Review TaylorMade RBZ Irons

The RBZ series of clubs made an impact on the tours during the first half of 2012 and it wasn't long before the stylish RBZ irons were added to the series.

The irons feature a dark brushed finish and futuristic insert with a filled cavity on the 4 and 5 irons.

Steve Webb recently took the chance to give the RBZ irons a full test at the Golf Tech Systems indoor test centre using the Trugolf simulator.  These irons are now also in Steve's bag.

TaylorMade RBZ Irons Testing

Clubs: Taylor Made RBZ Irons Review, 4 – PW, RBZ Regular Steel Shaft

Tester: Steve Webb, Handicap: 6

Location: Golf Tech Systems Demo Centre, Chalgrove

Initial View

My first impression of the clubs on the rack was the 4 and 5 iron with filled cavities looked more like hybrid irons which is not for everyone and not really to my taste. The rest of the irons had normal cavities and looked good and the dark brushed finish is something that particularly appeals to me.

First Swings

From the top view I was quite surprised. The 4 and 5 irons didn’t look as much like hybrids as I thought they would. Although very offset and a thick top line all the irons looked good at setup. The short irons seem forgiving and consistent whilst the long irons are easy to hit and seem to give good distance.

Trugolf Simulator Test

First shots were actually very good. The clubs are extremely easy to hit and get the ball airbourne quickly. The biggest shock was the distance. These clubs were hitting a club further than my current irons and really zipping off the club face.

Initially I felt these clubs were purely game improvement for mid – high handicappers but I can really see a case for lower handicap golfers trying these irons. I set up the Trugolf Simulator with a 145 yard, 30 foot target on the driving range hitting 10 shots with the 8 Iron to gauge results.

Launch, Disperson & Club Head Stats

Using the Trugolf simulator I was able to accurately compare the shots I hit, image below, and whilst there was some varied launch angles the solid black line forming through the middle does show a reasonable level of consistency.   Very few strayed off line which was great to see and the 2 shots not hit so will were pretty forgiving and the end result was still good.

The dispersion on the Trugolf was set at 30 foot and analysing the overall distance it wasn’t that varied with only a few yards between shortest and furthest.  Sidespin numbers were pretty low which resulted in only a couple off centre line shots. Again the stats show that the 2 poor shots that didn't come out the middle had a high level of forgiveness and didn't end up that bad.

Club head stats cam out well with some good back spin numbers and my club head/ball speed ratio was impressive. I personally normally hit my current 8 iron just shy of 140 yards so I could see an improvement in overall distance.

Final Verdict:

Don’t let game improvement or mid – high handicap clubs fool you!!

It is a common mistake to look straight past these type of irons and go for more expensive models or forged irons. My advice is to try them and compare against your own. You may be shocked with the results. If you’re not playing on a regular basis then the RBZ’s will serve you well. The forgiveness I got when I didn’t quite catch one is exactly what most amateur golfers are looking for. The feel of the strike felt good off the clubface but in terms of feel they did seem to lack something. I guess this is the compromise when using these types of irons, however the results will put a smile back on your face. Whilst I still don’t like the amount of offset and the hybrid look to the 4 and 5 irons I couldn’t fault the consistency and distance of these clubs. Extremely easy to hit and a nice colour finish do make them a stand out product against their competitors.

Pros:  Nice colour finish, very forgiving, great distance, Price.

Cons: Hybrid 4 & 5 iron not to everyone’s taste, Limited workability, Grips quite thin.

Range Target: 10/10

For full information and Trugolf stats check out Steve's blog: www.golftechsystems.com/blog.html

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Check the RBZ irons online via Golfbidder.co.uk

Golf Tech Systems’ is a leader in golf technology and golf simulators, have recently opened their demo centre in Oxfordshire giving customers the ability to view, test and compare the different systems before committing to buy.