TaylorMade Golf's White Driver Release February 4, 2011

With the majority of the United States enduring record amounts of snow, the West Coast is experiencing a "white-out" of a different kind. TaylorMade Golf's new R11™ and Burner® SuperFast 2.0 white drivers have made their PGA debuts in the bags of more than 40 golf professionals since the start of PGA Tour season, but the white-out isn't confined to Hawaii, California and Arizona, as media and retailers across the nation are embracing for the new TaylorMade drivers.

Simply put, the white drivers are taking the industry by storm with accolades from media, Tour pros and retailers all giving these game-changing drivers high marks. Available in stores tomorrow, Feb. 4, TaylorMade Golf Company booked 156% more in white metalwoods in January 2011 than it did for all in-line metalwoods in the first quarter of 2010.

"A new chapter is being written in the golf equipment industry," said David Abeles, executive vice president of TaylorMade Golf. "Golf fans who wake from their winter slumber are going to be greeted with PGA Tour tee boxes filled with white drivers. White technology is here to stay and TaylorMade is all in."

In addition to its visibility on camera, TaylorMade's revolutionary drivers were painted white to satisfy the demands of discerning PGA Tour players who continuously requested maximum contrast between the club face and the crown of the driver. The white crown color and black PVD face of the R11 and Burner SuperFast 2.0 provides optimum contrast against the ground to the clubs easier to aim. This advantage is even more pronounced in lower light, such as when the tee box is in shade or shadow, on overcast days or when the sun is low in the morning and in the evening. The crown color also eliminates high-intensity "hot spots" caused by reflected sunlight that afflicts gloss-finish metalwoods.

Shortly after the R11 being named an "Editor's Choice" and both drivers being awarded gold medals in Golf Digest's recently released 2011 Hot List, TaylorMade began the 2011 season on top in the driver brand count with a total of 10 drivers in play in a field of just 29 at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. At the Sony Open and the Bob Hope Classic a combined total of 41 players teed up white drivers.

Last week at the Farmer's Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, in what was considered the company's "official PGA Tour launch," TaylorMade's tour team built upwards of 200 white metalwoods per day with 34 white drivers going into play including 22 R11 and 12 Burner SuperFast 2.0s. Meanwhile across the country at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, the new white drivers were netting media and retail praise both at demo day and at the company's booth which encapsulated an entire wing on the showroom floor. The overwhelming response to the new white drivers sent the TaylorMade sales team scrambling back to Carlsbad to re-forecast sales for the remainder of the year and to place calls to factories to expedite driver shipments.

"I have been in the golf business my entire life—I've seen thousands of products come and go, and I've had hundreds of sales people tell me their product will 'revolutionize the game,'" said David Austad, president and owner of the Austad Golf chain of retailers. "That's why I am so excited about the new R11 Driver from TaylorMade. It is truly revolutionary and very cool."

Owning 31 percent dollar share of the metalwood market, according to Golf DataTech's December 2010 report, TaylorMade is the world's leading metalwood brand and continues to be the most-played and winningest driver brand in golf. The TaylorMade R11 utilizes the company's "Three Dimensions of Distance" and 3D tuning technologies that allows players to independently tune loft, face angle and flight path in order to maximize distance off the tee. The clubhead's new aerodynamic shape promotes faster clubhead speed for more distance, while allowing up to 100 yards of side-to-side trajectory change. Its distinctive white coloring and black clubface reduces glare and helps players with alignment, a trait which it shares with the TaylorMade Burner SuperFast 2.0.

The TaylorMade Burner SuperFast 2.0 is TaylorMade's lightest driver at only 279 grams. Its large cone face and new clubhead shape provide the largest sweetspot on a TaylorMade driver, and its light weight combined with longer shaft combine for added distance off the tee—as much as five yards more than the previous generation of Burner.

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