Two of the biggest rages in golf this year have been hybrid clubs and movable weights. Golfers are scooping up hybrid clubs at a torrid pace and movable weight technology has changed the way golfers customize clubs to fit their swing. TaylorMade has been the leader in movable weight technology and hybrid clubs… so it’s only fitting that the company has now combined the two together.
Let’s quickly review movable weight technology and what it can do for the average player. Weight makes a golf club work… it controls the height of the ball, the direction of the ball and the forgiveness of the club. Clubs are usually created with the average player in mind… so most weight is positioned towards the back at the bottom (to increase launch angle and ball height) and towards the heel (to prevent a slice). This basic design can be found in most “game improvement” clubs and is designed to help the average player. But who exactly is the average player? Are all players built alike? How is one club suppose to work for so many different players? Companies like TaylorMade found a way that golfers could customize their clubs to suit their swings… they developed movable weight technology. This technology allows golfers to alter the club’s center of gravity and change how the club works.
The TaylorMade Rescue Dual features two weight ports… one in the heel and one in the toe (the middle weight is used to alter swingweight at the factory and it can’t be removed). The club is built with an internal heel-weight bias already but additional weight can be moved to alter the center of gravity even more. The weight ports have been positioned far away from one another and this helps increase the MOI… making the club more stable on miss hits. The sole of the Rescue Dual is “T” shaped and acts like a rail… allowing the club to glide across the ground. The Rescue Dual is roughly the same size as the older Rescue Mid and it is appealing to the eye at address. The stock steel (T-Step Ultralite) and stock graphite (Hybrid 65) both work well in the Rescue Dual and the average golfer shouldn’t need to look at an upgrade.
Customer reaction to the Rescue Dual has been fairly positive and it looks like consumers are starting to warm up to the idea of movable weight technology. Our testers really liked how stable the club was on impact… even on miss hits. They also liked the “T” sole and how it helped the club glide across the fairway. The Rescue Dual doesn’t hit the ball much farther than the Rescue Mid but my customers like it’s extra forgiveness. Some testers complained that the club looked too much like a spaceship. Some complained that it wasn’t really any better than the old Rescue Mid but everyone agreed that it was easier to hit than a long iron. We also heard the “it doesn’t come with a wrench” comment a few times too but we knew that one was coming! So is the Rescue Dual that much better than the Rescue Mid? Not really. It is basically the Mid with two movable weights. I don’t think we will get a true customer reaction to the Dual until all the old Mid’s have been discontinued and cleared out at a discounted rate. If you have the Mid and are happy with it… save your money. If you’re looking for a new hybird club to rid your bag of pesky long irons… then have a look at the TaylorMade Rescue Dual.
Overall Rating – 80%
Target Handicap – Anyone that has trouble hitting their longer irons
Ball Flight – Mid to High
Numbers and Lofts – 2(16), 3 (19), 4 (22), 5 (25)
Shafts – T-Step Ultralite steel and M.A.S.2 65 graphite