TaylorMade goes white with new R11 driver

FOLLOWING the success of the r7 and R9 drivers, the release of TaylorMade’s third generation R11 adjustable driver was bound to cause a buzz in the equipment world.

But even before the tour pros at Kapalua start tinkering with TaylorMade’s newest model, they’ll notice the glaringly obvious thing that sets it apart — it’s white.

“The satin white finish, along with the black face, creates the maximum contrast between face and crown to help you align the club more easily,” says Tom Olsavsky, TaylorMade’sdirector of product creation.

Olsavsky adds that the white finish helps to reduce the hot spots and glare often created on glossy-topped drivers.

Rumours have been swirling over the past few months that TaylorMade was planning to release a white driver, but speculation failed to mention the R11’s new level of customisation.

In previous models, TaylorMade’s 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 independently.

Like the R7 and R9 drivers, the R11 features weight ports — one in the heel and one in the toe — that allow for a draw or fade bias.

The R11 comes with a 10-gram screw and a 1-gram screw. Positioning the 10-gram weight in the heel promotes a draw, while putting it in the toe encourages a fade. According to TaylorMade, the moveable weights provide up to 25 yards of right-and-left adjustability either side.

Because the club is so adjustable, the R11 driver will be available in only two lofts — 9 degrees 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 could be adjusted to have a closed-face at address, a fade bias and 8° of playing loft.