1.05.2011

TaylorMade's white R11 driver will be noticed in a crowd

After the great success of the r7 and R9 drivers, the launch of TaylorMade's third generation R11 adjustable driver was sure to bring about a buzz in the equipment world.
But even before the professionals at Kapalua start tinkering with TaylorMade's newest design, they'll discover the glaringly obvious thing that sets it apart. It's white.

Gossips have been swirling over the past few months that TaylorMade was preparing to launch a white driver, but many of those rumors failed to point out the R11s new level of customization. In previous models, TaylorMades torque wrench was used to adjust the face angle, which automatically changed the club's loft as well. In the R11, loft and face angle are adjusted separately.
In the r7 and R9, an aluminum sleeve attached to the shaft, which screwed into the head in a variety of face angles. Not anymore. Now the R11's sleeve has eight settings to increase or decrease the effective loft by as much as one degree.
Face angle is controlled by an adjustable aluminum sole plate. By moving the red triangular plate into the closed, neutral or open location, you can change the look at address. The face settings range from 4 degrees open to 4 degrees closed.
Just like the r7 and R9 drivers, the R11 features weight portsone in the heel and one in the toethat enable a draw or fade bias. The R11 includes a10-gram screw and a 1-gram screw. Placing the 10-gram weight in the heel provides a draw, while putting it in the toe promotes a fade. Based on TaylorMade, the moveable weights offer up to 25 yards of right-and-left adjustability.
For the club is so adjustable, the R11 driver will be available in only two lofts 9 and 10.5. Olsavsky says that's all the loft options that are required, even for Tour pros.
To make his point, Olsavsky says you could theoretically set a 9 R11 to have an open face at address, a draw weight bias and an effective loft of 10 degrees. The same club set could be adjusted to have a closed-face at address, a fade bias and 8 of playing loft.
Additionally all that adjustability, Olsavsky says the R11's head shape is more aerodynamic, making it at least 6 yards longer than 2010's R9 SuperTri.
The standard R11 driver will come with a 45.75" Fujikura Blur shaft and retail for $399. A TP version of the club will feature an identical head and several shaft upgrades for $499. Both drivers should arrive in pro shops in mid-February.

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