Innovation has always been a hallmark of TaylorMade golf clubs, and the TaylorMade R9 Series introduced in early 2009 is no exception. The new series includes R9, R9 TP, R9 460 and R9 460 TP drivers, as well as R9 and R9 TP fairway woods. (TP stands for Tour Preferred.) And they’re arguably the most customizable and adjustable clubs on the market.

The major innovation of the R9 series is a feature TaylorMade calls Flight Control Technology (FCT). FCT allows the golfer to set the loft, lie and face angle to eight different positions. Combine FCT with TaylorMade’s movable weights technology (available on TaylorMade R9 drivers, except for the R9 460 model), and golfers have the ability to affect side-to-side ball flight by up to 75 yards.

That’s a lot of customization possibilities. In fact, with the eight positions and three weight options, some have called the TaylorMade R9 “24 drivers in one.” According to TaylorMade, adjustments can be completed in seconds.

A few turns of the bolts with the special TaylorMade white wrench can help straighten out an ugly slice or seemingly uncontrollable hook. Or, as TaylorMade says at its Web site, “Adjust the head. Adjust the weights. Totally optimize you.”

Marketing hype? Perhaps. (Is any golfer but Tiger Woods ever totally optimized?) Yet early reviews from independent golf and golf equipment Web sites and comments from PGA Tour players such as Kenny Perry and Pat Perez (see below) would indicate the TaylorMade R9 Series is the real deal.

Another touted feature of the TaylorMade R9 series is the Fujikara Motore graphite shaft with a High Intertia Tip (HIT), technology designed to give the shaft extra kick for more distance. The clubhead size of the R9 drivers is comparable to other TaylorMade drivers such as the r7 SuperQuad. However, the R9 is not as large as the TaylorMade Burner.

Also featuring FCT (but not movable weights), TaylorMade R9 Fairway Woods are available in both right- and left-handed models and include loft options of 13, 15, 17 and 19 degrees. They also come standard with a 70-gram Fujikura Motore graphite shaft.

What PGA Tour Pros Say

When Taylor Made recently added the R9 460 to its R9 Series of drivers, Kenny Perry, the world’s No. 7 ranked player, gave it a test drive on the practice range at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas. Perry experienced an immediate power surge.

“I jumped up five miles per hour in ball speed immediately,” he told Golf.com’s David Dusek.

“I’ll go to Bethpage early and I’ll take both my drivers,” Perry added. “My regular R9 and this one [the R9 460]. If I feel like I need to hit it straight, I’ll use the R9. If I feel like I need to bomb it, then I’ll use that one [R9 460].”

PGA Tour pro Pat Perez is also a true believer. Perez won the 2009 Bob Hope Classic with a TaylorMade R9 driver in his bag. It was the veteran’s first PGA Tour victory.

“I’m telling you, it’s the best driver I’ve ever hit,” Perez said. “And I’ve tried a lot of them.”

  • Share/Bookmark