After long anticipation and waiting while every one used standard 420cc R9 drivers, the R9 Max Japan model driver officially launched today in Japan!
We received our drivers on Saturday and began shipping them out today and filling the many pre orders we had. I spent the weekend fiddling with the R9 Max and playing with Flight Control Technology for the first time.
FCT looks to be an interesting and useful technology. Those who love to fidget with their clubs and test different configurations are in for a treat. This is a golf lover and gadget freaks dream driver. One of the things I noted right of the bat together with Tourspecgolfer was that the overall weight of these drivers is a lot more than standard drivers you see making us question how heavy is FCT in the hosel area? I’ve always wondered how that affects the balance of that head with extra weight added due to FCT but after testing the driver this weekend it does not seem to affect balance or performance. But for those who prefer ultra light JDM spec drivers this is a touch heavier which can both be a good and bad thing.
Taylormade has told me that there will be even more FCT shafts available down the road including several lightweight ones which I’m definitely looking forward to trying.
Many people have been opting for the R9 Max over the R9 even with the added cost of Japanese market pricing due to several of the benfits provided by the R9 Max. For those who don’t alread know:
- The R9 Max is 460cc large and is meant to be more forgiving than its 420cc R9 brother. The larger head inspires confidence who need it.
- The R9 Max has only one weight port but has a larger left right spread than the R9 thanks to its ability to adjust face angle by 3* either way.
- With the 3* face angle either way, effective loft is changed 1.5* stronger or weaker. (TM has used the simple calculation, every 1* the face angle is changed equals 0.5* for loft.
- The stock Motore shaft for the R9 Max is lighter than the US Spec R9 by 10+ grams. The R9 drivers are heavier as it is. The lighter shaft is good for feel and distance for us average folks.
- The best upgrades are available for the R9 Max and R9 Japan Market drivers including the Tour AD EV series, Diamana Kai’li and very hot Fujikura Speeder Motore. More shafts are on the way.
Thanks Gocchin, the face angle images really help. Again I have no idea why TM would release a 420cc in the USA while statistics clearly show 460 sales are tops. It could be to sell as many individual pieces of the R9 as possible. The early adopters will buy the 420 because,.. well thats what club ho’s who cant wait do but when they make the 460cc USA release the club ho’s will need to buy that one as well. I think it equals more drivers sold in the long run but IMO they are not making the product the customer wants off the start.