I love black finish clubs. There’s something about them that says “it’s time to get serious.”

The new TaylorMade rac Black TP Wedges are really sharp looking clubs for the serious business of getting up and down.

And TaylorMade has introduced a variety of technologies and design features to help you get there.

First, the wedges have milled Y-cutter grooves to grip the cover of the ball more effectively. This, TaylorMade says, generates up to 300 additional RPM than the Dual-Draft grooves, resulting in enhanced bite and control from shot-to-shot.

The sole of the wedges are ground low on the trailing edge and at the toe and heel. It’s called a C-Grind because, when viewed from above, the trailing edge resembles the letter C. This design allows players to open the clubface more effectively. Even more versatilty is offered by the radiused leading edges, allowign players to hit punch shots. (I personally have never been able to hit a punch shot with a wedge. ).

Annd finally, the wedges have the “feel pockets” that are designed to redirect vibrations to improve feel. I play with softer balls precisely because I like the feel, so I appreciate this design feature.

TAYLORMADE rac Black TP Wedge

A couple of weeks ago, the GolfBlogger noted that John Daly had signed to play the MaxFli ball, and TaylorMade Irons and metalwoods.

But there were a few questions: Why was Daly still on the Dunlop website? What’s up with the Focus Golf deal? What about putters and wedges?

Since then, I’ve learned a few things from GolfWeek Magazine, and from other sources:

First, it turns out that endorsement deals don’t generally include putters and wedges. Daly therefore is free to play whatever putters and wedges he wants. But it seems that he has gone whole hog (or Razorback) with TaylorMade and also uses their wedges and putters (although not contractually obligated to do so).

Second, while FocusGolf is putting out a Daly line of clubs, he apparently won’t be playing with any of them. My guess is that it’s intended for an entirely different market and that it doesn’t bother TaylorMade at all.

And finally, it seems that Daly’s picture has come down from the Dunlop website. But there’s still a video of him endorsing the company’s products.

I’m guessing that Dunlop is trying to push this thing as far as possible. 

The TaylorMade r7 CGB Max is probably the best looking of the Super Game Improvement Irons on Golf Digest’s 2006 Hot List. I spent a long time at the local pro shop the other day, standing over the various irons and quietly swinging them. The CGB Max looked the least like a game improvement iron.  I guess I really just don’t buy into the standard golf manufacturer’s line that a thick topline “promotes confidence.”

Personal preferenes aside, the TaylorMade CGB Max has a lot of high tech features to help you improve your game. At the heart of it all is TaylorMade’s pull face construction, in which a thin 455 stainless steel face is welded to a hollow topline frame. The large, thin, unsupported face produces an extremely high Coefficient of Restitution for an iron, resulting in more distance.

Pull face technology also allows TaylorMade to use the same ‘inverted core technology” that has made their drivers and fairway woods so easy to play. TaylorMade says that they spent three years trying to find a way to incorporate the inverted core technology into irons.

With the largest steel clubface TaylorMade has ever made, the CGB Max also has the largest moment of inertia, making it very stable on off-center hits. Tungsten weights and a hollow topline allowed TaylorMade to shift even more weight to optimize launch conditions.

TAYLORMADE r7 CGB Max Irons 3-PW w/Steel Shaft

TaylorMade has a little online flash toy called the Weight Configurator (is that a word?) to help you figure out where to put the weights on your new R7 425 for maximum effect. I’m setting mine up for maximum Fade. That means putting the 12 gram weights toward the toe and the 2 gram ones closer to the inside.

What I wonder, and what the site doesn’t seem to tell me is whether it would help to install a couple of 14 gram weights in place of the 12 gram ones. Presumably, this would make the fade even more pronounced. Or maybe it would just mess up their finely tuned club. I’m deliberating over whether to get a couple. 

The TaylorMade Rescue Dual was the Editor’s Choice among hybrid clubs on the 2006 Golf Digest Hot List.

The club features two of TaylorMade’s famous TLC (TaylorMade Launch Control) weight ports that allow users to change the club’s weighting for a draw or neutral bias. The ports in this model are more widely spaced, creating a higher moment of intertia (resistance to twisting). The hybrid also has a new v shaped sole design for better aiming and less drag at impact.

If you aren’t already using a hybrid club in place of your long irons, you should be. I have one of these in my bag, and will surely add another this spring.

TaylorMade Rescue Dual - Graphite Shaft