I don't know about you but I would love to consistantly hit a 2 or 3 iron. I'd kill to be able to consistantly have the accuracy of a mid-iron but hit it 200--230 and at the target. Sometimes I can, but the "sometimes" can result in high numbers on long par fours and fives. A number of players in my (mid) handicap group have long gone with a "rescue"-type club. "Rescue" is what TaylorMade called their hybrid iron/wood or wood/iron and have set the standard in the industry. I haven't been a major fan of TaylorMade clubs with a few exceptions. I don't have a "Brand Identification" issue, I simply hit a lot of different clubs and have settled on their products only a couple of times. The Firesole driver was my first titanium club; the bubble-shafted fairway woods have had a place in my bag at one time or another. When I finally decided on going with a hybrid, my first choice was the Hogan Edge CFT hybrid 3 steel shafted. I settled on the 3 rather than buying a 2 and a 4, which I had hit courtesy of a friend. I loved the feel and the distance initially, but after getting used to the club, disliked my tendancy to hook the ball. I couldn't fade a shot with the club and the persistance of the draw made distance control difficult. I normally play Ping G2 fairway woods, and because the G5 hybrid hadn't been released, I traded the Hogan for a Cleveland Halo 19* graphite shafted hybrid because it most closely resembled the Ping technology and word of mouth was excellent. I really liked the Cleveland Quadpro fairway woods and only replaced them with the Pings because they were even more accurate and easy to hit. Unfortunately, the Halo had the same accuracy issues as the Quadpro woods. The club produced a straight ball flight, but, like the Quadpros(and incidentally, when I had tried them, the Launcher drivers), the line-of-flight was not necessarily the line I had setup to hit. I think the Cleveland stock graphite shaft's torque characteristics are not quite right for my swing. Finally, I hit Callaway, Nike, Ping and TaylorMade hybrids on an indoor range and, mainly on the basis of feel, I traded the Halo straight across for a new Taylormade Rescue Mid 19* with a steel shaft. The Rescue performs the job I'd been hoping for. It's a true utility club. I can hit it long, straight and on target. I can hit from tight lies and long rough, sidehill, up and downhill lies, knock it down, cut it, draw it, trust it. As far as I can tell, the original Rescue mid does everything a utility club is supposed to do and can't imagine that the new Rescue Dual can be a gigantic improvement, but who knows, technology surprises me. At the current price point, $99 new, the club's a great value and the resultant price drop at auction on ebay makes the TaylorMade Rescue Mid a must-have for players looking for a Hybrid that does what they're supposed to do.Read full review
Okay, first off, for those unaware, there were 2 types of clubs in the first Rescue series. The Rescue Mid and The Rescue Fairway The Rescue Mid is a nice little club, but to be honest, it has a slight tendency to draw the ball, which I found really annoying, and is why Taylormade released the Rescue Dual model. Ask any pro or golf shop dealer what the general consensis was on the Mid range, and they will tell you a slight draw is common. But they are very easy to use, and from the rough, they are 2nd to none, producing long easy shots, as the shafts are a lot shorter than their cousin, the Rescue Fairway. The lofts come in the following: 2h - 16 degrees 3h - 19 degrees 4h - 22 degrees 5h - 25 degrees The Rescue Fairway is a fantastic club. They come in 3 models, but be careful, they claim to be a 3Wood a 5Wood and a 7Wood, but the lofts are a little incorrect. All the Fairway models, produce a fairly high flying ball, but reasonably long and penetrating which is great. They do not fade or draw badly, and if they are hit well, they go dead straight, its amazing to watch. The 3Wood is fantastic, but its 17 degrees, so it hits more like a 4 Wood. It is so so easy to hit long straight shots that I fell in love with this club. I often prefer this club to a driver as it is often better to be only 190 yards down the fairway, than 240 yards into the water. The 5Wood is also exceptional, but it is 20 degrees, so again, its tendency is more to be a 6Wood, and can sometimes hit quite a very high ball, but still gives fantastic accuracy. The 7Wood is useless, its more like an 8 or 9 wood, and bubbles a lot, so that you're better off just using a 7 iron. The lofts of the Rescue Fairway are: 3Wood - 17 degrees 5Wood - 20 degrees 7Wood - 23 degrees Having said all that, I would strongly suggest that you try the Ben Hogan range of clubs aswell, and see which you prefer, as I found the Hogan and the Taylor Made were the best of all the rescue models that companies have made.Read full review
I am a 10 handicap frequent player. In the past 5 years, I tried many kind or brands of hybrid iron to replace my 2/3/4 iron as to improve mid-long distance. The last and perfect combination I found is: No.3 Rescue Fairway (17 degree to replace 2 iron) No.5 Rescue Fairway (20 degree to replace 3 iron) The club face is a little be closed which made my draw hit can be very precise; also the distance. Followed with my age become closed to "senior" level; I need to find another club to replace my 4 iron. But No.7 Rescue Fairway is not the best candidate. Because the sole is too wide when I want to make a "fade". However, R7 Rescue Draw No.4 (22 degree) acted a good tool which I could make draw easier; also a fade after a little bit practice. Also the design is 6~7 years ago, but I still trust them and feel confident at my each important hit to green.Read full review
I am pretty happy with the Taylormade Rescue club that I purchased. It is fairly easy to hit and goes a lot further and straighter than some of the cheaper off brand Hybrids. I bought this club used so I am unsure what differences, if any, there would be between the used one I bought and a brand new one. Overall I am very happy with this club and it has already improved my game.
I ended up visiting family sans golf clubs and played a round while borrowing my sister in law's clubs. She had recently purchased this wood on ebay and loved it. I hit it a few times and it was a "wow". I'm a pretty good golfer and this soared my ball right out of any stuff it was sitting in so as soon as I returned home, I too bought one. the only issue is that she's a really good golfer and the steel shaft was just too hard for me to hit so I had it reshafted in graphite and now it's just totally puuuurrrrrrrrrrrfect. Sometimes, so perfect that my jaw drops! It's my totally go to club when I have to clear a hazard and not think twice about performance.