Hey everyone, hope you’re enjoying your weekendf and spring break. As a follow-up to a previous post on the RBZ Stage 2 Tour Hybrid review we did, here is our review of the non-Tour version from our independent reviewer. As you may recall, our reviewer was a little disappointed with the Stage 2 tour version of the hybrid, so let’s hope (for TaylorMade’s sake) that this hybrid stacks up a little better. Let’s get to it…
Looks
The TaylorMade RBZ Stage 2 Rescue features a black clubface and sole with a non-glare white crown. The grey and yellow alignment graphic offers a youthful appearance. TaylorMade continued with the speed pocket positioned just behind the club face. In addition, a weight is located directly behind the speed pocket designed to move the center of gravity lower and more forward producing faster ball speeds, higher launch and low spin. Compared to the previous RBZ Rescue, the new Stage 2 is not as round. However, the size and shape appears identical to the Stage 2 Tour Rescue. The club sets up nice at address and appears easy to hit, and if I had a complaint it would be that the crown graphics are a little distracting and unnecessary, but this seems to be TaylorMade’s trend this year (R1 graphics for example).
Performance
For this review, I tested the TaylorMade RBZ Stage 2 19 degree Rescue with a stiff RocketFuel shaft. The RocketFuel shaft weighs 62 grams with 3.2 degrees of torque. In my books, the performance and feel between the Stage 2 and Stage 2 Tour are completely reversed. I expected better results from the Tour version being a scratch golfer, but was shocked that the Stage 2 outperformed it’s Tour counterpart.
The RBZ Stage 2 Hybrid produced a piercing mid to high ball flight. The majority of shots produced a straight ball flight or draw. Unlike the Stage 2 Tour Rescue, the regular Stage 2 Rescue does not balloon. The club performs great off the tee and is easy to hit from tight lies or regular length rough. In fact, it seemed easier to hit from a tight lie than the previous RBZ Rescue. This club really performed well in my books, I couldn’t put it down.
Feel
The RBZ Stage 2 Rescue feels solid at impact with a crisp contact. In addition, it feels harder off the face than the RBZ Stage 2 Tour Rescue. The RBZ Stage 2 Tour has an incredibly smooth feel and very few hybrids will duplicate the same feeling. The D4 swing weight is the exact same as the Tour version. Overall, the feel of the club is solid, not quite as nice as the RBZ Stage 2 Tour, but pretty darn good, and this time the feel matched up with performance.
Value
The RBZ Stage 2 Rescue is forgiving and easy to hit. The piercing ball flight provides plenty of distance. Based on my results, the regular RBZ Stage 2 Rescue outperformed the more expensive Tour version. Compared to other hybrids the rescue is also very competitive in the price department, carry a price tag of only $199.99, which is great price for the club’s performance. I would highly recommended looking into this hybrid if you’re in the market, I was very impressed.