First Hit: The TaylorMade GAPR – how does it perform?

TaylorMade’s new GAPR line of utility clubs has been introduced to provide you with a club that effectively fills the gap in your bag between your shortest fairway wood and longest, playable iron. 

The GAPR was first spotted a few weeks ago out on tour at the Irish Open and is already proving to be a popular choice among the pros. 

At this week’s Open Championship we have already seen a number of players testing and putting the GAPR products into their bag, including Tiger Woods, Jon Rahm and Haotong Li.

TaylorMade feel that in recent years, the majority of hybrid clubs have gradually evolved into extensions of the iron set or simply smaller fairway woods. On Tour, the number of wood-style hybrids has steadily declined. 

Players are starting to adopt iron-style utility clubs and driving irons for better control and workability.

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TaylorMade decided to create three distinct GAPR models in order to cater to the needs of golfers of all abilities. For everything you need about these new clubs follow the link above.

GAPR LO

On paper, this is the model that is tailored towards my game. Aimed at the lower handicapper and faster swing speed golfers, the LO features a low and forward CG to delver low spinning, penetrating power from the tee and off the deck.

Down behind the ball this driving iron looks fantastic. It has the perfect blend of sleek, iron -like aesthetics, which will suit the better player, and an air of visual forgiveness to give you the confidence you need with lower lofted irons.

Its sleeker design makes it the most versatile of the three options and the easiest to flight and work the golf ball with. 

As is the case with all three models, SpeedFoam helps to deliver an impressive level of feel. The LO feels powerful off the face, but soft enough to deliver both the feel and sound better players will be looking for.

The feel, workability and forgiveness were all fantastic aspects of this club, but it was the incredible speed it delivered that made me want to hit it again and again. 

Using the 17˚, 2-iron option I was consistently carrying the ball around the 225 mark. Considering I hit my 4-iron 215 on the fly, and average about 245 – 255 yards carry with my 3-wood, the LO fills that gap perfectly. 

When I decided to step on one, as you can see in the image above, I was carrying the ball closer to the 250 mark. It is no wonder so many pros have been testing and putting the GAPR LO in the bag over the last few weeks.

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The adjustability aspect helps to set the GAPR range apart from the brand’s other utility iron, the P790 UDI.  Each model features a LoftSleeve that can be adjusted up and down by 1.5˚, so I could easily dial in that yardage to wherever I wanted it to be.

GAPR MID

Siting squarely in the middle of the three models, the MID delivered a slightly higher launch and similar spin when compared to the LO. It maintains an appealing, utility iron shape, but this slightly larger head offers a noticeable increase in forgiveness. 

It still retains a great level of feel, as well as ample levels of versatility and workability for the better player. The slightly higher ball flight will help a lot of golfer to maximize their carry distances within the GAPR range and the added forgiveness is something well worth considering when comparing to the LO. 

GAPR HI

TaylorMade’s head of product creation, Brian Bazzell, said, “the GAPR line was a real collaboration between our metalwoods and irons team. As you will see in their construction, they leverage technologies from our most recent and advanced metalwood and iron designs.”

This is no more so evident than in the HI model. Unlike the other two utility iron designs, the HI features a Rescue shaping, with a dropped crown that provides lower CG and improved alignment.

This model is, high launching, powerful, and above all else, incredibly easy to hit. If you are a fan of wood shaped hybrids then this will be the model for you. It is a shape that will help inspire you with confidence. Where it differs from TaylorMade’s current M3 and M4 Rescue is in the feel and flight. 

The hollow head is filled with SpeedFoam to deliver a softer feel when compared to the M3 and M4, while the unique design delivers a more penetrating flight in comparison.

Regardless of which model you end up choosing If you are looking to plug that all important distance gap at the long end of your bag, then any one of these three options from TaylorMade may just be the solution you’ve been searching for. 

Specifications

Available: September 7

Price: £259

GAPR LO

#2 | 17° 
#3 | 19° 
#4 | 22° 

GAPR MID

#3 | 18° 
#4 | 21° 
#5 | 24° 

GAPR HI

#3 | 19° 
#4 | 22°
#5 | 25° 
#6 | 28°

Each GAPR comes equipped with a KBS Hybrid shaft in either an 80/x, 80/s, 70/r or 60/a profile (via custom) and a Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 grip. Additional shaft options are available through TaylorMade’s custom program as well.

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