Well done Rick.I am sure there are going to be guys complaining about some portion of the test because they want the new product to be better.I think taylormade had a good club in the sldr and I don't think the difference in forgiveness would be significant enough for me to trade my sldr for the r15.I think the titleist 913/ 915 review you did shows that titleist did signifcantly improve their product through engineering but they also have a much longer product cycle...2 years or so.Thanks again for trying to give a fair assessment of new products.
Had SLDR since it came on the market....best driver TM has ever made IMO, although M1 is an absolute bomber! R15 is a great one too but it seems with TM it's just a matter of preference and visual appeal since around 2012.
To me the biggest difference in the two drivers is that fact that the R15 allows you to move the weights to the extremes making it slightly more forgiving. This club now has appeal to the not so great ball-striker. From what I have read, forgiveness was the biggest gripe for SLDR, and thats what TaylorMade introduced withe the R15. Thats just my 2 cents.
The two weights are just one sldr weight cut in half there is no forgiveness when u move the weights to the outside it just moves the cg higher and more forward
Great review. Very good comparison, and clearly aesthetics are the only difference besides the extra slider. I love my Covert 1.0, but I could use the lower spin of the 430 head and I really love the smaller looks, so I'll be on the look for a cheap SLDR 430!
thats a great suggestion Rob, I would be interested in seeing that too, cause why would I go out and buy this driver for 400 or more bucks if I already have the SLDR and there is no convincing data to support any difference.
There is no forgiveness there is just a sldr weight cut in half with the two weights on the outside it justs moves the cg higher and more back in the face which contradicts their "low and more forward cg" campaign
Nice to see things moving forward even if it is in little steps. Would love to see you test some of the Adams woods and hybrids. Keep up the great work.
So in other words SLDR and R15 are practically the same club except that they threw in 1 more sliding bar and changed the colours lol. Selling the R15 for another 500-600 dollars while the 6 mth old SLDR can be bought for half the price. Sounds like the typical taylormade moneytrain to me. I still use the R9 Superdeep Driver and R9 3 wood. If you want low spin grab one of these they perform just as well anyway and now cheap. 6 months from now and your new R15 has halved in price and outcomes the R15ier lol!
I wonder if you would gain a few more yards by positioning the weights together on the R15, in the neutral position. It would be interesting to see if that makes any difference.
Not too surprised by the results. With the regulations that the R&A have in place, we won't see much in the way of improvement. Another great video RickShielsPGAGolf
Rick thanks for this video was thinking about upgrading to the R15, but figured even though the shape was a bit more pleasing, when I can get a SLDR 430 with a Kaili shaft for $120 including shipping why not give it a go?
The new one was all over the place 25 yards left and 39 yards right. 64 yards between shots compared to 33 on the SLDR. That's probably 2 lost balls out of 5 on a tight course.
G-day Rick I think it's time for a 3 head off Between mizuno's850;tit 915; and T.M.'s R15 And if it gets to cold up there in England You can come down here in Sunny Aussie Land to do your review P.S. Bring the Family you'll love it down here. Cheers Nunny
Rick, nice review! Can you do a comparison between the latest R15 driver and its predecessor? I think it would be interesting to see why they discontinued their "old technologie". Thx!
Can you compare the old Cleveland launcher 460 to any modern driver? I recently purchased a Big Bertha DBD 815 of identical loft and flex (adila tour green TX 8.5*). The average drives were significantly less than the old Cleveland Launcher 460 (graffaloy prolite 35 X flex 8.5*). I would say its just me, but a lot of people had similar results on forums and are going back to the old Cleveland. Even if its not an entire video, could you hit a few with it and let me know the results? My club-head speed averages 120 and the launcher was carying over 300; with the DBD the carry was 285. I had similar results with other modern drivers using GC2. It doesn't make sense that the old driver would go further (20+yards) than the new ones
+adam kim it spins way less than the launcher you need to start the ball higher so it will stay in the air long like taylormade has loft up the dbd is the type of club
If performance is the same looks, sound, and feel come in to play. Some might say the R15 looks better, but I'd say the SLDR looks better. The 430 version of the SLDR was also pretty good. Is the R15 louder? The only reason I never purchased the SLDR was I'd occasionally hit the unplayable hook when demoing. R15 initially gave promise of more forgiveness by increasing MOI, but I really haven't seen any numbers (launch monitor or actual MOI data) to back this up. Wish they had a black 430 option and some MOI data. Also wish they offered 430 12 degree in lefty. 915 D3 looks to be the winner for now, but the new Nike Vapor heads look nice (except the neon color). Thanks for posting.
I've got the SLDR trio (Driver, 3 wood, 5 wood) and I still have not given them up nor will I ever. Nothing I've demoed had/still has spun less and rolled out farther in the fairway for me. I always try new stuff when it comes out but still nothing performs like the SLDR for me at least. It may very well be the last time I ever buy woods when I bought those lol
@@Recon-cv1fe Supposedly the upside to the SLDR is the low spin and distance, the downside is its not very forgiving compared to most of the drivers of that era, and especially the current stuff. Its kinda the modern day equivalent to a "tour" driver, great out of the middle, gone if youre not centered.
@@kauaigold True. The SLDR series is not for the weekend hack. It's also not good for people with speed but no power and vice versa. When I first tried it out I was shocked. I am about a 3 handicap rounded up. I always had a high launch and high spin shot type due to my angle of attack. When I hit the SLDR for the first time it went easily 30 yards longer than my old R7 460 just because of the drastic reduction of spin. I made the switch and never looked back.
@@kauaigold Believe it or not it's a club that can also serve as a training aid too. If you release early or too late with the hands; it will punish you severely. The fw woods are even more so. They make it so you better middle it or it's dead
@@Recon-cv1fe See thats whats been bugging me. I recently bought a VERY nice used Cleveland Launcher HB because im not a very good ball striker, though speed and power are there. Now that im getting better I wonder if I can get more distance with something more toward the SLDR. Current distance is around 310yd with around 2800rpm of spin. I think if it was around 2k it would go a lot farther but Id hate to waste money on a club that I have no hope of hitting any time soon.
Looking to upgrade my driver. My local golf shop has the new R15 for $499 Ca. The SLDR has been reduced to $249 Ca. After watching this video, $250 to get 1 more yard? I am going to try both, but my wallet is telling me SLDR.
I am sure all the regulations and constraints on golf club design, keep the max distance achieved between different generations of drivers very similar. But what about forgiveness - do you see any benefit or differences here?
£400 to gain one yard lol. Mere mortals like average club golfers are better spending money on coaching to learn to hit the drivers they already have better!! Tried all of the new ones for next year and if I had to change it would be the titleist 915 d3 if my fitness improves lol. Got to muscle that baby!!
So in summary there's absolutely no difference. Makes you start to question TMs claim that they bring so many new drivers out as they can't wait to share the new technology with golfers so they can improve. All of 1 yard. I do think that the SLDR was a genuine breakthrough, this unfortunately looks like a cash in. Would be really interested to see your 15 handicapper do the same test to see if the forgiveness claim stacks up as there's obviously bugger all difference in distance,
Great comparison, I was hoping for a much different result. I play the SLDR 460 and absolutely love it, not sure after watching your video that I'll be getting the R15!!
Rick it would be awesome if you tested this out with your 15 handicapper. So all of us golfers who arent as good as you get an idea for the difference⛳️
Yet another super vid. Would there be an increase in figures if you used taylormade golf balls as I assume that's what they were tested on in their research ??
to me, now I know why all the TM athletes can switch clubs every year. It is the same club??? I think based on your other video review I am sold on the Nike Vapor
The numbers on the monitor do not add up. I've been on trackman, swing speed is around 108 to 110... Carry distance is 285 spin is 1900 to 2200.. AND I USE A KAI LI.. AS WELL.. Meaning you are spinning that thing way to much
I'm confused. Ricks original testing on the R15 430 is different than this video. The original test had his club head speed at 113.6 and total distance avg at 303. This video has his club head speed at 110 and his total distance avg at 292. So which is it ? The original test would make you believe that you should make a change in drivers but this test clearly show why bother
Great video as ever Rick have ™ gone as far as they can now with technology? How about a golf ball head to head with some top branded distance balls and the premium balls now you have the simulator software maybe use an amateur alongside yourself to see how the figures compare, with Winter upon us we all want max distance! cheers Rick
Could they move some weighting around to add some forgiveness? Possibly. Could they move some weighting around to change the ball flight, Likely. Could they change some weight distribution to lower spin rights? Certainly. The Golf R&A has capped the technology of driver faces, every company is at the limit, and has been at the limit for some time. I'm growing tired of the distance buzz words and marketing ploys. The R15 didnt outperform the SLDR because its the same driver with some different color paint. All the research and development that was done on SLDR was simply carried over to avoid the cost of design, slapped with a fresh coat of paint and renamed. Taylor made has been doing this for years, re-releasing the same clubs in different colors. The R15 will be re-released again in the summer of 2015, they may paint it bright Red and name it the SLDR15... but it will still be more or less the same club.
Well done Rick.I am sure there are going to be guys complaining about some portion of the test because they want the new product to be better.I think taylormade had a good club in the sldr and I don't think the difference in forgiveness would be significant enough for me to trade my sldr for the r15.I think the titleist 913/ 915 review you did shows that titleist did signifcantly improve their product through engineering but they also have a much longer product cycle...2 years or so.Thanks again for trying to give a fair assessment of new products.
Great head to head. Thanks heaps for doing that rick. Think im sticking with sldr.
Would have been nice to see this head to head with the 460 heads. Thanks for the great reviews.
Had SLDR since it came on the market....best driver TM has ever made IMO, although M1 is an absolute bomber! R15 is a great one too but it seems with TM it's just a matter of preference and visual appeal since around 2012.
To me the biggest difference in the two drivers is that fact that the R15 allows you to move the weights to the extremes making it slightly more forgiving. This club now has appeal to the not so great ball-striker. From what I have read, forgiveness was the biggest gripe for SLDR, and thats what TaylorMade introduced withe the R15. Thats just my 2 cents.
The two weights are just one sldr weight cut in half there is no forgiveness when u move the weights to the outside it just moves the cg higher and more forward
Basically keep the sldr and save your money!!!
Watch Pete's video about imagination and just imagine you are hitting shots with the G15 instead of the SLDR.
Great review. Very good comparison, and clearly aesthetics are the only difference besides the extra slider. I love my Covert 1.0, but I could use the lower spin of the 430 head and I really love the smaller looks, so I'll be on the look for a cheap SLDR 430!
Interesting results, Rick. Could you hit a few off centre to see if the weights make it more forgiving?
thats a great suggestion Rob, I would be interested in seeing that too, cause why would I go out and buy this driver for 400 or more bucks if I already have the SLDR and there is no convincing data to support any difference.
There is no forgiveness there is just a sldr weight cut in half with the two weights on the outside it justs moves the cg higher and more back in the face which contradicts their "low and more forward cg" campaign
Hi Rick, the biggest difference I can see apart from the 12 inches in length is the SLDR is now worth about £100 and R15 £350.
Nice to see things moving forward even if it is in little steps. Would love to see you test some of the Adams woods and hybrids. Keep up the great work.
Lmao, Rick what happened at 4:01 in the video? It made me laugh so hard!
So in other words SLDR and R15 are practically the same club except that they threw in 1 more sliding bar and changed the colours lol. Selling the R15 for another 500-600 dollars while the 6 mth old SLDR can be bought for half the price. Sounds like the typical taylormade moneytrain to me. I still use the R9 Superdeep Driver and R9 3 wood. If you want low spin grab one of these they perform just as well anyway and now cheap. 6 months from now and your new R15 has halved in price and outcomes the R15ier lol!
I wonder if you would gain a few more yards by positioning the weights together on the R15, in the neutral position. It would be interesting to see if that makes any difference.
You gain more distance but it's less forgiving
Not too surprised by the results. With the regulations that the R&A have in place, we won't see much in the way of improvement.
Another great video RickShielsPGAGolf
Great video. You should compare the R series by doing an R1 vs R15. After all, the R1 had very similar results than the SLDR.
Nice video. Would love to see the R15 vs Alpha 815, along with the 430 versions as well.
Stunned I was expecting about 10 yes difference
Since the R1 won against the SLDR in your previous video, how about R1 wis R15?
Rock I would like to see you do this test over because usually your spin rates are much lower. Also, in other testing, you have hit the r15 farther.
Rick thanks for this video was thinking about upgrading to the R15, but figured even though the shape was a bit more pleasing, when I can get a SLDR 430 with a Kaili shaft for $120 including shipping why not give it a go?
Rick, what happened to your training regime with Barrie?
Same question from me, which I asked on another video.
just bought a sldr 2nd hand will see how it goes
to make the SLDR more forgiving, why not just add a second weight and spread them apart as in the R15.
The new one was all over the place 25 yards left and 39 yards right. 64 yards between shots compared to 33 on the SLDR. That's probably 2 lost balls out of 5 on a tight course.
G-day Rick I think it's time for a 3 head off
Between mizuno's850;tit 915; and T.M.'s R15
And if it gets to cold up there in England
You can come down here in Sunny Aussie Land to do your review
P.S. Bring the Family you'll love it down here.
Cheers Nunny
Hey Rick, is there a vid comparison with the 2 new TM drivers soon? So: R15 vs. AeroBurner.......thanks mate!
Rick, nice review! Can you do a comparison between the latest R15 driver and its predecessor? I think it would be interesting to see why they discontinued their "old technologie". Thx!
You were on good form today. Those swings are as close as you can get them. I would like to see a session with going all out in swings though?
Can you compare the old Cleveland launcher 460 to any modern driver? I recently purchased a Big Bertha DBD 815 of identical loft and flex (adila tour green TX 8.5*). The average drives were significantly less than the old Cleveland Launcher 460 (graffaloy prolite 35 X flex 8.5*). I would say its just me, but a lot of people had similar results on forums and are going back to the old Cleveland. Even if its not an entire video, could you hit a few with it and let me know the results? My club-head speed averages 120 and the launcher was carying over 300; with the DBD the carry was 285. I had similar results with other modern drivers using GC2. It doesn't make sense that the old driver would go further (20+yards) than the new ones
Loft up on the dbd
KingOfCleveland32 how so?
+adam kim it spins way less than the launcher you need to start the ball higher so it will stay in the air long like taylormade has loft up the dbd is the type of club
If performance is the same looks, sound, and feel come in to play. Some might say the R15 looks better, but I'd say the SLDR looks better. The 430 version of the SLDR was also pretty good. Is the R15 louder? The only reason I never purchased the SLDR was I'd occasionally hit the unplayable hook when demoing. R15 initially gave promise of more forgiveness by increasing MOI, but I really haven't seen any numbers (launch monitor or actual MOI data) to back this up. Wish they had a black 430 option and some MOI data. Also wish they offered 430 12 degree in lefty. 915 D3 looks to be the winner for now, but the new Nike Vapor heads look nice (except the neon color). Thanks for posting.
Try the flyz+
Addison Sorrells like
Speechless, other than to say, get that Titleist 915 D3 in the bag!!
6 years later, the SLDR has a cult following, the R15 is mostly forgotten. Weird considering how close they were matched.
I've got the SLDR trio (Driver, 3 wood, 5 wood) and I still have not given them up nor will I ever. Nothing I've demoed had/still has spun less and rolled out farther in the fairway for me. I always try new stuff when it comes out but still nothing performs like the SLDR for me at least. It may very well be the last time I ever buy woods when I bought those lol
@@Recon-cv1fe Supposedly the upside to the SLDR is the low spin and distance, the downside is its not very forgiving compared to most of the drivers of that era, and especially the current stuff. Its kinda the modern day equivalent to a "tour" driver, great out of the middle, gone if youre not centered.
@@kauaigold True. The SLDR series is not for the weekend hack. It's also not good for people with speed but no power and vice versa. When I first tried it out I was shocked. I am about a 3 handicap rounded up. I always had a high launch and high spin shot type due to my angle of attack. When I hit the SLDR for the first time it went easily 30 yards longer than my old R7 460 just because of the drastic reduction of spin. I made the switch and never looked back.
@@kauaigold Believe it or not it's a club that can also serve as a training aid too. If you release early or too late with the hands; it will punish you severely. The fw woods are even more so. They make it so you better middle it or it's dead
@@Recon-cv1fe See thats whats been bugging me. I recently bought a VERY nice used Cleveland Launcher HB because im not a very good ball striker, though speed and power are there. Now that im getting better I wonder if I can get more distance with something more toward the SLDR. Current distance is around 310yd with around 2800rpm of spin. I think if it was around 2k it would go a lot farther but Id hate to waste money on a club that I have no hope of hitting any time soon.
Hi Rick, I've a sldr 460, would you change to an R15? Cheers Paul
Would you say the r15 430 has better feel? I wasn't a massive fan of the SLDR's feel
Still looks like the titleist 915D3 is the best so far! Can any new driver take it out???
How much does an extra SLDR weight cost btw?
Looking to upgrade my driver. My local golf shop has the new R15 for $499 Ca. The SLDR has been reduced to $249 Ca. After watching this video, $250 to get 1 more yard? I am going to try both, but my wallet is telling me SLDR.
I am sure all the regulations and constraints on golf club design, keep the max distance achieved between different generations of drivers very similar. But what about forgiveness - do you see any benefit or differences here?
£400 to gain one yard lol. Mere mortals like average club golfers are better spending money on coaching to learn to hit the drivers they already have better!! Tried all of the new ones for next year and if I had to change it would be the titleist 915 d3 if my fitness improves lol. Got to muscle that baby!!
Classic Taylormade there, not much difference is there really? Great review as per usual Ricksta!
So in summary there's absolutely no difference. Makes you start to question TMs claim that they bring so many new drivers out as they can't wait to share the new technology with golfers so they can improve. All of 1 yard. I do think that the SLDR was a genuine breakthrough, this unfortunately looks like a cash in. Would be really interested to see your 15 handicapper do the same test to see if the forgiveness claim stacks up as there's obviously bugger all difference in distance,
Great comparison, I was hoping for a much different result. I play the SLDR 460 and absolutely love it, not sure after watching your video that I'll be getting the R15!!
Rick it would be awesome if you tested this out with your 15 handicapper. So all of us golfers who arent as good as you get an idea for the difference⛳️
I'd love to see the sldr 430 against the m1 430
That would be a great comparison
Yet another super vid. Would there be an increase in figures if you used taylormade golf balls as I assume that's what they were tested on in their research ??
interesting that you hit the aeroburner better than both these clubs
Looks like I'll be saving my money, lol... How does the R15 compare to the Jetspeed?
The ball kept falling off the tee and I lost it lol
bring rob to do that test Rick Shiels PGA Golf Professional Manchester
How do you compare a 10.5 to a 11.5? Weird
to me, now I know why all the TM athletes can switch clubs every year. It is the same club??? I think based on your other video review I am sold on the Nike Vapor
Wow clubs have come a long way done I last played!
White makes the head look bigger than a dark head.
The numbers on the monitor do not add up. I've been on trackman, swing speed is around 108 to 110... Carry distance is 285 spin is 1900 to 2200.. AND I USE A KAI LI.. AS WELL.. Meaning you are spinning that thing way to much
I'm confused. Ricks original testing on the R15 430 is different than this video. The original test had his club head speed at 113.6 and total distance avg at 303. This video has his club head speed at 110 and his total distance avg at 292. So which is it ? The original test would make you believe that you should make a change in drivers but this test clearly show why bother
First video, i thinh Rick was swinging 100%. Here is tryigng to control swing speed to compare the heads.
Great video as ever Rick have ™ gone as far as they can now with technology? How about a golf ball head to head with some top branded distance balls and the premium balls now you have the simulator software maybe use an amateur alongside yourself to see how the figures compare, with Winter upon us we all want max distance! cheers Rick
So if the only difference is forgiveness due to 2 weights ....simply replace the 20g in your SLDR with 2 x 10g weights .... on ebay for
OK, I'm 7 years late. Catching up. I got an idea. Why not just add a second sliding weight to the SLDR - and bingo - you got an R15 !!??
I think that the winner is the Titleist 915.
Oh my lord, Rick, pERform, not pREform lol. Now I have to see if I never noticed it in the new videos.
No, because you used the same shaft. Did not think there would be much difference. I believe differences do come from shafts, not much from heads.
+Tony Boles then why do you not use the first great big bertha with the newer shafts??
Could they move some weighting around to add some forgiveness? Possibly. Could they move some weighting around to change the ball flight, Likely. Could they change some weight distribution to lower spin rights? Certainly. The Golf R&A has capped the technology of driver faces, every company is at the limit, and has been at the limit for some time. I'm growing tired of the distance buzz words and marketing ploys. The R15 didnt outperform the SLDR because its the same driver with some different color paint. All the research and development that was done on SLDR was simply carried over to avoid the cost of design, slapped with a fresh coat of paint and renamed. Taylor made has been doing this for years, re-releasing the same clubs in different colors. The R15 will be re-released again in the summer of 2015, they may paint it bright Red and name it the SLDR15... but it will still be more or less the same club.
why cant taylormade just put another weight in the sldr all the weights do is just pop out so why not pop one more in
Makes no sense Julien. Swing speeds should be consistent
HOW DO YOU DO?$ YOU'RE"#1! PASTORAL DRESS WHAT'S HAPPENING, GUYS1 !!
R15 head cover #OvenGloves
Bloody hell #robotRick.
Embarrassing for TaylorMade...
Just get a sldr with a white head😂
#robotrick