TaylorMade R7 TP Three Wood Review

TaylorMade R7 TP Fairway Wood w/Graphite Shaft
Find it at Global Golf

Grade: A
Teacher’s Comments: This is a very forgiving and versatile club that’s staying in my bag.

In spite of its “Tour” designation, I think that the TaylorMade R7 TP Fairway Wood is a club that could find its way into a lot of players’ bags. As a mid-handicapper, I was unsure whether a “tour driven” club like the R7 Fairway would work for me. Frankly, I’m a little scared of products designed for tour pros, and shafts that say “stiff.”

I know my limitations.

But like the R5 TP Driver, which I reviewed earlier, the R7 TP 3 Wood sent for my review by TaylorMade is a club that I’d love to have stay in my bag.

In terms of playing characteristics, it actually has a lot in common with the aforementioned R5 TP Driver: it’s a great blend of distance and forgiveness.

On any individual shot, the R7 TP fairway wood is not the longest 3 wood that I’ve ever used. My longest shots with my Snake Eyes Compressor are 20 yards longer than the TaylorMade. And it’s not the most forgiving: I have an Adams Tight Lies that takes that title.

But when all is said and done, it’s much longer than the Adams, and vastly more forgiving than the Snake Eyes.

And it’s that blend that makes it special.

With the Compressor, if I don’t hit it just right … or if the lie is poor … the result usually is not good. The Adams, on the other hand, will forgive a lot of mistakes and bad lies, but never achieved the distance.

The TaylorMade R7 Fairway finds a nice middle ground. It gives me good distance and accuracy—even when I don’t hit it “on the screws”, or when I have to hit it from a poor lie.

There is a par 5 on my home course, where, if you hit it too far – or not far enough – you end up taking your second shot from a severe uphill lie. When I used the Compressor, the result usually was not good because I could never catch it flush; the Adams would get it up and over the ridge, but still leave me with a long third shot.

The R7 TP fairway, however, doesn’t seem to mind a less than stellar swing. The last couple of times I’ve ended up on that slope, I’ve used it to hit the ball over the crest line, onto the plateau to within 120 yards. Both times, I KNOW I didn’t hit it right on the face.

Off the tee, I’ve also found the R7 TP fairway to be very versatile. I can hit a draw, cut the ball or send it straight as needed. And if I don’t manage to pull off the needed shot, the result still isn’t bad.

It’s versatile in other ways, too. I use it to punch low shots under branches; I can hit it high to raised greens; off the fairway; out of the rough; around the greens. The sole design and head shape inspire a lot of confidence.

A couple of caveats to all of this gushing:

First, I don’t think that the Movable Weight Technology has as big an effect on the fairway wood as it has on the driver. The club comes with a 2- and an 8-gram weight. I did not notice as much of a change in moving those around as I did with the driver.

Second, you’re going to have to try out different weight combinations before you find the one that works for you. To be honest, I didn’t like the club when I first got it. Then, I began trying out different weight combinations. (TaylorMade has an R7 TP Weight Kit that you can buy). I fell in love with the club when I hit the right combination.

Of course, that can be viewed as a benefit. One size does not fit all, and TaylorMade allows you to customize. Just be warned that you will need to experiment before you get it just right.

And finally, I think that the R7 TP requires a relatively aggressive swing to be effective. When I go for broke with it, I get a long straight flight. If I hold back, it tends to slice.

(The solution, I guess, is not to hold back).

But these are not so much criticisms as observations.

The R7 TP fairway wood is a fabulous club.

R7 TP Fairway Wood w/Graphite Shaft

As with all products in TaylorMade s TP line, the r7 TP fairway woods were created at the request of tour professionals who wanted a fairway wood that incorporated the look of the V steel (which is the number one fairway wood on the PGA tour) with the trajectory-changing capabilities of TaylorMade s Movable Weight Technology. The r7 fairway wood is made of titanium, saving 50 grams of weight needed to incorporate TLC (TaylorMade Launch Control) technology. The r7 TP fairway woods began appearing in the bags of touring professionals at the 2005 Players Championship, including those of Retief Goosen and Scott Verplank. Dual TLC ports change the center of gravity (CG) location to promote varying degrees of draws and fades which promotes greater accuracy and distance Widely spaced TLC ports dramatically boosts moment of inertia for longer, straighter results on mis-hits Tour-proven V-shaped sole reduces turf resistance and helps maintain clubhead speed through impact Pull-face construction and a thin, flexible clubface promote above-average distance Titanium clubhead construction is strong and light saving the weight necessary to incorporate TLC technology Comes with a 2-gram weight and an 8-gram weight TLC Wrench not included. Available Accessories : TLC Wrench Kit : Hard case, TLC wrench, TLC manual TLC Cartridges : Available in 2g, 4g, 6g, 8g, 10g, 12g and 14g r7 TP Weight Kit : TP hard case, Trajectory Wheel, TLC wrench, TP manual and 8 TLC cartridges