Tried & tested: TaylorMade's new R11 driver is an instant hit!
by Carly Cummins
August 16, 2011

Unfortunately my driver arrived snapped in Ireland after its short journey in the air last week, forcing me to look for a new weapon to play with in the Pro-Am. Gene Fulton, the head clubmaker on the Ladies European Tour was extremely helpful in sorting me out with a TaylorMade R11 driver on loan – and what a club it turned out to be!

From the first hit it instantly had the wow factor. Not only did it sound powerful, it flew noticeably further than my old driver, and with that effortless feeling. I didn’t think I was going to like the white clubhead, but it really does play a clever visual trick on your brain and make the driver look enormous and impossible to mis-hit.

The R11 is an adjustable driver (TaylorMade call it their 3D tuning) which means that it can be set-up to help you draw or fade the ball, and hit it higher or lower. Gene set the R11 to the high launch draw option, which suited my swing perfectly as it straightened out my weak fade into a powerful, high-flying and distance-inducing draw.

Just when I thought driver technology really had peaked and manufacturers couldn’t push the boundaries any more, the TaylorMade has come along and totally shocked me with the performance of the R11. Now all I’ve got to worry about is convincing them to let me try the entire R11 line!

Price: £329. For further information visit www.taylormadegolf.eu