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TaylorMade Introduces r7 425 TP

(December 9th 2005) New Addition to TaylorMade's Tour Preferred Line Combines a 425cc Clubhead and Movable Weight Technology™


CARLSBAD, Calif. (December 9, 2005) – TaylorMade Golf Company has expanded its Tour Preferred line of golf equipment with the addition the r7 425 TP, a new driver featuring TaylorMade's renowned Movable Weight Technology that includes specific elements targeted at highly skilled players.

The r7 425 TP features 28 grams of movable weight divided between two widely spaced TaylorMade Launch Control (TLC) ports, allowing for a lateral shift in CG position of up to 5 millimeters. Robot testing indicates that the 425 TP delivers a lateral trajectory change of up to 13 yards when the TLC cartridges are configured to promote the maximum amount of either draw or fade. Likewise, players can configure the TLC cartridges to increase or decrease their spin-rate to promote changes in the height of their tee shots, either higher or lower. After a trajectory is chosen, the 425 TP makes it easier to achieve that trajectory over and over, thanks in part to the club's exceptionally high MOI and its large 425cc head.

Compared to the original r7 quad, the r7 425 promotes a wider change in trajectory in terms of both height and lateral movement; it's more forgiving; and visually it encourages greater confidence.

In addition, the r7 425 TP is designed with a slightly open face angle, to meet the demands of tour players.

Movable Weight Technology


The r7 425 TP incorporates four TLC ports and includes 12 TLC cartridges: two 2-gram, one 4-gram, two 6-gram, two 8-gram, one 10-gram, two 12-gram and two 14-gram. By inserting differently weighted cartridges into the TLC ports in different configurations, players can change the CG location to promote a broad range of launch conditions. Specifically, the array of TLC cartridges that accompanies the 425 TP makes it possible for players to choose from 1,230 CG positions within 10 swingweights, from C8 to D8. Using a driver that offers a choice of launch conditions gives players the freedom to choose the launch conditions that work best with their swing to promote greater distance and accuracy.

The 425 TP also includes a TLC cartridge tool specially engineered to install and remove TLC cartridges; a TLC Trajectory Wheel for assistance with configuring cartridges to achieve specific types of trajectories; a Movable Weight Technology manual; a red TP TLC case for storing cartridges; and a headcover featuring TaylorMade's proprietary magnetic-closure system.

Ultra-Thin Wall Technology


The creation of the 425 TP wouldn't have been possible without TaylorMade's Ultra-Thin Wall (UTW) technology, a casting process that allows the clubhead walls to be just 0.6mm thick – that's fully 40% thinner than the walls of most competitive drivers and 25% thinner than the walls of the original r7 quad and r7 quad TP. The weight saved by the 425 TP's drastically thinner walls contributes to the discretionary weight necessary to incorporate 28 grams of movable weight into the 425cc clubhead.

Pull-Face Construction and Inverted Cone Technology


Like all TaylorMade r7 and r5 drivers, the r7 425 TP is built using Pull-Face Construction, wherein the clubface is made separately from the clubhead. That allows TaylorMade to cold-roll the clubface out of exceptionally strong titanium, resulting in an exceedingly fast, flexible and light clubface that bumps up against the USGA's limit for spring-like effect.

The 425 TP also features TaylorMade's groundbreaking Inverted Cone Technology (ICT). The Inverted Cone, which is milled directly onto the inner side of the clubface, increases the size of a club's COR Zone, which is the portion of the clubface that delivers high COR; more than .800. What that means is that ICT allows a larger area of the face to deliver consistently higher ball velocity, resulting in consistently longer drives. An added advantage of ICT is that the exceptionally light clubface allows the saved weight to be put to use as discretionary weight.

TaylorMade RE·AX Shaft with Fujikura Rombax Technology


The r7 425 TP is equipped with the new TaylorMade RE•AX TP graphite shaft featuring Fujikura's proprietary ROMBAX technology, which has taken Fujikura's TRIAX technology to the next level.

A golf shaft exhibits a tendency to change from a circular shape to an oval shape as it bends and twists while subjected to the normal forces of the forwardswing. That's why Fujikura, maker of the No. 1
shaft on the PGA Tour*, devised ROMBAX technology, which helps the shaft to better retain and recover its original, circular shape. That helps to make the shaft dynamics more consistent and more stable, which promotes improved consistency and accuracy from shot to shot.

ROMBAX technology uses two types of graphite weave, TRIAX (used in Fujikura's legendary Speeder 757 shaft) and a second weave recently developed to reinforce TRIAX. These weaves, which are used to make graphite sheets, are characterized by an intricate, strength enhancing pattern. The TRIAX sheet extends from the grip to the tip, while the second sheet covers the middle of the shaft, covering approximately 25% of the length. Together these graphite sheets unite to reinforce the shaft's cross-sectional integrity, allowing it to better maintain and recover its circular shape during the swing. The complex pattern in which the outer graphite sheet is woven is visible through a "window" just below the grip. In the 425 TP, ROMBAX technology extends from the top of the shaft to the bottom, which not only reinforces cross-sectional integrity to promote increased consistency, but also bolsters tip-stiffness to promote increased control for players capable of generating fast swing speeds and tour-style launch conditions.

TP Stands for Tour Preferred


TaylorMade's Tour Preferred line of golf equipment is designed with, and for, the finest players in the world, and meets a tour pro's requirements for what a golf club should look, feel and perform like. Tour Preferred clubs are identical to the clubs that TaylorMade makes for tour pros.

"Like our other Tour Preferred products, the r7 425 TP was created with the help of tour pros, who provided an integral amount of input and feedback in regard to almost every aspect of this driver," said Tom Olsavsky, director of product creation, "especially in terms of the head shape, the sound and the shaft. Without a doubt, the r7 425 TP is built for tour pros, and players that swing like tour pros."

r7 425 quad TP Availability


The r7 425 TP, which includes TaylorMade's TP logo on the toe, will be available in 8.5, 9.5, and 10.5 degree lofts, and in X, S and R shaft flexes. The manufacturer's suggested retail price is $1,000, and availability will begin at TaylorMade's retail partners starting in mid-December 2005.