At first, seeing the white head of the r11 did take some time to get used to. I generally like more classic shapes and colors such as the TM V-Steel or the Titleist 904f/906f fairway woods. The finish of the head is a nice white matte finish that does reduce glare. If the finish was glossy, I definitely would have gone a different route. The black face contrasting with the white crown is pleasing and does help to align the club better and I think Taylormade did a great job with the color scheme. There are some markings around the edge of the crown that is a little distracting, but once you get used to it, it is a non factor at address. The paint scheme on the stock Blur shaft was nice and matched well with the overall scheme of things. The headcover was also nice, but I would have liked an all white or mostly white headcover to go with the white fairway head.
Standing at address over the club does inspire confidence as the white finish seems to make the head seem a little bit bigger. With all the FCT setting in neutral and the ASP plate being on neutral as well, the club sets up very square in my eye. Again, great looking down and seeing a square club at address. I can definitely see myself playing an R11 driver and even possibly an all white 5 wood or Rescue hybrid.
Rating: 9.5 out of 10
Feel and Sound:
Before playing the R11, I had a Nike Sq 2 and V-Steel 3 wood. Both, and I think most of you would agree, were great performers in the sound, look, feel, and performance categories. I would not hesitate to say that both are probably classics in the fairway woods department.
Right out of the box, I could tell that the R11 was head heavy. This initially was gonna be a problem for me as previous fairways I've played did not feel this heavy regardless of head/shaft combination. After taking a couple of practice swings outside the house, the club felt good and stable. Again, somewhat heavier than I'm used to but I could tell exactly where the head was on my back and down swing. I take the R11 to the range and hit around 30 balls with it. The head feels more muted than the V-steel that I was used to. It has a more silent/muted "thwack" sound when hit. Not necessarily a bad thing, but again, I was used to the sound of the V-Steel which I still think is one of the best, if not the best fairways ever produced. The ball did feel hot off the face but didnt have as much "feel" as the V-Steel or the Sq2. I was a little bit disappointed but after the range session, I got accustomed to the acoustics of the discount taylormade r11 fairway wood.
Rating: 8 out of 10
Performance:
Now we get to the bread and butter of the R11. During the first range session, I was hitting the ball with decent distance and my natural fade that I hit with most of my clubs. Despite the temptation of trying to mess around with the FCT and the ASP, I decided to keep the setting on neutral. After slowing down the downswing, as I have a violent downswing, I was making better contact and the Blur was responding better. After the range, I went to the course to take it out for its first round. First hit was a low screamer that didnt go too far, maybe about 150 yards. Again, more of my fault for having a too aggressive downswing. At the 3rd hole, it was about a 430 yard par 4, I hit a tee shot that normally would have gone about 150 yards, but ended up flying to around 190. I hit the ball on the face a little higher than normal but the ball still went a good distance. I exclusively used the R11 on almost all tee shots and was hitting nice 230 yard fades. Ball flight was a nice piercing mid trajectory and had good roll even though I usually dont get much. On a par 5 in the back 9, its about 500 yards to the green. I make a nice compact, smooth swing with a little extra and absolutely nut one. I check out the gps and see that I was about 245 yards away from the green. A 255 yard drive...not bad! Overall, I'm still getting adjusted to the R11 and to the way the Blur plays and feels. For the small amount of time I've had with it, it is definitely a forgiving head and the ball comes off the face very hot. Shots near the toe and high off the face still get plenty of distance and consider this 3 wood one of the best fairway finders out. At the end of the round, I hit more fairways than I normally do with my V-Steel and if I was in the rough, it wasnt too far offline. I also could tell that side spin was less with the R11 than previous fairway woods which is great for me since slices pop up every once in a while. I'm still in the honeymoon period, but for now, I think I have finally found my 3 wood!taylormade r11 fairway wood for sale
Rating: 10 out of 10
Final Thoughts:
Overall, I like the R11 a lot. It is very forgiving and the look of the white crown and black face is amazing to me. Sound could have been better and would like a little more feel on the club face, but I'll gladly exchange that for the forgiveness it offers. In conclusion, I would give this a solid 9 out of 10 rating and can possibly go to a perfect 10 with more rounds played.
Hope this review helps anyone who is considering a Taylormade R11 fairway wood!
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