TaylorMade Rocketballz Stage II Fairway Wood Review

First Hit Test – Joel Tadman, HCP 3

I had not had the pleasure of hitting the original RBZ fairway wood before, so it was no surprise that when I hit it at a media launch, the difference between the Stage 2 and my old Callaway X was colossal. I haven’t seen any numbers but I’m sure my ball is carrying much further… it looks like it stays in the air forever!

The feeling of pure power off the face is something I haven’t experienced before and I can’t help but be very excited about the yardage gains I could achieve. Off-centre hits don’t seem to make too much difference to the ball flight and I had no problem hitting this off the deck either.As soon as I get my hands on an RBZ Stage 2, it’s going straight in the bag!

Pros: Explosive ball speed, high launch, longer carry, forgiving on mis-hits.
Cons: I don’t like the crown design and only the Tour version is adjustable

TaylorMade shook up the market last year when they launched the RocketBallz fairway wood, and now they’ve taken it a step further with the new RBZ Stage II.

Last year’s product was engineered to give some golfers up to 17 yards more, but the new RBZ Stage II can deliver a further 10 yards in the right hands due to the combination of innovation and new technologies.

One of the key innovations is the Speed Pocket that sits behind the face, as Vice President of Metalwood R&D Todd Beach explains.

“RocketBallz represented a distance breakthrough, but we knew we could make improvements. The improved Speed Pocket, re-configured CG location and shallower profile make this year’s line-up of fairways the best-performing metalwoods we have ever developed.”

The face is thinner and faster-flexing than the RBZ, allowing the Speed Pocket to help generate faster ball speed for more distance.

RRP: £189, £229 (Tour) and £269 (Tour with TP shaft)
Lofts: 15° 17°, 19°, 21° and 23°