|  Ever
so infrequently, something special arrives on the saturated golf
equipment market and this year has been no exception.
With the annual PGA Show in January 2001, the
driver manufacturers are cranking up for what appears to be, more
confusing assortments of drivers for anyone who wants to buy a
"big dog" from the illegal to the legal. Standing tall
and shoulders above the rest is TaylorMade’s recently launched
300 Series (TM) Metal Woods.
As a golf writer specializing in equipment, I
can assuredly confirm that these drivers are so very good. Awesome
is an understatement. Not since the launch of the PING ISI driver,
has another driver come onto the market with such demand and acclaim.
The original Big Bertha changed drivers forever. So too will the
300 series. TaylorMade is totally convinced that with these drivers
and their new, yet unnamed "TaylorMade" golf ball, they
will wrestle the number One driver spot back from Callaway with
a range so diverse, it will compete with not only Callaway, but
every other major manufacturer.
Already the driver has been responsible for 21
tour wins worldwide in the short time it has been available and
on the European Tour, there is a line to use se one! Popular?…you
bet it is. Retailers are selling them at an unbelievable pace.
Sales Success: has broken all other retail sell-in records in
TaylorMade history – the most successful product launch
ever.
On the US Tour, more PGA pros have played Taylor
Made drivers this year than those of any other manufacturer. The
Darrell Survey report shows players have used Taylor Made drivers
368 times this season to date. That is nine more than its nearest
competitor.
The new 300 Series (TM) Metal Woods have led
the charge, pushing Taylor Made to win the weekly Darrell Survey
PGA driver count twelve times in a row.
There are three models in the range, the 300Ti,
320Ti and the 360Ti and each can be fitted with a variety of shafts
to suit so that the customer can get completely "dialed in"
to the club he or she needs to get full distance and accuracy
from their game.
 Our
25 testers have done all the hard work in testing it for you and
no matter what driver you use, Taylor Made have built one to suit
you and not damage your pocket too much for the privilege! They
will retail at $399 and are available in VERY limited quantities
right now.
The 300Ti driver is designed primarily for those
players sporting a 12 or better handicap - those who might use
a Titleist 975D, the Great Big Bertha or the PING ISI for example.
The size is similar to the PING ISI (360Ti model) and the 975D
(310Ti model) with a deep face and higher center of gravity offering
a lower trajectory but still with plenty of carry and extraordinary
amounts of roll on landing.
Compared to the Titleist, with a +1 handicap
amateur hitting them both, the 300 series won on looks, distance
and accuracy…and it was very difficult just to prize it
out of his hands once he realized that he could add 15-yards to
his game and still find the fairways!
The looks of the 300Ti are traditional, elegant
and simple. The gunmetal finish is such an improvement from the
well-known Copper color TaylorMade favored in the past, giving
the driver an all-new look. (We suggest a similar colored golf
bag to be appropriate as well). The performance is pretty awesome
too…unless you put it head to head against the 320Ti driver!
Every one of our testers reported that this was
simply the best driver they have hit in a long time. Ball flight
and feel being the two most voiced opinions. (the "baddest",
the most awesome were also used considerably). Another oft mentioned
quality of this series of drivers was the great sound on contact.
None of the "tinny" sound usually associated with Titanium
drivers.
Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Patrik Sjoland, Thomas
Bjorn, Ian Leggat, Larry Nelson, John Bland, Larry Nelson, Mark
O’Meara and a host of other Taylor Made staff professionals
use the 320Ti. Once you hit it, you immediately know why!
The ball flight is strong, high and very penetrating.
Where you might get a "ballooning" flight with other
Titanium drivers, especially into a strong headwind, the 320Ti
tends to dip at the top of its ball flight and run on landing
adding yet more yardage!!! Who knows how they do it, but it does
it! And it works!
 The
320Ti is a direct competitor to the Callaway Hawk Eye series and
while both drivers are excellent, first impressions suggest that
it will be difficult to separate them in a head to head test.
Both clubs do what golfers want drivers to do. Another outstanding
benefit of this driver, unlike many other drivers…is the
ability our testers had to hit this off the deck with apparent
ease!
The 320Ti is a direct competitor to the Callaway
Hawk Eye series and while both drivers are excellent, first impressions
suggest that it will be difficult to separate them in a head to
head test. Both clubs do what golfers want drivers to do. Another
outstanding benefit of this driver, unlike many other drivers…is
the ability our testers had to hit this off the deck with apparent
ease!
As for the third of the Series, the 360Ti has
been described as a "Wok on the end of a shaft". While
the 360cc head is rather large and similar to the PING ISI, TaylorMade
have made it light and easy to swing. It is not cumbersome; the
ball goes off the face like a rocket and is so big you can't miss
the sweet-spot!
You can tee it high or low and like the others,
hit it off the deck too! If your current driver is a Ping ISI
or the Ti-Bubble 2 you might want to try this against them.
Larry Nelson, US Senior Tour player has used
all three drivers to win numerous tournaments – 6 in fact.
What better testimonial can one need?
In summation: Callaway and the rest of the driver
manufacturers have some serious competition. The inventors of
the metal wood are out to claim their number One spot back…and
from our testing, these are the clubs that will get TaylorMade
back to the front of the pack!
|
The Callaway Killer
