According to TaylorMade’s Tomo Bystedt, Senior Director Product Creation, Metalwoods, the goal when designing the new GAPR line ($250 each) was to attack the part of the bag between the longest playable iron and shortest fairway wood, and fill that gap for a wide variety of players.
“We looked at it from a fitting standpoint, trying to deliver a product with a different type of performance that fills a need,” said Bystedt. “Identifying the gap is the first of several steps to finding which model and loft will solve the problem.”
Bystedt also says the GAPR clubs differ from many driving irons or hybrids in that they’re not one offs that aren’t designed to work ideally with the rest of the set. Instead the GAPR line is aimed at covering the widest range of players possible and are made to work perfectly together and with the remainder of your bag.
One of the keys to the GAPR family is the fact that there are three different models, GAPR LO, GAPR MID, and GAPR HI. Each model in the family is specifically designed to provide a different trajectory but also feature slightly different profiles and CG locations. The LO is the most compact model and features a low and forward CG location to promote a low-mid trajectory. The profile is the most iron-like and offers the highest degree of workability of the group and is most likely to appeal to faster swingers.
The GAPR MID is most likely the family member that will appeal to the widest variety of players as it features a CG that’s very low and forward, producing a mid-high flight that can work for any number of people. The sole of the MID is also medium wide for more playability and less dig than the LO model, while the clubface shape is fairly iron-like. The GAPR HI is the largest of the three models and the one that most closely resembles a true Rescue club. A CG location that’s very low and deep in the clubhead promotes more forgiveness and the highest trajectory of the new line for long distance and a slightly steeper angle of descent into the target.
All three models feature many of the key speed-producing technologies normally associated with TaylorMade’s super-long fairway woods and irons including a thin, light, and fast C300 face insert for faster ballspeeds as well as weight savings that can be redistributed to more useful parts of the clubhead. Each model also features a hollow clubhead with SpeedFoam for improved sound, feel, and ballspeed, as well as a SpeedPocket in the sole for improved launch and distance characteristics. A Loft Sleeve is also featured in all three clubs for custom tuning and fitting with 1.5-degrees of movement in either direction.
The GAPR LO will be available in 17 °, 19°, and 22° while the MID will be available in 18°, 21°, and 24°. The HI will be offered in 19°, 22°, 25°, and 28° models. Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 grips come standard as do KBS Hybrid shafts in 80X, 80S, 70R, and 60A options. Additional shaft options will be available through custom order as well.
The entire GAPR family will be available at retail on August 24, 2018
