TaylorMade debuted its new r7 Limited driver at the Wyndham Championship last week, and David Toms may be glad they did.
Toms, who has struggled with his distance off the tee in recent years, used the new driver to average 301.3 yards (46th best in the field) for the week on a tight course. His season average is 278.4 yards, which is 169th best on Tour.
Toms is looking for an answer to his slipping distance. In 2005, he averaged 287.8 yards. In 2006 his yardage averaged 285.4 and in 2007 it was 282.5.
Along with Toms, John Daly and NCAA Champion Kevin Chappell put the driver into play for the week. Brandt Snedeker also used the driver, but was listed by the Darrell Survey as using a different driver on Thursday.
The r7 Limited is the newest driver from TaylorMade to feature Movable Weight Technology. By moving weight in the clubhead, golfers can change the trajectory of their shots to best suit their individual games.
Unlike the r7 SuperQuad, the new Limited is neutral and does not promote a draw. The club uses three weights - one at 16 grams and two at 1 gram each - which can be positioned to bend shots left, right or hit straight.
The Limited has a more triangular clubhead shape and is longer from front to back than the SuperQuad to further move the center of gravity (CG) back and promote a higher ball flight.
On Tour, TaylorMade officials hope to target players who are not using the company's Tour Burners - primarily staffers in lower CG drivers like the 460 models. Company spokesman Scott Leightman said Tour Van staffers built Limited drivers for several players last week, including Pete Lonard, John Rollins, Eric Axley and Vaughn Taylor.
"We saw increases in ball speed on the launch monitor. With the Movable Weight Technology, we were able to find the right weight distribution to reduce launch and spin for the players who had too much spin," Leightman said in an email message.
Leightman also said that the players liked the look of the r7 Limited and gave good feedback on the sound and feel.
The r7 Limited driver will be available at retail on September 15 and will sell for a suggested $500.
