TaylorMade Burner Superfast Driver Review

 

by Robert Cotter
Professional Golf Ball Engineer
Director of Golf Swing Instruction, Instant Golf®

Welcome to another golf product review. I get a lot of requests for recommendations from golfers looking to upgrade their drivers particularly this time of year with the holidays just around the corner.

If you watch golf or read the magazines, then you no doubt see the ads for the top manufacturers' most expensive drivers. In the past few years, "adjustable" drivers have been the rage and they carry big price tags, $300-500!

If you don't want to spend that much, only play occasionally, or are looking for a holiday gift (maybe for you) that more than gets the job done off the tee with out breaking the bank, then there are some great drivers to choose from.

TaylorMade is a top driver brand on Tour. You have probably seen the big white R11 drivers on the weekend broadcasts. Long hitting Dustin Johnson (left) comes to mind as a top player who smashes that club. He is 3rd in driving distance at 314 yards average.

But a large percentage of those white drivers you see out there are actually the TaylorMade Burner Superfast. The Superfast 2.0 was introduced in 2011 by Taylormade and has the look of the R11 without an adjustable head (loft, lie, etc...).

But here's a Better Deal...

The Superfast 2.0 was added to the line this year, and it was the next generation of the original 2010 Superfast (below).

You see the product cycle for drivers is typically 2+ years for most manufacturers. So there are new 2010 and 2009 drivers still in the stores (and all over online). Note, these are brand new drivers, not refurbished. My local Golf Galaxy just received a shipment of them the other day.

Besides the white paint job, the original and 2.0 Superfast drivers are very similar. They both feature:

Both drivers sound great too, not too "pingy" or metallic. All the Taylormade driver have a distinctive, loud sound.

The Bottom Line...

There's an old saying in real estate: "Buy the most affordable house in the best neighborhood". The same can be applied to golf equipment.

The white Superfast 2.0 costs about $225-250, the original black headed Superfast runs about $145! As we head toward Christmas, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Superfast drop closer to $100. Incredible!

That's top club technology and quality head/shaft materials from a top manufacturer. With either Superfast, you will be living in a great neighborhood.

With all club purchases, make every attempt to "try before you buy". Any retailer should be more than happy to tape one up for you so you can give it a rip.

I have a lot of customers and a few golf buddies using either the original or 2.0 Superfasts. The most common shaft/loft configurations are 10.5 loft with a regular shaft, or 9.5 with a stiff.

As you may know, I am a big proponent of "higher" lofted drivers for most golfers. The average swing speed is 87-90 mph. With the distance formula being high launch with low spin, 10.5 loft is usually a better fit for the average swing speed golfer.

Of course, do your own due diligence. It's a lot of fun test driving these big sticks, and the launch monitors/simulators have made the fitting process both facinating and essential.

To lower scores and more enjoyment,

Robert Cotter
Instant Golf®

 

 

Robert Cotter is a US patent award winning golf ball design engineer and fine player. His interaction with the top players in the game led to his discovery of The Key to a pro caliber golf swing. He is the author of “The Key To A Repeating Golf Swing” which has taught over 5000 golfers in 60+ countries and has a success rate of >97%. Robert's passion is educating the golfing public about golf ball performance and demonstrating how the right ball will maximize distance, accuracy, and spin control for players ranging from beginners to touring pros.