TaylorMade R580XD Driver Review

Watching Spencer hit the R580XD was an awesome sight. It wasn’t just that the series of drives was identifiably the longest of the afternoon, they were also arrow-straight. “Pretty damn good,” was the verdict of the pro, who added: “I felt I could swing as hard as I wanted to and the ball would still go on the fairway.”

While the yardages by the TG were obviously less startling, their general verdict was the same. “It almost feels like a 5-wood” said one. “I’m keeping that,” said the other.

Of course, this universal thumbs-up is hardly a surprise. The R500 series is the most widely used driver in professional golf, and although cynics will say that’s because so many players are paid so much money to pick the thing up, it’s also the choice of plenty of top pros able to choose whichever club they like.

TaylorMade don’t please everyone by launching so many new drivers so quickly – the XD (for ‘extra distance) is an update on last year’s old R500 Series and will probably be ‘out of date’ itself in a year’s time – but the club will prove hard to better.

Verdict: awesome distance for scratch players, gratifying forgiveness for high handicappers, plenty of ‘wow factor’ for everyone. The unanimous top choice of our three testers.

Price: £349

Contact: 0800 389 4292
Website: www.taylormadegolf.com

Head Sizes: 400cc and 440cc
Shaft Length: 45in
Shaft Options: M, R, S and TS

Loft Options: 8.5, 9.5 and 10.5

Left Handed? Only 9.5 and 10.5
Ladies Version? No