Taylormade TP Forged Irons 2009 Review

The Taylormade Japan TP Forged 2009 Iron had its debut at the Tokyo Golf Show in Febuary, we were able to hit it during the show but with all the sounds,  mats, and no golf attire it just wasn't something I could write a review from.

TM TP Forged 2009 Japan Model
I'll be honest I dont play much Taylormade but when we had a set returned to us  I couldn't resist taking it out for a spin on the course. This set was shafted with NS1150 ( my old choice of shaft ) 4-PW at .25" shorter than U.S standard which is perfect for me and my steep downward strike. Keep in mind that most of my reviews will be based on other ultra high end clubs not your normal stuff you find at the local golf store. If it's gonna be the best it needs to rank with the best.

Feel: 3/5 Points
The new TM TP feel's very good, it's forged of S25C and you can clearly tell that it isnt a cast product upon impact.  In recent months I have been hitting some Japan made  irons that are very hard to compete with like The Yamaha Limited Tour Edition,  Epon AF-Tour, Miura MB5003, and the PPM Pro Performance model.  The TM TP can honestly stand with them in most departments yet not all and while it would be at the bottom of this list in regards to feel without a doubt it stands atop the best in the U.S domestic market easily.

Forgiveness: 4/5 Points
Please keep in mind the 4/5 is when compared to players cavity backs and muscle back designs. The TM TP is more forgiving than the blades I have hit recently and it especially shines on heel and toe shots.  It shares about the same amount of forgiveness as the Yamaha Limited Tour's, yet nowhere near the Epon AF701. I found the Taylormade to more forgiving than the TourStage 701 iron. It's no ping but any single digit with decent ball striking can handle this iron with ease. Compared to bigger U.S domestic Irons I have hit it's no where near a Ping in forgiveness but also it doesnt look as crazy either and isnt nearly as large.

Accuracy: 4/5 Points
Well the ball likes to go straight, even on  some mis hit shots.  If your using the right shaft, lie, length and other fitted aspects I see this iron doing well for a wide range golfers even into the mid handicap range provided they hit the ball with the face fairly well. In my personal findings a smaller more compact iron head heightens awareness of face at impact and direction over using larger heads that send the ball high and straight on mis hits. The Taylormade TP Forged 2009 Japan model is very solid in accuracy and I attribute much of that to its forgiveness to size ratio.

Distance & Workability:  4/5 Points
Distance with a forged players iron usually depends on the shaft and build, I dont notice to much of a difference in the category of players cavity backs when it comes to distance but I sure do notice a lot in the realm of workability. The TM TP is somewhat blade like in this regard I was able to work it easily right to left and left to right, had some moments under a tree on a dog leg where the low hook to get back into the short stuff worked out really well.  I think the designers had this in mind and produced a well balanced golf club that can appeal to most players. Of the Yamaha Limited, Epon AF-Tour, and MB5003 it was the least workable but just a fraction less workable than the Yamaha yet it could be a hair more forgiving.

Aesthetics: 3/5 Ponts
It looks better than the last 2 Taylormade Forged TP Irons but still nothing spectacular in my opinion. The back cavity really doesn't do it for me and I would count it as a point deduction in the Aesthetics department but where this iron was saved is in it profile from top looking down, face shape and size as well as it's sole design. In my opinion everything looks almost perfect with this iron except the back face. To each is own and I know a lot of guys out there that would simply kill for an iron like this.

Overall: 4/5 Points
Another advancement over the previous model.   Is it revolutionary?  Nope but it does perform and play very well, it does improve a bit over some very well designed predicessors that are extremely difficult to improve upon and it is also in line with Taylormades branding and Image. So yes if your a fan of Taylormade product and looking for a forged iron that feels good and is pretty darn forgiving for it's size  and I have to mention the shape is stunning. You need not look anywhere else.  It's rare and will get guys in your group and others drooling.

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