TaylorMade R9? TP, a classically shaped iron that nevertheless incorporates a variety of performance-enhancing technologies. As part of TaylorMade’s revered Tour Preferred? product line, R9 TP irons are engineered to, above all, deliver an exceptional degree of distance control and consistency, which is critical to any player who competes at a high level or wants to.
The R9 TP iron’s classic shape and size are characterized by a compact head featuring a semi-straight leading edge, semi-square toe, thin topline and thin, cambered, beveled, multi-functional sole. The particular way the hosel blends with the leading edge and the face comes from Nick Faldo’s advisement, who believes it’s absolutely essential that this connection point be skillfully rendered so as to be pleasing to the player’s eye. Adding to the R9 TP’s beautiful shape is an attractive mirror nickel-chrome plating topped by a pearl finish.
Velocity Control Chamber in the 2- through 5-iron.
In terms of technology, the R9 TP irons offer plenty. The 2- through 5-iron incorporate TaylorMade’s Velocity Control Chamber (VCC), a fully enclosed compartment positioned behind the clubface that allows a large area of the 2.0 mm face to exist unsupported, increasing COR to promote more distance.
The open space within the VCC is fully filled with a light yet dense foam that manages vibration energy to deliver excellent feel and sound at impact. The VCC allows the re-distribution of mass within the clubhead to give the R9 TP long-irons an exceptionally low CG and high MOI, which combines with the fast clubface to make them easier to launch high and long.
Progressive Face Thickness and Inverted Cone Technology throughout the Set.
Progressive face thickness is incorporated throughout the set starting at 2.0 mm in the 2- through 5-iron, 2.3 mm in the 6- and 7-iron, and 2.5 mm in the 8-iron through pitching wedge. The result is progressively higher COR where you need it in the middle-irons and long-irons, and fantastic feel in the short-irons.
All R9 TP irons feature TaylorMade’s renowned Inverted Cone Technology fabricated (milled in long-irons, cast in short-irons) directly onto the inner side of the clubface, which promotes higher ball speed on off-center hits so that ball speed and distance are consistent across the face to promote constant distance control.
Superior Distance Control and Consistency.
Good players want confidence that their irons will behave consistently from shot to shot especially in terms of distance. Hot spots on the face that add yardage and mis-hits that subtract yardage both kill morale and damage scores. Because of that, TaylorMade’s R&D department spent hundreds of hours to ensure that the
R9 TP irons deliver superior distance control and consistency, and they succeeded.
In each individual R9 TP iron, the combination of head size, VCC, Inverted Cone and face thickness has been carefully calibrated to promote optimum distance control and consistency. The result is a club that players can be confident will deliver the expected distance on swing after swing after swing.
Compact Perimeter-weighted Heads.
R9 TP heads are similar to the compact shape of the Tour Preferred? irons (which are the most popular and successful irons on the PGA Tour today), yet the R9 TPs offer a larger hittable face area due in part to differences in the way the head blends into the hosel. The top-line is beveled along the back edge to give it a thin and elegant appearance, and the sole is beveled to reduce resistance so it can perform “thinner” when it meets the turf.
Each R9 TP head is perimeter-weighted and equipped with a vibration-controlling cavity badge. The 6-iron through pitching wedge feature an undercut cavity that’s visible because the cavity badge is smaller than that used in the R9 irons. The undercut cavity allows us to push more weight to the perimeter of the head in order to increase MOI and distance-control.