Ok… first off… the answer is no. Just because TaylorMade has used the “R7″ name here doesn’t mean the club features removable weights. TaylorMade has been able to create a solid iron without the use of weight screws and wrenches. The R7 XD is designed with forgiveness in mind and is really a cross between the OS and the CGB. The overall head shape and size is fairly similar to the OS. Basically the R7 XD is big but not too big. The majority of the extra technology lies in the club face. TaylorMade has brought over their Inverted Cone Technology… something that has been used in their woods for a while… and has put it into this iron. This Inverted Cone Technology combined with a titanium face produces a longer and more forgiving iron. The center of gravity is low and the ball flight is slightly higher than that produced by the OS. The stock steel and graphite shaft options are decent and should be just fine for the average player.
This iron was designed to fill a gap and it does just that. It gives the large game improvement market one more option when shopping for new irons. It allows golfers to take that extra technological step without suffering a huge financial hit. We here at SirShanksAlot.com just hate it when companies make a change for the sake of change… when companies give an existing club some new paint and call it a the next generation in golf club technology. This iron doesn’t fall into this category. This is a supplement to the already strong TaylorMade game improvement category.
We were really curious to see if people noticed a difference between the R7 XD iron and the current OS model. We wanted to see if the extra technology was worth the money. The R7 XD iron proved to be more forgiving and slightly longer (about a half a club to one full club) than the OS. Our testers liked the extra distance and the extra height that the XD provided. Some of the better players didn’t like the offset but this club isn’t really intended for them. I could see a better player looking at a R7 XD long iron to replace a hard to hit 3 or 4 iron though. People loved the way that this iron looked… the top line and sole are aren’t too big, the graphics are nice and the overall look inspires confidence at address. The price is about right for a club with some extra bells and whistles and it should do very well at it’s price point. Sure most of the attention will fall on the new CGB Max iron and why not… it’s the flashy and expensive one. The R7 XD will probably just chug along under the radar for a while but it is too good to go unnoticed for very long!
Overall Rating – 90%
Target Handicap – 10 +
Ball Flight – High
Offset – Maximum
Construction – Stainless steel body with a titanium face
Stock Shafts – R7 T-Step Ultralite steel, R7-55 graphite