TaylorMade introduces RocketBladez Irons.

A closer look at the new TaylorMade RocketBladez irons
Doug Rikkers, GolfTEC Director of Club Fitting & Merchandise Services, PGA Member

By now, most of you are familiar with the success of TaylorMade’s RocketBallz Fairway and Rescue clubs that were launched earlier this year. TaylorMade’s revolutionary speed pocket technology increases ball speed and allows players of all abilities to consistently gain an additional 15 to 20 yards in distance. Now TaylorMade has found a way to incorporate the same technology into its new RocketBladez irons (available November 30th), promising to revolutionize iron performance in distance, control, and feel.

How does it work? The Speed Pocket actually flexes and rebounds at impact, increasing the speed of the face to promote faster ball speed and a higher, stronger ball flight. The advantage is particularly effective when impact is lower on the face, which, according to TaylorMade, occurs 72% of the time for amateur golfers.

Another advantage of the Speed Pocket is that it allows designers to redistribute 17.5 grams of weight to lower the center of gravity (COG) by 25mm when compared to the Burner 2.0 irons. The lower COG creates a higher launch, which leads to a steep, soft-landing, quick-stopping descent angle.

The RocketBladez Speed Pocket is also filled with a Polyurethane Reactive (PUR) that keeps debris out and dampens unwanted vibration, while still allowing the slot to flex at impact. The irons even have two internal/external notches that make bending lie angles easier, should you ever need to do so.

For the lower handicap player, TaylorMade will be launching the RocketBladez Tour irons in early 2013. The Tour version will incorporate all the same technology of the regular RocketBladez, but with tour designed sole and shaping, and the KBS Tour shaft stock.

If you’re interested in either of these revolutionary new irons, your Certified Personal Coach will be happy to custom fit you to the exact specs that match your swing.

Performance Secret

Never underestimate the importance of offseason lessons.
Pat Bernot, GolfTEC Director of Instruction and PGA Member, GolfTEC Easton

As a PGA Professional who teaches golf all year long in Ohio, I often have many people ask what plan gives them the best chance for success.  It seems logical that taking lessons while we are in golf season would be a good path towards improvement.  The offseason, however, is an equally important time to improve your game and make changes.  Here are five reasons why you should take lessons this offseason:

1. No competition – Many of my students tell me that while they were working on a swing change, once they got to the golf course they “went back to the old way” because they knew that it would work.  Competition takes many forms.  We may compete against our playing partners, the golf course, or ourselves. Offseason lessons allow you to commit to changes without any need to go back to the old way to beat your buddies in your regular Saturday foursome
2. No rust buildup – Golfers often complain that it takes them a month or more to get back into the swing of things when the weather improves.  The reason for this is simple.  After taking 5-6 months off from playing and practicing regularly, the body needs to re-learn many things that were second nature to them the previous year.  Taking lessons during the offseason does not allow this rust to build up, making early rounds in the golf season more enjoyable.
3. Some changes are easier to make in the offseason – If you have taken lessons before, you undoubtedly tried to make changes to your swing (or game) with little to no success.  The difficulty may have been accentuated when you were making the changes.  Golfers want to strike the ball solidly during the golf season.  Therefore, making changes that may negatively affect your contact are much tougher when you are concerned about the effect on your next round of golf.  This makes indoor lessons in the fall and winter a great time to make changes when you AREN’T playing regularly.  Your body is more likely to adapt to a new change when interim negative results are not taken to the golf course.  If you spend the winter making these changes, your reward will be a grooved new swing at the start of the season.
4. Ball flight can be a distraction –Ultimately, improving ball flight is a part of improving one’s games. However, often times golfers are distracted by ball flight when making changes initially.  This disrupts the process and leads both to poor performance and a lack of understanding of what the true problem is.  At GolfTEC, our fact-based diagnosis allows us to know exactly what is causing a player’s frustrations, allowing us to focus on making the necessary changes that will impact the flight of the ball.  Our sequential lessons give us time to work through core or root problems, which ultimately leads to long-term, more significant results when it is time to play.  When we are ready to focus more on how the flight of the ball is changing we can view this either by getting outside (weather permitting) or by using in-bay launch monitor technology. 
   
5. The offseason isn’t just for the full swing – Golfers who take lessons at GolfTEC already know that we don’t just work on the full swing.  We want our golfers to improve their entire game all year long.   Therefore, at all times, we work on full swing, pitching, chipping and putting.  We have all the tools and resources necessary to help golfers reach their goals.  Whether you need instruction to stop blading your chips, chunking your pitch shots or 3 putting, we can improve all parts of your game indoors without being outside.  Changing the mechanics of your short game will go a long way in helping you become a wizard around and on the greens by the time that the grass is green again.