Club:TaylorMade R540 driver 10.5 degree loft
Shaft:TaylorMade MAS 2 70 shaft regular flex
Grip:TaylorMade TNG
Looks:A direct replacement for the 320 driver this club lives
up to the taylorMade tradition of producing high quality product. The
350cc black head looks strong and quite compact and the black 70g shaft
and good quality grip are first rate.
The shaft seems quite stiff and certainly looks an upgrade on the bubble
shaft of the 300 series.
The raised rails on the crown are a simple yet extremely useful alignment
aid.
There is the addition of a "Tuned Weight Cartridge"(3 tungsten
rods in a urethane casing at the rear of head) to allegedly allow for
customising of shafts,a feature that is not visible at address.
As has become the norm for TaylorMade the lie of the club appears more
upright than many competitor clubs (eg.Callaway) and this is a common
anti-slice feature which does work effectively.The club looks extremely
classy and the "No 1 driver on tour" boast looks deserved.By
the way did you know that in the ratings war between Callaway and TaylorMade
it is common practise for the rival companies to give players without
a club contract "tee up" money to use their driver in competition
just to have more clubs in play at a tournament.
By accepting the money (up to $1,000) a struggling player can virtually
pay his expenses for a week so don't read too much into the hype when
you come to selecting golf clubs.Testing is the only real way to be sure
that a club will suit you!
Marks:(out of 10) 9
Performance:This is a pleasant club to hit in many ways.The good
quality shaft is lightweight without being so light as to take some of
the punch away from the clubhead.impact sound is reassuringly metallic
which will please the vast majority of players and the feel from the clubface
is not too harsh (unlike Adams Redline for example).
Some experts have suggested that as much as 70% of perceived feel in a
club is determined by sound at impact.Flight is medium to high with a
long carry and moderate run and overall distance is excellent,probably
around 10 yards longer than 320.Mishits are handled very well with no
real harshness to be felt and crucially no great loss in distance.
Draws and fades can be produced quite easily and there is a real sense
of power with the club.In many ways the club addresses the major flaw
of the 320 (good club that it was) which tended to hit the ball too high.
Marks:9
Value: $250 can be bettered easily on internet (ie.do not pay $399
for the club!)This club is being replaced by 540XD model and so many stockists
will be clearing out inventory.
This will hit resale and trade-in value as a result.
Marks:6
Verdict:An improvement on the 320,this is a club that most golfers
will hit well.If you really struggle to find the centre of the clubface
with a driver then the R580 is the one for you TaylorMade fans and for
the Value conscious then look at a Cobra SS430.
Marks:8
I GUARANTEE You'll Lengthen your Drive and Cut your Handicap by 7-12 Strokes in Just Two weeks." 
