TaylorMade Introduces R9 and R9 TP Drivers
Combination of Flight Control Technology
and Movable Weight Technology Together Promote up to 75 Yards of
Side-to-Side Trajectory Adjustability
CARLSBAD, Calif. - TaylorMade-adidas Golf pioneered adjustability
in modern golf clubs with the r7® quad, which launched in 2004.
It incorporated TaylorMade's revolutionary Movable Weight
Technology™ (MWT®), which gave golfers the power to change
the clubhead's center of gravity (CG) to promote different types of
ball flight. The r7 quad driver spawned a long list of TaylorMade clubs
with MWT, including fairway woods, Rescue® clubs, putters, and of
course, more drivers. Each subsequent r7 driver introduced offered a
significant boost in performance over the last, including the recently
launched r7 Limited, which promotes 35 yards of side-to-side change
in trajectory.
"Five years after the debut of the r7 quad, the time has come to unveil
the next revolution in golf club adjustability, a revolution made
possible
by a technology so groundbreaking that it warrants a passing of the
torch,"
said Sean Toulon, TaylorMade's executive vice president of innovation.
"That's why this driver isn't the next in the
line of r7, but rather the first in the line of R9."
TaylorMade Flight Control Technology
What sets the R9™ driver apart from all other drivers is that it
incorporates our new TaylorMade Flight Control Technology, or FCT
for short. With a simple twist of a wrench, FCT allows you to change
the R9's face angle, loft and lie angle. How does FCT work? It starts
with a small metallic sleeve positioned over the tip of the shaft. The
shaft
is secured to the clubhead with a specially made bolt in the bottom of
the
clubhead. The FCT bolt is designed to be retained in the well to
eliminate
the chance of losing it. The sleeve, made of high-strength 7075-T6
aluminum alloy, is ringed around the bottom with small teeth, which
tightly mesh with a second ring of matching teeth within the hosel.
You can change the clubhead's characteristics (face angle, loft, lie) by
loosening the FCT bolt, removing the shaft from the head, rotating the
sleeve and shaft into a specified position, then locking them into that
position within the head with the FCT bolt.
"The R9 driver offers eight positions, and changing from one position to
another is easy and takes only a matter of seconds," said Dr. Benoit
Vincent, TaylorMade's chief technical officer. "When changing, it's
important to recognize that as the face angle closes, the loft
increases; and as the face angle opens, the loft decreases." Thus the R9
driver is
engineered to promote trajectories that are 1) increasingly higher,
long-carrying and which move from right-to-left; 2) increasingly lower,
more controllable and which move from left-to-right; or 3) which are
neutral, with relatively straight flight and at mid-level height.
R9 Driver Technology
"Every golfer, whether a tour pro or high-handicapper, knows that the
position of the face angle at address is critical to confidence," said
Harry Arnett, TaylorMade's senior category director of equipment.
"Strong players prone to hooks much prefer looking at a square or
slightly open face at address, while slicers find reassurance in seeing
a closed face. FCT gives the golfer the ability to adjust the face to
the position that they like best, which is a huge advantage."
Most previous TaylorMade metalwoods can be bent to adjust the face, loft
and lie angles; it happens every week on the PGA Tour in the TaylorMade
Tour Trailer, as tour pros commonly request such tweaks to improve their
performance. However, the process requires a tour technician to
immobilize the clubhead and bend the hosel by hand. FCT makes it
possible to quickly, accurately and easily adjust the face, loft and lie
angles.
FCT + MWT = Total Adjustability
What makes the R9 driver totally adjustable as opposed to partially
adjustable is that it unites FCT with MWT. The clubhead features three
weight ports and comes equipped with one 16-gram and two 1-gram weights.
Put the heavy weight in the heel port to promote a draw, in the toe port
to promote a fade, and in the middle port to promote a straight flight.
The combined effect of FCT and MWT gives golfers an amazing amount of
influence over their trajectory, and gives the R9 driver a tremendous
advantage over other drivers. TaylorMade testing indicates that the R9
driver promotes up to 75 yards of side-to-side trajectory change,
depending upon how the clubhead characteristics are set and the weights
are configured.
Do the math on the multiple settings made possible by combining FCT with
MWT: Eight clubhead positions made possible by FCT multiplied by three
MWT configurations: 8 x 3 = 24. Twenty-four drivers with the purchase of
one club!
The R9 driver includes a new white wrench that must be used with both
the FCT bolt and the movable weights. This wrench and this wrench only
must be used with the R9 driver because the FCT bolt requires 40
inch-pounds of torque to tighten fully; older MWT wrenches deliver only
30 inch-pounds of torque Like previous wrenches, the R9 wrench emits a
loud and powerful "click" when either the FCT bolt or MWT weights have
been sufficiently tightened.
"New Classic" Clubhead Shape with Ultra-Thin Wall Technology
The R9 driver features a new clubhead shape that merges modern and
classic lines with incredible effectiveness. It's best described as a
cross between the r7 SuperQuad and the r7 Limited - a triangular shape
with beautifully contoured corners. TaylorMade calls it "New Classic"
because it is at once modern and traditional, and should prove to be
popular for a long time to come. The triangular shape offers four
distinct advantages: 1) it allows for a deep back, far-from-the-face CG
location that makes it easier to launch the ball; 2) it contributes to a
higher MOI for greater stability on off-center hits; 3) it allows for an
exceptionally low CG location that's lower than that of the r7 Limited
and the r7 SuperQuad; and 4) it works more efficiently with MWT,
allowing it to use only three ports and cartridges to more effectively
influence trajectory than the r7 SuperQuad could with four.
The R9 clubhead is constructed with the aid of TaylorMade's Ultra-Thin
Wall (UTW) technology, which allows for clubhead walls measuring as thin
as 0.6 millimeters, with the saved weight redistributed to make both MWT
and the low-and-deep CG possible.
R9 Driver Gallery
Inverted Cone Technology
The R9 driver also incorporates TaylorMade's renowned Inverted Cone
clubface technology, which expands the area of the clubface that
delivers high ball speed. Characterized by an inverted cone that's
milled directly onto the inner side of the clubface, Inverted Cone
Technology increases the R9's forgiveness on mis-hits. The combination
of the R9 driver's Inverted Cone Technology, high MOI and exceedingly
low CG makes it incredibly easy to hit.
New Fujikura Motore graphite shaft with High Inertia Tip (H.I.T.™)
Technology
The R9 driver comes equipped with a brand new shaft by Fujikura Golf.
The 65-gram Fujikura Motore graphite shaft is engineered with a new,
advanced tip construction that promotes faster ball speed. Called High
Inertia Tip (H.I.T.) technology, it's characterized by an optimally
designed tip architecture that promotes added kick through the impact
zone to promote increased ball speed and distance.
The Most Advanced Driver in TaylorMade History
"When you consider the extraordinary list of technologies and
innovations that make up the R9, the undeniable conclusion is that this
is the most advanced driver TaylorMade has ever created," said Harry
Arnett, TaylorMade's senior category director for equipment. "More
important is how those technologies work together to make the R9 driver
perform. It's forgiving and easy to hit. Its total adjustability makes
it easy to tune its characteristics to best fit the player, the course,
the weather, etc. TaylorMade started making adjustable golf clubs five
years ago with the r7 quad. Clearly, we've come a long, long way since
then."
The R9 driver is offered in 8.5, 9.5, and 10.5 degree lofts (9.5 and
10.5 left-handed), and in X, S, R and M shaft flexes. The manufacturer's
suggested retail price is $500, and availability to the golf public will
begin on March 20, 2009.
The R9 TP driver is offered in 8.5, 9.5, and 10.5 degree lofts (9.5 and
10.5 left-handed), and in X, S, and R shaft flexes. The manufacturer's
suggested retail price is $600, and availability to the golf public will
begin on March 20, 2009.
FAQs
Since FCT requires that the shaft and FCT sleeve both rotate into
different positions to change the characteristics of the head, won't the
rotation of the graphics on the shaft and grip be distracting to some
players?
TaylorMade gave the R9 shaft a special "rotating graphic" that looks the
same no matter what position the shaft is locked into, thus eliminating
potential distraction. The grip is graphic-free, also to eliminate
distraction.
Some golfers believe that every shaft has a distinct spine running from
top to bottom, and that the spine needs to be positioned a specific way
in order to maximize the shaft's performance. Since the R9 driver shaft
needs to be rotated in order to change the characteristics of the
clubhead, that means the spine's position will change too. Won't that
lead to inconsistent performance?
TaylorMade's opinion on shaft spines has always been that if a shaft is
well-designed and well-constructed, then the shaft will perform the same
way no matter where the shaft is positioned in relation to the clubhead.
As the world's premium maker of metalwoods, TaylorMade pays special
attention to offering shafts that meet our strict criteria for quality
and performance. Besides, for shafts to conform to the Rules of Golf,
its properties have to be symmetrical.
Can any type of grip be installed on the R9 driver?
Reminder grips aren't recommended because when the shaft rotates, the
grip rotates with it, changing the position of the reminder.
Why is the R9's head shape being referred to as "New Classic?"
The R9's head shape is being referred to by the term "New Classic"
because it's a true and highly successful combination of a classic
driver shape and the modern, triangular shape of the r7 Limited. Imagine
a pleasing cross between the r7 SuperQuad and the r7 Limited and you'll
arrive at the New Classic shape of the R9 driver.
What makes the R9 driver "Totally Adjustable" compared to "Partially
Adjustable" drivers?
While other drivers have adjustable heads, they don't have MWT. The R9's
combination of FCT with MWT makes it "Totally Adjustable," which gives
it a tremendous advantage over other "Partially Adjustable" drivers.
TaylorMade testing indicates that the R9 TP's combination of FCT and MWT
promotes up to 75 yards of side-to-side trajectory change, depending
upon how the clubhead characteristics are set and the weights are
configured.
Why can't you use an older yellow, black or silver MWT wrench with the
R9 driver?
The R9 driver's FCT bolt, which loosens to allow adjustments to the head
characteristics, then tightens to secure the head to the shaft, requires
40 inch-pounds of torque to tighten fully. The new white R9 wrench
delivers 40 inch-pounds, however older MWT wrenches colored yellow,
black or silver deliver only 30 inch-pounds. It's important to tighten
the FCT fully to prevent the head from coming loose during the swing and
posing a potentially hazardous situation.
One other TaylorMade torque wrench delivers 40 inch-pounds of torque and
that's the red-colored one that accompanied the r7 CGB MAX Limited
driver, which incorporates TaylorMade's SelectFit technology to give
golfers the ability to easily install different shafts in the same
clubhead. Because the red TaylorMade torque wrench delivers 40
inch-pounds of torque, it can also be used to tighten the R9 driver's
FCT bolt.
What's the difference between the standard R9 and the R9 TP clubheads?
There isn't any difference - the standard R9 and R9 TP clubheads are
exactly the same. Instead, the distinguishing feature between these two
drivers is the shaft. The R9 is equipped with a Fujikura Motore 65-gram
graphite shaft with High-Inertia Tip (H.I.T.) Technology; the R9 TP is
equipped with a Fujikura Motore F1 65-gram shaft with H.I.T. engineered
to be slightly stiffer and with lower torque.
