At a recent demo day I had the opportunity to measure a TaylorMade R9 SuperTri against a Callaway FTiZ iMix. What is unique about this test is that the shaft in both drivers is the same Mitsubishi Fubuki Alpha, same weight 63grams, same Stiff flex, same loft at 10.5* and both drivers had open face angles within .5* of each other. And, the same golfer used both drivers. The shaft in the TM was tipped 1/2", the shaft in the Callaway was tipped 3/4". Tipping is necessary with both designs to prevent a softer than desired flex from occuring. So, the only real variable is the clubhead itself.
I do not work for Callaway or TaylorMade. I have never worked for either company. In the last 10 years, I have played more TM drivers than Callaway drivers. I still have a 'Pittsburgh Persimmon' TM driver from eons ago. Lastly, I don't receive a penny in advertising fees from any manufacturer.
Farther down the article is the TrackMan data. But, the rather blunt truth is that the TaylorMade R9 SuperTri exhibits the same tendencies I've noticed with every model since the SuperQuad. Higher than optimal spin and a confounding lack of distance.
Most tests are flawed because they use off the shelf clubs that are dissimilar - the shafts are never identical in the tested drivers. There's no escaping the truth in this test. The TM is just plain short. Not by a yard or two, but a rather significant amount. Compare just two metrics: carry distance and total distance. TM 256.9 carry and 276.4 total. Callaway 270.3 carry and 290.7 total.
That's more than a club better with the FTiZ. I'm not partial to the shape of the FTiZ, but I could probably learn to live with it if I knew I would be a club or more closer to each green. I know TM fans will dismiss the test as somehow flawed, but the fact is that this is as close as we can get to isolating the head as the only performance variable, and the R9 is shorter than the FTiZ.
The crux of the issue is why the disparity exists. In a word, spin. The TM spins an average of more than 500 rpm higher than the FTiZ.
Here are the TM R9 key stats. Average carry distance 256.9 yards, average spin 3274, average descent angle 40.6*.
The Callaway FTiZ Tour's key stats. Average carry distance 270.3 yards, average spin 2734, average descent angle 41.3*.
