RocketBladez Tour

TaylorMade RocketBladez Tour, in 3- to 7-iron, is powered by the Speed Pocket - the ‘little thing’ that promotes radically increased speed and distance. Quite frankly, these irons are the true blend of the feel the pros like Sergio Garcia demand and the explosive distance that amateurs like me crave.

The first thing I wanted to note was the lie angle of the 6-iron, given the regular RocketBladez 6-iron was likened to a 5-iron at 26.5-degree. I was much happier to see a more realistic lie version of 29.5-degree this time around.

It looks great at address with its medium sole and big top edge, and just looking at the back of the club aided confidence when placing clubhead behind ball. I also enjoyed how the Speed Pocket was located more in the middle of the sole rather than in the front, and that there was plenty of weight at the back to help me get the ball airborne.

I was a little skeptical about the loud crack of the RocketBladez but this Tour version was much more pleasing. The specially formulated polyurethane provides a much softer sound and a real crisp, springy feel at impact as the ball flies off the face. The combination of KBS shaft also worked well for my swing speed.

In terms of performance, the RocketBladez Tour is a very solid performer and provided me with much truer distance for a 6-iron in comparison to the original version, although still much longer than my current setup. I found it was slightly easier to hit a draw over a fade but thankfully straight was the easiest option.

The milled face texture of the grooves also promoted me with consistently high spin and shots tended to hold their line well in the wind. The broad sweet spot also helped minimise any mistakes. When hitting a poor one, the feedback I received told me to pull my act together on the next shot.

Verdict:

This is by far the best TaylorMade iron I’ve laid hands on. It’s easy-to-hit, provides a decent mid-to-high ball flight, plenty of distance with its trampoline-like effect and aids enough forgiveness to suit the mid-capper. It’s also one of the most visually appealing player irons in my book.

Expensive at £699 but the RocketBladez Tour looks, feels and performs the way you would expect for that price point.

How did the RocketBladez Tour get on in our Ten of the Best player irons club test? Click here to find out. Remember to follow us on Twitter @Golfmagic.