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TaylorMade Rocketbladez Irons Review
11 Dec 2012
by Benjamin Larsen of AmateurGolf.com

see also: Equipment Reviews

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Taylor Made isn't handling its marketing of the Rocketbladez irons lightly. They're, dare I say, going the distance.

"The first distance iron to make it on tour."

"This little thing has changed the iron forever."

With the interesting features and benefits the iron provides, though, can you blame the company?

The key to those benefits, of course, is TaylorMade's Speed Pocket --- 'the little thing that promotes radical increased speed and distance', according to the manufacturer.

All told, TaylorMade's new Rocketbladez irons are incredibly fast and incredibly long while also promoting increased accuracy and stopping power.

"The Rocketbladez come with a load of performance both in distance and consistant distance," said Brian Bazzel, Product Creation Manager for TaylorMade. "But even above that is it gives you a higher trajectory and improved feel by the way we treat the pocket in the back of the cavity."

With plenty of support from Dustin Johnson, Justin Rose and other PGA Tour stars, the RocketBladez irons from TaylorMade have made a triumphant splash on the scene. Here's a deeper look at the Rocketbladez:

TAYLORMADE ROCKETBLADEZ »

TECH AND SPECS

The key to the Rocketbladez is the Speed Pocket. In the 3-7 irons, the Speed Pocket and the club head's ultra-thin face work together to promote consistently high ball speed and distance. The distance behind the irons is also helped by TaylorMade's unique Inverted Cone shape design and a high rate of MOI (Moment of Inertia).

All told, the bulk of the head's weight is located lower than other irons, meaning the sweet spot and launch angle are all gearing your swing on a much higher launch angle, trajectory and peak. The Rocketbladez feature a much thinner face than the previous RocketBallz irons and a six-percent lower center of gravity that its predecessor.

All of the additions and designs, of course, result in a COR (measurement of 'jump' off the clubface) numbers similar to that of a driver.

Additionally, the stock sand and lob wedges take the sole design of last year's stellar ATV Wedges, completing the set with recent and new technology.

CUSTOMIZATION OPTIONS

The Rocketbladez irons are available in a number of shafts from TaylorMade.

Golfers may pair their new Rocketbladez with True Temper's Dynamic Gold, Dynamic Gold SL and Dynamic Gold XP models and the company's ProjectX branded Royal Precision and Royal Precision Flighted models.

Additional shaft options include the KBS Tour, Nippon NS Pro 950 and Matrix Ozik HD Program 95 shafts.

A host of grip models are available from grip- makers Lamkin, Winn, Golf Pride and Iomic, in addition to stock models made available by TaylorMade.

HOW DOES IT FEEL?

Much of the online chatter surrounding the Rocketbladez has backed up what TaylorMade is marketing: higher trajectories, increased distances and improved accuracy and control.

After a short but focused testing, I have to agree.

The first thing I noticed was the 'jump' off of the club face.

I noticed the lower center of gravity quickly as well-hit 5-irons were launching like a 6-iron. I also took notice of the irons' forgiveness. Even on bad swings, the ball launched and flew well. The technology and design behind the irons seem to make it easy to hit a ball well.

During my testing, I tried to focus on and learn the benefits of the SpeedPocket. On a good swing, you can feel the pocket working as a 'hinge' of sorts to help add launch and trajectory to your impact. On bad swings, I didn't see the SpeedPocket making a difference, despite what Golfweek's James Achenbach mentioned in his lengthy review of the Rocketbladez: "According to TaylorMade, the Speed Pocket is especially effective on impacts made low on the face. With long irons and mid irons, most mis-hits by amateurs occur below the center of the face. TaylorMade promises more ball speed and distance on those mis- hits."

Others online questioned the distance claims made by TaylorMade, assuming lesser or 'stronger' lofts on each iron was the main culprit for increased yardage. GolfWRX forum member 'KC' mentioned that while Rocketbladez lofts may be 'stronger', it's only part of the equation:

"All reports are that balls fly higher with these irons, mostly because of the lower cg, higher ball speed and increased spin. If the lofts were not “strong” enough, the ball would balloon too much. Plus, the point is to cover the distance gaps between irons and feel comfortable hitting certain distances, especially with long irons."

The official Rocketbladez review on MyGolfSpy.com looks at the whole loft issue through a different lens, stating that, while the lofts are most certainly 'jacked up', TaylorMade isn't the only manufacturer to employ such a tactic given the desired result (more distance).

MyGolfSpy's review went on to mention that TaylorMade has made a club that improves distance, thereby improving the player's confidence and perhaps ability.

Have you hit the new TaylorMade Rocketbladez irons? Are they already in your bag? What did you think of them? We'd love to know. Add your thoughts to the discussion below.

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