TaylorMade R11S Driver
At the same time TaylorMade was announcing the launch of the new RocketBallz line, the Carlsbad, California manufacturer also unveiled the next version of the R11 driver and fairway woods.
The R11S features a 3-degree Flight Control Technology (FCT) sleeve and an all-new 5-way Adjustable Sole Plate (ASP) which allows the golfer to find their optimum address set-up – a proprietary setting not found in any other driver. Combined with TaylorMade's Movable Weight Technology (MWT), the new R11S driver can be tuned for 80 separate launch settings, making it the most adjustable driver in golf.
"It would have been easy for our product creation team to rest on the laurels of the original R11 driver, the most successful product we've ever created," said Sean Toulon, executive vice president. "Instead, we're delivering golfers yet another significant advancement in adjustability and performance. And, with the proper fitting, we know golfers of all skill levels will be longer and straighter off the tee."
Similar to the original R11, the new R11S features a flat-white crown color and black PVD face to improve alignment and accuracy off the tee. The driver's modern-classical clubhead shape is intended to suit the eye of better players, while still providing ample forgiveness and confidence for average players. The head boasts a contemporary, slightly more triangular appearance than traditionally shaped drivers that provides higher MOI and a deeper, farther-forward CG position.
ASP technology, first introduced in the R9 family, means you can adjust the face angle independently of the loft, and vice versa. The five face angles made possible by the improved ASP Technology of the R11S are neutral, slightly open, open, slightly closed and closed. ASP works with FCT to create 40 combinations of loft and face angle, which can be used to further accentuate a face angle or counter a negative face angle due to a sleeve adjustment.
Flight Control Technology allows you to change the orientation of the driver head with the shaft to effectively adjust the loft up or down, giving you 8 choices of lie.
The R11S includes two Movable Weight Technology cartridges, one weighing 10-grams and one weighing 1-gram. Configuring the weights properly is intuitive: To set up a neutral bias, install the heavy (10-gram) weight in the toe; to create a draw bias, install the heavy weight in the heel. If a more neutral setting is desired, 4- and 6-gram cartridges are available separately, and so are other cartridges of varying weights, which allow you to change the club's swing weight as well as promoting changes in trajectory.
Similar to the new R11S driver, the white R11S fairway woods are classically shaped and incorporate ASP and a more versatile FCT sleeve for added adjustability. Together, these technology features allow for up to 24 different settings, promoting maximum performance and increased distance through tuning.
R11S fairways employ pull-face construction to create a thin, light, fast clubface that promotes high ball speed. The thin crown weighs less, and that weight is used to move the CG position forward. This forward location increases ball speed by reducing dynamic loft and creating better launch conditions.
The face-depth of the R11S fairways is 36 mm to provide the optimum combination of face area, confidence and playability off turf. The flat white crown color make them appear slightly larger and the black PVD face provides the optimum contrast for more consistent alignment for all players.