is leading to my increased trajectory height and carry distance…..TM lowers loft so that shots don’t go too high. they have increased the trajectory in irons and therefore are forced to lower static loft.

if you don’t understand todays technology please keep to yourself. you’re only spreading misinformation

ron

10 years ago

Jeff miura irons suck I wouldnt pay 600 bucks fr a new set of those , of all the sets i played and tried they were dense and clunky had no feel at all, and every good player i know which is a few , none of them liked em, I sure wish people would get off this miura kick , the nike vr pro were miles better in feel and performance.

Jeff

10 years ago

Ron,
First of all Miura cost helluva lot more than $600.00 and if you look at the mygolf spy initial reviews plus other reviews you will see what I mean as being TOPS.
Incidentally what are you currently using.

Jeff

10 years ago

Ron,
First of all Miura is a helluva lot dearer the $600.00.i believe around the $1000-1200 mark.Look at mygolf spy review pls other reviewers and then come back to me.
Incidentally what irons are you using?

AWOL

10 years ago

I am going to defend “mark b” here even though he seems intelligent and can handle himself already. You guys that sit up on your “I hate TM pedastools” is getting ridiculous. There is a reason why they are number one on tour and its not because they make “cheap shit”. Luke Donald the face of Mizuno plays a TM driver, Phil Mickleson even played a SLDR driver this year. Weird??? Why would they ever play poor quality products. Hmmm Justin Rose won his 1st major with TM products. How can this be with crap products? Now, before you go dogging on me calling me a conformist, let me tell you i have never been a fan of TM products until they started coming out with the white Burner and RBZ line up. When compared to the clubs i used to play they were 10yds longer for me. It could be stronger lofts and longer shafts but whatever it was my game improved and thats what counts. And every company is doing stronger lofts. Some of you might hold TM responsible for the stronger loft trends, but they are the company that first innovated metal woods also, do you hate them for that as well or should we all still be playing persimmon woods. TM Speedbladez and Rocketbladez irons are awesome as well, especially the Speedbladez. The point is, you can hate on a company as much as you want, but look at the FACTS first. You will probably notice your lofts are not that much different, which brings your hate down to the feel and feel is a subjective argument, not factual. Oh and just because a company has a strong marketing campaign doesnt me you shouldnt try them. When they first came out with the Rocketballz name i said to myself finally a golf company with sense of humor. All you weekend warriors take golf so serious even though you are a 15hcp and can never play on tour. Trying the new TM products could change your whole game, it did for me, i went from a Mizuno and Cleveland golf set to almost an all TM because of the better performance. Those are the key words “better performance” is not result of cheap crap.

golfer4life

10 years ago

TM Speedbladez and Rocketbladez irons are awesome especially the Speedbladez. Really??? Based on what? Do yourself a favor before you start giving a sermon on what us “amatures” should do. Take some time to see who some of these people are. I work in the business everyday, and if you went from Mizuno irons to TM for their “better performance” than you should be proud as you are one of very few. This was about Tm new player lines that most 15 hcp players won’t care about.
cheers

AWOL

10 years ago

Sorry golfer4life it was my opinion let me clarify. For me i thought they felt pretty good for they type of irons they are. I like having more forgiveness in my irons and i dont mind sacrificing some feel for it. Lets face it i will never be pro and i definitely dont have the ball striking abilities of Lee Westwood. I really liked the Speedbladez because even though the lofts might be one club higher they seemed to maintain the same ball flight and height of the iron you were hitting if that makes sense. After trying all the other brands out there it came down to those and the Pings. You have to give a lot of respect to Ping they dont release clubs with every innovation and usually release every 2 yrs so you almost always get better performance with the next release. But that didnt take away from the fact that TM still makes quality products, even though some traditionalist think differently. IMO its the traditions of golf that are making more people leave the game then joining the game.

Jeff

10 years ago

Put all the above models up against MIURA.Only one winner .Miura.

GolfWhiler

10 years ago

Sterling looking clubs. I couldn’t stand the rocket and speed presentations. These I will hit, particularly the CB and MC. I was down to choosing AP2 or MP 54. My focus has possibly widened. Oh, and I don’t anticipate TM updating these TP sets in less than two years. They’re aiming at a different Indian than the ones who change arrows when they miss.

Lee

10 years ago

Not the greatest effort IMO to win back or attract customers in the better players market as previously mentioned they look like knock offs of other manufacturers older models of questionable quality.
Put the MB’s and MC’s up against the new MB’s and MC’s from Titleist or the wonderful MP4’s and 54’s from Mizuno – sadly IMO they don’t get near. Sure I’m a Mizuno iron man (54’s) but I really can’t see any Titleist, Mizuno or Ping players etc ditching their gamers and switching brand.

JV

10 years ago

How about shaft frequency and flex checks? That would be an awesome value add but probably too costly and time consuming for TM to offer. But if they did that I’d be sold. Knowing that my shafts were on spec would be huge in helping to rebuild my confidence in TMAG

Gerhardt

10 years ago

I test the TaylorMade 7 iron to my Teitleist 7 iron , 1.5 degree stronger and 1 inch longer, thats why you hit them longer. They busy cheating.

Kevin

10 years ago

To all the loft gurus out there…..wouldn’t it make sense if its simply loft that is making shots go farther, that if you put a 5 iron loft in a 6 iron, your shot will go longer yet lower trajectory.

Loft no longer is the only thing to consider in today technology. TM can now decrease loft, YET increase launch. Are you comprehending….So TM is lowering there loft while lowering the CG in the irons, so that you are getting a 6 iron launch trajectory but longer carry distance.

Don’t worry, you’re not the only one who simply thinks distance comes from lower lofts.

Gerhardt

10 years ago

Yes, TaylorMade change more then i change my underpants , every 6 Months they got new clubs on the market. They busy hunting money and loosing clients.

ron

10 years ago

mark b You just cant handle the truth that their irons are cheap shit.

Ron

10 years ago

The funny thing is, is that if people didnt know the name of their irons when they hit them they would say what is this some kind of a clone club, and they would never look at it again. But the sad reason why they buy their stuff and MOST of all over look the cheap feel of their stuff is because their brainwashed into their tour presence and advertising, people wake up and realize that there are much better quality golf companies and clubs out there.

markb

10 years ago

You “here” that people? Ron says wake up because “their” much better clubs out “their”. Don’t bother actually trying them. If you do, “your” just a brainwashed stupidhead.

golfer4life

10 years ago

We get it. You like and support TM.

flaglfr

10 years ago

These do look better than the others, but I just can’t get enthused. SO MANY clubs in such a short time… It just simply gets old. Now they are trying to cater to lower handicappers. Really???

To me the bigger issue is whether or not they believe this is the only market they haven’t tried to saturate with new stuff every few months. Just another ploy to get us to buy stuff. Just wait.. after the merchandise show, they will come out with tour preferred drivers, then tour preferred fairway woods, then tour preferred blah blah blah. You get the picture.

To compound that, TM is one of the foremost players in de-lofting clubs. They are gonna have to do a lot more than release a “new” club to get me to support them

markb

10 years ago

Hmm, why would any golf club manufacturer WANT to get people to buy their stuff? Why should they try to sell more clubs to more segments of the golfing market? That makes no sense for a capitalistic corporation. If they’ve over-looked or under-serviced a market niche (i.e. the low handicappers) shouldn’t they just give up and leave that segment to Titleist or Mizuno?

Here’s a weird thought — maybe they could try to compete by doing EXACTLY what their low-handicap critics have been shouting for them to do — offer more classic styling, less goofy colors and badges, SHORTER club lengths, SMALLER heads, LESS offset, and HIGHER lofted clubs.

On the subject of lofts, I see that the lofts of the 2014 Titleist MB’s 3-PW are: 21° 24° 27° 31° 35° 39° 43° 47°. Care to guess what the 2014 Tour Preferred MB’s lofts are? That’s right — the EXACT SAME LOFT for every club. How about for Mizuno’s classic MP-4? Upon checking I find out they are: 21º 24º 27º 30º 34º 38º 42º 46º. Isn’t that one degree STRONGER than TMag for the short irons. Now I’m really confused. Maybe I just need to compare the Tour Preferred MB’s against the gold standard of blades, the Miura MB-001’s. But again I find that their lofts 3-PW are: 21° 24° 27° 30° 34° 38° 42° 47°. One degree STRONGER from 6 to 9.

Drat. It’s sad when prejudicial snap judgements wither when checked against the facts.

flaglfr

10 years ago

Speaking of statistics (3-P):
2013 Rocketblades tour irons 19, 22, 25.5, 29.5, 33.75, 38, 42, 47.
2013 Tour preferred MC 20, 23, 26, 30, 34, 38, 42, 47

The point is de-lofting has been their direction for years before this current set of clubs. TM was a forerunner (imho) in de-lofting. Are others following suit? Of course. They are not going to lose business to competitors. Maybe this also means the other manufacturers are going to bring out 6 new drivers in one year.

I have a fictional dollar that has TaylorMade bringing out many more tour preferred clubs in the next year. Probably starting just after the Merchandise show in Orlando.

Tony Covey

10 years ago

I’d wager you’re right. I can’t imagine TaylorMade not building a complete lineup (woods, irons, wedges, putters (maybe), and balls) around the Tour Preferred label.

Whether or not that moniker comes to mean anything again will depend, at least in part, on TaylorMade’s release cycles moving forward. Certainly with irons they’ll need to restrain themselves to two year release cycles. I’d actually like to see them do the same with the entirety of the lineup (including drivers), whatever it ends up looking like.

They can still hammer the market with the gear for the average golfer, and they can still give that stuff names that, depending on your perspective, are either fun or silly/stupid.

TaylorMade doesn’t need to be all things to all people, they have enough revenue to be exactly what a given segment wants them to be.

The Tour Preferred stuff…if the intent is to seriously target better players, than the tone needs to be serious and the flow of new product needs to be controlled.

mark b

10 years ago

You are accurate about your Rbladez and MC specs — but they are not a comparison of True Blades to True Blades like I was comparing with MB’s to MB’s. True blades should have traditional spec’s and TMag’s are more traditional than many others.

If you want to compare apples to persimmons, we can do that all day. Just like we could go and fetch the specs for other companies’ Game Improvement irons and compare them to the Rbladez and Speedblades

golfer4life

10 years ago

Hit both the MC and CB. CB’s had a lot of the same characteristics as the RBZ Tour but with a better/more solid feel at impact. Had high hopes for the MC’s but was left disappointment. Seemed pretty jumpy to me and a less than a pleasing feel at impact. It does have KBS shafts if that counts as a plus.

RAT

10 years ago

Copy Cat!
Ping should be proud , not only has TM copied Wilson Staff Reflex design irons from 1979( power slot with rubber filler) they have notched the club aka Ping for adjustment purpose. Can’t they do anything without copy cat features ? Lookout, I see a Callaway next to be copied.

Joe

10 years ago

I have mixed feelings about the better player’s irons from TM. I have seen these irons, and RocketBladz Tour previously, and think that the blade lengths are a little too long. It looks odd.

Player’s irons, should have shorter blade lengths with less offset. Clubs that have longer blade lengths, generally have more offset, mostly to allow a bit more time to square up the club face. TM TP have minimal offset, which I like, but a longer blade length, which I don’t. It just doesn’t make sense to me. I am no designer, and on my best day, am just an ok golfer, but prefer the looks of a REAL player’s iron that has min offset with shorter blade lengths.

RON

10 years ago

Naturally their going to feel artificial because they are still cheaply made to save TM a bunch of money to spent it on advertising, it is a good thing having that service their offering but im sure at a cost knowing this company, but the bottom line is, your not getting what the guys on tour are getting your irons from this company are not going to be the same quality made the gys on tour will be getting period, its sounds like they are trying to suger coat this whole thing with this TP service which really isnt much , wow they check yr lies and lofts , they should do that regardless. If you really want quality go to another company.

JBones

10 years ago

Great article. These are the best looking TM irons I have ever seen. May have to take an extended lunch break at some point this week, to go hit them.

Santiago

10 years ago

I tried the MC at the PGA Tour Superstore last week and they are nice, pretty long and forgiving. However, they feel pretty artificial. I was in the market for new irons and testing mainly forged. I gave the MC’s a try and they don’t feel as good as the Mizuno or Titleist, it feels like the ball is jumping off the face like it would with the rocketbladez tour, you can feel a spring like effect from the face, not exactly what I would look for in a set in this range. Ball flight was also really high for my taste. I also tried the previous MC’s and I think they feel way better, of course they were forged these aren’t. Anyways, ended up buy the Mizuno MP-54. Cheers

Damon

10 years ago

Great article, very informative. I like the metaphor comparing the Tour Preferred to a luxury car nameplate. So Taylor Made is Chevy, Tour Preferred is Cadillac (and what is Adams, Buick???). The price point seems reasonable considering you get two years of grips and loft/lies rechecked. 8 irons – $10/club for grips x 2 = $160, plus loft/lie check. This effectively brings the price point down to their regular offerings, or in the neighborhood. Of course, this means you need to keep the clubs for two years, and not everyone does this. But I like the differentiation and think this will help TM appeal to the “better player”.

While I currently play Wilson FG Tour V2 irons, I’m not sure I’m considered a “better player”. Put I’ve hit the last few TM iron releases, and really don’t get along with the look of the iron or the stock shafts. But I will definitely demo these (probably the MC), and I can see myself buying these as my next irons.

markb

10 years ago

If Buick is GM’s old folks car, then yes, your analogy is perfect. Adams’ entire focus seems to be on seniors and ladies.

Clubfitter

10 years ago

Entire focus on ladies and seniors…. isn’t it the case that TM bought Admas and used there pocket sleeve technology at first in there own FW woods and now in there TP irons ?
So as I see it senior technology for everybody.
Next week I’ll be 54, so next year I’m a real senior:-) , I play Miura blades, Cobra ZL Encore driver and Adams hybrids (15 & 19 degree) an FW woods LS (13degree) and I love them :-).
Yesterdayday I played +4 in wet conditions….. (methapor term used in Top Gear) with my first eagle, the Adams FW LS made 2 par 5’s reachable in 2 (I’m a hcp8)

markb

10 years ago

I’m not saying that Adams doesn’t make good clubs, or that Buicks aren’t good cars. I’m saying that Adams entire marketing focus is on seniors. Watch the TV ads. Who do you see and when do you see them? Watson, Perry, now Ernie Els (who grayed his way out of Callaway). A huge ad frequency upswing during Champions tour events. What club do they tout the most? The Tight Lies, the quintessential seniors trouble club. Not the drivers, not the irons. Who does Adams have on staff? A sh**load of seniors, a bunch of gals and Robert Garrigus who plays one, count ’em, one Adams club.

markb

10 years ago

An absolutely brilliant article that details both TMag’s past sins in the eyes of better players and their current expiation with these Tour Preferred mea culpas.

As for me, I now understand why TMag had to shy away from any TP badging with this launch. They recognized that “TP” had lost all cachet and meaning. In fact, last year I was told by an Edwin Watts employee that the TP stickers on the bottoms of their drivers merely meant heads with upgraded shafts. And while most of us can agree that recent TMag offerings have been effective & innovative, it’s equally true that their name, color and marketing segmention choices have frequently been both baffling and embarrassing.

It now appears that they have a clear consumer in mind with each of these products and they fit in nicely above the Speedblades. I imagine that we can expect to see a 2014 Super Game Improvement replacement for the Rbladez Max and probably a slew of new wedges with more traditional forged looks and feel.

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