I bought this driver about a week ago and have improved my score by 4 strokes easily. The easiest club i have ever hit in my life! Even if you dont hit the ball on the sweet spot, it still goes long and straight too! A great bargain and well worth the $200 i paid for it off of the ebay website.

Customer Service

I havent had to deal with customer service.

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Ben Hogan Big Ben SC-3
Taylor Made R540 XD

Simply the best driver I have ever hit, I thought R7 was good, but this driver blow away the R7. Driver sets up very nice over the ball and when you swing about 80 to 90 percent, it goes far, very far! Oh and straight too. Back of the driving range is about 300 uphill but I was able to reach it 6 out of 10 shots. I average about 250 - 260 with my old R7 425 but with R5 driver my average is up 15 – 25 yards, and straight. This driver is very forgiving, off center hits are long. I reach more fairways now and my handy is down by 5-6. I have 10.5 degree, Grafalloy prolaunch blue and it fits very well with my swing, 10.5 does hit little bit high, wished I had 9.5, but I’m not complaining. Get fitted, and you will love this driver.

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Taylormade R540XD, R7 425, Callaway Big Bertha, Ping G2

My low round is a 79 on a respectable course, my average would be in the lower 80's. Been golfing since about 92, when it wasn't cool, but Freddie won his green jacket. Seen alot of changes in club technology and one thing is still true: If you don't know how to swing a 400 dollar club, it still isn't worth a penny. But, the Taylor Made R5 feels like a million bucks.

Got this club after using my trusty Callaway War Bird w/stiff Dynamic Golds and although I have a high driver swing speed between 105 and sometimes 120, I opted for the regular flex and 10.5 loft because I wanted a driver that I could use less effort to achieve similar results. The old Callaway averaged 280 and topped at 300 with a carry of about 250 and a boring ball flight. My normal shot shape is a controlled draw and the R5 my first few rounds was INSANE! The distance was about 20 yds more, but fairways hit were almost 90%! The carry increased to about 260-270, but the roll was noticeably diminished...which is awesome because that means if you land in the fairway, chances are, you're staying there. This means approaches are more accurate, birdies aplenty, and more skins. With that extra carry, you have the carry to cut some doglegs AND the control to keep it in the fairway and not rolling into hazards. Overall, this club really improved my consistency because I didn't have to hit as many recover shots, and my normal iron for approach shots on the par 4s at my local course went from a 6-8 iron to a 9-SW. I miss my 8 iron! In fact, it took me awhile to adjust to hitting a half-PW or 9, or a three-quarter SW going into the greens. The only drawbacks are that the shape is almost invariably straight, even on mis-hits, so this is actually a good thing, and I've gained more yardage with this driver than with my old driver and draw. Also, after having found a driver that can be eased into hitting 300+ yard drives, I'm left wondering what I can hit with a stiff shaft, low torque and 9 degrees. Still, with this club, I have driven some short par four greens, and as someone had mentioned earlier, there is a domino effect that will happen when you get this club: More fairways, shorter aprroaches, and MORE BIRDIES = MORE SKINS! Get this club while you can.

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Ping G5, Titleist 905, Callaway 460, Fusion 3, Taylor Made R7

Great club all around. Cant get a better value from a club.

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I've used the new Calloway FT-I, Nike SQ and Ping Raptor and the R-5 was the best to me.

This is my 5th and hopefully last drive. I got it because of all the positive things I read about it, and figured I'd give it a shot. Let's just say my first few rounds with it weren't exactly love at first sight, I kept hitting everything to the right and my distances weren't even close to what I had been hitting with my old driver. Instead of giving up I went to my local pro shop and had my swing analysed, I was told I was hitting with a swing that was too steep and was putting too much back spin and too much right spin on the ball causing a high ball flight that would stop short and go right. I wasn't about to buy another driver but I also didn't want to embarass myself either so I just didn't play driver for about a month. To make a long story short I was given tickets to the PODS tournament and I watched this one pro's routine when he setup to hit his driver, everytime he did this little exercise with his right hand that would cause his right elbow to tuck into his side, and every drive he would make would be straight and long, so the next week without even going to the range I tried his little exercise and holy s*** I hit the damn ball right down the middle and 40 yards longer on the first hole. I hit my driver consistantly this way everytime I pulled it and since I've played 3 rounds and continue to hit it this way I know it's no fluke. I'm not saying that any driver will make you a better golfer but if you can fix your swing and you use a driver that is built for forgiveness it really does make the game alot more enjoyable when you can stay in the fairways and out hit your friends. I haven't tried any of my old drivers or any other brand since I fixed my swing, I'm too afraid to jinx myself by switching anything but I do know that Taylormade equipment is used by an awful lot of pros and I have always had good luck so I don't think you can go wrong buying them.

Customer Service

Not Applicable

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Every Taylormade Driver since the Super Steels

I came across these reviews doing some last minute research on the R5 after hitting my friend’s 9.5 neutral stiff for 18 holes. After my round with the borrowed club and two rounds with my new club, I figured I owed it to TM to write a review.

In the past, I would get frustrated with my driver and revert back to my trusty 3-wood off the tee. It has always been good for 265-275 and about 80% fairway accuracy. But of course, that would leave some long approach shots and I was missing my fair share of greens. So I borrowed my friend’s R5 before a league round and the results were outstanding. I didn’t have time to test it on the range so my first shot wasn’t great – my swing speed was too fast and I hit a high fade well off the fairway. But once I slowed down my swing I only missed two fairways with the R5 over the rest of the round, both of which were playable only a few yards into the rough.

My natural ball flight is straight and it was the same with the R5. According to the GPS in the cart, my shortest drive that day was an uphill 280 and my longest was 320, but that came with some extra roll down a fairway slope that I have had trouble reaching in the past. My longest drive on a flat runway was exactly 300 and the landing was soft without much roll, which I actually prefer due to our fast desert conditions. Compared to my other 9.5 drivers, the R5 has the least amount of roll due to a slightly higher ball flight – it’s not the longest driver I have ever owned, but the accuracy MORE than makes up for the extra 5-15 yards of distance.

I tried both the extra stiff and regular stiff shafts and actually had better results with the regular stiff despite my swing speed (95-110) due to a more controlled swing; which is fine by me. At 33, my days of being a gorilla off the tee are over.

My scores on a standard public course typically range between 79 and 84, but my first two rounds with the R5 resulted in a 79 and a 77 – and it’s only the start of April. I would recommend this club to beginners and any decent golfer who struggles with consistency using a less-forgiving tour model driver. Easily the best club purchase I have made since I switched to Ping Irons 6 years ago.

Customer Service

NA

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The plan is to give an initial review here having just bought this driver, then to come back in a few weeks and give a supplementary.

I bought this driver from a respected UK online retailer for GBP 119 (USD 240). This is a good price in the UK for a current premium brand model, but probably reflects the fact that TM are about to release the new Burner and R7 SuperQuad, so I guess it means the R5 Dual may be about to cease production.

I chose the 'N'Type because I do not have a slice problem, and 9.5 degrees rather than my normal 10.5 deg because I wnated to promote a little lower ball flight and more roll than I normally get.

First impressions are of a very good looking club. Although the 450 cc head is big, it doesn't personally phase me as I've had these big headed drivers before and the R5 looks no bigger than anything elase I've used.

I bought my R5 with the stock MAS 2 shaft at stiff flex. I have a normal driver swing speed of 95-98 mph but top 100 mph if I go for it.

On hitting the club the first thing I noticed was a more pleasant impact noise than the boom I got from my Cobra 440SZ. No more looks on the range that say "WTF was that ?"

I tend to start working with a new driver by starting out at the lower end of my swing speed range and then increasing the speed until I feel I have optimal club performance without losing control of my swing.

At lower swing speeds the MAS 2 shaft felt a little soft and unresponsive with several hook shots produced. As I wound it up though, things improved so that the upper end of my range I was getting a long boring trajectory with a nice draw (my natural shape shot). The ball was pitching at 230 - 240 yards with the roll taking it just out of the back of the range at 250 yards. Disbursement pattern was resonable. Bearing in mind this was a cool late winter day, using range balls and a relatively soft landing area on a flat range, I'm expecting to pitch at least at 245 - 255 and roll out to 260 - 270 minimum on the flat in good conditions with a premium ball (maybe more on a favourable undulating fairway).

On the negative side a couple of things. I do not like the stock TM grip so that will be replaced, and the "Type N" badge that sits between the weight chambers at the back of the clubhead came off after I'd only hit about six balls. Only cosmetic, but shouldn't happen to a new club. Retailer has agreed to replace whole club.

So intitial impressions are very good. Jury is out on the stock MAS 2 shaft. Fitting a premium shaft like a Proforce V2 could be the difference between a very good and a great driver for me.

Time will tell

Customer Service

Not used yet.

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Rankmark.com's November 4, 2006 Driver Tests rank the R5 as the #1 driver for "11 and above handicaps." I concur.

This is an awesome driver! The longest of all the drivers I've tried over the past few years (and I've tried them all). The R5 is also very forgiving with a nice boring trajectory.

The ProLaunch shaft makes a huge difference vs. the stock shaft. Better feel and more distance with the ProLaunch. I demoed both the stock vs. ProLaunch shafts in R5 drivers, and there was NO comparison: ProLaunch is superior (at least for me).

The R5 is accurate with tight shot dispersion, although when I'm not swinging well I'll tend to push the ball to the right with the R5.

When swinging well, though, I can really be aggressive thru the ball and crush it - about 265 with the occasional 280 yard pop. My swing speed has been measured between 90-96 mph, although one simulator I frequent says on my best swings I'm at 101 (my swing is a little inconsistent).

Customer Service

Not needed.

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I have been hitting this driver for more than a year and it continues to amaze me at what it can do. I used to hit a high fade and was always the "short knocker" in the group but now I can live up to my nickname "The Hammer" I am in the fairway 80 to 90 percent of the time which has greatly increased my chances of getting on in in regulation, which increases my birdie opportunities. etc...The positive domino effect it has had on my game is great....

Customer Service

N/A

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Went from the 540 to the 580 to the R5

Like everyone else i love to hit the long ball in my opinion this loft and face angle and shaft is not a good match for me and i wasnt very consistant. this driver has great length when you nut it but on off center hits you will chasing your ball everywhere. this is not the driver for me but maybe for you hit it and see what happens.

Customer Service

never used

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