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TaylorMade RocketBallz Fairway Wood Review

Martin Hopley
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The TaylorMade RocketBallz Fairway Wood has been taking all the headlines on the Tour ranges this year and it is not hard to see why. The head is a nice mid size and offers a good level of forgiveness whilst still appearing very playable. The shape is also a lot less 'triangular' than the Burner 2.0 it replaces and with the centre of gravity moved forwards the flight is much more penetrating than the Burner 2.0.

The pull-face constrcution has been used by other manufacturers before and it usually delivers a more powerful face and in the RocketBallz Fairway Wood this is the case too. All over the web you can see videos of Tour Pro's hitting the Rocketballz fairway over 300 yards and we have to say that it does go a long way for a fairway - the 3-wood is more like an easy to hit 2-wood.

There is really nothing bad to say about TaylorMade Rocketballz fairway as it does seem to deliver more distance with an excellent flight and very good sound and feel. The styling, providing you like white, looks excellent and the black contrast face makes it very easy to line up. The Matrix Xcon 5 stock shaft seems a lot better than the standard TaylorMade shafts of the past but get custom fitted anyway as it will be a keeper as the pricing is very competitive too.

Whilst we have yet to find anyone who likes the name, it has almost become an advantage for Taylormade as the buzz on the tee when someone brings it out and the comments you find yourself making whether you are using it or someone else is are almost part of the fun. The RocketBallz fairway is hard to beat and you need to try it - just so you can say you have.

Golfalot Rating: 5 stars
Overall Rating - 5 stars:
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TaylorMade RocketBallz Fairway Wood - Product Details

UK Launch03 February 2012
USA Launch03 February 2012
Handicap Range
Low
High
GolferMens
Hand AvailabilityLeft, Right
MaterialSteel
Shaft TypesGraphite
Shaft FlexStiff, Regular, Light, Ladies
Manufacturer's WebsiteTaylorMade Website

User Reviews

euan1001
May 2013

Just bought the club yesterday and definitely longer than my last 3 wood.

Noticed as well at the range that it leaves a ball mark on the face so you can see where your hitting your shot and wipe it off which I like.

Felt pretty confident in your hands and really don't have to swing hard I felt to get a good distance!

RolandP
December 2012

Being a wayward driver, I have long thought about just using a 3-wood off the tee on every hole. However, distance and consistency, was always a problem with my ancient Ping fairway wood. That, coupled with an inability to hit the Ping from the deck, led me to the golf shop with an eye on buying a new 3 wood.

Now, I'm not one to buy into hype much, but I had heard about the RBZ and distances achieved. Ball after ball on the range soared neatly off the head in the rough direction that I was aiming. Suffice to say, I loved the look, feel, sound and price of the RBZ 3 wood and bought one.

It wasn't until I tee'd it up on a Saturday morning that I could really compare it amongst people hitting drivers. When I hit the RBZ 3 wood (98% of all driving holes), I rarely am last to hit the next shot first and the number of fairways that I hit has increased enormously. I also hit it confidently and successfully from the deck.

All in all a cracking purchase and would recommend to all.

leebled
December 2012

With my inability to hit a driver I was hitting my trusty old v-steel 5 wood off the tee. I longed for more distance so when the reviews started appearing about the RBZ 3 wood, I knew I had to try it.

In a word.....wow! The ball just flies off the face, and the flight is very penetrating.

I don't swing fast and am hitting it 220-250 almost every time. It seems very forgiving on off centre hits, and not much distance is lost. I am not yet as confident about hitting it off the fairway as the head seems quite a bit larger than my v-steel, but I will get there.

Can't back up any of the TM stated yardage gains as I didn't have a 3 wood before this, but I can say if you are looking for a 3 wood that consistently sends the ball out there, with ease, then you have to try this!

BTatHOME
November 2012

I didn't originally go into the store to buy anything, I was just browsing to kill sometime. As it happened the RBZ and R11s clubs had just been delivered early (by about 4 days) and the assistants had one already taped up club on the Trackman, and with some 290-300 yards shots showing on the screen my interest was peaked. I knew I was gonna test this one sometime soon, just didn't realise it would be that day.

So my previous 3 wood was an original TaylorMade V-Steel with a Graffalloy Proto hybrid shaft. It tops out at 235-ish, but with relatively little roll after hitting the ground and a quite boring flight that doesn't go into the wind very well at all.

So first thing to notice is that apart from being white (if your familiar with the TM kit then you know the matt finish of these) then it's actually a very traditional shape. It sits very well behind the ball, with no rocking and looks quite neutral to my eye. There are no shaft adjustments that can be made, but there is a weight port behind the big slot in the sole.

I pretty much knew what spec to work with, selecting the 15* 3-wood with the xcon stiff shaft. After a few shots to loosen up I started hitting with the monitor on. I generally don't hit from the tee at the moment as the V-Steel doesn't get the distance compared to my hybrid, so I had to figure out the tee height to get some decent strikes. Once I got it the ball flight had a very nice 14* launch and generally it was going 235 carry with a 10 yard roll. Dispersion was good with my normal small fade, but to see a few 255-yard numbers I felt good.

Hitting off the mats on the Trackman was something I don't normally like doing as I don't get any feeling of good strikes from mats. After duffing a few I started hitting well and was seeing 235 yards from the floor which again is very encouraging.

So that was it on the Trackman, and time to make the decision ... Well I couldn't argue with the stats and so the RBZ makes the bag. Onto some on-course testing, whilst not the best time to be trying this out I have no real choice as a trip abroad is probably not cost effective, so Hampshire in February with 4 degree temperatures it is!

After a few weeks of no play I finally get out onto the course, after a couple of poor range sessions I admit to wondering what I saw originally. Finally on the course the performance returned though. Long and straight without getting caught in the winds is just the change I wanted.

Biggest thing for me though is the confidence I now have on the tee with it. No worries anymore about dropping down to hybrid I can now belt one out with the RBZ too.

The club maintains its colour like any of the other white clubs if you keep it clean while in play, in soft ground you may need to scoop out the muck from the slot and weight port, but unless the slot is packed and dried put then I doubt it'll make any difference to the performance.

The pricing for this new RBZ line is very competitive, and I think it'll be the big seller of this season.

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