VIDEO: Readers get fitted for TaylorMade RSi irons

TaylorMade’s most recent iron is literally changing the face of club technology as we know it. Having never been a company afraid to break tradition in order to enhance performance, their new RSi irons take the concept to new levels.

The brand’s internal research has discovered amateur golfers mishit their iron shots 76 per cent of the time. Variable face thickness – a common way to maintain ball speeds – only does so much when you strike the heel or toe. So to bring those speeds closer to those you’d expect right out of the sweetspot, TaylorMade has built slots into the face to work with the slot in the sole to increase face flex in these undesirable impact areas where so many of us make contact.

To validate the technology, we invited three readers to the TaylorMade Performance Lab at Wentworth Golf Club in Surrey to get custom-fitted by European Performance Lab manager Liam McDougall for a set of RSi 1 or RSi 2 irons (the better-player TP model doesn’t arrive until January).

Alongside sophisticated launch monitor TrackMan, a big part of TaylorMade’s iron fitting process is the use of simple face tape. It allows golfer and fitter to see exactly where the ball has struck the club, so they know where their misses are and can also work out how feel and distance is affected from good and bad strikes. Using face tape means spin levels come down considerably, but it still creates a clearer picture of off-centre hit performance.

Our three readers, ranging in handicap from eight to 19, arrived with out-of-date equipment and frustrated with their iron play. “I bought my irons 10 years ago and struggle with consistency,” says Pieter Hay, describing a typical tale. “I’m excited to see what this new technology can do for me.”

Watch the video to find out…