SLDR all hype, or real deal? I''m about to find out...

4,437 Views | 36 Replies | Last: 9 yr ago by 1208HawkTree
1208HawkTree
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Just got an email that I was selected by GolfWRX to go to Dallas next week for a SLDR driver fitting by TM's Performance Lab. I've been off of their bandwagon for quite a while (my last TMAG club was an R7 driver), so I'm going into it with zero expectations. That said, if it performs as advertised, it will go in the bag. Should be a cool experience, regardless.
OA_02
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AG
Redstone has a fitting lab and it's pretty legit. I just got a The Tour version of the club and 8 degrees loft. I love it. Very easy to hit, good weight, and sets up very well. I'm interested to hear your thoughts on it as I have been very pleased.
watty
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AG
8 degrees loft? That sounds odd considering that the entire marketing campaign for the club is about using more loft. You tried the club with more loft, I assume?
jj9000
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Congrats 1208. You will be properly fitted into a SLDR by some really good fitters (assuming you're going to the TMPL at Gleneagles).

Is the SLDR that good? Yes, it is.

I was lucky enough to get selected for the SLDR pre-launch at the Gleneagles TM lab, and was fitted with a SLDR with a Oban Kiyoshi White. The icing on the cake was that TMAG built a SLDR to my fitted specs and shipped it to me free of charge.

I'm looking forward to your post fitting review.

98Ag99Grad
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AG
quote:
8 degrees loft? That sounds odd considering that the entire marketing campaign for the club is about using more loft. You tried the club with more loft, I assume?


Interested in a response to this as well. Aren't most of the tour guys using 10 deg or more with this new driver?
boy09
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I got one a couple of weeks ago. It is the real deal imo.
rodneyp11
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I love mine. I was also in the group with jj at the TM Lab at Gleneagles. Enjoy yourself.
bigfoot10s
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I used to work at Gleneagles. They've done a lot of updating since I left. I need to go check it out sometime
Matt_s
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From TMAG webpage:

quote:
SLDR also incorporates our Loft-sleeve Technology, which allows you to adjust the loft. You can choose from 12 positions within a range of plus-or-minus 1.5 degrees of loft change. SLDR is available in three lofts – 9.5°, 10.5° and HL.


That was on both the SLDR and the SLDR TP pages. So I would assume that in order to achieve 8 degrees you would have to buy a 9.5 and run it all the way down to 8...
OA_02
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I actually was able to get a 8 degree loft driver with no adjustment at all. I have a very high flight path and really don't like the idea of turning the face down or open/closed.

I didn't know that was an available option for the club until I talked with the Taylor Made guy out at Redstone.
jj9000
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1208...Damn man, this just got VERY interesting.

Go win some money, brotha!!

quote:
March 28: Part 2 of the SLDR Guarantee for GolfWRX

$5000 UP FOR GRABS

Well, the lucky 20 GolfWRX members are set and all are excited to visit TaylorMade Performance labs around the county. They have their doubts about the SLDR driver and TaylorMade is out to prove them wrong. Now an apples-to-apples driver comparison is fun, but TaylorMade is prepared to put their money where their mouth is...literally. Check out this short video.

That's right. TaylorMade is putting up $5000 cash at each location. For every yard a GolfWRX members driver beats SLDR, they'll earn $25. For every yard SLDR beast the GolfWRXer's driver, they'll earn $25.

Get ready! Look for a thread next Friday where we cover the results LIVE on GolfWRX.

Lets see who earns the most!
1208HawkTree
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Now I see why they asked for our driver specs beforehand. Otherwise, I'd take my wife's driver.
Aggie369
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My buddy plays on the smaller tours and is saying the SLDR is legit on tour but u have to have it set up right...high loft...and also that the ones on the shelves aren't the same as what they play
1208HawkTree
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quote:
My buddy plays on the smaller tours and is saying the SLDR is legit on tour but u have to have it set up right...high loft...and also that the ones on the shelves aren't the same as what they play


I have a friend who is a high SS guy and he actually "lofted down" with the SLDR in his fitting. A lot of positive things are being said about this club if properly fit, so I'm cautiously optimistic, yet not expecting to become an LDA contestant overnight.

Their equipment is no different other than it's hand sorted/picked and every single aspect measured in detail, whereas off the rack equipment has mfg. tolerances for weight, loft, etc. that may or may not be exactly what is stated on the club. Of course they also have access to a lot of prototypes before they hit the shelves, but as a whole, their clubs are the "same" as ours, just dialed in to their specific game.
bennycoop9882
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If I remember, you've got the Ping Anser with the Ahina. Will that be the one competing with the SLDR?



BreNayPop
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1208HawkTree
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Yup, and I'm pretty happy with it, but am going to give the SLDR a honest go. Ideally, one will be 29 yards longer than the other and I can remain an amateur....
WestTexAG
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Speaking of the Anser with Ahina shaft, I'm looking to trade out of that exact setup if anyone is looking.
1208HawkTree
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Check this out. Just got the detailed itenerery.

Arrive Thursday afternoon and have dinner

Breakfast and TMPL SLDR fitting, etc. at Gleneagles Friday AM
Lunch and golf at Gentle Creek GC Friday afternoon
Breakfast and golf at Cowboys GC Saturday AM then head home.

I'm going to be on fumes at work Sunday morning.
BreNayPop
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AG
Yeah... I feel so badly for you... oh- wait- nope
Icecream_Ag
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S
quote:
Check this out. Just got the detailed itenerery.

Arrive Thursday afternoon and have dinner

Breakfast and TMPL SLDR fitting, etc. at Gleneagles Friday AM
Lunch and golf at Gentle Creek GC Friday afternoon
Breakfast and golf at Cowboys GC Saturday AM then head home.

I'm going to be on fumes at work Sunday morning.

OBJECTION!!!!!!!!!!!! TOO MUCH GOOD IN ONE WEEKEND
Tuco Salamanca
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I lost 15 yards of distance with the SLDR compared to my 910 D3
1208HawkTree
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TLDR: The SLDR is a very good driver when fit correctly. Beat my Ping significantly in overall avg distance, but not best vs best, which were about the same. TMAG rolled out the red carpet for us, and we took full advantage. Tom from TM is a guys guy. He was a trip.
—----------------------------------

Got back last night and am still in full recovery mode. Man, what a weekend. Tom, our TM guy who led the show was awesome and a great player (used to play the Nike Tour). Ryan, our fitter at Gleneagles TMPL was very good at his job, and SUPER dedicated. He had to be at the club around 3am to start setting up for us. Had a little bit of a snafu with the Trackman, then with the FlightScope, but finally got up and running with a GC2, which frustrated Tom and Ryan a bit, but what are you going to do at that point. Turned out they had sent one of Adams' trackman units that had older software that Ryan wasn't familiar with. They had people scrambling all over the Lab, clubhouse, phones, etc to find someone that knew how to run it. Anyway, we had a literal open bag of options to hit, including the yet-to-be-released SLDR S, or more commonly known as the Mini. While it's not my cup of tee, it was cool to hold a club that hasn't even been released yet. If I were a bomber or had a shallower approach into the ball, I could maybe make the 12 or 14 work off the ground consistently. Off the tee, it WAS a lot of fun to hit.

In a nutshell, here are the specific stats, both with my PING and the SDLR they fit me into (finally....). I was the problem child during this part. I think I hit 15 different head/shaft combos, and finally settled on the SLDR 460 9.5*, two clicks up in loft, slider weight pretty much centered, right at the blue line.

TMAG numbers

----------------
Current set up

Head PING ANSER
Loft 9.5*
Sleeve Setting "+" to 10*
Shaft 'Ahina 70
Flex X
Length 45.5"

Swing Speed 112.7
Ball speed 163.4
Smash 1.45
Launch angle 8.5*
Spin 3581
Decent 39*
Carry yards 260
Total Distance 279
------------------
New Set up

Head SLDR 460
Loft 9.5
Sleeve Setting 2 clicks higher, slider on blue mark (neutral??)
Shaft Oban Kyoshi White 65
Flex 05 (x)
Length 45"

Swing Speed 113.7
Ball speed 164.9
Smash 1.45
Launch angle 7.5
Spin 2661
Decent 32
Carry yards 270
Total Distance 297

Overall distance gained (Avg): +18 yards ($450 won)

Lowered my spin rate by over 900 rpm, and for those of you who know me, that's HUGE because I spin my driver like most would a 3 or 5 wood. Feel of the Oban is unreal. Dispersion is about as tight as any shaft I've played, and even with the softer butt section, it never feels out of sync.

Met some really cool guys, got some really good gear (also able to custom order a fairway wood and Rescue, which will be shipped to us). Ate great food, drank a crap ton of beer, a little too much Makers, and played two nice courses. Gentle Creek was just as I remembered it - awesome. Somewhere I could probably play every day. Cowboys was fun, but that place had some stupid greens, though. Had a 20' putt for eagle on 14, hit my putt where it should have stopped within a foot, but ended up 15' away down the hill. Managed to get the next one past the hole and to stop there for a 3-putt par... Flew home 2 hours later.
Tuco Salamanca
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I went to the SHO on Saturday and I would say about 70% of the pros were using an SLDR. Even pros who weren't with TaylorMade.

I'm pretty confident that if you have this driver fitted to you with the correct shaft and loft, it's the best out there.
BreNayPop
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AG
Sweet
bennycoop9882
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That sounds like an awesome experience. You must seriously hit down on the ball to launch it at 7.5 degrees. I'm impressed that the SLDR could knock that much spin off. The Anser/Ahina isn't a high spin combo either so that is definitely impressive.

I need to get fit for one because the off the shelf SLDR head and shaft combo doesn't quite lower the spin enough to justify

What were your numbers for the SLDR mini? I would imagine it would spin too much for you.
I hear they are going to release it to the public later this year.
1208HawkTree
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I was hitting everything low on the face during the fitting it seemed, so the spin numbers for both clubs were a little higher and LA a touch lower than normal. The fact that it knocked that much spin off on low-face misses (by far my biggest problem) had me convinced to at least give it a real chance to replace the Anser long term.

Didn't hit the mini on the monitor, just the range and once on the course from the fairway. Not for my game, but pretty neat little club.

[This message has been edited by 1208hawktree (edited 4/7/2014 9:27a).]
jj9000
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1208...I read your review...Very well done!!

The TMAG folks really roll out the red carpet. As much crap as I've given TMAG over the years, they back their claims up, and there's no doubting TMAG is on the leading edge of technology changes.

Did Ryan get on the launch monitor, because that guy can bomb the ball. Reminds me of Dustin Johnson.

Aggie369
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7.5 is real low...does ur ball flight show the same 7.5 launch? Most guys like to have a launch of 10-14 degrees for optimal carry
Deluxe
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How much better is the SLDR compared to the Jet Speed or Rocketballz?
Chipotlemonger
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My guess is not much. I'm always a skeptic when it comes to clubs being outperformed that are just a year or so old.

Now, 4+ year old clubs is another story though.
watty
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In defense of this new one, it actually is using a different approach than all the other clubs that are all basically doing the same thing.
1208HawkTree
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quote:
1208...I read your review...Very well done!!

The TMAG folks really roll out the red carpet. As much crap as I've given TMAG over the years, they back their claims up, and there's no doubting TMAG is on the leading edge of technology changes.

Did Ryan get on the launch monitor, because that guy can bomb the ball. Reminds me of Dustin Johnson.




Thanks. Really did have a blast. No, Ryan didn't hit any. That dude works his a$$ off. He was trying to get to play Gentle Creek with us but had a couple of big wigs that had scheduled fittings with him months in advance.
1208HawkTree
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quote:
7.5 is real low...does ur ball flight show the same 7.5 launch? Most guys like to have a launch of 10-14 degrees for optimal carry


Not that low, but as I said, I have the double whammy working against me. I have a negative angle of attack, and my miss is low on the face most of the time. We tried higher lofted heads, but spin went up a lot. This loft/setting/shaft combo was by far the best we could get. I am constantly trying to shallow out my swing, and that is my one concern if and when I am able to get consistently higher on the face. I have it set a couple of clicks above 9.5*, so if it starts flying too high, I could always dial it down some without drastically changing the face angle or look at address. That said, with the current state of my game, this driver is very good. Not noticeably longer on solid shots, but my misses are drastically better, which is a big improvement for me.
1208HawkTree
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quote:
In defense of this new one, it actually is using a different approach than all the other clubs that are all basically doing the same thing.


This was a major part of the discussion during the 9 holes I played with Tom Saturday. He mentioned the Big Bertha Alpha specifically to make it relevant to another current club, and the ability to raise or lower the COG with that post. He said that when a club is swung, the COG is trying to get in line with the shaft. So, a high COG in the middle of the head will increase dynamic loft, and increase spin, as will a low and rear COG. He said that it's only a matter of time until this is common in other OEM clubs, but they just happened to be first.
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